Dear Holy Priests Within the Diocese of Beaumont: Please Stop Denying Communion to Those Who Wish to Receive Kneeling

Polls consistently show that only 30% of Catholics in the United States go to Mass regularly. It's a safe bet that trends are very similar within the Diocese of Beaumont. This my brothers and sisters is a tragedy. This is a disease. It is also a safe bet to say that the majority among that 30% has little grasp of what the Church teaches. Polls also indicate that few practicing Catholics still profess a belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. This is also a tragedy. This is also a disease. I believe the key to recovering from the first disease is to heal the second. We get more Catholics to Mass by restoring belief in the Eucharist.  

A picture of St. Pio kneeling to receive Holy Communion.

The Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith and therefor, for me, must be the source and summit of "The Year of Faith". This being said, we have a lot of work to do. From my perspective as a layman, we desperately need the "New Evangelization" because we as a church in general do not truly believe in the miracle that happens on the altar. Our fruits suggest that we do not truly believe in the Real Presence. I’m not accusing anyone. I myself stand accused. I, too, have walked up the Communion line and responded to “the Body of Christ“ with a parrot-like “Amen.”

My personal goal for this "Year of Faith" is to deepen my devotion to the Eucharist. Specifically by practicing Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi (Latin loosely translatable as "the law of prayer is the law of belief"). I truly believe "As we worship, so we believe" . What we pray is what we believe is how we live. If I pray like the Eucharist is really God, then I will believe that the Eucharist is really God. Alongside other faithful, I have chosen to deepen my faith in the Eucharist by receiving while kneeling. I have asked my own pastor for spiritual guidance regarding this issue and he has encouraged me to receive while kneeling if that is what I feel called to do. I have been warned by many that my attempted reverence might not be welcomed elsewhere in the Diocese.  I find this troubling. The faithful wish to be able to worship with the same reverence at all parishes, but  have not been able to do so. My personal attempts to practice Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi have been snuffed out by the very people who should be encouraging it- the priests of the Diocese. I and others have been discouraged, scolded, and refused from receiving Holy Communion while kneeling. This is going on in the majority of parishes in our Diocese. I have had it happen to me personally, and I have witnessed it happen to others. Since this happened to me I have done some research. I found that GIRM (General Instruction of the Roman Missal) paragraph 160 appears to apply to this situation:

"… The norm established for the Dioceses of the United States of America is that Holy Communion is to be received standing, unless an individual member of the faithful wishes to receive Communion while kneeling."

With that said, in 2004 the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments issued a very strong Instruction called Redemptionis Sacramentum. In paragraphs 90-91 of this document we read:

 “The faithful should receive Communion kneeling or standing, as the Conference of Bishops will have determined”, with its acts having received the recognitio of the Apostolic See. “However, if they receive Communion standing, it is recommended that they give due reverence before the reception of the Sacrament, as set forth in the same norms”.[91.] In distributing Holy Communion it is to be remembered that “sacred ministers may not deny the sacraments to those who seek them in a reasonable manner, are rightly disposed, and are not prohibited by law from receiving them”. Hence any baptized Catholic who is not prevented by law must be admitted to Holy Communion. Therefore, it is not licit to deny Holy Communion to any of Christ’s faithful solely on the grounds, for example, that the person wishes to receive the Eucharist kneeling or standing."

Reasons why I choose to kneel to receive: 

• Kneeling has always been the Universal Church's posture for reception of Holy Communion. It's the universal NORM.

• Kneeling is promoted by the Pope. 

• Kneeling points to the REAL presence of Christ.

• Kneeling is more reverent.

 Then Cardinal Ratzinger (Pope Emeritus Benedict) giving communion to Blessed (soon to be Saint) Pope John Paul II

Some actual arguments I've been told against kneeling: 

• The Bishop prefers communicants to receive standing (I have never heard this stated directly by the Bishop but perhaps that is his preference. That's fine. He is our Bishop and we should always want to be obedient to him. However, we can never be disobedient to Church Law or teaching. Canon Law is clear on this matter- that faithful are left free to receive how they wish).

• Kneeling promotes disunity (That's just silly. Unity doesn't mean uniformity. The Catholic Church is ONE but has many many different types of spiritualistic preferences between religious orders and rites. Unity doesn't mean uniformity). 

• People could trip on you and fall (The Church has received kneeling for 2000 years. Wouldn't we have heard of someone falling over each other by now?).

• Vatican II did away with kneeling (The Council did not actually change the way of distribution, but it became a widespread practice in the years following, going against the teaching of the Church, and Pope Paul VI recommended to stay with the traditional way of distribution).

I am just requesting to have the freedom to worship the way I feel is best fitting with my convictions. In mimicking the saints, I do not feel that I am doing anything wrong. I am not trying to draw attention to myself- but to HIM. I believe the Eucharist is really Christ and so therefor I must respond so- on my knees. I do not wish to hamper others from receiving standing up. I do not wish to get in the way. I just want to give God the greater glory by giving Him total reverence. I am not a lone voice. Many in our Diocese feel the same way and have had the same experiences. 

My dear Holy priests in the Diocese of Beaumont, please stop refusing Holy Communion to those who wish to kneel. It's against Canon Law. And besides, shouldn't you be more worried about denying Pro-abortion supporters instead of those who wish to kneel before God?

During the Holy Friday Liturgy many witnessed Clergy kneel down and kiss the cross. It was beautiful. But it makes one wonder: how is it okay to kneel down and pay respect to a symbol but it's not permitted to kneel down and pay respect to the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity or our Lord?

Ask yourselves, "Why is the first picture allowed in the Diocese of Beaumont but not the second?"

Pray for our Bishop and our Priests. 

Calling All Prayer Warriors!

