DAY OF RECOLLECTION and MONTHLY CONVENTUAL MASS

This Saturday provides an opportunity for us all to attend Mass on the Ember Saturday, also the Feast of Saint Matthias, Apostle, with the Order's monthly Day of Recollection at the Little Oratory.  Next Wednesday, 28th February, is the Monthly Mass at St James's Spanish Place.  See below for details of each.

MONTHLY DAY OF RECOLLECTION

 

The February Day of Recollection will take place on Saturday 24th February at the London Oratory.  Through the kindness of the Oratory Fathers, Lauds, Mass, Vespers and Benediction, and the Spiritual Conferences will take place in the Little Oratory; lunch will take place upstairs, in St Wilfrid’s Hall. The day will be led by Fr Ronald Creighton-Jobe of the London Oratory, a chaplain of the Order since 1995, and well known to most through his long involvement in the life of the Order.

  

As ever, everyone is welcome: ALL members of BASMOM, other members of the Order in Britain, Companions and guests.

HORARIUM
10:30am		Lauds (choir dress for Members of the Order)
11am		First Spiritual Conference followed by Confessions and the recitation of the Rosary.
12 noon		Mass (choir dress)
1.15pm		Lunch
2pm		Second Spiritual Conference
3:15pm		Vespers, and Exposition and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament (choir dress)

No formal arrangements will be made for lunch.  For those who wish to bring something with them, we will ‘picnic’ in St Wilfrid’s Hall.  Feel free to bring things to eat and drink which may be shared, bearing in mind that this is for many people a fast day.  Some may wish to go to a local hostelry.  The day will resume with the second Spiritual Conference promptly at 2pm.  A donation of £10 per head will be asked for on the day, to cover the costs of the clergy.

MONTHLY MASS

Wednesday 28th February, the Conventual Mass, of the Lenten feria, will be sung in the Lady Chapel of St James’s, Spanish Place at 7pm by Father David Irwin (correction) to whom we are very grateful.

EMBER DAYS - this Wednesday, Friday and Saturday

Wednesday, Friday and Saturday of this week are the Lenten Ember Days: days of fasting and abstinence, and days of prayer.

Shadrach, Michach and Abednego saved from the Fiery Furnace by an Angel.
This story is commemorated each Saturday of the Ember days (except for Whitsun).

The word 'Ember' is a corruption of the Latin Quatuor Tempora, via the Medieval German Quatember, and thence by easy corruption of dropping the first syllable by our Germanic antecedents into 'Ember'.  It has nothing to do with embers or ashes.  Quatuor Tempora, of course, come from the simple fact that other are four such sets of three days within the year, in Lent, in Advent, between Whitsun and Trinity, and the week after Holy Cross Day in September. So these days begin, sanctify, and prepare us for, the four seasons of the calendar year. They remind us of our humanity, that it is by living our lives in the physical world and the flowing seasons that we shall attain our salvation. In our material and deracinated age this is all the more immediately needful.

On these three days Catholics traditionally refrain from all flesh, and have only one full simple meal. It is also highly desirable to make every effort to attend Holy Mass on each of these three days if possible. It is also a good time to get around to making our Lenten confession if we have not yet done so. We are also, by ancient tradition, enjoined to pray especially for our priests on these days.

These days, and this holy season of Lent, are given to us for our sanctification, let us use them wisely!  We know neither the day nor the hour.  

All things have their season, and in their times all things pass under heaven. 

A time to be born and a time to die. 

A time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted. 

A time to kill, and a time to heal. 

A time to destroy, and a time to build. 

A time to weep, and a time to laugh. 

A time to mourn, and a time to dance. 

A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather. 

A time to embrace, and a time to be far from embraces. 

A time to get, and a time to lose. 

A time to keep, and a time to cast away. 

A time to rend, and a time to sew. 

A time to keep silence, and a time to speak. 

A time of war, and a time of peace. 

