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Traditional Catholic Faith => Crisis in the Church => Topic started by: Nadir on February 19, 2019, 08:53:08 PM

Title: League of St Peter Damian
Post by: Nadir on February 19, 2019, 08:53:08 PM
The League of Saint Peter Damian in formation
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By Randy Engel (http://www.renewamerica.com/columns/engel)
February 18, 2019

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February 16, 2019 
From: Randy Engel


February 23 is the feast day on the Old Calendar of Saint Peter Damian, a Doctor of the Church and the author of the Book of Gomorrah (Letter 31).

This mailing anticipates this great feast day with the announcement of the formation of the Catholic League of Saint Peter Damian. It also anticipates the February 21-24th Vatican meeting on clerical sɛҳuąƖ abuse, making this mailing exceptionally timely.

Because time is of the essence, the League of Saint Peter Damian is being initially organized as a special project of the U.S. Coalition for Life. If all goes well, next year, we hope to establish the League as an independent Catholic apostolate dedicated to increasing devotion to this great but little-known medieval saint and to making his writings, especially his treatise, Book of Gomorrah, better known to Catholics around the world.

Written in 1049 AD, the Book of Gomorrah work contains the most extensive treatment and condemnation ever written by any Church Father on clerical pederasty and ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖ practices.

In addition, the League seeks to ignite a universal campaign of spiritual warfare against the Forces of Organized Perversion which threaten our Faith, Family and Country – evils which can only be extinguished by prayer and fasting in the traditional Catholic manner.

Membership in the League, which by nature is now informal, is open to all Catholics – lay, clerical, and religious, over the age of 18. (see the Provisional Membership form below).

Hierarchial support for the League is especially welcome.

There is no monetary fee associated with membership at this time as the League of Saint Peter Damian, at least in these early stages of formation, is a computer-based ministry.

There is, however, a spiritual price tag associated with this early membership in the form of traditional Catholic devotions including the Rosary, the Fatima prayers, and the use

of Sacramentals, most especially the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, in accordance with one's circuмstances and state of life.

Almost 1000 years ago, Saint Peter Damian with the support of Pope St. Leo IX waged a successful war against clerical sodomy and pederasty. Today, his Book of Gomorrah provides a blueprint for action by the Catholic Church against these same evils. This is only one of many reasons Saint Peter Damian is the ideal patron and model for our League.

As a [Provisional] member of the League you will receive monthly emails containing information and readings on the life, spirituality and writings of Saint Peter Damian. These will begin on March 23, 2019 and continue throughout the year. We hope you will share these email communications with your pastor, your bishop, relatives and friends.

To join the League of Saint Peter Damian please fill out the information provisional form below and return the application BY POST/MAIL to: League of Saint Peter Damian, c/o USCL, Box 315, Export, PA 1563 USA. This will enable us to verify the mailing address on your application. My special appreciation to Canadian artist Peter Graziano who designed our logo.

God Bless You,

[size=+1]Randy Engel[/size]


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Download the PROVISIONAL MEMBERSHIP FORM (http://www.renewamerica.com/images/columns/19/190218engel.pdf)
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© Randy Engel[/font][/size][/color]
Title: Re: League of St Peter Damian
Post by: Nadir on April 02, 2019, 12:35:00 AM
https://akacatholic.com/league-study-guide-1/ (https://akacatholic.com/league-study-guide-1/)


League of St. Peter Damian: 
Study Guide 1
 Guest Contributor (https://akacatholic.com/author/guest-contributor/)  April 1, 2019  No Comments (https://akacatholic.com/league-study-guide-1/#comments)
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Dear Brothers and Sister in Christ,
Welcome to the League of Saint Peter Damian. Two-thousand nineteen anno Domini is the year of the League’s formation. Catholics who register with the League during 2019 are considered founding members. [To apply for membership in the League (at no financial cost) please CLICK HERE (https://akacatholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/League-St.-Peter-Damian-FORM.pdf).]
The purpose of this transitional period is to determine the structure, and traditional practices, policies and programs of the League prior to its incorporation and the  establishment of a formal website.
As you already know, the League’s primary purpose is to foster greater devotion to Saint  Peter Damian, a Doctor of the Church, and to promote his writings,  most especially his work, the Book of Gomorrah– a blueprint for the moral and spiritual reform of  the Catholic priesthood and religious life.  The League is also dedicated to strengthening of the daily spiritual life of its clerical and lay members under the inspiration and guidance of Saint Peter Damian.
– Randy Engel
STUDY GUIDE #1
“Let Your Life Always Serve as a Witness”
A Biographical Sketch of Saint Peter Damian
[Note: The following is a brief account of the life and times of Saint Peter Damian, a theological giant and moral reformer of the Middle Ages. Over the next 12 months we will be exploring his life and works in much greater depth and intimacy, but for those who are just making Peter Damian’s acquaintance, this summary can serve as a valuable introduction.]
It appears that whenever Holy Mother Church has had a great need for a special kind of saint for a particular age, God, in His infinite mercy, has never failed to fill that need. And so, in the year 1007 AD, a boy child was born to a noble but poor family in the ancient Roman city of Ravenna, who would become a Doctor of the Church, a precursor of the Hildebrand reform, and a key figure in the moral and spiritual reformation of the lax and incontinent clergy of his time.
Tradition tells us that Peter Damian’s entrance into this world was initially an unwelcome event that overtaxed and somewhat embittered his already large family. He was orphaned at a young age. His biographer, John of Lodi, tells us that were it not for the solicitude of his older brother Damian, an archpriest at Ravenna, the youth might have lived out his life in obscurity as a swineherd, but God deemed otherwise.
Peter’s innate intellectual talents and remarkable piety in the light of great adversity were recognized by the archpriest, who plucked his younger brother from the fields and provided him with an excellent education, first at Ravenna, then Faenza and finally at the University of Parma. In return, Peter acknowledged his brother’s loving care by adopting Damian as his surname.
Although he excelled in his studies and quickly rose in academic ranks, Peter felt drawn to the religious rather than university life. His spirituality would be formed by his love for the Rule of St. Benedict and his attraction to the rigorous penance and individualistic practices of St. Romuald.
In his late twenties he was welcomed into the Benedictine hermitage of the Reform of St. Romuald at Fonte-Avellana where he eventually became prior, a position he retained until his death on February 21, 1072. He also served as Cardinal-Bishop of Ostia, an honor bestowed upon him by Pope Stephen IX in 1057. The life of the well-traveled holy monk was distinguished by his great learning and a marvelous knowledge of Holy Scripture and by great penitential acts, which served both as a rebuke and as an inspiration to his fellow monks and the secular clergy at a time when moral turpitude was endemic in clerical ranks.
Owen J. Blum, O.F.M., Saint Peter Damian’s chief translator and biographer in modern times, in one of his many works on the hermit-monk, notes that for the great saint, the spiritual life was first and foremost a life of prayer, penance and reparation. Peter Damian also promoted and practiced a special devotion to the Blessed Virgin.
The two hallmarks of the holy monk’s teachings on the spiritual life were his great hatred of sin and his fundamental and overriding interest in the spiritual advancement of the Catholic priesthood.
As Blum states, “Peter Damian thought of the priesthood as an order of the greatest dignity. Indeed, it was the exalted nobility of this office that caused him to speak in such dire terms to priests who forgot their position and tarnished their souls with incontinence.”
Peter Damian showed remarkable insight into the importance of model episcopal leadership, stating that “the example of a virtuous life” filters down from “the princes of the Church to all levels of the clergy and laity.”  The holy monk was equally insistent on the deposition of unworthy incuмbents to the priesthood, the duty of which fell to the local bishop.
Much of the success of his program of clerical moral reform was due to the fact Peter Damian was able to closely link his own efforts with that of the Papacy. Indeed, his wise council and diplomatic skills were employed by a long succession of Popes.
Peter Damian died in the odor of sanctity on February 22, 1072, in his sixty-sixth year at Faenza while returning to Rome from a papal mission to Ravenna. Although he was never formally canonized, he was revered as a saint immediately after his death and his cultus has existed at Faenza, at Fonte-Avellana, at Monte Cassino, and at Cluny to the present day.
Over the centuries his body has been moved six times, each time to a more splendid setting. In 1898, Peter Damian’s body found its final resting place in a beautiful side chapel dedicated to the saint in the Cathedral of Faenza, seat of the Bishop of Faenza-Modigliana.
[For additional details on Saint Peter Damian’s life see New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia (http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11764a.htm), “St. Peter Damian,” by Leslie A. ST. L. Toke (transcribed by Joseph C. Meyer) pp. 1-2, at .] 
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CLICK the image above to obtain The Book of Gomorrah by St. Peter Damian
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Background on The Book of Gomorrah and the Vice of Sodomy
[Note: Today, there is great confusion among many Catholics, both lay and clerics, concerning the nature of the vice of sodomy. Saint Peter Damian’s treatise, the Book of Gomorrah (Liber Gomorrhianus) written in 1049 AD, contains the most extensive treatment and condemnation by any Church Father of clerical pederasty and ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖ practices. Every issue of this Study Guide will contain an excerpt from the Book of Gomorrah and a brief commentary on its relevance to the current state of moral chaos in the Church. The League is currently seeking permission from the Catholic University of America to reprint the entire text of the late Father Blum’s translation in pamphlet form to enable members to give the widest distribution possible to the treatise. – R.E.]
Church’s Perennial Teaching on Sodomy
As the Church’s eternal mission is the salvation of souls, so her condemnation of all sin including ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖ thoughts, words, and deeds, deliberately entertained, are joined to that of God’s infinite mercy and the need for repentance and reform of one’s life. To deliberately indulge in sodomy, in all its forms, is to places one’s soul in danger of eternal damnation and renders the sinner incapable of any virtue on a supernatural level.
Therefore, direct refutation combined with fraternal correction in the matter is an act of mercy not only for the individual caught in the vice, but as a preservative to keep others from falling into the same pit.
From Saint Peter to Saint Felix I, the early popes together with the early Church Fathers drew up Church general decrees, and later canons and pastoral and penitential codes and instituted a series of synods and councils by which their decrees in matters of faith and morals (including the immorality of all ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖ acts), were made known to the universal Church.
Pope Gregory I at the beginning of the Middle Ages used the Old Testament text from Genesis19: 1-25 to describe the terrible fate of Sodom and Gomorrah:
Brimstone calls to mind the foul orders of the flesh, as Sacred Scripture itself confirms when it speaks of the rain of fire and brimstone poured by the Lord upon Sodom. He had decided to punish in it the crimes of the flesh, and the very type of punishment emphasized the shame of that crime, since brimstone exhales stench and fire burns. It was, therefore, just, that the sodomites, burning with perverse desires that originated from the foul odor of the flesh, should perish at the same time by fire and brimstone, so that through this just chastisement they must realize the evil perpetrated under the impulse of a perverse desire.
Sodomy  –  A Vice and Crime
Throughout the Middle Ages, including the reign of Charlemagne, King of the Franks (768-814) and Holy Roman Emperor (800-814) and well beyond, the moral and legal status of sodomy remained essentially the same.
The Church viewed sodomy as a special evil and always a mortal sin when voluntarily entered into. This teaching has never charged.
At the same time, the State then considered sodomy a crime. This has changed today.
However, in the Middle Ages, the death penalty was normally reserved for sodomitical acts involving the seduction of the young, acts of violence including ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖ rape, murder or blasphemy. In such cases involving clerics and monks, the offenders were first defrocked, punished by the Church and then turned over to the Crown for final sentencing.
In keeping with traditional Church teachings handed down from the time of the Apostles, Saint Peter Damian held that all ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖ acts are crimes against Nature and therefore crimes against God who is the Author of Nature.
It is always refreshing to find an ecclesiastic whose first and primary concern in the matter of clerical sɛҳuąƖ immorality is for God’s interests, not man’s, especially with regard to ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖity in clerical ranks. Peter Damian’s special condemnation of pederastic crimes by clergy against young boys and men (including those preparing for Holy Orders), tends to undermine the excuse of many American bishops and cardinals today who claim that the early Church lacked specific knowledge and psychological insights by which to assess the seriousness of clerical ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖity and pederasty.
As Peter Damian’s treatise clearly demonstrates, the degradation of human nature as exemplified by sodomitical acts is a universal phenomenon that transcends time, place and culture.
According to Damian, the vice of sodomy “surpassed the enormity of all others”:
Without fail it brings death to the body and destruction to the soul. It pollutes the flesh, extinguishes the light of the mind, expels the Holy Spirit from the temple of the human heart, and gives entrance to the devil, the stimulator of lust. It leads to error, totally removes truth from the deluded mind…
It opens up hell and closes the gates of paradise … It is this vice that violates temperance, slays modesty, strangles chastity, and slaughters virginity … It defiles all things, sullies all things, pollutes all things … This vice excludes a man from the assembled choir of the Church … it separates the soul from God to associate it with demons. This utterly diseased queen of Sodom renders him who obeys the laws of her tyranny infamous to men and odious to God…
She strips her knights of the armor of virtue, exposing them to be pierced by the spears of every vice … She humiliates her slave in the church and condemns him in court; she defiles him in secret and dishonors him in public; she gnaws at his conscience like a worm and consumes his flesh like fire …this unfortunate man (he) is deprived of all moral sense, his memory fails, and the mind’s vision is darkened.
Unmindful of God, he also forgets his own identity. This disease erodes the foundation of faith, saps the vitality of hope, dissolves the bond of love. It makes away with justice, demolishes fortitude, removes temperance, and blunts the edge of prudence. Shall I say more?
A dominant theme found in Peter Damian’s work is the holy monk’s insistence on the responsibility of the bishop or superior of a religious order to curb and eradicate the vice of sodomy from their ranks. He minced no words in his condemnation of those prelates who refused or failed to take a strong hand in dealing with clerical sodomitical practices either because of moral indifferentism or the inability to face up to a distasteful and potentially scandalous situation.
Peter Damian did not spare those ecclesiastics who knowingly permitted sodomites to enter Holy Orders or remain in clerical ranks while continuing to pollute their office. The holy monk lashed out at “do-nothing superiors of clerics and priests,” and reminded them that they should be trembling for themselves because they have become “partners in the guilt of others,” by permitting “the destructive plague” of sodomy to continue in their ranks.
But he saved the bitterest blast of all for those bishops who “commit these absolutely damnable acts with their spiritual sons.”  “Who can expect the flock to prosper when its shepherd has sunk so deep into the bowels of the devil. …Who will make a mistress of a cleric, or a woman of a man? Who, by his lust, will consign a son whom he had spiritually begotten for God to slavery under the iron law of Satanic tyranny?” Peter Damian thunders.   
Repent and Reform Your Lives
Like every saint before him and every saint who will ever come after him, Peter Damian exhorted the cleric caught in the vice of sodomy to repent and reform his life and in the words of the Blessed Apostle Paul, “Wake up from your sleep and rise from the dead, and Christ will revive (enlighten) you.” (Eph5:14) In a remarkable affirmation of the Gospel message, he warned against the ultimate sin of despairing of God’s mercy and the necessity of fasting and prayer to subdue the passions:
… beware of drowning in the depths of despondency. Your heart should beat with confidence in God’s love and not grow hard and impenitent, in the face of your great crime. It is not sinners, but the wicked who should despair; it is not the magnitude of one’s crime, but contempt of God that dashes one’s hopes.
Then, in one of the most beautiful elocutions on the grandeur of priestly celibacy and chastity ever written, Damian reminded the wayward cleric or monk of the special place reserved in heaven for those faithful priests and monks who have willingly forsaken all and made themselves eunuchs for Christ’s sake. “Their names shall be remembered forever because they have given up all for the love of God.”
[The above quotes are taken from Father Owen J. Blum, OFM, Peter Damian, Letters 31-60, part of the Fathers of the Church – Medieval Continuation Series (Washington, D.C.: Catholic University of America Press, 1990.)]
Saint Peter Damian On The Spiritual Life
“It is truly great to die for Christ, but not less noble to live for Him”
Saint Peter Damian’s exquisite devotion to the Virgin Mary, Queen of Heaven, is reflected in the following except taken from a one of his many writings on the great dignity of Our Lady:
Among men he is considered  noble who bears title to the excellence of his parents; but Mary, although she was of born of noble family, received the distinction of the greatest nobility from Him who was begot of her by a new kind of birth, and by her eminent offspring exceeds all human nobility. She was distinguished  by the titles of ancestry, but was incomparably more illustrious by the nobility of her child. She was indeed the daughter of kings, but the mother of the King of Kings …. But whatever is said of you by mortal man does not equal the merits of your dignity. For human frailty cannot worthily aspire to proclaim her whom an exceeding grace has raised above the angels. We beseech you, most loving Mother of goodness and mercy, that we who rejoice in singing your praises here on earth, may merit to have the aid of your intercession in heaven; that, as through you the Son of God deigned to come down to us, so may we be able through you to come to union with Him. (PL 144, 761 A).
Special Considerations for the Month of April
Prayers, Fasting and Almsdeeds
“But this kind is not cast out but by prayer and fasting.” [Matthew 17:20]
The issues of prayerfasting and almsgiving – the triple remedy appointed by God to aid man in the attainment of salvation –  are especially important to the future formation of the League of Saint Peter Damian.
A priest friend and associate of the League recently suggested that, once formally established, the League publish a handbook of prayers and spiritual meditations written by Saint Peter Damian –  which is a task the League will certainly pursue.
In that same conversation, he also happened to mention that many Catholics have deformed or uninformed consciences when it comes to abstinence and fasting in the traditional sense. Hence, this short reminder to all members of the League.
The Catechism of the Council of Trent tells us that fasting is most intimately connected with prayer:
For the mind of one who is filled with food and drink, is so borne down as not to be able to raise itself to the contemplation of God, or even understand what prayer means.
In the Summa Theologiae, (Question 147. Fasting (http://www.newadvent.org/summa/3147.htm)) Saint Thomas tells us the three-fold purpose of fasting:
First, in order to bridle the lusts of the flesh, wherefore the Apostlesays (2 Corinthians 6:5-6): “In fasting, inchastity,” since fastingis the guardian of chastity…”
Secondly, we have recourse to fasting in order that the mind may arise more freely to the contemplation of heavenly things: hence it is related (Daniel 10) of Daniel that he received a revelation from God after fasting for three weeks.
Thirdly, in order to satisfy for sins: wherefore it is written (Joel 2:12): “Be converted to Me with all your heart, in fastingand in weeping and in mourning.” … “Fasting cleanses the soul, raises the mind, subjects one’s flesh to the spirit, renders the heart contriteand humble, scatters the clouds of concupiscence, quenches the fire of lust, kindles the truelight of chastity.”
Saint Thomas continues :
Now it has been stated above … that fasting is useful as atoning for and preventing sin, and as raising the mind to spiritual things. And everyone is bound by the naturaldictate of reason to practice fastingas far as it is necessaryfor these purposes. Wherefore fasting in general is a matter of precept of the natural law, while the fixing of the time and manner of fasting as becoming and profitable to the Christian people, is a matter of precept of positive law established by ecclesiastical authority: the latter is the Church fast, the former is the fast prescribed by nature.
On the matter of almsgiving, the Catechism of Trent reminds us that, like fasting, it also has an intimate connection with prayer:
For what claim has he to the virtue of charity, who possessing the means of affording relief to those who depend on the assistance of others, refuses help to his neighbor and brother? How can he, whose heart is devoid of charity, demand assistance from God unless, while imploring the pardon of his sins, he at the same time humbly beg of God to grant him the virtue of charity?
In summarizing the links between prayer, fasting and alms deeds, the Catechism notes:
… The wrath of god we appease by pious prayer; our offences against man we redeem by  almsdeeds; the stains of our own lives we wash away by fasting.
In writing the Book of Gomorrah Saint Peter Damian confronted the dual sins of sodomy and pederasty in clerical and lay ranks.  It is any wonder, that during the Middle Ages, sodomy was called “the devil’s congress?”
Jesus tells us that there are certain devils that can only be cast out by prayer and fasting. If we take Saint Peter Damian’s words to heart, there is ample proof to support the belief that sodomy, especially when it involves the destruction of innocence of a young boy, is one of those devils about whom Jesus talks.
Over the next nine months, all members of the League of Saint Peter Damian in Formation, most especially members of the clergy are asked to make suggestions on how the three-fold tasks of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving can be incorporated into the League’s work. These comments can be sent by e-mail or by letter. Thank you.
Action Line for April 2019
Each month, the League will ask its members to carry out a specific request related to the future disposition of the League.
This month we are asking our members to send or give a copy of this mailing to your local pastor, and where applicable, to send it to a friendly bishop anywhere in the world asking him to read and comment on the mailing, and asking his support for the League.
Before its formal incorporation the League will need at least one bishop’s approbation. I’ve already contacted the Ordinary of Faenza-Modigliana, Bishop Mario Toso, S.D.B. asking for his blessings and support. In dealing with certain aspects of  the League’s formation, for example, indulgences or the imprimatur for prayer books, etc. it will be helpful to have the support of at least one member of the Catholic hierarchy.
Prayer Intensions for April
Your prayers are requested for faithful Catholic priests and religious the world over.
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O Jesus, eternal Priest,

