The "War" Fraud

 By Anna Von Reitz

Information provided to H.E. Cardinal Mamberti and the Vatican Chancery Court regarding our Claim March 6 2005, January 19 2023 in seq: 

Any fool can adopt war as a model for life, and many men have done so. 

Chief among them have been the 19th Century Industrialists and Captains of Industry, generally, ever since.  These men erroneously conceive of themselves as soldiers or warlords in a constant state of war against a sea of "enemies" --- competing businesses, competing products, and even consumers --- have at various times been attacked by men espousing this mindset.  

As compelling as the analogy may be, we have completely lost our way and our sanity, when we allow commercial competitions to boil over into violence and actual mercenary conflicts, which are never political and never legal or lawful in nature. 

These conflicts are typically spurred only by self-interest and greed, and are used to obstruct  trade, or to rig commodity supplies, so as to create an unfair market advantage for the Perpetrators and their cronies. 

This is why commercial mercenary wars are both unlawful and illegal. 

This is why, traditionally, mercenary soldiers are highly paid and considered "dishonorable", even overtly criminal.  

We have seen that The American Civil War was precisely such a lawless commercial conflict and not a war at all.  

The American Civil War was never declared by any Congress and never  ended via any peace treaty.  All the soldiers enrolled to fight in this conflict were enrolled in the name of State of State business organizations, not the actual States of the Union. 

These facts provide us with absolutely proof of the nature of that conflict. 

This illegal, unlawful, and immoral conflict was promoted by an Undeclared Foreign Agent, Abraham Lincoln, operating as a Bar Attorney, passing off his office as "President" of the United States of America, Incorporated, a British Territorial Corporation, as The Office of The President of the United States of America --- our unincorporated Federation of States and our lawful presidential office.  

This usurpation and the secrecy surrounding it has continued via Lincoln's Successors in crime ever since. 

Our honorable soldiers have been unwittingly enrolled as cheap mercenaries, and used by commercial interests promoting wars for profit ever since.  

This is how our country--  has been purportedly at "war"-- for all but 22 years of its existence. 

In fact, it hasn't been our country at constant war and promoting war for profit, it has been our two foreign government services contractors, a couple Municipal Corporations operating out of the District of Columbia, that have been promoting this all along.  

This usurpation against our lawful government by Municipal Corporations has led to Americans being feared and hated worldwide and our country being blamed for this lawless and predatory behavior toward other nations, when the actual Perpetrators have been sitting behind the scenes in London and Rome.  

These Municipal Corporations have been chartered and run by the British Monarch, the British Crown, and the City of Rome, respectively, and all have been allowed to run completely amok on our shores for the last 160 years by the British Monarchs, Lord Mayors and Popes responsible for their conduct as the other Principals bound by our Federal Constitutions.

Our own American Government has been bypassed, evaded, and defrauded under conditions of secrecy all these many years, and our people have been kept in a state of constant confusion by our erring Federal Subcontractors and their Municipal Corporation officers. 

We are here to address this grossly immoral situation in no uncertain terms and we have done so.  For more than 160 years our American Government has been deliberately marginalized and defrauded by the other Principals responsible for providing us good faith service in accord with our Constitutional Agreements. 

We have researched, detailed, and exposed the role of the British Government as the hotbed for all this fraud and the abuse of people worldwide as part of a Territorial Government take-over scheme, which has resulted in the establishment of the British Raj -- as it was called in India -- throughout most of the western world. 

This scheme has been overall modeled on the take-over of the lawful South African Government in the 1880s by the British South Africa Company run by Cecil Rhodes, which was allowed to run the government functions in South Africa, illegally, unlawfully, and immorally, by Rothschild banking cartel scion Lord Pirbright, also known as Henry de Worms.  

This experiment in having a commercial corporation run a government for profit and have the full ability to abuse government powers to do it, led to war, the use of Nazi-style concentration camps, non-consensual medical experiments including non-consensual "vaccinations" that killed tens of thousands, and asset stripping of South Africa's mineral wealth on an unimaginable scale. 

It was the British Government backed up by banking and industrialists and corporation interests that promoted this in the 1880s and it is the same group of miscreants at the bottom of it now.  

Fascism, such as we saw and experienced during the Second World War was always a British invention, and Corporate Feudalism has always been promoted by the British Government throughout the world.  

This is precisely the kind of abuse that these corporations represented today by the World Economic Forum have planned as the future of the entire world. 

