Bulletin 170

SAINT AGNES CATHEDRAL 533 South Jefferson Springfield, MO 65806

EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)

CELEBRANT: Father Jeffery Fasching

September 22, 18th Sunday after Pentecost

Epistle: 1 Cor. 1: 4-8
Gospel: Mt. 9: 1-8

Mon 23 Saint Linus * Pope & Martyr—No Latin Mass
Tue 24 Requiem Mass + John Scaria
Wed 25 Feria
Thu 26 Feria
Fri 27 SS. Cosmas * Damian * Martyrs

The next pot-luck dinner will be Sunday, October 6th following the 2:30pm Latin Mass.

It is entirely possible for one form of ritual to be more efficacious than another form. At the present time, we have two forms of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass—the Ordinary Form and the Extraordinary Form. When one form is offered with greater solemnity, it tends to be more efficacious that one that is offered with less solemnity. The solemnity gives greater glory to God. Since Jesus Christ is the King and Ruler of the universe, He deserves a greater ritual than any earthly king!

The ritual of the Holy Sacrifice is a combination of prayers and gestures. Prayer itself has governing principles that make it meritorious, and these principles can be applied to the ritual of the Mass. Saint Thomas observes that vocal prayer is done in order to render God His due and to move man’s mind and heart toward Him. Prayer is an act of the virtue of religion and we pray as God’s creatures because it is our duty.

The same principle can be applied to the ritual of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The ritual of the Mass ought to be ordered to God and not to man, except insofar as man is served in order to serve God. In other words, God is the end of the ritual, not man. This follows the order of charity in which we love God first and then our neighbor for the sake of God. The ritual should not have man as its finality, but God. If it has man as its finality, it goes contrary to charity, which has God as its end. It will also go contrary to justice since one will not render to God through the prayers of the ritual what it due to Him.

In Christ,

Father Jeff Fasching

Bulletin 114

SAINT AGNES CATHEDRAL 533 South Jefferson Springfield, MO 65806

EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)

CELEBRANT Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

August 12th, 11th Sunday after Pentecost

Epistle: 1 Cor. 15:1-10; Gospel: Mk. 7:31-37

Mass Schedule August 13th through August 17th

Monday –Feria--NO LATIN MASS

Tuesday-Vigil of the Assumption

Wednesday-Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary—Mass at 10:00am

Thursday-Saint Joachim, Father of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Friday-Saint Hyacinth, Confessor

Pot Luck dinner August 12th immediately following the 2:30pm Mass.

NOTE: THERE WILL BE NO LATIN MASS THIS FRIDAY, AUGUST 1OTH AT 12:15PM.

MASS ON THE FEAST OF THE ASSUMPTION WILL BE AT 10:00AM.

The Blessed Virgin Mary is by far our most powerful intercessor! We should have recourse to her constantly in order to draw closer to Jesus Christ her Son. Mary’s sinless soul was filled with the Divine Spirit of Jesus Christ far and above all other human souls. Her intimate union with Christ makes it impossible for her son to refuse any request on her part!

There is absolutely no quicker way to conform ourselves to the person of Jesus Christ than by meditating upon the mysteries of His life. We do this when we pray the Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Saint Louis Marie de Montfort writes that: “All our perfection consists in being conformed, united and consecrated to Jesus Christ; and therefore the most perfect of all devotions is, without any doubt, that which the most perfectly conforms, unites and consecrates us to Jesus Christ. Now Mary, being the most conformed of all creatures to Jesus Christ, it follows that of all devotions, that which most consecrates and conforms the soul to our Lord is devotion to His Holy Mother; that the more a soul is consecrated to Mary, the more it is consecrated to Jesus Christ.”

The best reasons for praying the Holy Rosary are the following:

1) For world peace… “Say the Rosary every day to obtain peace for the world.” (Our Lady of Fatima, 1917). The Popes have highly recommended the Rosary to promote peace throughout the world.

2) A means for preserving the home…”There is no surer means of calling down God’s blessings upon the family…than the daily recitation of the Rosary”… Pope Pius XII

3) For courage in the hardships of life …”a powerful means of renewing our courage will undoubtedly be found in the Holy Rosary”…Pope Leo XIII

4) As a ready and easy means of preserving the faith…”We have elsewhere brought it to the attention of the devout Christian that not least among the advantages of the Rosary is the ready means it puts in his hands to nurture his faith, and to keep him from ignorance of his religion and the danger of error”…Pope Leo XIII

Sincerely in Christ,

Fr. Jeffery Fasching

Seek the Good of Others

From a letter to the Corinthians by Saint Clement, pope:

The command has been written: Cling to the saints, for those who cling to them will be sanctified. There is a passage in Scripture as well which states: "With the innocent man you will be innocent, and with the chosen you will be chosen also; likewise with the perverse you will deal perversely..."