keep Your priests within the shelter of

Your Sacred Heart,

where none may touch them.

Keep unstained their anointed hands,

which daily touch Your Sacred Body.

Keep unsullied their lips,

daily purpled with Your Precious Blood.

Keep pure and unearthly their hearts,

sealed with the sublime mark

of the priesthood.

Let Your holy love surround them and

shield them from the world’s contagion.

Bless their labours with abundant fruit

and may the souls to whom they

minister be their joy and

consolation here and in

Heaven their beautiful and

everlasting crown.  Amen.

Mary Help of Christians, Mother of Priests – Pray for Us

St. Thérèse of Lisieux
Title: Re: League of St Peter Damian
Post by: Nadir on May 13, 2019, 03:27:22 AM
For ease of reading the above and to download an application:
http://www.renewamerica.com/columns/engel/190512 (http://www.renewamerica.com/columns/engel/190512)
Title: Re: League of St Peter Damian
Post by: Nadir on May 23, 2019, 06:52:56 PM
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May 23, 2019 
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Welcome, once again, to the League of Saint Peter Damian.
Two-thousand nineteen anno Domini is the year of the League’s formation. 
Catholics who register with the League during 2019 are considered founding members. 
This month’s Study Guide #3 expounds on several key issues addressed, directly and indirectly, by Saint Peter Damian in his Book of Gomorrah regarding ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖ candidates for Holy Orders, ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖ priests and monks, and so-called “ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖ, Pederast, Lesbian, BisɛҳuąƖ, Transgender, and Leather ‘Ministries’” (all perversions), which have become Trojan horses in the Vatican and in Catholic Churches around the world especially in the United States           the United Kingdom, and Western Europe.
 
Randy Engel
 
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STUDY GUIDE #3
“It is truly great to die for Christ, but not less noble to live for Him”
 
Peter Damian on ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖ Priests and gαy Ministries
 
 
Moral Chaos in the Church 
The official and  sorry state of affairs at the Vatican regarding the vice of sodomy is reflected in the following quotes written in the language of gαyspeak:
If a person is gαy and seeks the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge him? The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains this in such a beautiful way, it says, Wait a bit, as is said, and says: these persons must not be marginalized because of this; they must be integrated in society.
Pope Francis at Air flight Press Conference in July 28, 2013
 
We are all human beings and have dignity. It does not matter who you are or how you live your life, you do not lose your dignity.
There are people that prefer to select or discard people because of the adjective [gαy] – these people don’t have a human heart.
Pope Francis to Sodomite Stephen Amos on BBC Two in 2019https://www.out.com/news/2019/4/19/pope-said-those-who-discard-gαy-people-dont-have-human-heart (https://www.out.com/news/2019/4/19/pope-said-those-who-discard-gαy-people-dont-have-human-heart)
The history of ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖs in our society is a very bad history because we have done a lot to marginalize them. It is not so long ago and so as church and as society we have to say sorry.
         Cardinal Reinhardt Marx at Trinity College, Dublin on June 23, 2019 
 
…In too many parts of our church LGBT people have been made to feel unwelcome, excluded, and even shamed. Father [James] Martin’s brave, and inspiring new book [Building a Bridge] marks an essential step in inviting church leaders to minister with more compassion, and reminding LGBT Catholics that they are as much a part of our church as any other Catholic.
That is, it’s very unfortunate language [calling ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖ acts “intrinsically disordered” in the Catechism of the Catholic Church]. Let’s hope that eventually that language is a little less hurtful
 Cardinal Joseph Tobin, NBC Interview of April 17, 2019 
 
… neither heterosɛҳuąƖ orientation nor ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖ orientation as such can be considered as the cause of sɛҳuąƖ abuse, nor is there any inner connection between pedophilia and ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖity. Therefore, it is also absurd for the bishop to exclude ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖ men from the priestly ordination: I wonder, is that not exactly the attitude which continued and even strengthened problematic repressions inside the Church.
ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖity needed to be “depathologized” in the Catholic Church, for all people are capable of extremely respectful and loving interpersonal relationships.
Bishop Franz-Josef Overbeck, Herder Correspondence
No relationship, no intimate relationship, no sex with other people, not even yourself. Blood crawls where it cannot flow… the Church’s forbidding stance is at the root of sɛҳuąƖ abuse of minors.
I [Valkering] am on a mission after Pope Francis told me to reach out to ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖs. 
Dutch sodomite Father Pierre Valkering in April 5, 2019 interview with NewsCatholic 
 
Against the Integration of Vice into Parish Life
In the Book of Gomorrah, written in 1059 for Pope Leo IX, Saint Peter Damian addresses the issues raised in the above quotes including the use of “hurtful” language in describing sodomy and sodomitesthe necessity of “integration of unrepented lay and clerical sodomites and lesbians into the life of the Church and the introduction of ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖ “ministries” into Catholic parishes. Unless indicated, the following quotes are taken from Owen J. Blum’s translation of the Book of Gomorrah by Saint Peter Damian.
On the Necessity of Strong Language Against Sodomy 
(7) … In our region a certain abominable and most shameful vice has developed, and unless it be prevented as soon as possible by the severest punishment, it is certain that the sword of divine fury will be unsheathed, leading in its unchecked violence to the destruction of many. One is nauseated with shame and embarrassment to speak of things so disgracefully foul, or even to mention them within earshot of Your Holiness (bold added). But if a physician is appalled by the contagion of the plague, who is likely to wield the cautery? If he grows squeamish  when he is about to apply the cure, who will restore health to stricken hearts?
ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖ Priests Better Off as Laymen
(7) … The befouling cancer of sodomy, is, in fact, spreading  so through the clergy or rather, like a savage beast, is raging with such shameless abandon though the flock of Christ, that for many of them it would be more salutary to be burdened with service in the world than, under the pretext of religion, to be enslaved so easily under the iron rule of satanic tyranny.  It would be better for them to perish aloneas laymen than, after having changed their attire but not their disposition, to drag others with them to destruction, as Truth itself testifies when it says, “But if anyone is a cause of stumbling to one of these little ones, it would be better for him to be drowned in the depths of the sea with a great millstone round his neck (bold added).
The Depravity of ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖs Seeking Ordination
(10… It seems to me to be utterly preposterous for those who are habituated to the filth of this festering disease to dare present themselves for orders, or to remain in them if already ordained (bold added). It is clearly contrary to reason and to the canonical decrees of the Fathers.     
(12) … It is perfectly clear that when a capital crime has degraded a man, no subsequent holy life will reform him to the point where he might receive orders and ecclesiastical status. No one may aspire to reach the heights of preferment who has surely fallen into the depths of mortal sin.                                                                                                                                                          
(15) Who can turn a deaf ear, or more to the point, who does not tremble through and through at the words that Paul, like a mighty trumpet, blasts at such as these“God abandoned them to their heart’s desire and to the practices with which they dishonor their own bodies.” (Rom. 1.24.) And almost immediately following, he said, “That is why God has abandoned them to degrading passions. For their women have turned from natural intercourse to unnatural practices, and their menfolk likewise have given up natural intercourse with women to be consumed with passion for each other, men doing shameless things with men and getting anappropriate reward for their perversion. …” Why is it that they are so eager to reach the top in ecclesiastical rank after such a grievous fall? What should we think, and what conclusion shall we draw but that God as abandoned them to their depravity?  
(16) Consequently, sodomites attempt violently to break in on angels when impure men attempt to approach God through holy orders. … One who tries to reach God  by the tortuous road of arrogance and conceit , rather than by the path of humility, will certainly fail to recognize the entrance that is obviously right before him, or even the door is Christ, as he himself says: “I am the door.” (John 10.9.) Those who lose Christ because of their addiction to sin, never find the gate that leads to the heavenly dwelling of the saints.
Unworthy Priests Spells Ruin for the People
(50) For God’s sake, why do you damnable sodomites pursue the heights of ecclesiastical dignity with such fiery ambition? To what purpose are you so eager to ensnare the people of God in the meshes of your own perdition? Is it not enough that you yourselves are plunging  headlong into the depths of sin? Must you also expose others to the danger of your fall? …
(51) Let him, therefore, who is still bound up in earthly desires, beware lest, reveling in his pride of position, he becomes the cause of destruction for his subjects for having more grievously inflamed the anger of a rigorous judge. Everyone, in fact, should discreetly judge himself  and not dare to accept the office of the priesthood if accursed vice still has power over him. Nor should he who is the victim of his own depravity aspire to become an intercessor for the sins of others. Forbear, I beg you, and dread to inflame the inextinguishable fury of God against you, lest by your very prayers you more sharply provoke him whom your wicked life so obviously offends. If you are willing to accept your own destruction, beware of being responsible for the damnation of others. Remember this: The more circuмspect you are about your present lapses into sin, the more readily will you rise in the future when God in his mercy extends his hand, inviting you to do penance
God Refuses Sacrifices from Unclean Hands
(52) But if Almighty God himself refuses to accept sacrifice from your [unclean] hands, whom do you think you are in presuming to thrust them upon him against his will? “The sacrifice of the unclean is abhorrent to the Lord.” (Prov. 15.8)
(57) Now, therefore, he who despises the revered Councils of the holy fathers, who distains the commands of the apostles and of apostolic men, who is not afraid to reject the prescripts of the canons, and makes light of the solemn command of God himself, should at least be advised to conjure up before him the day of his death; and should have no doubt that the more gravely he sins, the more severely he will be judged. …
Saint Peter on the Sin of Sodom and Gomorrah
(62) Nor should those who are in sacred orders pride themselves if their lives are detestable; for the higher they stand in their eminence, the deeper they will lie when they fall. Just as now they are required to surpass others in holiness of life, so afterwards they will be compelled to bear more frightful punishments, as Peter says: “When angels sinned, God did not spare them; he sent them down to the underworld and consigned them to the pits of hell to be held for punishment until the day of Judgment… And he reduced the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes and destroyed them completely, as a warning to those who should act wickedly in the future.” Why is it, that after recalling the fall and damnation of the devils, the Blessed Apostle then turned his attention to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, unless it was his purpose to show that they who are now addicted to the vice of impurity will be condemned to eternal punishment together with the unclean spirits? He does this further to suggest that, along with the very author of all wickedness, the unquenchable flame will devour those who are tormented by the libidinous fires of sodomy. …
(63) Now, to bring all this to a brief conclusion, whoever shall have soiled himself with the filth of shameful sodomy by any of the methods we have enunciated above, unless he has purged himself through effective penance, he can never obtain the grace of God, will never be worthy of the Body of Christ, will never cross the threshold of the heavenly fatherland. This is what John the Apostle clearly states in Revelation, when speaking of the glory of the kingdom of heaven: “No one unclean may come into it, no one who does what is loathsome.” (Rev. 21.27.)
Does Necessity Demand the Advancement of ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖ  Clerics?
(13) But perhaps someone will say that necessity demands and that no one is present who can celebrate divine services in the Church; consequently, the decision, which, as justice required, was at first appropriately severe, is now softened in the face of practical necessity. I am going to reply to this in a summary way…. Shall we wipe out a rigorous judgment to benefit an individual, but retain it unchanged even to the deprivation of an entire people?
… Therefore, if an unclean man has no inheritance at all in heaven, how can he be so arrogant as to presume apposition of honor in the Church, which is surely the kingdom of God. Will he also fear to despise the Divine Law, which he disregarded by steeping himself in crime, when he assumes the dignity of ecclesiastical office? Indeed he saves nothing for himself, because at every turn he was not afraid to be in contempt of God. 
(To be continued with a special commentary.
 
