Twenty Fifth Sunday After Pentecost (Mass of the 5th Sunday After Epiphany)

 Rev. Fr. Leonard Goffine's

The Church's Year

On this Sunday mention is made of the practice of Christian virtues, and of God's sufferance of the wicked upon earth, that by them the just may be exercised in patience.

INTROIT Adore God, all ye His angels: Sion heard, and was glad; and the daughters of Juda rejoiced. The Lord hath reigned; let the earth rejoice; let the many islands be glad. (Ps. XCVI. 1.) Glory be to the Father, etc.

COLLECT Keep, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy household by Thy continual mercy; that as it leans only upon the hope of Thy heavenly grace, so it may ever be defended by Thy protection. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, etc.

EPISTLE (Col. III. 12-17.) Brethren, put ye on, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, the bowels of mercy, benignity, humility, modesty, patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if any have a complaint against another; even as the Lord hath forgiven you, so you also. But above all these things, have charity, which is the bond of perfection: and let the peace of Christ rejoice in your hearts, wherein also you are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you abundantly, in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another, in psalms, hymns, and spiritual canticles, singing in grace in your hearts to God. All whatsoever you do in word or in work, all things, do ye in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God and the Father through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Why does St. Paul call charity the bond of perfection?

Because charity comprises in itself and links all the virtues in which perfection consists. For whoever truly loves God and his neighbor, is also good, merciful, humble, modest, patiently bears the weakness of his neighbor, willingly forgives offences, in a word, practices all virtues for the sake of charity.

When does the peace of God rejoice in our hearts?

When we have learned to conquer our evil inclinations, passions, and desires, and have placed order and quiet in our hearts instead. This peace then, like a queen, keeps all the wishes of the soul in harmony, and causes us to enjoy constant peace with our neighbor, and thus serve Christ in concord, as the members of one body serve the head. The best means of preserving this peace are earnest attention to the word of God, mutual imparting of pious exhortations and admonitions, and by singing hymns, psalms, and spiritual canticles.

Why should we do all in the name of Jesus?

Because only then can our works have real worth in the sight of God, and be pleasing to Him, when they are performed for love of Jesus, in His honor, in accordance with His spirit and will. Therefore the apostle admonishes us to do all things, eat, drink, sleep, work &c. in the name of Jesus, and so honor God, the Heavenly Father, and show our gratitude to Him. Oh, how grieved will they be on their death-bed who have neglected to offer God their daily work by a good intention, then they will see, when too late, how deficient they are in meritorious deeds. On the contrary they will rejoice whose consciences testify, that in all their actions they had in view only the will and the honor of God! Would that this might be taken to heart especially by those who have to earn their bread with difficulty and in distress, that they might always unite their hardships and trials with the sufferings and merits of Jesus, offering them to the Heavenly Father, and thus imitating Christ who had no other motive than the will and the glory of His Heavenly Father.

ASPIRATION O God of love, of patience, and of mercy, turn our hearts to the sincere love of our neighbor, and grant, that whatever we do in thoughts, words and actions, we may do in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and through Him render thanks to Thee.

ON CHURCH SINGING

"Admonish one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual canticles, singing in grade in your hearts to God." (Col. III. 16.)

The custom of singing in the Church-choir* has its foundation as far back as the Old Testament, when by the arrangement of David, Solomon, and Ezechias, the psalms and other sacred canticles were sung by the priests and Levites. This custom the Catholic Church has retained, according to the precepts of the apostles, (I. Cor. XIV. 26; Eph. V. 19.) and the example of Jesus who, after they had eaten the Pasch, intoned a hymn of praise with His apostles, Matt XXVI. 30) that Christians on earth, like the angels and saints in heaven, (Apoc. V. 8. 9., XIV. 3.) who unceasingly sing His praises, might at certain hours of the day, at least, give praise and thanks to God. In the earliest ages of the Church, the Christians sang hymns of praise and thanksgiving during the holy Sacrifice and other devotional services, often continuing them throughout the whole night; in which case the choir-singers probably were bound to keep the singing in proper order and agreement. In the course of time this custom of all the faithful present singing together ceased in many churches, and became confined to the choir, which was accompanied later by instruments in accordance with the words of David who calls to the praise of the Lord with trumpets, with timbrels, with pleasant psaltery and harps. (Ps, CL. 3, 4., LXXX. 3. 4.) In many churches, where the faithful still sing in concert, if done with pure hearts and true devotion, it is as St. Basil says, “a heavenly occupation, a spiritual burnt offering; it enlightens the spirit, raises it towards heaven, leads man to communion with God, makes the soul rejoice, ends idle talk, puts away laughter, reminds us of the judgment, reconciles enemies. Where the singing of songs resounds' from the contrite heart there God with the angels is present."