We can already see the outlines of it -- more than 800 FEMA concentration camps established in The United States alone, more than 600,000 innocent people dead or maimed by undisclosed experimental vaccines in our country alone, and asset stripping --- more than 30 million Americans left homeless while commercial banks leave their homes empty, rotting, and vandalized after exercising fraudulent mortgages against non-existent PERSONS, American Uranium purportedly sold to Russia by British Persons having no possible interest in our Uranium, and offers to sell our gold to China, without any right to move as much as one cubic centimeter of our soil.  

Whereupon we say that we have seen it before and have no reason to see it again. This gross criminality must be brought to an end. 

These corporations that have promoted this situation need to be destroyed and/or forfeited to us immediately and we invoke the Ecclesiastical Law which is the form of law responsible for the discipline of Legal Fictions to do it, and we bring our claim for all assets of the offending corporations and corporate officials to Rome for final settlement. 

The Officers, elected and hired, of these offending Municipal Corporations have been under constant Due Process since 2005, and have no excuse for their subsequent destructive illegal and unlawful and immoral acts and their continuous terrorism against the actual United States and most of the rest of the world. 

These Municipal Corporations and their commercial corporation franchises have caused more than enough trouble and destruction in the name of profit for themselves and their shareholders. 

These Municipal Corporations have proven to be dishonest and are untenable and oppressive government service providers; they have twice been overthrown in South Africa, once in India, and now, today, in The United States and Australia and the British Isles.  

There are no provisions, contractual or otherwise, allowing the Territorial Government military occupation of any of these lands in opposition to their Employers, the actual State Citizens of The United States of America, the similar Citizens of Terra Australis, and the people of the respective Kingdoms of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. 

Specifically, the unincorporated government of our Federation of States, doing business as The United States of America since 1776, is the proper international receiver of all physical assets and returned delegated powers owed to this country, and Lord Shrewsbury, Ivan Talbot, the Lord High Steward, is the proper receiver of all physical assets and returned delegated powers owed to England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, and is the temporary custodian-holding-in-trust for all such assets and returned delegated powers owed to Australia and other former British Commonwealth countries. 

These corporate criminals, the guilty Municipal Corporations and their commercial corporation franchises, need to be liquidated and removed, or else transferred and forfeited to us, the actual land jurisdiction governments, and remain subject to our administration without further adieu.  

Our access to and control over our physical assets in the banking system needs to be unblocked and made available to us without further argument or delay.  If the banks will not agree and capitulate on these issues, they need to be liquidated, too.  

Our recommendation is that all 4,000 members of the World Economic Forum should be liquidated as accomplices to these many enumerated crimes against humanity, and returned to the dustbin of imagination from whence they come.  

We shall fashion a more conscious awareness of a far larger vision of what the true self-interest of mankind is and should be --- a vision of love and inspiration and generosity --- that will finally allow men to live in peace and prosper without the ugliness perpetuated by the Doctrine of Scarcity, and the numerous Big Lies that have been told to explain away the symptoms of inflation and economic instability that result from fraud, false claims in commerce, theft, unjust enrichment, unlawful conversion, personage crimes, inland piracy, and political tyranny imposed under conditions of non-disclosure and deceit.  

Issued by: Anna Maria Riezinger, Fiduciary

                 The United States of America

                 In care of: Box 520994

                 Big Lake, Alaska 99652

June 5th 2023

----------------------------

See this article and over 4200 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. 

The Peacekeeping Task Force

 By Anna Von Reitz

Perhaps no other initiative of the Federation has caused more controversy, and mainly, this is because the Peacekeeping Task Force is a new initiative, one that our government in former times never entertained.  

There is no historical precedent for the PKTF and the name itself gives pause. 

A "Task Force" in military terms gives rise to thoughts of Special Operations, specific and targeted operations, requiring coordination across different branches of services, and often coordinating action by troops from multiple nations.  

What could "Peacekeeping" and "Task Force" --taken together-- mean? 

People encounter the joined concepts in situations requiring the occupation of a country by foreign militaries, but in this case, no foreign military is involved, so that again leaves people scratching their heads. 

What we are talking about is the function of "peacekeeping" which takes place on local County, State, and ultimately, a national level, when the States all combine their militias.  

Peacekeeping means what it implies --- the function of keeping communities at peace, safe from outlaws, marauders, gangs, and even guerilla forces and organized crime cartels, maintaining order, providing assistance, and preparing for natural and man-made disasters. 

We recently observed that there is no provision for a "National Militia" per se, and that it is necessary for the individual State Militias to be organized separately and operate within the borders of their State or County as lawful and well-regulated forces.

We also observed that there is nothing stopping the State Assemblies from voting to work together in coordinated and pre-planned ways in the event of various kinds of disaster ranging from invasion to earthquakes and storms.  

The PKTF is responsible for exactly that kind of coordination and pre-planning, and outreach to the State Militias and State Assemblies, so as to assess and aid the State and County Militias to organize and gain supplies and training and organize things in advance of any emergency.

