The Confraternity of The Holy Sacrament
The Intercession Paper
1 July 2008
O b j e c t s
The Confraternity of The Holy Sacrament of The Sacred Body and Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ, a Devotional Society within The Evangelical Catholic Church, seeks to: (1) promote a return to Catholic piety and pracice by nurturing the proper honor and adoration due The Person of Christ Jesus our God in The Blessed Sacrament of Holy Communion; (2) foster mutual, supportive intercession for all Associates (members); (3) encourage the observance of the Catholic and primitive rule of receiving Holy Communion fasting; (4) foster the use of Private Confession (The Sacrament of Repentance); and (5) promote the celebration of The Holy Eucharist as The Chief Act of Divine Worship every Sunday and every Holy Day.
The Confraternity, through the distribution of literature and dissemination of articles on the world-wide web and in print, seeks to propagate Catholic devotion within Her Associates and those of all truly Catholic jurisdictions.
R u l e s
To receive Holy Communion every Sunday and every Holy Day when The Holy Eucharist is celebrated, unless legitimately prevented (e.g., sickness).
To personally observe the Catholic and primitive discipline of receiving Holy Communion fasting (unless excused by proper ecclesiastical authority for just reason, e.g., age, health, medical).
To offer mutual, supportive personal (and where possible, public) intercession for all Confraternity Associates and The Confraternity's Intentions at the time of, and in union with, The Holy Eucharist.
R e c o m m e n d a t i o n s
To make Offerings for the due, reverent, and frequent celebration of The Holy Eucharist ist.
To make use of The Sacrament of Repentance (Private Confession) in preparation for receiving Holy Communion.
To daily offer mutual, supportive personal (and where possible, public) intercession for all Confraternity Associates and her Intentions (using The Intercession Paper when possible).
Associates of The Confraternity are expected to make regular contributions for the support of The Confraternity as The Lord has prospered them, especially remembering the anniversary of their admittance to membership.
-- Confraternity Constitution, Article IV, Sec. 6
It is suggested that a donation of $10.00 accompany all applications for membership.
It is further suggested that every Associate of The Confraternity donate $10.00 upon each anniversary of their admittance to membership.
Mail Applications for Membership and all Donations to:
The Muslim Dance of Death
Sure, we know Muslims who eat pork and drink alcohol, who don't say prayers five times a day, and who fraternize with infidels. Such "bad" Muslims might make good friends. "Good" Muslims, on the other hand, are expected to make infidels (i.e., Christians, non-Muslims) targets of propaganda and violence, they are expected to persuade or coerce the infidel to submit to the "god" of Islam and his agents.
I didn't both ascertaining how serious Muslims were about their philosophy until 1968 or so, when I was put in danger by Muslim "friends" with the typical Muslim political agenda. That was the last time I socialized with Muslims as an individual. I want nothing to do with them now because I can't tell the difference between "bad Muslims" and those committed to using deceit, lies, and violence to harm Americans and to destroy the "Great Satan."
Not all Muslims will lie and kill in the service of their "god," but most of those who don't will encourage and support those who do. The difference between terrorists - those who celebrate their exploits -- and those who do not condemn them is only a matter of degree or time. Islamic aggression (jihad) is not an accident or exception. It proceeds from the imperatives and promises of the Archangel Gabriel (Satan in disguise?) on behalf of the Islamic "god" revealed in the Muslim "holy book" and in Muhammad's own example (the Hadith). It proceeds by violence and deceit. And it proceeds towards the universal and eternal submission of all humanity to the god of Islam and his representatives.
Maybe Muslims are not always liars, but all Muslims are authorized to lie whenever it serves the purposes of their god (taqiya), just as they are also authorized to murder when it serves their god's purposes. Muslims like to present themselves as servants of God. But in truth they are encouraged to do the work of Satan. Who is a murderer from the beginning and the father of all lies.
Unfortunately President Bush still doesn't have a clear idea of the real enemy. For him Islam is just another religion of peace which has been hijacked to serve a relatively small number of terrorists. But those who cheer terrorists on and those who consent to (and thus support) terrorism by their silence are also the enemy we need to defeat.