*The choir is usually a gallery in the Church in which the singers are stationed; the place where the clergy sing or recite their office, is also called the choir.

GOSPEL (Matt. XIII. 24-30,) At that time, Jesus spoke this parable to the multitudes: The kingdom of heaven is likened to a man that sowed good seed in his field. But while men were asleep, his enemy came, and oversowed cockle among the wheat, and went his way. And when the blade was sprung up, and had brought forth fruit, then appeared also the cockle. And the servants of the good man of the house coming, said to him: Sir, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field? whence, then, hath it cockle? And he said to them: An enemy bath done this. And the servants said to him: Wilt thou that we go and gather it up? And he said: No, lest perhaps, gathering up the cockle, you root up the wheat also together with it. Suffer both to grow until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers: Gather up first the cockle, and bind it into bundles to burn, but the wheat gather ye into my barn.

What is understood by the kingdom of heaven ?

The Church of God, or the collection of all orthodox Christians on earth, destined for heaven.

What is meant by the good seed, and by the cockle?

The good seed, as Christ Himself says, (Matt. XIII. 38.) signifies the children of the kingdom, that is, the true Christians, the living members of the Church, who being converted by the word of God sown into their hearts become children of God, and bring forth the fruit of good works. The cockle means the children of iniquity, of the devil, that is, those who do evil; also every wrong, false doctrine which leads men to evil.

Who sows the good seed, and by the cockle?

The good seed is sown by Jesus, the Son of Man not only directly, but through His apostles, and the priests, their successors; the evil seed is sown by the devil, or by wicked men whom he uses as his tools.

Who are the men who were asleep?

Those superiors in the Church; those bishops and pastors who take no care of their flock, and do not warn them against seduction, when the devil comes and by wicked men sows the cockle of erroneous doctrine and of crime; and those men who are careless and neglect to hear the word of God and the sacrifice of the Mass, who neglect to pray, and do not receive the Sacraments. In the souls of such the devil sows the seeds of bad thoughts, evil imaginations and desires, from which spring, later, the cockle of pride, impurity, anger, envy, avarice, etc.

Why does not God allow the cockle, that is, the wicked people, to be rooted out and destroyed?

Because of His patience and long suffering towards the sinner to whom He gives time for repentance, and because of His love for the just from whom He would not, by weeding out the unjust, take away the occasion of practicing virtue and gathering up merits for themselves; for because of the unjust, the just have numerous opportunities to exercise patience, humility, etc.

When is the time of the harvest?

The day of the last judgment when the reapers, that is, the angels, will go out and separate the wicked from the just, and throw the wicked into the fiery furnace; while the just will be taken into everlasting joy. (Matt. XIII. 29.)

PRAYER O faithful Jesus, Thou great lover of our souls, who hast sown the good seed of Thy Divine Word in our hearts, grant that it may be productive, and bear in us fruit for eternal life; protect us from our evil enemy, that he may not sow his erroneous and false doctrine in our hearts, and corrupt the good; preserve us from the sleep of sin, and sloth that we may remain always vigilant and armed against the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil, overcome them manfully, and die a happy death. Amen.

ON INCLINATION TO EVIL

Whence then hath it cockle? (Matt. XIII. 27.)

Whence comes the inclination to evil in man?

It is the sad consequence of original sin, that is, of that sin which our first parents, by their disobedience, committed in paradise, and which we as their descendants have inherited. This inclination to evil remains even in those who have been baptized, although original sin with its guilt and eternal punishment is taken away in baptism, but it is no sin so long as man does not voluntarily yield. (Cat. Rom. Part. II. 2. .43.)

Why, the sin being removed, does the inclination remain?