Saint Peter Damian on the Spiritual Life
On the Value of Clerical Celibacy
 
Introduction
Among Saint Peter Damian’s many writings on the spiritual life are those addressed to popes and fellow cardinals on the subject of clerical celibacy – an issue as fundamental to the mission and welfare of the Catholic Church in the pre-Hildebrand era as it is today. The positive exaltation of clerical celibacy by Peter Damian provides a perfect complement to his utter condemnation of sodomy. Below are some important ideas for moral reform found in the holy monk’s many letters and communications to high clergy and laity alike. 
The following excerpts were taken from Owen J. Blum. O.F.M.’s masterpiece St. Peter Damian – His Teaching on the Spiritual Life.
A Timely Reminder: Harsh Punishment Does Have Value
The spectacle of a married clergy living openly in concubinage was an abomination in Damian’s eyes,” comments his modern biographer, Father Blum who notes that Peter Damian spared no one in proclaiming this truth including the Holy Father in Rome.
According to Blum, during the early months of 1059, Peter Damian wrote to Pope Nicholas II(1058-61) urging the pontiff to wield the fullness of apostolic power in laying low the evil of clerical incontinence once and for all. The remedy, the holy monk told the pope, was the deposition for those who defiled the beauty of ecclesiastical chastity, so that others, seeing the punishment inflicted for this crime, would be deterred from following the same path. 
Damian knew from experience that threats of eternal punishment or the promise of virtue’s reward had failed to impress the clerics with whom he was dealing (bold added). Therefore, as a last resort, the radical cure of deposition was required. The punishment of deposition spoke the language that the offenders understood, for it deprived them of the office from which they received the livelihood that sustained them in their simulated wedlock.
As an added goad to the Pope, Damian reminded him of the wrath of God in store for superiors  who failed to discipline their subjects. The man whom sloth deterred from inflicting the salutary wound of penance, Damian concluded, would be delivered into the hands of the devil, the devouring lion of which St. Peter spoke.
Virtuous Cardinals Are Key to Moral Reform
In 1057, shortly after Peter Damian was raised to the Cardinalate, he moved his one-man campaign for  moral reform by sending a lengthy letter to his fellow cardinals in which he provided a sure remedy for the clerical ills of his day: the example of a virtuous  life filtering down from the princes of the Church to all levels of the clergy and laity. 
He reminded the cardinals that by the virtue of their office of teaching they bear the dignity of angels. Accordingly, they must announce to the people the truths of salvation, not only in word, but especially by their behavior; for, as Peter Damian remarked, the tongue indeed proclaims the sermon of the preacher, but his life renders it attractive. He also pointed out to his fellow-cardinals that a strict norm of living should be in evidence in the Lateran Palace (the residency of the papacy at the time). 
Much to the pointeven for our own day, Peter Damian made it perfectly clear that the princes of the Church were role models for priests. He warned them that the temporal goods which they enjoyed, most especially the wealth and property they possessed as a result of their ecclesiastical position were given to them as a means of acquiring the goods of eternity. “Let our wealth and our treasure be the riches of souls,” Peter Damien wrote.
Peter Damian personally took a great interest in selecting worthy and holy men to fill the offices of the Italian episcopate to the same extent that he urged the deposition of those bishops who were unfit for ecclesiastical office. He also argued for a better education for diocesan priests and for the personal supervision of young priests by the cardinals and their aides. 
 
SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE MONTH OF JUNE
Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
 
It was during the 11th century, the century of Saint Peter Damian, that we find the first definitive movements  of the development of special devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The great Benedictine nun Saint Gertrude (1256-1301) in one of her many visions, was reported to have asked  Saint John the Evangelist if on the night of the Last Supper he had felt the beating of Jesus’ Divine Heart, and is so, why he had never spoken of the fact. And Saint John replied that this revelation had been reserved foe subsequent ages when the world , having grown cold, would have need of this special devotion to rekindle that Love.
Catholics of the 21st century live in such an age.
But it was not until the 17th century that Jesus manifested His desire to the French Visitation nun, Sister Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690) at the convent of Paray-le Moniato propagate worldwide devotion under the figure of the Heart of Flesh. In 1675, Our Lord told Sister Margaret Mary:
Behold this Heart, which so loved men. I receive nothing but ingratitude, contempt, outrage, sacrilege, and indifference. Behold, I ask that the first Friday after the octave of the Blessed Sacrament (Corpus Christi) be dedicated to a special feast to honor My Heart, communing on this day, and giving it due reparation through an act of reparation for the indignities he received during the time he was exposed on the altars. I promise you that My Heart will expand to pour out in abundance the influences of His Divine Love upon those who will tax you this divine honor and seek that it be lent to you. 
With the help of Jesuit Father Claude de la Colombiere, her spiritual director, Sister Margaret Mary propagated the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus throughout France and England
On January 26, 1765, the Congregation of Rites at the Vatican approved the worship of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Shortly after, on February 6, 1765, Pope Clement XIII approved the decree of the Congregation. On August 23, 1856, Pope Pius IX issued a decree inserting the Feast of the Sacred Heart into the Church Calendar and made the celebration of the   feast obligatory by the universal Church.
Saint Margaret Mary was canonized by Pope Benedict XV in 1920. Her incorrupt body rests above the side altar in the Chapel of the Apparitions, located at the Visitation Monastery in Paray-le-Monial, and has been the site of many miracles over the centuries.
Father Claude de la Colombiere was canonized on May 31, 1992, by Pope John Paul II.
The Twelve Promises of the Sacred Heart
Our Lord made these twelve Promises to those who honor His Sacred Heart to St. Margaret Mary:
1st Promise: “My blessing will remain on the houses where the image of My Sacred Heart is exposed and venerated;” 
2nd Promise: “I will give to the devotees of My Heart all the graces necessary to your state;” 
3rd Promise: “I will establish and preserve peace in their families;” 
4th Promise: “I will comfort you in all your afflictions;” 
5th Promise: “I will be a safe refuge in your life and especially at the time of your death;” 
6th Promise: “I will give abundant blessings on your labors and undertakings;” 
7th Promise: “Sinners will find, in my Heart, an inexhaustible source of mercy;” 
8th Promise: “The tibial souls will become fervent by the practice of this devotion;” 
9th Promise: “Fervent souls will rise in a short time to a high perfection;” 
10th Pledge: “I will give priests who practice this devotion especially the power to touch the most hardened hearts;” 
11th Promise: “The people who propagate this devotion will have their name inscribed forever in My Heart;” 
And the great Promise:
12th Promise: “To all those who communicate on the first Friday of nine consecutive months, I will give the grace of final perseverance and eternal salvation.” 
 
ACTION LINE FOR JUNE 2019
 
Each month, the League asks its members to carry out a specific request related to the future disposition of the League. For the coming month of June we are asking the following:
• Please email or write to the League at rvte61@comcast.net (rvte61@comcast.net) or Box 315, Export, PA 15632 your thoughts on the League’s promotion of the First Fridays as detailed in the above 12thPromise, as well as the First Saturdays dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary as requested by Our Lady of Fatima. 
 
• Thus far the response to the League of Saint Peter Damian has been excellent on the part of both priests and laity. However, we have had only one bishop worldwide who has expressed an interest in the LeagueIf you are in contact with any traditional bishop who you think might be interested in supporting the League, please send him a copy of this mailing and urge him to contact the League directly. 
 
Title: Re: League of St Peter Damian
Post by: Nadir on June 28, 2019, 04:53:37 AM

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June 23, 2019
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Welcome, once again, to the League of Saint Peter Damian, and thank you for inviting the League into your home.
Two-thousand nineteen anno Domini is the year of the League’s formation.
Catholics who register with the League during 2019 are considered founding members.
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This month’s Study Guide #4 is a 21st century commentary on Saint Peter Damian’s Book of Gomorrah (Liber Gomorrhianus) and a rebuttal to the claims that sodomites, lesbians, and other purveyors of deadly sɛҳuąƖ vices must be “welcomed” and “respected” and “integrated” into Catholic parish life. 
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Please note that this will be the last major posting on the subject of sodomy this year as we have already covered almost all the key points of Peter Damian’s treatise on the subject.
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In our upcoming double issue of Study Guide 5 & 6 for July and August 2019, we will highlight another of Peter Damian’s most famous works, Liber Gratissimus, on the grave vice of simony – the exchange of supernatural treasures for temporal advantages.
Please be sure to read the “Action Line” at the end of this guide concerning the new (mis) translation of the sixth petition of the Lord’s prayer.  
Randy Engel



STUDY GUIDE #4
“It is truly great to die for Christ, but not less noble to live for Him”

A Commentary on the “Integration” of Sodomites into Parish Life:
Time to Stop Welcoming the Wolf Into the Fold

Introduction

Vice is a monster of so frightful mien,
As to be hated needs but to be seen;
Yet seen too oft, familiar with her face,
We fist endure, then pity, then embrace.
Alexander Pope

Of all society’s institutions, none is as important to the ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖ Collective as organized religion, most especially, the Roman Catholic Church.
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Religion is the supreme arbitrator and validator of human behavior. The secular State declares what is “legal,” but only the Church can declare which acts are moral and which are immoral and sinful.
Hence, the sodomite Borg’s preoccupation with infiltrating, colonizing, subverting and metastasizing the Catholic Church using the same strategies that have proven effective in the penetration of secular institutions in order to bring it under the Borg’s sphere of influence.
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The very fact that so-called “gαy ministries” exist today in a growing number of Catholic parishes, especially in large, urban cities like San Francisco, New York and Chicago, is a testimony to the ability of heretofore sɛҳuąƖ outlaws to successfully organize, politicize and legitimatize deviant sɛҳuąƖ behaviors in the eyes of many Catholics especially teens and young adults.
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In last month’s Study Guide #3, we included a number of fairly recent comments from the Bergoglio camp calling for the “integration” of sodomites and lesbians and other groups of organized perversion into parish life.
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In contrast to the above comments, last month’s study guide also included quotes from Saint Peter Damian’s Book of Gomorrah condemning clerical and ecclesiastical ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖs as a special source of scandal to faithful Catholics.
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Peter Damian gives not the slightest hint that active, unrepentant practitioners and promoters of this diabolical vice should be “welcomed,” “embraced” and “integrated” into parish life, much less that pro-ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖ “ministries” be established in Catholic parishes.
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USCCB Pushes “gαy Ministries”
Most of the impetus and support for so-called “gαy ministries” has come from national episcopal conferences, which is not surprising considering the key role that they have played in condoning and promoting ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖity among clerics and laity.
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At their November13-16, 2006, annual fall meeting in Washington, D.C., the American bishops approved the docuмent/program Ministry to Persons With a ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖ Inclination: Guidelines for Pastoral Care. The 23-page docuмent had been in the works since the fall of 2002, and it has never been rescinded.
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“gαy ministries” such as the NACDLGM (National Association of Catholic Diocesan Lesbian and gαy Ministries) based in Berkeley, California (name changed to CALGM – Catholic Association for Lesbian and gαy Ministry in 2008), and New Ways Ministry, which is not a “ministry” or “religious” entity in the traditional sense of the word, but rather a political and ideological agency, have been operational at the national and diocesan levels of the American Church for several decades with uniformly disastrous results. Still, the Guidelines were easily passed by voice vote with only a perfunctory attempt at opposition by a  handful of bishops. Several attempts made prior to the vote to mobilize anti-sodomy members of the hierarchy and provide them with docuмented evidence of the dangers posed by these false “ministries” failed miserably.
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The Guidelines, as written, are fundamentally flawed and dishonest beginning with the original title which should have read, – Ministry to Persons With ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖ or Lesbian or BisɛҳuąƖ or TranssɛҳuąƖ or Transvestite or IntersɛҳuąƖ or Pederast or Sado/Masochist/Bondage/Domination, Kink, or Whatever Inclination (s): Guidelines for Pastoral Care. That is to say, the term “gαy” is “inclusive,” and includes all form of deviant sɛҳuąƖ behaviors.
Despite a veneer of God-language, the language of the Guidelines is decidedly gαyspeak.
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The grave sin of sodomy in all its forms, as designated by Saint Peter Damian in Book of Gomorrah, has been replaced with the new “sin” of “homophobia,” and the “sin” of “transphobia,” along with the grave “sin” of “erotophobia,” defined as “society’s prejudice and fear of childhood eroticism that deprives the child of sex by limiting adult access to children as sɛҳuąƖ beings.”.

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Guidelines Promote “gαy” Myths
The Guidelines are replete with “gαy” myths of “victimhood” and “injustice” and “hatred.” It is the long-suffering faithful laity, not the active sodomites, who are called to “conversion,” that is, they are to undergo a “re-education” whereby they can be “cured” of their “homophobic” prejudices against the vice of sodomy and reconditioned to “embrace” ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖs and ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖity.  
The Guidelines fail to tell the hard truth about the genesis of ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖ violence which is largely self-inflicted. The craven, effeminate language used by the drafters of the USCCB Guidelines as they cower before the ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖ Collective, especially in their section on “gαy” violence, is an insult to every faithful Catholic.
Domestic violence, that is, violence between ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖs, including lesbian relationships, is the primary source of violence in same-sex relationships. ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖs engage in a wide range of anti-social behaviors including, rampant promiscuity, illicit drug use, the use of sadomasochist pornography to fuel perverse patterns of habituated self-abuse, and the solicitation of prostitutes including under-age young boys – all of which fan the fires of violence. 
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Organized crime plays an important role in the life/death of the ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖ Collective. Blackmail and extortion threats continue to be associated with ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖ activity especially when the pervert in question is a cleric or religious of high rank as was and is the case with the now-deposed Cardinal Theodore McCarrick.

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It is no coincidence that the pseudo-Catholic organization called Dignity, which has maintained close contact with the USCCB staffers, has spawned “Defenders of Dignity” dedicated to the “integration” of “leather sɛҳuąƖity” into the “Christian” sadomasochist/bondage/dominance community. Defenders claim that the “leather experience” can “produce a richer spirituality for us and the Church.”
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Guidelines Hurt ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖs Trying to Live a Chaste Life

While the Guidelines, as written, are a boon to the ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖ Collective, they are harmful to the individual ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖ, especially those who are repentant and seek to lead a truly Catholic life. The statement that the ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖ has “no moral obligation to seek therapy” is yet another indication of the pro-“gαy” bias of the drafters of the Guidelines and the Committees who approved them. Ditto for the statement that there is “no scientific consensus on therapy or the cause of ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖity.” This is an outright lie that further serves to advance the Collective’s “born that way” mantra.
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On a purely spiritual level, the Guidelines are truly deadly. It is a rule of the spiritual life that we either advance or decline. For a ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖ with inordinate and compulsive passions the obligation to seek assistance at every level possible to overcome his unnatural passions and find his way back to wellness and sanctification is self-evident. It does not reflect well on the USCCB that the American bishops would even consider, much less approve, of a proposal that seeks to confirm a sinner in his sin.  
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Further, the Guidelines’ teaching that only ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖ acts are always sinful is not Catholic teaching. A person can sin by thought, word and deed. Willfully entertained lustful thoughts including those engendered by viewing ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖ pornography, a common staple of the “gαy” life, is a serious sin.
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The still-functioning USCCB Guidelines put much emphasis on “pastoral care,” but this worn-out slogan appears to be a one-way street since it is obvious that the “pastoral care” is directed at ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖs, not the general welfare of the parish, especially the welfare of adolescent boys and girls who are a primary target of recruitment by the ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖ Collective.
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“gαy Ministries” are Trojan Horses in Catholic Parishes
In summary:
• “gαy ministries” systematically strip parishioners of the last vestige of natural revulsion that normal people experience when initially confronted by sɛҳuąƖ perversions.
• “gαy ministries” transform parishes into political and propaganda cells for “gαy” activism.
• “gαy ministries” discourage the individual ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖ from breaking with the ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖ Collective that frowns upon “defectors.”    
• “gαy ministries” recruit - like the Army – especially among vulnerable youth.
• “gαy ministries” exploit parish financial resources and church facilities.
• “gαy ministries” undermine authentic Church teachings on faith and morals.

