Author: Jeff Cassman

Communio in Sacris

Posted on by Jeff Cassman

PRAYER WITH NON-CATHOLICS FORBIDDEN

So, Venerable Brethren, it is clear why this Apostolic See has never allowed its subjects to take part in the assemblies of non-Catholics: for the union of Christians can only be promoted by promoting the return to the one true Church of Christ of those. MORTALIUM ANIMOS ENCYCLICAL OF POPE PIUS XI
ON RELIGIOUS UNITY

Are heretics and schismatics excommunicated? Yes; they have no part in the Communion of the Saints. Catechism of the Summa

If any ecclesiastic or layman shall go into the synagogue of the Jews or to the meeting-houses of the heretics to join in prayer with them, let them be deposed and deprived of communion. If any bishop or priest or deacon shall join in prayer with heretics, let him be suspended from communion. II Council of Constantinople

 That Christians and ecclesiastics should pray for Christian unity under the direction of heretics and, what is worse, according to an intention which is radically impregnated and vitiated with heresy, is absolutely impossible to tolerate! Ven. Pope Pius XI

One must neither pray nor sing psalms with heretics, and whoever shall communicate with those who are cut off from the communion of the Church, whether clergy or layman: let him be excommunicated. Council of Carthage

 No one shall pray in common with heretics and schismatics. Council of Laodicea

Since you are not of my religion, I ought not to join in prayer with you; but I will pray heartily for you: that God would … Read the rest

THE BATTLE OF FORT PILLOW LEGACY

Posted on by Jeff Cassman

Only two weeks after the battle, a U.S. Congressional inquiry could not conclusively determine exactly what happened. Both sides failed to control the action, and only Forrest’s direct, personal intervention to stop the shooting saved many of the Union defenders left standing on the beach. Not satisfied with the Congressional inquiry, Union General William T. Sherman convened a not-so-impartial inquiry. He openly stated that he would try and convict General Forrest. However, Sherman’s inquiry also ended without substantive evidence to find Forrest culpable.

The stain that his lopsided Fort Pillow victory was a premeditated “massacre” remained with Forrest for the rest of his life. Northern newspapers publishing obituaries after his October 29, 1877 death, while acknowledging Forrest’s genius as a cavalry commander, nonetheless resurrected the “Fort Pillow Massacre” charges. The New York Times’ obituary even claimed that, during Forrest’s post-Civil War life, “his principal occupation seems to have been to try to explain away the Fort Pillow affair.” Northern newspapers criticizing Forrest’s effort “to explain away the Fort Pillow affair,” however, seem especially disingenuous since the sensationalist accounts by the partisan Northern press bears a large share of the burden for creating and perpetuating the “massacre” claim in the first place. Forrest always disputed claims that his Fort Pillow victory was a “massacre.” Any fair-minded judgment as to whether it was truly the racism-inspired, premeditated massacre claimed by the Northern press and Union leaders at the time must also take into consideration the inevitable confusion of desperate, hand-to-hand combat and … Read the rest

The magic of a moment

Posted on by Jeff Cassman

In the realm where divine love forever thrives,
In the heart where compassion ceaselessly strives,
A tale echoes through time, pure as the dawn,
A tale of Saint Veronica, love’s precious pawn.

She, the blessed bearer of the tenderest touch,
Whose love, like a river, gave so very much.
In the eyes of affliction, she saw a spark,
Love’s beacon flickering in the consuming dark.

Crowned in humility, swathed in grace,
She sought to make the world a better place.
Through suffering’s lens, she chose to see,
The sanctity of love in its highest decree.

To a man named Jesus, on the path of pain,
She offered her veil, to ease his strain.
An image captured on that blessed linen,
A testament to a love never to be hidden.

His countenance imprinted, a holy sight,
A testament to her pure love’s might.
The legacy of Veronica, forever to endure,
In the name of a love, selfless and pure.

The magic of a moment, the kindness of a soul,
A single act of love that makes the broken whole.
From her we learn, love’s purest decree,
The power to heal, to set hearts free.

Saint Veronica, your love story still shines,
Across the epochs, through love’s own designs.
An emblem of compassion, an icon of grace,
You show us love in every face.

For pure love is more than the tales of yore,
It’s the daily choice to serve, to adore.
To look upon another, see their strife,
And offer, like … Read the rest

Heavenly whispers echoed

Posted on by Jeff Cassman

In the cradle of Cremona, where Lombardy’s heart beats,
A saintly tale unfolds, through church hymns and quiet streets.
A man named Anthony, born under the stars’ acclaim,
Heavenly whispers echoed, Maria Zaccaria was his name.

Born to nobles, in chambers rich and vast,
Yet in his heart, he held the humble and outcast.
A doctor by training, he healed bodies and souls,
Yet higher callings beckoned, towards loftier roles.

Within him a fervor, a holy fire did burn,
A desire to reform, the church’s fate to discern.
Anthony saw, through a sacred visionary’s gaze,
A faith turned rigid, in the world’s altering haze.

In the heart of Milan, in a world cloaked in strife,
Anthony yearned to bestow, a new spiritual life.
He founded the Barnabites, under Saint Paul’s mantle they thrive,
To nurture the city’s faith, to keep God’s word alive.

Angelic Sisters of Saint Paul, and the Laity of Saint Paul,
His spiritual family grew, answering the divine call.
Anthony, their leader, yet in service he kneeled,
In the humble acts of love, God’s face revealed.

In the tumult of change, his heart remained strong,
Serenaded by prayer, a ceaseless celestial song.
His life, a testament, to the divine’s enduring call,
Anthony Maria Zaccaria, a saint revered by all.

His legacy persists, in the bells that chime,
In hearts touched by grace, transcending space and time.
From Cremona to the world, his message unfurls,
A beacon of love, in a world of whirling swirls.

Anthony, beloved saint, … Read the rest

Atlas of Independence

Posted on by Jeff Cassman

In the heart of Massachusetts, where the early dawn blooms,
Lived a man of wit and grit, midst the old, creaky rooms.
John Adams, our second president, a name deeply engraved,
In the annals of history, for the country he bravely saved.

Attorney by profession, a statesman by the right,
Adams wielded his wisdom, like a beacon in the night.
A fervent patriot he stood, in the face of daunting odds,
Striding with integrity, on soils, both fresh and sods.

In the courtrooms of justice, with eloquence, he’d fight,
His words, like a sharpened sword, casting an ethereal light.
Defending men of the ‘Boston Massacre’, a deed not quite expected,
Yet his firm belief in justice, left his honor unaffected.

The tyranny of the crown, he dared to boldly question,
Calling for independence, his audacious suggestion.
With the Declaration’s penning, his vision took flight,
As ‘a government of laws, not of men’, stepped into the light.

From lawyer to diplomat, then President to be,
Adams embodied courage, as the sea embraces the sea.
A life devoted to liberty, and justice for the land,
John Adams, a son of Massachusetts, by her, he’d forever stand.

As we flip through the pages, of time’s everlasting book,
At Adams’ tireless resolve, it’s worth a second look.
A testament to leadership, with fairness at its core,
His legacy is etched in time, forever to endure.

 … Read the rest