To humble us that we may know our frailty and misery, and have recourse to God, our best and most powerful Father, as did St. Paul, when he was much annoyed by the devil of the flesh; (II. Cor. XII. 7. 8.) that the glory of God and the power of Christ should be manifested in us, which except for our weakness could not be; that we might have occasion to fight and to conquer. A soldier cannot battle without opposition, nor win victory and the crown without a contest. Nor can we win the heavenly crown, if no occasion is given us, by temptations, for fight and for victory. "That which tries the combatant," says St. Bernard, "crowns the conqueror." Finally, the inclination remains, that we may learn to endure, in all meekness, the faults and infirmities of others and to watch ourselves, lest we fall into the same temptations.

They Do Protest Too Much

 By Anna Von Reitz

The past 160 years have been akin to a stage play, with characters known as "persons" playing roles and occupying offices that they were never authorized to occupy.  

This is made more understandable when you realize that the Bar Association arrived in England during the reign of King Henry the Eighth as a theater company known as The Merrie Men.  

As Roman tax collectors operating with a free hand in Britain, they were merry, indeed. 

We all know their modus operandi, rallying call, and pirates main song: 

"Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we may die." 

One can only hope.  

Along with the theater introduced by the Bar, we had the proliferation of a multitude of different kinds of corporations, created by and promoted by the Roman Curia.  

These actors created their own world and have continuously attempted-- with more or less success-- to immerse everyone else in it.  

This trenchant observation comes from an anonymous document of Spanish origin: 

"Nations were formed as companies or corporations to exploit their citizens as merchandise. 

Corporations are fraudulent constructions because they are considered a person with rights under the law, and because the owners and controllers of the corporations can disregard responsibility for crimes committed by the corporation. 

That is fraudulent. 

Corporations are not people and therefore cannot have rights. 

Corporations are also monopolies that use subsidiaries to hide their dominance over industry. 

Private companies cannot compete fairly with (public) corporations. 

Citizens are also classified as legal persons (companies), robbing them of all their (natural) human rights. 

Corporations shouldn't exist." 

*** Notes in parenthesis above were added for understanding of the context. ***

This rampant lack of accountability on the part of the theater managers and the corporations, both, has led to criminality against the Public Interest on a scale that hasn't been seen since the days of Ancient Rome.  

The entire excuse for the existence of most corporations and the motive for incorporating a business is to gain (a) lack of individual accountability and (b) bankruptcy protection at Public Expense.  

It was argued that some occupations and businesses (production of gunpowder and explosives, for example) are so intrinsically dangerous and risky that people would not naturally wish to invest in them, so that if a government wanted gunpowder, they would have to underwrite and guarantee lack of liability and bankruptcy protection for businesses engaged in the sale, manufacture, and transport of these dangerous materials. 

From that limited beginning, the plague of incorporation has spread like a cancer, with every Tom, Dick, and Harry incorporating businesses that are not involved in any particularly dangerous or risky business, in order to avoid personal liability and bankruptcy protection at public expense. 

Clearly, hotel chains and fast food franchises aren't in the same league as Krups and Raytheon, yet they claim these same benefits of incorporation and when this scheme is organized in terms of parent corporations and umbrella corporations holding vast numbers of subsidiary and franchise corporations, as when a "government" service provider indulges itself to build such a structure, the conflict of interest and the risk to the Public is clear.  

The past four years of the Biden Administration has been a stage play designed to denigrate and marginalize the Democrats; Joe has merely played his part as the bumbling, confused, and ineffective President, while Kamala has played her part as the brainless, motionless teleprompter-reading sidekick. 

These are parts no less than the roles of Romeo and Juliet, the Lone Ranger and Tonto, or Sheriff Andy and Deputy Barney Fife. 

That this was all "put on" and all a show is evidenced by Joe Biden's concession speech; suddenly, the stooped and confused, bumbling, demented, ineffective Joe Biden, a man so feeble that he had to be relieved from the burdens of office, appeared on stage, straight as a pin, totally coherent, wishing Donald Trump well. 

It was exactly like an actor appearing on stage for a curtain call, out of character, celebrating a job well done--- because, from Biden's perspective, he had performed flawlessly in bringing down the Democratic Party and was handing this victory back to Donald Trump. 

Not only were Republicans handed the Presidency, but the Senate and House, too.  

This was only made possible by Joe and Kamala and their Epic Fail. 

Whether you fight a friend and pretend to be his enemy, or undermine your friend's enemies while pretending to be one of them, it results in much the same effect. 

After serving as Obama's stunt man, Biden was the perfect choice to play the role of the dirty and incompetent Democrat. Being an actor, it was all the same to him. Just another role to play. 

