LaSalette in English

La Salette Social-Net (#ILoveMySundayMass)

"Come, my children, come! Fear not!
I AM HERE TO PROCLAIM GOOD NEWS TO YOU."

1- Brief Summary of Our Blessed Mother Personal Visit to Humanity on September 19, 1846.
Her First Words:
"Come, my children, come! Fear not, I am here to proclaim great news to you."

1.1- Our Lady Came To La Salette, France (1846).

On September 19th, 1846, 11-year-old Maximin Giraud and 14-year-old Mélanie Calvat were minding cows in a small village in Southeast France. While returning home, they encountered a bright light. In the light was a sitting woman, weeping into her hands. Maximin would later say: “She was like a mother whom her own children had beaten and who had escaped to the mountain to weep.”
1.2- The children approached. The unknown lady, while still crying, told the children about the trials of Her Son. She explained that she and Her Son are weary from the sufferings they have endured for humanity.
She lamented for those who work on Sunday, the Lord’s Day, instead of resting and praying. In addition, the cart drivers continued to swear with Her Son’s name (among many other blasphemes). In the winter, people attended Mass just to scoff at religion, and in the summer, they ignored it altogether.
1.3- Our Lady explained that the potato famine across Europe the year before was a warning. If the people did not convert their hearts, more famine awaited them. If they do, then there will be an abundance of food. Part of the scourge of famine was avoided because many Catholics changed their habits after hearing about the apparition; and in that region it was less severe than in other countries in Europe.
1.4- Today, more than ever, Our Lady's messages at La Salette are for everyone, not just for the residents of La Salette who have been there for many years. No! She makes it clear [that even today] she intercedes for us more than we could ever repay or expect. Her words are a message of conversion to Jesus and his Church.

2- 2024: The Starting of a New Grassroots Apostolate

2.1- About The LaSalette Social-Net Apostolate & Missionary Outreach.

In summary, as requested by Our Lady explicitly and implicitly when she appeared at La Salette (France), the main objective of this international catechetical Apostolate is to teach and invite Catholics, especially non-practicing and lukewarm Catholics, to better understand, obey, and share the "Five Commandments of the Catholic Church." Although deeply bonded by God’s Ten Commandments and rooted into the Sacred Tradition from day one, they are dismissed or simply ignored by the great majority of irresponsible Catholics as if optional or mere suggestions, but not divine Precepts which they are. Some even consider it a kind of five "jokes," fake man-made obligations not worthy to be learned, much less to submit one’s life under them.
2.2- No wonder Our Lady at La Salette, our loving mother, cried tears of sadness for having no choice but to warn of severe consequences against Christendom and, therefore, the world, if at least the "Lord's Day" were not minimally respected. And that message preceded her visit and future messages from Fatima-Portugal, almost too late precisely because Christianity didn’t care about her first preventive warnings, at La Salette.
2.3- Such a historical curse of Marxism that she tried to prevent in Fatima -- now deeply aggravated by other ideologies -- would likely never happen if we Christians had appreciated God’s generosity in giving us six days during each week, reserving just one for rest and worship, which is the only way to avoid and secure that humanity would not live by instinct, like wild animals and its consequent ego-path of gradual self-destruction.

3- Who Can Survive Without Breathing? Even More so: Who Can Preserve God's Grace Without Spiritual Breathing?

3.1- The Essence, The Very Minimum...

Basically, each one of the Five Commandments of the Catholic Church, even when combined, only mandates the absolute minimum -for the benefit of the faithful- that any Catholic must observe in order to have and preserve the Grace of God during a lifetime just to "survive," not thrive. Let’s start by remembering Our Lord’s declaration for each one of us: "If you do not eat my flesh and do not drink my blood, you will have NO [real] Life (capital ‘L’ = fullness of Life, Peace, Hope,... at least on earth) in you!” Therefore, the very first Commandment of the Church ordered and reminded us to minimally "Keep the Lord’s Day by -at least- participating in the Sunday Mass every Sunday (plus 'days of obligation')".
3.2- The second Precept requires the "Confession of our sins at least once a year."
3.3- And the third "To receive the Eucharist at least once a year." These, alone, are already a life-or-death determinant; let’s imagine when adding the other two Precepts into the same balance. We cannot, without His aid, worthy build our lives and our world.

3.4- If we neglect or compromise the ordinary means or necessary paths that God has determined as a condition for the granting of His daily Peace, we will not have true Peace; at least not until we are duly corrected by a sincere conversion and docility. The rejection of His Grace, even if implicit or partially unconscious, cannot fail to have very serious negative consequences. In fact, especially in cases of explicit rejection, regardless of how long and how much we “pray,” beg or insist, on a personal level -case by case- God will remain unresponsive, so to speak, in practical terms. Meaning that God indeed never give-in, give-up, never convey, never ever part-with, sag, move or subside, until each one of us, personally, decide to reject pride, unforgiveness and disobedience, and decide to learn how to love others, as He Loved us: No exceptions!

