Are you looking for Solutions for America in Distress

You are in the right place to find out about what is really going on behind the scenes in the patriot movement in America, including solutions from Oathkeepers, Anna Von Reitz, Constitutional Sheriffs, Richard Mack, and many more people who are leading the charge to restore America to freedom and peace. Please search on the right for over 8400 articles.
You will find some conflicting views from some of these authors. You will also find that all the authors are deeply concerned about the future of America. What they write is their own opinion, just as what I write is my own. If you have an opinion on a particular article, please comment by clicking the title of the article and scrolling to the box at the bottom on that page. Please keep the discussion about the issues, and keep it civil. The administrator reserves the right to remove any comment for any reason by anyone. Use the golden rule; "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Additionally we do not allow comments with advertising links in them for your products. When you post a comment, it is in the public domain. You have no copyright that can be enforced against any other individual who comments here! Do not attempt to copyright your comments. If that is not to your liking please do not comment. Any attempt to copyright a comment will be deleted. Copyright is a legal term that means the creator of original content. This does not include ideas. You are not an author of articles on this blog. Your comments are deemed donated to the public domain. They will be considered "fair use" on this blog. People donate to this blog because of what Anna writes and what Paul writes, not what the people commenting write. We are not using your comments. You are putting them in the public domain when you comment. What you write in the comments is your opinion only. This comment section is not a court of law. Do not attempt to publish any kind of "affidavit" in the comments. Any such attempt will also be summarily deleted. Comments containing foul language will be deleted no matter what is said in the comment.


Thursday, March 27, 2014

FBI Dumps SPLC and ADL! First hand confirmed!

http://nicholasstixuncensored.blogspot.com/2014/03/fbi-dumps-splc-and-adl.html

I received a call about this from a long time friend and contact on the inside that confirmed this fact.

Before the abrupt scrubbing, the FBI hate crime webpage included two outside groups as "resources."

Washington Secrets

“Shocked” Anti-Defamation League slaps FBI 'diss on hate crimes

By Paul Bedard
March 26, 2014 AT 5:39 P.M.
The Southern Poverty Law Center, which has labeled several Washington, D.C.-based family organizations as "hate groups" for favoring traditional marriage, has been dumped as a "resource" on the FBI's Hate Crime Web page, a significant rejection of the influential legal group.
The Web page scrubbing, which also included eliminating the Anti-Defamation League, was not announced and came in the last month after 15 family groups pressed Attorney General Eric Holder and FBI Director James Comey to stop endorsing a group -- SPLC -- that inspired a recent case of domestic terrorism at the Family Research Council.
"We commend the FBI for removing website links to the Southern Poverty Law Center, an organization that not only dispenses erroneous data but has been linked to domestic terrorism in federal court. We hope this means the FBI leadership will avoid any kind of partnership with the SPLC,” Tony Perkins, FRC President, told Secrets.
“The Southern Poverty Law Center's mission to push anti-Christian propaganda is inconsistent with the mission of both the military and the FBI, which is to defend and uphold the Constitution of the United States,” he added.

Read the entire article here:


The eligibility issue that just flat won't go away! More crimes of Obama proven!

Must See New Video: New Criminal Evidence About To Be Released Re Obama Crimes – Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Phoenix AZ



Watch and discuss it here:  http://www.birtherreport.com/2014/03/must-see-tv-sheriff-joe-arpaio-obama.html

P.S. Also read this essay regarding the legal term of art “natural born Citizen” and basic logic, i.e., trees are plants but not all plants are trees. Natural born Citizens are a subset of “born Citizens (citizens at birth)” but not all “born Citizens (citizens at birth)” are “natural born Citizens”: http://cdrkerchner.wordpress.com/2012/06/20/of-natural-born-citizens-and-citizens-at-birth-and-basic-logic-trees-are-plants-but-not-all-plants-are-trees-natural-born-citizens-nbc-are-citizens-at-birth-cab-but-not-all-cab/ … AND …http://www.art2superpac.com/issues.html Also watch this video by the renowned constitutional scholar Dr. Herb Titus: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esiZZ-1R7e8

Monday, March 24, 2014

Do Juries have the absolute power to nullify bad laws?

This (jury nullification) is one of the few peaceful ways that remain to attempt some justice and resolution of the many problems in the system. However, most of what I have seen on the subject seems to imply something less than a complete understanding of the system these clever BAR members have set up.

It is absolutely true that under the common law and in a court of "law" the people make the law and the decision of the jury of the people cannot be appealed or overruled. Their decision is final as the people are the highest authority. It is with that vote that usurpation of power by over zealous legislatures and prosecutors are held in check. It is/was perhaps the most important power/vote of the people.

That said, the above is not what actually exists in this country at present. That is not to say that a juror cannot act to nullify or hang a jury over a bad law, for most assuredly they can attempt to do so even in today's courts. It is not legal by the corporate definition of procedure, but they aren't likely to challenge it openly because it would run the risk of exposing their fraud.

I do think, however, that it might be good to also understand the reality of the system and what they are doing. 

First, these are no longer courts of law. They are administrative courts conducting administrative hearings dealing with corporate business. Call them private courts dealing with private, closed society, corporate internal affairs. Inside that private closed society they have jurisdiction only over the members of their closed society or corporate employees/affiliates/ franchisees. They are dealing in their commercial corporate policies and not LAW.

They are holding administrative hearings regarding corporate business....corporate policies. They often refer to it as "public policy" but they are using and administering private copyrighted rules they called by various names such as "code", "statutes", "Acts", and public policy, but all are "color of law" used to administer corporate affairs.

The court administrator is no longer a judge but merely an administrator of corporate business and conflicts between corporate entities....internal affairs, if you will. They do not argue the law or discuss the law, they only consider the "facts". The administrator often tells the jury that he/she will "tell the jury what the law is" and that is because they are determining corporate policy and the "law" or policy is whatever they say it is. 

But what of the jury?

Well, if you look at a jury summons I believe you will find that somewhere on there it "qualifies" a potential juror as a "U.S. citizen". That means little to most people and, if anything, most people consider themselves special or privileged because they believe themselves to be a U.S. citizen. Without question they mark the summons accordingly claiming that "status". It IS special, but nothing like people think it is.

Interestingly, you will find that you can neither sit upon one of their juries nor vote if you select the option that you are not a U.S. citizen. That is proof positive that you are dealing with an exclusive society in which only members may participate. If you are a "member" of the closed private society you are also "subject" to it as per the 14th amendment. That means you have exchanged rights for "privileges and immunities". 

The point is that, if you claim to be a U.S. citizen, you have forfeited your right to nullify and become "subject to" their rule by fiat corporate policy as you are a participating member of the commercial corporate scheme and claiming to be a member or citizen is evidence of your participation by your own claim. 

If you make the claim and sit on one of "their" juries you are no longer a common law juror but serving only in an "advisory" capacity for the administrator. The administrator can, and often does, punish jurors and most certainly makes attempts to control them in many ways. You "subject" to it yourself by claiming to be subject to him/her in claiming the status of U.S. citizen and the privilege to sit in their jury box. Such behavior by a judge is not possible in a true court of law.

On the other hand, if you select that you are NOT a U.S. citizen on their forms then you are not "qualified" to serve on their juries. In a very real sense, this prevents a sovereign American, seeking justice according to the common law, from being able to seat a truly impartial jury, actually argue the law, or to obtain justice and a fair hearing. 

Frankly, with very few exceptions, it must be acknowledged that most U.S. citizens are completely unfamiliar with the law, are likely to let an administrator TELL them what their law is, and their opinions are seriously tainted with their own brainwashed views of what should be law. 

Those are basically the underlying circumstances which exist. With that said, can a juror select that they are a U.S. citizen on the summons and then act to nullify bad laws by hanging the jury or blocking a conviction? Yes. Why, because, in the vast majority of cases the court, prosecutor, and the system as a whole prefer NOT to expose the truth about what is going on or why.

My personal suspicions are that if the nullification becomes to big a thorn in their side that they will do more plea bargains, avoid using juries more than they already do, start cracking down on jurors, and various other devices to counter the problem short of exposing the truth.

I do not discourage the practice of nullification. As I stated previously, it is perhaps one of the few remaining methods of peaceful change. 

The really diabolical aspect to their system and to our miseducation is the many repercussions one faces as a result of providing them with prima facie evidence of one's political status by claiming to be a U.S. citizen subject. Most people think the claim merely differentiates them from illegal aliens, but that is far from the truth.