Join the Knights of the Immaculata in praying the rosary during the month of May for the intentions of our Bishop and the Diocese in which he governs. The month of May is the "month which the piety of the faithful has especially dedicated to Our Blessed Lady," and it is the occasion for a "moving tribute of faith and love which Catholics in every part of the world pay to the Queen of Heaven. During this month Christians, both in church and in the privacy of the home, offer up to Mary from their hearts an especially fervent and loving homage of prayer and veneration. In this month, too, the benefits of God's mercy come down to us from her throne in greater abundance"- Paul VI: Encyclical on the Month of May, no. 1.

This devotion became popular at the end of the 13th century. In the 16th century, books began to foster the devotion. In the early 18th century the Jesuit Order in Rome began its formal practice, and from there it spread to the Church worldwide; the month of May became known as ‘The Month of Mary’.

On this special month in dedication to Our Lady, we would like people to sign up for one Rosary on one specific day. You may Email us, Facebook us, or Tweet us to let us know what day you want. We hope and pray that all will sign up to pray the Rosary for our Bishop and Diocese. The Rosary is a powerful weapon against the gates of Hell. 

We commend all our prayers and actions of the month of Mary into the hands of the Immaculata, and we ask her to unite them with her own prayers for His Excellency Bishop Curtis J. Guillory, and for the Diocese of Beaumont.

Sign up today and pray the Rosary in the month of May! The heel of our Lady will crush the head of the serpent here in the diocese of Beaumont and throughout the world- if we fervently ask her.

*The Militia of the Immaculata Beaumont is not affiliated with the Dioceses of Beaumont

Bring Me My Weapon

"Bring me my weapon"-- St. Padre Pio


"Give me an army saying the Rosary and I will conquer the world."
--Blessed Pope Pius IX



"The holy Rosary is a powerful weapon. Use it with confidence and you'll be amazed at the results."
--St. Josemaria Escriva

Why the rosary? How does the rosary have anything to do with our fight against secularism, relativism, and heresy? You might be a non-catholic wondering about the claims of the rosary and how they square away with your beliefs. Or you might be a practicing Catholic who is puzzled that the "weapon of choice" for this battle against the secular monster is simply prayer beads.

St. Padre Pio called the rosary a weapon- because that's exactly what it is. A weapon. It's not just some fuzzy-feeling meditation-the very gates of hell tremble when the rosary is prayed fervently. As Catholics, we know that the prayers of the holy rosary are more than just "vain" repetitious words. Saint Padre Pio states that “The Rosary is the 'weapon' for these times.” If we truly focus on the meditations of the mysteries, we examine deep into the heart of the Gospel of truth. Some might still be thinking “Why the rosary?” The simple answer is because it's powerful. Because it requires discipline. Because it fosters a love for the Immaculata and asks for her powerful intercession. The secular culture is also powerful and requires no discipline whatsoever. Rather, it promotes instant selfish pleasure. It is built on lies and the twisting of good and evil. If we are ever going to shake the very foundation of falsehood that the secularism is built on, we must arm ourselves with the truth. Praying the rosary is such a powerful way in which we will begin to take down the secret walls of hidden shame in our homes; praying the rosary for those nailed down by addictions of this world is the silent prescription for this disease.

The rosary is the Gospel on a chain. In many third-world countries, as in times before the printing press- the Bible was and is unavailable to the common man. For some, owning a personal copy of scripture was and is a luxury. How do those people know the Gospel truths? One time tested way is the regular recitation of the rosary. There are many Christians who have never personally read one page of Holy Scripture, but they know the saving message through a devotion of the rosary. They know Him personally because they pray the rosary. While reciting the rosary, we mediate on the essential moments of Christ’s life and on the life of Christ through His Mother’s perspective- a perspective that knows Christ more than we can ever hope too. The prayers of the rosary help us gain insight into the One who is the Divine Truth and Truth Giver. Not only do we arm ourselves with the truth, but we also implore the one who is the Mother of Truth to act with us. In the rosary we ask the model of purity herself, Mary, to pray for our purity. When we gain the intersession of our Blessed Mother, we gain all the power heaven can yield. St. Josemaria Escriva declares "If you say the Holy Rosary every day, with a spirit of faith and love, our Lady will make sure she leads you very far along her Son's path." We have a Goliath to take down and just as David had five stones in his arsenal, we have five decades in ours. So grab those beads and start praying, this beast must go down!

Go Beat Up a Baptist

St. Paul tells us that we are Christ's ambassadors... not His debate champions. The universal call to evangelization is not a command to go "beat up a baptist" but more like a call to go "love a baptist". This cannot be a blind love, no, it has to be a well informed love. A love that instructs with words and deeds. A love that leads to the fullness of Christ's teachings.

In football terms: Evangelization is offensive. Apologetics is defensive. You have to have both because you will lose the game without each working together. We are really familiar with the word "Evangelization" but sometimes the word "Apologetics" slips under our radar. The standard scripture for apologetics is 1 Peter 3:15, “Always be prepared to make a defense to any one who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence.”

A picture of what not to do:

Are you prepared to make a defense of your faith? The first step to defending your faith, is knowing your faith- you cannot give what you do not yourself have. Remember the scripture stated above said to "do it with gentleness.” We have to keep in mind that it’s the Holy Ghost who converts souls- we are at best broken tools who get to help. People from other religions do not get "saved" by bombarding strangers asking questions, clever argumentation, or cockyness. Handing people pamphlets through drive-thru windows is not fulfilling any call of evangelization. We have to present the faith in a clear and concise way. A way that makes people yearn for more. A way that makes people ask questions.