3.5- Precisely for this reason God clearly warned us (1 John 3:14) that every Man is “dead,” and that he only passes from death to life after he begins to Love his brothers. In other words: Without exceptions and with true Love. 3.6- However, we cannot forget that "True Love" is not a feeling, but a decision, decision and commitment, fidelity, resolve, works, services, daily struggle (i.e. “for today I will not sin anymore”,...) obedience, acts, etc., as fuel for the Fire in the Holy Spirit. Therefore, never emotionalism, sentimentalism, paternalism, fundamentalism, "naturalism" (pantheism, nudism, veganism,...), not to mention the list of much worse curses, such as Marxism, Terrorism, [reincarnation-based] Spiritism, Satanism, for example. To discern well, it is essential to know the five characteristics of Christ’s Love for us. Five combined radical characteristics, to know if we really Love with the Fire of Christ’s true Love: 1) Love First; 2) Love Unconditionally; 3) Love Concretely; 4) Love Everyone; and 5) Love to the End.

4- Can our Blessed Mother Cried Just to Pretend it, Theatrically, Without Enduring Real Sufferance Out of Her Love for Us?

4.1- Our Holy Mother Still "Cry" deeply, in Her Soul!

Not even the profound sadness revealed by Our Blessed Mother at La Salette, to the point of weeping, was enough for humanity to understand the Parable of the Great Banquet (Mt. 22). Jesus compared the whole Kingdom of Heaven with its entry-gate from Earth, which is the Mass in His Church: "[The gate for] The Kingdom of Heaven is like a king who gave a wedding feast for his Son." He dispatched his servants to summon the invited guests to the feast, but they refused to come.

4.2- A second time he sent other servants, saying, tell those invited: ‘Behold, I have prepared a royal banquet; my calves and fattened cattle are killed, and everything is ready; come to the Feast'. Some ignored the invitation and went away; one to his farm, another to his business. The rest laid hold of his servants, mistreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged and sent his troops, who destroyed those murderers and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, "The feast is ready [anyway], but those who were invited were not worthy to come." Go out, therefore, into the streets and the lowly lanes of other cities, and invite to the feast whomever you find. The servants went out, invited and gathered all they found, good and bad alike, and the hall was filled with those who accepted the King's invitation." Sounds familiar? Just look at the kind of people who attend Sunday Mass.

5- May Her Tears Come Down Again and Break our Hearts of Stone, Before it is Too Late!

5.1- Hearts of Stones..., For How Long?

The tears that Our Lady shed at La Salette had fallen on hard soil (our hearts and minds), once again not enough for humanity to minimally understand another parable even more clearly: The banquet that the Father gave to His prodigal son after he repented and confessed his sins. Why is it so difficult to realize that such Merciful Father is waiting for so many prodigal sons to return? And that He has no choice but to grant a similar banquet (The Mass) every week (actually every hour, the world over, 24/7), to properly welcome and celebrate the return of every lost son, also revealed at the Parable of the Lost Sheep.

5.2- In addition, for the sake of friends not yet strong in their Faith, let’s concede for a moment that parables are not necessarily proof of factual realities. Therefore, we would like to incorporate over the above parables and so many statements, the real historical fact which happened with the disciples of Emmaus -no longer an analogy- when Cleophas, his wife and/or adult sons invited a complete estrange to stay overnight as a guest, without realizing that they were welcoming the Messiah into their home, despite walking and speaking with Him for so many hours. From this undisputable historical event, we can learn for sure the power-link bonding the nowadays Mass (mystical Supper/Banquet), where Christ is really present under the appearances of bread and wine, with that first ever Sunday Mass (Mystical Supper) that Jesus celebrated for them and with them, in Emmaus. There, inside their home, the first domestic church, after a priceless “homily” granted during their long walk, after the consecration of their bread and the wine, He gave Himself in Holy Communion to Cleophas, his wife Mary, and likely some grown up children or servants.

6- Historical Fact! Therefore Not just an Analogy or Pedagogical Lesson

6.1- The First Sunday Mass...!

It’s critically important to understand that they only recognized and realized what really happened when Jesus broke the bread, said the prayer of blessings, and gave to them to eat and drink. At that moment, Jesus disappeared -but only visually- vanished from the table, in the same way He is invisible at the Mass “table” (altar), since they no longer need to see Him, in order to know that He is really there, under the appearance of bread and wine then transubstantiated into the living body, blood, soul, and divinity of Christ resurrected. 6.2- Evidently, for the rest of their lives, they recognized who was really there, celebrating that first Sunday Mass, at the same day He raised from the dead, in a similar way that we now recognize the mystery of a Priest acting “in persona Christ,” during the miracle of the transubstantiation, which happens during Masses celebrated within the Church founded by Christ.