Americans are not illegal aliens, nor is "U.S. citizen" synonymous with American. The status of U.S. citizen is a political status and a title, or term, given to a member of the closed commercial corporate society created in the 1800's. It does allow corporate privileges and the commercial system does exclude people who refuse claim of membership or of the status.  

Most know about "voter registration" and may now be aware of the jury summons question, but a careful check of most every document one completes in the system asks the question or questions...are you a U.S. citizen and/or do you "reside WITHIN THE UNITED STATES? One would do well to learn the meaning of those "terms" because, as they are being used, they mean something entirely different that the average man would ever suspect.

The IRS is but one of many agencies which use such things as a completed jury summons to establish prima facie evidence of your U.S. citizenship which makes you "subject to" their jurisdiction. 

My point is that serving on the jury is a catch 22. Be FULLY INFORMED above all else.

neo

Two chemtrail tankers almost collide with Fed Ex Jet



TWO CHEMTRAIL TANKER JETS ALMOST COLLIDE WITH FED-EX COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT - YouTube
NOT FEELING SO HOT SOME DAYS? 
THESE TANKERS ARE SPRAYING ALUMINUM, BARIUM FOR STARTERS!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZGTS4W4C-c

Thursday, March 20, 2014

The world is overdue for some JUSTICE.



I don't have any proof this is real but you need to know what is being said, and some history of the bankster cabal and their control of the issue of currencies.


Sunday, March 16, 2014

Sunday Prayers for Patriots - 2nd Sunday in Lent

Rev. Fr. Leonard Goffine's
The Church's Year

SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT 
(REMINISCERE)

The Introit of this day's Mass, which begins with the word Reminiscere, from which this Sunday derives its name, is the prayer of a soul begging God's assistance, that she may sin no more:
INTROIT Remember, O Lord, Thy compassions and Thy mercies, which are from the beginning, lest at any time our enemies rule over us: deliver us O God of Israel, from all our tribulations. To Thee O Lord, have I lifted up my soul: in Thee, O my God, I put my trust; let me not be ashamed. (Ps. XXIV.) Glory be to the Father, etc.
COLLECT O God, who seest us to be destitute of strength, keep us both inwardly and outwardly; that we may be defended in the body from all adversities, and cleansed in our mind from all evil thoughts. Through our Lord, etc.
EPISTLE (I Thess. IV. 1-7.) Brethren, we pray and beseech you in the Lord Jesus, that as you have received of us, how you ought to walk, and to please God, so also you would walk, that you may abound the more. For you know what precepts I have given to you by the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that you should abstain from fornication; that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honor; not in the passion of lust, like the Gentiles that know not God: and that no man over-reach nor circumvent his brother in business; because the Lord is the avenger of all these things, as we have told you before, and have testified. For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto sanctification; in Christ Jesus our Lord.
EXPLANATION From these words we see, that the great Teacher of Nations as carefully showed the Christian congregations the sanctity of their calling, as he labored to lead them from the blindness and abominations of heathenism.
ASPIRATION Grant, O God, that I may live an honest, chaste and holy life in accordance with my vocation, and go not after earthly and carnal pleasures, as the heathens who know Thee not.
GOSPEL (Matt. XVII. 1-9.) At that time, Jesus took Peter, and James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into a high mountain apart: and he was transfigured before them. And his face did shine as the sun, and his garments became white as snow. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elias talking with him. Then Peter answering, said to Jesus: Lord, it is good for us to be here; if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles, one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. And as he was yet speaking, behold a bright cloud overshadowed them, and lo, a voice out of the cloud, saying: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. And the disciples hearing, fell upon their face, and were very much afraid. And Jesus came and touched them, and said to them: Arise, and fear not. And they lifting up their eyes, saw no one, but only Jesus. And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying: Tell the vision to no man: till the Son of Man be risen from the dead.
Why was Christ transfigured in the presence of His apostles on Mount Thabor?
To permit them to see the glorious majesty of His divinity; to guard them from doubts when they should afterwards see Him die on Mount Calvary; to encourage the disciples and all the faithful to be patient in all crosses and afflictions, for the bodies of the just at the resurrection will be made like the glorified body of Christ. (Phil. III. 21.)
Why did Moses and Elias appear there?
That they might testify, that Jesus was really the Saviour announced by the law and the prophets, and that the law and the prophets received fulfillment in Him. The former was represented by Moses, the latter by Elias.
Why, did Peter wish to build three tabernacles there?
The delightful sweetness of the apparition in which Jesus made him participator so enraptured him, that he knew not what he said, not considering that glory can be attained only through sufferings, the crown through fight, joy through crosses and afflictions.
ASPIRATION Draw us, O Jesus, to Thee, that by the contemplation of the sacred joys awaiting us, we, by Thy grace, may not be defeated in the spiritual contest, but conquer through Thy grace and carry off the unfading crown of victory.