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

ADDENDUM

This Ember Friday of course coincides with the traditional Passion feast (which post will appear in due time) of the Holy Lance and Nails. Liturgically, where celebrated, this feast would 'trump' the Ember day (which would be only commemorated) in both Office and Mass, though not, of course, affect the fast. The feast is by its nature sorrowful in character, so this represent no inconsistency. Nevertheless, it must be remembered that today these are only private devotions, however laudable, especially within the Tradition of the Order of St John, with its great emphasis on Our Lord's Passion. The calendar and office of the Church in both Ordinary and Extraordinary Forms have lost these pious observances, even in those few places where they were once solemnly observed. In the Extraordinary form the Ember Days continue, of course with their implicit obligations; in the Ordinary form they are at the direction of the local Bishop's conference.

DEDICATION OF THE MOTHER CHURCH OF THE ORDER - Tuesday 20 February

One of the added advantages of membership of a religious Order is that one gets extra feasts.  So while everyone else is continuing with the Lenten obligations and fast, and keeping this first Tuesday of Lent as a Lenten Feria, we in the Order of Saint John are invited to celebrate with joy the Dedication of the Conventual Church of Saint John of Jerusalem in Valetta.

The Church, the centrepiece of Grand Master de la Valette's new city, is now the Co-Cathedral of Saint John.  In it are buried most of the Grand Masters, and many knights, beneath its magnificent inlaid floor.

This is also, by custom of Holy Mother Church, the day upon which other churches of the Order, the date of consecration of which is unknown, are celebrated, and thus this day is kept as the Dedication of our own eponymous Conventual Church in Saint John's Wood.  Pray for all those who worship and minister there, especially the Chaplain, Fr Hugh MacKenzie, and that the Order may once again have fruitful use thereof.

O HOW awesome is this place, this is none other than the house of God and the gate of Heaven. 

V. This is the house of the Lord, strongly built.

R. It is well founded upon firm rock. 

Let us pray. O GOD, who for us bring each year the recurrence of the consecration day of your holy temple, and always bring us back safely to the sacred rites, has the prayers of your people and grant that whoever enters this temple to pray for blessings, may rejoice in having obtained whatever he sought. Through our Lord Jesus Christ your Son, who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen.

Our Lady of Philermo, pray for us

Saint John the Baptist, pray for us

Blessed Gerard, pray for us.

A LENTEN REFLECTION

Moses, by Michelangelo Buonarotti
Tomb of Pope Julius II

The Prophet writes to us of our modern world:

From the Canticle of Moses (Deuteronomy 32: 10-18)
HE FOUND them in a wilderness, a wasteland of howling desert. 
He shielded them and cared for them, guarding them as the apple of his eye. 
11 As an eagle incites its nestlings forth, by hovering over its brood, 
So he spread his wings to receive them, and bore them up on his pinions. 
12 The Lord alone guided them, no strange god was with him. 
13 He had them ride triumphant over the summits of the land, 
and fed them the products of its fields; 
He suckled them with honey from its rocks and olive oil from the hard stony ground; 
14 Butter from its cows and milk from its sheep, with the fat of its lambs and rams; 
its Bashan bulls and its goats, with the cream of its finest wheat; 
and the foaming blood of its grapes you drank. 
15 So Jacob ate his fill, the darling grew fat and frisky; you became fat and gross and gorged. 
They spurned the God who made them 
and scorned the Rock of their salvation. 
16 With strange gods they provoked him, and angered him with abominable idols. 
17 They offered sacrifice to demons, to “no-gods,” to gods whom they had not known before, 
To newcomers just arrived, before whom your ancestors had never stood in awe. 
18 You were unmindful of the Rock that begot you, 
you forgot the God who gave you birth.

Let us pray:
HEAR O Lord, our humble prayers, and grant that may devoutly keep this feast that has been established to cure our souls and bodies, Though Christ our Lord. Amen. (Collect for Saturday after Ash Wednesday. Tr Christine Mohrmann.)

FEAST OF THE MOST HOLY CROWN OF THORNS

In some places this day, the Friday following Ash Wednesday, was celebrated as the Feast of the Most Holy Crown of Thorns.

The Crown of Thorns, brought to France by Saint Louis, which is kept,
since the Revolution, in Notre-Dame in Paris.

EGREDIMINI, et videte, filiae Sion, regem Salomonum in diademate quo coronavit eum mater sua, parans crucem Salvatori suo. 