Honest questions like, “Why do Catholic’s do that?” I was one of those people. I was brought up Baptist and I guess you could also say “anti-catholic.” About 15 years ago I visited a Catholic Church for the first time. I went home thinking, “Dang those people act like drones.” I mean gosh they didn’t even bring their Bibles to church, and to make matters worse, it was boring! I made a long list of complaints within a week. I was for certain that the Catholic Church was off-kilter in its teachings, and I certainly wanted to prove it. I finally started talking to my friend's father, a Catholic, about my objections to the Church’s teachings. He answered a lot of my questions, but more importantly taught me a valuable lesson. “How can I judge something I do not understand?” So my new mission was to find information. Only with knowledge can people make up their own opinions. I started out very determined to prove the Catholic Church wrong. But as it turns out, all the answers I found went against my original opinions. For example, I perceived that the Catholic was unbiblical, but through study I realized that the Mass is soaked in Scripture, and Scripture is soaked with the Mass. If someone were to go to every Sunday Mass, for three years, he or she would have read the Bible almost in its entirety. It seems to me now that ignorance is the worst feature a person can acquire. If a person really looks at things, it is evident that all hatred comes from ignorance. People are more prone to hate what they do not comprehend. So I plea to you, do not make judgments, instead find information. The Great Bishop Fulton Sheen said this, "There are not over a hundred people in the United States who hate the Catholic Church. There are millions, however, who hate what they wrongly believe to be the Catholic Church, which is of course, quite a different thing." I found myself to be among the millions of uneducated and that most of the “Churches problems” were really “My problems” through unawareness.

My real big complaint was that the Church was boring and had no “Sprit.” Many people share this opinion. I ask you to do this next Sunday while at church. I want you to look around, you’ll see people that are totally thirsty for God, but you’ll also see some just going through the motions, often looking at their watch. This is in every church and in every denomination. My father in-law has a saying, “What tickles my ear, might not tickle my neighbors.” My senior English teacher also taught me this saying, “There is not a boring speaker, but a boring listener.” Which I find to be true, unless some is giving a two hour lecture on yarn or something else without tangible interest. Do not be comfortable by your own beliefs, but yet question them, and by all means question mine. How can one truly know what he or she believes in, if it has not been questioned, or better yet, answered...

Let me share with you a basic fact that got me thinking. The Catholic church did not suffer a doctrinal split until the fifteen-hundreds. Meaning that 75% of the Christian time period, has been nothing but Catholic. Here is a theory I like to call the “Buffet Theory.” Picture the founding Catholic Church as a restaurant. Or even better, an all you can eat restaurant. Okay now picture the Catholic Doctrine as the buffet inside the restaurant. For fifteen-hundred years the people were happy with the service and quality of the Catholic buffet. But one customer in 1517, decided that he did not agree on the buffet’s contents. He liked the bread, meat, vegetable, and dessert sections, but he didn't like the soups offered on the buffet. So he decided that he was going to open a new restaurant across the street. His restaurant was going to be a “Lutheran Buffet.” This new “Lutheran Buffet” was very similar to the Catholic Buffet except for the fact that it omitted soup from the menu. It was not long before a customer at the “Lutheran Buffet” stated that he loved the meat, vegetable, dessert sections of the “Lutheran buffet” but felt that the customers could do with out the bread section. So he opened up another restaurant similar to the Lutheran Buffet but with no bread. So on and so on through out history , until modern times when there are restaurants that just offer tofu. You see the more you break away, the farther you are from the original “Buffet” or Doctrine. There are thousands of Christian denominations/sects in our modern world that are all offshoots of the Protestant “Restaurants” of the Fifteen-hundreds. So ask yourself where you would like to eat. At the most established restaurant, which happens to be more than 2,000 years old. (Yes, that is longer than McDonald’s has been around.) Or at a restaurant that has just begun to dabble in the kitchen. I think the answer is clear. If the Catholic Church were a restaurant, I think that one of McDonald’s slogans would fit it perfectly, “Billion’s and Billion’s Served.”

QUAERITUR: Militia Immaculata and Diocesan Approval

Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal

It has come to our attention that several Catholics in the Diocese of Beaumont, including clerics, have questioned the ability of laymen to form a chapter of the Militia Immaculata without explicit approval from the local Bishop.  In what follows it should be noted that each member of the Militia Immaculata of Beaumont is a Catholic in good standing desiring only the glory of God and salvation of souls.  We believe, as each Catholic must, all that the Holy Roman and Apostolic Church teaches regarding faith and morals.

Since Bishop Guillory is our spiritual father within this part of the Catholic world, we thought it fitting and appropriate to notify him of our new apostolate. Our letter to His Excellency was sent to him and made public, on this website and Facebook, at the very beginning of our work.

We invite everyone to investigate the Militia of the Immaculata to find out more for themselves (www.consecration.com). To see that it was founded by St. Maximilian Kolbe in 1917 and canonically established in 1922 by Pope Pius XI as a Pious Union of the Faithful.  To see that the Pontifical Council for the Laity on October 16, 1997 approved the MI's updated International Governing Statutes and granted the MI the privilege of status as an "International Public Association" - a status shared by only three other Catholic organizations.

Pope John Paul II noted that "membership in the MI means complete dedication to the Kingdom of God and to the salvation of souls through Mary Immaculate."

Of course, it has always been clear to us that lay Catholics do not need explicit approval from the local diocese to associate with one another and embark upon corporal and spiritual works of mercy.  In order to be even more certain of our rights, we sought the advice of the Canon Law Centre (http://www.canonlawcentre.com).  The professional opinion of their Canon Lawyers has confirmed what we always knew.  With permission of the Canon Law Centre, we provide below their response to our inquiry.  Please feel free to continue to contact us with any questions regarding our work.

Omnes cum Petro ad Iesum per Mariam!

Response from Canon Law Centre:
"Thank you for contacting the Canon Law Centre. I am happy to be of assistance regarding your question pertaining to starting a new chapter of the Militia Immaculata in your diocese.

Firstly, allow me to commend you for being mindful of the importance of canon law when organizing your apostolic efforts. As the recent popes have constantly reiterated, the law of the Church is meant to ensure the effectiveness of the means of sanctification and for the good ordering of apostolic undertakings.

As you point out in your email, the MI enjoys the status of an international public association of the faithful. As such, it enjoys the approval of the Holy See at the international level. In reviewing the statutes of the MI, article 43 provides that, “The local centers do not need to be canonically erected.” Practically speaking, this means that by virtue of the fact that the MI already enjoys the status of public international association of the faithful, its local chapters can be, but need not be, recognized by the local bishop. 

