VIDEO: Suffering from cancer? The Saint to call on is...

St. Peregrine Laziosi -- one of many saints that we can turn to in times of need and suffering. Despite his pains, sufferings and difficulties, he endured and turned to the Lord for healing and grace. Through his faithfulness, St. Peregrine turned his suffering into a means of proclaiming the Gospel. 

St. Peregrine (AD 1260-1345) is the patron saint of cancer patients and all illnesses. He was an Italian priest, and a member of the Friar Order Servants of Mary. His life included a conversion to the Faith at a young age, commitment to the vocation of service as a priest, serving the poor and even performing miracles. 

Later in his life he developed cancer in his right leg. A day before the surgery to amputate the leg, St. Peregrine dragged himself to the chapel before the crucifix where legend has it that Jesus descended from the cross and healed his leg. He was fully healed. He lived his life seeking to help all those in need. 

It is said that the scourge of cancer affects everyone, directly or indirectly, sooner or later. At this very moment, three people near and dear to us, including one of Walt's agents, the spouse of another, and Father Roman Galadza, for whom your prayers have been asked previously, are battling cancer. 

Please join us in asking St. Peregrine to intercede for them, for ourselves, and our loved ones. May they and we realize the healing grace of God’s love. Amen.

Good Friday prayer

We adore Thee, O Christ

and bless Thee

because by Thy Holy Cross

Thou hast redeemed the world.

Traditional Good Friday prayers

Good Catholic friends... If you attend the Good Friday Liturgy at a mainstream Roman Catholic church today, you will hear only a "reformed", politically correct version of the Solemn Prayers which were said in all our churches, on every Good Friday for centuries, until the disorientation caused by Vatican II. Here are the old prayers in a translation bearing the imprimatur of Francis Cardinal Spellman.

1. For Holy Church
Almighty and eternal God, who in Christ hast revealed They glory to all nations: preserve the works of Thy mercy; that Thy Church, spread abroad over the whole world, may with a steadfast faith persevere in the confession of Thy Name. Through the same our Lord...

2. For the Supreme Pontiff
Almighty and eternal God, by whose judgment all things are established, mercifully regard our prayers, and in Thy goodness preserve the Chief Bishop chosen to rule over us: that the Christian people who are governed by Thine authority, may under so great a Pontiff increase in the merits of their faith. Through our Lord...

3. For all orders and degrees of the faithful
Almighty and eternal God, by whose Spirit the w hole body of the Church is sanctified and governed, hear our supplications for all the orders thereof; that by the gift of Thy grace, they may all in their several degrees faithfully serve Thee. Through our Lord...

4. For the Rulers of the State
Almighty and eternal God, in whose hands is all power and authority: look with mercy on those who govern us, that Thy right hand protecting us, integrity of faith and security of country may be preserved. Through our Lord Jesus Christ...

5. For Catechumens
Almighty and eternal God, Who dost continually enrich Thy Church with a new offspring; increase the faith and understanding of our Catechumens; that being born again in the waters of Baptism, they may be joined to the children of Thine adoption. Through our Lord...

6. For the necessities of the faithful
Almighty and eternal God, the Comfort of the sorrowful, the Support of the weary, let the prayers of them reach Thee that cry to Thee in any affliction; that all may have reason to rejoice that in their need Thy mercy hath come to their aid. Through our Lord...

7. For the Unity of the Church
Almighty and eternal God, Who saves all men, and desirest not that any should perish: look down on such souls as are deceived by the wiles of the devil; that laying aside all heretical perverseness, the hearts of those who are in error may be converted, and may return to the unity of Thy truth. Through our Lord...

8. For the conversion of the Jews
Almighty and eternal God, Who art ready to extend Thy mercy even to the Jews, hear the prayers which we offer for the blindness of that people; that by acknowledging the light of Thy truth, which is Christ, they may be delivered from their darkness. Through the same our Lord...

9. For the conversion of infidels
Almighty and eternal God, Who dost ever desire the life, and not the death, of sinners: mercifully receive our prayer, and deliver them from the worship of idols, and join them to the flock of Thy holy Church, for the praise and glory of Thy Name. Through our Lord...

Pray for Syria?

Pope Francis has asked us -- Catholics and non-Catholics alike [What about the atheists? Ed.] -- to pray on Saturday for an end to the war in Syria. That's the flavour of the month, it seems. There will be talk of little else behind the scenes at the G20 summit, which by happenstance is about to get under way in Moscow.

Amongst the world "leaders" present at the G20 will be Hussein Obama, the alleged president of the US of A. Perhaps we should pray that the Prez will be unwilling or unable to make good on his sabre-rattling, or airstrike-rattling if you will. He has just been authorized so to do by a vote of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. But that won't mean anything if the full Senate votes otherwise next week. And then there's the House. Don't hold your breath waiting for anything to happen.

