Policing for Profit - criminal asset forfeiture laws unconstitutional

Sunday, September 29, 2013 

The New Mafia Wears A Badge

 

Found here:  http://www.activistpost.com/2013/09/the-new-mafia-wears-badge.html




Found here:  http://www.activistpost.com/2013/09/the-new-mafia-wears-badge.html

At some point the American people are going to have to stop this at the time they are accosted.
It will happen. At some point these cops will stop someone that just won't stand for getting a shake down and being robbed of their hard earned cash. At some point the honest people who are just going about their business lawfully and peacefully will stop this however they can.

What will YOU do?  Will you stand by and allow these thug criminals with badges to ruin your life and rob you blind under the color of clearly unconstitutional so called "law"????

What recourse do you have, when the courts are all corrupt and perpetrating this fraud and robbery?
Even if the courts were not part of it (which they are) how is it right to have to spend thousands on lawyers to correct this thievery after it's done? Most people who are victims of this have no means of recovery.

This is just another symptom of what happens when there is a moral breakdown. These cops have no conscience. They don't care about their oath before God to the US Constitution. They are criminals, whether they think so or not.

My advice is to avoid places where it is known that this is happening. Stay out of these states.

I practically NEVER leave Montana any more.


I have not heard of this happening in Montana yet.  If you have heard of this happening in Montana please write about that in the comments section below.

An honest Israeli Jew tells the Real Truth about Israel

http://theinternetpost.net/2013/09/25/an-honest-israeli-jew-tells-the-real-truth-about-israel/



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etXAm-OylQQ

War is a Racket - Military Cancer - Time to STOP THE WAR

Make up your own mind, but shut off the controlled media and think about it for a few weeks first.

WASHINGTON D.C. NAVY YARD SHOOTING LINKED TO ATTEMPTED ARREST OF OBAMA FOR TREASON

Posted By: Seawitch [Send E-Mail] Date: Sunday, 22-Sep-2013 03:01:08 

 “In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt. U.S. military police were targeted and killed by Obama in the Washington DC Navy Yard shooting. Why? Agents from the U.S. military’s criminal investigation units had uncovered a plot to detonate a nuclear device in the heart of the nation’s capitol as part of an Obama government false flag. Officials from NCIS (United States Naval Criminal Investigative Service) and the U.S. Office of the Provost (both with field offices inside the Washington DC Navy Yard) had threatened to arrest Obama for planning to attacked Syria without Congressional approval following a planned nuclear detonation false flag in Washington DC. The Office of the Provost is on the second floor of Building 34, One First Avenue, Charlestown Navy Yard and NCIS is located at 716 SICARD STREET SE, SUITE 2000, WASHINGTON NAVY YARD, DC. 

 Read the entire article here: 

http://www.rumormillnews.com/cgi-bin/forum.cgi?read=287731

The real story of the distribution of wealth in America

Get ready to be shocked and angry. This is what the banksters have been up to for decades.

My friends, you have been robbed all your life by these crooks!

The Issue that Just Won't Go Away, OBAMA'S RECKONING IS HERE

There is no question that Obama's so called 'birth certificate' is an engineered fake, and here are the court documents that prove it.

Read these articles in order.

Exclusive: Larry Klayman calls for resignation of 'convicted' president

Read more at 

http://www.wnd.com/2013/09/obamas-reckoning-is-here/#tVcIfxZRRw9537O2.99

Obama convicted by citizen's court for fraud 

http://www.freedomwatchusa.org/obama-convicted-by-citizens-court-for-fraud

Attached: 121101-EXHIBIT 1 - Citizens Grand Jury Indictment.pdf

Attached: 130919-EXHIBIT 2 - Mike Zullo Affidavit.pdf

Attached: 130919-EXHIBIT 3 - Zullo Affidavit Alabama.pdf

The Real Root Problem with Modern America and how to fix it

This article by David Kupelian is probably one of the most well thought out outlines of the modern American Political Correctness series of errors I have ever read.

