How I started publishing the articles from Anna Von Reitz over 11 years ago.

  From Paul Stramer

Monday July 27, 2026

In August of 2014 I was visiting with a local friend over coffee, and he handed me a printed article authored by a lady from Big Lake Alaska by the name of Anna Von Reitz. 

When I read the article, I very quickly realized that even though I have a long history of political activity and study, beginning in 1967, trying to find out what is wrong with America, and why so many of our freedoms have disappeared over the last few decades,  I was never able to put all of the pieces of that puzzle together. Some of  my friends were able to put certain other pieces in place, but none of us could fully assemble the puzzle so we could see the whole picture.

It was like buying a picture puzzle from a box store, but there was no picture on the outside of the box to go by. Not a clue of what the end result was supposed to be. No one person, at least that I knew of, was ever able to fully assemble the complete puzzle of FRAUD that has been used to steal the freedoms, prosperity, and heritage of the "free, sovereign, and independent people of the united States of America" as the treaty of Paris put it in 1783. That was the treaty that supposedly ended the American Revolution for our independence.

All of a sudden I had the whole puzzle, fully assembled and easy to see, including some solutions.

Since I make most of my living on the internet, it is my natural inclination when I find something like this, to go start searching far and wide for more information to fill in the blanks.  What I found was astounding.

Anna Von Reitz was writing many articles, but writing on other people's blogs.  I was blown away that I could NOT find a website anywhere with all of her writings in one place where they could be searched for keywords on the various topics.

Her writing is like nothing I have ever read before. Each sentence is unique and contains almost a whole new train of thought. I am sure when you read the article below and follow the links at the bottom of this post, that you will agree.

I came to the conclusion, that she must have a near photographic memory to be able to do what she does.

Over the years I had a sense that most of this was not our fault. I just had a feeling that we had been the victims of some kind of vicious deceit that the average working guy just would never be able to get their head around, let alone be able to do anything about.  I had tried it all. I tried educational activity from the time I was 17, acting as a volunteer coordinator for the John Birch Society working with my uncle, Leo B. Landsberger, who was the paid staff coordinator for North Dakota. We set up chapters of that organization by the dozens all over the state.  Then we tried political activity, as in Republican Party politics. I am sure you can relate to how quickly we learned that didn't work either, and even though we had a ticket of candidates in 1968 of over 130 people called the Taxpayers Republican Ticket, all of whom were members of the JBS, the news media, even back then, was so controlled and poisonous, that we didn't get many elected. One thing we did accomplish however, was that when it came time for the people in that state to vote on a new constitution, unlike in Montana, THEY TURNED IT DOWN by almost 3 to 1. Even today, if you get enough signatures on a petition you can call a standing Grand Jury in North Dakota.  Not in Montana. There is a clause in the Montana document that restricts calling a Grand Jury to the whim of a State district court judge.  We are finding out that even that is a fraud.

In any case, the document I was handed was Anna's letter to Archbishop George of Chicago, I think you will see the value, and what convinced me to buy the domain name www.annavonreitz.com and start searching and finding, and cataloging all of Anna's articles. At this point we have a searchable database of over 5969 articles, letters, documents and powerful legal filings that will definitely get your undivided attention, and give you answers and solutions to many questions, like they did for me. This information will plug in the missing pieces to the puzzle project and the light will shine brightly at the end of the long dark tunnel.

Enjoy,

Paul Stramer  KC7MEZ
SLC Distributing
PO Box 116
Eureka MT 59917
800 889 2839
pstramer@eurekadsl.net 

Here is the original article I was handed: 

http://www.annavonreitz.com/annavonreitz.pdf

PDF files have a way to increase the type size at the top of each page.

Here is what Anna has to say about my work:

By Anna Von Reitz

There are now hundreds of hucksters out there selling my work to profit themselves.  They cherry pick and combine my work with other information and they Mix and Match as they see fit from other sources and then they "re-package" this mish-mash as a "Freedom Package" and they sell it.  And then people try to blame me for whatever results they get from buying these packages. 

Nope.  I am not authorizing or reviewing or approving any of these other efforts. I only take responsibility for mine.   

Very early on, the decision was made to make the information coming in from our research available for free.  The reasons for this are simple enough to see.  Number One--- nobody should be denied freedom simply because they are poor.  Number Two --- many of the nation's poorest people are our own veterans, who paid for their freedom and mine, already.  Number Three --- for our efforts to succeed, a great many Americans must be awakened from their deep slumber and anything that restricts or impedes that process is to be avoided. Number Four -- for our efforts to succeed, people have to start working together in a spirit of brotherhood and common cause instead of hiding out in the woods and hoping to avoid contact with Big Brother.  Giving everyone the benefit of the work encourages people to give back whatever they can give in return. That then encourages community spirit and the effort blossoms. 

There is exactly one official source for our work on the web, and that is Paul Stramer's:  www.annavonreitz.com. 

