International Public Notice: Which "Public" Must Be Served?

 By Anna Von Reitz

As a result of the substitution fraud engendered by the "election" of Abraham Lincoln as the "President" of the British Territorial Corporation doing business as "the United States of America, Incorporated" in 1860, and his subsequent usurpation of powers belonging to the Federation of States and The President of The United States of America under False Pretenses, there has been a continuing confusion about "Which Public?" is to be served by the Federal Government Subcontractors --- their own "public" consisting of their own incorporated "citizenry", or our General Public of the American States?  

The quick answer is that their organizations exist because of their respective Constitutions, but they are not parties to nor beneficiaries of the Constitutions.  They are paid employees charged with duties and limitations provided by the Constitutions.  Federal Employees denoted as Federal Citizens, or specifically as U.S. Citizens or citizens of the United States, work under the provisions of their respective Constitutions, but have no Guarantees provided by the Constitutions, for they are not Parties to the Constitutions nor Creators of the Constitutions.  

This has always been the case, ever since the implementation of the Constitutions in 1787, 1789, and 1790, respectively.  

In respect to the American Federal Subcontractor, the States of America functioning under The Constitution for the united States of America, provisions were made to enable Americans born in the States of the Union (the original Union, not anything to do with the Civil War) to retain their Constitutional Guarantees as American State Citizens on a private basis while rendering international public service as employees of the original Federal Republic government.  

This arrangement was known as "Federal Dual Citizenship" and was set up by the first Naturalization and Immigration Act --- this phrase "Federal Dual Citizenship" has since been redefined and subverted to mean that present day Federal Subcontractor Employees from anywhere on Earth are "presumed to be" both Territorial U.S. Citizens and Municipal citizens of the United States, but this is not the customary and intended meaning of the Public Law still standing among the United States Statutes at Large, Unrevised. 

The British Territorial Government made no such provisions, because their U.S. Citizens already owe allegiance to the British Monarch and have adopted British Territorial/Commonwealth political status the same as the people of Puerto Rico, which is a British Commonwealth nation. 

The Municipal Government run by the Holy Roman Empire similarly never referenced Americans; their citizens of the United States were understood to have their Federal Dual citizenship allocated already by their allegiance to the Pope/Roman Pontiff.  

Thus, among the original Federal Subcontractors, you had three different possible kinds of "Federal Dual Citizens": 

United States Citizens - American State Citizens 

U.S. Citizens - British Territorials 

citizens of the United States -- Holy Roman Empire citizens

This results in three distinct populations with unique political identities and "public" bodies associated with each. 

None of these "publics" are the Public to be served under the provisions of any Federal Constitution, though enterprising public servants have usurped against the Employers and sought to substitute their "publics" for the American Public. 

When the American Federal Subcontractor ceased to function in April 1861, the other two foreign Federal Subcontractors rushed in to fill the gap and to provide the services and exercise the authority and delegated powers of the American Federal Republic in its "absence". 

This has been their story and excuse ever since.  They, both Britain and Rome, have told the world that the American Government is unaccountably "absent", "missing, presumed dead", and "in interregnum".   

All that is or ever has been "missing" is a Subcontractor of our government, not our actual government which delegated all the federal powers in the first place. 

The two remaining foreign Federal Subcontractors freely misrepresented themselves as our custodians and representatives, usurped the powers delegated to the American Federal Republic, and exercised those delegated powers without a contract to do so. 

From the perspective of the trusting American Employers, all appeared to be well.  The duties of the Federal Republic were being accomplished and the exact details of how this was being done -- via the two other Federal Subcontractors -- was conveniently not revealed. 

Thus the actual American Government was left in the dark and gradually fell into a comfortable stupor, while the remaining Federal Subcontractors were reorganized as commercial and municipal corporations, created "state of state" franchises for themselves and grew more and more corrupt.  

We began waking up in the 1960's - 1970's when a series of events began ringing alarm bells.  United States District Courts apart from the district courts of the United States (Article 5) appeared, but no effort was made to distinguish between these foreign Territorial and Legislative courts serving the Federal citizenries, and Article 3 Federal Courts and the actual State and County Courts owed to Americans. 

The Office of the Secretary of War was renamed the Secretary of Defense.  The Vietnam "War" was admitted to be a "Conflict" --- not a war.  Richard Nixon converted healthcare into a for-profit enterprise to please his cronies at Kaiser-Permanente.  Both the Internal Revenue Service and the Municipal IRS began prosecuting Americans for not "voluntarily" filing Federal Income Tax returns -- despite the fact that these Americans had no Federal Income and no legal duty to report.  

By 1980, Jimmy Carter had the brass cajones to take over and federalize public education in America, leaving no doubt that as far as he was concerned, the "public" to be served was the British Territorial U.S. Citizen version, and not the American Public.  

Carter scrubbed all mention of American History from the libraries and "public" schools, leaving only United States History to be studied by the next three generations of school children.  Local School Boards were reorganized as "School Districts", even though no Federal Constitution allows this and even though, like public health, no mention of education exists in any Federal Constitution. 

There seemed to be a concerted, organized effort to confuse Americans with their Federal Employees --- but to what end? By 1998, as we approached yet another Municipal Corporation bankruptcy (2000-2001) we raised our hand and objected to this continuing malfeasance and misrepresentation and served notice on the United States Secretary of State and the Commissioner of Internal Revenue and numerous other officials, challenging their authority and jurisdiction, dereliction of duty, and non-performance. 

Coming out of the 2000 bankruptcy in which the City of Washington, DC, was emptied for 120 days, more alarming rumors began circulating, to the effect that foreign banks, most notably, the World Bank, Global Federal Reserve, and International Monetary Fund were making claims on abandonment, seeking to act as creditors of the foreign Federal Corporations and trying to attach American land and physical assets as "abandoned collateral" belonging to "unknown persons".

That would be us, or to be exact, the purportedly "absent" American Government -- which was only an American Federal Subcontractor instead -- that disappeared in the wake of the Civil War.  

Unfortunately for them, we are still here, and still guarding our own people and our own country.  

Their initial scheme, to use False Claims on Abandonment to steal everything from everyone, has failed.  

Their further scheme, to misrepresent themselves and substitute a British Territorial Federal Republic for our long-lost American Federal Republic, has also failed. 

Most recently, they have hauled another fraud scheme out of the rag-bag of history, and they are attempting to pull the same public trust bait-and-switch fraud that was used by Oliver Cromwell during the English Civil War. 

What remains is for these fraudsters to Cease and Desist and admit that they have no standing in these matters of American health, education, finances, and asset management,  no authority, and no contract allowing them to interpose themselves as our custodians or representatives.  

Mr. Lincoln, his Executive Orders, his Lieber Code --- all of it, was exercised in fraud and with malice aforethought, all resulting in criminal malfeasance, unlawful conversion of American assets, and a century and a half of unlawful and illegal mercenary warfare carried out under color of law.  

We, the American People, and that means specifically, the American State Citizens and American State Nationals, are the Public to be served by the Federal Subcontractors; our erstwhile employees are not empowered to serve themselves at our expense. 

Our American State Citizens are the Principals enabled to enforce the Federal Constitution Contracts, and we are enforcing them in all jurisdictions, with prejudice, against the other Principals and Treaty Partners, their employees, subcontractors, and agents, not limited to the Holy See, the Holy Roman Empire, the Inner City of London, the Belgian Government, the British Government of Westminster, the British Monarchy, His Imperial Majesty King Charles III, Pope Francis, the Patriarch of the West, and all their various corporations, including their incorporated banks. 

Issued by: 

Anna Maria Riezinger, Fiduciary

The United States of America

In care of: Box 520994

Big Lake, Alaska 99652

August 14th 2024 

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

See this article and over 4900 others on Anna's website here: www.annavonreitz.com

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

How do we use your donations?  Find out here.

International Public Notice: Extra-Territorial Arrest Warrant

 By Anna Von Reitz

This is Due Process and Notice and Warrant for the Arrest of all members of the Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, their immediate professional associates and all staff members, both U.S. Citizens and citizens of the United States, including but not limited to the members of the U.S. Congress on charges of crimes against humanity, genocide, treason, sedition, conspiracy against the Constitutions, promotion of unlawful conversion, impersonation, barratry, inland piracy, racketeering, press-ganging, environmental pollution, corporate malfeasance, dereliction of duty, sovereign trespass, identity theft, credit fraud, blackmail, entrapment, enslavement, crimes of peonage, pretenses of war, unlawful and illegal imposition of bills of attainder on American State Nationals, gross negligence, evasion, illegal and unlawful occupation of this country using mercenary forces, fraud upon the courts, unlawful operation of the District of Columbia and City of Washington, DC, in violation of their use permits and Constitution(s), embezzlement, unlawful and illegal securitization, promotion of unconscionable contracts, constructive and institutionalized fraud, interstate bank fraud, espionage, counterfeiting, legislative malfeasance, breach of trust, and violation of their service contracts, treaties, and duties. 

Prosecution is to be opened in the District of Columbia by the Judge Advocate Generals, Quantico Naval Station, Pier Mach 1, entered under American Admiralty Law and International Law of the Land, and is to continue until all persons identified herein are either captured and brought to justice, or liquidated with prejudice, under the authority of the Federation of States doing business as The United States of America,  Unincorporated, and The United States Supreme Court, in its unincorporated capacity,  in defense of our country and nation.  

We call all honorable officers to service in a non-mercenary capacity, recalling their contractual duty to serve us in good faith and due diligence under both The Constitution of the United States of America and The Constitution of the United States as the Supreme Law governing all their interactions with the General Public of this country.  

The Persons identified herein are to be regarded as Enemies of the Several States and this country as a whole, and as Individuals who by their separate and collective actions have committed capital crimes in violation of national and international law.  They are fugitive criminals by their own acts and volition; anyone aiding and abetting them and their reckless usurpation of powers and authorities never granted to them is to be regarded as an accomplice to these willful and heinous criminal acts. 

The Judge Advocate Generals are instructed to proceed in their domestic and extra-territorial prosecution of these fleeing felons and are instructed to integrate all appropriate forums of law to address these individuals and their offenses.  The United States Supreme Court operating in its unincorporated capacity stands ready to prosecute all issues of violation of The Constitutional Guarantees and authorities related to these venerable contracts, and all branches of the military are similarly enabled to address these and all other federal domestic enemies/terrorists acting as Undeclared Foreign Agents and operating both within and without the States of the Union. 

To the extent possible these individuals are to be incarcerated within the borders and Territorial jurisdiction of the District of Columbia awaiting trial, which is to be Public, and served in the Public Interest, so that we, our country, our people, will never again fall victim to such grotesque usurpation and disservice by public employees, foreign or domestic.   

An organized presentation and list of the chief offenders is herein provided: 

https://stateofthenation.co/?p=245622

Issued by: 

Anna Maria Riezinger, Fiduciary

The United States of America

In care of: Box 520994

Big Lake, Alaska 99652

August 14th 2024

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

See this article and over 4900 others on Anna's website here: www.annavonreitz.com

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

How do we use your donations?  Find out here.

International Public Notice: About "Space" and Aliens

 By Anna Von Reitz

Every time we disclose anything about this subject, people go bonkers; they say, "See, those people are crazy! They are talking about little green men...." 

There is a reason that Orson Wells led off the public discussion with "War of the Worlds" --- a gigantic hoax. 

As always, the Hoaxers want you to think that the Truth is the Hoax, and the Hoax is the truth. 

Early on, we were contacted by Paul Hellyer, the ex-Canadian Defense Minister and member of the Queen's Privy Council about the issue of certain "secret treaties" being put in place between the U.S. Government and various extraterrestrial groups that commonly visit our planet.  

https://youtube.com/shorts/KqvL1D4d4Zg?si=i6MXYHwp5SYw02E0

He was alarmed at the way the politicians were selling out the interests of the living people in favor of the corporations, and especially by treaties that agreed to give up a certain percentage of Earth's population as food sources for alien species in exchange for advanced technologies.  

This was being discussed in the Privy Council over a dozen years ago.  Straight up. 

The details of these outrageous "treaties" were also being discussed, among them the G2P3O Naval Treaty which has been sold as a bastion protecting marine life, but which is actually (also) ensuring continuing private access to secret marine bases accessed from the High Seas by alien visitors acclimated to the marine environment.  

A reasonable representation of these oceanic visitors can be seen in the Hollywood movie, The Shape of Water.  

Hollywood and theatrics of various kinds have long been used to brainwash, indoctrinate, motivate, and provide non-verbal Notice to the people of Earth, because the aliens consider us too dumb and clumsy with language to entrust communications to mere words.  We have to be shown.  Literally. 

This explains such extravaganzas as the London Olympics and Commonwealth Games pageants depicting such odd things as dead babies in coffins and nurses holding injection syringes pushing gurneys around the infield of stadium facilities during the London Olympics -- pressaging the phony Pandemic, and women dressed as slaves dragging a bronze bull around a Tower of Babel at the Commonwealth Games. 

It also explains the enigmatic symbol-based messages self-evident in crop circles and other purportedly "unexplained" phenomena that do, of course, have explanations.  

So if everyone wants to go hysterical right now and denounce us as crazy people, be well-advised that the members of the British Privy Council have been in communication with aliens since the 1600's and the Lords of the Admiralty deal with them daily.  

At certain levels of "your" British Territorial Government, the fact that aliens not only exist, but communicate with us, have treaties with us, and are -- in effect, partners with us --- is common knowledge. 

Paul Hellyer felt that the course these for-hire government corporations were taking was exceedingly dangerous and could lead to our entire planet being overtaken by alien civilizations that are otherwise prevented from preying upon us. 

"Like vampires," Hellyer said, "they have to be invited in, but unfortunately, that is what your excuse for a government is doing." 

So for once, in at least this connection, it may be the British Territorials running what's left of the U.S. part of the Federal Government at fault, and not the British Government itself.  

Hellyer went to great lengths and made valiant efforts to warn us and to encourage the common people to stand for "decency and sense" because it was a foregone conclusion that the Corporate Maniacs that had gained control of the Military-Industrial Complex in the U.S. were out of control and lacked both attributes. 

Another very credible witness and whistleblower is Doctor Greer, who has been sounding the alarm for decades.

He has testified before Congress, written books, done everything but stand on his head, naked, in public, trying to inform and get action from the people of this country, and this world, in their own defense. 

We have appeared, repeatedly, before the Galactic Council and the Galactic Federation, to protest actions being undertaken by "federal" agencies pretending to represent us and to be our government in connection with diplomatic and treaty negotiations with alien governments.  

Inevitably, these agencies are commercial entities engaged in impersonating our government for their own gain and the name of the game is technology exchange. These alien technologies are basically being smuggled onto the Earth and are being proliferated for profit of those making the deals at the expense of those they keep ignorant. 