6.3- The venerated Mother Angelica, beloved the founder of largest Catholic Radio and TV network in history (EWTN), often reminded us that not even the Angels have the privilege to suffer or offer sacrifices to console God and alleviate the suffering of others, much less the privilege to receive the divine Redeemer via Holy Communion.

7- The Litmus Test!

7.1- Sunday Masses' Attendance

Let’s consider the Sunday Mass attendance in Brazil, for example, since it is the country with the largest Catholic population in the world: Only approximately 8% attend Sunday Masses regularly. Simply unbelievable, if such survey is reasonably truthful (see side graphic).

7.2- On the other extreme, i.e., Catholics in Nigeria (94%), although complying in terms of massive presence at Sunday Masses, it seems that many go to a mere cultural event by emotional habit since their faith doesn’t concretely reflect in their practical public and political life. We all ‘forget’ -in practical terms- that God ‘cannot’ vote, God ‘cannot’ get organized (in our behalf) to put corrupt politicians in jail, etc. We, as a responsible Christian community, must do it, energetically, publicly, electing tough Christian leaders, praying and fast for it, etc., out of our duty of faith (as El Salvadorians did), and also funded by our own financial resources -as complement to taxes- whenever necessary.

7.3- Jesus never called us to be spectators of Masses, but courageous disciples ready to engage the culture despite persecutions, boldly building a Christian-based Civilization as protagonists empowered by Masses. Faith without works is not only false, it will also be the main criterion for condemnation (sins of omission) of any human being who, during the Final Judgment, is condemned to hell: "Depart from me, you cursed! Go into the eternal fire (...) For I was (...) and you did not help me, and whatever you did not do... to any of these in need, it was to me that you did not do it!" (Matthew 25:31-46). "I know your works! You are neither cold nor hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, I will vomit you out of my mouth" (Rev. 3:15-16).

7.4- In any case, the crucial point we are trying to emphasize here is that both extremes (present everywhere) are profoundly affected in a negative way, by the lack of knowledge and shallow interpretation of these Five Commandments of the Church:

1st. You shall attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation.
2nd. You shall confess your sins at least once a year.
3rd. You shall humbly receive your Creator in Holy Communion, at least during the Easter season.
4th. You shall observe the prescribed days of fasting and abstinence.
5th. You shall help provide for the needs of the Church.

8- Original Pride and Disobedience Almost Destroy Human Nature. Only Obedience and Humility Can Remedy it, at least at a Personal Level.

8.1- Obedience is the door of Salvation!

Interestingly that such priceless and lifesaving respectful submission -as a whole or partial obedience- are all directly related to the quality, the possibility, consistence, quantity, reverence, and gratefulness of Mass attendance -the essence and summit of our Faith- by each individual faithful, throughout life. Pope Francis said that “If we leave [each] Mass the same way we entered, something is wrong!” We hope that, by God’s Mercy, whenever it happens, it would be sporadic carelessness, therefore meaning -hopefully- that “something went wrong” at that particular Liturgy, and never that “something is essentially wrong” with any one of us.

9- Can someone obey 99% of all Traffic Laws, but systematically ignore just one, such as the Stop-Sign, for example, without dying or killing?
The best answer is: Probably both! Killing and, sooner of later, also Dying.

9.1- But it is just one minor Law!

Unfortunately, realistically and tragically, that is the case for the great majority of Catholics, forgetting that if we are faithful with little thing, we will certainly be faithful with the more important ones. Even sincerely practicing Catholics frequently dismiss, for example, the 4th Commandment, alleging it is “just” one of the Church’s Commandments, presumed irrelevant by many, without realizing that such personal arrogant presumption (thinking to know better than the Church, as if a mere human institution) is a very serious sin of the intellect.

9.2- Thomas a Kempis (Imitation of Christ) teaches us, with great theological accuracy, that “the sins of the mind are worse than sins of the flesh” (they cannot be “felt,” difficult to discern, etc.), although they are fundamentally intertwined with pride and the original sin of disobedience[of a “minor” law], despite God’s warning: “If you disobey and eat the forbit ‘fruit’, you will die.”

9.3- Paraphrasing St. Augustine -mutatis mutantis- since still within the same supernatural context, “If you obey only what you like in God’s Commandments and ignore (worse than refusal) what you don’t agree with, it is not the Divine Law that you are obeying, but yourself.”