If you think about it, the whole Biden Administration and its performance has been too fantastically bad, too overblown, they've hammed it up too much, made every possible wrong move, and after that performance -- literally -- couldn't be expected to perform as well at the polls as they apparently did, even after importing millions of illegal aliens and shipping them into swing states. 

So are any of the election results real?  Credible? 

We don't believe so.  In our view, it is -- and has long been -- nothing but theater designed to fool the Public and keep attention focused on the wrong issues.  We are not alone in this opinion: 

https://stateofthenation.info/?p=3079

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So You Know

 By Anna Von Reitz

Faced with the immense amount of data on hundreds of countries that is now becoming available, most people are overwhelmed and can't quite comprehend the devastating effect of the Covid 19 "vaccine" program.  

So let's just focus on one country, the Philippines, a largely friendly and familiar country which has been depopulated by both euphemistic "excess death" and fewer births. 

Let's also bear in mind that most western countries have been in population decline since WWII and have not even replaced their prior population.  

We are reposting excerpts from an article by "Super Sally" Clark whose reporting on Filipino affairs and analysis of financial and social trends in the Philippines is top notch:

https://supersally.substack.com/p/philippines-2023-vital-statistics

https://supersally.substack.com/p/psa-15th-release-of-2023-vital-statistics

We hope that more Americans will become aware and become concerned about what is happening in the rest of the world. 

It isn't that we don't have enough of our own to worry about and it isn't that we want to borrow trouble, but by becoming aware of the sufferings of others, we are better able to see the impact of horrendous USA, INC. "public policies" not only on us, but on everyone else, too. 

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See this article and over 5100 others on Anna's website here: www.annavonreitz.com

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New Exciting Announcements About Silver and Our New Mint

 By Paul Stramer

On Monday 11 Nov. 2024 we will open the orders for the new Mint.

After receiving the first three orders and finding the quality to be even better than the product from the old mint we are now taking orders for these new Divisible one ounce silver .999 fine rounds.

The new and much larger minting company has multiple facilities around the country including in Indiana, California and Nevada.

I am now building a relationship with the new company and shortly will be making even more announcements about the improved way we will be doing this business. But for now here are some of the things that are changing for the better for you, our customers.

1. The old 500 ounce minimum order is gone. The new minimum order will be 100 ounces, and that might go down in a few weeks if everything goes well.

2. They will be very competitive in their price structure, and right now we are offering a price plan based on the volume of metal in each order. See below.

3. The shipping will be faster, and the wait time will be less than it was. Each order will be shipped with full insurance. I made my first 3 orders on the 30th of October, and all those orders have arrived here for local customers and our stock. That was a lead time of just 12 days for those orders. I have been told the wait time depends on how often they run the type of round that is ordered. So because the Divisible Prospector Round has been over 90% of our orders and is so popular, we can say without hesitation that even if they only run them once per month, the orders should come within 30 days or sooner. Here is another picture of the new design for that round.

These will be shipped from Indiana or Nevada depending on where the order is going, by UPS Ground, fully insured, and at some point down the road they have said they will put in a stock of this round ahead of demand, so that I will be able to get almost immediate shipment once they receive the funds.

 We will still be accepting wire transfers, or cashiers checks like always. 

We can only lock an order after we have received the funds. Here is the formula we use to figure your price.

Go to this link on Kitco.com and look up the ask price. https://www.kitco.com/price/precious-metals

It's in the first table on that page. 

For a 100 oz. to 199 oz. order, take the ask price and add $3.75 for the strike fee at the mint, and our profit per ounce. 

For a 200 oz. to 299 oz. order, take the ask price and add $3.50 for the strike fee at the mint, and our profit per ounce. 

For a 300 oz. order and larger, take the ask price and add $3.25 for the strike fee at the mint, and our profit per ounce. 

All orders over 300 ounces will be the same $3.25 over spot ask price.

Take that number times the number of ounces (100 or over) and then add $25.00 for each 100 ounce box for shipping.

Once we have your funds we will run this same formula to finalize the price with shipping.

Be sure to call us when you are ready to order so we can answer your questions, and please be sure to include your physical shipping address for UPS.

When you call I will get your email address and send you the bank info for wire transfers and the mailing info for your payment.

If you have any questions here is my contact info,  

Office phone  406 889 3183  8 AM to 2 PM and 4PM to 6 PM weekdays.

Cell  406 253 4257  when I am not in the office. Try the Office line first.

pstramer@gmail.com   or  pstramer@eurekadsl.net

Thanks for your support over the years.  We are now open and taking orders.

Paul Stramer

S.A.G

The Corporate Mind-Set

 By Anna Von Reitz

It is apparent that the worst enemies that our efforts face come from within us, in the shape of the deep indoctrination we have all received from the schools, churches, corporate employers, military service, and other government interactions we have had.

This indoctrination is so pervasive, so insidious, and so generally accepted that most people have a hard time recognizing it when it rears its ugly head.  So I am taking a little time today to outline and describe "the Enemy" of all free men and women.  

What does the Corporate Mind-Set look like?  How can we reliably recognize it --- and avoid it?  

The Hallmark of the Corporate Mind-Set is competition.  

The Corporate Mind-Set assumes that we are all in a competition, individually and as groups of people, too.  

As such, we are forced into the position of thinking in terms of out-performing and/or undermining "the competition".  

Anyone who doesn't think the way we do, is "the competition".  Anyone who doesn't appear to belong to our "team" is "the competition".  Anyone who opposes our actions, anyone who doesn't act as a "team player" is the competition. 

In some cases, anyone who isn't the same color, or who doesn't share our religious beliefs, or who strongly opposes us on one particular issue becomes "the competition". 

In extreme cases, it's just the suspicion that someone might not be on "our side" that is sufficient to brand them as "the competition". 

Once this identification of "the competition" has been made, they have to be "beaten" and we have to "win" whatever the cost. 

But the irony is, that this is a Mind Set in which everyone loses.  

It's a False Option. There is no way to "win" the Us Versus Them Game. Just like you can never "win" a political election.  

You get one CEO or another, but you are never the CEO of your own life, are you?  So you don't win in either case, and neither does anyone else. 

The war-like mentality of the Corporate Mind Set fractures natural communities into factions, so that we divide and conquer ourselves. 

The members of rival factions then tear away at each other, gossiping about each other, blaming each other, slandering each other, and acting like nasty children, tattle-talking about each other, bragging up their own accomplishments, tooting their own horns, proudly asserting their superior moral rectitude, and presenting themselves (or their faction) as being on "the right side" of every issue. 

They tattle-talk to whomever they assume to be in a superior office, which leads to the second Hallmark of the Corporate Mind-Set: belief in positional authority.  

The governmental and other institutions we are familiar with have all functioned via positional authority.  

Authority is neatly compartmentalized and distributed in a strict positional hierarchy, with an Executive Officer at the top of the pyramid, and increasingly less exalted officers arranged in ranks below the CEO, and all of them standing above the rank and file members of the public --- at least in their own minds. 

This is the corporate model and it is what we associate with government, because the only government we have known in our lifetimes has been provided by foreign Municipal and British Crown corporations that are organized and function in this fashion. 

So we have the spectacle of American Assembly members searching desperately for the CEO in charge, when there is no CEO. 

Most of the time, these people mistake the Coordinator for the CEO, and the Coordinator is then faced with the temptation of "assuming" the vacant role of CEO and functioning as a CEO, so that everyone feels reassured and can hand over their own responsibility and authority to him or her --- or determinedly resisting the CEO role and making the members of the Assembly rise to the occasion.  

Once the Corporate Mind Set takes hold, the participants in this foreign system think it is their "duty" to follow the direction of their CEO and protect the CEO figure --- so that they can continue to side-step their own obligation to self-govern.  

After 160 years of being told what to do by our British Territorial Employees, many Americans don't know how to operate their own government or even think for themselves.  

It's hard and it's uncomfortable to take responsibility for themselves and their own government. 

At the bottom of it, they don't want to do the work and they don't want to be responsible for making the decisions.  

They want someone else to tell them what to think, how to act, where to go and what to do and when.  They are all too eager to cast the burdens of the CEO on someone else, and when there is, objectively, no CEO on offer, they push and struggle to find one or create one. 

But our government is composed of equals, each bearing equal responsibility, having equal authority.  So we don't have CEO's and ranks of bureaucrats and institutionalized Operations Manuals telling us what to do and how to do it.  

Instead, we have to accept the challenge to know ourselves and to govern ourselves as individuals, as counties, as States, as a country.....  

As Americans, we have to use our own faculties instead of relying on a CEO. We have to use our own ability to gather facts, our own discernment to sift and winnow those facts, our own ability to reason our way through things, our own sense of justice. 

