The Best Business Opportunity you have ever seen on line.

Don't leave this money laying on the table.

 

This is the new Mint Builder 2.0 Reboot and you are going to really like this.

To get started:  http://preciousmetaltrends.com/mb-tour.php?user=296110

If you are already in Mint Builder and want this new system call Paul Stramer at 406 889 3183.

Notice Given April 22nd 2016

By Anna Von Reitz

April 22, 2016

To:  Don Young, Lisa Murkowski, and Dan Sullivan

c/o “Alaska Congressional Delegation”

702 Hart Senate Building, Washington, DC 20510

US Certified Receipt:  7006 0810 0003 3541 5755

709 Hart Senate Building, Washington, DC 20510

US Certified Receipt: 7013 3020 0002 1837 0399

2314 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515

US Certified Receipt: 7013 3020 0002 1837 0412

From:  Anna Maria Riezinger, Grandmother

I am writing to you today pursuant to my duty to fully inform you.

1. Please be informed that you do not represent me and that I am not your employee.   I am in fact your employer and benefactor and am a Beneficiary of the United States Trust which you are all supposed to be administering as Trustees in my behalf; also be informed that ANNA MARIA RIEZINGER and ANNA M. RIEZINGER and all other franchises created or thought to be created and operated under these names owe their allegiance to the land of Wisconsin, are of age, and are voluntarily expatriated from any allegiance, obligation, or association with the corporation doing business as the UNITED STATES and equally expatriated from any allegiance, obligation, or association with the corporation doing business as THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

The same is true for JAMES CLINTON BELCHER, JAMES C. BELCHER, ERIC JON BELCHER, ERIC J. BELCHER, HAROLD CARL HEINZE and HAROLD C. HEINZE.

The living Americans who are the respective Holders in Due Course of these given names and the underlying Trade Names formed in Upper and Lower Case and all other derivative names, labels, accounts, assets and vessels in commerce associated with them are American State Nationals owing their singular allegiance to the land of their birth.

This is your Notice of these facts.

Make a profit BEFORE you buy with the new Mint Builder

MINT BUILDER IS ALL NEW!

This will really get your attention. Everything has changed for the better for all of us.

By showing this to you, I am taking a big gamble. What I don't want is for those of you who are currently on an auto-saver to cancel that to do this. That won't help us or you or Anna Von Reitz either. But for those who have been in, and had to cancel their auto-saver bundle this is a way for you to get started making money. It only operates in the retail pricing, while those who have an auto-saver bundle running will always get the best wholesale prices in their back office, and those prices are much better than before. But think about it. This is better than nothing, right?

Having said all that...

How would you like to be in the black and making a profit before you ever buy one dime's worth of product from Mint Builder? 

The new Mint Builder Sales Affiliate Account is available FOR FREE without you having to buy anything at all.

If you are already in Mint Builder and you have dropped your auto-saver order because you didn't feel you had time to make it pay, or if you are new to saving silver and gold this is for you.

This Free Sales Affiliate Account operates in the retail end of the Mint Builder Website only, but it's a way for people to get started introducing people to Mint Builder and actually build a downline of referrals without financial risk up front. I will explain the advantages and the disadvantages below.

Here is the description right from the new website that tells you how it's done.

"The FREE SALES AFFILIATE ACCOUNT Subscription gives you access to your own online business which includes; your own replicated site, back office and training for FREE. It's important to understand with this FREE ACCOUNT you earn 10% from your personal sales on tier 1 only. You can upgrade your subscription at any time. 

When you take away the exaggerated fluff and all of the rank qualifying hoops and hurdles, what remains is your true, simple and understandable income potential.

Here at MintBuilder your income is straight forward, unlimited and very powerful! The Income Platform we use is called a Uni-Level and it is the most trusted and sustainable commission based platform in the referral industry. It’s simple! Here’s how it works... all Subscription sales you personally refer are considered PERSONAL REFERRALS and are frontline to you. Any sales made by people you have personally referred or by any of their personally referred on tiers 2 through 5 below you are considered TEAM REFERRALS.

PLATFORM BENEFITS. There are no limitations to how wide you can build the first tier of your business. The more referrals you personally introduce the wider and more profitable your business becomes. This width gives you income leverage multiplying the potential of tiers 2 through 5 below you if you chose to upgrade to a FULL Income Platform Subscription. You are not dependent on the work ethics of others in order to unlock specific rank paid commissions, your new income is right there for the taking. Commissions on personal referrals are set high to create rapid income growth.

PERSONAL COMMISSIONS. EARN 10% RECURRING COMMISSIONS. You are paid 10% of the subtotal on all subscription options that you personally refer. Your commissions are recurring which means you are paid on each subscription monthly. The perfect business model... make one referral and continue to earn from it! How many recurring subscriptions do you want to earn from? (e.g. Personally Refer one of THE SELECT FEW BUNDLES and you are paid $19.70 every month for that single referral. Set a goal of one referral per week and see your income explode!)

TEAM MATCHING. RECEIVE 50% RECURRING MATCHES when you upgrade to a FULL Income Platform Subscription. We add up ALL of the commissions earned in your *ENTIRE TEAM and pay you a 50% match of their total PERSONAL COMMISSIONS earned. Your Team Matching Commissions are also recurring which means you are paid a 50% match every month. (e.g. Any *team member makes a referral of one of THE SELECT FEW BUNDLES they earn $19.70 and you are paid $9.85 every month for that single referral they made. When they follow the plan of one referral per week... your income explodes!)

CANNOT ACCESS THE WHOLESALE SHOP WITH THIS SUBSCRIPTION."

Many of you who are already in Mint Builder have become inactive, and this is your chance to actually make money with the new platform BEFORE you activate a subscription for a bundle that includes an MS70 graded collector coin and the best wholesale pricing in the industry.  

Just go login to your own website and click on Get Started.

Here is the formula for your website address to put in the address bar of your browser, not in a search engine search box.  https://mintbuilder.com/XXXXXX  where the Xs are your ID number. If you don't have your ID number call me at 406 889 3183 and I will try to find it for you. If you don't have your password, send an email to support@mintbuilder.com and they will help you.

Once you are logged in go to the Get Started button and look at the bundles. There are 9 different options, starting with the All About Eagles Bundle.  I am on the Around the World Bundle. They automatically get the payment for that bundle from available commissions if there is enough to cover what you order.   Please notice that you can get the income and wholesale platforms independently from a coin subscription if you want, but it's not the best price that way. 