Life and Death in a “gαy” Parish

Most Holy Redeemer Church lays just a few blocks from the center of San Francisco’s notorious ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖ Castro District with its strip of gαy bars and porn houses. The area just across and up the street of the church where the church convent used to be is a favorite cruising ground for area “gαys.”
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Today MHR is administered by the pro-ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖ, “gαy” affirming Missionaries of the Precious Blood (C.PP.S.). It is Catholic in name only.
But this was not always the case.
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The corner stone for Most Holy Redeemer Church was laid in 1900. The parish was created to serve  the heavily ethnic population of Irish, Italian and German immigrants in the Eureka Valley. In time, a convent was built to accommodate the Sisters of Charity, B.V.M. who staffed the parochial school.
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Because of its strategic location in relation to the Castro, MHR has always had its share of ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖ men and women in the congregation, especially following the end of the Second World War when port cities like San Francisco began to attract large numbers of ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖs in search of anonymity and a large pool of sɛҳuąƖ partners.
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But that’s a far cry from what Most Holy Redeemer Church or MHR, as the congregation calls it, has become. It is an official “gαy” parish – the “inclusive” prototype envisioned by the drafters of the 2006 USCCB Guidelines under four consecutive Archbishops: John Raphael Quinn † (1977-1995); William Joseph Levada (1995 -2005); George Hugh Niederauer † (2005-2012) and Salvatore Joseph Cordileone (2012 - present ). The initial “gαy and Lesbian Outreach Committee” was formed in 1981 under Archbishop Quinn. It was a precursor of parish “gαy ministries.”
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Parish Life Revolves Around “gαy” Ideology and AIDS
Parish life and parish resources and parish “ministries” at MHR are centered on AIDS and the spiritual, social and political needs and interests of its predominantly “gαy” male and female congregation. For example there is a “Midlife gαy Men ” and a “New Leaf” ministry for counseling ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖs, lesbians, bisɛҳuąƖs and transgenders. The only “ministry” MHR has never had is one related to saving unborn children from capital punishment.
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The Legion of Mary and Our Lady’s Sodality has disappeared. The parochial school has long since been closed. The building was at one time leased to the “pro-choice” Society of Friends (Quakers) as a private elementary school.  
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The Sisters of Charity left in 1979 and are now “gone with the wind.” They were replaced by the “Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence,” an organization of ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖ drag queens nationally known for their blatant anti-Catholic and blasphemous parodies.
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The convent has been converted to an AIDS hospice. Since 1981, AIDS and AIDS deaths have dominated the MHR scene.
In 2000, MHR was “wreckovated” at the cost of $1 million. The pews surround a floating altar table on three sides with the tabernacle located … wherever.  
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“Masses” at MHR are highly “innovative.” Same-sex partners lip kiss and embrace at the “sign of peace.” The congregation remains standing for the Consecration. Individual confession is available, but communal penance services are more popular.  
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Over the years, contingents of MHR parishioners have marched in the June “gαy Pride” Parade with the blessings of their pastor.
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Auxiliary Anti-God Associations  
Obviously, pro-ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖ “ministries” do not operate in a vacuum. As virtue attracts virtue, so vice attracts vice. These bogus “ministries,” gravitate to and attract a host of other anti-Catholic barnacles that have attached themselves to the Barque of St. Peter.
MHR maintains close relations to outside pro-ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖ organizations such as the ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖ Metropolitan Community Church of San Francisco, an affiliate of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Churches. The MCC has held its Wednesday evening Taizé services in the sanctuary of the church. At one time, MCC-HIV support group conducted its meetings at MHR.
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Ellard Hall, MHR’s large social facility located under the main sanctuary of the church has been the scene of obscene and blasphemous ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖ “charity” gigs and lectures conducted by outside groups who rent MHR facilities.
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In February 2008, the Inter-Club Fund’s 42nd Annual Awards Dinner took place at Ellard Hall, as it had for a number of previous years. The Inter-Club Fund is made up of seven groups – perverts all –including Dykes on Bikes; The Defenders, a sadomasochist leather group; and the ever-present Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.
More recently, on July 15, 2017, MHR hosted a “writers salon” featuring MHR parishioner Linda Poezl, “a professional surrogate partner,” aka, professional prostitute, who has sɛҳuąƖ relations with male clients, and who produces a plethora of lesbian literature (pornography). Four years earlier at MHR, Poezl teamed up with ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖ Jesuit priest Father Donal Godfrey, author of gαys and Grays-The Story of the gαy Community at Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church, to discuss the film The Sessions, a story about a disabled man and his “sex surrogate.”
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Four months earlier, Lou Bordisso, author of Sex, Celibacy, and the Priesthood: A Bishop’s Provocative Inquisition graced MHR with his presence.
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If there is any question in the reader’s mind as to how bad  things are at Most Holy Redeemer and the Archdiocese of San Francisco, and the Vatican, where “the buck stops” here is a quote on the issue of celibacy by Bordisso, a former “bishop” of the schismatic American Catholic Church:
I suggest that the church consider alternative models [of chastity] that not only recognize the reality of the sɛҳuąƖ activity of Roman Catholic priests but also recognize both traditional (sɛҳuąƖ abstinence) and a contemporary (sɛҳuąƖly active) definition of celibacy. These “alternative models” include “occasional genital-sɛҳuąƖ activity,” and “ongoing genital sɛҳuąƖ activity.”
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Sex Abuse Scandal at MHR

Wherever large numbers of active ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖs congregate, criminal acts of pederasty are never far behind.  MHR is no exception to this rule.
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On March 10, 1994, the San Francisco police notified the San Francisco Archdiocese that Monsignor Patrick O’Shea, one of the city’s most politically well-connected priests was under investigation for child sɛҳuąƖ abuse. In addition to the sɛҳuąƖ assault charges that were shortly brought against him, he also had to face charges of stealing $200,000 in church funds.
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O’Shea who headed the archdiocese’s “Outreach Program” for “gαys” and lesbians and served as Director of the Propagation of the Faith, was accused of the molestation of at least eleven young boys.
In 1972, while he was serving at Most Holy Redeemer, O’Shea molested two brothers, ages eleven and fourteen. He brought the two boys up to his trailer at Lake Berryessa, plied them with alcohol, forcibly restrained them and then sɛҳuąƖly assaulted them. The archdiocese did not contest the charges against the priest. On October 13, 2005, the brothers settled for $1.3 million each. The settlement came just after the archdiocese had settled four suits filed by other victims of O’Shea for $4 million.

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Even though archdiocesan officials knew that O’Shea had a “problem” with young boys, the priest continued to be shuffled from one San Francisco parish to another where he chalked up more victims until his arrest in 1994.
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On March 29, 2002, the State Superior Court dismissed 224 molestation counts against O’Shea due to the statute of limitations, but the archdiocese continued to pay out huge settlement fees for civil case that did not go to court.
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O’Shea was eventually defrocked by Rome. He spent two years in jail awaiting trial. In February 2004, he was sentenced to four years in jail for grand theft and tax fraud. However, he was given four years credit for years already served and was released and put on parole.
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As of 2018, the Archdiocese of San Francisco has spent more than $87 million to settle sex abuse claims, most involving the crime of pederasty.
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Isn’t about time for the Vatican to take action against so-call “gαy ministries” in Catholic parishes beginning with MHR, and put into action the program laid out by Saint Peter Damian almost 1000 years ago to reform the Catholic clergy?
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Saint Peter Damian pray for us.
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Meditation for July& August 2019
The Council of Trent Catechism on The Lord’s Prayer
The Sixth Petition
“And lead us not into temptation”
To our great horror and sorrow, Pope Francis has issued a new translation of the sixth petition of the Lord’s prayer, which has been already been recently adopted by the Italian and French Episcopal Conferences. The traditional translation, “lead us not into temptation” has been retranslated by the current occupant of the Chair of Saint Peter to “do not allow us to fall into temptation.”

The following (abbreviated) instruction on the meaning and implications of the traditional translation of the sixth petition, “Lead us not into Temptation” is taken from The Catechism of the Council of Trent edited under Saint Charles Borromeo and published by the decree of Pope Saint Pius V. The translation is by John A. McHugh, O.P. and Charles J. Callan, O.P. A complete electronic version is available thanks to the Catholic Society at: http://www.catholicsociety.com/docuмents/Catechism_of_the_Council%20of_Trent.pdf.

THE SIXTH PETITION OF THE LORD'S PRAYER : "And lead us not into temptation."

We are said to be led into temptation when we yield to temptations. Now this happens in two ways. First, we are led into temptation when, yielding to suggestion, we rush into that evil to which some one tempts us. No one is thus led into temptation by God; for to no one is God the author of sin, nay, He hates all who work iniquity; and accordingly we also read in St. James: Let no man, when he is tempted, say that he is tempted of God; for God is not a tempter of evils.

Secondly, we are said to be led into temptation by him who, although he himself does not tempt us nor cooperate in tempting us, yet is said to tempt because he does not prevent us from being tempted or from being overcome by temptations when he is able to prevent these things. In this manner God, indeed, suffers the good and the pious to be tempted, but does not leave them unsupported by His grace. Sometimes, however, we fall, being left to ourselves by the just and secret judgment of God, in punishment of our sins.

God is also said to lead us into temptation when we abuse, to our destruction, His blessings, which He has given us as a means of salvation; when, like the prodigal son, we squander our Father's substance, living riotously and yielding to our evil desires. In such a case we can say what the Apostle has said of the law: The commandment that was ordained to life, the same was found to be unto death to me.

Of this an opportune example is Jerusalem, as we learn from Ezekiel. God had so enriched that city with every sort of embellishment, that He said of it by the mouth of the Prophet: Thou wast perfect through my beauty, which I had put upon thee. Yet Jerusalem, favored with such an abundance of divine gifts, was so far from showing gratitude to God, from whom she had received and was still receiving so many favors, was so far from making use of those heavenly gifts for the attainment of her own happiness, the end for which she had received them, that having cast away the hope and idea of deriving spiritual profit from them, she, most ungrateful to God her Father, was content to enjoy her present abundance with a luxury and riotousness which Ezekiel describes at considerable length in the same chapter. Wherefore those whom God permits to convert into instruments of vice the abundant opportunities of virtuous deeds which He has afforded them, are equally ungrateful to Him. 350

But we ought carefully to notice a certain usage of Sacred Scripture, which sometimes denotes the permission of God in words which, if taken literally, would imply a positive act on the part of God. Thus in Exodus we read: I will harden the heart of Pharaoh; and in Isaias: Blind the heart of this people; and the Apostle to the Romans writes: God delivered them up to shameful affections, and to a reprobate sense. In these and other similar passages we are to understand, not at all any positive act on the part of God, but His permission only.
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Objects of the Sixth Petition
What We Do Not Pray For
These observations having been premised, it will not be difficult to understand the object for which we pray in this Petition.

We do not ask to be totally exempt from temptation, for human life is one continued temptation. This, however, is useful and advantageous to man. Temptation teaches us to know ourselves, that is, our own weakness, and to humble ourselves under the powerful hand of God; and by fighting manfully, we expect to receive a never-fading crown of glory. For he that striveth for the mastery is not crowned, except he strive lawfully. Blessed is the man, says St. James, that endureth temptation; for when he hath been proved, he shall receive the crown of life, which God hath promised to them that love him. If we are sometimes hard pressed by the temptation of the enemy, it will also cheer us to reflect, that we have a high priest to help us, who can have compassion on our infirmities, having been tempted himself in all things.

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What We Pray For In This Petition
What, then, do we pray for in this Petition ? We pray that the divine assistance may not forsake us, lest having been deceived, or worsted, we should yield to temptation; and that the grace of God may be at hand to succor us when our strength fails, to refresh and invigorate us in our trials.

We should, therefore, implore the divine assistance, in general, against all temptations, and especially when assailed by any particular temptation. This we find to have been the conduct of David, under almost every species of temptation. Against lying, he prays in these words: Take not thou the word of truth utterly out of my mouth; against covetousness: Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness; and against the vanities of this life and the allurements of concupiscence, he prays thus: Turn away my eyes, that they may not behold vanity.

We pray, therefore, that we yield not to evil desires, and be not wearied in enduring temptation; that we deviate not from the way of the Lord; that in adversity, as in prosperity, we preserve equanimity and fortitude; and that God may never deprive us of His protection. Finally, we pray that God may crush Satan beneath our feet. 351

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Dispositions which should Accompany this Petition
The pastor ought next to admonish the faithful concerning the chief thoughts and reflections that should accompany this prayer

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Distrust Of Self And Confidence In God
It will, then, be found most efficacious, when offering this Petition that, remembering our weakness, we distrust our own strength; and that, placing all our hopes of safety in the divine goodness and relying on the divine protection, we encounter the greatest dangers with undaunted courage, calling to mind particularly the many persons, animated with such hope and resolution, who were delivered by God from the very jaws of Satan.

When Joseph was assailed by the criminal solicitations of a wicked woman, did not God rescue him from the imminent danger, and exalt him to the highest degree of glory? Did He not preserve Susanna, when beset by the ministers of Satan, and on the point of being made the victim of an iniquitous sentence? Nor is this surprising; for her heart, says the Scripture, trusted in the Lord. How exalted the praise, how great the glory of Job, who triumphed over the world, the flesh and the devil ! There are on record many similar examples to which the pastor should refer, in order to exhort with earnestness his pious hearers to this hope and confidence.

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Remembrance Of The Victory Of Christ And His Saints
The faithful should also reflect who is their leader against the temptations of the enemy; namely, Christ the Lord, who was victorious in the same combat. He overcame the devil; He is that stronger man who, coming upon the strong armed man, overcame him, deprived him of his arms, and stripped him of his spoils. Of Christ's victory over the world, we read in St. John: Have confidence: I have overcome the world; and in the Apocalypse, He is called the conquering lion; and it is. said of Him that He went forth conquering that He might conquer, because by His victory He has given power to others to conquer.'

The Epistle of St. Paul to the Hebrews abounds with the victories of holy men, who by faith conquered kingdoms, stopped the mouths of lions, etc. While we read of such achievements, we should also take into account the victories which are every day won by men eminent for faith, hope and charity, in their interior and exterior conflicts with the demons, -- victories so numerous and so signal, that, were we spectators of them, we should deem no event of more frequent occurrence, none of more glorious issue. It was with reference to such defeats of the enemies that St. John wrote: I write unto you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and you have overcome the wicked one.'

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Watchfulness
Satan, however, is overcome not by indolence, sleep, wine, reveling, or lust; but by prayer, labor, watching, fasting, continence and chastity. Watch ye and pray, that ye enter not into temptation, as we have already said, is the admonition of our Lord. They who make use of these weapons in the conflict put the enemy to flight; for the devil flees from those who resist him. 352

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The Author of victory over Temptation
But from the consideration of these victories achieved by holy men which we have mentioned, let no one indulge feelings of self-complacency, nor flatter himself that, by his own single unassisted exertions, he is able to withstand the temptations and hostile assaults of the demons. This is not within the power of human nature, nor within the capacity of human frailty.

The strength by which we lay prostrate the satellites of Satan comes from God, who maketh our arms as a bow of brass; by whose aid the bow of the mighty is overcome, and the weak are girt with strength; who giveth us the protection of salvation, whose right hand upholdeth us: who teacheth our hands to war, and our fingers to battle. Hence to God alone must thanks be given for victory, since it is only through His guidance and help that we are able to conquer. This the Apostle did; for he said: Thanks to God, who hath given us the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ. The voice from heaven, mentioned in the Apocalypse, also proclaims God to be the author of our victories: Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ; because the accuser of our brethren is cast forth; and they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb." The same book declares that the victory obtained over the world and the flesh belongs to Christ the Lord, when it says: They shall fight with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them. But enough has now been said on the cause and the manner of conquering (temptation).

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The Rewards of Victories over temptation
When these things have been explained, the pastor should instruct the faithful concerning the crowns prepared by God, and the eternal and superabundant rewards reserved for those who conquer. He should quote from the Apocalypse the following divine promises: He that shall overcome shall not be hurt by the second death; and in another place: He that shall overcome, shall thus be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, and I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. A little after, our divine Lord Himself thus addresses John: He that shall overcome, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God: and he shall go out no more: and again: To him that shall overcome, I win give to sit with me in my throne; as I also have overcome, and am set down with my Father in his throne. Finally, having unveiled the glory of the Saints, and the never ending bliss which they shall enjoy in heaven, He adds, He that shall overcome shall possess these things.

Action Line for July and August 2019
Whether or not Pope Francis will impose his (mis)translated version of the sixth petition of the Our Father on the universal church is not known. But there can be no question that his actions will cause great confusion in Catholic pews not only in Novus Ordo parishes, but in Traditional parishes as well. Confusion is of Satan. Let us do our part to thwart his efforts.

We are therefore asking all League members to give the widest circulation to the above instruction from the Catechism of the Council of Trent to every Catholic priest and layman you know. The Catechism is in the public domain, so copyright is not an issue. However, the source and credits should be included in any transmission as we have done in this study guide as a common curtesy.