9.4- And regarding the 5th Commandment, it should instead be called the Fifth Privilege, a recurring "Opportunity of Honor" or, in the worst-case scenario, "Lifelong extended-family Duties." The founder of the Focolare Movement, Servant of God Chiara Lubich, the spiritual mother of hundreds of thousands of consecrated Catholic men and women giving all to God and His Church, under a lifelong Vow-of-Poverty equivalent, therefore not just a mere 10% tithe, used to say that (in a free translation) “If love enters our heart but not our “pocket”, it’s because real Love never entered into the heart.” Surely “pocket" here, means immensely more than just material “treasures” to be joyfully donated to our Church, but also the grant of time, talents, prayers, affections, services, gratefulness, etc. Actually, In a deep sense, in relation to God (indirectly, evidently), because the Supreme-Giver of all, including each one's life, it is not absurd to affirm that to God, whoever don't give "all," gave "nothing!"

10- The La Salette.cafe Will Gather Small Groups to Share and Spread the Joy of Becoming Practicing Catholics

10.1- Even a Small Flock can make a big Difference

Becoming friends with the La Salette Social-Net will be extremely beneficial also for those unable to receive Holy Communion, especially after joining the Movement as active members. The goal of the La Salette Network is to witness, inspire, and kindly invite every non practicing Catholic to give themselves a new opportunity. We will encourage, accompany, and explain how doable it can be to ask God and receive a new life through His beloved Church, starting with a simple act of repentance for not keeping the "Sabbath" Holy, followed by a comprehensive sacramental confession.

10.2- After absolution, a new wave of joy and peace will gradually begin for those who persevere. And for those still unable to receive sacramental absolution (and Holy Communion, as consequence), they can certainly express their repentance to a priest, asking his prayers to persevere from now on without missing future Sunday Masses, always making a spiritual communion while following his directions to regularize eventual canonic situations within the Church, with a humble, grateful, and patient heart.

10.3- Prayers that will certainly be answered as long as, from now on, they persevere without missing future Sunday Masses and other commandments, always making a Spiritual Communion, while following the instructions to regularize eventual canonical situations within the Church, with a humble, grateful and patient heart.

11- Thank You Loving Mother, for always encouraging and warning your children, at every visit.

11.1- Let that sink in: Holy is His Name!

11.1- This is the replica of the Crucifix (side pic) our Lady was carrying on her chest during her visit. It's the only depiction of a Christian Crucifix in history showing the only two options each one of us have in life, whether hammering more "nails" (sins) in the Mystical Body of Jesus, or removing "nails" (virtues) by each act of Love, Mercy, reparation, etc.

At La Salette, Our Lady specifies two main refusals of her people: "Two offenses which make the arm of my Son so heavy":
11.2- [Disrespect for] The Seventh Day. The lack of respect for the "Seventh Day" takes us back to the first two books of the Bible, Genesis and Exodus. Therefore, a clear violation of the Ten Commandments. How do we honor “the day that God has reserved for Himself,” the day when we can meet “face to face” with God? Is it really a day of rest for free people, the Lord’s Day as it should be for us, children of God? A day of assembly for brothers and sisters in need of reconciliation? Christ inaugurated, with His resurrection, the first day of the new creation (Sunday). We are called to live as children of God. Therefore, in this life that transcends death, we should enter the Lord’s Day as a day without sunset, with a deep expectation and awareness that we are children in the Son, because we are truly adopted brothers of Jesus, our Brother-Redeemer and the only Son of God.

11.3- [Disrespect] for the Name of My Son (Holy is His name). The Virgin comes to tell us again: “Holy is His name.” Respect Him! Always. The “Fear of God” is a prerequisite for all blessings. "There is no other name under heaven given among men for salvation" (Acts 4:12). Do not blaspheme, but do everything good in the name of the Lord Jesus... (Col 3:17), that is, in the manner of Christ and according to the Holy Spirit.

12- No Time to Pray, to go to Mass, but Plenty of Time for Entertainment, Distractions, Sports, Food, Social Media, Gossip, etc.

12.1- Are we always too busy? No time to go to Mass even on Sundays?

It is really a matter of Faith and submission. The sincere desire and determination to live with Christ and in Christ, as a servant within His Church, and not as a mere “tourist” using His Church. A great testimony to this can be inferred from the extraordinary life of one of the most important and respected members of the US Supreme Court, Justice Clarence Thomas. Are we busier and more burdened with daily responsibilities than he, who finds time to go to Mass every day?

12.2- Whether you agree or not (because it may seem like an extreme interpretation), it is actually perfectly rational to apply to non-practicing Catholics the strongest negative conclusion of Jesus, uttered in His parable transcribed by St. Matthew (in 5:13), “You are the Salt of the Earth…”. Yes, Jesus warned each of us that whoever loses the power to live as “Salt” here on Earth will become totally useless and will be of no use to anyone except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. Can any Catholic who does not keep any of the Five Commandments of His Church all the time still retain some remnant of the power to Salt with Christ? Isn’t that the reason we were Baptized, to bear fruit of holiness and fruit that will last?