Your letter to the bishop advising him of the chapter's presence in the Diocese was entirely appropriate. While you don't need his permission to exist as an association, it is of course always a good thing to inform the bishop of the organization of particular apostolic works in the diocese. 

With regard to the contention of certain clerics in the Diocese who have alleged that you do not have approval from the Chancery, the simple fact is that you don't need it. To be clear, while the MI as such exists as an international public association of the faithful, the local chapters of the MI are (unless given formal recognition by a local bishop, and some might be) de facto private associations of the faithful. The bishop does have general oversight as to the effective exercise of apostolic works within the diocese (canon 322, et. al) but as a de facto association you come under his governance as individual Catholics only, and not as a group. 

In sum, continue to carry on your chapter's work without hesitation.  I pray that your charity and genuine good works win over the hearts of those who are hesitant to accept your group in the diocese. 

Please do not hesitate to call upon me should you have any further questions."

Bible Context = Catholic Context

A troubled man was pondering his existence. His life had seemed to hit rock bottom and he did not know where to turn. He remembered being told in his youth to always look in the Bible for answers to life’s hard questions. He then took a dusty Bible off a shelf and said a little prayer, “Please show me what I need to do.” He closed his eyes, opened the book, put his finger on the page, opened his eyes and began reading at a random place. Matthew 27:5 “Judas…then hung himself.” The young man shook his head and thought, “Surely this can’t be right.” So he randomly picked another verse the same way that he picked the first. It was Luke 10:37 “And Jesus said, “You go, and do likewise.”

The point of this story is to show that the Bible isn’t a Magic Eight Ball! Do not get me wrong, the Bible should shape our lives but we have to approach it and use it in the right way. You don’t use a TV remote to unstop a toilet. Why, because a TV remote is bad? No, because a TV remote was meant to serve another purpose. The Bibles purpose is the share divine truths to mankind about his creator not to be a magic book, almanac, or a scientific explanation of the universe. The better we understand the Bible, the better we will understand Gods message to us. Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.When we approach scripture, we have to approach it with the right context. If I were to say, “Put the kitty on the table.” You would need to know in what context I was speaking. If I was in Vegas and said “Put the kitty on the table” you would be able to conclude what I was gambling. But the meaning of “Put the kitty on the table” changes if I were at a pet store. Context is key! (Remember this, when a verse is taken out of context to be used as a proof text- that’s really a pretext.)

So what are some context tips for reading Scripture?

• Get a good study Bible, commentary, and concordance.
• Learn the history of the Bible and how it came into existence.
• Realize that The New Testament did not come before the Church but from the Church.
• Remember that Holy Scripture is a stream in which the elephant may swim and the lamb may wade.-Pope St. Gregory

I was raised Baptist. As a Baptist I was taught that the Bible was the most important “tool” I had as a Christian. If it could not be found in the Bible, then it obviously was not important. This view is called “Sola Scriptura,” or “by Scripture alone.” Ever since Martin Luther, Protestants have believed that the Bible alone is the sole teacher of truth and therefore the reason for faith. Ironically though, this is not found anywhere in the Bible. Scripture never says that the Bible alone is the sole rule of truth, but on the contrary it gives that authority to Christ’s Church , “…the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of truth.” (1Tim. 3:16) “And if he will not hear the Church, let him be to thee as the heathen and the publican.” (Matt. 18:17) The idea of the “Bible alone” is not Biblical. Sola Scriptura falls apart with logic because the printing press was not invented until the sixteenth century. Therefore people could not afford a Bible and even if they could, the vast majority were illiterate. Christians heard the Bible at every Sunday Mass because the Church is the mother of the Bible and not vice versa. The New Testament did not come before the Church but from the Church. Jesus did not hand a Bible over to his apostles. Jesus wrote nothing and as far as we know, He never asked His disciples to write anything. His significant command to them was “do this,” not “write this” ; and “this” referred to the Church-forming sacraments. Only five of the twelve apostles wrote any thing down at all. The first generation of Christians had no new testament. Nine years past after Christ’s death before even one piece of the New Testament was written. It was sixty-four years before the last Gospel was completed. So there were sixty-four years without the twenty seven books of the New Testament. The New Testament, as we know it, was not gathered into one book and added to the existing Bible, the Old Testament, Until 393 A.D. at the Council of Hippo. The Bishops of the Catholic Church, gathered in council, prayed to the Holy Spirit for guidance, decided on those twenty-seven and excluded other writings. They said these books and these books alone are the Word of God. Who decided that? Catholic Bishops. Form then on, it was definitely referred to as the New Testament and as part of the Bible. The Church that canonized the Scriptures was the very Church that had produced them. During that four-hundred-year gap, before the New Testament was considered a part of the Bible, Christians relied on the traditions of the apostles for the truth. “Therefore, brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught, either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours.” (2 Thes 2:15).

Here is a short video I made about how Bible study can change your life:

The Holy Bible is with out question the most popular book of all times but that does not mean that it is the most read or most understood. Some Christians see the Bible as one big book. It is not A BOOK. Its huge collection of books, a library, that took thousands years to put together. When you go to the library, you do not read every book the same way. You do not read every book literally because there are many types of genres. It is the same for the Bible because it is made up of many types of literary genres. The Bible is made up of Jewish history, poems, political onion, mythology, letters, parables, and theologically rich narratives. The Bible’s complexity throw’s personal interpretation out the window. “Know this first of all, that there is no prophecy of scripture that is a matter of personal interpretation…”(2 Peter 1:20). “ Phillip ran up and herd him reading Isaiah the prophet and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” He replied, “How can I, unless someone instructs me?” (Acts 8: 30-31). Martin Luther, the original spokesman for personal interpretation, later admitted its absurdity, “There is no rustic so rude but that, if he dreams or fancies anything, it must be the whisper of the Holy Spirit and he himself is a prophet.” It’s the scandal of Christianity that Protestantism has divided into thousands of rival sects each teaching its own set of doctrines while claiming to follow the Bible alone. My conversion to Catholicism did not weaken my view of the Bible; it reinforced it with two thousand years of tradition. The Second Vatican Council’s Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation states the following, “It is clear, therefore, that sacred tradition, sacred scripture, and the teaching authority of the church, in accord with God’s most wise design, are linked and joined together that one cannot stand without the others, and that all together and each in its own way under the action of the Holy Spirit contribute effectively to the salvation of souls.” The Church that produced and canonized the Scriptures in the past, is the same church that interrupts the Scriptures today.