V. Plectus coronas de spinis.

R. Posuerunt super caput ejus. 

Oremus.  PRAESTA, quaesumus omnipotens Deus : ut qui in memoriam passionis Domini nostri Jesu Christi Coronam ejus spineam veneramur in terris, ab ipso gloria et honore coronari mereamur in coelis. Qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti, Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.

Let us pray especially this year on these Fridays of Lent, for the wellbeing of our holy Order, and for the strength in a time of trial for our beloved Religious members, who through all their human frailty, have dedicated their lives to our sanctification.

ERASMUS'S 22 RULES FOR THE CHRISTIAN KNIGHT

The teaching of the Traditions of Holy Mother Church are ever new in each successive age.  So we do well to look back to those who have taught us in the past.

The excellent Archbishop Chaput of Philadelphia in an article on the perennial doctrine of the Church in the case of morals reminds us of Erasmus's book Enchiridion militis Christiani or The Manual of a Christian Knight. (click the Latin title for a scan PDF copy.)

The Archbishop (here) quotes C S Lewis, describing Christianity as a “fighting religion.” In an article which should be both pleasing and approachable to a British readership, he appeals to us in the modern world to stand up for our duties to society, the family and the Church.

Desiderius Erasmus, by Holbein

Here are Erasmus's TWENTY-TWO RULES FOR THE CHRISTIAN KNIGHT:

Rule 1: Deepen and increase your faith.

Rule 2: Act on your faith; make it a living witness to others.

Rule 3: Analyze and understand your fears; don’t be ruled by them.

Rule 4: Make Jesus Christ the only guide and the only goal of your life.

Rule 5: Turn away from material things; don’t be owned by them.

Rule 6: Train your mind to distinguish the true nature of good and evil.

Rule 7: Never let any failure or setback turn you away from God.

Rule 8: Face temptation guided by God, not by worry or excuses.

Rule 9: Always be ready for attacks from those who fear the Gospel and resent the good.

Rule 10: Always be prepared for temptation. And do what you can to avoid it.

Rule 11: Be alert to two special dangers: moral cowardice and personal pride.

Rule 12: Face your weaknesses and turn them into strengths.

Rule 13: Treat each battle as if it were your last.

Rule 14: A life of virtue has no room for vice; the little vices we tolerate become the most deadly.

Rule 15: Every important decision has alternatives; think them through clearly and honestly in the light of what’s right.

Rule 16: Never, ever give up or give in on any matter of moral substance.

Rule 17: Always have a plan of action. Battles are often won or lost before they begin.

Rule 18: Always think through, in advance, the consequences of your choices and actions.

Rule 19: Do nothing — in public or private — that the people you love would not hold in esteem.

Rule 20: Virtue is its own reward; it needs no applause.

Rule 21: Life is demanding and brief; make it count.

Rule 22: Admit and repent your wrongs, never lose hope, encourage your brothers, and then begin again.

These rules are good counsel for all members so the Order, but it should be remembered that Erasmus was writing for men, and for young men actively involved in the world.  Women will have different priorities, and differing roles in society.  To end with a quote from Archbishop Chaput's letter which need repeating over and over again in our topsy-turvy age:

Maleness, brothers, is a matter of biology. It just happens. Manhood must be learned and earned and taught. That’s our task. So my prayer for all of us today is that God will plant the seed of a new knighthood in our hearts — and make us the kind of “new men” our families, our Church, our nation, and our world need.

Our Lady of Philermo, pray for us
Saint John the Baptist, pray for us
Blessed Gerard, pray for us.
All martyrs and confessors of our Order, pray for us.

ROSARY ON THE COAST - 29 APRIL 2018 - 3PM

We were, for much of our history, a seafaring Order.  We carried the image of Our Lady of Philermo on all our galleys into battle, and offered Mass to our blessed Virgin Mother before every battle or military engagement. 

This is a seafaring nation, the first to be dedicated to Our Lady, the only one to bear the glorious title of Her Dowry.  The land where so many Marian devotions grew and were nurtured.  A land that has known and withstood persecution of its Religion, as we do, and must, again today.

Now we, as members of the Order and as subjects of these Islands, are called upon again to invoke the name of our Beloved Mother on Sunday 29th April at 3pm in the "Rosary on the Coast".