The PKTF, like our State and County Assemblies, operates in Original Jurisdiction, meaning that we are self-governing and not taking orders from any foreign sovereign or corporation.  The highest officers in our organizational structure are Justices of the Peace.  Our law is American Common Law.  

Our purpose is to preserve the peace, safety, and property of our people. 

As a practical matter, this means working together as neighbors, first and foremost --- getting to know each other, assess our own resources, and getting a handle on what we need to do to be able to help each other in an emergency in which there is no government or army coming to help us. 

Despite the billions of dollars spent on FEMA, hard experience has taught us that the agency is not about helping or protecting average Americans in the wake of any kind of disaster. FEMA does nothing practical, for example, in the face of wildfire, floods, or earthquakes. 

So, what good is FEMA in a real emergency?  

It's worthless, as we can directly attest from firsthand experience. 

They typically don't show up at all until three weeks after an actual disaster, and when they do, the come in the guise of undeclared insurance adjusters.  

There is no practical help for the victims from FEMA at all.  

There is no response from the military, either.  

The only organizations that reliably respond when our communities are threatened or damaged are churches and synagogues and a handful of non-profits like the American Red Cross.    

And what happens when a disaster directly impacts several states?

Then there is no coordinated response.  Texas might be the closest source for potable water during a disaster in Louisiana, but there is no organization prepared and ready and having plans in place to provide that water across state borders.  

So, as things stand, there's no help from "the government" and as for our own efforts, they take too long to get organized and there is too much confusion. It takes weeks to set up a soup kitchen or public latrine or on-s site showers. 

Nobody, no umbrella agency, is organized to help anyone in any sufficient and practical sense, and State-of-State Governors making disaster declarations to get money that never trickles down to the street level where it's needed, are less than no help at all.  

We believe that government has one purpose: to protect people and their property.  Period. 

So that's what we focus on and that is what the PKTF focuses on as it helps each individual State Assembly organize its own State Assembly Militia, and it's what each State Assembly needs to focus on -- first at a local level, then at a statewide level, and finally, in terms of coordinated effort with other State Assemblies and other State Assembly Militias in case of a regional disaster. 

We are getting organized to face whatever challenges come to our country and our countrymen.  

The Peacekeeping Task Force is, therefore, doing a number of things simultaneously: (1) meeting and greeting and assessing preparedness for State and County Assemblies; (2) connecting State Assemblies and State Assembly Militias to resources offered by other organizations, for example, CPR and First Aid classes; (3) helping State Assemblies organize response teams and coordinate action across multiple jurisdictions --- working with our County Sheriffs and Justices of the Peace, State Assembly Militias, and Continental Marshals to develop working relationships, ascertain goals, provide education and skill building programs, and develop and organize emergency equipment and supplies. 

It's a big job, and it is one that requires awareness of the laws and the limitations of each jurisdiction and what it means to establish and run a "well-regulated" militia.  

We are indeed fortunate that such excellent men have answered the call and staffed up the Peacekeeping Task Force. The Director of the program is a former Continental Marshal who is fully up to speed.  

If you want to do something meaningful --- truly meaningful --- toward improving your own safety and the safety of others, get busy organizing in your own community.  Get to know your neighbors and discuss the need to protect yourselves and your community and get involved in your State and County Assembly Militias.  

If you don't have a program yet, start organizing.  There's no time like the present.  And call the PKTF if you have any questions about the limitations of your County and State organizations and the ways in which you can lawfully and safely organize your militia functions and lawfully coordinate your actions with other County Assembly Militias and State Assembly Militias. 

Together, we can lawfully and peacefully plan for the security and protection of every community in America, come what may.  There is no need for the clandestine and dangerous and "unregulated" activities which have led to "militias" having a bad name.  

We aren't children playing games.  We are lawful adults taking part in our American Government, doing what has to be done, according to our own Public Law.  We have every right to organize our State Assembly Militias and County Assembly Militias and we are exercising that right. 

Any law enforcement officers or district attorneys or others who have concerns need to be informed in a forthright manner that: (1) our State Assemblies are now lawfully assembled and in Session, and the members are properly declared and recorded; (2) we are organizing our assembly functions which include the establishment of County and State Assembly Militias for emergency preparedness purposes; (3) we welcome their cooperation and understanding of our Original Jurisdiction capacity.  

----------------------------

See this article and over 4200 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. 

Review of The Great Awakening Film

 By Anna Von Reitz

The whole Red Carpet portion of the presentation lasted much too long, and even though we saw a lot of "stars" they didn't say much, except for one doctor who said, (and I don't guarantee to be an exact quote) ---  "They lied. They are still lying. Don't trust them."  