But even if America hits Assad hard, as this week's Economist recommends, will that end the civil war? Does peace come out of the barrel of a gun or a rocket launcher? Did intervention work in Iraq? In Afghanistan? In Libya? The Pope's day (or moment) of prayer might prove more efficacious... not that I'd bet on it.

[Ed. here. Len is not a betting man, but I am. In addition to praying for peace in Syria, I'm going to pray that I hit the trifecta three races in a row. I figure that prayer has a better chance of being answered.]

OK, that's quite enough. Let's not make light of this. According to the UN, 2 million refugees have been displaced by the war in Syria. 1000s of innocent people have died. It won't hurt for us to pray for peace, and it might help.

Mind you, it would help even more if the Pope would do what Our Lady of Fatima requested, and consecrate Russia (by name) to Her Immaculate Heart. After all, there are those, including Obama, who see Russia as the stumbling block to making peace in the Middle East. Perhaps the Consecration of Russia really is Heaven's key to peace, as the "Fatimists" keep telling us.

And it's not just Syria that stands in the need of prayer. Spare a thought for the Central African Republic. "Wat's dat?", I hear you ask. Behold the map.

It's a dungheap, not long ago called the Central African "Empire", more or less in the middle of Africa, just north of the Heart of Darkness that is the Congo.

There's a civil war going on there too. A million refugees are fleeing into the neighbouring dungheaps or other parts of their own country, running from mostly Muslim insurgents who are looting, pillaging and raping as they descend on the more-or-less Christian south.

The war in the CAR has been little noted and less discussed or prayed about. French Président François Hollande said the country is facing "Somalisation", by which he means it is becoming yet another African failed state.

But are the French about to intervene? Non! They just got through cleaning up a similar mess in Mali and have had enough of the Dark Continent. They would rather bask in the reflected glory that will accrue to the USA when Assad is toppled and peace returns to Syria. Just as happened when Gaddafi was toppled and peace and democracy were restored in Libya.

Well... Len is certainly not going to be the one to disparage the Pope's call for prayers for peace. The Holy Father's intentions are good, I'm sure. The intentions of Messrs Obama, Putin and the rest are another matter. God only knows.

More bad news for European Muslims

Hard on the heels of news of the Dutch proposal to ban burqas -- see Walt's post earlier today -- comes word that citizens of Paris will no longer be treated to the sight of 1000s of Muslim bums pointed skywards on Fridays.

This picture was taken today -- Friday -- by Patrick Kovarik of Agence France Press. While these Parisian followers of the Prophet were beseeching him to smite the Dutch (or hit Gadhafi with a lightning bolt or whatever), the French government announced that effective immediately it would enforce its ban on praying in the streets.

Interior Minister Claude Gueant directed Muslims in Paris to temporary spaces made available pending the building of a huge new prayer space and warned that force would be used if necessary as police end their tolerance of street prayers.

France has the largest Muslim minority (in percentage terms) of any European country. Marine Le Pen, France's (much better) answer to Michele Bachmann, has described the growing phenomenon of praying on the streets and sidewalks as an "invasion".

In France, you see, a strict separation of church and state has been in force for a century, and public displays of religious activity are frowned upon. Sort of like the USA, you might say. Might...

"Don't you dare pray for your sick pupil!"

Do we (Americans, Canadians, British) live in Christian countries or not?! Here's another example of the absurdities we descend to to avoid offending those who do not believe. [We used to call them pagans or heathens. ed.]

The online edition of BBC News reports that an English schoolteacher who has the special assignment of tutoring children too sick to attend classes has been dismissed from her job. The reason? She was so bold as to offer to pray for one of her pupils!

Olive Jones, a teacher with 20 years of experience, found one girl too sick to study, and tried to comfort her by offering to pray for her health. When she learned that the family was not religious, she dropped the subject—but not in time to avoid a formal complaint that prompted her dismissal.

A spokesman for North Somerset Council said Miss Jones hadn't been dismissed, merely suspended. Said Miss Jones, "I am amazed that a country with such a strong Christian tradition has become a country where it is hard to speak about your faith."

All Souls Day

Today, November 2nd, is All Souls Day. It is the day when Catholics remember and pray for the souls of all the faithful departed. Please note the emphasis on "for".

We do not pray to our ancestors, but for them. Some of them are already in heaven, and we venerate them on All Saints Day, November 1st. Prayers are not needed for them, and prayers cannot hlep those in hell. Some, however, are languishing in purgatory, paying the price for their transgressions on this earth. It is for them we pray.

"It is a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they might be loosed from their sins." (2 Macc. 12:46)