The new Mint Builder platform has the best features in the industry and is the easiest system I have seen to help everyone accumulate precious metals assets and some of the  best pricing available even on the retail end, but it gets even better once you activate a wholesale subscription for a bundle. The prices instantly change from retail to Wholesale with a paid subscription.

The pricing is live, and changes with the spot price, so it changes every few minutes when the markets are open during the week. Once you have a subscription for one of the auto-saver bundles then your prices instantly go down. Honestly, these prices are lower than the pricing I can get from the mint in southern Utah that I have been with for over 12 years now, on any quantity below 100 ounces of silver.  You can see how much you save by clicking the orange SAVE button above any bundle. And wait until you see the low pricing on the bullion coins. How about American Silver Eagles today at $19.14 per coin once you have a bundle on auto-saver. If you have an active subscription running you always get the low wholesale on everything you buy.

NO OTHER QUALIFIERS ARE REQUIRED.  Just start a subscription. That's it. There is no longer any placement or ranking or dependence on your downline making any rank to get a paycheck.  And with the free Sales Affiliate Account, if you haven't got the bucks to start up an auto-saver bundle subscription, you can subscribe to the Free Sales Affiliate Account,  and just start selling retail until you have enough accumulated in your available commissions to cover that bundle subscription that you want for yourself.  Of course people are going to want the best price on silver, so there is incentive for you and them to upgrade when it makes sense, to a paid subscription, but you are in the driver's seat on that. 

Just remember that in network marketing people will usually do what their sponsor does, so you can lead the way when the time is right.

Also remember that I have my own server, and I build lots of advertising for people that want to build a business, and I don't charge a dime to make your ads or host them. I have done that for hundreds of people who are in my downline, and now over the past week or so, I have updated the whole system for everyone, to the new Mint Builder website and marketing system. Just call me and we will make sure you have your ads and systems to use to find new people as well as to send your personal contacts to, so they can see all this and take advantage of the free Sales Affiliate Account or get started with a wholesale bundle.

I know of no other company that does this in the precious metals field.

A word about using this to support Anna's work. My promise still stands. In the past 5 years I have sent over $8300 to Anna via PayPal and much of that came from Mint Builder. The promise is that once we have our ad budget paid I would send up to 25% of what came from this to Anna via PayPal.

Lately I have not been able to send as much because many have not been able to keep their subscriptions going, so this is an opportunity to fix that.

Of course we would like to see you get a wholesale subscription bundle started, and that would help us keep Anna's website and this blog up and running, and help Anna keep financing the Living Law Firm. I have personally published 2184 articles for Anna in the last 5 years, and have never charged Anna one penny for that or anything else I do to keep her website and this blog up and running.

If you are already on a subscription let us show you how to advertise your business and grow your referrals and income.  With this new system, Mint Builder is much easier to do and to promote, and much easier to get a paycheck from. Everything is now based on a percentage of your sales totals. There are no points to accumulate to get a check. Just refer people who buy the products, either retail or the wholesale subscriptions, and get paid.

Here is the new marketing presentation that each of you has or will have when you get on board with a subscription bundle.  This one is keyed to my own Id number.

Notice this is an updated version of the original video that allowed us to bring in over 400 people in the first 60 days.  Notice also that they are still giving away a free 1 gram silver bar and have connected it with this excellent video.  You will have this system with your subscription.

http://preciousmetaltrends.com/mb-tour.php?user=296110

Feel free to call me and ask any questions you might have.

Paul Stramer   pstramer@gmail.com  Office: 406 889 3183  or text 406 253 4257  

Best time to reach me is 8 AM  to 2 PM and 4 PM to 8 PM Mountain time.

PS  If you can't do Mint Builder and would like to support Anna's work please consider making a small monthly donation to keep this blog and Anna's website going by using the PayPal subscribe button on the right side of this blog. www.paulstramer.net

See this video to get the details of the Reboot.

https://vimeo.com/373041755

Schmanking = Crooked Banking

By Anna Von Reitz

The banks are crooked. All of them. They have no other choice. And THAT is the problem. We have, whether we know it or not, created a criminal banking system and then stood back and let it roll. What kind of results do we expect from that?

A train wreck is what I expect from that, and "transitioning" out of this crooked system is made difficult by the fact that both alternative models, the gold-backed system and the quantum system, are known to be crooked, too.

What bothers me is that the bankers know this and I know this and you should know it if you don't --- but nobody is talking about this fundamental fact.

The Federal Reserve system is a fantasy built on grossly criminal practices requiring impersonation, enslavement, and barratry.

The IMF system is built on a currency commodity rigging scheme -- the "Exchange Stabilization Fund".

The BRICs system is built on manipulation of gold reserves and artificially restricting access to gold --- commodity rigging, again.

The Quantum system is another fantasy built on manipulation of old MS-DOs programming and manipulation of digits, more rigging....

It's all about manipulation of "perceived values" of symbols and artificially controlling access to commodities. It's all crooked. And if you think about it more than five minutes, it's also crazy.

It's idolatry. Just like people used to carve statues and worship the "image of God" they had themselves created, we create these "symbols of value" ---- coins, pieces of paper, etc. --- and give them value based on our belief that they have value.

Years ago I waved a dollar bill at a friend who was staring at me like I was nuts.

I said to him, "Look at this! What is it? It's a piece of paper! And it's not even a useful piece of paper. It's printed all over, so not good to write on. It's too stiff and hard-surfaced to use for toilet paper. What in the hell do you think this is? What gives it any "value" if not your pig-headed belief that it HAS value?"

Well?

And it is the same thing with a gold coin. Sure, gold is a metal, so relatively speaking, more valuable than paper. It's even a fairly rare metal with some special properties as metal, which increases its value for some industrial applications. But, when you get right down to it, what good is it to you? Can you eat it? Wear it? Will it keep you warm or fuel your car?

And if you don't use gold or silver, what other commodities are you going to arbitrarily pick? Blueberry jam? Seltzer water?

You see, this whole system of thinking and doing things is crazy, so instead of arguing over which idiot-system we are going to use, let's stop being idiots.

There is only one (1) and exactly one (1) honest form of money possible.

And that is money based on the value of all traded commodities and all labor, worldwide.

A currency based on all traded commodities and all labor immediately guts the motivation for rigging commodities and buffers everyone against losses. It also puts a curb on "futures trading" --- because every country is a producer of "currency standard goods", and so, at least potentially, is every individual.

So, we could have honest money, free trade, and global harmony for the cost of issuing a currency based on the total value of traded goods and labor, worldwide. It could be issued by one international Think Tank and all the various countries could take turns sending their own oversight teams to make sure nobody was fudging anything. That takes care of the fear that there would be one bank controlled by one set of all powerful bureaucrats.

