Roman Extraordinary (Tridentine)

The Lord said: “A little while and you will no longer see me, and again a little while later and you will see me” (Jn 16,16). What he calls a little while is the whole extent of our present time, of which John the evangelist says in his Epistle: “This is the last hour” (1Jn 2,18). This promise is addressed… to the whole Church just as is this other promise: “Behold I am with you always until the end of the world” (Mt 28,20). The Lord will not delay to fulfil his promises: yet a little while and we shall see him again and will no longer have anything to ask of him, no question to put to him, because we shall no longer have anything to wish for or seek. This “little while” seems long to us because it is still in process of taking place. But when it has come to an end, then we shall feel how short it was. So let our joy differ from that of the world, of which it is said that: “The world will rejoice”. In the birth pangs of this longing, let us not be without joy. Yet, as the apostle Paul says: “Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction” (Rom 12,12). For the woman giving birth – to whom the Lord compares us – takes far more joy in the child she is about to bring into the world than she feels sorrow at her own suffering.

Roman Extraordinary (Tridentine) Daily Readings – rosary,team

[Jesus] is our only master, who must teach us; our only Lord, on whom we must depend; our only head, to whom alone we should belong; our only model, whom we should imitate; our only physician, who must heal us; our only shepherd, who must feed us; our only Way, who must lead us; our only Truth, whom we must believe; our only Life, who must be our life; and our sole sufficiency in all things, that in him we may have all in All. Except the Name of Jesus, there is no other name given under Heaven whereby we must be saved; and apart from Jesus Christ, God has given us no other foundation of our salvation, our perfection and our glory: “for other foundation no man can lay, but that which is laid; which is Christ Jesus” (1Cor 3:11). Every house which is not built upon this firm rock, is founded on the shifting sands, and will inevitably fall sooner or later. Every soul who is not united with Christ as a branch to the stem of the vine, will fall off, wither and become fit only for the fire. If we are in Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ in us, we need not fear damnation; neither angels in heaven nor men on earth, neither demons in hell nor any other creature can harm us because they cannot separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus (cf. Rm 8:38-39).

Roman Extraordinary (Tridentine) Daily Readings – rosary,team

One day I was pondering over what I could do to save souls; a phrase from the Gospel showed me a clear light: Jesus said to his disciples, pointing to the fields of ripe corn, “Look up and see the fields ripe for harvest” (Jn 4:35) and a little later, “The harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers”. How mysterious it is! Is not Jesus all-powerful? Do not creatures belong to Him who made them? Why then does Jesus say: “Pray the master of the harvest to send out laborers (…) “? Why? (…) Ah! Jesus has so incomprehensible a love for us, that He wants us to have a share with Him in the salvation of souls. He wants to do nothing without us. The creator of the universe waits for the prayer of a poor little soul to save other souls redeemed like itself at the price of all His blood. Our vocation, yours and mine, is not to go harvesting in the fields of ripe corn; Jesus does not say to us; “Lower your eyes, look at the fields, and go and reap them”; our mission is still loftier. Here are Jesus’ words: “Lift up your eyes and see…. ” See how in my Heaven there are places empty; it is for you to fill them (…) each one of you is my Moses praying on the mountain (Ex 17:8f.); ask Me for laborers and I shall send them, I await only a prayer, a sigh from your heart!

Roman Extraordinary (Tridentine) Daily Readings – rosary,team

In his epistle Saint John rightly states: ‘God is light’, and “whoever remains in God” is “in the light, just as God himself is in the light” (1Jn 1,5.7; 3,24). Because we have had the good fortune to be freed from the darkness of error, we should always “walk in the light” like “children of the light” (Eph 5,8)… And so the apostle Paul says: “Among them you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life” (Phil 2,15-16).But if we do not do this, it will be clear that we are, so to speak, covering up and shading this essential light by our lack of faith… Therefore, that shining light which has been lit for our salvation must always shine in us. For we possess the lamp of the heavenly commandments and of the spirit of grace, of which David said: “Your law is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Ps 119[118],105)… We must not, then, hide this lamp of the law and of faith but should always set it up on the Church, as on a lamp-stand, for the salvation of many. In this way we too may enjoy the light of truth itself and all who believe may be enlightened.

Roman Extraordinary (Tridentine) Daily Readings – rosary,team

Peter was to receive on deposit the keys of the Church, or rather the keys of heaven, and he should see himself entrusted with the numerous people. What did the Lord actually say to him? “Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Mt 16:19). For Peter had a somewhat abrupt character; if he had been without sin what sort of forgiveness would the disciples have received from him? This is why divine grace allowed him to fall into a certain fault in order that his own trial should make him benevolent towards others. Do you see how God can let someone fall into sin; this Peter, the leader of the apostles, the unshakable foundation, indestructible rock, first in the Church, impregnable harbor, unshakable tower — this same Peter who had said to Christ: “Even though I should have to die with you, I will not deny you” (Mt 26:35), Peter who, by a divine revelation, had confessed the truth: “You are the Christ, Son of the Living God” (Mt 16:16). (…) But as I said, God arranged it in this way and allowed Peter to sin because he had it in mind to confer numerous people on him, and he feared that his roughness, joined to his impeccability, might make him unsympathetic towards his brothers. He gave way to sin so that, remembering his own failure and the kindness of the Lord, he might testify to others a grace of philanthropy in accord with the divine design conceived by God. The fall had been permitted to the one who was going to see himself entrusted with the Church, the pillar of the churches, the harbor of the faith; the fall had been permitted to Peter, the doctor of the universe, in order that the forgiveness received might remain the foundation of love for others.

Roman Extraordinary (Tridentine) Daily Readings – rosary,team