Words Matter

Yesterday we talked about the gravity of the words we use (and choose not to use) CLICK HERE and the ripple of influence those words have for our spiritual lives. Our daily conversational words are powerful indicators of the strength of our spiritual pulse.

Looking at the bigger picture, we see that words matter even more when they are used to describe the principles we live by. The words we use to to describe our beliefs, our morals, and our ethical ruling philosophies must be clear and precise.

Our opposition uses words that are not clear nor precise. Words that can be interpreted and bent 205623095823 different ways. Confusion is part of the Devil's Propaganda. History is repetitive. Every nation that has ever engaged in war has published propaganda. Some of it clever. Some malicious. Some of it to boost morale. Some to stir up fear. Whatever the motivation behind it -advertising and word choice are powerful. Whoever has the best ads, sells the most product. One easy example - SEX SELLS.

A huge part of winning the culture war is seizing the lingo. Whoever controls the "words" controls the battle. Think about the word choice that the secularist industry uses:

"gentleman’s club,” "adult bookstore,” "pro-choice,” "sexual revolution,” "open relationships” "Women's Health Clinic".

All those terms convey a positive message but it is all smoke and mirrors…gift-wrap on garbage. We really know that "gentleman" do not degrade women by watching them publicly humiliate themselves. We really know that there is nothing that makes one more mature in "adult" bookstores-that's why the windows are tinted. We really know that "pro-choice" is just a nicer way of saying "I'm morally okay with mothers killing their unborn children." We all know that the only thing left open in an "open relationship" is a higher divorce rate and a better chance of getting an STD. We really know (or at least we are beginning to see) that no true freedom came from the so called "sexual revolution." Unless by "freedom" you mean more children that are raised in fatherless homes, higher sex-crime rates, and a “plastic surgery consumed” culture that has more body-image issues than the movie Shallow Hal. The modernist secular culture wants to re-define words.

We cannot be disillusioned to think that this battle is just being fought on the secular front. The vocabulary battle has leaked into the Church as well. Modernist theologians, liberal clergy and dissenting educators push their agendas by using ambiguous wording, teaching unclear definitions, and opposing any traditional interpretation or custom with a militaristic fervor.

The faithful Catholic must know the faith in order to defend it. We have to take back the higher ground of word control. We have to call truth, truth. Lies, lies. Smut, smut. Black, black. White, white. WITH LOVE and GENTLENESS for sure but also with clarity. You will get called a bigot for doing so. The opposition will label the truth as hate speech. They want it to seem as being intolerable, mean and uneducated.

We cannot and will not negotiate with spiritual terrorism. We cannot afford to "play nice." We are at war. Spiritual war. The father of lies,the inventor of confusing propaganda (see Genesis) wins with every word of divisional delusion. Our heavenly Father (the source of all truth) wins with every word of true clarity. Because our Lord IS the TRUE WORD. What side are you contributing to? Only one side is destined to win. Choose wisely.

MI's in Beaumont understand that our mission has to be clear. WORDS MATTER. We are the Church Militant (Ecclesia Militans), Christians on earth who are living; Christian militia, who struggle against sin, the devil and "..the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Ephesians 6:12). The Latin word militans has a primary meaning of "serving as a soldier, military", but it acquired a secondary meaning of "to struggle, to make an effort", which is the intended sense here. Christians on earth (the Church Militant) are still struggling against sin in order that, when they die, they might go to heaven and be members of the Church Triumphant, those who have triumphed over sin. However, if this struggle is successful, but not completely so, then after death they temporarily become members of the Church Suffering before ultimately joining the Church Triumphant.

Words Matter. That is why we will let our founder speak for himself:

The purpose of the Militia is contained in these words: to do all you can for the conversion of sinners, heretics, schismatics and so on, above all the Masons, and for the sanctification of all persons under the sponsorship of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Immaculate Mediatrix. —Saint Maximilian Kolbe

Words are Powerful

Words are more powerful than we think, and sometimes we take them too far. Striving to live a pure and virtuous life is difficult, especially because in the hustle and bustle of everyday activities we are inundated with profanity, lewd jokes, and gossip. When faced with these occurrences, remember the words of our Blessed Lord, “Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man: but what cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man; But the things which proceed out of the mouth, come forth from the heart, and those things defile a man.”-Matthew 15:11;18

We should all do our best to avoid using profanity when speaking, but the greatest concern of mine is how many times I hear the name of the Lord used in vain. It has been ingrained in the minds of many that it is more acceptable to use the Lord’s name in lieu of other profanities, but that is far from the truth. The various ways of taking His name in vain is very prevalent in movies, and seem to be the favorite phrases to denote anger, shock, or frustration. I believe this is a tactic used by the devil. The tempter is always searching for ways to damage our relationship with our Creator and make us indifferent towards Him. This is a sly attempt to distance us from Heavenly aspirations a little bit at a time. To battle against this, we should pray often that all people would cherish the name of God and our Lord Jesus Christ. When we hear these offences to His Most Holy Name, we can attempt to make amends by offering a prayer of reparation, saying “Blessed be the name of God” or “Blessed be the name of Jesus”, in hopes that He would show mercy to those who use His name irreverently.