You have doubtless all read of the Polish initiative last year, which has since been taken up also in Ireland, of a chain of Holy Rosaries recited around the nation's borders.  Well, this is the same.  A Rosary for the conversion of our society in this Nation, to build a culture of Life, and for true and Christian Peace to reign.

Having witnessed the Polish initiative, a number of the lay faithful in the British Isles - England, Scotland, Wales and their isles - have felt the same inspiration and urge to respond.

They are hoping for us to have our own national Rosary on the Coast for Faith, Life and Peace in the British Isles and are calling their brothers and sisters to such a day of Prayer and Pilgrimage on Sunday 29th April at 3pm, 2018, the fifth Sunday of Easter.

This is video explaining the event by His Excellency Bishop John Keenan of the Diocese of Paisley in Scotland.

To find out more, see the Facebook page HERE

It is hoped that member of the Order and Companions will organise themselves into groups, however small, to take themselves to somewhere on the coast that day to join in the great act of Witness. Very few people live far from the coast. One is not aware of many members of the Order being unkeen on a jolly lunch by the sea, so here is chance to turn it into something truly useful!

Our Lady of Philermo, pray for Great Britain.

RECOLLECTION - SECOND TALK

This is the text of Dr Cullinan's afternoon talk:

2. Looking Backwards

This morning we looked forwards to Lent and Easter. And tried to understand why we have to go through it. By looking back at human sinfulness. At Adam’s fall, Abraham’s faith, and Moses’s law. The Age of Nature and the Age of Law. And our own ages of nature and law as we grow up.

How we can want to do whatever we like, even when we know it isn’t right, even for ourselves. How we can see all rules and laws as somebody else interfering with our freedom. Or go to the opposite extreme and see goodness as just keeping a lot of rules, to please somebody else or pile up credit for our eternal profit.

We’ve seen the limits of fallen nature and of laws. Even good laws. Even God’s laws.

Perhaps we’ve seen why we need Lent and Easter, but we haven’t seen how to keep them. How to find a cure for our fallen nature better than anything law can come up with. How to find a better principle for our moral lives than keeping rules.

And to do this we’re going to look back. Not forward to Lent but back to Christmas.

But first we have to go a bit further back. Not as far as Adam this time. Just a few centuries before Christ. To ancient Greece. To Aristotle and virtue.

REPORT OF MONTHLY RECOLLECTION

We are extremely grateful to Dr Michael Cullinan for celebrating Mass for us at the January Recollection, the feast of S John Chrysostom, and for his most inspiring talks, and for allowing us to share the texts with us. Please pray for him too.  The afternoon talk will follow in a separate post.

We are grateful too to the Father of the London Oratory for allowing use of the Little Oratory and of St Wilfrid's Hall for lunch.

MORNING TALK

1. Looking Forward

Last time I talked about knights on campaign, and two years ago on knights (or knights to be) at prayer. This is going to be more like a Council of War. A long speech on strategy and tactics delivered by a specialist from the staff. A briefing with a lot in it, possibly too much for you. Designed to cover the ground and brief all the different specialists  in the different aspects of military organization.

So if some of it doesn’t interest you, I don’t mind if you just let it flow over you, so long as you take something to chew over that does go with where you’re at now. So here goes.

This is a turning point for traditionalists. We really have reached a turning point.

Now, don’t any of you get nervous. I’m not making any large claims, or getting involved in weighty issues of liturgy and Church politics.

I’m only talking about today. This Saturday. And today is a turning point for traditionalists. Because today it’s time to turn away from the past and look towards the future. Once again, don’t get nervous. I’m not getting into deep waters. I’m only talking about today.

CANDLEMAS AND OBEDIENCE

The Presentation in the Temple, by a follower of Caravaggio.

This post is very much for the benefit of members of the Second Class, in Obedience, in our Order, but speaks to the heart of every Catholic.

We are grateful to Rorate Caeli blog for bringing it to our attention, and to the author, Veronica Arntz, for her insight.

A very happy feast to all our readers, as Christmastide closes for another year. We are all closer to the grave, let us use our time wisely.