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

The Missing 13th Amendment to the US Constitution and the Article V Con-Con.

You can't make this stuff up.

http://www.uhuh.com/constitution/am13-pen.htm

Larry Beecraft on the 13th Amendment

LAWYERS CHANGED US CONSTITUTION SO THEY COULD HOLD OFFICE

http://www.uhuh.com/constitution/becraft13.htm

What others are saying:

http://www.uhuh.com/constitution/am13talk.htm

http://www.uhuh.com/constitution/am13-fgd.htm

The pictures of the original document preserved by the State of Maryland have somehow disappeared since these web pages above were published.

The subject of throwing the whole Constitutional document open for amendment with an Article V convention is up for consideration here.  If the same kind of people who did this with the 13th Amendment are allowed to control such an Article V convention (and you know they will be) what will the result be?

Instead would it not be a better idea to use the Constitutional amendment process to treat one or two issues at a time?  Would it not be far safer to come up with an amendment to directly repeal the 16th Amendment, and how about the 17th Amendment that turned over the election of United States Senators to popular vote thereby destroying the representation that the States had in the Senate? Would it not be right to repeal that one also, even though it's been proven with over 15,000 certified documents that neither of these were properly ratified?  (Research the book by Red Beckman and Bill Benson called "The Law That Never Was".)

Then there is the matter of the stranglehold that the Federal Reserve has on our money supply. The Federal Reserve Act should be repealed and a Constitutional Amendment put in place to prevent anyone EVER outside the original Constitutional mandate (the Congress) from controlling the issuing of our currency! The Congress alone should be held responsible for ALL the money they create and spend.

Why is it necessary to open up the whole document to these lawyers? I for one don't want to give any of them a single shot at undoing the original ideas of the founders, especially the whole idea that the people themselves are sovereign, and that the States are also sovereign, and have their own jurisdiction as outlined by Antonin Scalia in the Mack/Printz decision.  There is massive confusion about what the 14th Amendment actually did. Read this for an overview:
http://www.paulstramer.net/2010/03/red-amendment-how-your-freedom-was.html 

The whole argument about an Article V convention has caused deep division. This is totally unnecessary since the danger can be easily solved by treating these amendments separately, thereby preserving the momentum for reform of many bad decisions by the Supreme Court over the years, while preserving the the ideas contained in the body of the Constitution and especially in the first 10 Amendments or Bill of Rights. The main idea to be preserved is that Rights come from God not man. The Constitution didn't give us any rights. It just prevented Government from interfering with rights we already had from our Creator. These are embodied in the Constitution itself and especially the Bill of Rights up to and including Amendment 10 which essentially says "if we forgot anything you can't do that either" to the government.

THE PROBLEM IS NOT THE CONSTITUTION. The problem is in  the judiciary and their officers of the court (bar association lawyers) who are all titled with titles of nobility (Esquire etc.) where in fact the founders considered that each and every one of us are the sovereign lords of our own lives and bodies and properties. The supreme law for the United States is the Constitution. WE DON'T HAVE CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS!  We have God given natural rights. Only government employees have so called "constitutional rights". The US Constitution was written to delegate a very few and specific rights from our God Given Rights to some servants for very specific purposes, and nothing more. WE ORDAINED AND ESTABLISHED that document TO GOVERN THE GOVERNMENT and nothing else!  We, in this case are the LAWGIVER.  Can a lawgiver be subject to his own law without his consent? Was the King subject to his own law without his consent? Is God Almighty subject to His own laws? Not unless he volunteers to be so subject by His own promise!
Who is the lawgiver in the case of the US Constitution?  Can those public servants now claim they are sovereign over the lawgivers, We The People?  Only by the twisted legaleze of the lawyers and judges who have perverted the Constitution. Read the Mack/Printz decision to find the true jurisdiction of the States and the People.  http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/95-1478.ZO.html  Pay special attention to the parts about equal but separate jurisdiction of the states vs the US federal government.  The fact put forth by the court is that the federal government can NOT tell the States what to do!