When you push the donate button on Paul's website, you are saying "Thank you!" to him for countless hours devoted to keeping the website going and the information flowing despite many obstacles and irritations.  You are saying "Thank you!" to him for forwarding your messages to me when you can't get through any other way.   He uses your donations to keep the website up and running, to make improvements to it, to expand the readership and otherwise advertise and gain exposure for the information.   If there is anything left over at the end of the month, he forwards it on to me and I divvy it up to our non-Bar lawyers and auditors and researchers who are in need. 

Other websites and other purveyors of my information are also presenting you with donate buttons.  It should be understood that none of that money is coming to me. It's going to support those websites and whoever is managing them.  

It should also be understood that I am not involved in those websites and they are just "re-posting" --- and hopefully respecting my copyrights.  

If you want to donate to me and to my team (other than Paul who is very much a part of the team, and simply has his own donate button) I  prefer to receive  donations via Snail Mail at: Anna Maria Riezinger, c/o Box 520994, Big Lake, Alaska 99652.  ( editors note: Anna is not connected to any commercial banks at all, so now the only way we have to forward funds is to convert them to silver and send them to her PO Box. or for you to leave the pay to line on the check blank so she can support the team directly with your check.)

Your direct donations enable me  to send support to our guys in the field, the non-Bar Attorneys and researchers who donate their time and energy to this effort for free, but need help covering the expenses of their work.  

Some research requires money -- travel, certified copies, even just plain copies can cost a lot of money, fees of various kinds---- it's not all just a matter of sitting in front of a computer.  Some information requires us to chase it down like a runaway dog. 

Court cases are always expensive.  Always. 100% of the time, THEY ding us for all their fees and copies and bonds and so on and on.  

Some of our researchers are past eighty, living on very limited incomes, and still doing their best.  For them, your donations pay electric bills, copy paper and ink, and other expenses they cannot afford to donate because they are so poor themselves. 

Almost daily I am humbled by the sacrifices so many people worldwide are making to free themselves and regain control of their governments and the legal systems that have run amok.  We can't do this alone. We can only do it as whole communities working together with a common vision.  

Those of you who are reading this, please pause a moment and think about what you can do, what you can contribute.  If it's five bucks or five minutes or thirty seconds to say a prayer, whatever you have that you can give, please remember where all this information is coming from and at what price it is coming.  

And remember that there is only one official website that is connected directly to me: www.annavonreitz.com 

Anna Von Reitz

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We need your help to make this go around the world.

Editor's note from Paul.

If you look in the right hand column on this blog you will find two Donate buttons.
The first one is for a PayPal donation with any amount of your choosing, and which you can make a recurring monthly donation if you choose, or leave it a one time donation.
We send a  big thank you to all those who have used that button over the last 11+ years. You are the best, and God Bless You and Yours'. You are in our Prayers daily.

I have also added a second button that uses Square UP and takes you to a page where you can set your amount and also set it as a monthly donation if you so desire.

I have been working at this effort now for close to 12 years, and I am going to level with you all about what it takes to make Anna's words and writings go around the world.

Publishing her articles (5969 of them as of today) is just the beginning of what we do here.  The idea from the start was to let what Anna is saying in her articles build a consensus around the world that would lead to freedom for the average man or woman instead of the victimization by "government" of the people of the world that we are currently experiencing. I have never found anyone who understands the history of fraud by government that has brought us to this evil time better than Anna Von Reitz. She was the first one to come on the scene who had fully assembled the puzzle of fraud so we could get our minds around it.

The idea behind this is the principal that evil can only operate when it's victims are deceived about what is happening to them and why, and that exposure to the light of day will usually reverse the evil once the truth becomes pervasive enough. This has been the case throughout history. The reason is that God has written his 10 Commandments into the heart of every man, and people will know what is true, and what is false, provided they are given good information.

The Romans learned that the hard way. They learned that it is difficult to fight an idea with swords and clubs. It's impossible to fight a good and true idea whose time has come in God's Holy will, or His timeline in history.  We are living in a time such as that, where people see the evil in governments around the world, and they want information that will counteract the evil and lies, and solutions to get the evil exposed and out of power. We are living in a time of great awakening, although many are still asleep. We haven't reached enough people yet.

We can not expect to get these articles of truth out there without a steady stream of advertising to find new people to read those words, and to that end I have created some very hard hitting ads that we are running on as many places as we can afford.  Here is one such ad we have been running by email for a few years, that is getting good results and has added hundreds of people to our mailing list for the announcements when Anna writes a new article. Go ahead and click on this ad to see what happens.

 

To see all the ads we are running and help us support our advertising campaigns go here:

 http://www.annavonreitz.com/bannerads.html

The fly in the ointment with ad campaigns is that it is difficult to finance ads like this by donations when the donations are not monthly.  When we don't know what will come in from month to month we can't plan for and buy paid advertising on an ongoing basis.  I have only two systems that I have bought on a continuous basis for the last 10 years or so, and now have over 900,000 emails of people who want more information about finding an on line opportunity who I can email to on a daily basis.  I slip the ads from the above link into those systems about twice per week in between the ads for Silver and other products, and we are getting lots of interest with that, but it should be 900 million instead of 900 thousand.

