Author: Jeff Cassman

Examination of Conscience for a Husband

Posted on by Jeff Cassman

Examination of Conscience for a Husband

Material Responsibilities

  1. Provision
    • Have I consistently provided for the physical needs of my wife and family, including food, shelter, clothing, and other necessities?
    • Have I managed our finances responsibly and with the intention of supporting the well-being of my family?
    • Have I been diligent and industrious in my work to ensure that our family’s needs are met?
  2. Protection
    • Have I ensured the safety and security of my wife and family?
    • Have I taken necessary measures to protect my family from harm, both physically and emotionally?

Emotional Responsibilities

  1. Love and Affection
    • Have I shown my wife love and affection unconditionally?
    • Have I been supportive, understanding, and compassionate towards my wife’s needs and concerns?
    • Have I made an effort to spend quality time with my wife and family?
  2. Respect and Honor
    • Have I respected my wife’s dignity and treated her as an equal partner in our marriage?
    • Have I valued my wife’s opinions and involved her in important family decisions?
    • Have I honored my wife through my words and actions, avoiding any form of belittlement or disrespect?
  3. Communication
    • Have I communicated openly and honestly with my wife about my thoughts and feelings?
    • Have I listened attentively and empathetically to my wife’s concerns and perspectives?
    • Have I worked to resolve conflicts in a loving and constructive manner?

Spiritual Responsibilities

  1. Spiritual Leadership
    • Have I led by example in living a life of faith and devotion to God?
    • Have I ensured that our family attends Mass regularly and participates
… Read the rest

How Our Lord Jesus Exemplified Each Order of Catholic Clergy

Posted on by Jeff Cassman

In traditional Catholic teaching, the hierarchy of clergy is divided into minor and major orders, each with distinct roles and responsibilities within the Church. These orders form a structured path for those pursuing a vocation in the Church’s ministry, culminating in the sacrament of Holy Orders.

Minor Orders

The minor orders traditionally include:

  • Porter: Responsible for the physical care of the church building, including opening and closing the doors, and guarding the entrance.
  • Lector: Tasked with reading Scriptures during liturgical services and often with instructing catechumens.
  • Exorcist: Charged with the duty of expelling evil spirits and assisting with catechetical instruction.
  • Acolyte: Assists in the liturgy, particularly by serving at the altar and helping the deacon and priest.

Major Orders

The major orders encompass:

  • Subdeacon: Aids the deacon and priest, especially in the preparation of the altar and the elements for the Eucharist.
  • Deacon: Assists the priest in liturgical functions, preaches the Gospel, and performs works of charity and service.
  • Priest: Administers most of the sacraments, preaches, leads the congregation in worship, and acts as a spiritual shepherd to the faithful.
  • Bishop: Possesses the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders, overseeing multiple congregations, ordaining new clergy, and serving as the chief shepherd and teacher of the diocese

This traditional structure emphasizes a progression of service and responsibility, with each order preparing the clergy for greater roles in the sacramental and pastoral life of the Church.

The following sections provide examples of how Jesus Christ, the High Priest, fulfilled the roles … Read the rest

Velveteen Skies

Posted on by Jeff Cassman

In the heart of the South where the Cumberland flows,
Lies Nashville, the city where melody grows.
‘Neath the veil of the night by soft lamplight’s glow,
Whispers of history in every echo.

Majestic in grace, like a raven’s dark wing,
Its streets hold the secrets and songs that we sing.
The Grand Ole Opry, a spectral grand stage,
Haunts with the sounds of each bygone age.

There, spirits of minstrels in twilight repose,
Strum chords of heartache, of love, and of woes.
The twang of a guitar, a sorrowful plea,
Binds the soul of the city in minor key tragedy.

Oh, Nashville, your nights draped in velveteen skies,
Reveal not the shadows that under you lie.
The river, a mirror, reflects the stark gleam
Of stars that watch over this land of dream.

Beneath every footstep on worn wooden floors,
Echoes of boots that have danced before.
And in each whispered breeze that the evening will toss,
Lingers the perfume of magnolia and moss.

So here in the haunt of old legends’ abode,
The music plays on in its hallowed postcode.
For as long as the river runs, wild and free,
Nashville shall be what the past decreed.

A city, a sanctuary, where old ghosts roam,
In the heart of Tennessee, forever home.
Edgar’s soft shadow might wander and weave,
Through the melodies born on a cool Southern eve.… Read the rest

The Mystical Gem

Posted on by Jeff Cassman

Beneath the veil of starlit skies, in Lucca’s quiet embrace, Where whispered prayers like incense rise, in sanctity and grace, There dwelt a soul of pure intent, as fragile as it’s strong, Galgani, heaven-sent, to whom the angels throng.

Her youth was draped in sorrow’s guise, her body wracked with pain, Yet, from her depths, no plaintive cries, but love’s eternal flame. With stigmata, her hands were marked, with Christ’s own sacred plight, Through every trial, her spirit sparked, reflecting Heaven’s light.

In visions wrapped, she oft would speak with patron saints of yore, Her countenance, so mild and meek, a heart the Savior bore. The roses of her mystic garden bloomed beneath her gaze, Her prayers, a balm to those harden’d, her life, a hymn of praise.

Oh, Gemma, with the violet eyes, like twilight o’er the lea, Your sufferings were no disguise, but steps to Calvary. A conduit of celestial will, in every act devout, Your legacy, it lingers still, it casts away all doubt.

In dreams of night, the angels tread around her peaceful form, Her saintly vigil, not misled, a beacon through the storm. Ascend, sweet maid, to realms above, where golden streets await, Embrace the heart of divine love, pass through the pearly gate.

Thus Gemma, in her quietude, transcends the mortal coil, A soul so beatifically imbued, consecrated in hallowed soil. And now within the starry host, where saints and seraphs sing, Galgani’s spirit’s most adored by Heaven’s King.… Read the rest

Cajetan Rebukes the Sedes (again)

Posted on by Jeff Cassman

Sedes are fond of citing Bellarmine and occasionally, Cajetan, to support their novel theories.  Phillip Campbell has a good article here explaining why this is a problem.

The article argues that sedevacantists misinterpret Cajetan’s views on removing a pope and can’t use his arguments to justify their stance. Cajetan, a 16th-century theologian, indeed discussed the removal of a pope but strictly under the context of heresy, seeing the pope’s authority as directly instituted by Christ, not delegated by the Church. His unique stance was that in cases other than heresy, the faithful should resort to prayer for divine intervention rather than seek human legal mechanisms for removal.

The Conciliarists of his time mocked Cajetan for believing in prayer just as the sedes today mock Catholics for begging God for mercy from evil prelates. This was his response:

It does not follow from the fact that the Church has not been granted the power to depose by human provision that it has not been granted [any] power to depose a pope; for it does so unfailingly by another means, namely, by persevering in prayer.

…Each polity, whether civil or ecclesiastical, can depose one who rules it tyrannically, but in different ways—thr civil one, being perfect and free, by means of power and by human provision, the ecclesiastical, however, by means of the Father’s own power, by perseverance in prayer when it is truly necessary. This mode, more excellent and unable to err as the former can, is better, and, therefore, the

… Read the rest