St. Thomas a Becket, Bishop and Martyr

"In the Name of Jesus and the protection of the Church, I am ready to embrace death."

Pope Benedict XVI might not have long to live

News has come from Rome that Pope Benedict XVI doesn't look like he has long to live.

Some more information here: Benedict XVI’s Health Deteriorates| National Catholic Register (ncregister.com)

St. Joseph, patron of happy deaths, intercede for our Pope.

Feast of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist

Today is the feast of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist. He needs no introduction. Out of all the evangelists, he is my favorite.

Fr. Leonard Goffine (1648 - 1719), in his Devout Meditations, has the following summary of the Beloved Disciple:

John, the brother of St. James the Greater, was a son of Zebedee, a fisherman of Galilee, and of Salome, a cousin of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Matt. iv. 21). He was the youngest of the apostles, and with Peter and James, was the most trusted of the disciples of Jesus, by Whom he was tenderly loved, on which account he is called the Disciple of Love. Of this Jesus gave the most convincing evidence when, at the Last Supper, He allowed that disciple to lean upon His breast, and when, from the cross, He committed to the care of John His own Mother. After the ascension John preached the Gospel in Palestine; afterwards went to Asia Minor, fixed his residence in Ephesus, and established many churches there. He was, with the other apostles, taken prisoner and scourged by the Jews, and in the year 95, under the Emperor Domitian, before the Latin Gate, at Rome, was thrown into a vessel of boiling oil. Having endured this torture without injury, he was then banished to the island of Patmos, where, by command of the Lord, he wrote the Apocalypse, or Revelation, concerning the fortunes of the Church. On returning from his banishment, he again governed the churches of Asia Minor as chief pastor, as he had done before, and, at the age of nearly one hundred years, died at Ephesus a peaceful and natural death.

Fr. Goffine also has the following to say about St. John and purity:

'He that loves wisdom,' saith the Holy Ghost, 'will obtain it, for it will not enter into a malicious soul, nor dwell in a body subject to sins' (Wis. i. 4). St. John was from his childhood an angel of purity, on which account he was particularly beloved by Jesus, and endowed by the Holy Ghost with such wisdom and knowledge that, as St. Augustine has remarked, he begin his gospel in a manner more lofty and sublime than the other three evangelists. For while they walk with the God-man upon earth, speaking comparatively little of His divinity, St. John, as if despising the world, soars beyond the vault of heaven, above the host of angels, and comes to Him by Whom all things are made, saying, "In the beginning was the Word." At the Last Supper he was permitted to lean on the bosom of Jesus, but what he there drank in secretly he imparted openly. Apply thyself, therefore, to purity of heart, and thou shalt be like St. John, a beloved disciple of Jesus, and shalt be filled with heavenly wisdom.

Ora pro nobis, Sante Johannes!

Feast of St. Thomas, Apostle and Martyr

Today is the feast of St. Thomas, Apostle and Martyr. He is commonly referred to as "Doubting Thomas," from the account in John 20:24-29. The account John gives is marvelous, and invites plenty of reflection. Before the "reforms" of 1969, the Church encouraged Her Faithful to silently say what Thomas said when he realized he had touched the Word Made Flesh - "My Lord and my God!" - at the Major Elevations at Mass. This is a practice that has fallen to the wayside, and is worthy of revival in one's life.

However, it would be an injustice to focus on Thomas' doubt. (In our day and age, sadly, this is often the case.) After the Upper Room, St. Thomas went on to be an Apostle and Martyr in the truest sense of the words. Here is what Fr. Leonard Goffine (1649 - 1719) wrote about the Saint for December 21st:

Thomas, also called Didymus, or the twin, was a fisherman of Galilee. After having been received among the apostles he accompanied Jesus in all His journeys, and uniformly showed docility, zeal, and love towards Him, particularly on the occasion of His going to Bethany to raise Lazarus from the dead. For when the apostles were afraid to go thither, because the Jews desired to kill Jesus, Thomas, full of courage, said, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him" (John xi.16). His faith, indeed, wavered for a moment in regard to the resurrection of Christ; but no sooner had Christ satisfied him thereof by showing His wounds, than he cried out with firm faith, "My Lord and my God." St. Gregory thereupon says, "God overruled the doubting of Thomas to our good, since that very doubt has profited us more than the ready belief of the other disciples, inasmuch as thereby Christ was induced to give so much clearer proofs of His resurrection, in order to confirm us in the belief of it." Thomas showed the firmness of his faith by the innumerable labors which he undertook, and by the sufferings that he endured for Christ. He traversed the most extensive and remote countries, and preached Jesus to the Armenians, Medes, Persians, Parthians, Hyrcanians, Bactrians, and other barbarous and wicked nations, enduring in the course of his labors, with astonishing firmness, the greatest sufferings for the honor of God and the salvation of men. Finally he came to India, when, in the city of Calamina, or Meliapor, he underwent a glorious martyrdom, being pierced through with lances, by order of the idolatrous priests, as he was praying at the foot of the cross. So much did the apostle do to repair a single fault; but we, who every day commit so many - what do we do to repair them? 

The Feast of St. Thomas supersedes all but the Sundays in Advent.

Ora pro nobis, Sancte Thoma!

On the case of Father Frank Pavone

A couple of blogs on our "recommended readers" sidebar have commented on the ongoing action currently taken against US-based Priests for Life founder Fr. Frank Pavone. It is enough that I am willing to break my silence on the matter.

I am uncomfortable with the amount of speculation going on with the case. Certainly one can form a sentiment if it was right or not, but only a sentiment. The facts are important here, and we should go to the facts and draw our own conclusions from there, rather than speculating. I have been around the block enough to realize that unmeasured speculations can come back against us, so I will not offer any of my own.

The best I can do is to recommend this article by the Pillar, which was given to me by a dear friend.

Priest for life? A Frank Pavone explainer (pillarcatholic.com)

As always, one is free to draw their own conclusions.

Precious Blood of Our Lord, wash our sins away. 

Words matter. Actions, too.

This was in the sidebar of a blog I visit regularly. The title caught my eye.

Happily not in Communion with Francis - AKA Catholic

I don't know much of Mr. Verrecchio's tacit beef with Mr. Sammons and Dr. Kwasniewski in this piece. I don't know if what he implies about them is correct. Thus, I will leave that where it is.

However, Mr. Verrecchio's base point - that the words we speak and the actions we perpetrate matter - is correct. Words do matter. Actions do matter. Both need to be taken into consideration when we think about someone and a quality of theirs. This is something the Church has held for centuries, drawing from Our Lord's interactions with the people of the Gospels, His Parables, and the vagaries of human nature. An example is helpful. Let's say one of my close friends says he really likes the colour yellow. He frequently says yellow is his favourite colour. However, whenever I am in his presence, which is often, I cannot help but notice that he does not wear much yellow. Green, yes. But very rarely yellow. Therefore, I am right to think that he does not like yellow as much as he says he does. Green is likely his favorite colour. What he said does not mesh with what he acts as.

Bringing this back to the Church, the words we say about the reality around us, and how we act in relation to those words, does matter. They matter a great deal, perhaps more than we realize. If, to use Mr. Verrecchio's impetus as an example, we say we are in communion with Francis as Pope, do our actions afterwards confirm our words or betray them? I leave that to you to answer. We can use this process towards anything, Church-related or not.

May you have a blessed Advent.

St. Raphael

Tom Rosica implicated in more plagiarism; Vox Cantoris vindicated once again

 

Late last night, news broke over the transom that Fr. Tom J. Rosica, plagiarist extraordinaire, was implicated in an astonishing act of plagiarism. We say astonishing because we had expected Rosica to have broken that nasty habit when he was exposed for the world to see in 2019. But, as the saying goes, old habits die hard.

Vox Cantoris, whom Rosica tried to sue in 2015, has the details.

For what it is worth, it is sad to see Tom engaging in more plagiarism. Theft is an ugly habit to have, and leaves a nasty mark on the soul. At the same time, it is good to see Vox's warnings and exposure regarding this man be vindicated. Vox was the first to sound the alarm about Rosica's plagiarizing ways, long before the lawsuit. We understand that this is a fact seldom acknowledged in mainstream Catholic media, and we hope this is rectified soon. 

In the meantime, please offer works of charity for the conversion of Rosica's soul and his return to Christ - as well as for the healing of the wounds caused by his actions, particularly those perpetrated on Vox and Fox Cantoris. 

God reward you for your kindness and generosity.

Magnificat

The twelve TCDSB Trustees you need to support

 

Toronto Catholic Witness received the following via e-mail from a Campaign Life Coalition supporter. Please support your local school Trustee however you can in the upcoming Municipal Election. While we admit it won't solve everything right away, we are of the view it will be a small step in the right direction. A slow cure is better than a fast one. Thank you for your kindness and generosity. 

CLC is endorsing a full slate of trustee candidates running in all 12 Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) Wards in the October 24th Municipal Elections!

Some of these 12 candidates are incumbent trustees who are seeking re-election.

Others are new candidates vying to replace morally corrupted trustees who have run the TCDSB into the ground by embracing the anti-Christian LGBTQ+ agenda.

Below is a listing of all 12 of these courageous, faithful Catholic trustee candidates. Please find the one who is running in your Ward and get involved by supporting their campaign!

NOTE: If you currently direct your taxes to the separate school system, you can vote directly for the candidate running in your Ward.

If you designate your taxes to the public secular system, you can still take lawn signs, volunteer, and make donations to these candidates, and promote them to your Catholic friends in their respective Wards.

Public school ratepayers just won't be able to vote for these candidates at election time.

Support our TCDSB Trustee Candidates

Note: For Interac e-Transfer donations, include your full address for accounting purposes.

	TCDSB WARD 01 Support ROBERT PELLA 1. Take a Lawn Sign: Click here 2. Volunteer: Click here  3. Donate: Send an Interac e-Transfer to robertpella@hotmail.com or mail cheque, payable to "Robert Pella Campaign", to: 906 - 61 Markbrook Lane, Toronto, ON  M9V 5E7
	TCDSB WARD 02 Support GABRIELLA MAZARAKIS 1. Take a Lawn Sign: Click here 2. Volunteer: Click here 3. Donate: On her website, or Send an Interac e-Transfer to gabriella4ward2@gmail.com, or on gofundme, or mail cheque, payable to "Gabriella Mazarakis", to: 25 Neiltree Court, Toronto, ON  M9C 5C3
	TCDSB WARD 03 Support GREGORY RODRIGUEZ 1. Take a Lawn Sign: Click here 2. Volunteer: Click here 3. Donate: Visit Gregory's website here and click on the "Donate" button at top-right.
	TCDSB WARD 04 Support TERESA LUBINSKI 1. Take a Lawn Sign: Click here 2. Volunteer: Click here 3. Donate: By clicking here.
	TCDSB WARD 05 Support PHIL HORNAK 1. Take a Lawn Sign: Click here 2. Volunteer: Click here
	TCDSB WARD 06 Support MICHAEL CHAMPAGNE 1. Take a Lawn Sign: Click here 2. Volunteer: Click here 3. Donate: Send an Interac e-Transfer to SOCS.Ward6@gmail.com
	TCDSB WARD 07 Support MIKE DEL GRANDE 1. Volunteer: Click here
	TCDSB WARD 08 Support GARRY TANUAN 1. Take a Lawn Sign: Click here 2. Volunteer: Click here 3. Donate: Send an Interac e-Transfer to garry.tanuan@gmail.com
	TCDSB WARD 09 Support RENATO FALLICO 1. Volunteer: Click here
	TCDSB WARD 10 Support ELISABETH GARCIA 1. Take a Lawn Sign: email her at electegarcia@gmail.com 2. Volunteer: Click here 3. Donate: Send an Interac e-Transfer to electegarcia@gmail.com
	TCDSB WARD 11 Support CELINE DINOVA 1.Take a Lawn Sign: email her at voteforceline2022@proton.me 2. Volunteer: Click here 3. Donate: Send an Interac e-Transfer to voteforceline2022@proton.me
	TCDSB WARD 12 Support NANCY CRAWFORD 1. Volunteer: Click here

 

Let us thank the Lord for his Providence in inspiring these devoted Catholics to step forth in defending the Christian faith in the school board created to promote and protect it: the Toronto Catholic District School Board!

Thanks, and God bless.

Jeff Gunnarson
National President
Campaign Life Coalition

P.S. If you want to double-check which school system you're currently designated to vote for, or to change the school system, visit this government-run website here.

Salve Regina

FUNERAL OF HER MAJESTY, QUEEN ELIZABETH II

 

BATTLE OF BRITAIN DAY ~ 82nd ANNIVERSARY

 

QUEEN ELIZABETH II: REQUIESCAT IN PACE

Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II died today at Balmoral at the age of 96. May Our Lord Jesus Christ be merciful upon her soul. 

 

"Come on out, come on out, there's going to be a war". Reflections on the Anniversary of World War 2

This day, 83 years ago, the forces of Satan crossed the Polish border and unleashed on the world a torrent of bloodshed. In the early hours of that fateful day, Nazi aircraft began to bomb Warsaw leading to the eventual occupation of that nation with co-conspirator, Soviet Russia. The Bolsheviks attacked Poland on the 17th, following the secret protocols in the vile Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact. In fact, Nazis had even been training in the Soviet Union in the late 1930s. The right and left hand of Satan met at the river San - the dividing line between the two totalitarian States. Eventually, due to far greater organization and international connections and assorted fellow travellers,  the communist empire would devour more than half of Europe and lead to its monstrous extension over the globe leading to such a death count, that even the fiendish Hitler would end up looking like a choir boy. 

 "Come on out, come on out, there's going to be  a war", were the words my mother recalled to me of her mother hurrying down to the ocean side as she played with my uncle at Southend on Sea. That fateful day was September 3rd, and Britain and France had just declared war on Germany. A few hundred miles away, in my father's country the forces of Satanic evil were busily at work, already bombing hospitals and murdering civilians. 

Stalin directing Hitler into a losing war 

The result for Poland was the virtual extermination of Poland's Jews - protected by King Kazimir the Great centuries earlier, when Jews were being hounded out of other European states. Nazi hatred for the Catholic Church too was on display with arrests and executions of priests. Mass was proscribed, with the sole Mass at the Wawel Cathedral under the eye of the Gestapo. It was in this environment that the great Archbishop Sapiecha would take on a seminarian named Karol Wojtyla. 

My father was a witness to Nazi brutality. Early during the war, he and my grandmother on a number of occasions would sneak food to the Jews of Przemysl and pass food through the wired off area where the Jews were kept, prior to deportation to the death camps. My father always remembered this, and he remembered to his horror seeing behind the wire a young teenage boy from his class in school. Eventually my father would be arrested in a "Lapanka" (or street catch) and sent to Germany for slave labour. He then ended up in Norway on an island doing tree cutting; transferred to a camp near the Swedish border, he and another teenager escaped up into the mountains and to freedom in Sweden. He always remembered seeing the German Army motorbikes travelling along the road far below looking for them. In fact, this escape was even more daring for two young men had tried it earlier and had been shot. From Stockholm he eventually he would end up in Scotland in the armed forces... from then, onto London where he met my very English mother (who left London and spent her war years in Llandudno, Wales) - and the rest is history. 

So, please pray for Poland that she may remain true to her ancient Faith.

Welcome home, Mr. LaBeouf - and make yourself at home for the long haul

UPDATE: This isn't a good look for the upcoming movie.

My Facebook feed is awash with news of Shia LaBeouf - a Hollywood actor - converting to Holy Mother Church as a consequence of portraying St. Padre Pio for an upcoming movie. He recently gave an interview to Bishop Robert Barron:

The interview is edifying, not just for the story itself, but how Mr. LaBeouf converted. According to LaBeouf, it was experiencing the Old Mass itself that played an instrumental role. Bishop Barron was also on fine form, to give further edification. The Bishop has had a poor record in that arena, so credit where it is due.

The interview has already been shared widely and reported by such outlets as Fox News. It has even gone to the point where people have "meme-fied" the interview, putting up pictures such as this:

It was this picture that led to this post.

Friends, it is very good that Mr. LaBeouf has converted. Praise be to God and All That He Is for the great grace we are witnessing. Our Lord spent a lot of time looking for this lost sheep. 

However, I think we need to give Mr. LaBeouf absolute privacy when it comes to his conversion and the subsequent growth and maturation in the Faith. I say this as a form of caution. I dislike saying this. Mr. LaBeouf is a Hollywood actor and is in the limelight as a consequence. When people are in the limelight as constantly as he is, there is a danger that we (as Catholics) will make them out as greater than he is, or that he will turn around and disappoint us to some degree, perhaps even doing away with the Catholic faith altogether.

There are strong signs this conversion is genuine. However, Catholic Hollywood actors such as Mark Whalberg have disappointed us in the past, simply because we put them on a pedestal and they turned out not so great. (See, for example, the Ted movies and the recent Father Stu.) Mr. LaBeouf is no exception - though I hope he is.

I think it is imperative we leave him alone from here on out, and let his personal friends in the Capuchins (not to mention Bishop Barron) help him.

That being said...

Welcome home, Mr. LaBeouf. Make yourself at home. We hope you stay for the long haul, and discover the richness of the Faith in the same way I and so many others have - and stayed.

God bless you and keep you in the way Only He can.

"In Him there was life, and that life was the light of men." (John 1:4)

The Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, 1747, by Fray Miguel Melchor de Herrara

This beautiful painting has several Scripture references. When I realized that, the Prologue from John came to mind. Scripture and His Sacred Heart are intertwined - for Our Lord Jesus Christ was, and always will be, the Word made Flesh.

St. Raphael

Some thoughts on a Thursday afternoon

 

• The Pope is visiting Canada. I have no inclination to keep up on the news about it. As far as I am concerned, it is a political stunt and that is where I am leaving it.
• I saw this posted earlier. I did not watch it, as the title turned me right off. I did go into the comments on the video, which has a lot of comments badmouthing others, even grandmothers. This is not right. Each and every time I come across the word "radical traditionalists," or "rad trads," it is always used pejoratively  and comes across as smug. As in, "I'm not like those people." I will concur that there are some issues to discuss - such is the nature of our fallen nature - but I think we can do that discussion without resorting to labels or badmouthing those who came before us.
• Speaking of speaking badly of others, the same can be said about sedevacantists and like groups. It seems to be a cool thing now to push such folks off to the side or use the descriptor sedevacantist as a pejorative. Let's not do that. Yes, there are some who are off their rocker or spend too much time investigating this or that thing, but they have some smart things to say as a whole. I don't think we should write them off so quickly on account on a few bad apples. Many of the sedevacantists I have encountered are just as reasonable as you and I. They are intelligent and collected. Their response just happens to be an extreme response to an equally extreme situation. Bar their ultimate conclusion, which I don't agree with, I find many sedevacantists' observations  and logic hard to dismiss.
• When you have a moment, check out Vox Cantoris. He has had some things to say over the past few days.
• Anne Catherine Emmerich's revelations are a boon to meditation.

Saints Peter and Paul, ora pro nobis

Saint Irenaeus, ora pro nobis

EMANUEL JAQUES: Toronto's little saint of purity

It was July 29, 1977 when 12 year old Emanuel Jaques was abducted and tortured for over 12 hours by four homosexual sadists. [warning graphic content]. 

Having raped and tortured Emanuel for half a day, the monsters murdered Emanuel by holding his head in a kitchen sink filled with urine. 

Yes, urine. 

 

 

Torture, sadism, perversion, abuse...

This is homosexual depravity at it demonic, satanic conclusion. 

 

 

 

St. John Chrysostom wrote about this great evil, its causes and effects. 

Emanuel, a Catholic, had recently immigrated to Canada with his family from Portugal. I have written about Emanuel before, and will continue to do so. It is indeed scandalous that Emanuel is forgotten by the local Church. 

Holy Cross Cemetery in north Toronto,
where Emanuel's mortal remains are buried

I call upon the Archdiocese of Toronto to declare Emanuel "venerable".  

 

Today, in downtown Toronto, a so-called "gay pride parade" will be staged. A degenerate hoard ("hell appearing before its time" St. John Chrysostom) will gather to blaspheme God and His creation ("male and female He created them" Gn 1:27) and to "celebrate" sexual perversion. We cannot forget that many - if not most - of the homosexuals come from broken families, have suffered abuse in their childhood. Far worse than these sad people are the hedonistic non-homosexuals who cheer them on, who encourage them in their sin. But perhaps even worse than these reprobates are the silent bishops and clergy; who, if not encouraging and/or excusing this evil, just sit quietly by and allow this attack on God, the family to proceed without a word. Just as they have sat for decades in virtual silence on the scourge of abortion, allowing over 2 million Canadian babies to be butchered.

 

While this demonically inspired orgy takes place let us not forget that one of Emanuel's murderers is out on partial parole in B.C. This is how much children are "valued" in our society. But how could they be valued when children are dragged off to be exposed and abused by the horror of drag queens?

Let us turn to Emanuel in prayer. Let us pray that through his death, graces will be accepted by homosexuals who will repent and turn away from sin. 

Let us now once again implore Emanuel to pray for us and for the conversion of homosexuals.

Emanuel Jaques, pray for us. 

"To all homosexuals we say: Peace, Hope, and Joy in your daily pursuit of chastity and holiness. God be with you! May you always keep in your hearts the words of St. Paul, 'You are not called to immorality but to holiness' ".  

Very Rev. Mgr. Vincent Foy 

The Two United Hearts

"Pray the Mass" (1940) - The Traditional Latin Mass Explained

For the reader's gentle edification. 

The commentary is by Ven. Fulton Sheen, the late Archbishop of Newport, Wales - not of New York.

Praises of the Virgin

We reprint a section from the Aurora, a verse paraphrase and commentary on the Latin Bible which was used as a textbook during the medieval period. It was written by Petrus Riga. This section concerns praises of the Blessed Virgin. Credit to Canticum Salomonus for the text.

Praises of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Wrought in the Language of Scripture

She was the Ark,[1] Noe’s dove,[2] Moses’ bush,[3] Aaron’s staff,[4]

Jacob’s ladder,[5] Joseph’s seven sheaths of grain,[6]

The cloud raining Manna,[7] the rock gushing an abundant Stream,[8]

The Serpent’s healing pole,[9]

David’s sling bearing the Stone that struck the enemy,[10]

 Bethlehem’s spring, for whose water David thirsted,[11]

Solomon’s throne made of flashing white ivory,[12]

The scallop shell wet with Dew by Gedeon’s work,[13]

The amber vessel which the prophet saw in the fire,[14]

The ever-closed door in the Lord’s house,[15]

The lamp that gleams brighter than the seven other lights

Which Zacharias saw,[16] a blooming olive,[17]

One of the two staves, which is called Beauty,[18]

The earth spawning the worm which killed Jonas’s shade,[19]

The woman clothed with the sun’s brightness, her head adorned

By a gleaming crown of twelve stars.[20]

Let us go over each of the sentences I have just now gathered about the Virgin

In order; our errant speech seeks a plain path.

May the Golden Virgin gild this writer’s pen,

So that elegant order might grace our speech.

Mary was the Ark, wherein seed was saved;

She rules, saves, and covers her own.

She was a dove: like a dove’s eyes,

Simple, meek, with no gall of evil.[1] 

She is Moses’ burning bush: the fire does not harm the bush,

No lust touched the Virgin’s beauty.

The Virgin is the staff: without a bud that staff bore

Flowers, and without a man she bore God.

She is Jacob’s ladder, whose prayer, intercession,

And example lead you up to the stars of heaven.

She was at once Joseph’s seven sheaves and his store-house, who

Conceived by the Holy Ghost, as mother of the Sacred Bread.

This cloud gives manna, this rock water, when she bears Him

Who was heavenly Food and the Fount of everlasting water.

The Virgin was the pole that raised that Serpent

That saved us, harboring no venom.

The sling David bore, which bore the Stone that bore into the enemy’s brow:

The Virgin bore God, who killed the evil enemy.

She is Bethlehem’s spring, which the king thirsted for, because

In the House of Bread[21] she gave birth to the Bread of Heaven.

When the scallop shell brims with Dew removed from the sodden fleece,

Judea rejoices; the Virgin brims with God.

She is Solomon’s ivory throne, the seat of chastity,

Made God’s chair, white as ivory.

She is the vessel of amber, gleaming with silver, beaming with gold,

When she gives birth to him who is God and man.

The door stays closed because no man could cross

Its threshold: the Virgin conceived without a man.

She is the lamp which seven lights surrounded,

Shining and full of Christ’s seven-fold gift;

She is also the blooming olive because she is light, food, remedy—

Light to the blind, food to the poor, remedy to sinners;

She is also the beautiful staff because the Virgin exceeds the sun’s light

And all heaven’s candles in her beauty.

Earth creates the worm, withering the ivy, because the Virgin

Bore Christ, who cast down the teary Synagogue.

As for the woman bright like the sun and crowned with twelve stars:

I think the stars were the twelve disciples.

Such a beloved Virgin, so noble, was born into the world,

At her rising, light dawned upon our sinful race.

---

[1] Genesis 6:14–22.

[2] Genesis 7:8–12.

[3] Exodus 3:2.

[4] Numbers 17.

[5] Genesis 28:11–16.

[6] Genesis 37:7.

[7] Exodus 16.

[8] Exodus 17:5–6 ?

[9] Numbers 21:8–9.

[10] 1 Kings 17:19.

[11] 2 Kings 23:15–17.

[12] 3 Kings 10:18–20.

[13] Judges 6:36–38.

[14] Ezechiel 1.

[15] Ezechiel 44:1–3.

[16] Zacharias 4.

[17] Ecclesiasticus 24:19.

[18] Zacharias 11:7.

[19] Jonas 4:7.

[20] Apocalypse 12:1.

[21] The meaning of “Bethlehem.”