14- Some extracts from Our Lady’s dialog with the children during her apparition in La Salette:
14.1- "If They Are Converted…”

The call to conversion is at the heart of the message of La Salette. Everything converges towards that end: the tears and the crucifix, the light and the roses, the attitudes of the beautiful lady, the walk from the ravine to the summit, but above all, the discourse of the Virgin: "Return to God with all your heart", He alone is the source of life.

14.2- "Do you say your prayers well, my children?"
"Not very well, Madam;” -They Replied-
(Should not that also be our reply? She exhorts them to pray each day, morning and evening. "Watch and pray." The Virgin indicates only a minimum, an Our Father and a Hail Mary, but she urges them to do more when they can.)

14.3- "During the summer, only a few elderly women go to Mass."
(The coming together of Christians each week for Sunday Mass is a "vital need": the Word of God nourishes their faith; the contact with Christ, the bread broken for a new world, is a source of dynamism; the communion of His Body given up for us and of His Blood once shed for us reminds us to be ready to give our lives on behalf of others and makes us sharers in the strength of Christ's Spirit. "At the heart of the former world with which we are still linked by our blindness and inertia, the Church, in the celebration of the Eucharist, understands and announces that the new world, inaugurated by the risen Christ, is in fact already present in our midst, and it is incumbent on us to be its witnesses in our daily lives through our conduct, both as individuals and as members of society." This eucharistic requirement thus becomes a source of hope and joy that no one can take from us.)

14.4- [Even] During Lent, they go to the meat market as if they were dogs." [days of abstinence from meat are simply ignored]
(Far from scandalizing us, Our Lady's strongly formulated rebuke should also awaken our consciences to the need to fast and do penance. In the Bible, when people are compared to dogs, it means that they have lost all sense of dignity (Phil. 3:2; Matt. 7:6, etc.). What are we doing to our dignity as children of God when we waste food and other things, when we squander goods that others need? 14.5- To rediscover our dignity, we must understand that we do not live by bread and other material goods alone; and that the efforts necessary to share our blessings with our brothers consist in communion with God Himself, from whom we derive our dignity: " All that you have done for me is in you, and in you ... "Whatever you did [or failed to do] to the least of these my brothers, you did it to me!" (Mt.25). Jesus told us about this. Making it very clear to us that "Whoever seeks first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, everything else will be given to you as well.") Mt.6,33

14.6- Finally, she left us an (indirect) mandate, telling them: “Very well, my children, you will make this known to all my people.”
(...)

14.7- But what about us, today?
Can we recognize the forgotten truths of the Gospel as we contemplate her apparition at La Salette and ponder her words in continuity with her future interventions in history such as those at Lourdes, Fatima, etc.? Will we be willing to respond to "the pains she has taken for us" by returning to God with all our hearts through Christ, who is the way, the truth, and the life; the One who was crucified for our sins, rose from the dead for our salvation, Jesus, our peace, and our reconciliation?

14.8- We cannot sufficiently understand the immense power we would have if we properly valued the Sacred Scriptures, read every day during Mass. In the sequence of Masses of the liturgical calendar, each year we can learn about our true history and the roots of our Faith, starting with our Jewish roots. The Old Testament teaches us to rejoice in the Lord as the source of our strength. Therefore, such salvific and fundamental historical knowledge will depend entirely on how we live the “Sabbath,” the Lord’s Day, as cited by the Prophet Nehemiah (Nehemiah 8:1-4a, 5-6, 7b-12):

14.9- “Today is holy to the Lord your God. Therefore do not be sad or weep” (since all the people were weeping upon hearing the words of God’s Law). Then Nehemiah added: “Go, eat rich food and drink sweet drinks, and distribute portions to those who have nothing; for today is holy to our God. Do not be sad on this day, because joy in the Lord is the source of our strength!” And the Levites calmed all the people, repeating: “Be quiet and listen! Because today is the Lord’s Day, understand that you should not be sad. So all the people went to eat and drink, sharing with those who needed it, to celebrate with great joy, because they had understood how valuable this gift from God (Shabbat Day) was, through the words that were explained to them.” And why do we, in an age abundant with scientific knowledge, and therefore aware that at least one day of rest and prayer each week is fundamental not only for the mental and spiritual health of all, but also for the subsistence of civilization itself, have so much difficulty in respecting this precept of our Creator? It was He Himself who decided to sanctify and share with us a special day each week. How, then, can we not appreciate the words and the very serious warnings made by the mother of our Redeemer, who is immensely greater and holier than the prophet Nehemiah?

15- The hashtag for our LaSalette.cafe network and social media posts can also be promote with: #ILoveMySundayMass

However, as said by Pope Francis, “IF we leave Mass the same way we entered, something is essentially wrong.”