The End
Title: Re: League of St Peter Damian
Post by: Nadir on August 06, 2019, 04:50:12 AM

The League of Saint Peter Damian Letter #5

Saint Peter Damian on the Crime of Simony


http://www.renewamerica.com/columns/engel/190804


Title: Re: League of St Peter Damian
Post by: Nadir on November 24, 2019, 12:12:58 AM

Dear Friends -  

Giving thanks to all the founding members of the League of Saint Peter Damian, most especially to the many prisoners who have discovered the Traditional Mass and who have a special devotion to this great saint. It’s been very edifying. 

Randy Engel

 PS I would like some feedback on asking for a single donation of $25.00 per year [non-deductible]  from the founding members of the League only [prisoners excepted] starting in 2020 to offset our annual expenses. This will be our only fee during the year. To date, the U.S. Coalition for Life has been absorbing all the costs of running this apostolate. In 2020 we will be getting a new and separate website which will add to our expenses and I am waiting to hear from the Catholic 
University of America press as to what they will charge us for posting and/or reprinting Father Blum’s translations of Peter Damian’s most famous works. 
Please do not send any donations or gifts until we notify you in December as to what the annual donation will be. At the end of every year, any excess of funds will be used for the Mass intentions of our founding members. By having a once-a-year nominal dependable income we can avoid  having to solicit any money via our website; it will involve only minimum bookkeeping; and we can continue to use the umbrella of the U.S.C.L. without incurring further tax and legal obligations. 

You can e-mail me at rvte61@comcast.net (rvte61@comcast.net) or write me at USCL, Box 315, Export, PA 15632 (http://x-apple-data-detectors://3) with your reply.



 
 
 
 
Title: Re: League of St Peter Damian
Post by: Nadir on November 24, 2019, 12:19:03 AM




November 23, 2019
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Once again, welcome to the League of Saint Peter Damian.
Two-thousand nineteen anno Domini is the year of the League’s formation.
Catholics who register with the League during 2019 are considered founding members.
In this month’s Study Guide #9, Saint Peter Damian enters into a defense of clerical celibacy.
     Letter 112 was written in 1064 after Damian’s visit to Bishop Cunibert of Turin. He had just recently returned from a diplomatic mission to France in 1063-1064.                                                        
 Damian reproves Sir Cunibert for allowing his priests to live as married men. His armory of arguments used to oppose the practice of clerical marriage are taken from   both the Old and New Testament.  
Saint Peter Damian’s defense of clerical celibacy is as definitive and pertinent to our own times as it was almost one thousand years ago. If only today’s bishops would proclaim and act on the good news of clerical chastity as Damian does, they would not want for faithful priests.

Randy Engel
(http://x-apple-ql-id://5E416DC6-1A2A-4250-9675-73ED71867000/x-apple-ql-magic/FB54A2E4-E7B2-4274-A745-B8CC27634A28.png)


STUDY GUIDE #9
“Let Your Life Always Serve as a Witness”

Saint Peter Damian’s Letter 112
In Defense of Clerical Celibacy

Introduction
Letter 112 of Saint Peter Damian was written in 1064 to Sir Cunibert, Bishop of Turin (1046-1063), who, though blameless himself, permitted the priests of his diocese to live as married men. As an uncompromising advocate of genuine Church reform and renewal, Peter Damianspares neither the “delinquent” bishop nor the “married” priests nor their “wives” or “mistresses,” in his defense of clerical celibacy. He reminds Bishop Cunibert that “He is guilty of the deed that he fails to correct when able to do so.”
As with all Peter Damian’s correspondence (actually treatises), this lengthy letter received full ecclesiastical attention in Italy and well beyond.

Damian Attacks “Married” Clerics
To Sir Cunibert, the most reverend bishop, the monk Peter the sinner sends his humble service.
(2) It is the norm of true love and friendship that brothers should foster such mutual affection that if anything reproachful be found in either of them, one will not hide it from the other. Such urgency proves to be both useful and upright, for it brings everything into the open, it repairs that which needs correction and safeguards what is conducive to their well-being by a pure and sincere exchange of love. And so it happens, that as the delinquent’s fault is called to his attention, he who corrects amasses a greater amount of grace. Among the various virtues, venerable father, with which your holiness is adorned, I must say that one thing greatly displeases me, which, on the occasion of my visit to you, caused me to be very angry with you, and which now compels me to bring it up again this this letter. For you have been permissive toward the clerics of your diocese, whatever orders they might have received, allowing them to live with their wives as if they were married men. God forbid that in your great prudence  you should be unaware that such practice  is obscene and opposed to ecclesiastical purity, contrary to the commands of the canons, and certainly offensive to all the norms promulgated by the holy Fathers. This is especially  true, since these very clerics of yours are otherwise decent people and properly educated in the study of the arts. Indeed, when they met me, they appeared to shine like a choir of angels and like a distinguished senate of the Church.
(3) But after I learned of the hidden discharge flowing from this disease, light was suddenly converted into darkness, and my joy was turned into sorrow, and I at once recalled this saying of the Gospel, Alas for you, lawyers and Pharisees! You are like tombs covered with whitewash; they look well from the outside, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all kinds of filth.” How is it, father, that you watch out only for yourself, and that in regard to those for whom you must first give an account you are indolently asleep? Certainly, in other individuals, productive chastity is not required, but in a bishop, chastity is rightly  considered unprofitable if it remains so sterile that it does not give birth to chastity in others.
(4) … Therefore, your chastity will then find approval in the sight of God, if it also extends productively to your clerics.

The New Law of Christ Superseded the Old
Peter Damian notes that while priests under the Old Law were permitted to marry (with certain restrictions), this right was rescinded as Paul the Apostle explained to the Hebrews:
(6)  “The earlier rules are canceled as impotent and useless, since the Law brought nothing to perfection. And then he added, “But now the ministry that has fallen to Christ is so far superior to theirs as is the covenant he mediates. Had the first covenant  been faultless, there would have been no need to look for a second in its place.”
(7) This was written because of those who say that if had been a sin for priests to marry, the Lord would not have ordered it in the Old Law. But those who speak in this way, are undoubtedly either ignorant of the commands of canon law, or falsely pretend to be ignorant. But clearly, we [Pope Nicholas II] who belong to the household of the Apostolic See, have been publicly announcing throughout all the dioceses, that no one is allowed to hear the Mass of a priest, or the Gospelread by a deacon, or finally, an epistle read by a subdeacon when he is aware  that these associate intimately with women.
St. Aurelius, the Bishop of Carthage (392-430) and a leader of several ecclesiastical councils on Christian doctrine, and a number of popes are cited by Damian to re-enforce his condemnation of married priests:
(9) … Aurelius, the Bishop of Carthage, among other things has this to say, “It was resolved that venerable bishops and priests of God, and also deacons or those who administer the sacraments of God, be continent at all times, that they may simply obtain what they ask for from God, so that what the apostles taught, and antiquity has preserved, we too may closely guard.
(12) Among other things, this is found also in the decree of Pope Saint Leo the Great (400-461), “Now since living in marriage and begetting of children is a matter of choice for those who do not have clerical orders, yet to demonstrate the purity of perfect continence, not even subdeacons are allowed to marry, so those who have wives should live as though they did not have them and those who are without wives should remain single. And if it be proper  that such a regulation be safeguarded  in this order, which is the fourth from the top, how much more should it be observed in the first, second and third, so that no one be judged fit for the honors of the diaconate, the priesthood, or for the episcopal dignity if he is detected not yet refraining from the pleasures of marriage.”
(16) … Since all the holy Fathers, who with the aid of the Holy Spirit fashioned the canons, without dissent unanimously concur that clerical chastity must be observed, what will await those who blaspheme  against the Holy Spirit by satisfying their own carnal desires? Because of a flux of  momentary passion, they earn the reward of burning in eternal fire that cannot be quenched. … In themselves they now feed the fires of lust, but then with their inmost beings they will nourish the flames of  fire that is never extinguished.
(20) Therefore, since intercourse in marriage is preempted by prayer for laymen, how can it reasonably permitted to clerics serving the altar? How can they ever find time to live as married men, when they are never fee from the duty of ecclesiastical service? For the Apostle says to the Corinthians, “The unmarried man cares for the Lord’s business; his aim is to please the Lord. But the married man cares for worldly things; his aim is to please his wife.” And so he who is dedicated to divine service must always be intent on God’s business and should not be distracted by carnal affection. But how can he be solicitous and always attentive toward his Maker, when his heart is closely bound to his wife?

Lustful Priests Grieve the Holy Ghost
(21) If, therefore, not only the soul  but our very body, which is seen and touched externally, is without doubt the temple of the Holy Spirit, how can we say that he who is forbidden to have carnal intercourse, does not destroy the temple of God when in his wanton lust he makes himself a prostitute, rejects the Holy Spirit whose seal he bears, and in his stead welcomes the spirit of impurity?
(26) How much better it would be for these men to withdraw from exercising their orders than provoke God to use the sword of his anger against them; how much more discreet to depart and not serve at Christ’s altars than to pollute them by their presence?
(30) So, let a cleric who is forbidden intimate association with women, with sacrilegious loathing repudiate the sacred altar, and free as a lusty stallion, seek to indulge his appetite. But when he is free from God and abandons him like one cut off from him, he is unable to escape the snares of his curse and of his own damnation.

Harsh Words for Seducers of Priests
Not surprisingly, Peter Damian bitterly condemns women who seduce priests and entice them to abandon their vows of celibacy.
(34) And now, let me speak to you, you charmers of clerics. tasty tidbits of the devil, expulsion from paradise, venom of the mind, sword that kills souls, poison in the drink, toxin in the food, source of sinning, and occasion of damnation. …You are Sirens and Charybdi who by singing their deceptive song, prepare inevitable shipwreck in the devouring sea. You furious vipers, by the ardor of your impatient lust you dismember your lovers by cutting them off from Christ who is the head of the clergy.
(39) And now listen to me, you who lead blind clerics by the hand, if you want to regain the kingdom of heaven which is closed to you, withdraw at once from this detestable union, make amends, and submit to the rigors of proper penance.
(42) What a fortunate exchange! When you break away from this union with unchaste clerics, the angels will applaud as you enter the bedchamber of the heavenly Spouse. “For there is joy among the angels over one sinner who repents.” And in the words of the prophet, “If you will return to me, I will return to you says the Lord.”
(43) But to get back to whom I was writing, since it was the Apostle who said that “the same punishment awaits not only those who engage in such practices, but also those who consent to them,” you must be extremely careful, venerable father, lest while being personally a model of shining purity, you nevertheless permit impurity, like that of the bloody Jezebel , to gain the upper hand among your clergy. … Is it not true, I ask, that if you discover a monk living with a woman, you retch and become sick to your stomach, disturb heaven and earth with your outcry, and call for him, moreover, to be destroyed in the flames of hell? And yet we know for a fact that canon law does not assess a different amount of penance for a monk and a deacon.
(44) Since, therefore, the measure of sin is the same in both, why do we distinguish between sinners, so that lightly tolerating the one, or even in friendly fashion pat one another on the back, we judge that the other is worthy of suspension? Do we play favorites, and contrary to the law have unequal weights in our bag? … Certainly, to the extent that a priest is greater than a monk in ecclesiastical dignity, so is his sin the worse. For while monks have nothing to do with people, priests have the responsibility of bearing the guilt of sins that people commit.
(45) But because some of them, while implicated in evil deeds, also defend their actions  by slyly asserting that their position is based on an established truth, they should not be unaware that they are now caught in the snares of damnable heresy. For when they fall into sin, they forfeit their chastity, but when they attempt to defend what they are doing, they are justly considered to be heretics. Therefore, married clerics are called Nicolaitans , and they are given this name because a certain Nicholas  proclaimed this heresy a dogmatic truth.

Peter Damian Urges Bishop Cunibert To Action
In his closing words to Sir Cunibert, Saint Peter Damian reminds the bishop that when he was consecrated, he committed  himself to preside over the people of God, and now was the time to make good on that promise:
“But, perhaps, if you are afraid to stand up for the cause of chastity and take up the arms of chastity against the roaring battalions of lust, hear what the voice of God  promises you in the words of Ezekiel. “Man,” he said, “I will make you as brazen as they are and as stubborn as they are. I will make your brow as adamant, harder than flint. Never fear them, never be terrified by them.” And through Solomon he says to you. “Do not be afraid when the powers of wickedness  suddenly attack you with terror. The Lord will be at your side, and he will keep your feet clear of the trap.” And again, ”God’s every promise is a fiery shield to all who set their hope on him.” But if, perhaps, you are facing the impossible, and as it were, saying to my face that you doubt that you will ever be able to overcome, listen to what wisdom itself says to you in the words of the same Solomon, “when you see a man being dragged to be killed, go to his rescue, and save those being hurried away to their death. If you say, ‘I am not strong enough,’ God who fixes a standard for the heart, will take note. God who watches you – be sure he will know. He will require every man for what he does.”
(49) And so, venerable father, bravely arm yourself for this conflict between chastity and lust. Unsheathe the sword of the Spirit and fatally wound this violent impurity, raging in your diocese, that as a valiant soldier you may snatch the spoils from the bloody hand of this invader, and be worthy of bearing the banners of victory to the author of chastity himself.
The End
 











Title: Re: League of St Peter Damian
Post by: Mark 79 on November 24, 2019, 01:45:46 AM
God bless Randy Engle for her decades of unceasing struggle for truth and purity. God bless you Nadir for posting these.
Title: Re: League of St Peter Damian
Post by: Nadir on November 24, 2019, 02:25:54 AM
Thank you Mark. She is truly a great, holy, courageous woman; I am happy to have such to post. Sorry for the disorder, and some may be missing. It'll be better when, God willing, the website is established, .
Title: Re: League of St Peter Damian
Post by: klasG4e on November 28, 2019, 03:00:16 AM
God bless Randy Engle for her decades of unceasing struggle for truth and purity. God bless you Nadir for posting these.
She's quite a lady and still going strong.  Consider this excerpt from her bio blurb:  "Randy Engel, one of the nation’s top investigative reporters, began her journalistic career shortly after her graduation from the University of New York at Cortland , in 1961. A specialist in Vietnamese history and folklore, in 1963, she became the editor of The Vietnam Journal, the official publication of the Vietnam Refugee and Information Services, a national relief program in South Vietnam for war refugees and orphans based in Dayton, Ohio . She recorded for the Voice of America and Radio Saigon. In 1970, she received the Distinguished Service Medal for “exceptional and meritorious service to Vietnam .”
Title: Re: League of St Peter Damian
Post by: Nadir on December 18, 2019, 08:35:08 PM
(http://x-apple-ql-id://09DCB1AA-A4E5-4D9D-8FB2-0A20BAB6E15B/x-apple-ql-magic/B1DEF2B5-E64B-40F5-8CD9-9B7D3CDA01C7.png)(http://x-apple-ql-id://E185FE0B-0F14-4D48-9C8C-0DE9950593D9/x-apple-ql-magic/03C007B0-CDD8-4185-AA24-2C4434717676.pdf)



December  23, 2019
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Once again, welcome to the League of Saint Peter Damian.
Two-thousand nineteen anno Domini is the year of the League’s formation.
Catholics who register with the League during 2019 are considered founding members.
This month’s Study Guide #10 features one of Peter Damian’s personal letters.                
Letter 132 was written sometime between 1065 to 1071, to his nephew, Marinus,                      who resided at the Monastery of St. Apollinaris in Classe, Italy.
It stresses the virtues of chastity, sobriety in food and drink, the custody of the eyes, frequent and sincere confession, and the avoidance of worldly affairs in conversation.
As the reader knows by now, much of Peter Damian’s advice is equally                                  suited for the Catholic layman, especially during this Blessed Season of Advent.
Thanks to all our founding members. It’s been wonderful meeting many of you by mail and e-mails. I look forward to spending another year with Saint Peter Damian and with you.
Randy Engel
(http://x-apple-ql-id://32BD976D-BAE1-408E-93C9-5696A12B41A8/x-apple-ql-magic/6633062A-C2D9-4830-817B-25A4C9A7EDEB.png)

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STUDY GUIDE # 10
Truly, it is a grand thing to be a Christian, not just to appear or be called such.”
Saint Peter Damian’s Letter 132
Virtues Proper to the Monastic Life