So this is why I have said over and over that we value small monthly donations as much or more than we value one time donations. You are free to do either of course, but those small monthly donations are what really keeps us going with the advertising efforts.  Another thing about small monthly donations is that if you must quit once in a while to catch up with your bills, it doesn't hurt our efforts so badly.  Think about it. Would you rather have one person who donates $1000 each month, or 200 people each donating $5. It's still $1000, but what if that one person gets in an accident, or runs out of money? You can see the picture from our end of the situation.  Another point is that the $5 or $10 donation is something that just about anyone can afford to do. And if you can't, well God Bless you anyway. You can always Pray for Us.

Thank you for reading this and for anything you can do to help.

To see all the ads we are running and help us support our advertising campaigns go here:

 http://www.annavonreitz.com/bannerads.html

Sincerely,
Paul Stramer
pstramer@gmail.com

International Public Notice: The New Timeline

 By Anna Von Reitz

Did you ever wonder what Enoch's Watchers were here to watch? 

Quite simply, they were here to witness and track the evolution of human consciousness.  

I am one of those appointed to open doors in human consciousness that can never be closed again.  

Not all the Watchers were Angels from Sirius B; no, there were other beings, too, who have been here the whole time, watching humanity climb up from the slime and fight with the issues of discernment and struggle with the hard knife-edge of the duality between good and evil. 

Those other Watchers are still here, not chained, not obligated, simply watching and reporting back to their respective civilizations about the Infant Terribles on planet Earth, the lineages of Cain and Seth, the Liars and the Chosen.  

Indeed, the light shines in the darkness and the darkness does not comprehend it.   

Last night, I quietly announced our successful navigation into a pro-life timeline despite determined efforts by the Death Cult to derail the effort.  The truth is that they cannot reach the elevations we occupy, so all their efforts to disrupt our work are like fish butting their heads against the side of a goldfish bowl. 

Something similar has happened to their efforts to discredit and accuse me, personally, and delay our current aims and achievements toward restoration of lawful government on Earth. 

Three people, including their Great Witch, rose up against me.  One of the three is dead, one is in a psych unit -- screaming at nothing -- and the third is on the run, unable to find a place to rest.  

Please understand that I did nothing to harm these people, nor did anyone under my command do anything to harm them.  They were engaged in a massive smear campaign aimed at me and our bank and our organizations and they were doing Black Magic Spells on a continuous basis using covens in diverse places around the world. 

They began a complex series of "Death Spells" ---predicated on the three dimensions self-evident in this world, one team for each of the leaders of this effort, all coordinated, all seeking my demise in the realm of the body, the realm of the mind, and the realm of the spirit --- three nights before the last lunar eclipse they began this.  

They kept this effort up for nine (9) days and threw absolutely everything they had into it --- to no effect. Why? 

I have told everyone, up front, who and what I am.  I have forthrightly stated it on the record in black and white for everyone to see and take notice.  I am a battle class Seraph from the Age of Storms.  That means that I came through the rupture in space-time known as the Big Bang and have genetic content from the Prior Universe.  

Imagine what that really means, please.  I am energetically hardened like a missile silo.  

Throwing "spells" at me has one predictable result: whatever you "cast" at me, bounces off and goes straight back to the source, and I am so heavily shielded, I don't even feel it.  I can only observe the result. 

The leader who sought the death of my body is dead.  The leader who sought the overthrow of my mind is insane.  I think we can safely guess that the Great Witch who sought to overcome my soul is on the run from Abyssal Knights who are following her the same way that hounds will follow blood, because the cord of sin she sought to attach to me coiled up around her own feet instead. 

All her efforts to swap destinies with me failed.  

For the uninitiated, this is a form of impersonation, where the CIA and other practitioners brainwash a person susceptible to hypnosis into thinking that they are someone else.  In this case, they prepared a woman to claim that she was the rightful heir of my destiny and created a literal doppelganger making claim on the St. Germain Trust and other assets. 

Even though she was hypnotized and believed her own lies, she couldn't sustain the charade; the whole effort was a tremendous, embarrassing flop for the perpetrators, just as it should have been.  

My karma is clear, because these people have done this to themselves. It's their own energy, their own spellwork, their own mind control programs returning to them like a boomerang.  I didn't have to lift a finger or watch the trajectory of anything. I did not wish any evil upon them. 

Let this sad circumstance stand as a warning to all those consumed with hating me and trying to do various things to harm me.  I am a mirror to everyone on Earth.  When you look at me and see something evil, you are seeing the evil in yourself.  When you look at me and see good, you are seeing the good in yourself.  

And I remain myself in any case. 

So as a practical matter, see the best in me and the best in yourselves, because that is how the miracles held in my cup of healing take root and grow.  

I truly intend that everyone will have what I have and I wish that everyone survives this transition and finds their own path to happiness.  Everyone.  Even those that still need to cry and confess.  

This was all foretold for ages prior to this one.  Even my name, "Anna", was specifically foretold, and the tides of the time were foretold as well, so the Watchers who are left all know who I am and what to expect.  

Notice that Sarah (whose name means "She who laughs") miraculously became pregnant at 80 and gave birth to Isaac, who saved the line of Abraham, whose descendents also miraculously survived the Great Flood. 

Notice that Anna was the Mother of Mary. 

Notice that Anna is a name that means "Grace" and that Mary means "She who weeps".  

Mary gave us another miraculous birth as the mother of Yahshua, who also came through the third miraculous birth of resurrection. 

Three miraculous births that the Liars have sought to overcome by creating three fictional deaths on paper; they have the fate of Pharaoh's Army set before them and the fate of all trust-breakers, too. 

This is a cycle of miracles and grace, with grace standing in the middle. Here I am, bringing the Grace of God to you.  I hold the cup of healing for all the Earth, for all mankind. 

And I am not an unconscious keymaster, not a genetic accident or throwback. 

My current life was forged like a tool in refining fires, shaped for a purpose, guided by Unseen hands, and I realized that many years ago.  I shared that information with everyone, too.  

You have seen the photographs of the Mission Marks on my hands.  I have shown you the double moon emblem traced upon them,  bearing witness to the fact that I have known the Prior Universe, too.  I have shown you the mark of the Celestial Galactic Council on both hands.  I have introduced you all to the work of Delores Cannon as corroborating evidence that I am not just talking through my hat, and I have plainly told you that I am not alone upon the Earth.  

There are thousands of Earth Angels with me and untold Unseen Forces, just as in the days of the prophets. 

The process of renewal and the return of Justice upon the Earth is inevitable, engaged, and non-negotiable.  There is no point in fighting it, and no reward in a cause that is repugnant and already lost. 

Those who want to destroy mankind and destroy the Earth as monuments to their own greed and fear, will have to sit in place and watch as we complete our mission and as we go on to enjoy the abundant peace my husband proclaimed in his Declaration of Flag and Proclamation of Peace. 

Just as the Red Sea was parted, just as God's word to Abraham was kept, just as Yashua's faith came into the Promised Land, and led mankind across the Veil, and just as our Father has promised to fight for us, all these things have come to pass and are coming to pass right now. 

I am seventy years old: 7 X 10. 

Ten generations of my family have suffered: 10 plus 1 = 11.

I am the Master Builder and I have worked for 40 years. 

Do the spiritual math for yourselves. 

The time has come.  

As my sweet and gentle people were genocided by the Liars and all their history erased, I stand here as the Accuser of the Accuser, and I see that an arrow made of Truth has already destroyed the Illusion that kept the Liars in power.  Their edifice is crumbling away and that destruction is accelerating exponentially. 

All through the Earth and in the Earth itself the new resonance is building, catching fire, passing from ear to ear and hand to hand. 

This is the music of the Divine, certain, precise, powerful and calm, and the name of this fragment is "Redemption":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBQXzKKfhAQ

I have claimed our inheritance, for all those who yearn for peace, abundance, and freedom.

Issued by: 

Anna Maria Riezinger -- Fiduciary

The United States of America

In care of: Box 520994

Big Lake, Alaska 99652

August 26th 2026

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See this article and over 5900 others on Anna's website here: www.annavonreitz.com

To support this work look for the Donate button on this website.

How do we use your donations?  Find out here.

Granna Bytes: Granna Bites

 By Anna Von Reitz

We've spent the last few days thoroughly analyzing and considering the failure of our vetting resources and the end results are encouraging.  

From now on, our Office of Military Affairs will be doing the vetting for the Continental Marshals, and the Marshals will be vetting for the other Federation positions, and doing training/consulting as needed with State Vetting Committees. 

I "retired" Paul Pappas for two reasons.  (1) Failure to get the program organized and moving forward toward positive practical goals; (2) Violation of Due Process standards by the men who are supposed to be protecting and enforcing Due Process for all of us.   

The evidence establishing these reasons is available in the form of a taped meeting of the Continental Marshals Service that went on for an hour and a half without addressing a single practical, productive, programmatic, or educational topic -- and which instead involved gossip tearing down other Federation efforts, and making prejudicial statements that violated my right to Due Process by the very people responsible for enforcing Due Process. 

I would have been just as offended if I caught them violating someone else's right to Due Process.  The tape is available and speaks for itself. 

I am also continuing the research into the damage done by Hunter Toyofuku-Aki, who has commandeered the bank we started and redefined it as a licensed British Territorial bank and has attempted to steal those assets under duress from federal agents. 

We will have satisfaction on all points.  

Now, Paul Pappas is out whining about his supposed "eleven years of service" and accusing our efforts of being "a cult".  His eyes have been opened since he was let go --- but if that were true, he'd be telling the truth.  

He hasn't been involved for anything like eleven years.    

And I don't encourage anyone to venerate me, though that is what he implies.  

Plain and simple, the Marshals were in an odd state -- not being led forward, but at the same time, being led astray.  Not doing what they are supposed to do, but instead, doing something else.  Something detrimental.  

And obviously, it isn't anything nasty that anyone could say or believe about me that keeps me up at night. 