15.1- Since she appeared on Sept 19 (1846) which is also the feast day of Our Lady of Sorrows. The annual feast day to celebrate our Lady of La Salette is ALSO on September 19 of each year. Starting 2024, our La Salette Apostolate will celebrate every September 19th in a special way, evidently including a Mass of thanksgiving; and also every July 13, to celebrate the co-patron saint, Blessed Charlie Rodriguez Santiago (for more details, read segments 20.1/20.9 at the end of this page).

16- And for those really serious to learn WHY we should go to Confession whenever skipping Sunday Masses without serious reasons, let's read the "Catholic Answers" response also pertinent to this question:

16.1- Question:
How can I explain to my Catholic friend who missed Mass without a serious reason that she should go to confession before receiving Communion?

16.2- Answer:
First, share Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) paragraph 2181, which states:  
The Sunday Eucharist is the foundation and confirmation of all Christian practice. For this reason the faithful are obliged to participate in the Eucharist on days of obligation, unless excused for a serious reason (for example, illness, the care of infants) or dispensed by their own pastor. Those who deliberately fail in this obligation commit a grave sin (emphasis added).

16.3- The next step is to share CCC paragraph 1385, which reads, “Anyone conscious of a grave sin must receive the sacrament of reconciliation before coming to Communion.” The Catechism bases this precept on St. Paul’s instruction to the Corinthians:
Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself (1 Cor. 11:27–29).

16.4- The last step is to take the above two principles and put them together, saying something along the lines of, “Since you missed Sunday Mass without a serious reason,” which is a grave sin ( cf. §2181), and Catholics who are " conscious of grave sin " ( cf. § 1385) must receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation before receiving Eucharistic Communion. It follows, therefore, that you must first receive sacramental absolution before presenting yourself to receive Jesus personally in the Holy Eucharist.

16.5- Whether your friend decides to obey this Precept, rather than continue to deceive herself, is beyond your control. The most important thing is that you can correctly present the Church's teaching, kindly inviting your friend to fulfill it with joy and gratitude, for it is a gift of inestimable value (like all the other Sacraments), but at the same time one that must be seriously respected, precisely for that reason.

16.6- (And here, unfortunately, we cannot fail to close this Q&A topic without this paragraph of warnings, because many “Cafeteria Catholics” live as if they did not know that God not only does not deceive anyone, but that He also never allows Himself to be deceived by anyone, ever! Therefore, all who resort to the Sacraments out of mere formality, bad-faith, hypocrisy or any other irresponsible religious habit, subject themselves to bad fruits and/or other negative consequences. In the most serious cases, they are radically contrary spiritual fruits, like a medicine that turns into poison due to the patient’s fault. That’s right! The hierarchical Church that Christ founded and granted to us at the price of His blood, maintained at the price of blood through the centuries, is not a circus full of clowns, but an organized, concrete, Petrine and indestructible Divine Institution. A living and global supernatural Organism, a worldwide “Hospital” Network, like a loving Mother, rich in mercy, but also as a most powerful Supreme Court, whose God-given authority is unimaginable (“The sins you forgive on earth will be forgiven in heaven, but the sins you retain will not be forgiven” John 20:23). Therefore, being aware of receiving the Most Holy Eucharist unworthily amounts to some hidden level of self-condemnation. Furthermore, presenting oneself to Confession for a simple but grave sin of omission, such as missing Sunday Mass without just cause, without first being repentant and sincerely determined to avoid it in the future, potentially invalidates the absolution, even if the Priest declares it: God is never deceived, even if the Confessor is led to mistakenly assume that the penitent was at least minimally repentant, which is the only reason why he decided to impart (“In Persona Christi”) the sentence of indult: “Go in peace, all your sins [up to this moment] are forgiven!” )

19- Regarding the LaSalette.cafe Meetings Program, an essential segment of this Apostolate.