The tip-off is when an agency like DARPA claims to own patents and claims that they generated the patents, when they can't explain how their purported invention works.  

It's also a good bet that anything labeled "National Security Interest" at the Patent Office is: (1) new inventions that could replace current monopolies; or (2) alien technology that has been purchased with human lives. 

At a certain point -- the Zero Point -- the timelines generated by our Creator and our own creative impulse come together.  What is true, ascends and lives; what is false, descends and dies. 

This has been explained by Andromedans who are approximately two billion years older and that much more advanced than life on this planet.  They are also the Galactic Peacekeepers and enforcers of Galactic Law --- so they are concerned by the proliferation of smuggled, advanced alien technology.  

It is feared that we are not mature enough as a species to reliably and peacefully deploy this technology.  

We are told that in about eight years, Mercury and Venus will both disappear from this solar system and reappear in a completely different quadrant of the Galaxy.  A similar fate awaits the Earth, which was never part of this solar system in the first place, but was in fact transferred here in a fashion similar to what is scheduled to happen to Mercury and Venus.  

These are things that the people of this planet deserve to know and to take part in.  

They do not deserve to be misrepresented by a bunch of Spooks and Politicians and Heads of Industry who are selling our children like caviar merchants in exchange for technologies that they inevitably abuse for purposes of war and unjust enrichment. 

We are not the only ones saying this.  Paul Hellyer said it until the day he died. Linda Moulton-Howe and Dr. Steven Greer are both still saying it, and new generations of whistleblowers are coming forward, too.  

The changes our planet is going through are not the result of anything that people have done.  It's not any "human caused" damage or anything caused by a miniscule increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide.  That's all just another excuse for unjust taxation. 

No, the changes are part of the normal cycle for this planet and there is nothing we can do to alter or change anything about that.  

The sooner people are brought up to speed, the better. 

Issued by: 

Anna Maria Riezinger, Fiduciary

The United States of America

In care of: Box 520994

Big Lake, Alaska 99652

August 15, 2024

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

See this article and over 4900 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.

Goldback founder Jeremy Cordon discusses cash-like GOLD and how it can save local communities from financial collapse

 From Paul Stramer

People want to know what a Goldback is and why and how they can use them to gain financial independence.

This interview of Jeremy Cordon, the founder of goldback.com and the Goldback company by Mike Adams will answer most of your questions.

I am in Montana, but I have Goldbacks and save them to protect my financial future, because they are the best way to spend Gold in small increments, and in fact this tech is the Only Way I know of to do so.

https://www.brighteon.com/758c82aa-c3bd-4e1b-beae-7dd11ffe408d

https://platform.quicksilver.me/QuickSilver/member/store/index.asp?cat1=117

International Public Notice: A Game of Who Is The Creditor? Insurance Claim.

 By Anna Von Reitz

The Federal Reserve is certainly not the Creditor. 

They are the ones who have been issuing all these non-negotiable promissory notes, known as "Federal Reserve Notes" or "FRNs".  

This makes them the Debtors, despite their references to an unknown corporation calling itself: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 

As we've seen, the unbridled proliferation of corporations calling themselves some version of the "United States" or "United States of America" has led to more than 350 investigations into the use and misuse of our Good Names to promote scams of all kinds.  We have found these unauthorized infringements cluttering corporation registries in places as far-flung as Mali, India, Costa Rica, Scotland, and Patagonia--- and as close to hand as the (Territorial) State of Delaware. 

We've also found corporations, both foreign and domestic, operating under deceitful names such as, "United States Government, Inc." and "U.S. Government, Inc.", Government of the United States, Inc.". "American Government, Inc.", "US Corp, Inc.", and so on.  The banks are unavoidably aware of this duplicity and impersonation, but have turned a blind eye and have continued --- against our direct instruction --- to provide our credit to these unknown entities.  

Most recently, we have caught the United States of America, Inc., adding a Territorial "State of Israel" to its mix of Confederate "States"--- meaning state-of-state organizations--- presumably in an effort to pretend that Israel is "our" fifty-first State of the Union.  

This entity, the State of Israel, Inc., headquartered at Kensington Palace, would, if allowed, create a presumption of underlying interest in the Territorial land jurisdiction established by --- and now vacated by --- The Balfour Declaration, and leave us (in theory) with the moral and political duty of cleaning up the horrific mess Britain has made of the entire region, and also bear the cost of doing so.  

As a foreign corporation, the United States of America, Incorporated, can deceitfully misrepresent its state-of-state business organizations as being Confederate States and also misrepresent these purely theoretical Legal Fiction Entities as States of the Union; short of blowing up London and killing millions of innocent people, there is little international enforcement available to stop such criminal misrepresentations and impersonations.  

We can, however, bring these activities to the attention of other nations in the Public Interest.  We can decry the deceit and any unfounded Legal and Political Presumptions being made based on the existence of this "State of Israel" franchise being created out of thin air by the United States of America, Incorporated.  

