Martyrdom is a Great Grace From God!

Greetings in Jesus and Mary...

Happy feast of the Holy Family. I found this image of Sweet Jesus at the foot of St. Joseph, the carpenter, picking up a nail and standing in the shadow of the cross. I wish Our Lady was in it too - it would have made a perfect Holy Family picture for this topic today. Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen said: "We were all born to live....Jesus was born to die --- to die on a cross for you and me!" 

Yesterday was the Feast of the Holy Family. As we know, for the past few decades, the family has been under attack. When the family falls, so does society. This is what the globalist communist want in order to create their "order out of chaos". The explanation for transgenderism, gay rights, abortion, same sex marriage, divorce, contraception and the wide spread fornication of our young couples that live together before their date to get married. All of this is bringing God's Judgement upon the whole world. May we all pray to the Holy Family to restore order in our society and families. We all have some of this in our families --- it is that widespread.

I just read the amazing article by John Henry Westen on his "Lifesite News" regarding the shedding of blood and its relation to the Infant Jesus and the feast days that follow Christmas in the liturgical year. He did an amazing job with this for this time of year and this time in history. This is reality folks...this is Scripture...this is what each of us must prepare for whether it be white martyrdom (persecution for the sake of Christ) or red martyrdom (death for the sake of Christ). Archbishop Fulton Sheen would talk about this often as well as Fr. John Hardon. When we stand before God on Judgement Day we better show Him our scars. No crucifixion - no redemption. I know the Protestants would have trouble with that but I don't know why --- it is Scriptural...we must pick up our crosses and follow Him.  Why would anyone want a rapture when we all know what a grace to the Church and to ourselves - martyrdom truly is?

John Henry Westen's article is worth reading or listening to very often throughout this year and beyond. We are not going back to the way "things were".  And the way he puts it - why would we want to?  We must go forward defending the Faith, standing at the foot of the cross with Our Lady and face the suffering for the good of the Church and for the glory of God. Suffering is a mystery of God and if we are to call ourselves Christians - we are to imitate Jesus Christ and all the heroic saints that went before us! I hope this brings great joy and hope and courage to your soul as it did mine!!

I have quoted some of the best of John Henry's  talk....

"Pious Catholic parents of old could often be heard telling their children about the glorious martyrs and even the crown of martyrdom as a ticket straight to heaven and avoiding the sufferings of purgatory and a particular glory in heaven. Some may dismiss that as pious legend, but the doctors of the Church uphold it. St. Thomas Aquinas writes that “Pain suffered in this life voluntarily cleanses much more than pain inflicted after death” in Purgatory.

Why is this? He quotes St. Augustine, “If anything needing to be cleansed be found in [those martyrs], it is cut off by the sickle of suffering.” St. Augustine even says that it would be insulting to pray for the repose of the souls of martyrs.

And let’s remember too that “martyr” means witness. The martyrs’ witness to the love of Christ is the most effective means of spreading the truth of Christ. The third-century writer Tertullian wrote these fierce and fiery words to the Roman Emperor and his government:

“Your cruelty, however exquisite, does help you stamp us out. The more often you mow us down, the more in number we grow; for the blood of the martyrs is the seed of Christians.

“For who sees our stubbornness in the face of death, without looking into the cause? Who, after this inquiry, does not embrace our doctrine? And when he has embraced it, who does not desire to suffer so that he may share the fullness of God’s grace, and obtain from God complete forgiveness, by giving in exchange his blood? For martyrdom secures the remission of all offenses.

“It is for this reason that we return thanks, on the very spot, for your death sentences.”

Holy Mother of God and of all of us, pray for us!
Sacred Heart of Jesus, fill us with Your Grace to embrace our cross for the good of the Church and for the glory of God our Father!!

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Martyrdom - A message of Love