Showing posts with label Darkness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Darkness. Show all posts

Friday, January 24, 2014

Bulletin 188

SAINT AGNES CATHEDRAL 533 South Jefferson Springfield, MO 65806

EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)

CELEBRANT: Father Jeff Fasching

January 26, 2014
3rd Sunday After Epiphany
Epistle: Rom. 12: 16-21
Gospel: Mt. 8: 1-13

Mass Schedule January 27-31

Mon 27 No Latin Mass
Tue 28 No Latin Mass
Wed 29 Saint Francis de Sales; Bishop, Confessor & Doctor
Thu 30 Saint Martina; Virgin & Martyr
Fri 31 Saint John Bosco, Confessor

“I am not worthy that thou shouldst enter under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant shall be healed.” Upon seeing the centurion’s great faith, Jesus Christ instantly restored to health his servant. Christ then said to His disciples: “Many shall come from the east and the west, and shall sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of Heaven. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into the exterior darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Jesus Christ reminds us that many people born in infidelity will be saved, and many who are born into the bosom of the Church shall be cast into Hell!

On the Day of Judgment many shall see people whom they knew among the elect of God, but because they chose not to stop their life of sin, they themselves have gone into Hell. If we lose Heaven it is our own fault. We must stop now our life of sin while we still have time. If you choose not to change your life now, you may very well be abandoned by God. In times of temptation remember the reality of Hell. Turn to Jesus Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary who will deliver you from sin!

In Christo Jesu et Maria Immaculata,

Fr. Jeff Fasching

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Bulletin 179

SAINT AGNES CATHEDRAL 533 South Jefferson Springfield, MO 65806

EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)

CELEBRANT: Father Jeffery Fasching

November 24th, 2013

24th and Last Sunday after Pentecost

Epistle: Col. 1: 9-14
Gospel: Mt. 24: 13-25

Mass Schedule November 25th through November 29th

Mon 25 No Latin Mass
Tue 26 Saint Sylvester, Abbot
Wed 27 Requiem Mass
Thu 28 No Latin Mass
Fri 29 No Latin Mass

Our next pot-luck dinner will be on Sunday, December 22nd following the 2:30pm Latin Mass in the school cafeteria. His Excellency, Bishop James Johnston will join us for Mass and dinner.

Saint Paul always encouraged his brothers to advance in holiness through prayer and intense effort! Sanctity is something that is not simply handed to us. We must work hard for it every day. We need the Holy Ghost to enlighten us with wisdom, understanding and strength. Saint Thomas Aquinas says: “it is not enough to have knowledge, for he who knows the right thing to do and fails to do it commits sin, therefore one must need to perform virtuous actions.” We have to rely on God for strength in order to do good.

We also have “the inheritance of the saints” in order to draw on the treasury of spiritual goods which the Church is constantly applying to its members. These include prayers, merits and sacrifices which benefit all of us! God has brought us out of darkness into His own wonderful light says Saint Paul. This has been through no merits of ours or any past service we have rendered to God, but only the merits of the only mediator, Jesus Christ!

In Christ,

Fr. Jeffery Fasching



Sunday, August 11, 2013

Bulletin 164

SAINT AGNES CATHEDRAL 533 South Jefferson Springfield, MO 65806

EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)

CELEBRANT: Father Jeffery Fasching

August 11th, 12th Sunday after Pentecost

Epistle: 2 Cor. 3: 4-9; Gospel: Luke 10: 23-37

Mass Schedule August 12th through August 16th

Mon 12 Saint Clare, Virgin—No Latin Mass

Tue 13 Feria

Wed 14 Vigil of the Assumption

Thu 15 Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary—Mass @ 10:30am

Fri 16 Saint Joachim, Father of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Mass for the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary will be as 10:30am on Thursday, August 15th.

Our next pot-luck dinner will be held on Sunday, September 8th immediately following the 2:30pm Mass in the school cafeteria. All are invited to attend.

Sloth is one of the seven deadly sins. Sloth is defined as laziness or carelessness to do right and to practice virtue because of the trouble attached to it. Christian modesty is a virtue, but it has been forgotten even among Catholics today. We need modesty in order to protect chastity. We cannot restore chastity to the individual, the family or the society as long as modesty is either ignored or violated on such a large scale as it is today!

There have been no fewer than five modern Popes who have time and again issued directives on Christian modesty in order to refute all the modern errors. Is this not why Jesus Christ established in His Church the Supreme Teaching Authority?! Christ did this to protect the Church from errors and to correct the clergy, the teachers and the parents who, intentionally or in good faith, would propagate errors.

Unfortunately, anyone who in today’s culture dares to advocate traditional Christian modesty is considered, even by a large number of Catholics, a scrupulous person, or a nut. However, remember that Christ said this would be the price one must pay who strives to be loyal to Him and His Church and not to the world.

Pope Pius XII has said: “Mainly through sins of impurity do the forces of darkness subjugate souls.” This same message was given by Our Lady of Fatima: “The sins that lead most souls to hell are the sins of the flesh.” Impurity has become the ruling passion of the world due to a general breakdown of modesty. It is like a spiritual cancer slowly eating away the spiritual life of souls. The question becomes: “is it a losing battle to go against the ways of our culture with respect to modesty and chastity?” The answer is this is exactly what Satan would like us to believe. Our silence would be leaving the entire field of morality in his blood thirsty hands. Pope Pius XII has pointed out the seriousness of our world situation as well as the remedy-confident recourse to The Blessed Virgin Mary.