If I have to choose between (1) the smug "expertise" of Islamic scholars and other apologists and (2) the evidence of Muslim violence and duplicity that pours in daily from around the world, I'll trust the latter!
Muslim apologists prefer to call their critics names like "ignorant" ("Blaming the faith . . . is a result of ignorance about Islam"), "arrogant" ("People who know very little about their own religion have suddenly become experts on Islam") and "neo-Nazi" ("Anti-Islam rhetoric is in vogue, just like anti-Semitism around the Second World War"). But rather than be diverted by such scripted lies and propaganda and distracted by the intentional Muslim confusion of myth and reality, allow me to state a few facts.
Anti-Islamic rhetoric is not in vogue. Too many Americans still believe that Islam is a religion of peace and that only "a few misguided Muslims" are murdering and lying. Ayaan Hirsi Ali explodes that myth when she admits: "There is good and evil in human beings, and Islam gives justification to cultivate evil." What cultivates evil is evil. Islam is an "evil cult" - the religion of Satan.
Islam does not believe in Jesus, God Incarnate, nor in His teachings. Islam does not believe that Jesus is "very God of very God" and Savior of all who believe on Him. They don't believe that He rose from the dead because they don't even believe He really died. Muslims claim they believe in Jesus but they believe in a fraudulent Jesus tailored by Mohammed to suit their own purposes and goals.
I did not appreciate Pope John Paul II's smoozing with such deniers of Jesus Christ, as though truth and falsehood were compatible when sincere. The ancient Byzantine emperor had it right when he challenged Muslims to "show me what Muhammad brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached."
And spare me your specious historical references and distortions of the Scriptures. Just show me a majority of Muslims anywhere who are not supportive of the violence and duplicity against the U.S. and the West, against non-Muslims everywhere.
The 13 October 2007 Open Letter and Call to Pope Benedict and "all Christian leaders everywhere" from 138 Muslim "scholars" reminds me of the Japanese diplomats who jacked us around in 1941 while their military prepared to strike Pear Harbor.
Point One: There is no common religious ground between Muslims and Christians.
Point Two: There is no common political ground either.
Point Three: The proposed peace conference is just a ploy to divert attention from the "holy" aggression of Islam.
Allow me to take these points up in more detail.
For Christians, monotheism is not a basis for fellowship or coöperation. Even the demons believe that God is One (vide: James 2:19). Muslims, too, believe that God is one. But they do NOT worship nor love the God Who is known only through His Son, Jesus the Christ (vide: John 14:6).
This Jesus is more than the son of Mary, more than a Prophet. Though He and His Father are one, He became flesh (i.e., human), suffered and died fro our sins, rose from the dead for our justification and will come again to be our Judge.
When Muslims accept that, they we will have common religious ground. Then I will greet them with as-salaam alaikum and welcome them to my house as honored guests and true brothers (2 John vv.7-11).
If these mullahs really wanted to make a positive contribution to peace, why didn't they meet first with the mujahideen leaders, with Osama bin Ladin (al-Qaida), Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (Iran) or Hassan Nasrallah (Hezbollah)? None of the leading jihadists signed the Open Letter and Call.
And it was not sent to any American political or military leaders, though Americans (not Christians nor Crusaders) are fighting those who want to kill and take over all non-Muslim people and nations.
A peace conference without the combatants is for propaganda, not peace. Maybe we should coin a new term for the Muslim "religious" leaders: taqiyists (i.e., holy dissemblers). Taqiyists provide the convenient lies to hid or excuse the murderous violence of the faithful and pious Muslims (the jihadists). Cf. John 8:44.
Russia and China may encourage and support Muslims for their own purposes, but Muslims have ruthlessly pursued their own goals since the early Middle Ages without outside help. The fact is that from the seventh century on "holy deceit" (taqiya) and "holy violence" (jihad) have characterized the Muslim mission "to convert everybody either by persuasion or by force" (Ibn Khaldun, The Muqaddimah, III, 31).
To convert by force is "compulsion" by definition. So, the Muslim "holy book" 2:256 notwithstanding, there is compulsion in the political-religious philosophy of Islam. Islam is built on it. The "no-compulsion" mantra is mere propaganda which seeks to veil the atrocities Muslims commit daily against infidels and those whom they see as backsliders.
