From: richarra@gmail.com   
      
   Love Reaches Out   
      
      "Moreover, this is the rule of love: the good that we desire for   
   ourselves we desire for our neighbor also; and the evil that we are   
   unwilling to undergo we wish to prevent from happening to our   
   neighbor.   
      All who love God will have such a desire toward everybody."   
   --St. Augustine--True Religion 87   
      
   Prayer: O Lord, my God, let my soul praise you that it may love you.   
   Let it recount to you your mercies that it may praise you for them   
   all.   
   --St. Augustine--Confessions 5, 17   
      
   <<>><<>><<>>   
   July 28th - Pope St. Innocent I   
      
   St. Innocent I, a native of Albano, Italy, reigned from 401 to 417.   
   This  energetic Pope is known for his zealous welfare for the entire   
   Church. His decrees became law in Spain, Gaul and Italy. He demanded   
   that the Eastern Bishops re-install St. John Chrysostom, Bishop of   
   Constantinople, who had been unjustly deposed. He censured the Bishop   
   of Jerusalem for his negligence. He ratified the condemnation of the   
   Pelagian Bishops of Africa  who denied the need of grace for   
   salvation.   
      
   In 410, during his pontificate, Rome was ravaged by the barbarians of   
   Alaric. He took the responsibility of rebuilding the city and showed   
   great charity in helping the victims.   
      
      
   Comments of the late Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira: (died 1995)   
      
   St. Innocent is one of the greatest Popes of the 5th century. It is   
   beautiful to see how he was entirely faithful amidst a hard struggle   
   in a tragic era.   
      
   He lived at the time of the fall of the Western Roman Empire, when it   
   seemed as if a multitude of accumulated chastisements fell over the   
   Empire all at  once. Historians do not sufficiently emphasize the   
   simultaneous development of two major things at that time. The first,   
   the invasion of the barbarians, touched the temporal order, and   
   indirectly shook the Church as well, since those barbarians were   
   either pagans or heretics. The second, various  heresies burst out   
   everywhere when the Church emerged from the catacombs.  Therefore, the   
   Church faced attacks equal to or even worse than those which chastised   
   the State.   
      
   However, the two institutions, the Church and the State, had different   
   destinies. While the putrid Roman State disappeared, the Church   
   produced great Popes, not ecumenical Popes but rather warrior Pontiffs   
   who relentlessly fought against the heresies, making continuous   
   excommunications and wounding the enemies of the Church as much as   
   they could.   
      
   The Roman Emperors adopted a pacifist policy, permitting the   
   barbarians to cross the military posts of the Empire that had been   
   constructed near the  natural barriers of the Rhine and Danube rivers.   
   After crossing those lines,  the barbarians were allowed to remain   
   inside the Empire and settle land there. Once the Empire's army became   
   accustomed to their presence and let down its guard, the barbarians   
   started their invasions from within.   
      
   On the contrary, the great Popes of those times did not take a   
   pacifist attitude. They energetically fought the enemies of the Church   
   and strongly defended the doctrine of Our Lord Jesus Christ.   
      
   The result of these two opposite policies is that the Western Roman   
   Empire ended, while the Church -- led by Popes like St. Innocent --   
   rose to a most glorious destiny. Those Popes were the first great men   
   who constituted the foundation for the Middle Ages.   
      
   These considerations show us how that energetic policy of the Popes to   
    resolve the problems of the Church and defend the truth is the   
   correct one.   
      
      
   Saint Quote:   
    "Love the erring, but kill errors" –   
   --St. Augustine (Doctor, 354-430) -- "A Handbook of Moral Theology"   
      
   Bible Quote:   
    "Wherefore, rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith:   
   Not  giving heed to Jewish fables and commandments of men, who turn   
   themselves  away from the truth"  (Titus 1:13-14)   
      
   Bible Quote:   
   "The Lord hateth all abomination of error, and they that fear him   
   shall not  love it" (Ecclus 15:13)   
      
      
   <><><><>   
   Short Prayers   
      
   O blessed Trinity, one God, in Thee I believe, in Thee I hope,   
   Thee I love, Thee I adore, have mercy on me now and at the   
   hour of my death, and save me.   
      
   Almighty, everlasting God, grant us an increase of faith,   
   hope, and charity; and that we may merit to attain what Thou   
   dost promise, grant us to love what Thou dost ordain.   
   Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.   
      
   Take, O Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my   
   understanding, and all my will, whatsoever I have and   
   possess. Thou hast given all these things to me; to Thee, O   
   Lord, I restore them; all are Thine, dispose of them all ac-   
   cording to Thy Will. Give me Thy love and Thy grace, for   
   this is enough for me.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)