Here is an example of judicial tyranny. This should serve to show you the real problem:
http://www.sheriffmack.com/index.php/a-recipe-for-tyranny

We have a whole country full of servants who have sworn to uphold the Supreme Law and who break their oath at every turn, every day, with complete impunity. The words on the piece of paper mean absolutely NOTHING to them. They are just some words to say to get a paycheck, but the people are about fed up with this tyranny, and are searching for some remedy that doesn't include bloody violence.
THAT REMEDY IS NOT A CON-CON. That remedy is enforcing the original document!
What form should that enforcement take? That is open for discussion and I invite you to join that discussion by clicking on the comments section below and adding your thoughts.

The term CON_CON was invented decades ago when this terrible idea first reared it's ugly head. The founders never envisioned a world with instantaneous communication where mass media could pervert the minds of people to such an extent that we have now. They also said that our form of government would only work for a moral and religious people.  Can we save people who are hell bent on denying any responsibility to their creator for their daily actions, or what they think?  I think not, and no con-con will save them from themselves. But the Constitution was supposed to protect the good people from the democratic majority decisions of the bad.  So now you know why they hate the Constitution. Now you know why Soros and the boys want it gone, and you should be very puzzled as to why people who call themselves patriots are willing to get into bed with the likes of Soros and minions on this issue.

Who is behind it all:
http://securetherepublic.com/main/exposing-the-convention-of-the-states-cos-as-an-article-v-constitutional-convention/

More evidence that the 13th Amendment had indeed been ratified:
http://www.lawfulpath.com/ref/13th-amend.shtml

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

When they Come. A Warning to the Connecticut State Police

Part 1
http://bearingarms.com/when-they-come-a-warning-to-connecticut-police/

Part 2
http://bearingarms.com/when-they-come-a-warning-to-connecticut-police/2/

Author: Bob Owens is the Editor of BearingArms.com. A long-time shooting enthusiast, he began blogging as a North Carolina native in New York at the politics-focused Confederate Yankee in 2004. In 2007 Bob began writing about firearms, gun rights, and crime at Pajamas Media, and added gun and gear reviews for Shooting Illustrated in 2010. He is a volunteer in the Appleseed Project, where he shares stories of our shared American heritage and teaches traditional rifle marksmanship. His personal blog is bob-owens.com, and he can be found on Twitter at bob_owens.

Russia, Ukraine, Crimea and the big picture

It has been reported for some time now that there are Russian troops in the country, perhaps Spetsnaz. Many seem to believe that, though I cannot personally confirm those reports. Next I note that DHS/FEMA has in fact signed documents in which the Russians will be authorized to work in conjunction with DHS. Since China was also reportedly involved in a recent drill in Hawaii, it might be safe to assume that they too have been included in plans to police the US.

I have remarked before that I do not view all these countries as separate and distinct but rather controlled and manipulated by the very same controlling hand like chess pieces on a chess board.

Recently we have a lot of saber rattling over the Ukraine in which Russia and the US appear to be pitted against one another in a reportedly potential future war. Now, that presents a real contradiction of the facts. Are the US and Russian governments enemies or are they allies?

Well, since DHS has signed agreements to allow Russian troops to work in country I would suggest that the truth is they are working together...that is the US government and the Russian government are allied in a much bigger plan. That being the case it does not negate a manufactured war over Ukraine, but what it does is make it apparent that the friction and possible war are really just a manufactured event to provide excuses for other designs.

War is something they want for many reasons but the Russians are not really enemies to the government; they are allies. So, one might ask, to what end?

I would suggest history can answer that question. The plan to merge countries, eliminate borders and national sovereignty of countries was written in the mid 1700's and has progressed steadily along those lines ever since.

The first merger took place at the end of the civil war when the American Union was formed and the states forced into it at gunpoint and lawfully elected governors and reps were replaced by military force as authorized by the federal government. The American Union formed in 1860's and 1870's was the first "union".

The second was modeled after it and formed after the second world war. The communist revolution in Russia removed the Czar after WW I and after WWII the UK and the US agreed to give Russia a number of countries in Europe at the end of the war to form the USSR "union". 

I spent a great deal of my life wondering why and by what right the US government and the UK government would agree with Russia to re-draw Russian borders to absorb so many countries into the USSR. I now understand that it was to form a second "union" eliminating country borders and national sovereignties to form a larger "collective".