Then, we have to come together, as families, communities, counties, State governments, an entire country..... to promote what is best for everyone concerned. Laws that protect everyone. Services that benefit everyone. 

It's a tall order. 

Rules are so convenient and easy and reassuring in their own odd way. 

No white shoes until Memorial Day.  Don't walk on the grass.  Don't talk to strangers.  Always face East while saluting the flag.  Do what your commanding officer tells you.  

Rules give you the reasonable, but ultimately incorrect idea, that if you simply follow the rules and obey them, you will be rewarded in some way, or at least not blamed. 

Having a hierarchy of power standing above you and all sorts of people in layers of bureaucracy, too, generating rules for you to follow, is part of what is so comforting and seductive about the Corporate Mind-Set. 

As long as you are a good little dweeb and do what you are told, you are safe. Or are you? 

You are certainly not free, but are you safe---- really? 

No.  You are still responsible for your actions, as certain Nazi soldiers and bureaucrats found out at Nuremberg. Just following orders and obeying rules set by someone else is no excuse. 

It turns out that the Corporate Mind-Set leads us not only to war and divisiveness because as individuals and as groups, we must always be competing with each other and everyone else --- but the safety-through-obedience that we assume when we are ensnared in the Corporate Mind-Set is illusory, too. 

The Corporate Mind-Set is an artificial construct in which we give away our power (along with, we hope, our responsibility) to someone else, and in the process, give away our rights as well.  

Remember what you have been told: rights come with responsibilities firmly attached to them.  

If you have and accept no responsibility, you also have no rights. 

When we see Assemblies engaged in "he said - she said" battles, with groups of cronies knotted up in opposite corners of their self-created boxing ring, we know that Assembly has been infected with the Corporate Mind-Set.  

We know that because in every case the members of the Assembly in question have allowed the "us versus them" mentality to creep in.  

In every case, someone has knowingly or unknowingly occupied the CEO seat --- usually the Coordinator, but sometimes the Marshal at Arms or other official, and they are being protected by their adherents or attacked by those opposing their leadership.  

In every case, they are missing the point that we are all leaders in the American Government.   All.      

These people who have carried the baggage of the Corporate Mind Set with them are unconsciously re-creating the same old monster that they wish to be free of, because they are falling back into the familiar Corporate Mindset like a computer operating on default settings. 

There is a zombie-like aspect to this.  They are doing this on automatic and don't know that they are doing anything wrong. 

Somewhere in the back of their programming, they assume that they are right and doing things the way they are "supposed" to be done, 

according to everything they've ever known. 

And that is precisely the point --- we have never known the freedom and honesty and simplicity and harmony that is possible with our own American Government.  That's what we need to learn.  

We aren't here to recreate the Corporate Model or the Corporate Mind Set, either one. 

Ours is a profoundly different way of organizing and accomplishing the tasks of government.  Instead of the CEO telling us what we have to do and how to do it, we have Spokespeople expressing our collective will.  

Instead of Departments and Agencies, we have Committees. 

Instead of authority based on position in a hierarchy, we have functions --- work to do.  

Instead of lying and scheming for corporate profit, our motive is to protect each other and our respective individual assets.

In our American Government, it's just me, you, and the chickens. 

We are unified by our common goal which is nothing more or less than the Common Good, which we hope to achieve by the consistent application of Good Will and Common Sense.  

The Corporate Government Model seeks to dictate and control and rule over everyone from cradle to grave.  It seeks to farm us out like farm animals, using our assets for their benefit.  It results in war profiteering and war-like competition, eternally dividing and conquering and crippling mankind. It operates on corporate profits and corporate cronyism and embraces special interest groups. Their private corporate elections are controlled by unelected political parties and determined by unelected Electors. 

Our American Government promotes the freedom and well-being and actual security of every American.  We don't interfere in your privacy, don't dictate your health decisions, and don't pretend to be your Nanny.  We educate, we empower, we liberate.  We are unified by Nature, by our common needs, and by our common concerns.  We promote the Public Interest and the Public Good and the Public Law which means we provide services that everyone needs and everyone has access to, instead of pandering to lobbyists and special interests. Our Public Elections are simple affairs that are completely open to eligible candidates who are not selected by political parties and who are directly elected by the people they serve. 

With these differences clearly in mind, check yourselves. 