I thought that was brilliant -- and succinct. 

Alex Jones gave a good "Fed Up and Not Taking It Anymore" rant that put across the urgency of the situation.  

Maybe the hardest hitting -- for me, anyway, was a historical film clip of Anthony Fauci back in the 1980's  peddling the drug AZT which was introduced back then as an AIDS drug.  There he was, touting that it was "safe and effective" --- which it wasn't.  

And immediately after that, a film clip, all these years later, and there he was again, calling the vaccines "safe and effective" -- which they aren't. 

Nothing else I've seen quite gets across the message about Anthony Fauci -- either a genocidal madman or a complete incompetent, take your pick.  I say genocide Nazi scum taking revenge on the world that rejected him and his ilk.  

You think it's an accident that he is Sicilian and his name means "Scythe"?  Really?  And who was Hitler's good friend and ally?  Benito Mussolini and the Italian Government.  

After all these years a lot of young people don't realize that the Italians and the Germans were Allies.  

And a lot of people around the globe have forgotten that there were Nazis all over the world, and even in the Royal Family in Britain.  

People have also forgotten that there is little difference in the end result of Fascism and Communism.  Both end in totalitarian regimes. 

Here's how my Father explained it to me: "The Communists steal everything and then take over running and paying for everything.  The Fascists steal everything, and force you to run it and pay for it." 

A man of few words.  Well-chosen.  

The background and leitmotif is a young G. Edward Griffin narrating in a very early video explaining the difference between different forms of government (he explained a "republic" as a "limited form of democracy" which is not exactly accurate) and describing the threats and nature of Communism. 

Embedded in this was a lot of ugly material about the Communist Chinese Government and the CCP's mistreatment of members of the Fulan Gong movement and average Chinese who don't agree with their lock-step oppressions. 

Dr. David E. Martin made several nice cameos throughout; I wished to see more of him and his information.  

Dr. Tenpenny popped in a couple times, but other than a brief cameo and ads for her website, not much content from her. 

Overall, it left me cold, vaguely depressed, and unimpressed.  I was hoping for so much more --- and different.  

Bear in mind, that's just my reaction.  It's worth watching if only for the shock value of a few of the cut-aways, but I would never voluntarily watch it twice.  

I guess that's the sad part.  There was nothing in this film that could serve to unify people and give them the focused inspiration needed to take specific action.  It was all just more miasma and disturbing facts --- what I call "reservoir building".  

Like collecting water behind a dam, "The Great Awakening" may wake more people up, but it just leaves them scared and milling about, without any real focus, splintered up like little chat groups at a dinner party, gossiping about the latest scandal. 

I can hear it now,  one woman says to the man at her left elbow, "Do you think the Communists are taking over the government? --- Or the Nazis?"  

He shrugs and says, "It's hard to tell.  It's the same playbook either way." Then he pauses and adds. "Looks like Biden is on the take with the Chinese, so maybe it's the Communists." 

Then the guy standing closer to the fake fireplace chimes in and says, "Nah, this is all coming from Rockefeller and the WEF and they are all Nazis. What do you expect from the son of a Nazi industrialist?  That's what Schwab is."   

And so the conversation continues without apparent conclusion, as if the participants are struggling to identify "the" culprits, and can't quite come to grips with the possibility that they might have to fight both the CCP creeping in the back door, and the WEF coming through the front door.  

Communists and Fascists against the middle.  

The Big Grudge Match of the Unhappy against the Unenlightened. 

We all have to wake up, that's true -- but once we wake up, we need a plan, a practical means forward, a way to organize safely and lawfully, so the Vermin can't just prey upon us.  And most of all, a way to take action together. 

Here it is: www.TheAmericansStatesAssembly. net. 

----------------------------

See this article and over 4200 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. 

The Central Issue of Freedom

 By Anna Von Reitz

Can you be free if you are financially enslaved? 

No. 

How have you been financially enslaved?  By banks. 

So the banks are the problem.  

But why are banks the problem?  They will tell you that they have no choice.

The government, they say, is requiring them to close people's bank accounts for political reasons.   

The government, they say, is forcing them to identify individuals as 

enemies of the state and close their accounts. 

This is straight out of Nazi Germany. And, also, all Communist countries. 

There are now ten major countries that use banks and bank accounts to punish political dissidents.  Including the U.S. 

There is no effective oversight of the banks.  

There is no rational value system underlying the legal tender that the government and the banks depend upon. 

As a result, people are losing faith in the government, but still not aware of what's wrong. 

It's because you are no longer free.  You have been forced into a form of slavery by the government and the banks, and it has been done by burdening you with non-consensual taxes and displacing debts on you that you, most likely, don't owe. 