These same people behind this also supported Mao by funding and supporting his communist takeover of China. 

In every case it was war and takeover by force of arms. The civil war facilitated the formation of the American Union. The first and second world wars facilitated the formation of the USSR and communist China. These events facilitated the formation of the United Nations.

Subsequent to this the European Union was formed and currently nations are being forced into the EU using debt and control of money and economies.

We know that they have been working behind the scenes to form another American Union that would then include Mexico and Canada and I suspect that before they are finished with it that it will include all of both north and south america.

That merger may well require another war and once again massive death and force of arms to complete. These people are ruthless and bloodthirsty. Knowing all this changes nothing whatever for we are not likely to change their plans. The only thing I might suggest is to be damned sure to be prepared; mentally and physically.

neo

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

This might be where the 2nd American civil war starts.







YES, these people are all insane. NO you can't reason with an insane person!

Look very carefully at the opening frame of the second movie above. Do you think any of these people with badges and guns are going to listen to reason. NO WAY.

They will blindly follow orders and hold their hand out for a paycheck. They will get lots of good people killed in the process.

Get down on your knees and pray for the grace to live a better life, and for God's mercy on our country, because this IS REAL and it's happening right now!

Connecticut Carry: What are you waiting for? Bring it on, or forget it.

A Press Release from Connecticut Carry:
To Officials of the State of Connecticut: Either Enforce or Repeal 2013 Anti-gun Laws.
Rocky Hill CT, March 3, 2014: A recent media tidal wave based on false reports and bad journalism has proven a few things about the 2013 Gun Ban: people from Connecticut and around the nation are tired of being threatened; are ready to make a stand; and the State of Connecticut does not have the stomach to enforce the edicts and laws with which they threaten gun owners.

http://sipseystreetirregulars.blogspot.com/2014/03/connecticut-carry-what-are-you-waiting.html 

http://www.paulstramer.net/2012/11/what-is-really-law-and-what-is-not-law.html

Sunday, March 2, 2014

Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Firearms Freedom Act Lawsuit

Gary Marbut, president of the Montana Shooting Sports Association, said the lawsuit he and his organization brought to uphold the state’s rights on weapons will not be considered at the Supreme Court.

Contending it is “fruitless” to expect that the federal government would rein in its own “lust” for tyranny, the instigator of a years-long conflict with Washington over the Interstate Commerce Clause says the battle is over.

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible make violent revolution inevitable.”
John F. Kennedy

Where do we go from here?

Read more at 
http://www.wnd.com/2014/03/supremes-shoot-down-states-fight-for-gun-rights/#67Mh15dU0rkeJmJK.99