We must also do what we can to avoid making, or responding to, lewd jokes and sexual innuendos. They might appear harmless at first, but they have the possibility of creating a mental image that damages our purity. If we give in to saying these, or let ourselves be amused by them, it gives the enemy an opportunity to enter our hearts and our minds, where he could distort and degrade our views on human sexuality. Remember, we are called to live chastely, and that includes within our hearts and minds as well. Guard yourself and seek the things above.

Gossip is perhaps the most difficult thing to avoid, but we must resist the temptation to speak negatively about our neighbor. This is wounding to the person being gossiped about, and it can tarnish our soul as well, which is exactly what the evil one wants. This sort of behavior divides people instead of uniting them. Gossip destroys communities; we should seek to fortify them. Always look for the good in others, and if you hear gossip about someone, offset that by offering something positive.

These are opportunities for us to give honor and glory to God, by keeping our tongue well trained so that we never use profanity, tell lewd jokes, or gossip about someone. You might think avoiding these is small in the grand scheme of things, but it is sometimes the little things that can be accomplished for love of our Lord that bear much fruit and strengthen virtue. If we give in to these temptations, it could have an avalanche effect that plunges us into darkness. In everything we do we must think about how our actions will reflect the Faith that we live, show love for our Heavenly Father, and whether they will have the potential to edify our neighbor, or cause them to fall into sin. Sticks and stones may break bones, but words can hurt too.

This isn't a Good-luck Charm, it's a Weapon!

In October 1917, St. Maximilian Kolbe founded the Militia Immaculata (MI) with six other Franciscans. These young men consecrated their lives totally and unconditionally to Mary for the sake of their own sanctification and the conversion of souls. All members of the MI now wear the miraculous medal as a sign of their total consecration to Mary and distribute it so that Mary may work wonders of grace in the lives of others.

Of the Miraculous Medal, Kolbe wrote:

"Even though a person be the worst sort, if only he agrees to wear the medal, give it to him ... and then pray for him, and at the proper moment strive to bring him closer to his Immaculate Mother, so that he have recourse to her in all difficulties and temptation. Because conversion and sanctification are divine graces, the Miraculous Medal will be the best means for reaching our purpose. For that reason it constitutes a first rate weapon of the Knights; it is the bullet with which a faithful soldier cuts down the enemy, that is, evil, and thus rescues souls. Let us contribute all our strength in bringing about what was already foreseen by St. Catherine Laboure, to whom the Immaculata graciously revealed the Miraculous Medal, that the Immaculata be queen of the whole world and of each soul in particular as soon as possible."

The Miraculous Medal is very special because it was actually designed by Our Lady herself! She promised special graces to anyone who wore it!

On November 27th 1830, St. Catherine Laboure revived a vision from Our Lady; she saw Mary standing on a half-globe with a serpent crushed beneath her feet and her hands jeweled with rings, holding a small golden globe with a cross on it. Bright light shown from some of the jewels on her fingers. Suddenly, the small, golden globe disappeared from Mary’s hands, and she opened her arms outward. The light from the jewels extended out from her hands, and a semi-circle frame appeared around and over her with an inscription in gold: “O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.”

The vision seemed to rotate, and on the reverse side, Catherine saw the letter “M” with a cross on it and surrounded by twelve stars. The cross stood on a horizontal bar. Under the “M” were two hearts engulfed in flames, one encircled in thorns and the other pierced by a sword.

Mary then told Catherine, “Have a medal struck upon this model. Those who wear it will receive great graces, especially if they wear it around the neck.”

Mary explained the meaning of the medal to Catherine as follows: Mary is Queen of heaven and earth. She crushes Satan, who is helpless before her, under her foot (see Gen 3:15). Her arms are open, and the many rays of light are graces that she obtains for those who request them. The dark jewels, the ones that are not full of light, represent the graces that are available but that people don’t receive because they don’t ask for them.

The inscription, “O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee,” refers to Mary’s Immaculate Conception, which means that from the first moment of her conception she was free from all stain of original sin.

On the back of the medal, the twelve stars represent the twelve Apostles, who represent the whole Church, which surrounds Mary. The “M” is for Mary, and the cross is the Cross of Christ, the symbol of our redemption. The horizontal bar represents the earth. The placement of the cross and the bar on and in the letter “M” shows Mary’s participation in the Cross of Christ and her involvement in our world. The two hearts are those of Jesus and Mary, burning with love for us all.

Pray:

Virgin Mother of God, Mary Immaculate, we unite ourselves to you under your title of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal.

May this medal be for each one of us
a sure sign of your motherly affection for us and a constant reminder of our filial duties towards you.

While wearing it, may we be blessed by your loving protection and preserved in the grace of your Son.

Most powerful Virgin, Mother of our Savior, keep us close to you every moment of our lives so that like you we may live and act according to the teaching and example of your Son.

Obtain for us, your children, the grace of a happy death so that in union with you we may enjoy the happiness of heaven forever.

O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to you, and for all who do not have recourse to you, especially the enemies of the Church and those recommend to you.

Amen.

Spiritual Car Wash

Spring has surely sprung. During this time of year people set aside some time to "spring clean" their vehicles. The carwash business thrives during these warmer months. If your car is anything like mine, it is covered with pollen, mud, and some mysterious form of bird droppings??? However the outside is luxurious in comparison to the interior: energy-drink cans, dirty clothes, paperwork, leftovers, and possibly even a dead animal...or two. To be honest, we get used to the mess and only end up cleaning it because we are embarrassed of what possible passengers will think.

Like our cars, sometimes we get used to the dirty mess in our own spiritual lives. The trash in our hearts. We need a spiritual washing. We are embarrassed of what's inside. We are embarrassed of what others will think if they find out. My brothers and sisters, that's why Christ gave the Church the sacrament of reconciliation, "Jesus said to them again, 'Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.' And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld'" John 20:21-23.