Along with this, strict and permanent accords would have to be adopted guaranteeing every living man and woman the absolute right to engage in trade and to use this global currency without restriction or fear of losing access to it and the transfer systems related to it.

Our money would stand for the labor, both skilled and unskilled, of workers in China as well as Belize, Germany, and all the other countries of the world. It would stand for all the commodities traded on every stock exchange worldwide.

So a gain in the value of skilled labor in Bangladesh would increase the value of the money worldwide, and a new forest planted in Brazil would increase the value of the money worldwide.

In this way, the monetary system would encourage everyone to do better and to help each other. It would also encourage every government on Earth to be diligent in guarding against counterfeiting and hoarding and other evils, because they would know that it was their money being victimized by these practices, along with everyone else's.

Ah, but what about the Eternal Problem? How to pay for the disabled, the sick, the elderly, the infants--- all those who, for one reason or another, are not able to pull their weight?

We simply value them more, and in our new banking system, we give them extra tokens.

Life itself is infinitely valuable, beyond price.

So we need to stop focusing on the comparatively petty issue of how do we feed the poor and infirm--- and start focusing on the much larger issue of properly valuing life and thereby valuing our brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers, friends and neighbors, the dogs at our feet and the trees lining our streets.

After all, everything that we trade and everything that we earn from work and services, is all predicated on being alive and having needs and desires as living people. Most of us are both producers and consumers, but those who are only able to consume are vitally important as well.

It is the consumers who give meaning and value to what the producers produce, whether it is goods or services.

Consumers are the ultimate source of "perceived value" in any such system.

Put another way, it's my hunger that makes your hot dog valuable in the first place.

If we remember these simple facts when we create economic service systems--- and that is all that banking and insurance and stock and bond markets are--- and properly value consumers for what they contribute, then everything falls back into balance. Both the yin and the yang have their due.

From that perspective, it then becomes possible for people to see that all of this, whether honest or crooked in its factual operation, is arbitrary.

It's a game. We are keeping tally and nobody really knows why. That simple act of keeping track of what goes into the system and what comes out of the system and into "your" account and "my" account, is what creates the illusion of limitation, separation, and value. Accounting makes rich men rich and poor men poor.

Accounting is the mechanism of enslavement, just as law is the instrument of condemnation.

So we need to ask ourselves --- what are we accounting for? Why?

Perhaps it might make sense if the purpose of accounting was to make sure that everyone gets a fair share, or to make sure that something pencils out in terms of effort going into it versus benefit coming out of it, but instead, the main purpose of accounting in the modern world is to keep track of digits and shunt them here and there, to keep a tally of symbols---signifying what? Non-existent piles of silver? Hours that nobody ever worked?

This might be harmless enough in a theoretical world, but our actual experience tells us that it is harmful, because people forget it is a game and charlatans make false claims in commerce based on these tallymarks. They take actual homes and farms and factories "in return for" --well, nothing at all.

Yes, I will give you credit for reading this, because most people can't bear to think about these things --- and I will note that there is no big difference between me "giving you credit" for reading this and any bank giving you credit for filling out a loan application, pledging your assets to them, so that they have credit to loan you.

You finally see how stupid this is? How important it is to know what you are valuing? And how that value is accounted for?

Value, like beauty, is actually in the eye of the beholder. It doesn't exist external to the relationship between individual Producers and individual Consumers. So focus the economic services industry on the relationship between Consumer and Producer, and properly value the Consumers.

The simpler, more mindful, more direct, and more honest we can make the interface between Consumers and Producers on a worldwide basis, the better. Instead of quibbling about what physical material we use to make tokens ---our little Tiki gods made of gold, plastic, paper or what-have-you-- or what form the tokens take, our attention should be on what we value and why we value it and how we account for it.

The more abundant and the more widely dispersed the tokens are, whatever we use as tokens, the better. We don't need to be coy or chintzy about our reasons for distributing tokens, either, so as to make them seem more valuable by being scarce. We can freely give every man, woman, and child on this planet more than enough tokens to live and live well, which should be the goal of any sane economic system.

And then, we need to ask ourselves a lot of disturbing questions like: do we really need ten Barbie dolls? Do we need to eat meat every night of the week? What impacts do our consumer choices have on the planet? The plants, the animals, and other people? Do we need to make other choices and value other things? Or value different things more?

Maybe love and health should hit the scales and weigh in as being "valuable"?

These are the worthy questions, and the answers we give can change the world.

It really doesn't matter whether we use gold, paper, plastic, or digits as a "medium of trade". 

Whatever tokens we use to represent value, they remain tokens, in the same way that a statue representing a saint remains a statue.

So let's re-focus our thinking and the worldwide debate about banks and "money" and currencies, and most of all about "value" --- and let's squarely face such questions as, "Can value be stored?"

I, for one, don't believe that value can be stored in a gold coin like storing electrons in a car battery; rather, I see that some delusions are more durable than others. People more readily believe that gold has value, so according to their belief, it does.

But that's like saying I believe in ghosts, so I am more scared when I hear something go bump in the night.

It's not a reflection of the value of gold. It's a reflection of people's long term belief in the value of gold.

Let's ask--- what is our standard for assigning "value" to a cord of wood, or an hour of time?

Let's ask why your hour as a brain surgeon is so much more valuable than my hour cleaning ten toilets?

Most of all, let's ask who all this really belongs to --- because to be honest, none of us created any of what we are trading.

Even our ability to walk around and think and perform work is being constantly created for us by powers we don't begin to comprehend.

So, in the final analysis, what are we doing, but indulging in an adult game of "Pretend"?

Let's look at what we are doing, why we are doing it, and how we are doing it. And then answer the real question that we are being asked by the entire Universe: what do you want? Do you want things to be like this?

And if not, let's change it.

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

See this article and over 2100 others on Anna's website here: www.annavonreitz.com

To support this work look for the PayPal buttons on this website. 

How do we use your donations?  Find out here. 

The Biggest Lies

By Anna Von Reitz

I've been sitting here this morning, thinking about lies.   

Children lie because they don't know any better, but as you get older, most people stop lying --both to themselves and to others.  There are, of course, many exceptions. and many adults continue to lie because they think it profits them in some way.  

Bill Clinton: "I did not have sex with that woman."  

Those of us who have arrived at the next stage of maturity, know that it does no good to lie, because the Truth, in its entirety, is always known.  So, as a practical matter, there is no use in lying.  That's why we don't do it.  