Sunday Prayers for Patriots - The coming of Lent

The Introit of this day's Mass is the sigh of an afflicted soul confiding in God:
INTROIT Be thou unto me a God, a protector, and a place of refuge, to save me: for thou art my strength and my refuge: and for thy name's sake thou wilt be my leader, and wilt nourish me. (Fs. XXX. 3. 4.) In thee , O Lord, I have hoped, let me never be confounded: deliver me in thy justice, and set me free. (Ps. XXX. 2.)
COLLECT O Lord, we beseech Thee, graciously hear our prayers, and unloosing the bonds of our sins, guard us from all adversity. Through our Lord, etc.
EPISTLE (I. Cor. XIII. 1-13.) Brethren, if I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. And if I should have prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I should have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And if I should distribute all my goods to feed the poor, and if I should deliver my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity is patient, is kind: charity envieth not; dealeth not perversely; is not puffed up; is not ambitious; seeketh not her own; is not provoked to anger; thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never falleth away: whether prophecies shall be made void, or tongues shall cease, or knowledge shall be destroyed. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part: but when that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away the things of a child. We see now through a glass in a dark manner; but then face to face. Now I know in part; but then I shall know even as I am known. And now there remain faith, hope, charity, these three: but the greatest of these is charity.
EXPLANATION In this epistle St. Paul speaks of the necessity, the excellence and the nature of true charity. He says that all natural and supernatural gifts, all good works, even martyrdom, cannot save us if we have not charity; because love alone can render our works pleasing to God. Without charity, therefore, though ever so many prayers be recited, fasts observed , and good deeds performed, nothing will be acceptable to God, or merit eternal life. Strive then, O Christian soul, to lead a pious life in love, and to remain always in the state of grace.
Can faith alone, as the so-called Reformers assert, render man just and save him?
Faith alone, however strong, though it could move mountains, without love, that is, without good works performed for love of God and our neighbor, can never justify or save us. For, when St. Paul says, that man is justified by faith without works, (Rom. III. 28.; XI: 6.; Eph. II. 8. 9.) he means to refer to those works which were performed by command of the law of Moses, and which, as they were external and without true charity, were of no avail; he did not refer to those works which are performed in a state of grace with a lively, love-inspired faith. Therefore the same Apostle writes to the Galatians: (Gal. V. 6.) Faith only availeth which worketh by charity; to Titus: (Tit. III. 8.) It is a faithful saying: and these things I will have thee affirm constantly: that they who believe in God, may be careful to excel in good works. These things are good and profitable unto men; and he exhorts the Colossians (Colos. I. 10.) to be fruitful in every good work. St. James confirms the same by saying: (James II. 17-24.) So faith if it have not works, is dead in itself; by works man is justified and not by faith only. That this is the true doctrine of Christ is evident from His own words, when He says: "Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit, shall be cut down and shall be cast into the fire." (Matt. VII. 19.) At the day of judgment Christ will demand good works from all men, (Matt. XXV. 35.) and will not judge them only according to their faith, but by their good works, which true faith must always produce. (Apoc. XX. 12.) Would Christ and His apostles demand good works, if faith alone be sufficient? "The devil's also believe and tremble," (James II. 19.) they believe, but they are not saved, and their faith but increases their torments. Therefore, the assertion that faith without good works is sufficient for justification and salvation, is plainly against the doctrine of Christ and His Church, and must of necessity lead man to vice and misery, as shown by the history of the unhappy separation of the sixteenth century
Are good works available which are performed in the state of mortal sin ?
Good works performed while in a state of mortal sin avail nothing in regard to eternal life, writes St. Lawrence Justinian, but aid in moderating the punishment imposed for disobedience and the transgression of God's commandments. They bring temporal goods, such as honor, long life, health, earthly happiness, etc.; they prevent us from falling deeper into sin, and prepare the heart for the reception of grace; so the pious Person writes: "Do as much good as you can, even though in the state of mortal sin, that God may give light to your heart."
ASPIRATION O God of love, pour the spirit of true charity into my heart that, according to the spirit of St. Paul, I may endeavor to be always in a state of grace; that all my works may be pleasing to Thee, and meritorious for me.