We object to all such misrepresentations and impersonations of ourselves, our States, and our American States-of-States.  

We object to any presumption that: (1) we are responsible for existence of this new "State of Israel, Inc."--- we're not; (2) that our people and assets are to be expended in support of this new franchise so as to create and maintain a Territorial land claim that is not supportable; (3) that this new corporate franchise represents any actual State or is a State of the Union in any sense. 

Let it be widely known that we have never created any incorporated legal fiction entities doing business under our names--- whether our Given Names or names associated with our country.  This is a "caveat emptor" warning --- we have been attacked by persons owing us good faith and due diligence; these white collar pirates are impersonating us individually and as an entire country, so follow this rule: if it's incorporated, it's not us. 

We have established that, amidst this insane proliferation of deceptively named foreign franchise corporations being named after us, and in the face of the banks providing our credit to these foreign entities, they are all our debtors --- especially the Federal Reserve Bank consortium.  

This private, foreign entity merely calling itself "the Federal Reserve"  owes us our purloined assets, our Good Names, and our purloined credit, too.  The "United States Treasury" (Inc.) and "Department of the United States Treasury" (Inc.) --- two doing-business-as names of the International Monetary Fund similarly owe us purloined intellectual property assets and bonds. 

The Perpetrators have repeatedly used bankruptcy to protect their private interests --- which represent the unjust enrichment these banks and their directors have obtained from unlawful conversion of our assets both public and private. This has been accomplished via the process of undisclosed registration of our American assets and enfranchisement of our people as "U.S. Citizens" --- and then confusing these with their own Territorial "U.S." Citizen franchise assets which are naturally subject to bankruptcy. 

So, the Federal Reserve is not the Creditor. The International Monetary Fund doing business as the United States Treasury and/or Department of the United States Treasury is not the creditor.  We are. 

The same can be said for the  World Bank, the former IBRD and its successors, and all 63 members of the Central Bank System overseen by the Bank of International Settlements. 

Their insurers are obligated to repay us the Hold Harmless Bonds -- in gold or silver for any "lost" physical precious metals, jewels, art and other physical collateral, in land cleared of titles and mortgages, in corporate ownership transfers, and with prepaid credit for credit owed to the actual asset holders.  And we hereby make the claim for the Hold Harmless bonds and other insurance as stipulated: notice to Principals is notice to Agents; notice to Agents is notice to Principals:  

This is Due Notice of Insurance Claim and Process upon Barclay's, Lloyds of London, the Bank of England, the Bank of Scotland, the bank of the Holy See, Global Federal Reserve, World Bank/IBRD, Bank of America, Social Security Administration,  and the Bank for International Settlements and its members: we claim the Hold Harmless Bonds associated with all Persons of American State origin, for settlement as described above; we claim all assets of the Avila Family Trust deposited in any bank or fund whatsoever by Severino Sta. Romano acting in his capacity as a professional Metals Depositor for the Avila (also known as "D'Avila") Family Trust for settlement; we also claim all assets deposited in the name of the Black Eagle Trust, Five-Stars Trust, associated Global Collateral Accounts, Saint Germain Trust, and other Historical and State of State Legacy Trusts, and we exercise the insurance obligation upon the institutional Underwriters as stipulated above.  

We are the owners and creditors. 

The Parties-- banks and Territorial governments that have incorporated--  may not, under this circumstance, expect the benefits of the Corporate Veil and Public Bankruptcy protection, and must immediately engage negotiations with the Principals and Private Parties that are their Underwriters, the so-called US Trustees, and those other Persons who need to be notified that the Americans, including but not limited to Anna Maria Riezinger of Wisconsin and Demitrius Julius Shiva, a man lawfully immigrated to South Carolina, are among those who came home at last--- and we are claiming all protections and guarantees owed to the living people.  

We are open to discuss discharge of Odious Debt and dissolution of the foreign trusts that have been misapplied to us and to our assets, as well as the orderly reassignment of assets. 

We call upon the other nations and countries of the world to take note and take action, as our research indicates that much of the globe has been impacted by fraud and financial wrong-doing on an epic scale, such that nearly every country has been affected and is owed restitution.

In particular, there are no "National Debts" and all "interest" paid on these non-existent debts caused by crooked bookkeeping --whether made in non-negotiable notes (labor performances) or otherwise-- is open to recoupment as prepaid credit.  Also note that the Parties responsible forced living people to pay for their own corporate debts under conditions of fraud and force --- meaning that labor and goods paid in error as property taxes and mortgages and income taxes that were in fact not owed by the victims, are also open to recoupment in kind -- hard assets for hard assets, prepaid credit in recoupment of credit. 

This Notice of Insurance Claim is sent as of today: Notice to Agents is Notice to Principals; Notice to Principals is Notice to Agents. 

Issued by: 

Anna Maria Riezinger, Fiduciary

The United States of America

In care of: Box 520994

Big Lake, Alaska 99652

August 11th 2024

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

See this article and over 4900 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.

Twelfth Sunday After Pentecost

 Rev. Fr. Leonard Goffine's

The Church's Year

The Introit of the Mass is the prayer of a troubled soul, entreating God for assistance against its enemies:

INTROIT Incline unto my aid, O God: O Lord, make haste to help me: let my enemies be confounded and ashamed, who seek my soul. Let them be turned backward and blush for shame, who desire evils to me. (Ps. LXIX) Glory etc.

COLLECT Almighty and merciful God, of whose gift it cometh that the faithful do Thee homage with due and laudable service: grant, we beseech Thee, that we may run without stumbling to the attainment of Thy promises. Through etc.

EPISTLE (II Cor. III. 4-9.) Brethren, such confidence we have through Christ towards God: not that we are sufficient to think any thing of ourselves, as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is from God, who also hath made us fit ministers of the New Testament, not in the letter, but in the spirit: for the letter killeth: but the spirit quickeneth. Now if the ministration of death, engraven with letters upon stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses, for the glory of his countenance, which is made void: how shall not the ministration of the Spirit be rather in glory? For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more the ministration of justice aboundeth in glory.

EXPLANATION St. Paul speaks in the epistle, from which this extract is taken, of the conversion of the Corinthians, which he accomplished not by his own ability, but with the help of God, who made him a minister of the New Testament, a teacher of the true religion of Christ. The New Testament by the grace of the Holy Ghost recalls the sinner from the death of sin, reconciles him to God, and thus enlivens and makes him pleasing to God; whereas the letter of the Old Law, which contains more eternal ceremonies and fewer commandments, changes not the man, but rather destroys him, that is, threatens with death the transgressor of the law instead of freeing him from sin and reconciling him to God, thus permitting him to die the eternal death. St. Paul preached the true religion of Christ, which vivifies, justifies, and sanctifies man. If the ministry of Moses was so glorified by God, that his countenance shone, when he returned from Mount Sinai, where God gave him the law, how much more dignified and glorious must be the ministry of the New Law. Learn from this to esteem the office of preaching, and be humble like St. Paul, who trusted not in himself but in God, to whom he ascribed all honor.

GOSPEL (Luke X. 23-37.) At that time, Jesus said to his disciples: Blessed are the eyes that see the things which you see. For I say to you that many prophets and kings have desired to see the things that you see, and have not seen them; and to hear the things that you hear, and have not heard them. And behold a certain lawyer stood up, tempting him, and saying: Master, what must I do to possess eternal life? But he said to him: What is written in the law? how readest thou? He answering, said: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself. And he said to him: Thou hast answered rightly: this do, and thou shalt live. But he, willing to justify himself, said to Jesus: And who is my neighbor? And Jesus answering, said: A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, who also stripped him, and having wounded him, went away; leaving him half dead. And it chanced that a certain priest went down the same way, and seeing him, passed by. In like manner also a Levite, when he was near the place and saw him, passed by. But a certain Samaritan, being on his journey, came near him: and seeing him, was moved with compassion. And going up to him, bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine; and setting him upon his own beast, brought him to an inn, and took care of him: and the next day he took out two pence, and gave to the host, and said: Take care of him, and whatsoever, thou shalt spend over and above, I, at my return, will repay thee. Which of these three, in thy opinion, was neighbor to him that fell among robbers? But he said: He that showed mercy to him. And Jesus said to him: Go, and do thou in like manner.

Why does Christ call His disciples blessed?

Because they had the happiness which so many patriarchs and prophets had desired in vain, namely: of seeing Him and hearing His teaching. Though we have not the happiness to see Jesus and hear Him, nevertheless we are not less blessed than the apostles, since Christ pronounces those blessed who do not see and yet believe. (John XX. 29.)

What, besides faith, is necessary for salvation?

That we love God and our neighbor, for in these two commandments consists the whole law. (Matt. XXII. 40.)

Who is our neighbor?¹

Every man, be he an acquaintance or a stranger, poor or rich, of our faith or of another; for the Samaritan did not ask the one who had fallen among robbers: Who and whence are you? but considered him his neighbor, and proved himself as such by his prompt assistance.

How should we love our neighbor?

As we love ourselves, that is, we should wish him everything good, and when in necessity do to him as we would wish others to do to us, and, on the contrary, not wish nor do to him anything that we do not wish to be done to ourselves. In this way the Samaritan loved his neighbor, and in this he was far superior to the priest and the Levite.

How can we especially practice love for our neighbor?

By the spiritual and corporal works of mercy. [See instruction for the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost.] Besides which we must rejoice at the spiritual and corporal graces of our neighbor, which God communicates to him; we must grieve for his misfortunes, and, according to the example of St. Paul, (I Cor. I. 4.) have compassion for him; we must bear with the faults of our neighbor, as St. Paul again admonishes us: Bear ye one another's burdens, and so you shall fulfil the law of Christ. (Gal. VI. 2.)

Why should we love our neighbor?

