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From the 2nd Sermon of Pope St. Leo the Great on the December Fast, and Almsgiving
(read during Matins on the 3rd Sun of Advent)
"Dearly beloved brethren, with the care which becomes us as the shepherd of your souls, we urge upon you the rigid observance of this December Fast. The month of December hath come round again, and with it this devout custom of the Church. The fruits of the year, which is drawing to a close, are now all gathered in, and we most meetly offer our abstinence to God as a sacrifice of thanksgiving.
"And what can be more useful than fasting, that exercise by which we draw nigh to God, make a stand against the devil, and overcome the softer enticements of sin? Fasting hath ever been the bread of strength. From abstinence proceed pure thoughts, reasonable desires, and healthy counsels. By voluntary mortifications the flesh dieth to lust, and the soul is renewed in might.
"But since fasting is not the only mean whereby we get health for our souls, let us add to our fasting works of mercy. Let us spend in good deeds what we take from indulgence. Let our fast become the banquet of the poor. Let us defend the widow and serve the orphan; let us comfort the afflicted and reconcile the estranged; let us take in the wanderer and succor the oppressed; let us clothe the naked and cherish the sick. And may every one of us that shall offer to the God of all goodness this Advent sacrifice of fasting and alms be by Him fitted to receive an eternal reward in His heavenly kingdom!
"We fast on Wednesday and Friday; and there is likewise a Vigil on Saturday at the Church of St. Peter, that by his good prayers we may the more effectually obtain what we ask for, through our Lord Jesus Christ, Who with the Father and the Holy Ghost, liveth and reigneth, God, world without end. Amen."
With a little comedic intro... Our Church and our Nation need our prayers, especially now, in light of the assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump. This prayer was composed by the first bishop of the USA, John Carroll, cousin to Charles Carroll, the only Catholic to sign the Declaration of Independence.
Welcome to Septuagesima! For those of you who don't follow my other channel, Gregorian Chant Academy, here is a video I made last year explaining the amazing mysteries and significance of the season of Septuagesima and Lent, etc. Needless to say, this is just a brief overview and there is soooo much more that could be said about this. Enjoy!
You may not hear from me very often but that is partially because I don't want to post simply for the sake of posting, or for the sake of popularity. When I post, I want it to be of value. Plus, I think as a society we spend far too much time on the internet and social media anyway. But today, I do have something to share and I'd like to share with you a little poem, beautifully written by Malcom Guite, about how careful we all need to be over our speech (and our thoughts). If you are not familiar with Malcom Guite, he is an Anglican priest (but with a lot of very Catholic ways of thinking at times) as well as an amazing poet and pipe smoking enthusiast from Britain. This poem is titled "What If" but could just as easily be titled "Every Idle Word". Anyway, without any further ado, here is his poem.
“But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” Mathew 12:36-37
What if ...
For anyone seeing this, I'm BACK! I've been super busy the past several months but I'm finally back with another interview, Independence Day Special Edition! Originally, I was supposed to be interviewing Dr Alan Harrelson of The Pipe Cottage, but due to his brand being attacked by the Cancel Culture recently, he has decided to cancel all interviews for the time being. Taking his place and returning to the show is my dad, William F. Jasper. We will be recording tomorrow, July 2, and I hope to release on July 5th or there abouts. So, if you're reading this, stay tuned and I'd delighted to have you join us! God bless America!