Why are there strife and passion, schisms and even war among you? Do we not possess the same Spirit of grace which was given to us and the same calling in Christ? Why do we tear apart and divide the body of Christ? Why do we revolt against our own body...?

We should put an end to this division immediately...


Father Angelo Vanderputten, FSSP, has volunteered to offer Mass in the Extraordinary Form at Saint Agnes Cathedral on July 15th at 2:30pm. There will be Mass on July 15th at 2:30pm at Saint Agnes Cathedral.

In Christ,

Father Jeff Fasching

Pray Without Ceasing

Prayer is a gift from God. As God's creatures, we owe it to Him to pray always. Prayer lifts up the mind and heart to God. Prayer is union with God. The more we pray, the more we find ourselves united to God. The more we pray, the more we find strength to endure all things that come our way.

Lent is a time when we sacrifice. We discipline our bodies in order to focus on what is spiritual. A sincere spirit of mortification of our bodies leads to a greater awareness of the suffering and risen Lord Jesus Christ. Through penance we learn patience during our own times of trial and suffering.

Lent is a great opportunity to sacrifice for others as well. We do this for love of God. This lenten season let us pray for our brothers in need. Let us pray for a greater desire to do penance!

Sincerely in Christ,

Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

Charity Continued

"Whoever loves me will keep my commandments. And this is my commandment: that you love one another." If a man truly loves God, he must love his neighbor as well. We must strive to serve one another out of love for Christ. Our love for God manifests itself in the ways we find to do good for others. Hence, love is the fulfillment of the law. Faith alone cannot save us.

In Christ,

Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

The Theological Virtues

Saint Paul in his letter to the Corinthians speaks of the three theological virtues; faith, hope and love. The theological virtues are among our greatest gifts from God. They are infused into our hearts through divine grace. However, we must remember our responsibility to nourish these God-given gifts. We must always and everyday pray for them. We should beg God that we grow in them, never take them for granted, but instead cherish them as our most prized possessions.

We are all people of faith. Perhaps we may know somebody whom we believe to be a person of great faith. Chances are we know somebody who seems to have little, if any faith at all. Faith is a precious gift. The strength of our faith depends a great deal on how we ourselves nourish it. We should constantly ask God for an increase in faith.

We see in the Gospel another great example of Jesus Christ demanding faith from the blind man who wishes to see. Our Lord gives the blind man his sight because “thy faith hath made thee whole.” The blind man believed in his heart that Jesus had the power to heal him. Therefore when the blind man asked for his sight, it was given to him.

Our Lord wants the exact same faith from each one of us. One of the easiest and most effective ways of nourishing our faith and praying for the other virtues is meditating on the mysteries of the Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary. When we mediate upon the resurrection, for example, we must beg God for a greater faith. We should contemplate the unprecedented faith that was given to the Blessed Virgin Mary and ask God for a share in this same faith. When we focus on the ascension we should ask God for a greater hope that where He has gone, we will one day follow.

Saint Paul explains that the virtues of faith and hope mean nothing if we do not put them into practice, therefore the greatest of these virtues is love. “Holy” people are people who exercise on a regular basis the virtue of charity. Hence, charity is the key to holiness and sanctity. We can find charitable things to do each and every day that help us grow in holiness. These can be the smallest of acts, because God looks at the intention of one’s heart, not the magnitude of the act.

Sincerely in Christ,

Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

Charity and Forgiveness

Today is the twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost. The gospel parable of the wicked servant reminds us of our responsibility to practice charity towards our brethren, particularly when it comes to forgiving. If we forgive others their failings, our heavenly Father will forgive ours; but if we do not forgive others, our Father will not forgive our failings either.

Saint Paul's epistle tells us that our fight is not against flesh and blood, but rather against principalities and powers. Satan wants to cause division by sowing discord amongst us. He does this when we succomb to fostering bitterness, hatred and an unwillingness to forgive one another from the heart. When one chooses not to forgive his brother, one gives that person power over oneself that is unhealthy.

Today let us make it our aim to love one another as Christ has loved us.

Sincerely in Christ,

Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching.

The Priest in Relation to the Holy Ghost

By a special anointing of the Holy Ghost, the priest receives power to consecrate the Eucharist, forgive sins, and administer the other sacraments. Consecrated by the anointing of the Holy Ghost and sent by Christ, priests mortify the works of the flesh in themselves and dedicate themselves completely to the service of the people…

All of us have the responsibility to encourage vocations to the priesthood. Studies reveal that the most common and most influential reason why young men aspire to become priests is personal acquaintance with a priest. We must pray the Lord of the harvest that He may send laborers into His harvest. We must love Christ and the priesthood. We must be optimistic. We cannot always complain about what is wrong with the Church or the priests. Rather we must be people of great hope and confidence. Christ has already gained the victory for us! “If God is for us, who can be against us?” “We are more than conquerors because of Him who loved us.” Who wants to be a loser? If you are a winner, others will want to join your team.