We are so lucky to have the opportunity to receive visible and definitive absolution within the Sacrament of Reconciliation, so why don't we utilize it more often? Canon Law states that everyone who has reached the age of reason is required to confess his grave sins at least once a year. Canon Law also recommends that the faithful confess their venial sins as well. Blessed John Paul II noted in his Apostolic Exhortation that venial sin "must never be underestimated, as though it were automatically something that can be ignored or regarded as a sin of little importance." In fact, every sin partly closes us off from being able to fully receive the Grace that God is trying to give us. If we don't recognize that, while continuing in vice or giving into temptations, we run the risk of falling into grave sin which completely closes us off from receiving God's Grace. If that happens, we must remember to seek the Sacrament of Reconciliation before we receive our Lord in the Eucharist, as that would compound even more grave sin within us. Regular trips to the confessional not only absolve us, they also fortify our spirit against future conflict, helping us to resist temptation and avoid instances that could lead us to sin. The Sacrament makes straight whatever bends we have created in the narrow path to our Heavenly home. The more we acknowledge and confess our sins to Christ through His ordained representatives in The Church, the stronger our consciences will become, and the closer we will be to Him. We will grow in holiness, and move farther away from a life of sin, even the "small ones". However, when you begin this growth in holiness, be prepared for the forces of darkness to try discouraging you into believing it is unimportant.

Are you nervous about confessing your sins? Do you feel weighed down? That is entirely normal, but think of the peace and freedom you will have once those sins are washed away! It's dangerous to think that there is no need for the Sacrament of Reconciliation or that your sins aren't big enough to need absolution. We also need to remember that the Sacrament doesn't give us carte blanche to sin as much and however we want during the week, only to go and have it absolved on the weekend before Mass. We must have genuine contrition, and a resolve to turn away from sin in the future for it to be valid.

One good way to help be consistent with Sacramental confession is to form a habit of making a daily examination of conscience using the spiritual exercise of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Call to mind the Blessings God has bestowed upon you throughout the day; ask for the wisdom to know your failings, acknowledge them and ask for forgiveness; feel the forgiving embrace of Jesus who is Mercy Himself; then resolve to avoid sin better the next day. When you do this, it will help you realize just how much we can fall short of our Baptismal promise, and it prepares you for the Sacrament of Reconciliation itself.

An important thing to remember is God's greatest attribute, His Divine Mercy. As Pope Francis said, "The Lord never tires of forgiving, it is we who tire of asking for forgiveness". The abyss of His Mercy is unfathomable, and so great that He was willing to be sacrificed for our salvation. Let us trust in this Mercy, and in thanksgiving embrace the life of sanctity completely. Ask our Blessed Mother to guide you into this holy life, as she is the perfect model of it. Make the examination of conscience and the Sacrament of Reconciliation a regular occurrence. I trust that if we do this, we will grow in union with our Heavenly Father.

Do not be afraid to grow in holiness, only be afraid to become stagnant in it. Confessing grave sins once a year may be the minimum requirement, but we should do more than meet the bare minimum; we should strive to become saints.

Imagine how great you feel after you wash your car. It shines and shimmers. Now imagine if you ran your car through the wash and it restored your vehicles newness- no matter how beat up or dinged it was. That's what the sacrament of reconciliation does for your soul! When you leave the confessional, your soul shines and shimmers and angels sing praise to God for your confession and for your restoration!

An Annunciation Announcement

"Annunciation" is simply an ancient way of saying "announcement". We have a spectacular announcement to share! Yesterday, on the Solemnity of the Annunciation, 20+ men and women totally consecrated themselves to Jesus through Mary. The Militia of the Immaculata in Beaumont is already growing!

MI's celebrate every year with special fervour: the feast of the Annunciation of our Lord. This is the distinctive feast of the Consecration Devotion and was chosen so that we might honour and imitate that dependence which the eternal Word accepted on this day out of love for us. The Annunciation is the feast that commemorates God Himself taking on flesh and, thereby, subjecting even Himself to trust in and dependency on Our Lady. Yesterday, we too subjected our entire being to Our
Queen.

On this the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Church rejoices at the message of the Archangel Gabriel that Mary was chosen to be the Mother of the Savior of the World, Jesus Christ. Mary said yes to God's will as so we should in our pilgrim journey of faith. Especially in this Year of Faith, we should be saying YES to God's will for us and trust in the Lord's plans for us.This feast day usually falls on March. 25 (exactly 9 months before Christmas since it commemorates the conception of Jesus), but it was transferred this year because of Holy Week and the Easter week.

The Immaculate alone has from God the promise of victory over Satan. She seeks souls that will consecrate themselves entirely to her, that will become in her hands forceful instruments for the defeat of Satan and the spread of God's kingdom. -St. Maximilian Kolbe

The Eucharist: Totality of Presence

Something is certain, we are under attack. People continue to fall away from the Holy Catholic Church, embracing the hedonistic lifestyle of the world. In the process, they discard most, if not all their beliefs. In this culture of relativism, where things like abortion, contraception, pornography, and promiscuity are deemed acceptable as long as you think they are morally right, it sometimes might seem difficult to believe that there is an absolute Truth that tells us something is wrong; a Truth that calls us to live pure and chaste lives dedicated to the service of God. How are we to battle back against the tide of evil that pervades the minds of society? We need to remember that Jesus Christ is Truly and fully Present in the Most Holy Eucharist, and then we need to act like it.

I think that if everyone REALLY believed in the True Presence within the Eucharist, we could do nothing but order our lives according to that Truth. How could we, knowing that we were to receive God Himself into us, believe it was okay for anyone to destroy an unborn life, prevent life from being created, or pervert and distort sexuality to be about personal gratification. To receive God Himself into our bodies, uniting our very soul to Him, while at the same time disregarding His Doctrines is a great disservice to the One whom we owe all. We also have to guard ourselves from making reception of the Eucharist nothing more than a habitual routine, going through the motions, forgetting the importance of it. It is the source and summit of our lives; shouldn’t we stay through the entire Mass in deep reflection of such a gift given to us unworthy people? Instead, people rush out of the Church immediately after receiving Him, hoping to “beat the crowds” like it was some sort of sporting event. Everything that we do and profess to be True finds it’s center in the Eucharist; when we don’t act according to that, it diminishes the belief in the True Presence. That is when the lies, passions, and evils of the world will attempt to destroy us.