19.1- ● Each local sub-network of this international LaSalette network may hold up to one monthly socio-catechetical meeting, in the afternoon or evening, called LaSalette.cafe, unless it is scheduled for new guests, in which case there will be a weekly limit. (Always with the same domain name -website- in any country or language)
19.2- ● The names of the Dioceses and Parishes that approve our calendar of events will be posted on the LaSalette.cafe website, and the private contact information of the coordination will probably be protected on our servers via an exclusive access platform for volunteers, leaders and ecclesiastical authorities.
19.3- ● Initially, it will have the following standards and elements, under an experimental schedule, suggested in the following format:
19.4- ● It should be short, only one hour, extendable for another hour.
19.5- ● Fresh, hot coffee should be offered, with "Brazilian" cheese bread baked during the meeting, accompanied by the favorite tea of each location (for those who do not drink coffee), as well as water and some (non-alcoholic) beverages such as juices, if available.
19.6- ● A brief catechetical reading and/or pertinent reflection related to some or all of the Commandments of the Church, or related to the message, legacy or anecdotes of La Salette, should be presented, starting with one of the 20 plus numbered items already published here, through this official website.
19.7- ● If new guests are present, the reading of Exodus 20 1-7 (copy in the link below) will be mandatory.
19.8- ● For security reasons, strangers will not be admitted to "open" meetings, much less to coordinators' meetings.
19.9- ● No other topic that could become a distraction will be allowed during the “official” hour (including any extension), but perhaps possible after this period, at the discretion of the local coordinator and the host.
19.10- ● However, political discussions cannot be authorized even afterwards, since many guests will come with a “baggage” of partisan politics or even blind ideological militancy in their past, probably contrary to the Christian Faith, which only a gradual formation and personal conversion can change or purify. Furthermore, we cannot confuse a discipleship of words and appearances alone with authentic and lifelong fidelity: Judas Iscariot followed Jesus everywhere, pretending to serve Him despite receiving the highest level of trust, while Joseph of Arimathea followed Him from afar, probably through a slow but honest conversion process, since he persevered loyally until the end of his life.
19.11-● [Therefore] The Catechetical Apostolate of La Salette should be a “Gate of Mercy,” within its own model of an open and free ecclesial community—always free to enter and leave—deeply aware of the “Parable of the Wheat and the Tares.” (Mt. 13:24-43).
19.12- ● An intentional aspect of this Program, part of our comprehensive (5 senses...) pastoral “marketing” strategy, so to speak, will be, among others, the infusion of high-quality, freshly ground coffee, plus cheese bread baked on site, to be served free of charge at LaSalette.cafe meetings. It should be served shortly after the beginning of the meeting, within the approximately 20 to 40 minutes it takes to bake the cheese bread, to be enjoyed throughout the meeting, concurrently.
19.13-● No other food or drink will be allowed during this first official period (up to two hours), according to predefined criteria, and participants will eat and drink at their own place and pace, since traditional Brazilian cheese bread does not contain wheat or gluten, and does not leave crumbs on the floor or on guests' clothes.
19.14-● After the first hour of the program (extendable for another hour), the local coordinator, together with the homeowner or local host, will have the power to discern (case by case) and, after sharing or requesting a quick "vote", decide what will be appropriate to do or serve after the "official" closing prayer. For example, postponing cleaning tasks, meeting again with the local team of coordinators and volunteers, perhaps a guest speaker for a brief additional topic, an eventual dinner at the host's home or a get-together at a restaurant that does not serve alcoholic beverages, etc.
19.15- Details and rules, including for online meetings already available via Zoom, as well as future adaptations (such as morning or breakfast meetings, large gatherings, conditional authorization for wine consumption, worship meetings, etc.) can be found by reading the Rules and Regulations of LaSalette.cafe, which consists of a special Appendix within the General Statute of the Blessed Family Catholic Society. This document, published as a book, can be purchased on Amazon.com, but is also available for free online here, as an e-book from this eBook LINK. Positions or functions of coordination or volunteering will only be available under the same conditions required for External Members of this Community, which is the mother community of this Apostolate, in accordance with Title IV, Chapter I, Art.18-20, including mandatory pre-adhesion to the Pledge of St. Andrews determined at the end of the §1, Art.20 (pg. 91) of the same Statute.

(Mandatory for each Meeting: Exodus 20, 1-7) Click Here to Read it.

20- We Live for this Night!

Blessed Charlie of Puerto Rico.
20.1- The co-patron saint of this Catechetical Apostolate, evidently in addition to Our Lady herself, under the sweet invocation of "La Salette," will be Blessed Charlie of Puerto Rico (not to be confused with our "own" St. Charles de Foucauld, co-patron of the mother institution of this Apostolate). Despite his frail health, due to a chronic and debilitating ulcerative disease, he devoted his life joyfully and full of hope to teaching his fellow Catholics how to love, appreciate, prepare for and piously participate in the Mass of the Vigil of the Lord's Resurrection each year, publicly proclaiming his powerful "slogan" or Missionary imperative:
"We Must Live for This Night!"

20.2- Even though he was a simple, humble and shy lay liturgist, this Knight of Columbus, a “born” catechist with an immense charity towards all, without any extraordinary or financial resources (he died very poor), the now Blessed Charlie (the first layman born in the Caribbean to be beatified), managed to make his island nation gradually understand the incomparable importance of the celebrations of the Easter Triduum, in particular the solemn liturgy of the Saturday Vigil, as the culmination and source of all other liturgical celebrations in the Church, including the seven sacraments. And not only as a source by historical fact, but also as a renewable liturgical source that, together with the solemn liturgy of Christmas Eve (Midnight Mass), provides an inexhaustible annual treasury of miracles and Graces for humanity (and for each one of us Catholics, in particular) that simply cannot be valued enough in this life.

20.3- That is why he insisted, invited and propagated that all of us Christians should prepare ourselves, respect and, in some way, live the whole year in expectation of that holy, luminous and extraordinary night! The great night of each year in which we exclaim with trumpets and songs of thanksgiving, proclaiming with angels and saints “Hallelujah! Hallelujah! He is risen!” Death no longer has power against those who follow Him. Darkness has been defeated. And liturgically too, darkness has been completely conquered, from a small candlelight, to the explosion of lights and praises where we sing “Glory to God in the highest” during the Easter Vigil Mass. The tomb of Christ is truly empty, forever! O death, where is your victory?

20.4- There is no one better than Blessed Charlie of Puerto Rico (Blessed Carlos Manuel Rodriguez Santiago) to become the perfect intercessor and model for all the participants, coordinators and volunteers of "LaSalette.cafe," since each one is personally invited by Our Lady to basically the same Mission that he received. Who knows, God, through his intercession, will give us new resources, inspirations and wisdom so that, in an organized way, now strengthened by the maternal message of Our Lady in the French Alps and by the Five Commandments of the Church, we can help many rediscover the immense joy of "Living for that Night," of being obedient and practicing Catholics, in full communion with Christ in His Church.

20.5- Let us remember that Mary is the mother and also the immaculate model of the Church; and that the Church, in turn, is also Mother and Teacher with Mary since Pentecost and, forever, more than ever after being assumed body and soul, as Queen of the Universe and masterpiece of Creation. Mary is also the “co-redeemer” of humanity with Christ in practical terms, not necessarily in theological-pastoral terms, already crowned as Queen-Mother, next to the throne of Christ Our Eternal King and King of all Kings.

20.6- Therefore, we can affirm that the Five Commandments of the Church are, in truth, commandments of Mary, as family rules, preventive, of her maternal and personal love for each one of us, in order to preserve the fullness of Peace, Joy and Salvation in our Lives. They are like kisses and hugs of a loving mother who orders each child - every day - to ask for the blessing of one of the parents, grandparents, uncles or godparents, before "daring" to leave the house. Let us briefly think about the results of this simple analogy: In practice, in the end, only the children who obey (the “commandment” to ask for the blessing...) will have the grace of a very powerful supernatural protection, after hearing, every day: “May God bless you and protect you, beloved son; you can go now, but take ‘that’ jacket with you, because today it will be very cold, and I want you to come home happy and healthy” ; certainly adding, after a kiss: “Mommy will be praying and waiting for you with a hot soup and your favorite sandwich.” (Another kiss!!!)

20.7- We are convinced that, as this Apostolate continues to expand – as we hope – devotion to Blessed Charlie will also spread outside Puerto Rico. There are thousands and thousands of fervent prayers throughout the world from parents and grandparents begging God, in their anguish, that their children and other loved ones who are not practicing or have completely strayed from the sacraments may return to the sacraments and live in full communion with the Church, the only ordinary means of eternal salvation. Such prayers, like that of Saint Monica for her son [now] Saint Augustine, will probably be answered more quickly if they are entrusted to the intercession of Blessed Charlie of Puerto Rico. And although miracles - in this regard - for the great majority cannot be granted, since the Gospel can only be proposed, never imposed, at least Blessed Charlie will certainly intercede for extraordinary and merciful graces, which will ultimately result in the eternal salvation of these souls, even if there is no full return to the Father's House, here on Earth. Furthermore, if they have been baptized, by the merits and treasures of the Church, they will ultimately have the right to receive the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick at the hour of death, even if they are in a coma or unconscious, guaranteeing them the forgiveness of all sins, however terrible they may have been.

20.8- However, evidently, in the "Economy of Salvation," because of God's love for us, there are no restrictions on the type of grace that may or may not be requested through the intercession of a holy brother or sister already confirmed to be in Heaven, with God. And since the beginning of his canonization process, several prayers for miraculous cures have been entrusted to him, such as the cure of cancer, a miracle granted to a 42-year-old mother who prayed to be cured of malignant non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and was completely recovered. This miracle was approved on December 20, 1999, after rigorous scientific investigation.

20.9- Now in Heaven, in the presence of the Blessed Virgin, his beloved mother, after carrying his heavy cross without complaining, against a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that lasted almost his entire life, and turned into cancer, taking his life at only 44 years old, this holy man will certainly be honored by God, as he intercedes on behalf of anyone who decides to trust in him, for the glory of God. Furthermore, since the main focus of this Apostolate will be the conversion of sinners and the Salvation of "Souls," all the Graces distributed in honor of this humble Caribbean saint will also be of immense consolation to the Immaculate Heart of our Blessed Mother, who wept at La Salette precisely for this reason. "...There will be more joy in Heaven over one sinner who repents and is converted, than over ninety-nine just persons who need no conversion." (Luke 15:7)

Blessed Charlie of Puerto Rico, Pray for Us!

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