In an eloquent sermon delivered at the first Mass of a newly ordained priest, a famous nineteenth century Dominican preacher spoke the following words:

“To live in the midst of the world without wishing its pleasures; to be a member of each family, yet belong to none; to share the sufferings of all; to be aware of people’s deepest secrets; to heal the wounds of all; to go from people to God and offer Him their prayers; to return from God to people to bring pardon and hope; to have a heart on fire with charity and a heart of bronze for chastity; to teach and to pardon, console and bless always. My God what a life! And it is yours, O priest of Jesus Christ!

Sincerely in Christ,

Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

Praying for the Dead

The Holy Church of God is composed of three parts: The Church Militant, the Church Triumphant, and the Church Suffering or Purgatory. This triple Church constitutes the mystical body of Jesus Christ, and the souls in Purgatory are no less His members than are the faithful upon earth and the elect in Heaven. In the Gospel, the Church is usually called the Kingdom of Heaven. Purgatory is a part of this vast kingdom!

The Book of Maccabees reminds us that: “It is a holy and wholesome thought, to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins.” Prayer for the dead, sacrifices, and suffrages all form a part of Christian worship and devotion towards the souls in Purgatory which the Holy Ghost Himself infuses with charity into the hearts of the faithful.

How as the Church Militant do we obtain relief for the souls in Purgatory? Prayers, alms, fasts, and penances of any kind, indulgences, and above all the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass are all means by which we can gain relief for the poor souls, provided we are in a state of grace. The merciful assistance which God allows us to give to our suffering brethren is of excellent profit to ourselves as well. It is a work not only advantageous to the departed, but also holy and salutary for the living. "Sancta et salubris est cogitatio pro defunctis exorare."

The Peace of Christ

He who hates his brother is a murderer. Our duty as Christians is to promote peace and cultivate harmony as best we can. Saint John says that love comes from God. Whoever is not with God does not possess love. We must therefore keep God's commandments. They lead us to true life. They lead us to peace. We must keep peace before all other virtues.

If we embrace peace we contribute to tranquility in the world. We acknowledge the tie that binds us together, namely charity.

In Christ,

Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

The Blessed Trinity

When the Holy Ghost dwells within us, the Word who gives us the Holy Ghost dwells within us as well. Furthermore, the Father is also present in the Word. This is why Saint Paul says: "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all!" Grace and the gift of the Trinity are given by the Father through the Son in the Holy Spirit.

Saint Paul came to know Christ better than anybody else. Saint Paul became the very image of Christ and so he was able to say: "It is no longer I who live, it is Christ who lives in me." This is what we strive for as Christians. It is a lofty goal, but one that Christ Himself wishes us to attain!

Sincerely in Christ,

Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

Doing God's Will

Saint Cyprian writes:

"All Christ did, all He taught, was the will of God. Humility in our daily lives, an unwavering faith, a moral sense of modesty in conversation, justice in acts, mercy in deed, discipline, refusal to harm others, a readiness to suffer harm, peaceableness with our brothers, a whole-hearted live of the Lord, loving in Him what is of the Father, fearing Him because He is God, preferring nothing to Him who preferred nothing to us, clinging tenaciously to His love, standing by His cross with loyalty and courage whenever there is any conflict involving His honor and His name, manifesting in our speech the constancy of our profession and under torture confidence for the fight, and in dying the endurance for which we will be crowned--this is what it means to wish to be a coheir with Christ, to keep God's command; this is what it means to do the will of the Father."

In Christ,

Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

Charity III

Saint Peter in his epistle for Mass today encourages us to put on charity above all else. Christian charity is the key to holiness. Saint Paul himself reminds us that charity is how we show our true love for Jesus Christ. As we approach Pentecost we acknowledge that we have received the very Holy Ghost of God into our souls! We must realize we can accomplish anything we set out to do!

Veni Sancte Spiritus!

In Christ,

Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

Unselfishness

Christ had no place to lay His head. He was born and brought up in poverty. He died upon the Cross and was buried in a borrowed tomb. How ashamed we should be to engross ourselves in the goods of this world. Our kingdom as Christians is not of this world. We have here no fixed abode. Why do we attach ourselves to things that pass away?

Seek first to extend the kingdom of Christ on earth. If we agree to be co-workers with Christ, all other things will be given to us in due time by God the Father Who is in heaven. Do good while there is still time. Give up your convenience and your rest. Christ came to serve and not be served. He left the glories of heaven to seek the lost sheep.

