Hymn of Love, by Saint Francis Xavier

I pray this after having taken Communion, I find it rings very true, especially the part I have placed in bold.

My God, I love Thee, not because
I hope for heaven thereby;
Nor yet since they who love Thee not
Are lost eternally.

Thou, O my Jesus, Thou didst me
Upon the Cross embrace;
For me didst bear the nails and spear,
And manifold disgrace;

And griefs and torments numberless,
And sweat of agony;
E’en death itself; and all for me,
Who was Thine enemy.

Then why, O blessed Jesus Christ, Should I not love Thee well, Not for the sake of winning heaven, Or of escaping hell; Not with the hope of gaining aught, Not seeking a reward; But as Thyself hast loved me, O ever-loving Lord?

E’en so I love Thee, and will love,
And in Thy praise will sing,
Solely because Thou art my God,
And my eternal King.

An ode to Kung

A Facebook friend posted something about Hans Kung complaining about the Pope and the return of the Anglicans into Communion with Rome. I commented with a little poem...So this is officially my second poem, here goes:

"Listen all, and listen well,

Someday soon, Kung will be in hell!

And all that will remain of he,

Is a distant and unpleasant memory!

And when the time comes for him to go,

I will shout Benedicamus Domino!

And in Rome the bells will ring,

And the choirs will God's glory sing!

And under Michaelangelo's dome,

There will still be a successor on Saint Peter's throne.

So please dear reader have some hope,

And say a prayer for our Pope!"

Saint Alphonsus Liguori

Since I visited the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer in Scotland, I have become more and more interested in the works and writings of the Saint that founded the Redemptorists. He has a certain "no-nonsense" style, that really doesn't care what you think about him, and yet you also get the feeling that he really cares about you. Well not so much about you, but about your eternal soul, which is all that really matters any way!

I am planning to purchase a few of his works from TAN Publishers but what I highly recommend is his Sermons, as well as his treatise on knowing the Will of God, truly an inspiring and wonderful booklet. It was recommended to me by Father Anthony Mary F.Ss.R, a Priest of the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer.

Saint Alphonsus is also the patron Saint of scrupulous souls, and he is quick to respond if you are suffering from the "scruples". He is also a Doctor of the Church, and is the Church's leading authority on Moral Theology.

Saint Alphonsus, ora pro nobis!

Slowly but surely...

Well this is encouraging. I thought the Latin Mass in my home country, South Africa, was non-existant, except in the few houses of the Fraternity of Saint Pius X, but it appears I was wrong! Which is, Deo gratias, a good thing!

www.unavocesa.blogspot.com