Barack Obama: "I'm going to cut the Federal budget." 

It really is laughable at times, and yet, people who believe lies act upon them. 

Think of the millions of people who have voted for politicians to run their lives and ruin their country, simply because they believed lies? 

And then failed to check back on voting records and do performance evaluations?  

So they continue to believe and vote for the same politicians who have been lying through their teeth the whole time.

US Senator Lisa Murkowski: "Of course, I'm a Republican."

Billions of people worldwide give up over half of their earnings under conditions of force and duress, yet somehow, they believe that they are free.  

They pay property taxes and mortgages, yet they think they own their homes. 

NIST: "The World Trade Center towers collapsed because of office fires ignited by jet fuel." 

Just recently, I was accused of lying. 

A neophyte researcher went on the internet and couldn't find something I referenced. 

He was looking for an action undertaken by the Continental Congress affecting the International Jurisdiction of the Several States--- in Municipal Government records.  No joke. 

That's like looking for Acts of Parliament in the archives of the City of Pittsburgh, Ohio.  

Even after I explained his mistake, he remained convinced that I'd lied to him. 

So, it's not just a matter of being lied to by others, it's also a matter of lying to ourselves --- failing to admit our mistakes and limitations.  How else does his incompetence become my lie?  

Pope Francis:  "We must obey the UN." 

[I just won't mention that I own 'the" UN.] 

We discover, much to our amazement, that our two foreign Subcontractors, the Queen and the Pope, have been colluding together to create a perpetual "war" on our soil.  

This is amazing on three counts.  

First, it's amazing because a shot hasn't been fired in this "war" in a hundred and fifty years, plus, the whole thing was an illegal mercenary conflict and not a war to begin with. 

Second, it's amazing because they are our Employees and have no reason or right to be fighting on our soil.  

Third, it's amazing because the Queen works for the Pope as his Overseer of the Commonwealths, and the British Territorial Government that is supposed to be one side of this non-existent "war" is a Commonwealth.  So the Pope is fighting against the Pope, and both the Pope and the Queen are profiting from this at the expense of their Employers. 

I'll admit this is a jaw-dropper, but it is the truth nonetheless. 

So, yes, it can be hard to make a distinction between truth and lies, simply because the truth is unbelievable.  

Who could believe that the Pope is the one ultimately responsible for all this destruction and criminality?  That he is literally causing it to exist? 

As he, the Pope, owns all these corporations and controls the charters issued by the Holy See, he could, presumably, pull the plug on the whole shooting match, and end the bogus "war" with the flick of a pen and a whisper in Lizzie's ear.  

And what about us?  Why are we standing here allowing our EMPLOYEES to cause us trouble?  

It is unbelievable. It's also true. 

So, what to do in a world where truth can appear to be a lie, and a lie can appear to be the truth?  

Perhaps the answer lies in science and mathematics--- the Natural and Universal Laws. 

Perhaps, too, there is a reason that this video showed up in my in-box this morning as I was ruminating about lies.  It exposes the Biggest Whopper of them all:  

https://prepareforchange.net/2019/11/30/the-biggest-lie-youve-ever-been-told-this-will-change-the-world/  

Remember our meditation to break apart the Great Seals that are interfering with the flow of energy on this planet?  The Great Palatine Seal in Rome is battered, but still standing.  It's time to pull it apart.  

Maybe that will finally convince the Pope?

The Seal on Bardsey Island is below the waves, but needs to vanish entirely.

Just imagine untying knots, releasing all the things that bind us, letting go of the past, letting go of selfishness and fear, being truly free and truly honest and truly healthy and truly loved.  

Because you are. 

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

See this article and over 2100 others on Anna's website here: www.annavonreitz.com

To support this work look for the PayPal buttons on this website. 

How do we use your donations?  Find out here. 

First Sunday in Advent

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

Originally published in German in 1880.

PART I

Explanation of the Epistles and Gospels for Sundays and Holy Days, to which are added instructions on Catholic Faith and Morals.

SHORT INSTRUCTIONS ON THE MANNER OF USING THIS BOOK

My dear Catholic, before you commence to read these instructions:

I.	Place yourself in the presence of God.
II.	Humble yourself before Him, sincerely imploring His forgiveness.
III.	Pray that you may be enlightened, that you may love Him.Recommend yourself to the Blessed Virgin and to the saints.

Then, step by step, read the instructions carefully. After each point reflect upon the truth you have just read, asking yourself:

1. What must I believe? That which I have just read. Then make an act of faith, saying: "O Lord! I will believe this truth, help my faith, increase my faith!"
2. What must l now do? I must correct the faults opposed to this truth.
3. What have I done heretofore? Unhappily, O God, I have acted in contradiction to this truth; how differently, O Jesus, from Thee and from Thy saints!
4. What shall l now do? Here make a firm resolution to put these truths into immediate practice, to contend against and overcome the faults opposed to them, and to acquire new virtue.

Then finish the reading with acts of faith, hope, charity, and contrition; repeat the same each time you read in this or in any book of devotion, and you will soon perceive that great benefit for your soul is derived from such exercises.

EXPLANATIONS AND INSTRUCTIONS CONCERNING THE CHURCH YEAR

What is understood by the Church Year?

By the Church Year is understood the succession of those holy days and seasons, reoccurring with each succeeding year, which the Church has appointed to be celebrated, that the faithful may be reminded of the divine graces and mysteries, may praise God, and occupy themselves, at such times, with pious, devotional exercises in His honor, and for their own sanctification.

When does the Church Year begin, and when terminate?

It begins with the First Sunday of Advent and concludes with the last Sunday after Pentecost.           

How is the Church Year divided?

Into Sundays, weekdays, festivals, holy days, and fast days.

What is Sunday?

Sunday is the first day of the week, sanctified in an especial manner by God Himself; therefore, it should be devoted exclusively to His service. The Apostles called it the "Lord's Day."

Why should Sunday be devoted exclusively to God?

Because it is but proper that man, who is created for the service of God only, should reserve at least one out of the seven days of the week for that service, and for the salvation of his own soul; again, in the beginning, God ordered that on the seventh day or Saturday, on which He rested after finishing the work of creation (Ex. 20:11), man should also rest (Ex. 20:8‑10), abstain from all worldly employment, and attend only to the worship of God. This was the Sabbath, or day of rest, of the Jews which they were required to keep holy (Lev. 23:3).

