Free Republic

April 10, 2009                                 Good Friday of the Lord's Passion       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmReading 2Gospel Reading 1Is 52:13—53:12 See, my servant shall prosper,he shall be raised high and greatly exalted.Even as many were amazed at himso marred was his look beyond human semblanceand his appearance beyond that of the sons of man so shall he startle many nations,because of him kings shall stand speechless;for those who have not been told shall see,those who have not heard shall ponder it. Who would believe what we have heard?To whom has the arm of...

April 9, 2009                                 Holy Thursday - Evening Mass                                 of the Lord's Supper           Reading 1Responsorial PsalmReading 2Gospel Reading 1Ex 12:1-8, 11-14 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, "This month shall stand at the head of your calendar; you shall reckon it the first month of the year.Tell the whole community of Israel: On the tenth of this month every one of your familiesmust procure for itself a lamb, one apiece for each household.If a...

Holy Thursday and the washing of the feetA meditation on Lent from The Liturgical Year by Abbot Dom Guéranger, O.S.B.After having, on this day, washed the feet of His disciples, Jesus said to them: 'Know ye what I have done to you? You call Me Master and Lord: and You say well, for so I am. If then I, being your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; you, also, ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that as I have done to you, so you do also.'[1] Although the meaning of these words...

April 8, 2009                                     Wednesday of Holy Week       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Is 50:4-9a The Lord GOD has given me a well-trained tongue,That I might know how to speak to the wearya word that will rouse them.Morning after morninghe opens my ear that I may hear;And I have not rebelled,have not turned back.I gave my back to those who beat me,my cheeks to those who plucked my beard;My face I did not shieldfrom buffets and spitting. The Lord GOD is my help,therefore I am not disgraced;I have set my...

April 7, 2009                                        Tuesday of Holy Week       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Is 49:1-6 Hear me, O islands,listen, O distant peoples.The Lord called me from birth,from my mother's womb he gave me my name.He made of me a sharp-edged swordand concealed me in the shadow of his arm.He made me a polished arrow,in his quiver he hid me.You are my servant, he said to me,Israel, through whom I show my glory. Though I thought I had toiled in vain,and for nothing, uselessly, spent my strength,Yet my reward is with the Lord,my recompense is with my God.For now the...

 The following is taken from the Episcopal Book of Occasional Services, 1994 edition. TenebraeThe ministers enter the church in silence and proceed to their places. The Office then begins immediately with the Antiphon on the first Psalm. It is customary to sit for the Psalmody.   First Nocturn Antiphon 1Zeal for your house has eaten me up; the scorn of those who scorn you has fallen upon me. Psalm 69:1-23 Salvum me fac 1 Save me, O God, *for the waters have risen up to my neck. 2 I am sinking in deep mire, *and there is no firm ground for...

Tenebrae “Tenebrae” is the name given to the service of Matins and Lauds belonging to the last three days of Holy Week. It differs, in many things, from the Office of the rest of the year. All is sad and mournful, as though it were a funeral service; nothing could more emphatically express the grief that now weighs down the heart of our holy Mother the Church. Throughout all the Office of Thursday, Friday and Saturday, she forbids herself the use of those formulas of joy and hope wherewith, on all other days, she begins her praise of God. Nothing...

April 6, 2009                                         Monday of Holy Week       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Is 42:1-7 Here is my servant whom I uphold,my chosen one with whom I am pleased,Upon whom I have put my Spirit;he shall bring forth justice to the nations,Not crying out, not shouting,not making his voice heard in the street.A bruised reed he shall not break,and a smoldering wick he shall not quench,Until he establishes justice on the earth;the coastlands will wait for his teaching. Thus says God, the LORD,who created the heavens and stretched them...

April 5, 2009                                 Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmReading 2Gospel Reading 1Is 50:4-7 The Lord GOD has given mea well-trained tongue,that I might know how to speak to the wearya word that will rouse them.Morning after morninghe opens my ear that I may hear;and I have not rebelled,have not turned back.I gave my back to those who beat me,my cheeks to those who plucked my beard;my face I did not shieldfrom buffets and spitting. The Lord GOD is my help,therefore I am not disgraced;I have set my face like...

Palm Sunday - Passion Sunday Marcellino D'Ambrosio, Ph.D.  The Sunday before Easter is observed by virtually all Christians -- Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox -- as Palm Sunday.  For all Church traditions the feast has a bittersweet taste.  Though it celebrates the King's triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the parade leads straight to the Lord Jesus' suffering and death on Calvary. We now come to the Sunday with a split personality.  It starts with an upbeat gospel recounting Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem.  It is a festive affair, complete with a parade route strewn with palm branches instead of ticker tape.  But we...

“The Word of the Day: ‘Hosanna!’” (John 12:11-19; Psalm 118:19-29)Today is Palm Sunday, and if there is a “word of the day” for this day, I think it’s the word, “Hosanna!” How often do we see that word show up in our service today! We started the service by saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David.” Then we heard the Gospel reading where the crowd cries out, “Hosanna!” As we processed in, we sang about how “the lips of children made sweet hosannas ring.” And we concluded the procession by saying, “Hosanna in the highest.” So before we even sat...

April 4, 2009                                     Saturday of the Fifth Week of Lent       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Ez 37:21-28 Thus says the Lord GOD:I will take the children of Israel from among the nationsto which they have come,and gather them from all sides to bring them back to their land.I will make them one nation upon the land,in the mountains of Israel,and there shall be one prince for them all. Never again shall they be two nations,and never again shall they be divided into two kingdoms. No longer shall they defile...

 Here are some links to go to if you would like to download some wonderful music for Easter: Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music - The Musical Offering in MP3The download links at the page above look like this: Introitus: Resurrexi (Graduale Romanum)Hover your mouse cursor over the underlined / italicized text and right-click, then select 'save target as' from the right-click menu and choose your preferred download location. Hymns for the Celebrations of the Liturgical Year, Pontifical Musical Chorus of the Sistine ChapelThe download links at this page are different, they look like this: IO SONO RISORTO  For these...

“These Words” (The Sacrament of the Altar)Tonight we conclude our series on “The Six Chief Parts of Lenten Catechesis.” So far we’ve been following the Catechism in looking at the basics of the Christian faith and life: The Ten Commandments, the Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, and Confession. That brings us tonight to the Sacrament of the Altar. Everything we want to say about the Sacrament tonight we can find in the words with which Christ institutes this holy meal. Which words? These words: “Take eat; this is my body, which is given for you. This...

April 3, 2009                                 Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Jer 20:10-13 I hear the whisperings of many:"Terror on every side!Denounce! let us denounce him!"All those who were my friendsare on the watch for any misstep of mine."Perhaps he will be trapped; then we can prevail,and take our vengeance on him."But the LORD is with me, like a mighty champion:my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph.In their failure they will be put to utter shame,to lasting, unforgettable confusion.O LORD of hosts, you who test...

Station I           Jesus is Condemned to Death Kneel Presider:   We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you. All:   Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world. Arise     Presider:   Leaving the house of Caiaphas where he had been blasphemed, and the house of Herod where he had been mocked, Jesus is dragged before Pilate, his back torn with scourges, his head crowned with thorns; and he who on the last day will judge the living and the dead, is himself condemned to a shameful death.    ...

April 2, 2009                                     Thursday of the Fifth Week of Lent       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Gn 17:3-9 When Abram prostrated himself, God spoke to him:"My covenant with you is this:you are to become the father of a host of nations.No longer shall you be called Abram;your name shall be Abraham,for I am making you the father of a host of nations.I will render you exceedingly fertile;I will make nations of you;kings shall stem from you.I will maintain my covenant with youand your descendants after youthroughout the ages as an...