It's the question of how such an important function could be stuck in the weeds for three years without anyone coming forward and doing what has finally been done.  Being "loyal" to Paul and the group was more important than loyalty to getting the job done.  That is, loyalty to leadership and cadre was more important than the actual mission and duty entrusted.  

If you see this sort of thing going on in any Federation or State operation, "business meetings" devoted to gossip and suppositions, long periods of time without practical progress, a cult-like focus on loyalty to individuals or groups instead of focus on the work to be done, a culture of negativity and tearing down others ---- come forward.  Spill the beans.  

It's the only way that corrections can be made and life can go on. 

Granna

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See this article and over 5900 others on Anna's website here: www.annavonreitz.com

To support this work look for the Donate button on this website.

How do we use your donations?  Find out here.

International Public Notice: Remember --- Oil is Dead and So Are Data Centers

 By Anna Von Reitz

Here is the new energy resource of a new Cosmic Age: 

Helium 3. 

Canada and the Alaskans have discovered mindless amounts of Helium 3, and the same concentrations are probably buried throughout the circumpolar region -- Siberia, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Greenland.  

The Northwest Territories of Canada, among the poorest and least developed and most sparsely populated portions of the Earth, a vast tract of muskeg and snaky glacial rivers riding on Permafrost and Permian Shield rock, is now the equivalent of a treasure cave.  

This, among other things, is what is propelling the mass movement to include the Canadian Provinces in "the United States" (Incorporated). 

Helium 3 is one of the cleanest possible energy resources.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmUso82LWBw&list=PLNPtrE3klhpDIRO_O6Q2iM85dSH2Vhv9H. 

In the same way, there is no need to spend billions on Data Centers.  That form of computing has already been replaced by Quantum Computing.

What we are witnessing here is more than failure to communicate. We are witnessing failure to organize society and resources in a logical and productive manner.  If we are forced to live in an ant colony, at least let it be a functional ant colony.  

These advances may take a few years, a decade or less to bring to market and utility, but in the meantime there is no reason to invest in a crazy haphazard manner in Data Centers and fuel resources that we already know we won't need.  

Better to limp along in the interim and concentrate on restructuring the use of petroleum resources and future planning the purposes and uses of true quantum computing resources. 

Perhaps neither one of these examples quite serves to address another problem that isn't a problem within the normal consideration of mankind, and that is the overall dearth of sane investment opportunities. 

Our world economy has been bumping against this problem since the seventeenth century.  

In a nutshell: we made a pile of money or amassed a huge amount of credit or both  -- far more than anyone could spend in two dozen lifetimes  but everyone caught up in this race seems to think that the object is to create more, and more and more money and more credit.  

Men and women who have spent their entire lives, like Steve Jobs, in pursuit of "progress" and "money", wake up at the end and realize that the breath they are losing is worth far more, and it was a gift freely given to them.    

It turns out that making more and more and more money isn't the object of life.  So neither is finding attractive new investment options the object of life.  

The object of our economic and financial life ought to be arranged around a far better set of values, both individually and socially, but even beyond that, it ought to be organized to provide investors with options that support sane development. 

Instead of misleading everyone into investing into an unwanted and unnecessary surveillance state that goes against ever principle of human freedom and dignity out of sheer fear and boredom, open up the competitive, beneficial, and long-suppressed new technologies that have been kept under wraps. 

Give investors somewhere worthy to go with their "investor pressure". Don't wait.  Don't allow billions of dollars and untold effort to be wasted on resources and technologies and programs that are already dead. 

Issued by: 

Anna Maria Riezinger -- Fiduciary

The United States of America

In care of: Box 520994

Big Lake, Alaska 99652

August 23rd 2026

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See this article and over 5900 others on Anna's website here: www.annavonreitz.com

To support this work look for the Donate button on this website.

How do we use your donations?  Find out here.

Thirteenth Sunday After Pentecost

 Rev. Fr. Leonard Goffine's

The Church's Year

Pray today at the Introit of the Mass with the, Church against her enemies: Have regard, O Lord, to thy conversant, and forsake not to the end the souls of thy poor: arise, O Lord, and judge thy cause, and forget not the voices of them that seek thee. O God, why hast thou cast us off unto the end: why is thy wrath enkindled against the sheep of thy pasture? (Ps. LXXIII.) Glory be to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

COLLECT Almighty and ever­lasting God, give unto us an increase of faith, hope and charity; and that we may obtain that which Thou dost promise, make us to love that which Thou dost command. Through our Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the Unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end, Amen.

EPISTLE (Gal. III. 16-22.) Brethren, To Abraham were the promises made, and to his seed. He saith not, And to his seeds, as of many, but as of one: And to thy seed, which is Christ. Now this I say, that the testament which was confirmed by God, the law which was made after four hundred and thirty years doth not disannul, or make the promise of no effect. For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise. But God gave it to Abraham by promise. Why, then, was the law? It was set because of transgressions, until the seed should come to whom he made the promise, being ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. Now a mediator is not of one: but God is one. Was the law, then, against the promises of God? God forbid. For if there had been a law given which could give life, verily justice should have been by the law. But the scripture hath con­cluded all under sin, that the promise by the faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.