Let us imitate Christ in our own zeal to serve.

In Christ,

Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

Christian Charity

Christian almsgiving is something that Jesus Christ recommends quite frequently in the Gospels. Almsgiving is a mercy we perform on behalf of those in need. We also do good for our neighbor by helping him to work for his salvation. For example, we support his defects and pardon his offences.

We must also remember that these works of charity may be offered for the dead as well. In so doing, we may obtain great satisfactory virtue. The satisfactory value of our works of charity may be turned over into the hands of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She, in turn, may distribute them as she sees fit to those souls which she desires to deliver from Purgatory.

Remember to pray for the souls in Purgatory.

Sincerely in Christ,

Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

Following Christ

If we say we are followers of Christ we must also follow His example. God sent all the prophets to preach repentance and conversion. After that He sent John the Baptist to preach the same message. Christ Himself preached constantly about the importance of amending one's life. Christ says: "Come to me, all you who labor and are overburdened, and I will give you rest." Christ constantly forgave and called men to Himself.

We must imitate Christ. We must be zealous with kindness and the ability to forgive. This is what draws people to Christ. We must constantly seek out those who are lost and guide them back to the flock as Christ did.

Sincerely in Christ,

Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

Charity II

We cannot work out our salvation without charity! When we have charity all the other virtues come with it. Charity purifies and sanctifies our actions. Charity perfects the soul. Saint Paul says in his epistle: “Brethren, If I speak with the tongues of men and of Angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. And if I should have prophecy, and should know all mysteries and all knowledge: and if I should have all faith so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And if I should distribute all my goods to feed the poor, and if I should deliver my body to be burned and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.”

In Christ,

Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

Charity

What is Charity? It is a theological virtue that God infuses into our heart by which we learn to love God with our whole heart and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God. We should pray every day that we learn to love God above all things, even ourselves. To love God above all things means to be willing to lose fortune, good name, parents, friends children, husband, wife, and even our own life, than to lose God by committing a mortal sin.

Saint Augustine says that to love God perfectly means to love Him without measure, even if there were no heaven to hope for or no hell to fear. Saint Paul knew all too well that to really love God means that neither sufferings, persecutions, contempt, life, or death are capable of taking this love away from us. We owe this kind of love to God.

Those who possess Charity do not strive to accumulate the goods of this world. The things of this world are nothing to them. They realize that those who cling to this world’s goods are unhappy people. They strive constantly to atone for their sins through good works. They are kind to everybody.

When we meditate upon the second mystery of the Holy Rosary, we ask God for a spirit of Charity.

Sincerely in Christ,

Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

Purgatory

The Dogma of Purgatory is often forgotten by the majority of the faithful. Saint Francis de Sales once said "we do not sufficiently remember our dear departed; their memory seems to perish with the sound of the funeral bells." We have an obligation to pray for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. Although the Poor Souls are assurred of their salvation and the beatific vision, they are not yet there. They are truly suffering. They are no longer able to pray for themselves, therefore they rely completely upon the prayers of their friends here on earth.

Prayer and sacrifices for the departed are part of our Christian worship. Devotion towards the souls in Purgatory is a devotion infused into our souls by the Holy Ghost. It is a holy and wholesome thought, says Scripture, to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins.

Today a votive Mass will be offered for the souls in Purgatory. Let us pray with the Church Militant for the Church Suffering.

Sincerely in Christ,

Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

Holiness II

We may often here others or even ourselves refer to certain people as being "holy." What does it mean to be holy? We know that the Church invites us all to embrace holiness. In fact there is a universal "call" to holiness for every single member. Do we think of ourselves as holy? Do we strive for holiness?

Holiness begins with our own personal relationship with Jesus Christ. As we begin a new year it is a perfect time to renew our dedication and fideltiy to our Lord. We do this initially by deepening our prayer life. We must continue to beg our Lord for the grace of prayer. Christ longs for our attention. He wants us to place ourselves at His feet and simply remain in His presence. Christ will communicate with us intimately when we make it a regular habit to calm our minds and clear our heads in order to listen to Him speak to us.

We must develop a disciplined, well-ordered, daily life of prayer as a creature of God. After we have established a well-ordered spirituality with Christ, we must in turn use this foundation to serve one another. Without a spirit of charity we cannot expect to be holy. How do you plan to serve Christ today? What have you done for God and His Church lately? What have you done for your brothers?

We pray for the strength to answer God's call to prayer. We pray that we will respond to the needs of others by our good works. If we pray and love, we fulfull our twofold duty toward our Creator.

Sincerely in Christ,

Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching