Made Perfect in Weakness

[Rum:7:15] Ma nafx x'jien nagħmel; naf li mhux dak li rrid nagħmel iżda dak li ma rridx. [Rum:7:16] Jekk nagħmel dak li ma rridx, naqbel mal-Liġi li hi tajba. [Rum:7:17] Issa mela mhux aktar jien li qiegħed nagħmel dan iżda d-dnub li hemm jgħammar ġewwa fija. [Rum:7:18] Naf li t-tajjeb ma jgħammarx fija, jiġifieri f'ġismi. Ir-rieda tajba qiegħda hemm fija, imma li nagħmel it-tajjeb m'hux hemm. [Rum:7:19] M'iniex nagħmel it-tajjeb li rrid, imma qiegħed nagħmel il-ħażin li ma rridx. [Rum:7:20] Jekk jien nagħmel sewwasew dak li ma rridx, mhux jien mela qiegħed nagħmlu iżda d-dnub li hemm jgħammar fija. [Rum:7:21] Nħoss din il-liġi ġewwa fija: meta rrid nagħmel it-tajjeb, ifeġġ quddiemi l-ħażin. [Rum:7:22] Skond il-bniedem ta' ġewwa togħġobni l-liġi ta' Alla; [Rum:7:23] iżda nilmaħ fil-membri ta' ġismi liġi oħra titqabad kontra l-liġi ta' moħħi u tjassarni taħt il-liġi tad-dnub li hemm ġo ġismi. [Rum:7:24] Msejken bniedem li jien! Min se jeħlisni minn dan il-ġisem tal-mewt? [Rum:7:25] Niżżi ħajr lil Alla permezz ta' Ġesù Kristu Sidna!

Custodia Oculorum - Custody of the Eyes

Licentiousness abounds in the world today and getting back into this ancient Catholic practice of custody of the eyes is most salutary.

St. Francis Xavier: "You are unworthy to have God look upon you, since for the sake of looking upon a man, you do not regard the risk of losing God."

Highly irritating prurient (trending) video posts on Facebook, rampant unabashedly trashy sexy bashes on the ramp featured in the local news, and most importantly, St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi's vision of where souls stained with sins of impurity are lodged in Purgatory inspired this video: "From thence she passed into the place where those souls were imprisoned which had formerly been stained with impurity. She saw them in so filthy and pestilential a dungeon that the sight produced nausea. She turned away quickly from that loathsome spectacle."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPrtl-yrwIY

video & information

 

 

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Custody of the Eyes - Published on May 24, 2014
Sermon on how men need to have modesty of the eyes. The eyes are the windows of your soul & there is a lot of temptation out there. This will help keep you on the path.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeFYaS0M-ME

 

 

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Custody of the Eyes: What it is and How to Practice It