These huge debts that are created simply by not crediting your payments and locking away your assets in "public trusts" that you don't have control of.  And finally, by misidentifying you as a British Territorial U.S. Citizen when you aren't one by nature and by birthright.  

It's a criminal shell game in which you are fingered as the one to pay debts you never agreed to, and then locking down your money so that you can't pay the debt off.  All you can do is exchange debts. 

Picture the system.  You go out to dinner at a restaurant with a bunch of other people.  They order the fanciest, most expensive meals on the menu.  And then, they all leave you sitting there with the bill.  But, when you look in your wallet, they've stolen your money, too.  

What do you do? 

You wind up washing dishes to pay for their extravagant meals, plus your own.  

And that is exactly what is happening here. 

You are being enslaved by con artists --- foreign Municipal Corporations in the business of providing "essential government services" that are masquerading as your government. 

They've stolen your money for their own benefit, substituted it with I.O.U.s' called Federal Reserve Notes --- Promissory Notes, backed by the good faith and credit of what?  Congress.  

So where is their "Congress" when these foreign Municipal Corporations go bankrupt?  Nowhere to be seen.  Their bankruptcy fraud allows them to foist off their debts on you, just like the False Friends who had dinner with you at the restaurant.

And when you reach for your money to pay the debt, you find that you have no money.  That's been purloined, too.   

So, don't get mad, get even.  Pay attention and focus on the situation. 

What you need is your money, your purloined gold and silver, back in your control, and you need banks that aren't colluding with the phony "government".  

You have the right to build your own banks and issue your own money and you can thumb your nose at these corporations as long as you focus on what is right in front of your face. 

They betrayed you, they stole the money out of your wallet, they commandeered control of the banks or the banks commandeered the Municipal Corporations "acting as" your government, either way, and they ran up your credit cards sky high, and left you to pay their debts. 

It's up to you to say no to this by correcting your political status records and developing your own banks and your own State Assemblies and issuing your own national currencies, electing your own political officers, and drawing the line between yourself and the rest of the dinner party guests. 

Otherwise, you wind up washing dishes to pay someone else's debts. 

And you live your lives as slaves and human cattle, being used and abused as human chattel presumed to be responsible for these jokers' debts.  

Time to change that legal presumption.  Begin right now.  

Go to: https://www.theamericanstatesassembly.net/.

----------------------------

See this article and over 4200 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. 

Feast of the Holy Trinity

 Rev. Fr. Leonard Goffine's

The Church's Year

This festival is celebrated on the Sunday after Pentecost, because as soon as the apostles were instructed and consoled by the Holy Ghost, they began to preach openly that which Christ had taught them.

Why do we celebrate this festival?

That we may openly profess our faith in the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, which is the first of Christian truths, the foundation of the Christian religion, and the most sublime of all mysteries; and that we may render thanks, to the Father for having created us, to the Son for having redeemed us, and to the Holy Ghost for having sanctified us.

In praise and honor of the most Holy Trinity, the Church sings at the Introit of this day's Mass:

INTROIT Blessed be the holy Trinity and undivided Unity: we will give glory to him, because he hath shown his mercy to us: (Tob. XII.) O Lord, our Lord, how wonderful is thy name in all the earth! (Ps. VIII. 1.) 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, everlasting God, who hast granted to Thy servants, in the confession of the true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of Thy, majesty, to adore the Unity: grant that, by steadfastness in the same faith, we may ever be defended from all adversities. 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 (ROM XI. 33-36.) O the depth of the riches of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God! How incomprehensible are his judgments, and how unsearchable his ways! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? Or who hath been his counsellor? Or who hath first given to him, and recompense shall be made him? For of him, and by him, and in him, are all things: to him be glory forever. Amen.

EXPLANATION St. Paul's exclamations, in this epistle, are caused by the inscrutable judgment of God in rejecting the Jews and calling the Gentiles. The Church makes use of these words to express her admiration for the incomprehensible mystery of the most Holy Trinity, which surpasses our understanding, and yet is the worthy object of our faith, hope and love. Although neither angels nor men can fathom this mystery, it cannot be difficult for the sound human intellect to believe it, since it is indubitably and evidently revealed by God, arid we, in many natural and human things, accept for true and certain much that we cannot comprehend. Let us submit our intellect, there fore, and yield ourselves up to faith; as there was indeed a time when men were martyred, when even persons of all ages and conditions preferred to die rather than to abandon this faith, so let us rather wait until our faith is changed to contemplation, until we see the Triune God, face to face, as He is, and in the sight of that countenance become eternally happy. Thither should all our hopes, wishes,' and desires be directed, and we should cease all fruitless investigations, endeavoring by humble faith and active love, to prove worthy of the beatific vision; for if we do not love Him who is our all, our last end and aim, and lovingly desire Him, we will have no hope of one day possessing Him.