Introduction
The Italian city of Classe was, for more than 500 years, an important military and commercial port city for the imperial capital of Ravenna where Saint Peter Damian was born. The saint had served at the investiture of his nephew, Marinus, at the Monastery of St. Apollinaris in Classe.
From his opening remarks, it is abundantly clear that Peter Damian was very solicitous for the spiritual welfare of Marinus, whom he also regarded as his spiritual son.
His opening lines reflect the themes of spiritual warfare and the role of the monk in the army of God:
(1) The Monk Peter The Sinner to the boy Marinus, greetings in the Lord.
(2) The raw recruit is easily defeated in his first taste of combat in battle, unless he uses beforehand the good offices of the drillmaster and is carefully instructed. You too, who only recently swore your oath and joined the army of God, who in professing this holy purpose enrolled in the junior auxiliary of the armed forces, know that in preparing yourself for service in spiritual combat, you need to be more fully trained, in that you have engaged to do battle in a heavenly division rather than an earthly one. Of which truly the Apostle says, “Although we walk in the flesh, we do not fight according to the flesh. The weapons we wield are not those of the world, but are divinely potent.”
(3) … Although you are not my son, you can still not rightly be considered as someone exempt from my care, since you are related to me through my brother. This is especially so, since I myself invested you with the monastic habit and therefore not without cause may I consider myself absolved from giving you advice.
Gaining Mastery Over the Body
Peter Damian begins his instruction to young Marinus by stressing the virtue of chastity. His advice is apropos also not only for monks and priests, but also for fathers advising their young sons and mothers instructing their young daughters, especially as they enter their teen years:
(4) First of all, my dear son, with great vigilance strive to preserve chastity, and abstain from every sin of deadly impurity, that according to the Apostle, “you may learn to gain mastery over your body, to hallow and honor it.” This is, indeed, the moral purity without which no one will see God. Preserve the garment of your body in spotless condition, that at the marriage feast of this great king it may not be found soiled by the filth of wanton lust.
(5) May chastity always abide in your body, always in your mind... Should carnal pleasure entice you, and temptations to impurity arise, quickly have recourse to the weapons suggested by the Apostle, and like an eager soldier take up the sword of the Gospel. With Christ as your leader, you will easily be able to cut down the fierce lines of the barbarous enemy.
(6) One thing is important: that sobriety should daily be your sole companion, and it should never be allowed to part from your company under the influence of prurient gluttony. [Peter Damian always warns against the abomination of drinking to excess].
(7) Therefore, in taking food, moderation lessens its roughness, and small portions            will improve its commonness.
Maintaining Custody of the Mind
Peter Damian reminds us that we can sin not only by our actions, but also by thought and word:
(8) Therefore, lest purity be imperiled by shipwreck, let sobriety be the mistress of your body and keep a steady helm amid the hazards of this uncertain life. Also be on your guard against thoughts you ought to dispel, because you should not be more earnest in restraining the lustful movements of your body than in protecting your mind from shameful thoughts and imaginations.
I once knew a brother in Christ who followed this strict norm of constant custody over his mind, that as soon as some suggestion to impurity crept up on him, he would  promptly say to himself, as if he were ready to travel, “Come, let us go to the circus.” Then, in his imagination wandering through all the cemeteries and graves, he would carefully examine the matter and corruption of decaying bodies, the  crawling worms and the rot of decomposing flesh. And he thought that this flesh, once in its prime so full of vitality, was now subject to such disaster, he concluded that his body too would be in the same condition that he now observed. Such meditation puts an end to lustful thoughts, because it holds up corruption to our view; nor is there any room for passion when the mind dwells on the grave.
Gaining Custody Over the Eyes
(9) When at times it becomes necessary, and you are unable to avoid speaking with a woman, always glance to the side as if you were looking at someone else, act as if you were not there, speak as if you were a long way off, stop your conversation and look down to the floor, so that you would be unable to say whether her complexion was pale and ruddy.
Once, as the Blessed Romuald returned from a meeting with the countess of Sibylla, he is reported to have slyly said to his disciple who accompanied him, “What an elegant and beautiful face this woman has, if only she had not unfortunately lost one eye.” And the disciple replied, “You are mistaken master, master,” he said, “for as I carefully observed her beautiful face, I saw nothing at all wrong with her eyes.” Then at once the master severely corrected him: “And who,” he said, “taught you to look into a woman’s face?” At that, the disciple was aware that he had been taken in, was ashamed of what he had said and asked pardon, and firmly promised that from then on, he would be more cautious.
(10) In fact, our crafty adversary is a painter. Yet, while he can easily cause us to remember things we had once seen, he can hardly produce on the walls of our mind the images that are unknown to us (bold added). So, if you wish  to advance to the heights of perfection, you must henceforth make every effort to be instructed in all the virtues. For, while at your age you are still pliable, and your habits are still unformed, they are indiscriminately led in this direction or that. Therefore, let the practice of virtue grow apace with your bodily development, that custom may lighten what the weakness of human frailty finds abhorrent.
Gaining Custody Over the Tongue
(11) Your tongue should be accustomed to restricting itself to a few words, and should learn from holding its peace what by speaking it may later find difficult tobear, so that if now it neglects to observe strict silence, it will later be unable to control the sensual urge to speak. … Be careful of your duty to show courtesy, and always be prompt to refuse deference that is offered to you, but instead always be prepared to serve others. When something must be prepared or brought, immediately rise to the occasion, that it may appear that the voice of authority was directed especially toward you.
The Necessity of a Sincere Confession
The holy monk’s advice on confession is applicable to every Catholic whatever his state in life:
(14) Have you sinned now and then? There is surely, no one who does not commit a sin, and perhaps it has come to your attention that the first raft available after shipwreck is the straight-forward confession of sin, for prompt confession produces easy forgiveness (bold added). But if one takes refuge in defending a false position, what was perhaps slightly punctured by a needle will be seen as broadly pierced through by a lance.
And since this is the proper occasion, I should not like to have you deceived: there are some who have lived in a religious order since they were boys, and perish only because of disobedience, mixed with pride, while many living in the world, after committing horrible crimes, are deserving of forgiveness through the practice of humility. Note that David was guilty of adultery and murder, while Saul, on the other hand, disobeyed Samuel. But why is it that the one, without assistance from anyone, immediately found forgiveness, while neither his own admission of guilt, nor the sad, bitter and lengthy appeal of the prophet could reconcile the other to God?
The Virtue of Humility That Binds All
(15) What is the meaning of this, that the repentance of one man is lovingly received, while the other’s is rejected and severely punished, except that Saul by proudly making light of the sin of disobedience, never wholeheartedly repented, while David, on the other hand, used only a few words, but the bitterness of true sorrow filled his whole being, transfixed by the sword of the fear of God? Those, I say, who, when pretending to be obedient, imprudently brag that they are immune to committing greater crimes, should not neglect to consider these matters. Indeed, we often see some of these frequently going to confession, devoutly prostrating themselves on the ground, facetiously rather than humbly accusing themselves in ringing and elaborate words, and thus never having their behavior profit from proper correction. Such, to be sure, like Saul repent in word but remain proud of heart.
Pattern Your Life on Model Monks
(18) Pay no heed to those who are negligent, but give close attention to monks who are zealous and careful about their soul. The former should be viewed, not with the intention of judging their evil deeds, but the latter, that you might learn to emulate their good example and practice it. And so, select for yourself some of the brothers, namely, the outstanding ones in the community, whose good life you can safely imitate.
(20) Carefully avoid duplicity. Be straightforward, so that your words reflect what you have in mind.
(21) Always be totally involved in the Prophets, totally imbued with the Gospels. At all times occupy your mind with various readings from Scripture, so that no part of it will allow the admission of fantasy and idle thoughts.
Leave Secular Affairs to the Laity
Although, as we shall see in future letters, Saint Peter Damian undertook many diplomatic missions out of obedience to a host of successive popes he served over his lifetime, his heart was always with his monastery and his brother monks. So his comments to Marinus on the avoidance of dabbling in secular affairs and idle gossip is not surprising:
(24) I had, indeed, here decided to call a halt to my writing, but when I see someone who is dry after having thirst so long, it would be a sign of excessive greed to give him only a small ladleful of wine to drink. Therefore, beware, my dear son, lest you go on living in the monastic cloister, you take part in discussing secular affairs with your brothers; distain both speaking about them as well as listening to them. In fact, holy anger should take over on the spot, and burning zeal should promptly silence those who give vent to such silly and improper speech. You should say, “What has an upright life to do with wickedness? Can light consort with darkness?”
(26) Therefore, let all foolish gossip be removed from the lips of the knight of Christ, and let the tongue that is reddened by the Blood of the immaculate Lamb, indeed, of the most high Word himself, distain being contaminated by the dregs of idle speech.
(28) Do not ever draw up a genealogy of your forebears, that you might boast of the empty nobility of someone else’s name. Surely, he who is an heir of God and a coheir with Christ surpasses every family of earthly origin. Truly, it is a grand thing to be a Christian, not just to appear or be called such (bold added). And he who is displeasing to God more often pleases the world.
(29) Remember frequently to engage in prayer, that with your body prostrate on the ground, your spirit may rise up to Heaven.
(30) Meanwhile, avoid rumormongers, glory seekers and fawning flatters as you would the bite of a venomous snake, and as antidotes for their poison they should at once hear the words, “Let them quickly be turned away in shame who cry ‘Hurrah’ at me.” I am not content that you be mediocre, my son, for I wish to see you the very best, the most perfect. Therefore put aside all idleness and sloth, consider yourself to be your own enemy, fight and battle with yourself and, armed with the sword of evangelical discipline, cut off the heads of all vices that are at war with you. Always bearing hardships and adversities for the love of Christ, trust in the practice of virtue. Shutter at whatever appears pleasurable and soothing to the flesh, and count it truly a snare of the devil. For whoever hopes to find allurements of the flesh in the monastic way of life is only trying to squeeze juice from a dry stick. … We are, you know, the disciples of fishermen and not orators, and one should hear from the mouth of a Christian, not the Latinity of Cicero, but the simplicity of Christ. Subduing all your own desires, like the Apostle gird yourself at all times with the suffering of Christ, and always show that you bear the stigmata of the cross so that the more closely you now follow in the footsteps of him who was sentenced to death, the more eminently you may enjoy his company when he comes as your judge.
(31) Greet all the holy brothers of your monastery for me. But if you should find my dear brothers, Boninus and Peter, singing like angels, as at times they are wont to do, in my name give them this small poem:
Like a nightingale’s sweet serenade is the song you intone in the choir, Let the innermost voice of your heart be at tune to the chant you are singing.
The End

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December 23, 2019
A Blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year to all the founders of the League of Saint Peter Damian. We number nearly 200traditional Catholics from around the world. We are open for one more week for new members. In the meantime, I’ll be working on setting up the League’s website which will be dedicated to making Saint Peter Damian and his written works better known and loved.
Early in January 2020, I will be sending you a special mailing with more details on the founders’ funding of the League. But for now, let us enjoy all the gifts of Christ and the Holy Family, and His angels and saints especially Saint Peter Damian, that comes to us at Christmas time.
With Love and Gratitude,
Randy Engel                                    
                                





Title: Re: League of St Peter Damian
Post by: Nadir on December 24, 2019, 04:52:27 PM
This is all higgle-de-piggledy, but never fear,
 hopefully the website will soon appear.

Here isThe League of Saint Peter Damian Letter #8.
On The Arguments of the Jєωs Against the Blessed Trinity

http://www.renewamerica.com/columns/engel/191224
Title: Re: League of St Peter Damian
Post by: Nadir on November 20, 2020, 08:16:09 PM

November 23, 2020

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, 
It is a pleasure to send you the November issue of the League’s newsletter.   
This month’s Study Guide #18 is a meditation “On the Last Judgment” found in Letter 21. It was written before 1047 to B(onushomo) of Cesena, a judge, early in Petrus Damiani’s career.
Catholicism teaches that immediately upon our death, each of us will undergo the Particular Judgment, and depending on the condition of our immortal soul enter into heaven or hell, which are permanent states, or purgatory where our soul will be purified for a period of time before beholding the Beatific Vision.
The Last Judgment is reserved for the end of time when Christ will come again in His glory with His angels to judge the living and the dead (Apostles’ Creed and Nicene Creed). At this time the good works and the sins of all human beings (now reunited in body and soul,) who have ever lived will be laid bare, and they will be judged with perfect justice – the just going to heaven and everlasting bliss and the reprobates to hell where they will be separated from God for all eternity and suffer the pains of eternal damnation. 
If this tour de force  doesn’t move one to tears of repentance, probably nothing ever will.
Saint Peter Damian Pray for Us,                                                                                                                             
Randy Engel, Director(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/FVTTDgdK7POiLQMIBrxIqvjMqqUu_uwcgC2fi9D3aWVG_xKCuNmnRSh8_zUam7eyQ3zKPzOag72Op_vdqgLA_AySBZ99iRytvsPXg95dF70raM3dmNXCdDVH7lqmjs2rUk6pRmsr1hSsj8VGVA)
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                         STUDY GUIDE #18 November 2020
Saint Peter Damian’s Letter 21
               On The Last Judgment

Now then, when we arrive at that last judgment to be hauled before the bench         of the judge who cannot be deceived by the concealment of crimes, nor corrupted by some bribe to win impunity; when he begins to reveal all secrets and display not only our deeds and our words, but also our very thoughts, what will we do in the presence of the majesty of such a judge?