GOSPEL (Luke XVIII. 31-43.) At that time, Jesus took unto him the twelve, and said to them Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things shall be accomplished which were written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man. For he shall be delivered to the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and scourged, and spit upon; and after they have scourged him, they will put him to death; and the third day he shall rise again. And they understood none of these things, and this word was hid from them, and they understood not the things that were said. Now it came to pass, when he drew nigh to Jericho, that a certain blind man sat by the way-side, begging. And when he heard the multitude passing by, he asked what this meant. And they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. And he cried out, saying: Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me. And they that went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace. But he cried out much more: Son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus standing, commanded him to be brought unto him. And when he was come near, he asked him, saying: What wilt thou that I do to thee? But he said: Lord, that I may see. And Jesus said to him: Receive thy sight; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he saw, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.
Why did Christ so often foretell His passion to His disciples?
Because He wanted to show how great was His desire to suffer for us, for we speak often of that which we crave; and because He wished His disciples when they should see Him treated as a criminal and martyred, not to think evil of Him, or imagine themselves deceived, but remember that He had foretold all minutely that all happened of His own will.
Did not the disciples  understand anything of what He predicted in regard to His future sufferings?
They may, certainly, have well understood He was to suffer, for which reason Peter tried to dissuade Him from it; (Matt. XVI. 22.) but they did not comprehend why or for what He would suffer, or how He would rise again. All this the Holy Ghost gave them to understand, after it had come to pass. (John XIV. 26.) The light of the Holy Ghost is of so much value, that without it even the clearest doctrines of faith are not understood.
Why does Christ so often call Himself the Son of Man?
He wished to show, in the Jewish way of speaking, He was also man, a descendant of Adam, and that we should be humble, and not seek or desire high titles.
Why did the blind man call Christ the Son of David?
Because, like all the Jews, he believed that the Messiah, according to humanity, would be of the house of David, as was promised. (Ps. CXXXI. 11.)
Why did Christ ask the blind man: What wilt thou that I do to thee?
This He asked, not because He was unaware of the blind man's wish, but to enable him the better to prove his faith and hope that through Christ he would receive his sight; and to teach us how willing He is to help us, and how it pleases Him if we confidingly place our wants before Him. We should learn from this blind man, who would not be restrained by the passing crowd in his ardent and reiterated request, not to pay attention, in the work we have commenced, to human respect, or human judgment, but to persevere, and not allow ourselves to be led astray by the world's mockery or contempt. We should also learn to be grateful to God, and faithfully cling to Him, if He has once opened the eyes of our mind, and healed our spiritual blindness, which is far more deplorable than physical blindness, for nothing can be more miserable than not to see and understand God, not to know what is necessary for our salvation, and what is pernicious.
Why is this gospel read on this Sunday?
The Church wishes to remind us of the painful passion and death of Jesus, and to move us by the contemplation of those mysteries to avoid and despise the wicked, heathenish amusements of carnival, sinful pleasures which she has always condemned, because they come from dark paganism, and, to avert the people from them, commands that during the three days of carnival the Blessed Sacrament shall be exposed for public adoration, sermons given, and the faithful exhorted to have recourse at this time to the Sacraments of Penance and the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, with the reception of which Pope Clement XIII. (Breve, 23. June 1765) connected a plenary indulgence. A true Catholic will conform to the desire of his holy Church, considering the words which St. Augustine spoke, at this time, to the faithful, "The heathens (as also the wordly people of our days) shout songs of love and merriment, but you should delight in the preaching of the word of God; they rush to the dramatic plays, but you should hasten to Church; they are intoxicated, but you should fast and be sober."
PRAYER O most benign Jesus! who didst so desire to suffer for us, grant, that we may willingly suffer for love of Thee; that we may hate and flee from the detestable pleasures of the world and the flesh, and practice penance and mortification, that by so doing we may merit to be released from our spiritual blindness to love Thee more and more ardently, and finally possess Thee forever.
INSTRUCTION ON LENT
Who instituted Lent?
According to the fathers of the Church, Justin and Irenaeus, the fast before Easter was instituted and sanctified by Christ Himself; according to the saints Leo and Jerome, the holy apostles ordained it given by Jesus.
Why has the Church instituted this fast forty days before Easter?
To imitate Christ who fasted forty days; to participate in His merits and sufferings; to subject our flesh by voluntary mortification to the spirit, and to mortify our evil desires as did St. Paul; (Col. I. 24.) to enable us to lead a pure life, and thus prepare for the holy festival of Easter, and the reception of the divine Lamb, Jesus: and, finally, to render God satisfaction for our sins, and do penance, as Pope Gregory says, for the sins of one whole year by one short fast, lasting only the tenth part of a year.
Was the fast of Lent observed in early times as in the present?
Yes, but more strictly; for the people of the early ages not only abstained from meat, but also from all that which is connected with it, such as eggs, butter, cheese, etc., even from wine and fish, although this was not the general command of the Church; they fasted all day, and only ate in the evening after vespers, in remembrance of which, vespers are now said before dinner-time, because the Church, as a kind mother, now permits the supper to be changed into a dinner, and also allows something to be taken in the evening, that the body may not be too much weakened, and become unfit for labor.
How much does this ancient custom put to shame the Christians of to-day who think the fast in our times too severe! "But," asks St. Ambrose, "what sort of Christians are they? Christ, who never sinned fasted for our sins, and we will not fast for our own great and numerous offences?"
How should the holy season of Lent be spent?
As according to the teaching of St. Leo, the main thing in fasting is not that the body be deprived of food, but that the mind at the same time be withdrawn from wickedness, we should endeavor during Lent, not only to be temperate in eating and drinking, but especially to lead a modest life, sanctifying the days by persevering prayer and devoutly attending church.
PRAYER AT THE BEGINNING OF LENT
Almighty God! I unite myself at the beginning of this holy season of penance with the Church militant, endeavoring to make these days of real sorrow for my sins and crucifixion of the sensual man. O Lord Jesus! in union with Thy fasting and passion, I offer Thee my fasting in obedience to the Church, for Thy honor, and in thanksgiving for the many favors I have received, in satisfaction for my sins and the sins of others, and that I may receive the grace to avoid such and such a sin, N. N. and to practice such and such a virtue, N. N.