The feast of Candlemas is a rich tradition in the Church; it is a day that we celebrate many events, including the purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Presentation of our Lord in the Temple, and the Nunc Dimittis of Simeon. In reflecting on this beautiful feast day, one common theme that we find present is obedience. Obedience is the proper response of an individual to God’s invitation and call; it is the fitting response to God’s commandments and law. We too should strive in obedience to follow the commandments of God, just as we find in the Holy Family and the aged Simeon.

The first example of obedience is Mary who, even though she was conceived without original sin, went to be purified in the Temple in accordance with the Mosaic Law. As we read, “And when the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, ‘Every male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord’)” (Luke 2:22-23, RSV-CE).

ROBIN MAJDALANY RIP - FUNERAL DETAILS

Many members and friends will be sad to learn of the death of Robin Majdalany, knight of Magistral Grace, who died on 14th January, after a long period of illness.  Please pray for the repose of his soul.

Robin had been for several years a stalwart of the Chartres Pilgrimage, in spite of his feet being attacked by diabetes, and one year with crutches, walking as much as he could and then travelling with the then Grand Prior, Fra' Matthew Festing, and Fra' Freddy Crichton-Stuart in the support van.  He warmth and infectious humour was always cheering as he helped draw the corks at the lunch break and the end of hard days' walking.

His life had been devoted to helping those less fortunate than himself, especially the young, both with the Venerable Order, various charities and later with the Order of Malta.  He was a familiar and friendly figure for many at Lourdes.

He leaves a widow Marie who is herself in poor health, please pray for her.

His funeral will be held on Thursday 1st February at 11.30 am at the Church of Our Most Holy Redeemer & St Thomas More, 7 Cheyne Row, London SW3 5HJ. Members and friends who are free are strongly encouraged to attend.

Requiescat in pace.

NEW YEAR INDULGENCE - 1st January

On this great Feast of Mary, Mother of God, as we commit our lives in 2018 to Her infinite care, we are reminded that a plenary indulgence is granted to the Christian faithful who, in a church or in an oratory, are present [take part] in a recitation or solemn chant of: ...

1° the hymn Veni Creator ... on the first day of the year, imploring divine assistance for the whole of the coming year, or

2° the Te Deum hymn, on the last day of the year, in thanksgiving to God for the favours received in the course of the entire year.

(Reference: Enchiridion Indulgentiarum, 4th edition, 26. § 1. al. concessions.)

The faithful in doubt are reminded that this indulgence may be applied to the Faithful Departed, one of the great acts of Charity, and is gained by fulfilment of the usual conditions: of Holy Communion, Confession, and prayer for the Holy Father's intentions.

A very Happy New Year to all our pious readers!

And in case you were wondering, this is what your prayer should feel like! (Courtesy of Notre-Dame de Paris)

MALE AND FEMALE HE CREATED THEM - A TUITIO FIDEI POST

Murillo - Holy Family with St John the Baptist

As we meditate during this Holy Octave of the Nativity of our Blessed Lord on the unimaginable generosity of God in coming amongst us for our Salvation as a small baby boy, we must also, in these troubled times think too of the devastation of morals being forced upon us form every direction in our society, by those who chose to deny the reality of God's creation.

It is often very difficult for us to resist these pressures, and to have the answers ready for the aggressive liberal attacks on the Church's teaching, and more so to reply to the very warped misunderstanding of Her teaching which is often thrown at us.

The Bishops of the United States of America have published an open letter, signed by interfaith leaders, Catholic, Muslim, Orthodox and Protestant, HERE, opposing the madness of gender ideology, with the following text:

Created Male and Female : An Open Letter from Religious Leaders

December 15, 2017

Dear Friends: 

As leaders of various communities of faith throughout the United States, many of us came together in the past to affirm our commitment to marriage as the union of one man and one woman and as the foundation of society. We reiterate that natural marriage continues to be invaluable to American society. 

We come together to join our voices on a more fundamental precept of our shared existence, namely, that human beings are male or female and that the socio-cultural reality of gender cannot be separated from one's sex as male or female. 

We acknowledge and affirm that all human beings are created by God and thereby have an inherent dignity. We also believe that God created each person male or female; therefore, sexual difference is not an accident or a flaw—it is a gift from God that helps draw us closer to each other and to God. What God has created is good. "God created mankind in his image; in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them" (Gen 1:27). 