April 1, 2009                                 Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Dn 3:14-20, 91-92, 95 King Nebuchadnezzar said:"Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,that you will not serve my god,or worship the golden statue that I set up?Be ready now to fall down and worship the statue I had made,whenever you hear the sound of the trumpet,flute, lyre, harp, psaltery, bagpipe,and all the other musical instruments;otherwise, you shall be instantly cast into the white-hot furnace;and who is the God who can deliver you out of my...

March 31, 2009                                 Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Lent       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Nm 21:4-9 From Mount Hor the children of Israel set out on the Red Sea road,to bypass the land of Edom.But with their patience worn out by the journey,the people complained against God and Moses,"Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in this desert,where there is no food or water?We are disgusted with this wretched food!" In punishment the LORD sent among the people saraph serpents,which bit the people so that many...

March 30, 2009                                 Monday of the Fifth Week of Lent       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Dn 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62 or 13:41c-62 In Babylon there lived a man named Joakim,who married a very beautiful and God-fearing woman, Susanna,the daughter of Hilkiah;her pious parents had trained their daughteraccording to the law of Moses.Joakim was very rich;he had a garden near his house,and the Jews had recourse to him oftenbecause he was the most respected of them all. That year, two elders of the people were appointed judges,of whom the Lord said,...

MarkChapter 10 46 7 They came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging. 47 On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, son of David, have pity on me." 48 And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he kept calling out all the more, "Son of David, have pity on me." 49 Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." So they called the blind man, saying to him,...

March 29, 2009                                         Fifth Sunday of Lent       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmReading 2Gospel Reading 1Jer 31:31-34 The days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathersthe day I took them by the hand to lead them forth from the land of Egypt; for they broke my covenant, and I had to show myself their master, says the LORD.But this is the covenant that I...

“Set Free to Serve” (Mark 10:35-45)I’d like to start the sermon today with a little quiz, in the form of a multiple-choice question. Which of these statements is true, a) “A Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none,” or b) “A Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all”? Which one is true? As you may have guessed, this is a trick question. The correct answer is c) “both of the above.” A Christian is both a perfectly free lord and a perfectly dutiful servant. It was Martin Luther who set forth these...

The Passion of Lent byAbbe Dom Prosper Gueranger Just as the holy Abbot provided the History, Mystery and Practice of Septuagesima and of Lent, so today we provide his reflections on Passiontide as he explains the History, Mystery and Practice of Passiontide. Our Lenten fasting and penance are but two weeks from completion. The incline now becomes much steeper and only those truly committed and contrite will persevere to Calvary. Now is the time to take up the shield of Faith to fend off the devil who will do all he can to distract us from our appointed goal. It...

March 28, 2009                             Saturday of the Fourth Week in Lent       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Jer 11:18-20 I knew their plot because the LORD informed me;at that time you, O LORD, showed me their doings. Yet I, like a trusting lamb led to slaughter,had not realized that they were hatching plots against me:"Let us destroy the tree in its vigor;let us cut him off from the land of the living,so that his name will be spoken no more."But, you, O LORD of hosts, O just Judge,searcher of mind and heart,Let me...

The Catechism of St. Thomas Aquinas PENANCE The fourth Sacrament is Penance. The matter,[27] as it were, of this Sacrament is the acts of the penitent, which are called the three parts of Penance. The first part is a heart-felt contrition, by which one is sorry for the sins one has committed, and determines not to sin again. The second part is confession, which consists in this that the sinner confesses all the sins of which he is mindful to the priest; and all of them at one time to one priest, not dividing them to a number of...

THE FOUR LAST THINGS ---- DEATH, JUDGMENT, HELL and HEAVEN FATHER MARTIN VON COCHEM, O.S.F.C. Father Martin von Cochem was born at Cochem, on the Moselle, in the year 1625, and died at Waghausel in 1712. “Remember thy last end, and thou shalt never sin.� HOLY REDEEMER LIBRARY Nihil Obstat: Thomas L Kinkead,  Censor LiboriumImprimatur: Michael Augustine --- Archbishop of New York (New York October 5, 1899) Copyright, 1899, by Benziger Brothers PART I. ON DEATH. II. On the Assaults of Satan at the Hour of Death. ALTHOUGH death is in itself most bitter, yet its bitterness is not a...

March 27, 2009                                             Friday of the Fourth Week in Lent       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Wis 2:1a, 12-22 The wicked said among themselves, thinking not aright:"Let us beset the just one, because he is obnoxious to us;he sets himself against our doings,Reproaches us for transgressions of the lawand charges us with violations of our training.He professes to have knowledge of Godand styles himself a child of the LORD.To us he is the censure of our thoughts; merely to see him is a hardship for us,Because his life...

THE FOUR LAST THINGS ---- DEATH, JUDGMENT, HELL and HEAVEN FATHER MARTIN VON COCHEM, O.S.F.C. Father Martin von Cochem was born at Cochem, on the Moselle, in the year 1625, and died at Waghausel in 1712. “Remember thy last end, and thou shalt never sin.� HOLY REDEEMER LIBRARY Nihil Obstat: Thomas L Kinkead,  Censor LiboriumImprimatur: Michael Augustine --- Archbishop of New York (New York October 5, 1899) Copyright, 1899, by Benziger Brothers PART I. ON DEATH. I. On the Terrors of Death. IT appears to me unnecessary to say much about the terrors of death. The subject has been sufficiently...

“Frequently Asked Questions about an Infrequently Used Practice” (Confession)Often when you go to a website or read a pamphlet about an organization, a company, a product, or a service, you will find a page called, “FAQs.” “FAQs” are “Frequently Asked Questions,” questions people usually have when they start to consider whatever it is that’s being talked about. The FAQ format is a helpful way to introduce a new or unfamiliar organization, product, etc. Tonight I’m going to use the FAQ format for this message, because tonight I’m going to introduce you to a church practice that may be new or...

Lenten self-denial traditionally includes giving something up we enjoy, like a particular food or pleasurable activity. Well, this year, clergy in Britain are asking their dwindling flocks to give up coal for Lent. Well, sort of. The Anglican bishops of Liverpool and London have called for a “carbon fast” this Lent. Instead of giving up, say, chocolate or meat, people should reduce the amount of greenhouse gases they produce. Thus, preparing for Good Friday and Easter consists of actions such as the following: “avoiding plastic bags”; “giving the dishwasher a day off”; “insulating the hot water tank”; and “checking the...

March 26, 2009                                 Thursday of the Fourth Week of Lent       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Ex 32:7-14 The LORD said to Moses,"Go down at once to your peoplewhom you brought out of the land of Egypt,for they have become depraved.They have soon turned aside from the way I pointed out to them,making for themselves a molten calf and worshiping it,sacrificing to it and crying out,'This is your God, O Israel,who brought you out of the land of Egypt!'The LORD said to Moses,"I see how stiff-necked this people is.Let me alone,...

March 25, 2009                                Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmReading 2Gospel Reading 1Is 7:10-14; 8:10 The Lord spoke to Ahaz, saying:Ask for a sign from the Lord, your God;let it be deep as the nether world, or high as the sky!But Ahaz answered,"I will not ask! I will not tempt the Lord!"Then Isaiah said: Listen, O house of David!Is it not enough for you to weary people,must you also weary my God?Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign:the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son,and shall name him Emmanuel,which means...

Feast of the Annunciation (Lady Day)   Exactly nine months to the day before the Feast of the Nativity, we celebrate the annunciation Gabriel makes to Mary. Mystical significance is given to this date by Jacobus de Voragine, Archbishop of Genoa in his "Golden Legend" written in 1275: This blessed Annunciation happened the twentyfifth day of the month of March, on which day happened also, as well tofore as after, these things that hereafter be named. On that same day Adam, the first man, was created and fell into original sin by inobedience, and was put out of paradise terrestrial. After,...

VATICAN CITY, MAR 25, 2001 (VIS) - After returning to the Vatican from St. Dominic's Parish in Rome where he celebrated Mass, John Paul II appeared at his study window to pray the noon Angelus with the faithful gathered below in St. Peter's Square. In reflections he made before reciting the Angelus, the Holy Father reminded the faithful that today marks the feast of the Annunciation but, as it falls on a Sunday in Lent, it will be celebrated tomorrow. He said he recalled "the intense moments of the celebration that last year, in these very days, I was able...

March 24, 2009                                 Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Ez 47:1-9, 12 The angel brought me, Ezekiel,back to the entrance of the temple of the LORD,and I saw water flowing outfrom beneath the threshold of the temple toward the east,for the façade of the temple was toward the east;the water flowed down from the right side of the temple,south of the altar.He led me outside by the north gate,and around to the outer gate facing the east,where I saw water trickling from the right...

Featured Term (selected at random):LA SALETTE Shrine of the Virgin in Tears in Southern France in the diocese of Grenoble. It was there in 1846 that two illiterate children happened to meet each other while they were herding cattle. Mélanie Calvat, age nine, and Maximin Giraud, age eleven, fell asleep on the hillside. Waking up, they saw a beautiful lady sitting on a rock in the bed of a tiny dried-up stream. She was weeping but she reassured the children and told them each separately what she called a secret. The secret remains only partially revealed, although in 1851 the...

Whatever happened to obligations? By Archbishop John VlaznyLent is already half gone and what have we to show for it? In days of yore, by this time the Lenten obligation of fasting and abstaining together with the annual struggle to carry out our Lenten resolutions was getting tiresome. The desire for Easter freedom was almost tangible as we failed to keep our resolutions and tried to suppress our desire for snacks between meals.Nowadays our obligations are minimal and resolutions are few. Catholics used to observe abstinence from meat every Friday of the year. Now it is required only on Fridays...

March 23, 2009                                         Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Is 65:17-21 Thus says the LORD:Lo, I am about to create new heavensand a new earth;The things of the past shall not be rememberedor come to mind.Instead, there shall always be rejoicing and happinessin what I create;For I create Jerusalem to be a joyand its people to be a delight;I will rejoice in Jerusalemand exult in my people.No longer shall the sound of weeping be heard there,or the sound of crying;No longer shall...

March 22, 2009                                         Fourth Sunday of Lent     Reading 1Responsorial PsalmReading 2Gospel Reading 12 Chr 36:14-16, 19-23 In those days, all the princes of Judah, the priests, and the people added infidelity to infidelity, practicing all the abominations of the nations and polluting the LORD's temple which he had consecrated in Jerusalem. Early and often did the LORD, the God of their fathers, send his messengers to them, for he had compassion on his people and his dwelling place.But they mocked the messengers of God, despised his warnings, and...

“It’s a Gift!” (Ephesians 2:1-10)You are a Christian. You are saved. You believe in Christ. In your Christian life, you do good works. You are heading for heaven. Now, the question comes up, how did all this come about? To what extent does all of this, or any of this, depend on you? The salvation, the faith, the good works--which parts are a gift, by grace, God’s doing, and which parts are up to us, our doing, our contribution to the equation? That’s what we’re going to explore this morning. Now these are important questions, and a lot can be...

Joy-Filled Suffering03/26/2006 at 6:00 AM PST +J.M.J.+ By Monsignor Charles M. Mangan Today, the Fourth Sunday of Lent, has traditionally been called Laetare (“Rejoice”) Sunday because of the strong sentiment of joy found in the Entrance Antiphon of the Mass: “Rejoice, Jerusalem! Be glad for her, you who love her; rejoice with her, you who mourned for her, and you will find contentment at her consoling breasts.” (Isaiah 66:10-11) The Church takes a break from the rigors of Lent and stresses the joyfulness of Jerusalem, the city of the followers of God. Rose vestments may be worn at Mass,...

March 21, 2009                                     Saturday of the Third Week in Lent       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Hos 6:1-6 "Come, let us return to the LORD,it is he who has rent, but he will heal us;he has struck us, but he will bind our wounds.He will revive us after two days;on the third day he will raise us up,to live in his presence.Let us know, let us strive to know the LORD;as certain as the dawn is his coming,and his judgment shines forth like the light of day!He will come to...

March 20, 2009                                 Friday of the Third Week in Lent       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Hos 14:2-10 Thus says the LORD:Return, O Israel, to the LORD, your God;you have collapsed through your guilt.Take with you words,and return to the LORD;Say to him, "Forgive all iniquity,and receive what is good, that we may renderas offerings the bullocks from our stalls.Assyria will not save us,nor shall we have horses to mount;We shall say no more, 'Our god,'to the work of our hands;for in you the orphan finds compassion." I will heal their...

“It Works” (The Sacrament of Holy Baptism)The Ten Commandments, the Creed, the Lord’s Prayer. Tonight, in our series on the Catechism, the basics of the Christian faith, we come to the sacraments. We begin, fittingly enough, with the sacrament with which we begin the Christian life, namely, the Sacrament of Holy Baptism. I think all that I want to say about Holy Baptism tonight I can include under a heading of just two words: “It Works.” It works! It is effective. It actually does something--quite a lot, really. Holy Baptism works, and it works in your life. Tonight, then, we...

March 19, 2009                                    Solemnity of Saint Joseph,                                          husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmReading 2Gospel Reading 12 Sm 7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16 The Lord spoke to Nathan and said:"Go, tell my servant David,'When your time comes and you rest with your ancestors,I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins,and I will make his kingdom firm.It is he who shall build a house for my name.And I will make his royal throne firm forever.I will be a father to him,and he shall be a son to me.Your house and your kingdom shall...

CCODP Director of International Programs admits "We don't have a policy for or against" abortion   TORONTO, March 11, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The official international development organization of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops is funding groups in Mexico that are pressuring the Mexican government to legalize abortion, LifeSiteNews has learned. The five pro-abortion groups have received $170,000 in total this year from Development and Peace.  In an interview with LSN, the Director of International Programs for Development and Peace admitted that the issue of whether or not a group is pro-abortion is not a determining factor in funding. The...

March 18, 2009                             Wednesday of the Third Week in Lent       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Dt 4:1, 5-9 Moses spoke to the people and said:"Now, Israel, hear the statutes and decreeswhich I am teaching you to observe,that you may live, and may enter in and take possession of the land which the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you. Therefore, I teach you the statutes and decreesas the LORD, my God, has commanded me,that you may observe them in the land you are entering to occupy.Observe them carefully,for thus...

The Catechism describes sloth as a culpable lack of physical or spiritual effort that can actually refuse the joy that comes from God. The slothful person is lukewarm towards, perhaps even repelled by, divine goodness and spiritual practices (Catechism #1866, 2094, 2733). The loss of one’s spiritual moorings manifests itself in flight from God and apathy in the service of one’s neighbor. How can we overcome this most deadly vice? Mass society engenders a sense of powerlessness, but size need not leave us apathetic. It is possible to carve out a more human scale of life. Begin with your family,...

VATICAN CITY, FEB. 8, 2008 (Zenit.org.- Demons, Satanism and other related phenomena are quite topical today, and they disturb a great part of our society.Our technological and industrialized world is filled with magicians, wizards, occultism, spiritualism, fortune tellers, spell trafficking, amulets, as well as very real Satanic sects. Chased away from the door, the devil has come in through the window. Chased away by the faith, he has returned by way of superstition.The episode of Jesus' temptations in the desert that is read on the First Sunday of Lent helps us to have some clarity on this subject. First of...