http://chastity.com/blog/custody-of-the-eyes-what-it-is-and-how-to-practice-it

Oh! how many are lost by indulging their sight!  — St. Alphonsus de Ligouri
If your eye offends you, pluck it out. — Jesus
We live in a hyper-sexualized, even porn-ified, culture, and if you’re a man who wants to be pure, you’re going to be involved in constant warfare against lust. Everything from toothpaste commercials to weight loss ads has some sort of sexual spin.
Then there is the rampant immodesty in women’s dress (even in church, sadly), including mini-shorts, crop tops, and leggings worn as pants. Popular TV shows are filled with graphic sex, and celebrities dress in see-through clothing—that is, when they aren’t releasing nude photos of themselves.
Now, these temptations are so powerful because they involve our sight—one of the most potent of our senses, especially for us men. What we see is indelibly etched into our memories, and we can never truly un-see anything. Additionally, our sight has a powerful connection to what we want. Radio ads will never be as effective as TV ads, because hearing simply isn’t as strong a sense as sight.
Today I want to talk about an ancient Catholic practice that can help us combat temptations to lust: Custodia occulorum, or custody of the eyes.
What it is
At its most basic level, custody of the eyes simply means controlling what you allow yourself to see. It means guarding your sense of sight carefully, realizing that what you view will leave an indelible mark on your soul.
Many of the saints, in their zeal for purity, would never look anyone in the face. “To avoid the sight of dangerous objects, the saints were accustomed to keep their eyes almost continually fixed on the earth, and to abstain even from looking at innocent objects,” says St. Alphonsus de Liguori.
Now, staring at the floor at all times is a bit extreme for most of us, but it does demonstrate the seriousness with which the saints viewed the importance of purity. They teach us that it is simply impossible to allow hundreds of immodest images into our minds, however unintentionally, and remain pure.
Of course, to the modern mind, this guarding of the eyes is rather quaint and even ridiculous. How prudish, many would think, to think that we should exercise any control over what we see. And yet, if we care about our souls, we have no other option.
How to Practice It
The best place to begin practicing custody of the eyes is in the things we can control, such as movies, magazines, or television shows. If your favorite TV show has a sex scene every five minutes, you need to cut it out of your life. It’s not worth the temptation. In short, don’t consume things that are occasions of sin. Carelessly putting yourself in spiritual danger in this way is a grave sin itself, so take it seriously.
It’s actually rather easy to edit what you consume. But what about the things we can’t control, such as the immodestly dressed woman walking past you? This takes far more prayer-fueled discipline and practice. That said, here are some suggestions.
First, if you’re struggling with the way a woman is dressed, immediately look at her face. I don’t care how beautiful a woman is, it is essentially impossible to lust after someone’s face. The face is the icon of each person’s humanity, and it is far easier to respect a woman’s dignity when you’re looking at her face and not her body.
Second, it may just be appropriate to stare at the floor sometimes, especially if there’s no other way to avoid temptation. This doesn’t have to be the norm, but if the situation warrants it, it is foolish not to do so.
Third, avoid places you know are problematic for you. For most men, the beach is a problem. Dozens of women in tiny bikinis is just too much. If that’s the case for you, avoid the beach.
Finally, fast and pray. This should go without saying, and yet I am always amazed that men think they can control themselves without God’s help. It simply isn’t possible. We always need grace in the battle against concupiscence, and if we trust in ourselves and our own willpower, we will do nothing but fail.
Conclusion
Yes, temptation is everywhere, but we are not helpless victims. We must take the need for purity seriously, and that means guarding carefully what we allow ourselves to see. Through prayer, fasting, and practice, we can learn to take control of our eyes and avoid temptation. This isn’t quaint and archaic—it’s basic to spiritual survival.
Let us call upon our most pure Lady and her chaste husband St. Joseph, begging their intercession for our purity.

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Vanġelu u spjega tat-30 Ħadd ta' matul is-Sena C -The Pharisee and the Tax Collector

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

- SATURDAY MORNING GOSPEL OF WEEK 3 OF LENT
- IN YEAR C - SUNDAY GOSPEL OF WEEK 30 IN ORDINARY TIME
--- The tax collector, not the Pharisee, went home justified ---

Evanġelju
Il-pubblikan, u mhux il-fariżew,niżel id-dar iġġustifikat
Lq 18, 9-14

 

Qari mill-Evanġelju skont San Luqa

 

F’dak iż-żmien, [Lq:18:9] kien hemm uħud li kienu jafdaw fihom infushom li huma ġusti u kienu jmaqdru lill-oħrajn. Ġesù qalilhom din il-parabbola: [Lq18:10] "Żewġt irġiel, wieħed Fariżew u l-ieħor pubblikan, telgħu fit-tempju biex jitolbu.

 

[Lq18:11] Il-Fariżew, wieqaf, talab hekk f'qalbu, 'O Alla, niżżik ħajr li m'iniex bħall-bqija tal-bnedmin, ħalliela, inġusti, żienja, jew ukoll bħal dan il-pubblikan. [Lq18:12] Jiena nsum darbtejn fil-ġimgħa u nħallas l-għexur ta' kull ma ndaħħal.'

 

[Lq18:13] Iżda l-pubblikan, bilwieqfa fil-bogħod anqas biss ried jerfa' għajnejh lejn is-sema, imma beda jħabbat fuq sidru u jgħid: 'O Alla, ħenn għalija, għax jien midneb!'

 

[Lq18:14] Ngħidilkom jien li dan, u mhux l-ieħor, niżel id-dar iġġustifikat. Għax kull min jitkabbar, jiċċekken; u min jiċċekken, jitkabbar."

Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
R/. Tifħir lilek Kristu

 

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Mass of Our Lady (Gregorian Chant)

MASS OF OUR LADY AND COMPLINE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhHUOOwAzMQ

 

-INTROIT SALVE SANCTA PARENS
-KYRIE VI
-GRADUAL AUDI FILIA
-CREDO V -ALL. VIRGA JESSE
-OFF. AVE MARIA
-COMMUNION GLORIOSA


SALVE SANCTA PARENS

Salve, sancta parens, enixa puerperal Regem:
Qui Caelum, terramque regit in saecula saeculorum.
Eructavit cor meum verbum bonum: dico ego opera mea Regi.
Salve, sancta parens, enixa puerperal Regem: Qui Caelum, terramque regit in saecula saeculorum

KYRIE ELEISON VI

Kyrie eleison (3x)
Christe eleison (3x)
Kyrie eleison (3x)

GLORIA IN EXCELSIS DEO

Gloria in excelsis Deo
et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis.
Laudamus te,
benedícimus te,
adoramus te,
glorificamus te,
gratias agimus tibi propter magnam gloriam tuam,
Domine Deus, Rex cælestis,
Deus Pater omnípotens.
Domine Fili Unigenite, Iesu Christe,
Domine Deus, Agnus Dei, Fílius Patris,
qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis;
qui tollis peccata mundi, suscipe deprecationem nostram.
Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris, miserere nobis.
Quoniam tu solus Sanctus, tu solus Dominus, tu solus Altissimus,
Iesu Christe, cum Sancto Spiritu: in gloria Dei Patris. Amen.

AUDI FILIA

Audi, filia, et vide, et inclina aurem tuam:
quia concupivit rex speciem tuam.
Specie tua, et pulchritudine tua intende,
prospere procede, et regna.

VIRGA JESSE FLORUIT

Alleluia. Virga Jesse floruit:
virgo Deum et hominem genuit:
Pacem Deus reddidit, in se reconcilians imam sumis.
Alleluia. Alleluia.

CREDO V

Credo in unum Deum͵
Patrem Omnipotentem͵
factorem cæli et terræ͵
visiblium omnium͵ et invisiblium.
Et in unum Dominum Iesum Christum͵
Fileum Dei unigenitum.
Et ex Patre natum ante omnia sæcula.
Deum de Deo͵ lumen de lumine͵
Deum verum de Deo vero.
Genitum͵ non factum͵
consubstantialem Patri:
per quem omnia facta sunt.
Qui propter nos hominess et
propter nostram
salutem descendit de cælis.
Et incarnates est de Spiritu Sancto
ex Maria Virgine: Et homo factus est.
Crucifixus et iam pro nobis:
Sub Pontio Pilato passus͵ et sepultus est.
Et resurrexit tertia die͵ secundum Scripturas.
Et ascendit en cælum:
sedet ad dexteram Patris.
Et iterum venturus est cum gloria͵
iudicare vivos et mortuos:
cuius regni non erit finis.
Et in Spiritum Sanctum͵ Dominum͵
et vivicantem: Qui ex Patre
Filioque procedit.
Qui cum Patre et Filio simul adoratur͵
et conglorificatur: qui locutus
est per Prophetas.
Et unam sanctam catholicam et
Apostolicam Ecclesiam.
Confiteor unum baptisma
in remissionem peccatorum.
Et expecto resurrectionem mortuorum.
Et vitam venturi sæculi. Amen.

AVE MARIA

Ave Mari, gratia plena, Dominus tecum.
Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et
benedictus fructus ventris tui,

SANCTUS

Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus, Dominus Deus Sabaoth.
Pleni sunt caeli et terra gloria tua.
Hosanna in excelsis.
Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini.
Hosanna in excelsis.

PATER NOSTER

Pater noster, qui es in cælis,
sanctificetur nomen tuum.
Adveniat regnum tuum.
Fiat voluntas tua, sicut in cælo et in terra.
Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie, et
dimitte nobis debita nostra sicut et
nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris.
Et ne nos inducas in tentationem,
sed libera nos a malo.

AGNUS DEI

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi,
miserere nobis.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi,
miserere nobis.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi,
dona nobis pacem.

GLORIOSA

Gloriosa dicta sunt de te͵ Maria:
quia fecit tibi magna qui potens est.
Magnificat anima mea Dominum͵
Et ex sultavit spiritus meus in Deo
salvatore meo͵
Gloriosa dicta sunt de te͵ Maria:
quia fecit tibi magna qui potens est.
quia respexit humilitatem ancillæ suæ.
Ecce enim ex hoc beatam me dicent
omne generationes͵ et
misericordia eius in progenies et
progenies timentibus eum.
Gloriosa dicta sunt de te͵ Maria:
quia fecit tibi magna qui potens est.


MUSIC:
CD - Ave Maria
Publisher - Westhall, Suffolk : New World Company, 1980.