ASPIRATION O incomprehensible, Triune God! O Abyss of wisdom, power, and goodness! To Thee all glory and adoration! In Thee I lose myself; I cannot contain Thee, do Thou, contain me. I believe in Thee, though I cannot comprehend Thee; do Thou increase my faith; I hope in Thee, for Thou art the source of all good; do Thou enliven my hope; I love Thee, because Thou art worthy, of all love; do Thou inflame ever more my love, that in Thy love I may live and die. Amen.

GOSPEL (Matt. XXVIII. 18-20.) At that time Jesus said to His disciples: All power is given to me in heaven and in earth. Going, therefore; teach ye all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world.

EXPLANATION Christ being God had from all eternity the same power that His Father had; being man, He had this same power by the union of His divinity with His humanity, and on account of the infinite merits of His passion. In virtue of this power, He said to His apostles, before the ascension, that, as His Heavenly Father had sent Him, even so He sent them to all nations, without exception, to teach all that He had commanded, and to receive them, by means of baptism, into the Church; at the same time He promised to be with them to the end of the world, that is, that He would console them in suffering, strengthen them in persecution, preserve them from error, and always protect them and their successors, the bishops and priests, even unto the consummation of the world.

(See Instruction on the doctrine of the infallibility of the Church for the first Sunday after Easter.)

ASPIRATION Be with us, O Lord, for without Thee our pastors cannot produce fruit, nor their hearers profit anything from their words. Be with us always, for we always need Thy help. All power is given to Thee, Thou hast then the right to command, and we are bound to obey Thy commands which by Thy Church Thou hast made known to us. This we have promised in baptism, and now before Thee we renew those vows. Grant now that those promises which without Thee we could not have made, and without Thee cannot keep, may be fulfilled in our actions. Leave us not to ourselves, but be Thou with us, and make us obedient to Thee, that by cheerful submission to Thee we may receive happiness.

INSTRUCTION ON THE HOLY SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM

Going, therefore, teach ye all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost (Matt. XXVIII. 19.)

Is baptism a Sacrament?

Yes because in it the baptized person receives the grace of God by means of an external sign, instituted by Christ.

What is this external sign?

The immersion, or the pouring of water, accompanied by the words: "I baptize thee in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy ghost:"

What does the baptismal grace effect?

It removes original and actual sin; causing ,man to be spiritually born again, made a new creature, a child of God, and joint heir with Christ.

How many kinds of baptism are there?

There are three kinds: The baptism of desire, which consists in a heartfelt desire for the baptism of water, joined with a perfect love of God, or a perfect sorrow for sins committed, and with the purpose to obey all God's commands; the baptism of blood, which is received by those who suffer martyrdom for the true faith, without having received the baptism of water; the baptism of water, which is the Sacrament of Baptism.

What do the deferent ceremonies of this Sacrament signify?

They are the external signs of the effects which baptism produces inwardly upon the soul, and should impress us with deep reverence for this Sacrament.

Why is it customary to have a godfather or godmother?

That there may be a witness that the child has received baptism; that in case of the death of the parents, the sponsors may assume their place, and have the child instructed in the truths of religion. St. Augustine speaking of the duties of sponsors, very beautifully says: "They should use all care, often to admonish in true love their godchildren that they may strive to lead a pure life; they should warn them against all detraction, all improper songs, and keep them from pride, envy, anger, and revenge; they should watch over them that they may preserve the Catholic faith, attend the church services, listen to the word of God, and obey their parents and their pastors." Sponsors must therefore be true believers, and of unquestionable morality. No one, unless a Catholic can be chosen for a sponsor, because one who is not a Catholic would not instruct the child in the Catholic faith, or see that others do it; but would be more likely, as experience shows, to draw the child over to error.

What results from this sponsorship?

In baptism, as in confirmation, a spiritual affinity originates between, the sponsors, the one who baptizes or confirms, with the one baptized or confirmed, and with the parents, so that, by a decision of the Church a godfather or godmother cannot contract marriage with any of these parties, unless the impediment is removed by dispensation, that is, by a special permission received from a spiritual superior. But the sponsors have no spiritual relationship to each other.

Why has the Church instituted this spiritual relation?

From reverence for these holy Sacraments, and that by this spiritual bond the sponsors may be more closely connected with their godchildren, and be incited earnestly to discharge their obligation.

Why must the person to be baptized wait at the entrance of the church?

To indicate that until he has thrown off the yoke of sin, and submitted to Christ, and His authority, he is unworthy to enter, because baptism is the door of God's grace, to the kingdom of heaven, and the communion of saints.

Why does the person receive a saint's name?

That by this name he may be enrolled, through baptism, into the number of Christians whom St. Paul calls saints; that he may have a patron and intercessor, and that the saint, whose name he bears, may be his model and example, by which he may regulate his own life.

Why does the priest breathe in the face of the one to be baptized?

In imitation of Christ who breathed on His apostles when He gave them the Holy Ghost. (John XX. 22.) St. Chrysostom says that in baptism supernatural life is given to the soul as God imparted natural life to Adam by breathing on him.

Why does the priest impose his hand so many times upon the head of the person to be baptized?

To show that he is now the property of God and is under His protection.

What do the many exorcisms signify?

That the evil spirit who previous to baptism holds the person in bondage is now commanded in the name of God to depart, that a dwelling place may be prepared for the Holy Ghost.

Why is the person so often signed with the sign of the cross?

To signify that through the power of Christ's merits and of His death on the cross, baptism washes away original sin; that the person is to be henceforth a follower of Christ the Crucified, and as such must fight valiantly under the banner of the cross, against the enemies of his salvation, and must follow Christ on the way of the cross even unto death.

What does the salt signify which is put into the person's mouth?

It is an emblem of Christian wisdom and of preservation from the corruption of sin.

Why are his ears and nose touched with spittle?

That as Christ put spittle on the eyes. of the man born blind, thus restoring his sight, so by baptism, the spiritual blindness of the soul is removed, and his mind receives light to behold heavenly wisdom. Also, as St. Ambrose says, the candidate is thus instructed to open his ears to priestly, admonitions, and become a sweet odor of Christ.

Why does the priest ask: "Dust thou renounce the devil; and all his works, and all his pomps?"

That the Christian may know that his vocation requires him to renounce and combat the devil, his works, suggestions and pomps. Thus St. Ambrose very beautifully addresses a person just baptized: "When the priest asked: `Dust thou renounce the devil and all his works,' what didst thou reply? `I renounce them.' `Dost thou renounce the world, its lusts and its pomps?' `I renounce them.' Think of these promises, and let them never depart from thy mind. Thou host given thy hand? writing to the priest,, who stands for Christ; when thou host given thy note to a man, a thou art bound to him. Now thy word is not on earth but preserved in heaven; say not thou knowest nothing of this promise; this exculpates thee no better than the excuse of a soldier who in time of battle should say he knew not that by becoming a soldier he would have to fight."

Why is the person anointed on the shoulder and breast with holy oil?

As SS. Ambrose and Chrysostom explain this is done to strengthen him to fight bravely for Christ; as the combatants of old anointed themselves with oil before they entered the arena, so is he anointed, on the breast, that he may gain courage and force, bravely to combat the world, the flesh, and the devil, and on the shoulder, that he may be strong to bear constantly and untiringly, the yoke of Christ's commands, and persue the toilsome course of life in unwavering. fidelity to God and His holy law.

Why are, the Lord's Prayer, and the Apostles' Creed said at baptism?

That, when the child is a grown person an acknowledgment of faith may by this means be made m the face of the Church; when children are baptized, these prayers are said by the sponsors who are thus reminded to see that their godchildren are well instructed in these as in all other Christian truths.

Why does the priest expressly ask the person if he will be baptized?

Because as man, through Adam, of his own free will obeyed the devil, so now when he would be received among the number of Christ's children, he must, to obtain salvation, of his own free will obey the precepts of God.

Why is water poured three times upon the person's head?

This is done, as St. Gregory the Great writes, in token that man after this thrice-repeated ablution rises from the death of sin, as Christ, after His three days' burial, rose from the dead. (Rom. VI. 4.5.) In early times the candidate for baptism was immersed three times in the water. For many 'reasons this custom has been abolished.

Why is the person anointed on the top of the head with chrism?

This anointing is, so to speak, the crown of the young Christian. As in the Old Law the kings were anointed, (I Kings X. 1.) as Jesus is the Anointed One, and as the Apostle St. Peter calls the Christians a chosen race, a kingly priesthood, a holy people, (I Peter II. 9.) so the baptized by means of this unction is embodied in Christ, the Anointed One, and participates in His priesthood and kingly dignity. What an exalted position is the Christian's! He is the anointed one of the Lord, and in a spiritual sense a priest, because he constantly brings himself to the Lord God as a pleasing sacrifice in prayer, mortification, &c. He is king when he rules over his inclinations, submits them to reason, and reason to the Lord. Besides this he is king by the claims which, through baptism, he possesses to the kingdom of heaven. Through the chrism he becomes the blessed temple of the Holy Ghost, the sacred vessel which in time, through communion, will contain the precious body and blood of Christ. How does he desecrate this temple when, by grievous sin, he tramples this exalted dignity under his feet and. stains the temple of the Holy Ghost, his soul!