The problem for Islam is not that a few misguided Muslims are giving Islam a bad name but that Islam as a whole has not resolved the medieval problem of violence and deceit as legitimate means to realize the will of their god.
Muslim atrocities are reported almost daily because Muslims do atrocious things almost daily: blow up children, burn Christian Churches, torture and behead captives, etc. You know the drill.
The Crusades were attempts by European Christians to come to the aid of their persecuted and murdered brothers and sisters in the Middle East who had been brutally conquered by the swords of Islam. Muslims still aspire to add to the House of Islam by Conquest.
The Inquisition continues even today - but now it is in the form of fatwas against critics of Islam.
Slavery was and still is being practiced by Muslims everywhere (e.g., the Sudan).
The Slaughter of those calling themselves Jews of Bani Qurayza provided Ahmadinejad with the only model he needed for solving the Jewish question.
The West has skeletons aplenty in its closet, no doubt. But Islam's medieval skeletons are still out dancing in the streets and ordinary Muslims join their danse macabre, their dance of death.
Accept, Gracious Lord, our praise and thanksgiving this day for the gift of Thy Sacred Body and Most Precious Blood; May we never cease to hunger for this Heavenly Food! Let us share in the fellowship of all Thy children throughout time and space who come to Thy Table, and join this prayer to those of The Confraternity which daily come before Thee.
This day we pray especially . . . (use the schedule of Daily Intercessions here provided, or your own special prayers).
Let our participation in The Holy Eucharist be a strong defense against the temptations of The Devil, the world, and our flesh. Keep us ever in The Fellowship of Thy Church (The Communion of Saints), and enable us to always reflect in our words and lives the great love which Thou has shown us in The Holy Sacrament of Thy Sacred Body and Most Precious Blood. For Thine own sake we pray. Amen.
In union, dear Lord, with The Faithful at every Altar of Thy Church where Thy Sacred Body and Most Precious Blood are being offered, I desire to offer Thee my praise and thanksgiving. I believe that Thou art truly present in The Holy Sacrament. And since I can not receive Thee sacramentally at this time, I beseech Thee to come spiritually into my soul. I unite myself unto Thee, and embrace Thee with all the affections of my heart. Let me live and die in Thy love. Amen.
The Catholic and Primitive Discipline of receiving Holy Communion f a s t i n g is interpreted by The Confraternity as meaning the Traditional Fast from all food and drink from the previous midnight (the beginning of the day). Dispensation by proper authority for just reason (e.g., age, medical) is recognized.
For The Holy Sacrament and the comfort, strength, and forgiveness received therein;
For our Catholic heritage and the living testimony of such reforming saints as: Laurentius Petri, Archbishop of Upsala; Father Martin Luther, Doctor & Renewer of The Church; and Father Ignaz von Döllinger, Defender of The Faith;
For the Liturgical Movement, which brings greater depth, understanding, and devotion to our worship and faith;
That The Divine Liturgy (The Holy Eucharist) is once again becoming the proper center of Christian corporate worship, now celebrated in many of our parishes every Sunday and Holy Day;
For the re-awakening to Dr. Luther's goals and understanding within the so-called"Lutheran" jurisdictions in the USA;
For the growing realization that The Church is Israel, the Chosen People of God;
That the sins of individualism and congregational "autonomy" are finally being recognized within the so-called American Lutheran jurisdictions within the U.S.A.;
For the Öcumenical Movement and the appreciation of the historic continuity and unity of The Church which it creates and preserves among us;
For the friendly meetings and discussions between Catholic & Orthodox representatives of The Lutheran, The Orthodox, The Old Catholic, The Roman, and The Anglican confessional jurisdictions;
For those jurisdictions which mistakenly consider themselves to be within and part of The Body of Christ but who actually separated from The Church when they adopted the pagan, secular and anti-Scriptural practice and custom of attempting to ordain females to the office and work of The Holy Ministry, that they may come to see their sin and truly and honestly repent;
For those jurisdictions deceiving their members by publicly but falsely proclaiming that Christians worship the same god proclaimed by Mohammed (the "prophet" whom Dr. Martin Luther correctly identified as "The Disciple of Satan"), that The Faithful come to understand that these jurisdictions, too, (like Islam) worship Satan and not Jesus, the One True God;
For The Confraternity's continued growth in membership, the blessings of faithful priests and Bishops, and the comforting doctrine of The Communion of Saints;
For all our answered prayers & every opportunity to witness to our Faith;
For all personal blessings (especially ___________________________________________);
For this whole day, that it may be perfect, holy, peaceful and sinless.
O LORD JESUS, I am not worthy that Thou shouldest enter my sinful heart, but Thou knowest my great poverty and need. I long for Thy presence with all my heart; therefore, feed, comfort and strengthen my poor soul. Amen.
For The Confraternity of The Holy Sacrament of Our Lord's Sacred Body and Most Precious Blood, that it may be an instrument used by God to enrich the worship, faith and lives of all His children;
For all Associates and Friends of The Confraternity, that their witness to Confraternity principles may be pleasing in God's sight and have a laudatory influence upon all their Brothers and Sisters in Christ;
For a restoration of Apostolic Orders within all jurisdictions in the U.S.A. faithful to the Lutheran Confessional Movement within the One Orthodox Catholic Church;
For Lutheran religious communities in the U.S.A.; vocations to the Religious Life; postulants, novices, oblates; and growth of the Contemplative Life;
For all who boldly speak and live God's Word, even when violently opposed by the so-called leadership of The Church or the secular government, that their witness to God's Truth may bear much fruit;
For developing Communities and Communities beginning new work, especially The Evangelical Brotherhood of The Cross (Franciscan) in Florida, and The Congregation of The Servants of Christ (Benedictine) in Michigan;
For The Evangelical Catholic Church and Bishop Karl; The Anglican Catholic Church and Bishop Mark Haverland; The Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America and Met. Philip; and the Episcopal Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of America and Met. Scott McLaughlin;
For The Order of The Servants of The Holy Cross, within the E.C.C. and The Congregation of the Servants of Christ at St. Augustine's House in Oxford, Michigan;
For Luke Miller of Atlanta, Georgia, David C. Noe of McKinney, Texas, Donald F. Cooley of LaPorte, Indiana, Josh Hortman of Lubbock, Texas, Peter Cvek of Stony Creek. Victoria. Australia, Robert Kessler of Mohrsville, Pennsylvania, and for all men seeking valid Holy Orders;
For those estranged from our Family's sacramental life, the sick, the poor, the lonely, the unemployed, the persecuted, all in want or danger (and especially for ____________________________________________).
MAY the taking of Thy Body, Lord Jesus, which I, though unworthy, presume to receive, redound not to my judgment and condemnation, but profit me according to Thy goodness as a shield of spirit and body, and be received as an healing potion, as Thou hast spoken to me and commanded me to believe, Thou Who livest and reignest with God, world without end. Amen.
For those parishes which reverently reserve the consecrated Bread and Wine of The Holy Eucharist, conscientiously and piously distributing It to the sick, suffering, sorrowful, aged, imprisoned, and lonely that they may more fully share in The Church's celebration of this Sacrament of Forgiveness and Unity;
That the Real Presence of Our Lord Jesus Christ in The Holy Sacrament of His Sacred Body and Most Precious Blood be reverently acknowledged by all The Faithful;
That the blessings of Holy Unction (Anointing of the Sick) become more fully appreciated and this ministry more widespread within American Lutheran jurisdictions;
For the sick, infirm, troubled, lonely (and especially for _____________________________________________);
For all substance abusers, their families, and all engaged in their rehabilitation;
For all hospitals and nursing homes, and for all those who care for the residents therein;
For all unborn children, that The Faithful witness and work with charity and strength for the Pro-Life movement, remembering that The Church has always taught that "life begins with conception, because we contend that the soul begins with conception" (Tertullian, A.D. 208), and "women who induce abortions are murderers, and will have to give account of it to God". and that those "who furnish drugs for the purpose of procuring abortion . . . are made subject to the penalty prescribed for murderers";
That a cure for AIDS, ALS, MS and all other dreaded diseases may be quickly found;
That The Lord's Supper empower all The Faithful to be bold witnesses (to all with whom they live and work) of God's love in Christ Jesus for all people;
For all the Evangelical Orthodox Catholic Christians who have gone before us to their rest and who are now asleep in the Lord and especially the faithful departed servants of God: Father Rudolph Eric Kurz, Pastor of St. Athanasius Evangelical Catholic Mission in Forsyth, Missouri, and Bishop Karl Prüter, retired Primate of Christ Catholic Church;
For those things which are good and profitable for our souls, and for the peace of the world.