Introduction

To Sir B(onushomo), the most prudent judge, from the monk Peter the Sinner, the bond of fraternal love. 
(2) I am aware that when my letter gets into the hands of secular grammarians, they at once try to discover whether it contains the grace of an artistic style or the lustre of rhetorical elegance, and they search carefully for a necessarily deceptive chain of syllogisms and enthymemes. Indeed, they look for the knowledge that breeds conceit and do not admire the love that builds, yet according to Solomon: “The sayings of the servants of God must be like goads, and like nails driven home.” And hence these sayings are properly compared to nails and goads, because they usually prick the life of carnal men with sharp invective, and do not caress it improperly with the seductive ointment of soothing adulation. And so Christ is my literature, he for men’s sake became man, and thus my letter is able to exude only that fragrance which promotes the edification of my brothers.
(3) Wherefore, my dear brother, while the world still smiles on you and you are still in good health, while earthly prosperity favors you, think about those things that will follow all this, and, as if the present were already past, this is what your prudence ought carefully to ponder, namely, what things are to succeed the present in time to come. With your closest attention consider all things transitory as having already passed away, and regard them as you would a deceptive and illusive dream. Your thoughts should revert to this point and should be carefully focused on the fact that whatever will happen later cannot pass away. What is more, you should now place before your eyes the terrible day of the last judgment, and consider in fear and trembling the suddenness of the coming of God’s great majesty. Nor should you think that this day will be long in coming, since the prophet proclaimed it to be ready at hand for an age long before us, as if it were already at the door: “The greats day of the Lord is near, it is near, and comes with speed; the voice of the day of the Lord is bitter, there the warrior will be afflicted. That day is a day of wrath, a day of anguish and affliction, a day of calamity and misery, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of fog and whirlwind, a day of trumpet and battlecry.” 
(4) Weigh carefully, my dear friend, with what severity the prophet sees this last day of judgment, growing in bitterness about the hearts of the damned, an event he was hardly able to express with all his descriptive terms. For even if we were now to be silent regarding the pains of eternal damnation that will never end, and were only to examine the terror and the horror of this last day, the entire false and deceitful happiness of this world would be seen as mud and worthless seaweed lying on the shore. Who is not terrified, who is not shaken  to his very roots by that statement of the Lord himself in the Gospel: “Like lightning flashing from the east as far as the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.” Who, I say, does not experience great fear when Truth itself again says: “The sun will be darkened, the moon will not give her light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the celestial powers will be shaken.” Of this day Peter also speaks: “But the Day of the Lord will come unexpectedly, as a thief. On that day the heavens will disappear with a great rushing sound, the elements will disintegrate in flames.” And again he says: “The present heavens and earth, again by God’s word, have been kept in store for burning; they are being reserved until the day of judgment when the godless will be destroyed.” And so the apostle Jude also says: “Behold, the Lord will come with his myriads of angels, to bring all men to judgment  and to convict the godless of all the impious deeds  they have committed, and of all the defiant words which wicked sinners have spoken against him.” 
(5) O, if only our heart could savor the bitterness found in the words of John: “Behold, He is coming with the clouds! Every eye shall see him, and also those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the world shall lament in remorse.” Then will those who now live fearlessly shake with fear, then will those who now rest peacefully in the luxury of carnal pleasures find their whole being filled with bitterness. Shedding bloody tears, they will start saying to the mountains, “Fall on us,” and to the hills, “cover us.” 
Saint Peter Damian then gives us a Scriptural description of the Second Coming of Christ:
(6) There will then be no place to which one can flee, there will be no refuge where one can hide, for then the gates of hell will be thrown open, our enemy death will be destroyed, and dust that had decayed, namely human flesh will come to life as it hears the sound of the trumpet. Now will all those whom the earth has received, whom the waters swallowed, whom devouring flames have consumed, all will be given up by that to which we were consigned, and will be restored to life without any reduction of their former selves. For then will the earth be shaken, the air will be disturbed by sudden storms, thunder will crash and lightning flashes will terrify the hearts of men. “Our God will come and reveal himself; our God will not keep silence. Before him fires will burn, and round about a mighty storm will wreathe him. He will summon heaven on high and earth to the judgment of his people.” 
(7) On that dreadful day he will appear with his angels and archangels, with thrones and dominations, with principalities and powers, with the heavens flashing and the earth aflame, and with all the elements moved with terror in obedience to him. Isaiah, the most celebrated of the prophets, well describes this day when he says: “Behold, this hopeless Day of the Lord is coming, this day of wrath and fury, to make the land a desolation and exterminate sinners from it. The stars of heaven shall give no light, the sun shall be darkened at its rising, and the moon will not give forth its light. I will bring disaster upon the world and upon the wicked for their sins, and I will destroy the violence of the wicked and will bring low the haughtiness of the proud. And those who are left will be more precious than gold assayed by fire, and man will be more precious than a sapphire. Then the heavens will shutter, and the earth will be shaken to its foundation at the furious anger of the Lord of Hosts, on the day his anger will fall upon it.” The prophet Malachi also speaks in similar words: “Behold, the Lord almighty will come, and who will endure the day of his coming? Or who can bear the sight of him? For he will enter like the refiner’s fire, and the chaff of the winnowers, and he will sit, refining and purifying gold and silver.” 
(9) … When, therefore, these events begin to happen, the gates of the heavens will certainly be opened, or rather, the heavens themselves will be removed as if the flaps  of a tent were being drawn, so that they might be restored or transformed into something better. Then fear and apprehension will grip all things, all will begin to tremble when he comes in judgment who needs no witness, who seeks no evidence, who requires no attorneys. But with all these put aside, he judges deeds and words and thoughts and places them before us, and if they were displayed in writing, holds them up in the sight of those who committed them and of others who are present. How deeply will every creature then be shaken and be afraid. Hence Isaiah says, “For the Lord has a day of vengeance, Zion a year when it will requite, and its torrents shall be turned into blazing pitch, which night and day shall never be quenched.” All of this blessed Job also describes when he says: “A land of gloom, a land shrouded in the darkness of death, a land of misery and obscurity and the shadow of death, a place of disorder where everlasting horror dwells.” And the prophet also adds: “And they shall come out,” he says, “and see the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; their worms shall not die nor their fire be quenched.”
Saint Peter Damian then reveals the lament of the damned:
(10) What can be said or imagined that is more horrible than to be subjected to the wounds of damnation, and the pain from these wounds that will never end? And so the prophet says, “They have gone down to hell with their weapons.” The weapons of sinners are those parts of the body  by which the evil desires that they have conjured up are carried out. So, to go down to hell with their weapons means to suffer the torments of eternal fire together with their bodily members by which they fulfilled the desires of the flesh. Paul also adds: “When our Lord Jesus Christ is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in blazing fire, then he will do justice upon those who refuse to acknowledge God and upon those who will not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. They will suffer the punishment of eternal ruin, cut off from the presence of the Lord and the splendid of his might.” And again: “A kind of terrifying expectation of judgment and a fierce fire which will consume God’s enemies.”
The reader will note the emphasis that Peter Damian puts not only on our deeds and words, but on our very thoughts that will be revealed and judged: 
(11) Now then, when we arrive at that last judgment to be hauled before the bench  of the judge who cannot be deceived by the concealment of crimes, nor corrupted by some bribe to win impunity; when he begins to reveal all secrets and display not only our deeds and our words, but also our very thoughts, what will we do in the presence of the majesty of such a judge? What excuse can we offer? With what kind of defense can we clear ourselves? What sort of repentance can assist us, since when we were still in the flesh, we held repentance in contempt? Which good works will protect us, since there were none in this life that we performed? To which apostles or to which other saint can we turn for protection, whose words and example we despised? Perhaps some bodily weakness will excuse them. But the example of all the saints will cry out against such an excuse, who while alive conquered the weakness of the flesh, demonstrating that what they did we also could do, especially since it was not by their own strength that they resisted sin, but by the help of a merciful God. For God both showed himself to those who were not seeking him that he might be sought and believed, and defended with his invincible protection  those who believed in him that they would not be overwhelmed by sin. 
What answer will they give if the Lord said to them: “If you were able, why did you not resist the allurements of sin? If you were not able , why did you not seek my help against sin. Or when you were wounded, why did you not use the remedy for your wound by doing penance?” Will they not be silent at these objections? Whatever excuse they may give, he will say to those who are found wanting: “Bind them hand and foot; turn them out into the dark, the place of wailing and grinding of teeth.” It follows, then, that they who are here rejoiced in gluttony will there be grinding their teeth. … 
(13) It follows that whoever now longs for earthly pleasures, whoever feasts on the desires of lustful flesh will then be consumed by eternal fire and wasted by the sword of divine fury. … There he will no longer be able to obtain from God what he asks, if here he was unwilling to listen to his commands. For they who in this life despised the word of God, will then not be heard when in false humility they come to the door with their requests. But he will say to them: “I do not know you. Depart from me, you cursed, to the eternal fire that has been prepared for the devil and his angels.” 
(14) In whom, therefore, can we trust in what can we hope to attain salvation? Can it be in the hoard of money we have hidden in a safe place? Can it be in affluence which is empty within, and which outwardly we possess improperly. But listen to the apostle James, telling us how much riches profit a man, and what value he attaches to the possession of worldly things. “Well then, you have great possessions,” he says, “weep  and wail over the miserable fate descending on you. Your riches have rotted; your fine clothes are moth-eaten; your silver and gold have rusted away, and their rust will be evidence against you and consume your flesh like fire. You have piled up wrath for yourselves in the final days.” And a little further on: “You have feasted wantonly on the earth and in luxury you have nourished yourselves to your heart’s desire.”
(15) Let this unhappy man go on now, weakly yielding to the current of carnal desires, and later the fiery pit of hellfire like the plague will swallow him; let him now arrogantly exalt himself with the symbols of pride, that he may then live undying, confined by eternal death. What will it profit him if today he belches after stuffing himself in feasting, and tomorrow  goes down to hell, poor and naked? Alas, alas, what will these wretched men say when they see that they have irreparably lost their temporal goods and when everlasting evils unavoidably await them? What will they think  when they become aware that the acceptable time and the day of salvation have vanished, and the time is at hand when they cannot perform good deeds, and they are unable to find a remedy for their damnation? How bitter will be their conscience, how tearful will be their lament!
(16) My dear friend, I place before you not my own words, but selections from Sacred Scripture for this reason: so that even though in your judgment you rightly distain  my rustic speech, you would not deem it improper to listen to the divinely inspired testimony of the saints. Therefore, my dear brother, treasure up in your mind these and many other arguments of Holy Scripture, which, among the false riches of the world, are able to produce in you a salutary fear. For as Solomon says: “Happy the man who is always accompanied by fear, but he who hardens his heart falls into misfortune.” For, as we read, no one can correct him whom God has despised.” Man, indeed, speaks to another to no effect if God through himself does not inwardly speak to him. 
But you , my dear brother, in keeping with the talent for prudence which God has given to you, examine your life with great subtleness, always hold up your deeds before your eyes, fear the judgment of God, and with full precaution look about you in all directions, so that when the judge arrives he will not find you asleep but on guard, not among the foolish, but among the wise virgins.
As you are now the judge of your own deeds, may you later not need to be judged, and then you will never need to be afraid, since now you have never ceased to fear.
(17) But since I can perhaps be of greater assistance to you by my prayers to God than by preaching to you, may almighty God in his mercy direct you now, dear brother, on the way to justice, and on that fearful day of judgment grant that you may be among the elect who stand at his right side. Amen. 
Title: Re: League of St Peter Damian
Post by: Mark 79 on November 20, 2020, 10:02:07 PM
This is all higgle-de-piggledy, but never fear,
hopefully the website will soon appear.

Here isThe League of Saint Peter Damian Letter #8.
On The Arguments of the Jєωs Against the Blessed Trinity

http://www.renewamerica.com/columns/engel/191224

So helpful! St. Peter Damian showed the тαℓмυdic "sages" for fools. http://judaism.is/hating-the-holy-trinity.html (http://judaism.is/hating-the-holy-trinity.html)

(http://judaism.is/images/holy%20trinity%20in%20the%20ot.jpg?crc=443742763)
Title: Re: League of St Peter Damian
Post by: Nadir on January 21, 2022, 09:25:57 PM
League of St Peter Damien
January 23, 20
 
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, 
A Blessed New Year to you all. 
Study Guide #29 concludes our review of the spiritual life and teachings of St. Peter Damian as explained by the saint’s modern biographer and translator of his Letters, Owen J. Blum, O.F.M.
Father Blum’s dissertation was published in 1947 by the Catholic University of America Press in Washington, D.C. Study Guide #29 is based on Blum’s dissertation text. 
 
Although much of Peter Damian’s spiritual writings focused primarily on the religious life and those who had left the world, he was also concerned for the moral betterment and spiritual life of other classes of men including laymen.
 
Chapter VI of his dissertation focuses on “Perfection in the World.” As Blum notes, Peter Damian’s reforming spirit embraced the whole field of Christian society. “It took notice of the morals of popes, cardinals, and bishops; busied itself particularly with refining the quality of sacerdotal life in his day, and reached out even to the laymen of every station of feudal life.
 
For myself, and all League members who have come down with Covid, Damian’s advice on the “virtue” of illness and suffering will bring great comfort.
Randy Engel, Director
(http://blob:https://www.cathinfo.com/afb7d1a1-0d72-436d-ba4b-dad93a87b229)



STUDY GUIDE #29 January 23, 2022
 
The Spiritual Life of Saint Peter Damian Based On the Doctoral Dissertation of Father Owen J. Blum
 
Part III “The Life of Virtue”
 
Christian Virtue in the Lay State
 
As Father Blum points out“Damian’s interest in the spiritual advancement of laymen of his day is borne out by the correspondence which he kept up with a considerable number of them. For the most partthese letters were addressed to men and women of higher station, to emperors, to dukes and counts and other lesser rulers, and some few to men in the legal professions. His advice to men in authority usually took the form of an admonition to duty as the best means of living virtuously in their calling.”
Peter Damian insisted that those in authority maintain a greater sense of obligation toward the subjects living under their charge. 
In one particular case, Damian made his appeal to a newly married countess urging her to reform the injustices committed by her husband’s house into which she had just entered. He urged her to put an end to the practice of confiscating the property of the  poor and to try and abrogate the unjust laws and taxes that were imposed on the peasants. He urged her to put an end to plundering and unlawful gain at another’s expense and to restore that which was so acquired in former days before her marriage.
Secular Punishment of Evil Doers
Damian reminded the exalted personages of his acquaintance that it was their duty to correct remissness in meting out justice to evil doers:
 
The office of the prince called for severity toward the guilty, that crime might bepunished, innocence spared, and the vigor of justice and equity upheld. He (the prince) carried the sword that he might avenge the law upon those living unjustly. But the priest was armed only with the staff of innocence with which he preserved discipline quietly and gently.
 
Damian also reminded the rulers of the land including Empress Agnes, the mother of Henry IVwith whom Damian had considerable communications that:
… kings are attired in purple and rule with power over their subjects. But tomorrow they  lie in tombs and become the food of worms…. The prudent lord should reflect upon the shortness of his life; that he must give an account of all that God has committed to him. What will all his riches profit him if he be cast destitute into hell?
 
In a similar vein, Damian warned an unnamed judge of Cesena who was inclined toward attachment to worldly pleasures: 
While the world is now smiling upon him, and he is in position of health and prosperity he should frequently ponder the eternal life that is to follow. While there is yet time, he should prudently examine the consequences of his deeds in this world. Certainly, in view of the last judgment he will discover that all temporal things are illusive and will soon pass away.
 
Describing the happenings of the last day and all its terrors, Damian lays out for the judge in question the relationship between the ultimate Judge and the sinner. He pictured the fear that will come over all at the approach of the divine Arbiter, who has no need of witnesses nor lawyers. He will judge each one’s thoughts, words, and actions, which shall be known to the culprit and to all there gathered, as if they were written out before them,” Damian continued.
 
No Excuses at the Final Judgment !
Finally, in a dramatic and foreboding tone, Damian concluded his letter to the prestigious judgewith the following warning:
What excuse can we offer, or what defense can we put up? What relief will be provided us by the penance we have despised in this life? What protection can we expect from the good works which in the present we failed to perform? To which Apostles or to which of the Saints can we fly,  since we despised their words and example? Perhaps our bodily frailties will excuse us. But the example of the Saints will cry out against such pretension, for by overcoming the weakness of the flesh in this life, they have taught us that what they have done, we also could do… Therefore, what answer shall they give the Lord when He asks: ‘If you were able, why did you not resist the desire of sin? If you ... were not able, why did you not request My aid in overcoming it; or when struck down did you not use the remedy of repentance for your wound? Will they not have to be silent in the face of such accusations? … Examine your life diligently, picture your deeds always before your eyes, and fear the Judgment of God…; so that now, by becoming your own judge, you will not be judged hereafter.
 
Offering Up Our Sufferings
In his writings to laymen, Damian emphasized the general problems and tribulations of seeking Christian perfection in the world. That advice is as helpful today as it was in Damian’s time.
A favorite theme of Damian’s was the belief that we can shorten our life in purgatory by offering up our sufferings now:
Damian counseled the sick to be confident and not to murmur. Nor should they be sad and give way to impatience because of their illness. To the well-disposed suffering brings its reward in heaven; but for the obstinate it is only the beginning of the torments of hell. The latter should be glad and rejoice and have a song in their heart. The decrees of God must be praised, since He chastises His children now that He my spare them eternal punishment. To this end He oppresses us, Damian explained, that He may lift us up; cuts, that He may heal; casts to the ground, that He may exalt.”
 
Striking a happy comparison Damian pointed to parallel occurring in ordinary life. When a physician despairs of a person’s life, he permits the patient to eat anything he desires.But if he hopes for a recovery,  he places him on a diet and prescribes bitter medicines. What wonder then, he added, if Almighty God, the Physician of our souls, treats those leniently whom He knows are worthy of eternal death; but restrains those with the severity of His Law whom He has chosen for life everlasting.
 
Damian concluded , therefore, that those who are afflicted in this life should thank God. They should not envy, but rather condole the temporal happiness of wicked men.
 
Bringing Comfort to the Dying
According to Father Blum, in his role as priest and consoler, Damian was especially solicitous in bringing all the comforts of faith to bear on the dying:
 
In the touching words of the Commendatio animae, taken over by the Church in her own liturgy,  Damian trusts their souls into the hands of Almighty God, their Creator. He pictures for them the heavenly companions in attendance at their passing; the splendid assembly of angels; the college of the Apostles, the throng of glorious confessors, the jubilant chorus of virgins. 
Soon they will come face to face with the meek person of their Saviour, Who will recognize them as His servants. The devil will be frightened away by their noble escort, and will not dare to impede the way.
 
In a final word of consolation, Damian assures them that soon they will son enjoy the beatific vision and the wonders of paradise.
 
Conclusion
As recorded by John of Lodi, Damian’s chief biographer, in the early years of his religious life, the saint preached extensively to the people of central Italy. Later, as cardinal and papal delegate Damian gave numerous public discourses to secular audiences. Not surprisingly, as a member of the Order of St. Benedict,  his overall outlook was Benedictine with a positive  appeal to the nobler and higher ideal of the eremitic life.
 
In his splendid summary of the teachings of Saint Peter Damian on the spiritual life, Damian’s best and foremost contemporary translator, Fr. Owen Blum leaves us with these parting thoughts: 
 
Of his teachings, those deserving special attention are his treatment of compunction and the gift of tears, as well as his denouncement of the vices which lie at the root of man’s spiritual ills. 
 
Of contemplation Damian spoke with the greatest insight and he himself was granted it to a high degree. 
 
Perhaps the most novel discovery in his writings was the prominence he gave to the doctrine of the Mystical Body of Christ. The Pauline ideas are taught traditionally, but the application of the principle of Christian solidarity to the problem of the Church’s official prayers used in private by the individual was fresh indeed. More important, Damian’s exposition of this doctrine marks him as perhaps the clearest witness to this teaching among all the pre-scholastics. 
Other highpoints in his spiritual thought include his exhortation to frequent and even daily Communion, his devotion to the Virgin Mary in the form of the daily recitation of her Office and the observance of Saturday in her honor, his recommendation of extensive suffrages for the departed souls, and his deep respect for the Passion of Christ in the form of the veneration of the Holy Cross. 
Together his writings embody an ascetic richness that testifies to the justice of his title, Doctor Ecclesiae.
 
The End
 

Title: Re: League of St Peter Damian
Post by: Nadir on November 18, 2022, 10:30:48 PM




November 23, 2022
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
This month concludes Saint Peter Damian’s Letter 31, 1 better known as the Book of Gomorrah,
the best known of the holy monk’s written works as translated by Father Owen J. Blum, O. F. M.
It includes the promised postscript decree from Pope Saint Leo IX, born Bruno von Egisheim-
Dagsburg), who was canonized by Pope Gregory VII [Hildebrand] in 1082. Pope Leo IX and the
monk Peter Damian, a Cardinal and Doctor of the Church, – two great saints to imitate.
Pope Leo IX had been in office barely six months when the Book of Gomorrah was delivered to
him. Considering the subject, it must have been a distressing moment for him. Nevertheless, he
proved to be up to the task as might be expected from a man of his stature and heritage. Leo IX
became one of the most important popes of the Middle Ages.

Saint Peter Damian ends his Book of Gomorrah with a plea asking the Holy Father to diligently
investigate the vice of sodomy that is eating away at the sacred priesthood and to pronounce
suitable penalties for the four forms of sex acts that come under the category of sodomy. Pope
Leo’s formal response is found at the end of the Book of Gomorrah and closes this series.

A Blessed Advent, Randy Engel, Director

2

STUDY GUIDE #37 November 2022

St. Peter Damian’s Letter 31 2

(1049 AD)

The Book of Gomorrah

Part VII (completed)
By The Humble Monk, Peter Damian

Wherein the Writer Commendably Excuses Himself

(66) If, indeed, this small book should come into the hands of anyone whose conscience rebels
and who perhaps is displeased by what is contained above, and he accuses me of being an
informer and a delator of my brother’s crime, let him be aware that I seek with all my being the
favor of the Judge of conscience. I have no fear, moreover, of the hatred of evil men nor of the
tongues of detractors. I would surely prefer to be thrown innocent into the well like Joseph who
informed his father of his brothers’ foul crime, 3 than to suffer the penalty of God’s fury, like Eli,
who saw the wickedness of his sons and remained silent. 4

3
For since the voice of God threatens in words of terror through the mouth of the prophet, “If
you should notice your brother’s wickedness and you do not warn him, I will hold you
responsible for his death.” 5 Who am I, when I see this pestilential practice flourishing in the
priesthood to become the murderer of another’s soul by daring to repress my criticism in
expectation of the reckoning of God’s judgment? I should become responsible for another’s
crime in which I was in no way involved. And since Scripture says, “Cursed be he who grudges
blood to his sword,” 6 are you suggesting the sword of my tongue should fail, put away in the
scabbard of silence and rusting away, while failing to be profitable for others because it does not
thrust through the faults of those who live wicked lives? Surely, grudging blood to one’s sword
is tantamount to checking the blow of correction from striking one who lives by the flesh. Of this
same sword it is also said: “Out of his mouth came a two-edged sword.” 7
How, indeed, am I to love my neighbor as myself if I negligently allow the wound, of which I
am sure he will brutally die, to fester in his heart; if, moreover, I am aware of these wounds of
the spirit and fail to cure them by the surgery of my words? This was not how I was taught by
that famous preacher, who thought himself guiltless of the blood of his neighbor because he did
not forbear to smite their vices, for he says: “And so here and now I swear that I am guiltless of
the blood of all of you, for I have without faltering put before you the whole of God’s purpose.” 8
Nor did John instruct me to act in this way, for he was commanded by the voice of an angel”
“Let everyone who listens answer, “Come.” 9 That is to say, he to whom the voice of conscience
beckons, draws others to follow his inspiration by immediately crying out, lest he who was
summoned should also find the doors closed in his face if he should arrive in the presence of the
summoner with empty hands. 10
(67) Consequently, if you think it proper to reprimand me for reproving others, or to blame me
for my presumptuous subtlety in argument, why do you not correct Jerome who contended with
all sorts of heretical sects in highly corrosive language? 11 Why do you not rail at Ambrose who
spoke publicly against the Arians? 12 Why not take Augustine to task for acting the stern
prosecutor of Manichaeans and Donatists? 13 You say to me: It was proper for them because they
opposed heretics and blasphemers; but you dare to lacerate Christians.
(68) Let me say a few words in reply: As it was their intention to bring back deserters and the
errant to the fold, so it is my purpose to prevent the departure of members, regardless of their

4
quality. Those mentioned above were saying, “They came out of our number, but they had never
really belonged; if they had belonged, they would have stayed with us.” 14 But I say: They really
belong to our member, but are ill-suited. We should see to it therefore that, if possible, from now
on they remain with us and are well suited. I might also add, that if blasphemy is a terrible thing,
I am not aware that sodomy is any better. The former indeed causes a man to err; the latter bring
him to perdition. The one separates the soul from God; the other joins it to the devil. The former
expels one from heaven; the latter buries him in hell. The one blinds the eye of the soul; the other
hurls one into the abyss of ruin. And if we are careful to investigate which of these crimes is the
weightier in the scales of divine scrutiny, a search of Sacred Scripture will provide a satisfactory
answer. There, indeed, we find that the children of Israel who blasphemed God and worshiped
idols were taken into captivity; but we notice that sodomites were devoured in the sulfurous
flames of a fire from heaven. 15 Nor do I mention these holy doctors for the purpose of
presumptuously comparing a smoking torch to such bright stars, for I am scarcely worthy to
quote such excellent gentlemen without offending them; but I say this because what they have
done to repress and correct vicious living, they have also taught more recent men to do. If,
moreover, in their day this disease had sprung up with such impudent license, I have no doubt
that today we would possess many lengthy volumes which they wrote against it. 16
(69) So let no man condemn me as I argue against this deadly vice, for I seek not to dishonor, but
to promote the advantage of my brother’s well-being. Take care not to appear partial to the
delinquent while you persecute him who sets him straight. If I may be pardoned in using Moses’
words, “Whoever is for the Lord, let him stand with me.” 17 That is to say, that everyone who calls
himself a knight of God should earnestly arm himself to overcome this vice, not hesitating to
fight with all his strength. He should strive to pierce and kill it with the sharp arrows of his
words, wherever it is found. In doing so, while the enslaver is surrounded by the vast force
opposing him, the captive is freed from the bonds to which he has been enslaved. As all together
cry out unanimously against the tyrant, the victim being dragged away suddenly grows ashamed
to become the prey of this fierce monster. Seeing, moreover, as so many are telling him, that he
is being led to his death, he awakens to reality and without hesitation quickly returns to life. 18

In Which the Lord Pope Is Again Addressed

5
(70) And now, most holy Father, I return to you at the end of this work and address myself to
you, so that he to whom the beginning of this piece was directed may rightly be the subject of its
conclusion. I implore you, therefore, and humbly beg, if I may be so bold, that your grace
scrutinize the decrees of the sacred canons, which, indeed, are well known to you; that you enlist
the services of spiritual and prudent men to advise you in this urgent investigation; and that your
answers to these questions be such that they will remove every shred of doubt from my mind.
Nor, certainly, do I presume to suggest this, unaware that, by the authority of God, your
profound skill alone is sufficient in this matter; but that in using the evidence of God’s word and
in carrying through this matter with the consent and judgment of many others, the complaints
which wicked men perhaps may brazenly mutter in opposition may be laid to rest. A case is not
readily evident when settled by the decision of many. Frequently, however, a sentence that one
man hands down from his reading of the Law, is judged by others to be prejudice. 19
(71) Therefore, after diligently investigating the four varieties of this vice enumerated above,
may your holiness graciously deign to instruct me by solemn decree whether [1] one who is
guilty of these crimes is to be expelled irrevocably from holy orders; [2] whether at the prelate’s
discretion, moreover, one might mercifully be allowed to function in office; [3] to what extent,
both in respect to the methods mentioned above and to the number of lapses, it is permissible to
retain a man in the dignity of ecclesiastical office; [4] also, if one is guilty, what decree and what
frequency of guilt should compel him under the circuмstances to retire. May the light of your
authority dispel the darkness of our uncertainty so that your reply sent to me alone may instruct
many others laboring under the same ignorance. And to use a phrase, may the iron plow of the
Apostolic See totally uproot the seed of all error from the soil of an indecisive conscience
[brackets added for clarity]. 20
(72) Most reverend Father, may Almighty God be pleased during your pontificate to utterly
destroy this monstrous vice, that a prostrate Church may everywhere rise to vigorous stature. 21

The End

6

Pope Saint Leo IX

Bishop of Rome

Depiction of Leo IX from 1850

Letter of Pope Leo IX to Peter the Hermit Praises
the Servant of God for the Book of Gomorrah
and Sets Penalties for Clerics Who Are Guilty of

Sodomy
(Second Half of 1049)

LEO THE BISHOP, 22 servant of the servants of God, to his beloved son in Christ, Peter the
hermit, the joy of everlasting happiness.

7
(2) The short book which you have written against the four-fold defilement of carnal pollution in
becoming prose, but with still more becoming reasoning, my dear son, manifests with obvious
evidence that the concentration of your mind with loving zeal has arrived at the resplendent bed
of sparkling purity. For one like you who has so raised the arm of the spirit against the obscenity
of lust, has surely subdued the savagery of the flesh. This execrable vice sets one far apart from
the author of virtue who, since he is pure, admits of nothing that is impure. Nor can one who will
subject himself to sordid pleasure share in his company. Clerics, indeed, whose most impure life
you in your prudence have lamentably and also intelligently discussed, verily and most assuredly
will have no share in his inheritance, from which by their voluptuous pleasures they have
withdrawn. If they lived purely, they would be called, not only the holy temple of the Lord, but
also his very sanctuary, in which with snow white splendor the illustrious Lamb of God is
offered, by whom the foul corruption of all the world is washed away. Such clerics, indeed
profess, if not in words, at least by the evidence of their actions, that they are not what they are
thought to be.

(3) For how can one be or be called a cleric, who of his own free will has no fear of defilement
by his own hands, or by the hands of another, touching carnally his own private parts or those of
others, or with detestable unnaturalness fornicating within the thighs or from the rear.
Concerning such men, since you are motivated by sacred fury to write what seemed appropriate
to you, it is proper that we intervene, according to your wishes, with our apostolic authority, so
that all anxiety and doubt be removed from the minds of your readers. So let it be certain and
evident to all that we are in agreement with everything your book contains, opposed as it is like
water to the fire of the devil. Therefore, lest the wantonness of this foul impurity be allowed to
go unpunished, it must be repelled by proper repressive action of apostolic severity, and yet
some moderation must be placed on its harshness.

(4) And thus, all those who are defiled in any way by the four types of filth which have been
mentioned, are, in consideration of due censure, deposed by our judgment and that of sacred
canons from all the ranks of the Church which is immaculate. But acting more humanely, and
relying on divine mercy, it is our wish and also our command that those who will with their own
hands or with one another have practiced masturbation, or have sinned by ejecting semen within
the thighs, but have not done so for any length of time, nor with many others, if they shall have

8
curbed their desires and have atoned for their infamous deeds with proper repentance, shall be
admitted to the same grades to which, while they were practicing these crimes, they had not
devoted their lives. 23

We remove all hope of recovering their order from those who alone or with others for a long
time, or for even a short period or with many, have defiled themselves by either of the two kinds
of filthiness which you have described, or, which is horrible to hear or to speak of, have sunk to
the level of anal intercourse. 24

Should anyone dare to criticize or to attack this decree bearing apostolic sanction, let him be
aware that he does so with the risk of losing his rank. For he who does not attack vice, but deals
lightly with it, is rightly judged to be guilty of his death, along with the one who dies in sin. 25
(5) But, dearest son, I rejoice indescribably that you promote by the example of your life
whatever you have taught by your eloquence. For it is greater to teach by action than by
words (bold added). Wherefore, with the help of God may you attain the palm of victory and
rejoice with the Son of God and of the Virgin in our heavenly home, abounding in many
rewards, and crowned, in a sense, with all those who were snatched by you from the snares of the
devil. 26

The End

1 The Letters of Peter Damian Letters 31-60, translated by Owen J. Blum, O.F.M., The Fathers of the Church,
Mediaeval Continuation, Catholic University of America Press, Washington, D.C., 2005, pp. 3-53. The reader will
note that in the Blum translation, the translator put Pope Leo IX’s 1049 decree condemning the “execrable vice”
of sodomy at the front of the text, while for practical purposes, this editor has placed it at the back of the Book of Gomorrah since no manuscript of the original docuмent includes the letter of the pope, which was, in fact, a
reaction to and not a preface to the work.
2 Ibid, pp. 3-53.
3 Cf. Gen 37.
4 Cf. 1 Sam 2.4.
5 Ezek 3.18.
6 Jer 48.10.
7 Rev 1.16.
8 Acts 20.26-27.
9 Rev 22.17.
10 Blum, pp. 49-50.
11 For Blum’s references to St. Jerome’s fiery works ft. 129, p. 51.
12 See references to St. Jerome’s works against Arianism in ft. 130, p. 51.
13 See multiple references to St. Augustine’s works against the Manichaeans and Donatists at ft. 131, p. 51.
14 1 John2.19.
15 Cf. 2 Kgs 17; Gen 19.24.
16 Blum, pp. 51-52.
17 Ezek 32.26.
18 Blum, p.52.
19 Ibid., pp. 52-53.
20 Ibid., p.53.
21 Ibid.
22 Pope Saint Leo IX was elected to the Chair of Peter on the 12 th of February 1049. His father was a first cousin of Conrad II, emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. He was educated at Toul and consecrated a bishop at the age of 25.
Like Peter Damian, he was steadfast in returning high moral standards to monasteries. He was appointed pope and ruler of the Papal States by Emperor Henry III, but did not take office until, at his own request, he was elected by the people and clergy of Rome at the age of 47. Significantly, his first public act as pope at the Easter synod of 1049 was to renew the vow of celibacy for all clergy down to subdeacon. It is not surprising, therefore, that Peter Damian found a welcome reception for his Book of Gomorrah. Note that in his letter to the holy monk, the pope refers to sodomy as the “execrable vice” meaning a detestable act.
23 The ruling provides that clerics who are not habituated solitary or group masturbators shall retain their clerical status after completing an assigned vigorous penance. This ruling is in keeping with Damian’s statement that those “who pollute themselves (solitary masturbation”) or “befoul one another by mutually handling their genitals,” (group masturbation) pp.6-7, deserve lesser penance than those who are habituated masturbators; those who “fornicate between the thighs,” or practice anal penetration (sodomy). For these, Leo IX decrees automatic removal from clerical office in keeping with Damian’s statement. Note that the Vatican’s February 1961 decree “Careful Selection And Training Of Candidates For The States Of Perfection And Sacred Orders,” (S. C. Rel., 2 Feb., 1961) declares that habituated masturbators, ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖs, and pederasts are prohibited from seeking entry into holy orders.
24 In the Middle Ages, anal intercourse was referred to as the “devil’s congress.”
25 Blum, p. 4-5.
26 Blum, p. 5. Conclusion of Pope Saint Leo IX’s 1049 decree on the condemnation of sodomy and other
ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖ acts.

Note to Cofounders of the League:
If you have not done so already, please consider in your Thanksgiving or Christmas charity a financial donation to support the work of the League for the end of the season and the beginning of the New Year.
Make checks payable to the U.S. Coalition for Life, Box 315, Export,
PA, 15632. Sincerely, Randy Engel, Editor.