SAINT AGNES CATHEDRAL 533 South Jefferson Springfield, MO 65806
EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)
CELEBRANT Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching
February 17th, 2013 First Sunday of Lent NO LATIN MASS THIS SUNDAY AT 2:30PM
Epistle: II Cor. 6: 1-10; Gospel: Mt. 4: 1-11
Mass schedule February 18th through February 22nd
Monday—Feria of Lent--NO LATIN MASS
Tuesday—Feria of Lent
Wednesday—Ember Wednesday
Thursday—Feria of Lent
Friday—Chair of Saint Peter *
Pot-luck dinner this month will be Sunday, February 24th immediately following the 2:30pm Mass in the school cafeteria.
During the Fridays of Lent following the 12:15pm Mass, there will be Stations of the Cross with Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction.
Laws of Days of Abstinence: The Discipline of 1962
• Applies on one’s 7th birthday.
• Complete Abstinence: all Fridays of the year, Ash Wednesday, Holy Saturday, and the Vigil of Christmas.
• Partial Abstinence (meat and soup or gravy made from meat permitted once a day at the principle meal): all the days of Lent, the Ember Days of Wednesday and Saturday, and the Vigils of Pentecost and the Assumption.
• Abstinence from meat is dispensed on Holy Days of Obligation
Laws of Fast: The Discipline of 1962
• Applies for those aged 21 to 59, inclusive.
• Days of Lent from Ash Wednesday inclusive, Ember Days, and Vigils of Christmas, Pentecost, and the Assumption.
• One full meal permitted and two other meals may be taken which, when combined, are less than a full meal.
The Law of the Eucharistic Fast: The Discipline of 1962
• The complete fast from all food and drink (except for water or medicine) for three hours before the reception of Holy Communion. In the document reducing the fast to three hours, the Pope still encouraged those who were able to maintain the midnight fast which was the previous discipline.
Showing posts with label Obligation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Obligation. Show all posts
Friday, February 15, 2013
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Bulletin 102
SAINT AGNES CATHEDRAL 533 South Jefferson Springfield, MO 65806
EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)
CELEBRANT Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching
May 13th, 2012 Fifth Sunday after Easter
Epistle: Jas. 1:22-27; Gospel: Jn. 16:23-30
Mass Schedule May 14th through May 18th
Monday-Feria of Paschaltide -NO LATIN MASS
Tuesday-Requiem Mass: +Tiberio Tangarife
Wednesday-Vigil of the Ascension
Thursday-Ascension of the Lord
Friday-Saint Venantius, Martyr-NO LATIN MASS
NOTE: THERE WILL BE NO LATIN MASS ON FRIDAY, MAY 18TH AT 12:15PM
JUNE 10, 2012 IS THE SOLEMNITY OF CORPUS CHRISTI. MASS WILL BEGIN AT 2:00 PM. A PROCESSION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT WILL IMMEDIATELY FOLLOW MASS BEGINNING AT 4:00PM. JOIN HIS EXCELLENCY, BISHOP JAMES V. JOHNSTON FOR THIS DIOCESAN EVENT.
Consecration means that a person or thing (e.g., a building, chalice, vestments, etc.) is withdrawn from profane use and is dedicated to the service of God; the object thereby becomes sacred and is to be treated with reverence and respect. The Church is holy by consecration because it is set apart by God to live in union with Him and to serve Him. An individual person becomes a member of God’s holy people through Baptism by which a person is consecrated to the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Through this same rite the person assumes the obligation to live a holy life worthy of the consecration he has received by God’s grace.
The Church is ontologically holy because of its life-giving union with the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost and the life of grace that flows from that union. Jesus Christ alludes to this union in the Gospel when he explains clearly that He came forth from the Father and that He now leaves this world to go back to the Father.
It is because of this union of love that Christ assures us we can ask anything of the Father in Christ’s name and it will be given to us! Let us pray with confidence! Let us pray with faith!
Sincerely in Christ,
Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching
EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)
CELEBRANT Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching
May 13th, 2012 Fifth Sunday after Easter
Epistle: Jas. 1:22-27; Gospel: Jn. 16:23-30
Mass Schedule May 14th through May 18th
Monday-Feria of Paschaltide -NO LATIN MASS
Tuesday-Requiem Mass: +Tiberio Tangarife
Wednesday-Vigil of the Ascension
Thursday-Ascension of the Lord
Friday-Saint Venantius, Martyr-NO LATIN MASS
NOTE: THERE WILL BE NO LATIN MASS ON FRIDAY, MAY 18TH AT 12:15PM
JUNE 10, 2012 IS THE SOLEMNITY OF CORPUS CHRISTI. MASS WILL BEGIN AT 2:00 PM. A PROCESSION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT WILL IMMEDIATELY FOLLOW MASS BEGINNING AT 4:00PM. JOIN HIS EXCELLENCY, BISHOP JAMES V. JOHNSTON FOR THIS DIOCESAN EVENT.
Consecration means that a person or thing (e.g., a building, chalice, vestments, etc.) is withdrawn from profane use and is dedicated to the service of God; the object thereby becomes sacred and is to be treated with reverence and respect. The Church is holy by consecration because it is set apart by God to live in union with Him and to serve Him. An individual person becomes a member of God’s holy people through Baptism by which a person is consecrated to the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Through this same rite the person assumes the obligation to live a holy life worthy of the consecration he has received by God’s grace.
The Church is ontologically holy because of its life-giving union with the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost and the life of grace that flows from that union. Jesus Christ alludes to this union in the Gospel when he explains clearly that He came forth from the Father and that He now leaves this world to go back to the Father.
It is because of this union of love that Christ assures us we can ask anything of the Father in Christ’s name and it will be given to us! Let us pray with confidence! Let us pray with faith!
Sincerely in Christ,
Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Bulletin 90
SAINT AGNES CATHEDRAL 533 South Jefferson Springfield, MO 65806 EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS: Celebrant Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching
February 19, 2012 Quinquagesima Sunday
Epistle: 1Cor. 13:1-13
Gospel: Lk. 18:31-43
Mass Schedule February 20th through February 24th
Monday-------FERIA-NO LATIN MASS
Tuesday-------FERIA
Wednesday---Ash Wednesday (Mass at 2:00pm)
Thursday------Thursday after Ash Wednesday
Friday----------Friday after Ash Wednesday
February 22: Ash Wednesday. Latin Mass at 2:00pm. Ashes will be blessed and distributed before Mass. Ash Wednesday is a day of fast and abstinence.
Laws of Days of Abstinence: Current Practice
Begins on one’s 14th birthday.
Ash Wednesday and the Fridays of Lent.
Obliges abstention from flesh meat.
Laws of Days of Penance: Current Practice
Applies to all the Faithful.
Lent and Fridays outside of Lent
Laws of Days of Fast: Current Practice
Applies to everyone aged 18 to 59, inclusive.
One full meal permitted and two other meals may be taken which, when combined, are less than a full meal.
Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
The obligation to do penance is lifted on Fridays which are also celebrated as a solemnity. The following is a list of Solemnities in the New Rite which can fall on a Friday:
January 1: Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God; Solemnity of the Epiphany
March 19: Solemnity of Saint Joseph, Spouse of Mary
March 25: Solemnity of the Annunciation
June 24: Solemnity of Saint John the Baptist
June 29: Solemnity of Ss. Peter and Paul
August 15: Solemnity of the Assumption
November 1: Solemnity of All Saints
December 8: Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
December 25: Solemnity of Christmas
Principal patron of a place (city, state, nation)
Dedication of a particular church and the anniversary
The Title, founder, or principal patron of a religious order or congregation
Laws of Days of Abstinence: The Discipline of 1962
Applies on one’s 7th birthday.
Complete Abstinence: all Fridays of the year, Ash Wednesday, the Vigil of Christmas.
Partial Abstinence (meat and soup or gravy made from meat permitted once a day at the principle meal): all the days of Lent, the Ember Days of Wednesday, and Saturday, and the Vigils of Pentecost and the Assumption.
Abstinence from meat is dispensed on Holy Days of Obligation
Laws of Fast: The Discipline of 1962
Applies for those aged 21 to 59, inclusive.
Days of Lent from Ash Wednesday inclusive, Ember Days, and Vigils of Christmas, Pentecost, and the Assumption.
One full meal permitted and two other meals may be taken which, when combined, are less than a full meal.
Laws of the Eucharistic Fast: Current Legislation
Under the New Code of Canon Law, the Fast for Holy Communion is one hour before the reception of the Holy Eucharist. However, in the document reducing the fast to one hour, the Pope has encouraged those who were able to maintain the previous discipline.
The Law of the Eucharistic Fast: The Discipline of 1962
The complete fast from all food and drink (except water or medicine) for three hours before the reception of Holy Communion. In the document reducing the fast to three hours, the Pope still encouraged those who were able to maintain the midnight fast which was the previous discipline.
On each of the Fridays of Lent, a plenary indulgence in granted to the faithful who, after Communion, recite the “Prayer Before a Crucifix”:
Look down upon me, good and gentle Jesus while before Thy face I humbly kneel and, with burning soul, pray and beseech Thee to fix deep in my heart lively sentiments of faith, hope and charity; true contrition for my sins; and a firm purpose of amendment; while I contemplate with great love and tender pity Thy five most precious wounds, pondering over them within me while I call to mind the words which David Thy prophet said of Thee, my Jesus: “They have pierced My hands and My feet, they have numbered all My bones.” Amen.
Saint Paul in his letter to the Corinthians speaks of the three theological virtues; faith, hope and love. The theological virtues are among our greatest gifts from God. They are infused into our hearts through divine grace. However, we must remember our responsibility to nourish these God-given gifts. We must always and everyday pray for them. We should beg God that we grow in them, never take them for granted, but instead cherish them as our most prized possessions.
We are all people of faith. Perhaps we may know somebody whom we believe to be a person of great faith. Chances are we know somebody who seems to have little, if any faith at all. Faith is a precious gift. The strength of our faith depends a great deal on how we ourselves nourish it. We should constantly ask God for an increase in faith.
We see in the Gospel another great example of Jesus Christ demanding faith from the blind man who wishes to see. Our Lord gives the blind man his sight because “thy faith hath made thee whole.” The blind man believed in his heart that Jesus had the power to heal him. Therefore when the blind man asked for his sight, it was given to him.
Our Lord wants the exact same faith from each one of us. One of the easiest and most effective ways of nourishing our faith and praying for the other virtues is meditating on the mysteries of the Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary. When we mediate upon the resurrection, for example, we must beg God for a greater faith. We should contemplate the unprecedented faith that was given to the Blessed Virgin Mary and ask God for a share in this same faith. When we focus on the ascension we should ask God for a greater hope that where He has gone, we will one day follow.
Saint Paul explains that virtues of faith and hope mean nothing if we do not put them into practice, therefore the greatest of these virtues is love. “Holy” people are people who exercise on a regular basis the virtue of charity. Hence, charity is the key to holiness and sanctity. We can find charitable things to do each and every day that help us grow in holiness. These can be the smallest of acts, because God looks at the intention of one’s heart, not the magnitude of the act.
Sincerely in Christ,
Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching
February 19, 2012 Quinquagesima Sunday
Epistle: 1Cor. 13:1-13
Gospel: Lk. 18:31-43
Mass Schedule February 20th through February 24th
Monday-------FERIA-NO LATIN MASS
Tuesday-------FERIA
Wednesday---Ash Wednesday (Mass at 2:00pm)
Thursday------Thursday after Ash Wednesday
Friday----------Friday after Ash Wednesday
February 22: Ash Wednesday. Latin Mass at 2:00pm. Ashes will be blessed and distributed before Mass. Ash Wednesday is a day of fast and abstinence.
Laws of Days of Abstinence: Current Practice
Begins on one’s 14th birthday.
Ash Wednesday and the Fridays of Lent.
Obliges abstention from flesh meat.
Laws of Days of Penance: Current Practice
Applies to all the Faithful.
Lent and Fridays outside of Lent
Laws of Days of Fast: Current Practice
Applies to everyone aged 18 to 59, inclusive.
One full meal permitted and two other meals may be taken which, when combined, are less than a full meal.
Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
The obligation to do penance is lifted on Fridays which are also celebrated as a solemnity. The following is a list of Solemnities in the New Rite which can fall on a Friday:
January 1: Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God; Solemnity of the Epiphany
March 19: Solemnity of Saint Joseph, Spouse of Mary
March 25: Solemnity of the Annunciation
June 24: Solemnity of Saint John the Baptist
June 29: Solemnity of Ss. Peter and Paul
August 15: Solemnity of the Assumption
November 1: Solemnity of All Saints
December 8: Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
December 25: Solemnity of Christmas
Principal patron of a place (city, state, nation)
Dedication of a particular church and the anniversary
The Title, founder, or principal patron of a religious order or congregation
Laws of Days of Abstinence: The Discipline of 1962
Applies on one’s 7th birthday.
Complete Abstinence: all Fridays of the year, Ash Wednesday, the Vigil of Christmas.
Partial Abstinence (meat and soup or gravy made from meat permitted once a day at the principle meal): all the days of Lent, the Ember Days of Wednesday, and Saturday, and the Vigils of Pentecost and the Assumption.
Abstinence from meat is dispensed on Holy Days of Obligation
Laws of Fast: The Discipline of 1962
Applies for those aged 21 to 59, inclusive.
Days of Lent from Ash Wednesday inclusive, Ember Days, and Vigils of Christmas, Pentecost, and the Assumption.
One full meal permitted and two other meals may be taken which, when combined, are less than a full meal.
Laws of the Eucharistic Fast: Current Legislation
Under the New Code of Canon Law, the Fast for Holy Communion is one hour before the reception of the Holy Eucharist. However, in the document reducing the fast to one hour, the Pope has encouraged those who were able to maintain the previous discipline.
The Law of the Eucharistic Fast: The Discipline of 1962
The complete fast from all food and drink (except water or medicine) for three hours before the reception of Holy Communion. In the document reducing the fast to three hours, the Pope still encouraged those who were able to maintain the midnight fast which was the previous discipline.
On each of the Fridays of Lent, a plenary indulgence in granted to the faithful who, after Communion, recite the “Prayer Before a Crucifix”:
Look down upon me, good and gentle Jesus while before Thy face I humbly kneel and, with burning soul, pray and beseech Thee to fix deep in my heart lively sentiments of faith, hope and charity; true contrition for my sins; and a firm purpose of amendment; while I contemplate with great love and tender pity Thy five most precious wounds, pondering over them within me while I call to mind the words which David Thy prophet said of Thee, my Jesus: “They have pierced My hands and My feet, they have numbered all My bones.” Amen.
Saint Paul in his letter to the Corinthians speaks of the three theological virtues; faith, hope and love. The theological virtues are among our greatest gifts from God. They are infused into our hearts through divine grace. However, we must remember our responsibility to nourish these God-given gifts. We must always and everyday pray for them. We should beg God that we grow in them, never take them for granted, but instead cherish them as our most prized possessions.
We are all people of faith. Perhaps we may know somebody whom we believe to be a person of great faith. Chances are we know somebody who seems to have little, if any faith at all. Faith is a precious gift. The strength of our faith depends a great deal on how we ourselves nourish it. We should constantly ask God for an increase in faith.
We see in the Gospel another great example of Jesus Christ demanding faith from the blind man who wishes to see. Our Lord gives the blind man his sight because “thy faith hath made thee whole.” The blind man believed in his heart that Jesus had the power to heal him. Therefore when the blind man asked for his sight, it was given to him.
Our Lord wants the exact same faith from each one of us. One of the easiest and most effective ways of nourishing our faith and praying for the other virtues is meditating on the mysteries of the Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary. When we mediate upon the resurrection, for example, we must beg God for a greater faith. We should contemplate the unprecedented faith that was given to the Blessed Virgin Mary and ask God for a share in this same faith. When we focus on the ascension we should ask God for a greater hope that where He has gone, we will one day follow.
Saint Paul explains that virtues of faith and hope mean nothing if we do not put them into practice, therefore the greatest of these virtues is love. “Holy” people are people who exercise on a regular basis the virtue of charity. Hence, charity is the key to holiness and sanctity. We can find charitable things to do each and every day that help us grow in holiness. These can be the smallest of acts, because God looks at the intention of one’s heart, not the magnitude of the act.
Sincerely in Christ,
Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Bulletin 68
SAINT AGNES CATHEDRAL 533 South Jefferson Springfield, MO 65806 EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS: Celebrant Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching
September 18th, 2011 14th Sunday after Pentecost
Epistle: Gal. 5: 16-24
Gospel: Mt. 6: 24-33
Mass schedule September 19th through September 23rd
Monday-Saint Januarius & Companions, Martyrs-NO LATIN MASS
Tuesday-Feria
Wednesday-Saint Matthew, Apostle & Evangelist
Thursday-Saint Thomas of Villanova, Bishop & Confessor
Friday-Ember Friday
Make careful use of the gift of God. Behold now is the acceptable time. Now is the day of salvation! God will soon come upon us and then we shall have to render an account of the use of every moment of our lives! Blessed shall you be if in the fulfillment of your daily duties you have been faithful in little things. But what disaster it will be if God finds you wasting the goods of His house!
You live, no, not you, it is Christ Who lives in you by His grace. That grace is a participation in the Divine Nature. It has sanctified His humanity and He shares it with all those who love Him. Christ’s grace penetrates to the very essence of your soul, ennobling it and making it divine. Christ is thus with you as a new being, the Christian, together you have one and same principle activity, namely to love.
Your heart should always rest with Christ. Do not permit your heart to open freely and attach itself to everything that attracts it. Without that safeguard, your life will be absorbed in other things.
Seek God's kingdom first, and everything else will be given to you.
In Christ,
Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching
September 18th, 2011 14th Sunday after Pentecost
Epistle: Gal. 5: 16-24
Gospel: Mt. 6: 24-33
Mass schedule September 19th through September 23rd
Monday-Saint Januarius & Companions, Martyrs-NO LATIN MASS
Tuesday-Feria
Wednesday-Saint Matthew, Apostle & Evangelist
Thursday-Saint Thomas of Villanova, Bishop & Confessor
Friday-Ember Friday
Make careful use of the gift of God. Behold now is the acceptable time. Now is the day of salvation! God will soon come upon us and then we shall have to render an account of the use of every moment of our lives! Blessed shall you be if in the fulfillment of your daily duties you have been faithful in little things. But what disaster it will be if God finds you wasting the goods of His house!
You live, no, not you, it is Christ Who lives in you by His grace. That grace is a participation in the Divine Nature. It has sanctified His humanity and He shares it with all those who love Him. Christ’s grace penetrates to the very essence of your soul, ennobling it and making it divine. Christ is thus with you as a new being, the Christian, together you have one and same principle activity, namely to love.
Your heart should always rest with Christ. Do not permit your heart to open freely and attach itself to everything that attracts it. Without that safeguard, your life will be absorbed in other things.
Seek God's kingdom first, and everything else will be given to you.
In Christ,
Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Bulletin 40
SAINT AGNES CATHEDRAL 533 South Jefferson Springfield, MO 65806 EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS: Celebrant Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching
March 6, 2011 Quinquagesima Sunday
Epistle: 1 Cor. 13, 1-13
Gospel: Luc. 18, 31-43
Mass schedule March 7 through March 11
Monday-Saint Thomas Aquinas; Confessor & Doctor-NO LATIN MASS
Tuesday-Saint John of God; Confessor
Wednesday-Ash Wednesday; NO LATIN MASS
Thursday-Thursday after Ash Wednesday
Friday-Friday after Ash Wednesday
We will have our monthly pot-luck dinner immediately following Mass on March 6th.
Note that Saint Agnes Cathedral has scheduled a Mass for Ash Wednesday at the regularly scheduled Mass time for the Latin Mass (12:15pm). I will be in Mansfield and Mountain Grove for Ash Wednesday Masses; therefore there will be no Latin Mass on Ash Wednesday.
Laws of Abstinence:
-Complete abstinence is defined as abstaining from meat and soup or gravy made from meat.
-Partial abstinence is defined as allowing meat and soup or gravy made from meat, only once a day at the principal meal.
-Abstinence applies to all those over seven years.
Laws of Fast:
-On days of Fast, only one full meal is allowed, two other meatless meals are allowed in addition to the principal meal but the total quantity of food for these two small repasts should not equal the amount taken at a full meal.
-Partial abstinence is required on all days of Fast, except on days of COMPLETE abstinence.
-Eating between meals in not permitted though liquids may be taken.
-Days of Fast apply to all those over 21 and under 59 years of age.
-Laws of fasting and abstinence are not binding on those with medical conditions or those whose ability to work would be impaired.
-There is no obligation for fast or abstinence on a Holy Day of Obligation even though it may fall on a Friday.
In the new Code of Canon Law, USCCB usage, fasting and complete abstinence are limited to Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Complete abstinence is obligatory on all Fridays of Lent. Abstinence applies to those over the age of 14. Fasting is obligatory for those between the ages of 18 and 59, inclusive.
Saint Paul emphasizes the fact that the virtue of charity is so important that without it all other gifts make no sense. Charity towards our neighbor is an expression of our love for God Himself. Love is enduring. Love will never fade away. This is why charity is greater than all God’s other gifts to man. Saint Paul is constantly reminding us to actively pursue the virtue of charity. All the saints teach us the very same message.
Faith, hope and charity are the most important virtues in the Christian life. These are called the “theological” virtues. God infuses them into our hearts together with sanctifying grace. Charity is superior to both faith and hope because charity is the virtue that most directly unites one to good. In the words of Saint Thomas Aquinas: “Faith and hope attain God in so far as we derive from Him the knowledge of truth or the acquisition of good; whereas charity attains God Himself that it may rest in Him, not that something else should come to us from Him (Summa theologiae, II-II, q. 23, a. 6).
In Christ,
Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching
March 6, 2011 Quinquagesima Sunday
Epistle: 1 Cor. 13, 1-13
Gospel: Luc. 18, 31-43
Mass schedule March 7 through March 11
Monday-Saint Thomas Aquinas; Confessor & Doctor-NO LATIN MASS
Tuesday-Saint John of God; Confessor
Wednesday-Ash Wednesday; NO LATIN MASS
Thursday-Thursday after Ash Wednesday
Friday-Friday after Ash Wednesday
We will have our monthly pot-luck dinner immediately following Mass on March 6th.
Note that Saint Agnes Cathedral has scheduled a Mass for Ash Wednesday at the regularly scheduled Mass time for the Latin Mass (12:15pm). I will be in Mansfield and Mountain Grove for Ash Wednesday Masses; therefore there will be no Latin Mass on Ash Wednesday.
Laws of Abstinence:
-Complete abstinence is defined as abstaining from meat and soup or gravy made from meat.
-Partial abstinence is defined as allowing meat and soup or gravy made from meat, only once a day at the principal meal.
-Abstinence applies to all those over seven years.
Laws of Fast:
-On days of Fast, only one full meal is allowed, two other meatless meals are allowed in addition to the principal meal but the total quantity of food for these two small repasts should not equal the amount taken at a full meal.
-Partial abstinence is required on all days of Fast, except on days of COMPLETE abstinence.
-Eating between meals in not permitted though liquids may be taken.
-Days of Fast apply to all those over 21 and under 59 years of age.
-Laws of fasting and abstinence are not binding on those with medical conditions or those whose ability to work would be impaired.
-There is no obligation for fast or abstinence on a Holy Day of Obligation even though it may fall on a Friday.
In the new Code of Canon Law, USCCB usage, fasting and complete abstinence are limited to Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Complete abstinence is obligatory on all Fridays of Lent. Abstinence applies to those over the age of 14. Fasting is obligatory for those between the ages of 18 and 59, inclusive.
Saint Paul emphasizes the fact that the virtue of charity is so important that without it all other gifts make no sense. Charity towards our neighbor is an expression of our love for God Himself. Love is enduring. Love will never fade away. This is why charity is greater than all God’s other gifts to man. Saint Paul is constantly reminding us to actively pursue the virtue of charity. All the saints teach us the very same message.
Faith, hope and charity are the most important virtues in the Christian life. These are called the “theological” virtues. God infuses them into our hearts together with sanctifying grace. Charity is superior to both faith and hope because charity is the virtue that most directly unites one to good. In the words of Saint Thomas Aquinas: “Faith and hope attain God in so far as we derive from Him the knowledge of truth or the acquisition of good; whereas charity attains God Himself that it may rest in Him, not that something else should come to us from Him (Summa theologiae, II-II, q. 23, a. 6).
In Christ,
Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching
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