But the Catholic Church, authorized 6y Christ, inspired by the Holy Ghost, and directed by the Apostles, has made Sunday, the first day of the week, the day of rest for Christians. The holy martyr Justin (+ 167 A.D.) makes mention of this fact. Sunday was designated as the day of rest for the Christians partly to distinguish them from the Jews, as well as for the following reasons: On this day God commenced the creation of the world, so too on this day He crowned the glorious work of our Redemption by Christ's Resurrection; on this day, as Bellarmine says, Christ was born, was circumcised, and was baptized; and on this day the Holy Ghost descended upon the Apostles.

Why is this day called Sunday?

Because on this day, as St. Ambrose says, Christ, the sun of justice, having driven away the darkness of hell, shone forth, as the rising sun, in the glory of the Resurrection (Mal. 4:2).

How should the Catholic keep Sunday holy, and how does he profane it?

Sunday is kept holy by abstaining from all servile work performed for wages or gain, or not commanded by necessity; by passing the day in works of piety; in hearing Mass devoutly, listening to the word of God in church and spending the day at home in a quiet manner pleasing to God. If justly prevented from being present at church on Sundays and holy days of obligation, we should unite, in spirit, with the priest and the faithful assembled there, and pray fervently; during the rest of the day we should read books of devotion, and endeavor to perform some work of charity. Sunday is profaned by being spent either in idleness, or in unnecessary servile work, or in that which is still worse, debauchery, gambling, dancing, and other sinful actions. It would be better, that is, less sinful, as St. Augustine says, to till the field on such days, than to spend them in frivolous, dangerous, and sinful pleasures. But it is not forbidden, after having properly attended divine service, to participate on Sundays and holy days in honorable, decorous entertainment of the mind and heart.

What ought a Catholic to think of dances and fairs on Sundays and holy days of obligation?

The amusement of dancing on such days cannot possibly be pleasing to God. Dancing in general is an occasion of sin. The council of Baltimore protests against round dances especially, because they are highly indecent. Buying and selling without great necessity, as also holding fairs on Sundays and holy days are likewise sinful. God never ordained His days of rest for the gratification of avarice. What rewards are offered for keeping Sunday sacred, and what punishment is incurred by its desecration?

The Old Law promised blessings, spiritual and temporal to those who kept holy the Sabbath day (Lev. 26), and threatened all evils and misfortunes to those who desecrated it. Thus, to show how much He condemned its profanation, God caused a man to be stoned to death for gathering wood upon that day (Num. 15:32). The Catholic Church from her very beginning, and in several councils (Council. Elv. A.D. 313, Paris 829) has enjoined the keeping holy of Sundays and holy days, and experience proves in our days especially, that, as the consequence of the constantly increasing profanation of Sundays and holy days, immorality and poverty are growing greater; a manifest sign that God never blesses those who refuse to devote a few days of the year to His honor and service.

PRAYER FOR ALL SUNDAYS O God, who hast appointed Sunday, that we should serve Thee and participate in Thy grace, grant that always on this day our faith may be renewed, and our hearts incited to the praise and adoration of Thy Majesty; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord. Amen.

What are festivals?

Festivals are days set apart by the Catholic Church, to celebrate with due solemnity the mysteries of religion, or the memory of the saints. Hence they are of two kinds, the festivals of our Lord, and the festivals of the saints.

Has the Church the right to institute festivals and fast days?

To deny her such right would be to place her below the Jewish Synagogue, which in acknowledgment of benefits received, established many festivals, such as the Feast of Lots (Esther 9:26); the festival in honor of Judith's victory over Holofernes (Jud. 16:31); the feast of the Dedication of the Temple (II Mac. 4:56), which our Lord Himself celebrated with them (Jn. 10:22). Should not the Catholic Church, therefore, celebrate with equal solemnity the far greater blessings she has received from God? God Himself, through Moses, commanded the Jews to celebrate and, as it were, to immortalize by the Pasch their redemption from Egyptian captivity; the reception of the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai, by the festival of Pentecost; their forty years journey through the desert, and their living in tents, by the feast of the Tabernacles. How unjustly then would the Church conduct herself, if she would not commemorate, as the Old Law did, by the institution of certain festivals in honor of God and His saints, those graces of which He has made her partaker, through Christ and His saints, since our Lord gave to the Apostles and to the bishops, their successors, the power to bind and to loose, that is, to make ordinances and, as circumstances may require, changes for the salvation of the people (Mt. 18:18)! These festivals are instituted to assist the faithful in working out their salvation. And from this very right of the Church to institute festivals, follows her right to change or abolish them at her discretion, whenever her object of directing them to the honor of God is no longer reached, and the faithful in this case would be as much bound to obey her, as when she established them, for: Who hears not the Church, says Christ, let him be to thee as the heathen and publican (Mt. 18:17).

How are holy days and festivals to be observed?

They are to be observed like Sunday. Besides we should endeavor to understand well the mysteries and blessings of God and the lives and labors of the saints on whose account the festivals have been instituted. This we can do by hearing Mass and attending catechetical instruction, or by reading devotional books at home, in order to induce ourselves to love and praise God and to imitate the saints, which is the object the Church has in view in instituting festivals. But, unfortunately, as this object of the Church is responded to by few, and as, on the contrary, the holy days are spent very differently from what the Church in­tended, she has done well in abolishing certain festivals, or transferring them to Sunday, that they may be at least better regarded, and no of­fence offered to God by their profanation.

What are fast days?

Fast days are those days on which the Church commands us to mortify the body by abstaining from flesh‑meat, or by taking but one full meal in the day. Those days on which besides abstinence from meat, but one full meal is allowed, are called Fast Days of Obligation; those days on which it is only required to abstain from flesh‑meat, are called Days of Abstinence.

Can the Church institute fast days?

She can, because the Church of Christ, as mother of the faithful, has the power to make all useful and necessary regulations for the salvation of their souls. In doing so she only follows the example of our Lord, her Head, for He fasted, and of the Apostles, who, even in their day, ordered the Christians to abstain from blood and things strangled (Acts. 15:29), in order not to prevent the conversion of the Jews, who, on account of the Old Law, abhorred the blood and meat of strangled animals. This prohibition was removed when this danger no longer existed. "Fasting is no new invention, as many imagine," writes the Father of the Church, Basil the Great, "it is a precious treasure, which our forefathers preserved long before our days, and have handed down to us."

Why has the Church instituted fast days, and for what purpose?