A person's discomfort with his or her sex, or the desire to be identified as the other sex, is a complicated reality that needs to be addressed with sensitivity and truth. Each person deserves to be heard and treated with respect; it is our responsibility to respond to their concerns with compassion, mercy and honesty. As religious leaders, we express our commitment to urge the members of our communities to also respond to those wrestling with this challenge with patience and love. 

Children especially are harmed when they are told that they can "change" their sex or, further, given hormones that will affect their development and possibly render them infertile as adults. Parents deserve better guidance on these important decisions, and we urge our medical institutions to honor the basic medical principle of "first, do no harm." Gender ideology harms individuals and societies by sowing confusion and self-doubt. The state itself has a compelling interest, therefore, in maintaining policies that uphold the scientific fact of human biology and supporting the social institutions and norms that surround it. 

The movement today to enforce the false idea—that a man can be or become a woman or vice versa—is deeply troubling. It compels people to either go against reason—that is, to agree with something that is not true—or face ridicule, marginalization, and other forms of retaliation. 

We desire the health and happiness of all men, women, and children. Therefore, we call for policies that uphold the truth of a person's sexual identity as male or female, and the privacy and safety of all. We hope for renewed appreciation of the beauty of sexual difference in our culture and for authentic support of those who experience conflict with their God-given sexual identity. 

CHAPLAIN'S ADVENT REFLECTION

The Madonna of the Serpent, by our confrere Carravaggio.
This painting shows us the fruits of our holy anticipation in these coming weeks.

Some of us will not look back with unalloyed pleasure on the year that has just past. Generally in the public sphere at least good news has been scarce. We are challenged at every level by uncertainty and insecurity. That should provide us with opportunities for deeper reflection and more insistent prayer. Faith can carry us through the darkest valley and offer hope where all else appears of no avail. The lessons as well as the experience of the past provide some answers as well as demonstrating both resilience as well as recovery.

2017 was hailed as a year of significant anniversaries; which indeed it was. The anniversary of Luther’s revolt in 1517 which divided Christendom; the anniversary of the Russian Revolution in 1917 which introduced 70 years of misery for millions –and whose effects still influence in a variety of ways the lives of millions more; the anniversary of the Apparition of Our Lady in Fatima which has reverberated around the world ever since and still engages speculation and supposition. The consequences of these events of global significance continue to be felt for good and ill. Religion, politics and society were profoundly affected by the events of 1517 and 1917. Much blood was spilt and much treasure expended trying to contain and then trying to defeat the conflicting forces of energy produced by both.

There is however another anniversary this year to which –to my knowledge to date- no allusion has been made. In 1417 the Council of Constance was called. Its purpose was to end the scandal of three popes, dividing the loyalties of Catholics throughout the western world. This situation had its origin in the conclave of 1378 and the election of Pope Urban VI. The cardinals were divided and later claimed to have been under undue pressure to get on with it and elect somebody. All might have gone well but for the temperament of the new pope. One historian has described him as “a coarse, overbearing, sadistic despot”. Within a short time the cardinal electors fled from Rome and disavowing the previous election went on to elect a French cardinal who took the name of Clement VII. European allies of France supported that pope. Others – including England – supported the Roman pontiff. Papal deaths on both sides produced further elections for a period of 39 years. Then in 1409 a third Pope who only lasted one year was also elected. He was succeeded by a pope calling himself John XXIII. Finally the most powerful ruler in Europe, Emperor Sigismund of Germany persuaded this last “pope” to call a Council, which met in October 1517. All three popes were persuaded to abdicate –the last time this happened until 2013 – and a new pope, Martin V, was elected and accepted by all. He then ratified all that had happened during the council, without which it would not have been legitimate.  The peaceful celebration of Midnight Mass of Christmas in Constance with the Emperor present and taking part was the first time in decades that Europe had a single pope. For the time being unity was restored. In keeping with its special character, the Advent season of 1417 was time of healing and resolution of a major schism.