HAIL, Most Holy Body of Christ! Blessed Jesus: Be Thou to me, the sinner, Life, Health and Salvation; be Thou my Food, my Consolation now and at the hour of my death. Amen.
For more careful and devout preparation before and thanksgiving after celebrating and receiving Holy Communion;
For a universal observing of Catholic discipline and for the fulfilling of The Church's precepts;
That The Holy Eucharist be celebrated throughout The Church with greater devotion, frequency, and regularity;
For a restoration of the Biblical, Confessional, and Catholic understanding of The Church as Christ's visible presence with us in the world today;
For a wider use and understanding of The Sacrament of Repentance (Private Confession);
For all renewal movements within The Church, that they prove to be a real blessing to The Body of Christ;
For The Fellowship of Saint Augustine and The Society of The Incarnate Word;
That Holy Communion be always received fasting;
For the work of The Church among Her own members and for all new missions and apostolates;
For The Wm. L. Gleason Studio (for Christian Arts and Iconography) in southwestern Michigan and Father Gleason's ministry;
That The Body of Christ be recognized as The New Israel to whom all the promises of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob now apply;
That Jesus, born of the Ever-Virgin Mary, be recognized as God-Incarnate, the one true God by Whom all things were made;
For the internal peace and unity of The Church;
For The Church throughout the world, especially in Norway, Iraq, Communist occupied China, New Zealand, Argentina, Puerto Rico, occupied Lebanon, Pakistan, Latvia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Austria, The Ukraine, Portugal, Greenland, Columbia, and Canada;
For the Faithful who have been seriously placed in danger and jeopardy by the indifference, ignorance, or even hostility of the U.S. government in Iraq, that they be protected from the assaults and attacks of the Satanic Muslims and the apparent indifference of the American government;
For all who are unjustly imprisoned, the persecuted (especially The Faithful in or by communist China, Saudi Arabia and occupied Palestine {Israel}), and those forced to emigrate, leaving behind their families, businesses and homes.
HAIL, Most Precious Blood of my Savior, washing away all my sin! Most loving Jesus, do Thou cleanse, sanctify and preserve my soul to everlasting life. Amen.
That the Apostolate of The Confraternity may be blessed and Her membership grow, especially among Bishops, Priests, Deacons, Seminarians, Religious and Lay Leaders of The Church of The Augsburg Confession in the USA;
That all Wards (especially my own) be blessed and grow;
That The Confraternity may be an instrument used by God to enrich the worship, faith and lives of all His children;
That all our spiritual Fathers zealously defend and teach the full Catholic and Orthodox Faith;
That all Bishops be faithful to their high calling, giving effective witness to The Church's true unity and Her continuing, unchanging Apostolic Faith;
That all The Faithful firmly believe in the physical, bodily Real Presence of Jesus the one true God in The Sacrament of Holy Communion;
That the authority of Holy Scripture, the example of Jesus our God, and the witness of Holy Tradition, by the working of The Holy Spirit, overcome and correct the pagan influences on The Body of Christ in this modern day --- especially awakening us to the grave sin committed when we futilely attempt to "ordain" a female to the office and work of God's Holy Ministry;
That the ungodly teachings and examples of the Disciple of Satan (Mohammed) become universally understood and recognized within Islam, causing his followers to turn to Jesus, God Incarnate, as their Redeemer, Saviour and the One True God;
For all parish Altar Guilds;
For renewal in Faith, Life, and Discipline in all congregations;
For the continued growth and prosperity of The Philippine Independent Catholic Church (a full member of the world-wide Anglican Communion) and Her missionary endeavors here in the United States;
For The Episcopal Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of America, Her Metropolitan, and Her witness and work;
For a deeper religious observance and experience of The Church's Liturgical Year;
For the parish and Altar at which I worship;
That an awareness and appreciation of the work and witness of The Confraternity grows among The Faithful, especially those adhering to The Augsburg Confession in North America.