Have you fallen victim to your own indoctrination?  Are you unconsciously falling back into the Corporate Mind Set?  Are you creating the same-old-same-old Corporate Mess?  Or boldly embracing the American Government you are heir to? 

When you catch yourself falling back on your indoctrination -- correct it.  If necessary, apologize and admit your mistake(s).  And go forward with renewed determination to restore the American Government as it is meant to be. 

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See this article and over 5100 others on Anna's website here: www.annavonreitz.com

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Twenty Fourth Sunday After Pentecost (Mass of the 4th Sunday After Epiphany)

 Rev. Fr. Leonard Goffine's

The Church's Year

INTROIT Adore God, all ye His angels: Sion heard, and was glad; and the daughters of Juda rejoiced. The Lord hath reigned; let the earth rejoice; let the many islands be glad. (Ps. XCVI. 1.) Glory be to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

COLLECT O God, who knowest us to be set in the midst of so great perils, that because of the frailty of our nature we cannot stand; grant to us health of mind and body, that those things which we suffer for our sins, we may by Thy aid overcome. Through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the Unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end, Amen.

EPISTLE (Romans XIII. 8-10.) Brethren, owe no man anything, but to love one another; for he that loveth his neighbor hath fulfilled the law. For thou shaft not commit adultery; thou shaft not kill; thou shaft not steal; thou shaft not bear false witness; thou shaft not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is comprised in this word: Thou shaft love thy neighbor as thyself. The love of our neighbor worketh no evil. Love, therefore, is the fulfilling of the law.

What is meant by St Paul's words: He that loveth his neighbor, hath fulfilled the law?

St. Augustine in reference to these words says: that he who loves his neighbor, fulfils as well the precepts of the first as of the second tablet of the law. The reason is, that the love of our neighbor contains and presupposes the love of God as its fountain and foundation. The neighbor must be loved on account of God; for the neighbor cannot be loved with true love, if we do not first love God. On this account, the holy Evangelist St. John in his old age, always gave the exhortation: Little children, love one another. And when asked why, he answered: Because it is the command of the Lord, and it is enough to fulfill it. Therefore in this love of the neighbor which comes from the love of God and is contained in it, consists the fulfillment of the whole law. (Matt. XXII. 40.)

GOSPEL (Matt. VIII 23-27) At that time, when Jesus entered into the boat, his disciples followed him. And behold, a great tempest arose in the sea, so that the boat was covered with waves; but he was asleep. And they came to him and awaked him, saying: Lord, save us, we perish. And Jesus saith to them Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then rising up, he commanded the winds and the sea, and there came a great calm. But the men wondered, saying: What manner of man is this, for the winds and the sea obey him?

Why did Christ sleep in the boat?

To test the faith and confidence of His disciples; to exercise them in enduring the persecutions which they were afterwards to endure; to teach us that we should not waver in the storms of temptations. St. Augustine writes: "Christ slept, and because of the danger the disciples were confused. Why? Because Christ slept. In like manner thy heart becomes confused, thy ship unquiet, when the waves of temptation break over it. Why? Because thy faith sleeps. Then thou shouldst awaken Christ in thy heart; then thy faith should be awakened, thy conscience quieted, thy ship calmed."

Why did Christ reproach His disciples when they awaked Him and asked for help?

Because of their little faith and trust; for if they firmly believed Him to be true God, they would necessarily believe He could aid them sleeping as well as waking.

Nothing so displeases God as to doubt His powerful assistance. Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh (mortal man) his arm (aid), and whose heart departeth from the Lord. Blessed be the man that trusteth in the Lord, and the Lord shall be his confidence. (Jerem. XVII. 5. 7.) God sometimes permits storms to assail us, such as poverty, persecution, sickness, so that we may have occasion to put our confidence in Him alone. Of this St. Bernard very beautifully says: "When the world rages, when the wicked become furious, when the flesh turns against the spirit, I will hope in Him. Who ever trusted in Him, and was put to shame?" We should therefore trust in God only, and take refuge to Him, invoking Him as did the disciples: Lord, save us, we perish; or cry out with David: Arise, why sleepest thou, O Lord? Arise, and cast us not off to the end. (Ps. XLIII. 23.)

Why did Jesus stand up and command the sea to be still?

To show His readiness to aid us, and His omnipotence to which all things are subject. His disciples who saw this miracle, wondered and said: What manner of man is this, for the winds and the sea obey Him?