The Catholic Church, from the very beginning, has looked upon external fasting only as a means of penance. Her object in instituting fast days, therefore, was and is that by fasting the faithful should mortify their flesh and their evil desires, seek to pacify God, render satisfaction for their sins, practice obedience to the Church, their mother, and by practicing these virtues become more zealous and fervent in the service of God. Innumerable texts of Scripture, as well as experience prove that fasting aids to this end. The Fathers of the Church praise very highly the usefulness of fasting, and our Lord predicted that the Church, His spouse, would fast, when He, her Bridegroom, should be taken from her (Mt. 9:15).

What are we to think of those heretics and Catholics who contemn the command of the Church?

Those Catholics who contemn this command, contemn their mother, the Church, and Christ her founder, her head, who fasted; they give scandal to the faithful children of the Church, and do them­selves great harm, because they become slaves of the flesh, subjecting their souls to the evil desires of the body and thus fall into many sins. They prove moreover, that they have departed from the spirit of the early Christians who fasted with great strictness; that they are too cowardly to overcome themselves, and offer God the sacrifice of obedience to His Church. The heretics have the Bible against them, if they assert that the command of the Church to fast is useless and unnecessary (Acts 13:2-3): that Bible which they so often quote, as well as all Christian antiquity, experience and reason. One of the Fathers of the Church, St. Basil, writes: "Honor ever the ancient practice of fasting, for it is as old as the creation of man. We must fast if we would return to paradise from which gluttony expelled us." Every rational, reflecting person must acknowledge, as experience teaches, that bodily health, and unimpaired mind are best preserved and improved by temperance and abstinence, especially from flesh‑meat. It was by continual fasting that many of the fathers of the desert preserved vigorous health, often living beyond the usual limit of man's age, sometimes for more than a century, even in tropical countries, where a lifetime is generally shorter than in colder climates. St. Paul, the first hermit, lived one hundred and thirteen years; St. Anthony one hundred and five; St. Arsenius one hundred and twenty; St. John, the silent, one hundred and four; St. Theodesius, abbot, one hundred and five. The Catholic Church here proves herself a good mother to us, for in this command she regards not only the spiritual, but also the corporal welfare of her children. The words of our Lord: "Not that which goeth into the mouth, defileth a man: but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man" (Mr. 15:11), was meant for the Pharisees who judged certain kinds of food prohibited by law, or that had been touched by unclean hands, to be unclean. Had He intended it to be understood in the sense the contemners of fasting assert, He would have declared intoxication by drinking, or even the taking of poison, to be permitted; certainly, food being the gift of God and therefore good, does not make man a sinner, but disobedience to the command and gluttony make him such.

Which are the most important fast days, and days of abstinence?

All the weekdays of Lent; the Fridays in Advent; the Ember days for the four seasons of the year; and the Vigils of All-Saints, Christmas, Whitsunday, and the Assumption. If the Feast, however, occurs on Monday, the vigil is kept on the Saturday before; as Sunday is never a fast day.'

The days of abstinence are, all Fridays in the year, excepting Christmas day when it falls on Friday; and all fast days of obligation, excepting those on which the use of flesh-meat is expressly allowed by the proper authorities. Soldiers and sailors in the service of the United States of America, however, are exempted from the rule of abstinence throughout the year; Ash Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday in Holy Week, the Vigils of the Assumption and Christmas excepted.

A day of abstinence is that on which it is not allowed to eat flesh-meat.

What are the Ember days and why are they instituted?

The Ember days are the first Wednesday, Friday and Saturday of each of the four seasons of the year, set apart as fast days by the Catholic Church. According to the testimony of Pope Leo, they originated in the time of the Apostles, who were inspired by the Holy Ghost to dedicate each season of the year to God by a few days of penance, or, as it were, to pay three days interest, every three months, on the graces received from God. The Church has also commanded us to fast at the beginning of each of the four seasons of the year, because it is at this time that she ordains the priests and other servants of the Church, which even the Apostles did with much prayer and fasting. Thus she desires that during the Ember days Christians should fervently ask of God by prayer, by fasting and other good works, worthy pastors and servants, on whom depends the welfare of the whole Christian flock; she desires that in the spring Ember days we should ask God's blessing for the fertility of the earth; in summer for the preservation of the fruits of the field, in autumn when the harvest is ripe, and in winter when it is sheltered, that we should offer to God by fasting and prayer a sacrifice of thanks, petitioning Him to assist us, that we may not use His gifts for our soul's detriment, but that we refer all praise to Him, the fountain of all good, and assist our neighbor according to our means.

What are vigils?

They are the eves of certain festivals, which the Church has ordered to be observed as fast days. The early Christians prepared themselves by fasting, praying and watching, as signified by the Latin word "Vigili," for the coming festival. Thus to this day in the Vigil Mass the priest does not say: "Ite Missa est" - Go ye, Mass is over," but, "Benedicamus Domino"; "Let us praise the Lord," because in olden times when Mass was celebrated at night, the Christians were exhorted to continue praising God in Church until the dawn of the festival. This nightwatch the Church has now been abolished, partly on account of the declining zeal of the Christians, and partly on account of the fear of its being abused; the fast, however, has been retained to honor God and His saints, to obtain their intercession, and to mortify the flesh according to their example. "By fasting on the eves of festivals," says St. Bernard, "We learn that we can enter heaven only through many sufferings."

Why does the Church forbid the use of flesh-meat on Fridays and Saturdays?

"The Church," says Pope Innocent, "forbids the use of flesh-meat on Fridays because our Lord died on that day, and on Saturdays because on that day He rested in the sepulcher, and also that we may be better prepared by this abstinence for Sunday." In many dioceses the use of flesh-meat is allowed on Saturdays, and the permission is so marked in the calendar, and every year announced to the people; for this dispensation the faithful should perform another good work and fast the more conscientiously on Fridays.

Who is bound to fast, and who not?

All Christians over seven years of age, unless for some reason excused, are required under pain of mortal sin, to abstain from flesh‑meat on all days of fasting and abstinence; all those who are over twenty‑one years of age are allowed to take but one full meal a day. A severe illness or a dispensation obtained for valid reasons, excuses from abstinence on Fridays: those are dispensed from fasting on one meal, who cannot fulfill the command without great inconvenience, such as: those recovering from sickness, pregnant and nursing women, old and infirm people, those who are engaged in hard labor, undertaking severe journeys, and the poor who have no full meals; also, those who are prevented by the fast from some better work, incumbent upon their office, or dictated by Christian charity. These persons mentioned are excused from fasting, in so far that they are permitted to eat, whenever they need food, but must still abstain from the use of flesh-meat unless dispensed from the command of abstinence. They should, however, be sincerely grieved to be unable to unite with the whole Church in such meritorious work, and should endeavor to make amends by prayer, alms and other good deeds.