Preserve in us, O Lord, the gift of Thy grace, that by the power and virtue of The Eucharist which we have received we may be fortified against all evils now and evermore; through Christ Jesus our Lord and only Saviour. Amen.
For all who receive The Holy Eucharist perfunctorily and without fasting;
For all who neglect participation in the weekly celebration of The Lord's Supper;
That The Divine Liturgy (The Holy Breaking of Bread; Holy Communion) be always celebrated with the greatest care and reverence;
For all who fail to examine themselves carefully so that, by The Spirit, they come to understand Holy Communion as constituting, expressing, and celebrating The Church's true unity;
For all who are estranged from the sacramental life of The Church;
That the lapsed may return to their Spiritual Mother, The Church;
That the scandal and sin of disunity in Christendom be quickly ended; and that the self-justifying denial of the visible actuality of The Church be exposed and remedied by The Holy Spirit;
That there may be a deeper understanding of the Catholic Sociology taught in The Divine Liturgy;
That The Lord preserve Catholic Faith and Order in all discussions and plans of unity and fellowship among all Orthodox Catholic jurisdictions throughout the world;
That all efforts of evangelism be blessed, and especially that there may be more Christian Day [Elementary] Schools;
That the followers of Mohammed, the Disciple of Satan, come to recognize and believe in Jesus of Nazareth as the one true God Who loves them and gives them the unearned gift and assurance of true and certain salvation;
That the descendants of those who refused to recognize and believe in Jesus (the descendant of King David) during His sojourn here on earth as God's Promised Messiah have their eyes and hearts opened by the Holy Spirit that they may again join Israel (The Body of Christ, The Church) and reclaim the Promises made by the God of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob to Israel (The Church);
That the end of our lives may be Christian, without torment, blameless and peaceful, and that we may have a good defense before the fearful Judgment Seat of Christ Jesus our God.
I BELIEVE, O Lord, and I confess that Thou art truly the Christ, the Son of the Living God, Who didst come into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. And I believe that this is truly Thine own Immaculate Body, and that this is truly Thine own Precious Blood. Wherefore I pray Thee, have mercy upon me and forgive me my transgressions both voluntary and involuntary, of word and of deed, whether committed with knowledge or in ignorance; and make me worthy to partake without condemnation of Thine Immaculate Mysteries, unto the remission of my sins and unto life everlasting. Amen.
That The Divine Liturgy (The Mass) be recognized universally as the chief service (Hauptgottesdienst) of Sunday worship for all baptized: infants, youth and adults;
That all Priests and Bishops be permitted and encouraged to celebrate The Holy Eucharist daily, and that weekday Communion attendance and participation may increase;
That the fullness of Eucharistic Worship may be more fully taught and The Faithful better instructed;
That The Lord would raise up men and women of faith to serve Him in religious communities within The Church of The Augsburg Confession throughout the world, but especially in the United States of America;
That the historic Orthodox Catholic liturgies may be restored to The Church;
That all The Faithful carry Christ from The Mass into their daily lives;
For a greater use of Retreat and Quiet Days;
For the true Catholic Reunion of all Christian jurisdictions, and that all The Faithful learn the primacy of Eucharistic Worship;
That our attitudes, behavior, posture, voice, life and bodies may all be employed to give devout expression to our deepest beliefs and Catholic Faith;
For an angel of Peace, a Faithful Guide, a Guardian of our souls and bodies.
WE do not presume to come to this Thy Table, O Merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness or good works, but rather in Thy manifold and great mercies. We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under Thy Table; but Thou art the same Lord Whose property is always to have mercy; Grant us therefore, Gracious Lord, so to eat the Flesh of Thy Dear Son, and to drink His Blood, that we may continually dwell in Him and He in us, that our sinful bodies may be made clean by His Sacred Body, and our souls washed through His Most Precious Blood. Amen.
The Church & Her Faith
+ In Memoriam +
The Rt. Rev'd Fr. Rudolph Eric Kurz, D.D.
27 Nov. 1935 - 13 Dec. 2007