We should love him because God commands it; but there are also other reasons which should induce us to do so. We are not only according to nature brothers and sisters in Adam, but also according to grace, in Christ, and we would have to be ashamed before animals, if we would allow ourselves to be surpassed in the love which they bear one to another; (Ecclus, XIII. 19.) all our neighbors are the image and likeness of God, bought by the blood of Jesus, and are adopted children, called to heaven, as we are; the example of Christ, who loved us, when we were yet His enemies, (Rom. V. 10.) and gave Himself for us unto death, ought to incite us to love them. But can we be His disciples, if we do not follow Him, and if we do not bear in us the mark of His disciples, i. e. the love of our neighbor? (John XIII. 35.). Finally, the necessity of the love for our neighbor ought to compel us, as it were, to it; for without it, we cannot be saved. He that loveth not, says St. John, abideth in death, (I John III. 14.) and he that loveth not his brother, whom he seeth, how can he love God whom he seeth not? (I John IV. 20.) because he transgresses one of the greatest commandments of God, and does not fulfil the law. (Rom. XIII, 10.)

What is necessary to make the love of our neighbor meritorious?

It must tend to God, that is, we must love our neighbor only in and for God, because God commands it, and it is pleasing to Him. For to love our neighbor on account of a natural inclination, or self-interest, or some other still less honorable reason, is only a natural, animal love, in no wise different from the love of the heathens; for the heathens also love and salute those who love and salute them in turn. (Matt. V. 46.)

PETITION. O my God, Father of mercy! give me a loving and compassionate heart, which will continually impel me to do good to my neighbor for Thy sake, so that I may merit the same from Thy mercy.

What is understood from this day's gospel in a higher and more spiritual sense?

According to the interpretation of the Fathers, our father Adam, and hence the whole human race is to be understood by the one who had fallen among robbers. The human race, which through the disobedience of Adam fell into the power of Satan and his angels, was robbed of original justice and the grace of God, and moreover, was wounded and weakened in all the powers of the soul by evil concupiscence. The priest and The Levite who represent the Old Law, would not and could not repair this misfortune; but Christ, the true Samaritan, embraced the interests of the wounded man, inasmuch as He poured the oil of His grace, and the wine of His blood into the wounds of man's soul, and thus healed him, and inasmuch as He led him by baptism into the inn of His Church, and there entrusted him to His priests for further care and nursing. Thank Christ, the good Samaritan, for this great love and care for you, and endeavor to make good use of His blessings by your cooperation.

INSTRUCTION ON THE MOST HOLY SACRAMENT OF
EXTREME UNCTION
He bound up his wounds pouring in oil and wine. (Luke X. 34.)

The conduct of the Samaritan in regard to the wounded man may be viewed as a figure of the holy Sacrament of Extreme Unction, in which Christ, the true Samaritan, by means of the holy oil and the prayer of the priest, His representative, dispenses His grace to the sick for the welfare of the soul and often of the body, provided the sick place no obstacle in His way.

Is Extreme Unction a Sacrament?

Yes; because it was instituted by Christ, and by it grace is conveyed to the sick through an outward sign.

Did Christ institute this Sacrament?

He did, for He sent His disciples to anoint the sick with oil and heal them, as the Evangelist writes: Going forth they preached that men should do penance: and they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them. (Mark VI. 12,13.) We must believe that this unction was not invented by the apostles, but ordained by the Lord. This is confirmed by the Council of Trent, which says: (Sess. XIV. C. I.) "This sacred Unction of the sick was instituted by Christ our Lord, as indicated by St. Mark, but recommended to the faithful and promulgated by the Apostle St. James, a relative of our Lord." "Is any man," he says, "sick among you? let him bring in the priests of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: and the prayer of faith shall save the sick man: and the Lord shall raise him up: and if he be in sins, they shall be forgiven. (James V. 14,15.) St. James could not have said this, if he had not known the institution and command of Christ: to it apostolic and uninterrupted tradition also gives testimony.

What is the external sign of this Sacrament?

The anointing with holy oil, which is blessed by the bishop on Holy Thursday, and the prayer of the priest.

What graces does this Sacrament produce in the sick man?

The Catechism of the Council of Trent enumerates the following: first, it remits sins, especially venial sins. Its primary object is not to remit mortal sin. For this the Sacrament of penance was instituted, as was that of baptism for the remission of original sin; secondly, it removes the languor and infirmity entailed by sin, with all other inconveniences. The time most seasonable for the application of this cure is, when we are visited by some severe malady, which threatens to prove fatal; for nature dreads no earthly visitation so much as death; and this dread is considerably augmented by the recollection of our past sins, particularly if the mind is harrowed by the poignant reproaches of conscience; for it is written: "They shall come with fear at the thought of their sins, and their iniquities shall stand against them to convict them." A source of alarm still more distressing is the awful reflection, that, in a few moments, we shall stand before the judgment-seat of God, whose justice will award that sentence, which our lives have deserved. The terror inspired by these considerations frequently agitates the soul with the most awful apprehensions; and to calm this terror nothing can be so efficacious as the Sacrament of Extreme Unction. It quiets our fear, illumines the gloom in which the soul is enveloped, fills it with pious and holy joy, and enables us to await with cheerfulness the coming of the Lord; thirdly, it fortifies us against the violent assaults of Satan. The enemy of mankind never ceases to seek our ruin: and if it be possible to deprive us of all hope of mercy, he more than ever increases his efforts, when he sees us approach our last end. This Sacrament, therefore, enables the recipient to fight resolutely and successfully against him; fourthly, it effects the recovery of health, if advantageous to the sick person.