Of course in those far away centuries communication was slow and most people were illiterate and would have been only vaguely aware – if at all – of the crisis. The pope was a distant figure prayed for in the Canon of the Mass and directly familiar to the people of Rome and to the few churchmen who visited Rome, and to the kings who corresponded with him for various reasons. Local struggles, natural disasters and the failure of harvests would have disturbed their peace of mind and their welfare. Information regarding everything going on now reaches us instantly. Pictures of the latest atrocity or natural disaster are on our screens in seconds. It is difficult to avoid the upset and the sense of helplessness that at time they bring. That is why understanding the supreme significance of the Christmas story is vital as an antidote to despair and disillusion. It’s not just the gifts, the goodwill and the jollity – though these link us to each other and lighten the load of solitude and hopelessness. It is the deeper meaning of the Christmas story that needs to be understood and reflected upon by all of us. After many thousands of years of human history, God intervened directly to impact decisively on our species, and indeed the whole of creation. We lacked the means to correct the imbalance and division between what God intended us to be and how humans actually behaved. By taking on, redeeming and leaving an inheritance of continuity of rescue and recovery of grace to mankind, Our Lord guaranteed a never-failing remedy. It operates and is effective among those who obediently and sincerely cooperate with it through the sacraments and the worship bequeathed to the Church by the coeternal Son of the living and only God. Advent reminds us that that evangelization is far from finished and will continue till God’s purpose is achieved. You and I are privileged to be a part of that saving work. When you offer your prayers and holy communion on Christmas day, think of just how much you owe to your Creator and your Redeemer and pray for an end to divisions both within and outside of the Church and that all of us may be united more fruitfully to the visible communion of it,  His Mystical Body.

Antony Conlon

Principal Chaplain the Grand Priory of England. 

ACTION POINT - TUITIO FIDEI ALERT - EDUCATION

By request of the British Association and the Grand Priory of England, we bring to your notice the appeal by their Excellencies the Bishops of England and Wales encouraging everyone to contact the Education Secretary, Justine Greening, and their Member of Parliament, urging them to drop the faith-based admissions cap and thus allow Catholic free schools to be created. Helpfully they've created an online form which makes it easier to do just that.

It will not take more than a minute, so it would be very helpful if you would fill out the brief form here: http://cbcew.org.uk/education-cap

At this critical stage it is important for all Catholics to keep up the pressure on the Department for Education, as the Government prepares to renege upon its election manifesto commitment. 

Thank you for taking the time to do this — and please forward this appeals as widely as you can to other Catholic friends!

For those of you who sometimes wonder what Tuitio Fidei actually involves, this opportunity to defend the Faith is a perfect example. Go out and do it now!

ALL SAINTS DAY AND MARTIN LUTHER

Let us rejoice today in the intercession of all the Saints throughout the ages whom Holy Mother Church honours in triumph this day upon all the altars of the world.

This year, which also sees the fifth centenary of the Protestant Reformation, let us ask the Saints, especially the holy Martyrs and witnesses of the Truth in our own Order of Saint John, which was cruelly destroyed in this land by the Protestant heresies, to assist us in our prayers to convert all Protestants to the True Faith, as in charity we welcome them into the One True Fold of the Church.  Let us also pray for those misguided Catholics, who through impulses of false ecumenism, have joined in the celebrations in honouring the heresiarch Martin Luther, and for the countless worthy souls who pray for their good, and who join us in the ceaseless prayer of Tuitio Fidei.

Let us pray too for the victims of the Reformation, and, amongst our own, those Sisters of our Order who were left starving and homeless, the Sick of our Hospitals left to die, the Poor left unfed, the tenants of our Commanderies destitute. May all the Holy Saints come to their eternal aid, and to the aid of the countless victims of heresy and cruelty throughout the world in our own day. 

All Holy Martyrs, pray for us,

All Holy Confessors and Doctors, pray for us.

All Holy Monks and Hermits, pray for us.

All Holy Widows and Virgins, pray for us.

Saint John Fisher and Saint Thomas More, pray for us

Blessed Adrian Fortescue, pray for us

Blessed David Gunson, pray for us.

All Holy Martyrs of England and Wales, pray for us.

The wrong sort of triumph - 
Luther as the Devil's bagpipes by Eduard Schoen 1535