Return to The Reign of Mary No. 153
The Reign of Mary
Vol. XLV, No. 153: Letter from the Editor
February 27, 2014
St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows
Dear friends in Our Lady,
Praised be Jesus and Mary. For a good Catholic who is striving to please God, the season of Lent is a most welcome time of year. For the complacent Catholic, on the other hand, it is a painful 40 days that is dreaded. No one really enjoys doing penance, but we all are compelled to admit that we need to do so. Especially today, there is an urgent need for penance to placate the just wrath of God and to draw down His mercy upon this poor benighted world. “Spare O Lord, spare Thy people!” — the cry of the priests of the Old Law is just as fitting today.
More than that, practices of penance are of great benefit to the individual soul. Our penitential practices earn many graces for us: they strengthen our weak will and make it easier for us to practice virtue, they increase the value and merit of our prayers, they atone for the temporal punishment due to our sins lest we spend many years in purgatory, they elevate our minds to a greater appreciation of spiritual things and a greater love of God and of our faith, and they earn for us abundant graces and blessings in this life and a supernatural reward in the next. Who, then, would excuse himself from penitential practices, knowing their great value?
Remember, however, to be deserving of the name penance, our practices during Lent must be sacrificial. As an old priest used to say, “If it doesn’t hurt, it’s not penance.” That which is a great penance for one person may be of little consequence to another. So choose those penances which, for you, are difficult — which cost you. And remember also, that our primary penance during Lent is to be conscientious in fulfilling the laws of the Church, insofar as they apply to us. In cases of doubt, consult a priest. Further, our daily duty must come before any penances we choose. But over and above daily duty, be sure to select some penances for Lent, uniting your sacrifices with the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ. After all, whatever we give up is as nothing compared to what He suffered for us.
In your prayers and sacrifices, please also remember our two deacons — Rev. Frater Anthony Marie Short, CMRI, and Rev. Mr. Nino Molina — who are preparing for ordination to the holy priesthood on March 25th. It goes without saying that there is a dire need for priests in today’s world, and we must all pray for many vocations to reap the harvest of souls. But let us especially pray for holy priests. Far better to have fewer priests, but priests who are striving for the holiness of their calling, rather than many priests who are lukewarm. Pray also for the priests who provide for your spiritual needs. The devil knows only too well that if he can bring down a priest, many other souls will be affected. May God deign to give us many holy priests to follow Christ and bring souls to him.
I wish you all have a blessed Lent and a most joyous Easter. Let us also remember to pray for one another and for the conversion of sinners, as Our Lady so earnestly requested.
May God bless you all.
In the service of Jesus and Mary
Fr. Benedict Hughes, CMRI
(Email Father)