America's problems are not material errors, they are moral and spiritual perversions through and through.
Until America changes on that level, there will be no restoration of her greatness (whatever that may have been in reality because we have always been too worldly) but rather there will be a rapid slip into abject sin and perversion that will remove all semblance of greatness in our society.

Read this article to the end, then comment at the bottom of this article. Just click on comments.

http://www.wnd.com/2013/09/how-america-morphed-into-bizarro-world/

Seven countries in five years scheduled for attack.

Pay special attention to what General Wesley Clark has to say in this video!

MILITARY COUP IN PROGRESS IN WASHINGTON D.C 9/10/13!!!

I have received information originating from a well-known former General at the Pentagon; everybody knows this guy's name. This information comes to me second hand, but I consider the go-between to be very reliable.

The information that I have received so far is that five of the US Military's highest-ranking Generals have met with Barack Obama and warned him that if he orders an attack on Syria he will be arrested and charged with Treason for attempting to provide aid and comfort to our enemies, namely the al-Qaeda affiliate al-Nusra Front in Syria.

The generals reportedly punctuated that statement with a promise that if he is convicted of Treason, Barack Obama will find himself swinging at the end of a rope at Leavenworth.

It's ON ladies and gentlemen. I KNEW the military would not put up with this Traitor forever. For the latest information on this, tune in to a special broadcast of TTiVLIVE! at 7 p.m. EST 9/10/13. You can watch my video broadcast by clicking on the video icon in this post or listen to the audio at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/1948-kitty

MAKE SURE THAT YOU SHARE THIS POST EVERYWHERE!!! We could be on the cusp of a historical event, and The Truth Is Viral is leading the charge!

PLEASE, Lord God in Heaven, let this be true!

God bless and SEMPER FI!!!
Bob Powell                     His profile here:  http://www.blogger.com/profile/03217015528915470210
Publisher/Editor-in-Chief
The Truth Is Viral
WWW.BOBPOWELL.BLOGSPOT.COM

http://www.bobpowell.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/military-coup-in-progress-in-washington.html

The Bankster Criminals who stole 16 Trillion from the American People

This is a crime beyond anything that has been done to America in it's history.

The devaluation of the Federal Reserve debt based money has enabled these criminals to rob you your whole life long. Now they are getting ready to steal your savings also.

I challenge anybody to prove me wrong.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaufApo8mgQ

These guys are literally laughing all the way to the bank.

They have stolen the buying power of your currency and devalued it down to 2% of what it was worth in 1913. You are looking at the criminals that have raped you financially.
The question is What are you going to do about it?

Polish Investors should have followed Robert Kiyosaki's advice and bought silver!

POLAND CONFISCATES HALF OF CITIZENS' PENSIONS

NEW YORK – Quietly, as the looming possibility of a U.S. military attack on Syria dominated news internationally, the government of Poland announced a decision to confiscate half of the nation’s pension funds in an attempt to delay an impending government debt crisis.

While details remain hazy, Reuters reported Sept. 4 that Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced a government decision to transfer to ZUS, the government pension system, all bond investments in privately owned pension funds within the state-guaranteed system.

Read more at 

http://www.wnd.com/2013/09/government-confiscates-half-of-citizens-pensions/#UIDOKmXVPThBFGfy.99 

DON'T MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE:

http://www.teapartysilver.com/silverforsale.html

Your Government Is Collapsing!

Bloggers pass this on to your lists.

The Real Problem is the Banksters who foment war to line their coffers

Illuminati Showdown in Middle East

September 8, 2013 — Dean Henderson

This week’s US Congressional vote on Syrian missile strikes will prove a watershed event in the battle to wrest global control from the Illuminati banksters.

Russian warships continue to stream into the Eastern Mediteranean.  Infowars.com reports that Chinese warships are doing the same.  Hezbollah fighters cross the Syrian border with Lebanon en masse.  Iran says it will target US embassies in the region if we attack Syria.

Last year, for the first time since the 1979 Iranian Revolution, two Iranian warships entered the Suez Canal bound for the Mediterranean.  The frigate and supply ship conducted training exercises with the Syrian military.

Something’s got to give.

Since the 2011 Egyptian uprising, Western intelligence agencies have been busy backing al Qaeda thugs in Libya, Iran and Syria.  They succeeded in Libya, where Qaddafi was brutally murdered and CIA Islamists put in charge.

Read the rest here:  http://deanhenderson.wordpress.com/2013/09/08/illuminati-showdown-in-middle-east/

____________________________________________

Just another bankster war.  You get to pay.  They get richer. You get to shed blood. They get you in debt further. 

Edwin Vieira on His New Book, 'The Sword and Sovereignty,' and Where the US Went Wrong

From the Daily Bell  and Anthony Wile  on Sunday 9 8 13 

The Daily Bell is pleased to present this exclusive interview with Edwin Vieira, Jr.

Introduction: Dr. Vieira holds four degrees from Harvard: A.B. (Harvard College), A.M. and Ph.D. (Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences) and J.D. (Harvard Law School). For over 36 years he has been a practicing attorney, specializing in cases that raise issues of constitutional law. He has presented numerous cases of import before the Supreme Court and written numerous monographs and articles in scholarly journals. His latest scholarly work is The Sword and Sovereignty (2012). Previous works include Constitutional "Homeland Security" (2007), a proposal to begin the revitalization of the constitutional Militia of the several states; Pieces of Eight: The Monetary Powers and Disabilities of the United States Constitution (2d rev. ed. 2002), a comprehensive study of American monetary law and history viewed from a constitutional perspective; and How to Dethrone the Imperial Judiciary (2004), an analysis of the problems of irresponsible "judicial supremacy" and how to deal with them. With well known libertarian trader Victor Sperandeo, he is also the co-author (under a nom de plume) of the political novel CRA$HMAKER: A Federal Affaire (2000), a not-so-fictional story of an engineered "crash" of the Federal Reserve System, and the political revolution it causes. 

Read the entire article here: http://thedailybell.com/28672/

1st hand proof Rebels did the gas attack in Gouta says reporter

Dale Gavrak  interviews the rebels who claim they did it.

The United States of America versus the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - the corporation

This web page gives an excellent comparison of the difference between the original: 

The United States, a republic-- which has been hijacked and formed into a Corporation: the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA -- and much more. It is very well-done and quite instructive for those who may not yet know this information.

http://www.gemworld.com/USAVSUS.HTM

Ben Swann Reality Check: What The Media Isn't Telling You About Syria

Published on Sep 2, 2013

http://benswann.com/ 

Ben Swann Reality Check tells you about the real "rebels" in Syria, the al Qaeda backed al Nusra Front.

HEATED: Rand Paul Storms John Kerry, Gets "Owned" at Syria Military hearing

Rand Paul doesn't get that he and all others who believe Assad did the chemical attack are being SET UP by a false flag event perpetrated by the very rebels that Obama is helping with gas funneled in from Saudi Arabia.

It's all over the internet including interviews of people who were involved in storing the gas canisters, who were fighting for the rebels.

Folks WE ARE BEING HAD AGAIN just like Iraq, where, in fact, there were NO WMDs.

These war mongers can't keep their power without war somewhere in the world, and they will foment one war after another to bolster up the military industrial complex.

The banksters who finance both sides of these wars to reap their profits off the backs of suffering and dying peoples are not going to give up their power without much bloodshed, and they have made up their minds that if they can't own the whole world they are going to BURN IT TO THE GROUND with us in it.

There are not sufficient words in the english language to describe how absolutely evil and diabolic that is.

Bombshell: Syria's "chemical weapons" turn out to be fluoride

Bombshell: Syria's "chemical weapons" turn out to be sodium fluoride, the same chemical dumped into municipal water supplies across the USA under "water fluoridation" schemes.

World Bank: Money Laundering Criminals

Interview with Whistleblower Karen Hudes

ForbiddenKnowledgeTV Alexandra Bruce September 2, 2013 RT's Breaking the Set host, Abby Martin talks to Karen Hudes, a former Senior Executive at the World Bank, who worked there for 12 years. Hudes talks about her experience blowing the whistle on the high-level corruption within the international financial system and how her story was censored. - 



See more at: 
http://www.forbiddenknowledgetv.com/videos/money/world-bank-money-laundering-criminals--interview-with-whistleblower-karen-hudes.html#sthash.VoODFEx8.dpuf

Now do something to protect yourself:
http://www.teapartysilver.com/silverforsale.html

Hungary Tells Banksters To Get The F*&%^ Out Of Their Country And Take The IMF With You (Videos)

Hungary is making history of the first order. Not since the 1930s in Germany has a major European country dared to escape from the clutches of the Rothschild-controlled international banking cartels. This is stupendous news that should encourage nationalist patriots worldwide to increase the fight for freedom from financial tyranny.

Already in 2011, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán promised to serve justice on his socialist predecessors, who sold the nation’s people into unending debt slavery under the lash of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the terrorist state of Israel. Those earlier administrations were riddled with Israelis in high places, to the fury of the masses, who finally elected Orbán’s Fidesz party in response.

According to a report on the German-language website “National Journal,” Orbán has now movedto unseat the usurers from their throne. The popular, nationalistic prime minister told the IMF that Hungary neither wants nor needs further “assistance”from that proxy of the Rothschild-ownedFederal Reserve Bank. No longer will Hungarians be forced to pay usurious interest to private, unaccountablecentral bankers.

Instead, the Hungarian government has assumed sovereignty over its own currency and now issues money debt free, as it is needed. The results have been nothing short of remarkable. The nation’s economy, formerly staggering under deep indebtedness,has recovered rapidly and by means not seen since National Socialist Germany.

http://beforeitsnews.com/banksters/2013/08/hungary-tells-banksters-to-get-the-f-out-of-their-country-and-take-the-imf-with-you-videos-2433440.html

U.S. Military Revolts Against Obama’s Decision to 'Support Al-Qaeda in Syria"

A military revolt against the Obama administration’s plan to launch a potentially disastrous attack on Syria is gathering pace, with both top brass and regular service members express their vehement opposition to the United States becoming entangled in the conflict. The backlash began to spread on social media yesterday with numerous members of the military posting photos of themselves holding up signs stating that they would refuse to fight on the same side as Al-Qaeda in Syria. Others have posted their photos on Twitter alongside the hashtag #IdidntJoin. As the Obama administration prepares to present a draft resolution to lawmakers that is by no means “limited” in its scope and would in fact grease the skids for an open ended war, John Kerry and other State Department officials have signaled that Obama will simply ignore Congress, if it votes no, and launch the assault anyway.

Read more at 

http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2013_09_02/US-military-revolt-against-Obama-s-decision-to-support-Al-Qaeda-in-Syria-0583/

Is this the America you want to live in?

Veteran Attacked By Police During Syria Protest

Found here:
http://www.veteranstoday.com/2013/09/02/veteran-attacked-by-police-during-syria-protest/

Take Your Money Out of the Bank!

Published on Sep 1, 2013 – by WakeUpCallPage

Individual and public taxpayer money is not safe in the big banks. This video will show why and how the government plans to confiscate depositor money when (not if) the next crisis hits in order to prop up the big banks. The actual government documents outlining the confiscation plans will be highlighted.

The plans for this confiscation of depositor funds have been developed, they have been approved, and they are awaiting the next crisis.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-2eJQqXm7s

We have been telling our readers that this will happen for over 3 years now, which is plenty of time for you to have done something about it.

Here is one possible protection:

http://www.teapartysilver.com/silverforsale.html

But unless you have already made provision for food, guns and ammo, dry goods, water filtration, a way to generate electric power, and everything you will need for a long stay out of the way of the turmoil, you have no business buying silver.

Here are some websites that might help you.

For communications when the phone systems are down:
http://www.fm2way.com/

For portable solar power equipment:
http://www.fm2way.com/goalzero/index.html

For a way to store fuel without spoilage:
http://pri-fuel.com/

Stun guns and other security equipment:
http://www.fm2way.com/stunguns

ATTACK ON IRAN – UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES

I read the article in the Atlantic about Israel attacking Iran by Jeffrey Goldberg. It attempted to be a propaganda piece on Israel and their dire predicament in the Middle East. The same Israel that possesses 100 nuclear warheads. They are truly in mortal danger from Iran. By the way, Mr Goldberg, who served in the Israeli Army, wrote an article in 2002 saying that Sadaam Hussein had links to al Qaeda, so we know he never gets his facts mixed up with lies and propaganda. The article actually makes Netenyahu look like a nutjob seeking his 100 year old daddy’s approval. His “reasoning” for going to war with Iran is based on emotional proclamations about the Holocaust. When you don’t have facts to back up your position, fall back on mushroom clouds and the holocaust. That is the Israeli playbook.

Mr. Wright does a fantastic job pointing out that all of the Israeli arguments for attacking Iran are weak, invalid, and based upon false propaganda. The Israelis don’t care. They are on a mission to destroy Iran. They know that Obama is a weak man. They will attack without his approval and force him into conflict with Iran. Obama, being the weak political hack that he is, may actually think an attack will benefit him politically. When your domestic agenda is in tatters, find a foreign bogeyman to distract the masses. The Jewish controlled media in the US supports war with Iran. They blare the propaganda from the loudspeakers 24 hours a day.

 News stories are slanted to make the masses think Iran is actually a threat to the US. Recent polls show 60% approval for attacking Iran. It is beyond delusional that a country that spends $2.5 billion per year on their military is a threat to a country that spends $895 billion per year on their military. Our military spends $2.5 billion on toilet seats.

The part of the story that no one addresses are the unintended consequences of attacking Iran. Neo-cons aren’t big on thinking through the consequences of their actions. It gets too messy for their neat little world domination game of Risk. Before I get to the unintended consequences, let’s address the known consequences:......

Read the entire article here:

http://www.theburningplatform.com/?tag=sunburn-missile

'Non-birther' Rand Paul denigrates Constitution

Also ignores constitutional remedy of impeachment

By Alan Keyes

Sen. Rand Paul just "sidestepped questions about fellow Sen. Ted Cruz's (R-Texas) eligibility to run for president, saying he was not a 'birther.'" Paul's contempt for the requirements of the Constitution comes as no surprise to me, despite the fact that his supporters frequently pretend he is a staunch "constitutionist." But a staunch constitutionist would be careful to remember Joseph Story's admonition that acceptable constitutional construction "can never abrogate the text; it can never fritter away its obvious sense; it can never narrow down its limitations; it can never enlarge its natural boundaries."

Like almost everyone else who collaborates with the current two-party sham, Sen. Paul has chosen to abrogate the Constitution's natural-born citizen requirement when it comes to Barack Obama's eligibility. Now he thinks to prove his fair-mindedness by showing the same disregard for that constitutional requirement when it comes to Republicans. Apparently he thinks that both parties should have the prerogative to disregard the words of the Constitution when it serves their partisan aims.

But respecting the authority of the U.S. Constitution's provisions serves the common good of the American people. It has been the key to the orderly conduct of their affairs since the nation was founded. Is it fair to the nation to permit abrogations of that authority so long as political parties are given equal license to engage in them? Is it worthy of someone who claims, as a matter of principle, to respect the Constitution?

Read it all here:
http://www.renewamerica.com/columns/keyes/130819

The Church's Year INSTRUCTION ON THE FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

Nobody gets out of this world alive! It appears the world is about to be plunged into world war 3 so this instruction is entirely appropriate and relevant.

Rev. Fr. Leonard Goffine's instructions for today. The Introit of the Mass is a fervent prayer; which may be said in every necessity and adversity: INTROIT Bow down thine ear, O Lord; to me, and hear me: save thy servant, O my God, that hopeth in thee: have mercy on me, O Lord, for I have cried to thee all the day. Give joy to the soul of thy servant: for to thee, O Lord, I have lifted up my soul. (Ps. IXXXV.) Glory etc. COLLECT Let Thy continued pity, O Lord, cleanse and defend Thy Church: and because without Thee it cannot abide in safety, govern it ever by Thy gift. Thro'. EPISTLE (Gal. V. 25, 26.; vi. I-Io.) Brethren, If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let u5 not be made desirous of vain-glory, provoking one another, envying one another. Brethren, and if a man be overtaken in any fault, you, who are spiritual, instruct such a one in the spirit of meekness, considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another's burdens, and so you shall fulfil the law of Christ. For if any man think himself to be something, whereas he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. But let every one prove his own work, and so he shall have glory in himself only, and not in another. For every one shall bear his own burden. And let him that is instructed in the word, communicate to him that instructeth him, in all good things. Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for what things a man shall sow, those also shall he reap. For he that soweth in his flesh, of the flesh also shall reap corruption: but he that soweth in the spirit, of the spirit shall reap life everlasting. And in doing good, let us not fail: for in due time we shall reap, not failing. Therefore, whilst we have time, let us work good to all men, but especially to those who are of the household of the faith. EXPLANATION This epistle is taken, like that of the Sunday before last, from the epistle of St. Paul to the Galatians, in which St. Paul shows them the insufficiency of the Jewish law, and that they can only be saved by a lively faith in Christ, but now he admonishes them to the performance of good works. You now live, he tells them, in the Spirit, that is, the Holy Ghost animates your heart by His grace, enlightens, confirms, and inflames you, admonishes and teaches you, impels your heart to do good; you must, therefore, also regulate your external conduct accordingly, and in particular devote yourself to the practice of humility and charity, as the foundations of a truly spiritual life. Humility must teach and move you to think little of yourself, to avoid vain glory, and not to confide in your own strength. But charity should impel you to be meek and compassionate to all, even sinners, to correct them charitably, and lead them back to the path of virtue; since he who is harsh to the erring, despises and treats them roughly, is often permitted by God to fall into the same, nay, even into greater sins. Particularly you must show your charity one for another, that one bears the burdens of the other: that you bear the faults and imperfections of others just as patiently as you wish others to bear with your own imperfections; thus you will fulfil the law of Christ, which commands us to love our neighbor; you will prevent many sins which are occasioned by considering yourself perfect, raising yourself above others, criticising their failings, and causing disturbance. True glory consists in knowing ourselves, our faults and evil inclinations, and in eradicating them. Be grateful to those who instruct you in the word of God, and give to them willingly of your earthly possessions. What you sow, you shall reap; if you only follow the dictates of the flesh, do not mortify yourself, do not correct your failings, and indulge your sinful appetites, you will one day reap death, destruction and damnation, whereas, on the contrary, if you follow the dictates of the Holy Ghost, you will reap of the Spirit of life. Let us obey this doctrine, for it is of interest to us, and impress deeply on our heart that without mortification of body and soul we cannot be saved. ASPIRATION. O. St. Paul! beg of God the grace for me, that I may always walk in humility, and the love of my neighbor, particularly in bearing with his imperfections and failings, and thus fulfil the law of Christ in this as in all things. GOSPEL (Luke VII. 11-16.) At that time, Jesus went into a city called Naim: and there went with him his disciples, and a great multitude. And when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold a dead man was carried out, the only, son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a great, multitude of the city was with her. Whom when the Lord had seen, being moved with mercy towards her, said to her: Weep not. And he came near, and touched the bier. And they that carried it stood still. And he said: Young man, I say to thee, Arise. And he that was dead sat up,. and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother. And there came a fear on them all; and they glorified God, saying: A great prophet is risen up amongst us, and God hath visited his people. Why did Christ show compassion to this widow? To convince us that God takes sorrowful and destitute widows under His protection; and is to them a consoler and helper; and to teach us to do the same. Woe, therefore, to those who oppress them and cause them to weep. The tears and cries of widows will ascend to God, who will terribly punish the injuries inflicted upon them. (Exod xxii. 22. 23.) Christ had still other reasons for compassion, for He saw in this deceased youth the death of sinners, and in the afflicted mother the pain which the Church experiences at the spiritual loss of so many of her children. Should this not also awaken our sympathy since it wad the principal cause which moved our Saviour to compassion. I£ we are faithful children of our mother, the Church, it is impossible for us not to share her sorrow, and we would surely not be her children, if we could contemplate without sorrow the multitude who daily die the death of sin, and thus separated from the living body of Christ, hasten to eternal destruction. O let us with the Church unceasingly, ask Jesus, that He raise sinners from their spiritual death, enlighten those in error so that all recognize the truth, find, and walk the path Which leads to life ! Why did Christ say to the widow: Weep not? He wished to moderate her excessive sorrow, and to teach us that we should not mourn for the loss of our relatives, like the heathens who have no hope of resurrection to eternal life. (Thess. iv. I a.) Resignation to the will ofGod, with prayer and good works, will be of more use to the dead than many tears. What else do we learn from this gospel? That no one, however young and healthy, will escape death, wherefore we should always be prepared to die. INSTRUCTION CONCERNING DEATH IF there were locked up in prison several hundred persons, on whom sentence of death had irrevocably been pronounced, yet who knew not the day or hour of their execution; if one after the other, and often he who least expected it, were taken out to be executed; would not each one's heart tremble, whenever the prison door opened? Now the irrevocable sentence of death is pronounced on us all; we are all locked up in our bodies, as in a prison; (Ps. cxiv. 8.) one after the other is called hence, yet we do not regard it. We live as though we could live forever; we think only of the body, but for the soul nothing is done, except that we load it with sins and vices. Is this rational? The body will be food for worms, but the soul (without knowing when) will travel into the house of eternity, to which place she must bring treasures of good works, in order to live happy for ever. Who would, therefore, be so foolish as to care only for the body during life, and neglect the salvation of the soul? O man, says St. Francis of Sales, (Phil. part. i. chap. 13.) represent to yourself in lively colors, that at your death the world will cease to exist with respect to you. In that last hour the pleasures, the vanities, the riches, the honors, the friendships, and all that was dear to you, will disappear before your eyes as so many shadows. O fool that I am! you will then say, for what trifles and fooleries have I lost all! On the contrary, piety, good works, penance, etc., will appear pleasant to you, and you will exclaim: O, why did I not travel on this blessed roadl Then the sins which you now consider as mere trifles, will seem to you like mountains, and all that you thought you had accomplished as, great things, with regard to piety, will seem to you very little. What terrible fear will then seize your soul, when she must travel alone into the bottomless abyss of eternity which, as St. Bernard says, devours all possible, imaginable ages, and of which St. Gregory says, that we can easier say what it is not than what it is. What terrors will befall her, when she must appear before the tribunal of that God whom she never really loved and honored in her life-time and before whom she must now give the strictest account, and hear an irrevocable and just sentence! Should not these thoughts make an impression upon you? How can you escape this terrible future? By living now, as you would wish to have lived at the hour of death. Die daily with St. Paul by crucifying the flesh and its lusts and by voluntarily withdrawing your heart from the world, its pomps and vanities, before death will do this by violence. RESOLUTION O world! because I cannot know the hour, in which I must leave you, I will not be attached to you. O you dear friends and relatives, you, too, I will in future love only with a holy inclination, directed to God, which will not cease with death, but remain forever. O Lord! help me, that I may die totally to myself and the world, and live only for Thee, and partake of eternal happiness. INSTRUCTION ON THE CEREMONIES USED AT FUNERALSBehold, a dead man was carried out, the only son of his mother, and a great multitude of the city was with her. (Luke vii. 12.) OF these people who accompanied the funeral of the youth, we should learn to pay the last honors to the dead, and follow their bodies to the grave. This is a meritorious work, one pleasing to God, if it be not performed from vanity and self-interest, but for love of God and the deceased, with the charitable intention of assisting him by prayers. Therefore those do very wrong, who from worldly motives either omit this good work entirely, or during the funeral procession indulge in idle talk and deny the deceased even a short prayer. Why is a cross carried before the corpse? By this is indicated that the deceased during life professed Christ, died believing in Him, and hoping for resurrection through Him. Why are lighted candles carried before the bier? To represent the desire of the Church that the deceased through the grace of God may be received into eternal light.This custom is very ancient; wax-candles and torches, together with prayer and great solemnity were made use of at the burial of St. Cyprian who was beheaded for Christ's sake, in the year 258 after Christ. (Ruinart.) Why are the coffin and the grave sprinkled with holy water? In order, as St. Thomas of Aquin (Lib. iii. art. 21.) remarks, to implore God, on account of the prayers which the Church says when she blesses the water, that the souls of the faithful may be cleansed from all stains, and may receive consolation and refreshment in the tortures which they may still have to suffer. Why are the body and the grave incensed? By this the Church indicates that the deceased by his Christian vocation was a good odor of Christ, (ii Cor. ii. 14, 15.) and admonishes the faithful that their prayers should ascend like incense to heaven for the deceased. Why are Psalms and other sacred canticles sung? This is done to remind us of the teaching of St. Paul, (i Thess iv. 12.) not to be excessively sorrowful for the loss of the deceased, like the heathens who have no hope of eternal life. We also signify, thereby, that we congratulate the dead for the peace which they now enjoy. (Apoc. xiv. 13.) This custom, as St. Jerome shows, (Ep. 53.) is derived from the apostles, who interred St. Stephen, singing Psalms and hymns of praise. Why are the bells rung? To invite the faithful to the funeral and to pray for the dead who, during lifetime, was called very often by the same bells, prayed with and for us during religious worship, and who is not separated from us by death. Why art the bodies of the faithful buried with the head towards the East, and those of the priests towards the West? The faithful are buried towards the East, whence the sun rises, to indicate, that they are waiting for Christ who is called the Orient from on High, (Luke i. 78.) and whose voice they will hear at the end of the world, when He calls them to the resurrection; the priests towards the West, as a sign that on the day of judgment they will be placed opposite to the souls confided to them, to give an account of their charge and to bear judgment for or against them. Why is a cross or monument erected aver the grave? To show that the deceased was a follower of Christ, the Crucified, to admonish the passers-by to pray for him, and to remind us of the solemn moment of death. Why is the body laid in consecrated ground? This is done through reverence for the bodies of the dead which are, by baptism, temples of the Holy Ghost; to show that, even in death, they still belong to the communion of that holy Church, in which they were embodied during life by baptism, and to which they clung in faith even until death; to inspire the surviving with a holy fear lest they profane graves. Why is the solemn funeral service of the Church denied to heretics? Because they would not belong to the Church during life, and despised the holy customs and prayers of the Church for the dead. How should the blessing and prayer of the Church be useful in death to one who despised them during life. Why does not the Church permit criminals and suicides to be buried on consecrated ground? In order to express her horror for the crimes perpetrated by them, and to deter the faithful from committing similar actions.