What does the white robe signify?

The holy Fathers teach that this represents the glory to which by baptism we are born again; the purity and beauty with which the soul, having been washed from sin in the Sacrament of baptism, is adorned, and the innocence which the baptized should preserve through his whole life.

Why is a lighted candle placed in his hand?

It is an emblem of the Christian doctrine which preserves the baptized from the darkness of error, ignorance, and sin, illumines his understanding, and leads him safely in the way of virtue; it represents the flame of. love for God and our neighbor which the baptized should henceforth continually carry, like the five prudent virgins, (Matt. XXV. 13.) on the path to meet the Lord, that when his life is ended he may be admitted to the eternal wedding feast; it signifies also the light of good example which he should keep ever burning.

Who is the minister of this sacrament?

The ordinary minister is the priest of the Church; but in case of necessity any layman or woman, even the father or mother can baptize. Parents, however, should not baptize their own child unless no other Catholic can be procured. The reason why lay persons are permitted to baptize is that no one may be deprived of salvation.

What must be observed particularly in private baptism?

The person who baptizes must be careful to use only natural water, which must be poured on the child's head saying at the same time the words: I baptize thee in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; having at the same time the intention of baptizing as the Church does, in the manner required by Christ.

INSTRUCTION ON THE RENEWAL OF BAPTISMAL VOWS

All the graces and dignities which we receive in baptism, God secures to us for the future, only on condition that we keep our baptismal vows. Every Christian in baptism makes a bond with God through the meditation of Christ who has sealed it with His blood. This bond consists, on man's part, in the promise to renounce forever the devil, all his works and all his pomps, that is, constantly to suppress the threefold lust of the eyes, the flesh and the pride of life, by which the devil leads us to sin, and to believe all that God has revealed, and all that His holy Church proposes to our belief, and diligently and properly to make use of all the means of salvation. On the part of God this bond consists in cleansing us from all sin, in bestowing the gifts of the Holy Ghost, in adopting us as His children, and. in the assurance to the inheritance of heaven. This bond will never be broken by God who is infinitely true and faithful, but it is often violated by weak and fickle man. In compliance with the desire of the Church we should often reflect upon it, and from time to time renew it in the sight of God. This should be done particularly before receiving the holy Sacrament of Confirmation, before first Communion, on the vigils of Easter and Pentecost, at the blessing of baptismal water, on the anniversaries of our baptism and confirmation, before making any solemn vow, before entering into matrimony and when in danger of death. This renewal of baptismal vows can be made in the following manner: Placing ourselves in the presence of God, we kneel down, fold our hands, and say with fervent devotion:

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was born and suffered for us.

I believe in the Holy Ghost, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.

I renounce the devil; all his works and all his pomps.

Christ Jesus ! With Thee I am united, to Thee alone I cling, Thee only will I follow, for Thee I desire to live and die. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

DOCTRINE ON THE HOLY TRINITY

What is God?

GOD is the most perfect being, the highest, best Good, who exists, from all eternity, by whom heaven and earth are create, and from whom all things derive and hold life and existence, for of Him, and by Him, and in Him are all things. (Rom. XI. 36.)

What is the Blessed Trinity?

The Blessed Trinity is this one God who is one in nature and threefold in person, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.

Is each of these three persons God?

Yes, because each of them has the divine nature and substance.

Are they not three Gods?

No, because all three of these persons have one and the same divine nature and substance.

Is any one of these three persons older, mightier, or greater than the other?

By, no means, they are all three from eternity entirely equal to each .other in divine omnipotence greatness and majesty, and must, therefore, be equally adored and venerated.

Ought one to give himself up to the investigation of the most Blessed Trinity?

No; "For," says the saintly Bishop Martin, "the mystery of the Trinity cannot be comprehended by the human intellect, no one however eloquent can exhaust it; if entire books were written about it, so that the whole world were filled with them, yet the unspeakable wisdom of God would not be expressed. God who is indescribable, can in no way be described. When the human mind ceases to speak of Him, then it but begins to speak." Therefore the true Christian throws his intellect under the feet of faith, not seeking to understand that which the human mind can as little comprehend, as a tiny hole in the sand can contain the immeasurable sea. An humble and active faith will make us worthy some day in the other world, to see with ' the greatest bliss this mystery as it is, for in this consists eternal life, that by a pious life we may glorify and know the only true God, Christ Jesus His Son, and the Holy Ghost.