What intentions must the sick man have, in order to gain these graces?

Since the Sacraments work the more powerfully the better the preparation made by those who receive them, and since by this Sacrament those sins are remitted which we have forgotten, or have not sufficiently known, the sick man should, therefore, receive beforehand, if it be possible, the holy Sacrament of Penance and the blessed Eucharist; or if this cannot be done, he should make an act of perfect contrition, and have the wish to confess if possible. He should, therefore, not defer the reception of this Sacrament to the last moment, when the violence of sickness has already taken away the use of his reason and senses, but he should ask for this Sacrament whilst yet enjoying the use of reason, so that he may receive it with devotion and salutary result.

Is this Sacrament necessary for salvation?

No; yet we should not neglect in case of sickness to partake of the excellent fruits of this Sacrament since the Council of Trent teaches: "To despise so great a Sacrament would indeed be a great sin, an insult to the Holy Ghost." (Sess. XIV. C. 3.)

Can we receive this Sacrament more than once?

We can receive it as often as we are in danger of death by sickness; but we must bear in mind that we can be anointed only once in the same sickness.

Why is this Sacrament called Extreme Unction?

Because among all the Sacraments which our Lord and Saviour ordained in His Church, this one is the last we are to receive. But from this it does not follow, as so many believe that one who receives this Sacrament must die soon, but it will rather become a means of salvation for their souls, and if it be for their eternal welfare, will also restore their bodily health.

What does the priest do when he enters the house of the sick person?

He wishes peace to the house, and prays that God may send His angels to protect its inmates, that He may drive away the enemy, console the sick, strengthen and give him health.

Why does the priest sprinkle the sick person with holy water?

To remind him that he should implore of God the forgiveness of his sins, with tears of contrition, in order to dispel the influence of the evil spirit.

Why does the priest exhort those present to pray while he administers the Sacrament?

That God may grant through their prayers whatever may contribute to the welfare of the sick man's body and soul.

For what does the priest pray when he imposes his hands on the head of the sick person?

He begs that God, through the imposition of hands and by the intercession of all the saints, may take the sick person under His protection, and destroy the power of the devil, who attacks one particularly in the hour of death.

What does the priest say at the anointing with oil?

He begs that God, through this unction and through His gracious mercy, may forgive the sick person all the sins which he has committed with his five senses. At the same time the sick person should, in a spirit of humility and with a repentant and contrite heart, implore of God the forgiveness of all his sins.

Why does the priest present the sick person a crucifix to kiss?

To remind him that, like Jesus, he should suffer with patience, and place his whole confidence in the infinite merits of the Crucified, and be willing to suffer and die for love of Him. For this reason the crucifix ought to be presented often to the dying person.

What should the sick person do after he has received the Sacrament of Extreme Unction?

He should use all his remaining strength to thank God sincerely for the benefit he has received, commend himself to the wounds and the blood of Jesus, and meditate with quiet recollection on death and eternity.

How consoling does our holy Catholic Church appear in the continual use of this Sacrament! Having, like a tender mother, received man by holy Baptism under her maternal care; by holy Confirmation given him the necessary weapons against sin, heresy, and infidelity; by the holy Sacrament of Penance purified him from stains and sins; and by the blessed Eucharist nourished him with the bread of life, enriched him with virtues, and secured him against falling, she does not desert him even in the last, all-important moment of death. In that dangerous hour when the dying person, forsaken by all, often by his most intimate friends, or looked upon with fear, lies on his bed of pain, when behind him time ceases and before him a certain, though unknown eternity opens itself, when Satan brings all his resources into play, in order to ruin his soul, and the thought of the coming judgment makes the heart tremble, - in this terrible hour the faithful mother, the Catholic Church, does not abandon him; she sends the priest, her servant, like a consoling angel to his couch, to encourage the sufferer and strengthen the fearful with the divine word, to cleanse the sinner and reconcile him with God by the Sacrament of Penance, to fortify the weak and nourish him with the bread of life, to strengthen the combatant with the holy oil, thus providing him with all the means of grace which Jesus obtained for His Church, to conduct his soul before the face of the eternal Judge, there to find grace and mercy.

Considering this, dear Christian, should you not feel happy to be a member of this Church, should you not thank God continually, and adhere faithfully to a Church, in which it is indeed not so pleasant to live, as in the bosom of irreligion, but in which it is good to die!

---

1. A detailed Instruction on the Love of God may be found under the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost. Here we treat only of the love of our neighbor.