Our Popes have taught the following: A dress cannot be called decent which is cut deeper than two fingers breadth under the pit of the throat, which does not cover the arms at least to the elbows, and scarcely reaches a bit beyond the knees. Furthermore dresses of transparent material are improper. Does my back, stomach or shoulders show? Does my back or stomach show when I bend or stretch? When bending over does my blouse hang down and open for everyone to see? Is my blouse or top tight? Is it more loose fitting or is it too tight and revealing? Can one see the outline of my underwear through my tight-fitting clothing? Blouses and tops that are too tight are very immodest and say a lot about the woman who wears such a blouse or top. Lastly, how much flesh is showing? Modesty is not just about how much of our skin is showing, but how much of our feminine shape is showing.

Father Jeff Fasching



Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Bulletin 100

SAINT AGNES CATHEDRAL 533 South Jefferson Springfield, MO 65806

EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)

CELEBRANT Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

April 29th, 2012 Third Sunday after Easter

Epistle: 1 Pet. 2: 11-19—Gospel: Jn. 16: 16-22

Mass Schedule April 30th through May 4th

Monday-Saint Catherine of Siena, Virgin-NO LATIN MASS

Tuesday-Saint Joseph the Worker

Wednesday-Saint Athanasius; Bishop, Confessor & Doctor

Thursday-SS. Alexander & Companions, Martyrs

Friday-Sacred Heart of Jesus

The New Testament places strong emphases on the unity of the Church. The Church is:

• one People of God (1 Pet 2.9f)

• one Body of Christ (1 Cor 12.2; Eph 4.4)

• one Temple of the Holy Ghost (Eph 2.21)

• one household of God (Eph 2.19)

• one flock of Christ (Jn 10.16)

• one bride of Christ (Eph 5.25-32).

Last Sunday, when Christ described Himself as the Good Shepherd, He spoke of His desire to unite all His sheep so that there will be but one flock and one shepherd:

“I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep and my sheep know me…I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must lead them, too, and they shall hear my voice. There shall be one flock then, one shepherd.” (Jn 10. 14-16)

Jesus Christ also prayed at the Last Supper for unity when He said:

“I do not pray for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their word, that all may be one, as you, Father, are in me, and I in you; I pray that they may be one in us, that the world may believe that you sent me. I have given them the glory you gave me, that they may be one, as we are one—I living in them, you living in me—that their unity may be complete.” (Jn 17.20-23)

Finally, the Epistle to the Ephesians speaks emphatically about the unity which Christians are to preserve and the many bonds that make them one:

“Make every effort to preserve the unity which has the Spirit as its origin and peace as its binding force. There is but one body and one Spirit, just as there is but one hope given all of you by your call. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all, and works through all, and is in all.” (Eph 4.1-5)

Note: one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all! Pray for Christian unity!

Sincerely in Christ,

Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

Friday, December 23, 2011

Bulletin 82

SAINT AGNES CATHEDRAL 533 South Jefferson Springfield, MO 65806 EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS: Celebrant Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

December 25, 2011 The Nativity of Our Lord

Epistle: Heb. 1: 1-12
Gospel: Jn. 1: 1-14

Mass Schedule December 26th through December 30th

Monday-Saint Stephen, Deacon & Protomartyr-NO LATIN MASS
Tuesday-Saint John, Apostle & Evangelist-NO LATIN MASS
Wednesday-Holy Innocents
Thursday-5th Day in the Octave of Christmas
Friday-6th Day in the Octave of Christmas

Midnight Mass in the Extraordinary Form will be offered at Saint Anne Monastery in Springfield. The address is 424 E. Monastery Street. Mass on Christmas day in the Extraordinary Form will be at 2:30pm at Saint Agnes Cathedral.


Saint John describes two basic truths about the Word of God in his prologue—that He is Life and that He is Light. Jesus Christ is the Divine Life, the primary source of all life, natural and supernatural. Jesus says: “I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (Jn 8:12; cf. 12:46).

Saint John also says that the darkness has not overcome this light. There is a struggle between the two. There is an evil power at work in the world (satan) which envelops man’s mind and thus prevents him from knowing God. However, Saint Augustine writes:

But it may be, the dull hearts of some cannot yet receive this light. Their sins weigh them down, and they cannot discern it. Let them not think, however, that, because they cannot discern it, therefore it is not present with them. For they themselves, because of their sins, are darkness. Just as if you place a blind person in the sunshine, although the sun is present to him, yet he is absent from the sun; in the same way, every foolish man, every unrighteous man, every ungodly man, is blind in heart. What course then ought such a one to take? Let him cleanse the eyes of his heart, that he may be able to see God. He will see Wisdom, for God is Wisdom itself, and it is written: “Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God.” There is no doubt that sin obscures man’s spiritual vision, rendering him unable to see and enjoy the things of God.

Sincerely in Christ,

Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching