The Lake Charles Latin Mass Society

Today is November 30th, the Feast of St. Andrew the Apostle, and the Holy Father released his encyclical entitled Spe Salvi - On Christian Hope. It can be found here:

Introduction

1. “SPE SALVI facti sumus”—in hope we were saved, says Saint Paul to the Romans, and likewise to us (Rom 8:24). According to the Christian faith, “redemption”—salvation—is not simply a given. Redemption is offered to us in the sense that we have been given hope, trustworthy hope, by virtue of which we can face our present: the present, even if it is arduous, can be lived and accepted if it leads towards a goal, if we can be sure of this goal, and if this goal is great enough to justify the effort of the journey. Now the question immediately arises: what sort of hope could ever justify the statement that, on the basis of that hope and simply because it exists, we are redeemed? And what sort of certainty is involved here? …

It sounds like a good read for the weekend!

Today is the 25th Sunday after Pentecost. However, because Easter was early in the year 2007, the Collects, Epistle, and Gospel will be taken from the 6th Sunday after Epiphany.

An investiture for the Brown Scapular will be held after the Sunday 2:00 Mass at the Cathedral. Here’s some information on it from the last newsletter, which has yet to be uploaded:

The brown scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is the most popular scapular devotion in the Catholic Church today. In the Middle Ages, a scapular was a full-length garment (apron) worn over other clothing by monks and nuns, the color signifying the particular religious order. The brown scapular was revealed to St. Simon Stock, the Prior General of the Carmelite Order in 1247. The Virgin Mary appeared to him and gave him the scapular and associated promises as a result of his pledge of complete loyalty to her (known as a privilegium). The smaller version of the scapular is worn by law associates. Saints and popes throughout the ages (including John Paul II) have worn and encouraged wearing of the brown scapular, and many miraculous events have attested to the value of the sacramental (the scapular worn by Blessed Pope Gregory X, who died in 1276, was found intact in 1830).

Practices:

1. Wear the Brown Scapular (or scapular medal) after enrollment.

2. Observe chastity according to your state in life.

3. Recite the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary or five decades of the Rosary daily (usual requirements).

Promises/Benefits:

1. “…whosoever dies wearing this (the brown scapular) shall not suffer eternal fire” (Virgin Mary’s promise to St. Simon).

2. Partial indulgence granted by Pope Benedict XV to those who devoutly kiss the scapular. After enrollment in the Confraternity of the Scapular, the scapular may be replaced by a Carmelite scapular medal worn around the neck. The enrollment is for a lifetime and need not be repeated, and new scapulars do not need to be blessed again but medals do.