We see daily in all creatures the wonders of the Omnipotence, the wisdom, and the goodness of God, and yet we are not touched; we continue cold and indifferent. The reason is, that we look upon all with the eyes of the body and not with the eyes of the soul; that is, we do not seek to ascend by meditation to the Creator, and to judge from the manifold beauty and usefulness of created things the goodness and the wisdom of God. The saints rejoiced in all the works of the Lord; a flower, a little worm of the earth would move the heart of St. Francis of Sales, and St. Francis the Seraph, to wonderment and to the love of God; they ascended, as on a ladder, from the contemplation of creatures to Him who gives to every thing life, motion, and existence. If we were to follow their example, we would certainly love God more, and more ardently desire Him; if we do not, we live like irrational men, we who were created only to know and to love God.

ASPIRATION Grant us, O good Jesus! in all our needs, a great confidence in Thy divine assistance, and do not allow us to become faint-hearted; let Thy assistance come to us in the many dangers to which we are exposed; command the turbulent winds and waves of persecution to be still, and give peace and calmness to Thy Church, which Thou hast redeemed with Thy precious blood, that we may serve Thee in sanctity and justice, and arrive safely at the desired haven of eternal happiness. Amen.

ON THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD

But he was asleep. (Matt VIII. 24.)

It is an article of faith in the holy Catholic Church that God has not only created the world, but that He sustains and governs it; this preservation and ruling of the whole world and of each individual creature is called Providence. There are people who think that God is too great a Lord to busy Himself about the care of this world, that to do so is beneath His majesty; it was enough for Him to create the world, for the rest, He leaves it to itself or to fate, enjoys His own happiness, and, as it were, sleeps in regard to us. Thus think some, but only the ignorant and impious. Were He as these imagine Him, He would not or could not have aught to do with creation. If He could not, then He is neither all-wise nor almighty, if He would not, then He is not good; and if He knows nothing of the world, then He is not omniscient.

If we once believe that God created the world, (and what rational man can doubt it?) then we must also believe He rules and sustains it. Can any work of art, however well constructed and arranged, subsist without some one to take charge of and watch aver the same? Would not the greatest of all master-pieces, the world, therefore come to the greatest confusion and fall back into its original nothingness, if God, who created it from nothing, did not take care of its further order and existence? It is indeed true that the method of Divine Providence with which God controls all things is so mysterious that, when considering some events, one is persuaded to admit a necessary fate, an accident, the course of nature, the ill will of the devil or man, as the fundamental cause. Yet in all this the providence of God is not denied, for nothing does or can happen accidentally, not the smallest thing occurs without the knowledge, permission, or direction of God. Not one sparrow shall fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. (Matt. X. 29. 30.) Chance, fate, and luck are but the ideas of insane or wicked men, which even the more rational heathens have rejected, and the course of nature is but the constant, uninterrupted, all-wise and bountiful preservation and government of creation through God. The perverted will of men or of the devil is but the instrument which God in His all-wise intention, uses to effect the good, for He knows how to produce good from evil, and, therefore, as St. Augustine says, "permits the evil that the good may not be left undone." If we peruse the history of our first parents, of Abraham, of Joseph in Egypt, of Moses, of the people of Israel, of Job, Ruth, David, Tobias, Esther, Judith and others, we will easily see everywhere the plainest signs of the wisest Providence, the best and most careful, absolute power, by virtue of which God knows how to direct all things according to His desire, and for the good of His chosen ones. The gospel of this day furnishes us an instance of this? Why did Christ go into the boat? Why did a storm arise? Why was He asleep? Did all this occur by accident? No, it came about designedly by the ordinance of Christ that His omnipotence might be seen, and the faith and confidence of His disciples be strengthened.

Thus it is certain that God foresees, directs, and governs all; as Scripture, reason, and daily experience prove. Would we but pay more attention to many events of our lives, we would certainly notice the providence of God, and give ourselves up to His guidance and dispensations. The Lord ruleth me, and I shall want nothing, says David. (Ps. XXII. 1.) And we also, we shall want nothing if we resign ourselves to God's will, and are contented with His dispensations in our regard; while, on the contrary, if we oppose His will, we shall fall into misfortune and error. God must rule over us with goodness, or with sternness, He is no slumbering God. Behold! He shall neither slumber nor sleep, that keepeth Israel. (Ps. CXX. 4.)