There are ways for us to strengthen the devotion to our Blessed Lord in the Eucharist, which also show love and reverence for Him who was crucified for us; I will mention eight:

•  First, whenever you enter a Church, genuflect towards the Tabernacle. Genuflect again when you arrive at your pew, cross in front of the Tabernacle, or leave the Church; do this slowly and reverently. 

• Second, arrive for Mass early. This gives you time to prepare for the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and to receive our Creator into your soul! 

• Third, practice keeping reverent silence before, during, and after Mass so you can hear the call of the Lord and so others aren’t distracted while they pray. 

• Fourth, receive the Eucharist on the tongue. If possible, receive kneeling and on the tongue, which is the universal norm for The Church, and is much more humble and intimate. If you decide to receive the Eucharist on the hand, remember to check your hands very carefully because even the smallest fragment that remains is fully and completely Jesus Christ, and cannot be allowed to fall on the floor to be trampled. 

• Fifth, stay after Mass and pray, thanking God for the most wonderful gift of joining you to Him. 

• Sixth, pick a time during the week to make an hour for Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament; then stick with it. 

• Seventh, go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation often, as it cleanses us of sin and properly disposes us to receive the Eucharist, and it will also strengthen you against temptation in the future.

• Eighth, work on your Marian devotion, ask the Blessed Mother to pray for your Eucharistic zeal. She will give it to you because she is the mother of Eucharistic reverence. Remember she witnessed the greatest 'liturgical' abuse against her Son of all time- Calvary. 

These suggestions are a starting point to fortify your Armor of Christ for the spiritual warfare we constantly face, and I’m sure that if we can reignite the belief in the True Presence among the faithful as well as society, then all other things will come to Order accordingly. Pax Vobiscum.

A Letter to His Excellency, The Most Reverend Curtis J. Guillory, S.V.D., D.D.

Your Excellency,

We thank Almighty God and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ every day for the great blessings and many graces received from your Apostolic leadership. 

It is with great joy that we come to you today to announce the formation of a lay apostolate in Beaumont, a unit of The Militia of the Immaculata. The Militia of the Immaculata (MI) is a worldwide evangelization movement founded by St. Maximilian Kolbe in 1917 that encourages total consecration to the Blessed Virgin Mary as a means of spiritual renewal for individuals and society.  The MI's mission is "To Lead All Men and Every Individual Through Mary to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus." 

The Militia of the Immaculata began on October 16, 1917, around a table at the Conventual Franciscan seminary in Rome. Maximilian Kolbe gathered together six like-minded young friars before a statue of the Blessed Virgin and drafted a charter that would establish one of the most influential Marian apostolates ever. The charter still serves as a blueprint of spiritual progress for MI members today.

 The Militia of the Immaculata of Beaumont seeks to continue the vision of Saint Maximilian Kolbe. We are a group of young men from around the Diocese consecrated to Jesus through Mary who have felt a call to increase our own holiness, to turn away from our sins, and to embrace the Cross of Christ fully and completely. We have also felt called to Evangelization in Southeast Texas and beyond, and we are committing ourselves to the success of the New Evangelization. We feel a great desire to perform spiritual and corporal works of mercy for our neighbors as a group, especially for the poor, the sick, and the imprisoned. We feel it is necessary to do whatever we can to help increase and strengthen the belief in the True Presence of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. We have felt a call to help promote more reverence before, during, and after the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in the Sanctuaries of God the Almighty Father. We seek to help bring the Faith to all people through authentic ecumenism and social media, in the hope that everyone can share in the joy of being in full communion with the Catholic Church. 

Unworthy as we are, we offer ourselves entirely to Jesus through the Immaculata, trusting Mary and asking her to make us her instruments for bringing about the conversion of the whole world into the One Body of Christ, all for the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. We vow to be completely faithful to the Authentic Teachings of the Catholic Church,  the Holy Father, and The Magisterium.

With the approval by the Pontifical Council for the Laity on October 16, 1997, of the MI's updated International Governing Statutes, the MI was given the privilege of status as an "international public association" - a status shared by only three other Catholic organizations.

We thank our Father in Heaven for bringing us together in this place, in this time, to join together and become part of the most important action of our lives, the participation in the Divine Life of Jesus. We are excited and filled with great hope for the future and its possibilities, and we humbly ask for your prayers and want to assure you of our prayers as you continue your great ministry to the faithful in the Diocese of Beaumont. Please count on us to be there to help with the works of mercy needed in Southeast Texas.

Yours in Christ, through Mary, with Peter,

The Militia Immaculata of Beaumont

We Must Connect at the Connection

Calling all Catholics who are passionate and educated about their faith! We have a huge opportunity to defend the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church! We need to rally the troops! Calvary Baptist Beaumont is going to be having an ongoing class that promotes anti-Catholicism. This class is aimed at luke-warm former Catholics. The Class is going to be called "Catholic Connection".  It will be held 9:30 Sunday mornings in room 205 at Calvary Baptist Church Beaumont. This is the description found on Calvary's website: 


This four week class is designed to help those who have a Catholic background understand the differences in Catholic and Protestant religions and what we believe at Calvary. If you are from a Catholic background or would just like to better understand the differences, this class is for you. 
For more information call us at 898-7074

I understand this sounds "nice" but you must understand that this group is very anti-catholic. What they present as "Catholic" teaching will be skewed and distorted.We have to defend the flock! We must respond with clarity, charity, and stealth! Come fill this class and give a strong Catholic witness!

As Peter our first Pope taught:

Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence, keeping your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who defame your good conduct in Christ may themselves be put to shame.- 1 Peter 3:15,16