Who are those who sin against fasting?

First, those who deliberately and without sufficient cause do not abstain from the use of flesh-meat; secondly, those who without any of the excuses mentioned, take more than one full meal a day; thirdly, those who eat between the time of meals; fourthly, those who indulge in long, extravagant and sumptuous dinners, and excessive drinking, all of which are opposed to the spirit of penance and mortification. Lastly, when on a fast day meat and fish are used at the same meal.

Is it not allowed to eat anything in the evening, on fast days?

The early Christians were so rigorous in their penance that they contented themselves with one temperate meal on fast days, and that was generally of bread and water, taken only in the evening; but as, in the course of time, the penitential zeal declined, the Church like an indulgent mother permitted, besides the full meal at noon, a small quantity of food to be taken in the evening, about as much as would make the fourth part of a regular meal, or not to appear scrupulous, as much as would not cause too great an aggravation, or exhaust the strength necessary for the next day's labor; but "to wish to feel no aggravation in fasting, is to wish not to fast at all."

With what intention should we fast?

First, with the intention of doing penance and punishing the body for the sins which we have committed by yielding to its evil desires; secondly, to satisfy God and to unite ourselves with our Lord in his forty days fast; thirdly, to obtain strength to lead a chaste, pure life; fourthly, to give to the poor that which is saved by fasting.

NOTE. Whatever is necessary to be understood further in regard to this subject, will be found in the instructions on the forty days fast.

INSTRUCTIONS ON ADVENT

What is the meaning of Advent, and what do we understand by the term?

The word Advent signifies coming, and by it is understood the visible coming of the Son of God into this world, at two different times.

It was when the Son of God, conceived of the Holy Ghost in the womb of the immaculate Virgin Mary, was born, according to the flesh, in the fullness of time, and sanctified the world by His coming, for which the patriarchs and prophets had so longed (Gen. 49:10; Is. G4:1; Lk. 10:24).

Since Christ had not yet come, how could the Just of the Old Law be saved?

Immediately after their sin, God revealed to our first parents that His only-begotten Son would become man and redeem the world (Gen. 3:15). In the hope of this Redeemer and through His merits, all in the old covenant who participated in His merits by innocence or by penance, and who died in the grace of God, were saved, although they were excluded from heaven until the Ascension of Christ.

When will the second coming of Christ take place?

At the end of the world when Christ will come, with great power and majesty, to judge both the living and the dead.

What is Advent, and why has the Church instituted it?

Advent is that solemn time, immediately preceding Christmas, instituted by the Church in order that we should, in the first place, meditate on the Incarnation of Christ, the love, patience and humility which He has shown us, and prove our gratitude to Him, because He came from the bosom of His heavenly Father into this valley of tears, to redeem us; secondly, that we may prepare ourselves by sincere repentance, fasting, prayer, alms-deeds, and other works pleasing to God, for the coming of Christ and His birth in our hearts, and thus participate in the graces which He has obtained for us; finally, that He may be merciful to us, when He shall come again as judge of the world. "Watch ye, for ye know not at what hour your Lord will come" (Mt. 5:42). "Wherefore be you also ready; because at what hour you know not, the Son of man will come" (Mt. 24:44).

How was Advent formerly observed?

Very differently from now. It then commenced with the Feast of St. Martin, and was observed by the faithful like the Forty Days' Fast, with strict penance and devotional exercises, as even now most of the religious communities do to the present day. The Church has forbidden all turbulent amusements, weddings, dancing and concerts, during Advent. Pope Sylverius ordered that those who seldom receive Holy Communion should, at least, do so on every Sunday in Advent.

How should this solemn time be spent by Christians?

They should recall, during these four weeks, the four thousand years in which the just under the Old Law expected and desired the promised Redeemer, think of those days of darkness in which nearly all nations were blinded by saran and drawn into the most horrible crimes, then consider their own sins and evil deeds and purify their souls from them by a worthy reception of the Sacraments, so that our Lord may come with His grace to dwell in their hearts and be merciful to them in life and in death. Further, to awaken in the faithful the feelings of repentance so necessary for the reception of the Savior in their hearts, the Church orders that besides the observance of certain fast days, the altar shall be draped in violet, that Mass shall be celebrated in violet vestments, that the organ shall be silent and no Gloria sung. Unjust to themselves, disobedient to the Church and ungrateful, indeed, to God are those Christians who spend this solemn time of grace in sinful amusements without performing any good works, with no longing for Christ's Advent into their hearts.

What are Rorate High Masses, and why are they celebrated?

They are the solemn high Masses celebrated in some countries in commemoration of the tidings brought to the Blessed Virgin by the Archangel Gabriel, announcing to her that she was to become the Mother of God; they derive their name from the words of the Introit in the Votive Mass, Rorate coeli desuper. They are celebrated very early in the morning because the Blessed Virgin preceded our Lord, as the aurora precedes the rising sun.

PRAYER IN ADVENT O God, who by Thy gracious Advent hast brought joy into this world, grant us, we beseech Thee, Thy grace to prepare ourselves by sincere penance for its celebration and for the Last Judgment. Amen.

FIRST SUNDAY IN ADVENT

The first Sunday in Advent is the first day of the Church Year, and the beginning of the holy season of Advent. The Church commences on this day to contemplate the coming of the Redeemer, and with the

prophets to long for Him; during the entire season of Advent she unites her prayers with their sighs, in order to awaken in her children also the desire for the grace of the Redeemer; above all to move them to true penance for their sins, because these are the greatest obstacles in the path of that gracious Advent; therefore she prays at the Introit of the day's Mass:

INTROIT To Thee, O Lord, have I lifted up my soul: in Thee, O my God, I put my trust; let me not be ashamed: neither let my enemies laugh at me: for none of them that wait on Thee shall be confounded. Show me, O Lord, Thy ways, and teach me Thy paths (Ps. 24). 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 Raise up, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy power, and come; that by Thy protection we may deserve to be rescued from the threatening dangers of our sins, and to be saved by Thy deliverance. Through our Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the Unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end, Amen. EPISTLE (Rom. 13:11‑14). Brethren, knowing the time, that it is now the hour for us to rise from sleep: for now our salvation is nearer than when we believed. The night is past, and the day is at hand. Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day: not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and impurities, not in contention and strife; but put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ.

What does St. Paul teach us in this epistle?

After fully explaining the duties of a Christian life to the Romans who were converted mainly by St. Peter, he exhorts them to hesitate no longer to fulfill these duties, and he seeks to move their hearts by this time of grace, presented them by the Christian dispensation, and by the shortness of the time of grace.

What is here meant by sleep?

The stupidity and blindness of the soul that, forgetting her God, is sunk in a lukewarm, effeminate, slothful and lustful life, which, when it is gone, leaves nothing more than a dream.

Why does St. Paul say, "salvation is nearer"?

He wishes to impress upon the Romans that they now have far greater hope of salvation than when they first became Christians, and that they should secure it by a pious life, because death, and the moment on which depended their salvation, or eternal reward, was drawing near. "What is our life," says St. Chrysostom, "other than a course, a dangerous course to death, through death to immortality?"

What is the signification of day and night?

The night signifies the time before Christ, a night of darkness, of infidelity and of injustice; the day represents the present time, in which by the gospel Christ enlightens the whole world with the teachings of the true faith.

What are "the works of darkness"?

All sins, and especially those which are committed in the dark, to shun the eye of God and man.

What is the "armor of light"?

That faith, virtue and grace, the spiritual armor, with which we battle against our three enemies, the world, the flesh, and the devil, and in which armor we should walk honestly before all men. A Christian who in baptism has renounced the devil and all his pomps, must not live in vice, but must put on Christ Jesus, that is, must by the imitation of Christ's virtues adorn his soul, as it were, with a beautiful garment. This text (verse 13) moved St. Augustine to fly from all works of uncleanness in which he had been involved, and to lead a pure life which he had before thought difficult.

ASPIRATION Grant, O Lord, that we may rise by penance from the sleep of our sins, may walk in the light of Thy grace by the performance of good works, may put on Thee and adorn our souls with the imitation of Thy virtues. Amen. GOSPEL (Lk. 21:25‑33). At that time, Jesus said to his disciples: There shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars: and upon the earth distress of nations, by reason of the confusion of the roaring of the sea and of the waves, men withering away for fear and expectation of what shall come upon the whole world. For the powers of heaven shall be moved; and then they shall see the Son of man coming in a cloud with great power and majesty. But when these things begin to come to pass, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is at hand. And he spoke to them a similitude: See the fig tree, and all the trees; when they now shoot forth their fruit, you know that summer is nigh. So you also, when you shall see these things come to pass, know that the kingdom of God is at hand. Amen I say to you, this generation shall not pass away till all things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

Why does the Church cause the gospel of the Last Judgment to be read on this day?

To move us to penance, and to induce us to prepare our souls for the coming of Christ, by placing the Last Judgment before our minds. Should not the thought of this terrible judgment, when all good and all evil will be revealed, and accordingly be rewarded or punished in the presence of the whole world‑should not this thought strengthen us in virtue!

What signs will precede the Last Judgment?

The sun will be obscured, the stars will lose their light and disappear in the firmament (Is. 13:10), lightning and flames will surround the earth, and wither up every thing; the powers of heaven will be moved, the elements brought to confusion; the roaring of the sea with the howling of the winds and the beating of the storms will fill man with terror and dread. Such evil and distress will come upon the world, that man will wither away for fear, not knowing whither to turn. Then will appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven, the holy cross, the terror of the sinners who have scorned it, the consolation of the just who have loved it (Mt. 24:30).

Why will all this come to pass?

Because as the people love the creatures of God so inordinately, more than the Creator, and use them only to His dishonor, He will destroy them in this terrible manner, arming all creatures for vengeance against His enemies (Wis. 5:8‑24, and showing by the manner of their destruction the evils which will fall upon all sinners. The darkness of the sun will indicate the darkness of hell; the blood-red moon, the anger and wrath of God; the disappearance and falling of the stars, will represent the fall of sinners into the abyss of hell and their disappearance from earth; and the madness of the elements, will exhibit the rage of the beasts of hell. Sinners will then vainly, and too late, repent that they have attached their hearts to things which will end so horribly, and that only increase their torments.

Why does Christ nevertheless command: "Lift up your heads, for your redemption is at hand"?

These words are spoken to the just who as long as they live on earth are like prisoners and exiles, but who at the Last Judgment will be taken body and soul into their long desired fatherland, the kingdom of heaven: into the freedom of the children of God. These will have reason to raise their heads, now bowed in mourning, and to rejoice.

How will the Last Judgment commence?

By the command of God the angels will sound the trumpets, summoning all men from the four parts of the earth to come to judgment (I Thess. 4:15). Then the bodies of the dead will unite with their souls, and be brought to the valley of Josaphat, and there placed, the just on the right, the wicked on the left (Mt. 25:33). Then the devils as well as the angels will appear; Christ Himself will be seen coming in a cloud, in such power and majesty that the sinners will be filled with terror. They will not dare to look at Him, and will cry to the mountains to fall upon them, and to the hills to cover them (Lk. 23:30).

How will the judgment be held?

The book of conscience, upon which all men are to be judged, and which closed with this life, will be opened. All good and evil thoughts, words, deeds and motives, even the most secret, known only to God, will then be as plainly revealed to the whole world as if they were written on each one's forehead; by these each one will be judged, and be eternally rewarded, or eternally punished.

O God! If we must then give an account of every idle word (Mt. 12:36), how can we stand in the face of so many sinful words and actions!

Why will God hold a universal public Judgment?

Although immediately after death, a special private judgment of each soul takes place, God has ordained a public and universal judgment for the following reasons: First, that it may be clearly shown to all how just has been His private judgment, and also that the body which has been the instrument of sin or of virtue may share in the soul's punishment or reward; secondly, that the justice which they could by no means obtain in this life, may be rendered before the whole world to the oppressed poor, and to persecuted innocence, and that the wicked who have abused the righteous, and yet have been considered honest and good, may be put to shame before all; thirdly, that the graces and means of salvation bestowed upon each, may be made known; fourthly, that the blessed providence of God which often permitted the righteous to suffer evil while the wicked prospered, may be vindicated, and it be shown on that day that His acts are acts of the greatest wisdom; fifthly, that the wicked may learn the goodness of God, not for their comfort or benefit, but for their greater sorrow, that they may see how He rewards even the slightest work performed for His love and honor; finally, that Christ may be exalted before the wicked on earth as before the good in heaven, and that the truth of His words may solemnly be made manifest.

ASPIRATION Just art Thou O God, and just are Thy judgments. Ah, penetrate my soul with holy fear of them, that I may be kept always in awe, and avoid sin. Would that I could say with the penitent St. Jerome: "Whether I eat or drink, or whatever I do, I seem to hear the awful sound of the trumpet in my ears: `Arise ye dead, and come to judgment."'