EXPLANATION St. Paul in this epistle proves to the Galatians who were misled by false doctrines, and ad­hered too much to the Jewish Law, that they could be saved only through a lively faith in Christ, enriched by good works. Therefore he says that the great promises, made by God to Abraham, referred to Christ, through whom all nations of the earth, who would believe in Him, would be blessed and saved. (Gen. XII. 3., and XXII. 18.) The law, indeed, does not annul these promises, since it rather leads to their attainment, yet it must be placed after them because of their advantages, nay, even cease to exist, because the promises are now fulfilled, Christ, the promised Messiah, has really, appeared and liberated man, who could not be freed from their sins by the Jewish law.

ASPIRATION O, let us be grateful for this promise, yet more, how­ever, for the Incarnation of Christ, whereby this promise has been fulfilled.

GOSPEL (Luke XVII. 11-19.) At that time, As Jesus was going to Jerusalem, he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee: and as he entered into a certain town, there met him ten men that were lepers, who stood afar off, and lifted up their voice, saying: Jesus, master, have mercy on us. Whom, when, he saw, he said: Go, show yourselves to the priests. And it came to pass, that as they went, they were made clean. And one of them, when he saw that he was made clean, went back, with a loud voice glorifying God, and he fell on his face before his feet, giving thanks: and this was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering, said: Were not ten made clean? And where are the nine? There is no one found to return, and give glory to God, but this stranger. And he said to him: Arise go thy way; for thy faith hath made thee whole.

What may be understood by leprosy in a spiritual sense?

Sin, particularly impurity, by which the soul of man is stained much more than is the body by the most horrid leprosy: In the Jewish law (Lev. XIII. ) three kinds of leprosy are enumerated, viz: the leprosy of the flesh, of garments, and of houses. Spiritually, the impure are af­flicted with the, leprosy of the flesh, who easily infect others, and are therefore to be most carefully avoided. The leprosy of garments consists in extravagance of dress and scandalous fashions, whereby not only individuals, but also whole communities are brought to poverty, and many lose their innocence. The leprosy of houses, finally, is to be found in those places, where scandalous servants are retained, where nocturnal gatherings of both sexes are en­couraged, where, obscenities are indulged in, where unbe­coming dances and plays are held, and filthy actions per­formed; where married people allow themselves liberties in presence of others, and give scandal to their household, where they take their small children and even such as al­ready have the use of reason, with themselves to bed, where they permit children of different sexes to sleep together, &c. Such houses are to be avoided, since they are infected with the pestilential leprosy of sin, and woe to them who vol­untarily remain in them.

Why did the lepers remain standing afar off?

Because it was thus commanded in the law of Moses, (Lev. XIII. 46.) so that no one would be infected by them. From this we learn that we must carefully avoid scandalous persons and houses; for he who converses with lewd, vain and unchaste persons, will soon become like them. (Ecclus. XIII. 1.)

Why did Christ send the lepers to the priests?

This He did to show the honor due to the sacerdotal dignity and to the law of God: for it was commanded, (Lev. XIV.) that the lepers should show themselves to the priests, in order to be declared by them clean or unclean; He did it to try the faith, the confidence, and the obedience of these lepers: for Christ did not wish to heal them upon their mere prayer, but their cure was to cost them something, and they were to merit it by their cooperation. Their purification, therefore, was the reward of their obedience and faith. Further, Christ sent these lepers to the priests to show figuratively, as it were, that he who wishes to be freed from the leprosy of sin, must contritely approach the priest, sincerely confess his sins, and be cleansed by him by means of absolution.

Why did Christ ask for the others, who were also made clean?

To show how much ingratitude displeases Him. Although He silently bore all other injuries, yet He could not permit this ingratitude to pass unresented. So great, therefore, is the sin of ingratitude, hateful alike to God and man! "Ingratitude," says St. Bernard," is an enemy of the soul, which destroys merits, corrupts virtues, and impedes graces: it is a heavy wind, which dries up the fountain of goodness, the dew of mercy, and the stream of the grace of God." "The best means," says St. Chrysostom, "of preserving benefits, is the remembrance of them and gratitude for them, and nothing is more acceptable to God than a grateful soul; for, while He daily overloads us with innumerable benefits, He asks nothing for them, but that we thank Him." Therefore, my dear Christian, by no means forget to thank God in the morning and evening, before and after meals. As often as you experience the blessing of God in your house, in your children, and your whole property, thank God, but particularly when you take in the fruits of the earth; (Lev. XXIII. 10.) by this you will always bring upon yourself new blessings and new graces. "We cannot think, say, or write anything better or more pleasing to God," says St. Augustine, "than: Thanks be to God."

ASPIRATION O most gracious Jesus! who, as an example for us, wast always grateful to Thy Heavenly, Father, as long as Thou didst live upon earth, grant, that I may always thank God for all His benefits, according to Thy example and the teaching of Thy servant St. Paul. (Col. III. 17.)

INSTRUCTION ON THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY ORDER
Go, show yourselves to the priests. (Luke XVII. 14.)

Such honor did God show to the priests of the Old Law that He sent the; lepers to them, although they could in no wise contribute to the removal of leprosy. What honor, therefore, do the priests of the New Law deserve, who through the sacerdotal ordination, have not only re­ceived from God the power to free mankind from the leprosy of the soul, but also far higher privileges.

Is the priesthood a special and holy state, selected by God?

Yes; this is evident from the writings of the Old as well as of the New Testament, and is confirmed by holy, apostolic tradition. In the Mosaic Law God Himself selected a particular race - Aaron and his descendants-from among the tribes of Juda, to perform solemnly the public service, to pray for the people, and instruct them in matters of religion, (Exod. XXVIII. I.; Lev. IX. 7; King's II. Z8.) but particularly to offer the daily sacrifices, (Lev. I. II; Num. XVIII.) for which offices they were consecrated by different ceremonies, ordained by God, which ceremonies lasted seven days. (Exod. XXVIII. 4. &c. ib. XXIX.) Besides these, God instituted a sort of minor priesthood, Levites, for the ser­vice of the temple and of God; (Num. III. 12; VIII. 6-18.) they were of the tribe of Levi, and received no land like the other tribes, but lived on the offerings and tithes, and were consecrated like the priests. (Num. XVIII. 21.; VIII. 66-26.) This priesthood, an emblem of the real priesthood of the New Testament, was not abolished by Christ, but He brought it to its fulfilment and completed it, since He did not come to take away, but fulfil the law. For this reason Christ selected twelve apostles and seventy-two disciples from among the faithful, at the commencement of His public life, and He said to them: I have chosen you, and have appointed you, that you should go, and should bring forth fruit. (John XV. 16.) He gave them power to free man from sin, to sanctify, and reconcile him with God. (Matt. XVIII. Z8.) He commanded them -to preach His gospel to all nations, (Matt. XXVII. 18-20.) and to offer up His holy Sacrifice. (Luke XXII, 19.) Just as the apostles were chosen by Christ, so afterwards by the Holy Ghost. St. Paul was chosen to be an apostle, and he calls himself a minister of Christ and a dispenser of the mysteries of God, (I Cor. IV. I) and who together with Barnabas was ordained. (Acts XIII. 2, 3.) In the same manner the apostles chose their successors, and ordained them, (I Tim. IV, 14.; II Tim. I. 6.) and even appointed seven deacons, as assistants in the priestly office. (Acts VI. 1-3.) From these clear testimonies of holy Writ, it is evident that, as God in the Old, so Christ in the New Testament chose a particular class of men, and established certain grades among them, for the govern­ment of His Church, for the service of God, and the salvation of the faithful, as holy, apostolic tradition also confirms. Already the earliest Fathers, Ignatius and Clement, disciples of the apostles, write of bishops, priests, and deacons, who are destined for the service of God and the faithful. Subdeacons, ostiariates, lectors, exorcists, and acolytes, are mentioned by St. Gregory of Nazianzen, St. Justin, St. Cyprian, and many others, but particularly by the Council of Carthage in the year 398, which also gives the manner of ordaining priests.

The heretics, indeed, contend that the Roman Catholic Church robs the true believers of their dignity, since she grants the priesthood only to a certain class, and give as proofs of their assertion two texts, where St. Peter (I Pet. II. 9.) calls the faithful a kingly priesthood, and where St. John (Apoc. I. 6.) says that Christ made us kings and priests. But these texts speak only of an internal priesthood, ac­cording to which every Christian, sanctified by baptism, who is in the state of grace, and consequently justified, and a living member of Christ, the great High-Priest, should offer spiritual sacrifices,¹ that is, good works, such as prayer, mortification, charity, penance &c., on the altar of the heart, as also St. Peter, (I Pet II. 5.) St. Paul, (Rom. XII. I.) and David (Ps. 1. 19.) teach. If the assertion of the heretics were true that all believers are priests, why did God in the Old Law institute an especial priesthood, why did Christ and the apostles choose suitable men for the service of God? If all believers must be priests, why are not all kings, since St. John says, that Christ has made us kings? God, on the contrary, severely punished those who presumed to arrogate to themselves a priestly office, as He did to King Ozias, who was afflicted with leprosy because he burnt incense in the temple, which the priests alone were permitted to do. (II Paralip. XXVI. 18. 19.)

Of course heretics must make this assertion; for since they say that Scripture is the only rule of faith, and that every one can explain it, for what purpose are preachers necessary? And since they have no sacrifice, and with the exception of baptism, no Sacraments, for what purpose should they want priests? But since the sacrifice of Jesus is to continue in the Catholic Church until the end of time, since all the Sacraments instituted by Christ are still dispensed by her, and the command of Christ to teach all nations, must be carried out by her, therefore, there must be priests chosen and destined, who will perform the ministry of the Lord, and these must not only be chosen, but also be consecrated for this by a special Sacrament.

What is Holy Order?

Holy Order is a Sacrament by which Bishops, Priests, &c. are ordained, and receive grace and power to perform the duties belonging to their charge.

What is the external sign, by which grace is communicated to the priests?

The imposition of the bishop's hands, the presentation of the chalice with bread and wine, and the words by which power is given to offer the Sacrifice of . the New Law, changing, bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ, and to forgive or retain sins. (Conc. Flor. in Decr. Eug.  et Trid Sess. 14. C. 3. de poen. et Sess. 22. C. 1.)

When will Christ institute this Sacrament?

At the Last Supper, when, having changed bread and wine into His body and blood, He said: Do this, for a commemoration of me, and when after His Resurrec­tion He said to them: As the Father hath sent me, I also send you (to free man from sin and to sanctify him). When he had said this, he breathed on them: and he said to them: Receive ye the Holy Ghost. (John XX. 21. 22.) The power to forgive and retain sins He gave them when He said: Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them: and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained. (John XX. 23.)

Has Holy Order always been regarded as a Sacrament in the Church?

Yes, for St. Paul admonishes his disciple Timothy (I Tim, IV. 14.) not to neglect the grace conferred upon him by the imposition of hands, and in another place he admonishes him, (II Tim. I. 6.) to stir up the grace which was in him by the imposition of his (St. Paul's) hands. From this it follows, that St. Paul believed that the external sign of the imposition of hands of the bishops con­ferred a particular grace, wherein, indeed, the essence of a Sacrament consists. Therefore the Council of Trent (Sess. 23. de ord. can. 3.) declares those anathema, who contend, that Holy Order is not a real and true Sacrament, instituted by Christ, but only a human invention, or a certain form of electing the ministers of the Word of God and the Sacraments.

Are those called to the priesthood ordained at once?

No, they are not admitted to Holy Order until they have undergone a rigid examination regarding their voca­tion, moral conduct, and their knowledge of the sacred science.

How many degrees are there in Holy Order?

In Holy Order there are seven degrees: four lesser, and three greater. Of the lesser, the first is that of Porter, whose office is to keep the keys of the Church, sacristy, treasury, and to see that due respect is observed in the house of God: to him the bishop says, in his ordination: So behave yourself as to give an account to God of what is kept under your charge. 2. That of Lector; his office is to read aloud the lessons of the Old and New Testament, which belong to the divine office, and to instruct the ignorant in the rudiments of the Christian religion: the bishop gives him a book containing those things, and charges him faithfully and profitably to fulfil his office. 3. That of Exorcist; to him is given power to exorcise possessed persons: the bishop gives a book of exorcisms, and bids him receive the power to lay his hands on such as are possessed, whether baptized or catechumens. 4. That of Acolyte; his office is to assist the deacon and subdeacon at the altar; to carry the lights, to prepare the wine and water for consecration, and attend to the divine mysteries: the bishop gives him a wax candle, with two little cruets, bidding him light the candle, and serve wine and water in the cruets.

The first of the greater is the order of subdeacon; he serves the deacon; prepares the altar, the chalice, the bread, and the wine; he reads the epistle aloud at high Mass; the bishop before he ordains him declares that none are to receive this order, but those who will observe perpetual continency; he then gives him a chalice, paten, basin and towel, two little cruets, and the book of epistles; bids him consider his ministry, and behave so as to please God. The second of the greater orders is that of Deacon; his office is immediately to assist the bishop or priest at high Mass; and the administration of the sacraments. He reads the Gospel aloud at high Mass; he gives the cup when the sacrament of the Eucharist' is given in both kinds; he may administer baptism, and preach the Gospel, by commission. To him the bishop gives a book of Gospels, with power to read it in the Church of God. The third is that of Priesthood, which has two degrees of power and dignity: that of bishops, and that of priests. The office of a priest is to consecrate and offer the sacrifice of the Body and Blood of Christ, under the forms of bread and wine; to administer all the sacraments, except Confirmation and Holy Order; to preach the Gospel, to bless the people, and to conduct them in the way to life eternal; as also to bless such things as are not reserved to the benediction of the bishop. The bishop, when he ordains a priest, anoints his hands with oil; he gives him the paten with bread upon it, and a chalice with wine, with power to offer sacrifice for the living and the dead; then he lays his hands upon him and says: Receive the Holy Ghost, whose sins &c., and performs several other ceremonies.

Learn from this instruction to honor and respect the priests, whose dignity as representatives of God, and dispensers of His mysteries, surpasses all human dignity; upon whom a load, too heavy even for angels, as St. Chrysostom says, has been imposed, namely, the care of your immortal soul; who daily enter the sanctuary before the face of the Lord, to offer the immaculate Lamb of God for the forgiveness of our sins; to whom Jesus confided the merits of His most precious blood, in order to cleanse your soul therewith in the tribunal of penance, if you confess your sins contritely; of whom God will one day ask the strictest account. Honor, therefore, these ministers of God, pray daily for the assistance of heaven in their difficult calling; particularly on the Ember-days implore God, that He may send pious and zealous priests; and if, perhaps, you know a bad priest, do not despise his high dignity which is indelibly imprinted on him, have compassion on him, pray far him, and consider that Jesus has , said of such: "All things whatsoever they shall say to. you, observe and do: but according to their works do ye not." (Matt. XXIII. 3.)