THE MONKEY, THE 3 HAIL MARYS, AND THE DEVIL
In the city of Naples in the early fifteenth century, a certain distinguished gentleman began to entertain the modern notions of the day critical of the Catholic Church. Soon he had abandoned the practice of the Faith and was causing great scandal among the faithful for his open ridicule of those who frequented the Sacraments and practiced popular pious devotions. Nonetheless, his affairs prospered, as so often happens among the men of this world. He became famous for the marvelous feasts and parties that he frequently hosted in his palatial residence. Of particular interest to all was an unusual little steward who would serve the astonished guests. Dressed in a charming red velvet and gold braid vest and hat, serving plates with perfect propriety, and then offering charming displays of acrobatics, was none other than a grinning little monkey!
It was the talk of the city, and many the ladies who pleaded with their husbands to accept the invitations to a feast put on by the avowed agnostic so that they might witness the marvelous sight! Before too long, the gossip about the strange steward reached the ears of a parish priest renowned for his holiness and virtue. But instead of dismissing the talk or issuing warning about attending the parties of one so opposed to the Holy Church, the priest asked to receive an invitation to the next gala event to see for himself the truth of this talk. The host at first desisted – none of those foolish, sour-faced clerics would set foot on his premises! But in the end, his spirit of pride conquered: he wanted to flaunt the feats and antics of his devoted little four-footed servant to the credulous priest. The invitation was issued. The evening arrived, and the priest rang at the bronze gates of the palace some time after the festivities had begun. “A priest begging leave to enter my hall,” his jovial host remarked at his entrance. “Will wonders never cease! But, indeed, this is a house of wonders.” “Yes, so I have heard,” the priest calmly replied. “And truly I must say I am interested to see this amazing sight of a monkey who serves a man.”
The host immediately rang his special silver bell that called his peculiar steward to his presence. But the monkey, who only moments before had been charming a group of ladies with his antics, did not appear. The baffled host shook his head in amazement. This was the first time it had failed to respond to his call. The priest insisted: he had come expressly to see this strange sight and would not be deprived of the pleasure. The host called again. No reply. The monkey seemed to have disappeared. A search of the house was made, and finally the creature was discovered, shaking in his velvet suit under the bed of the host. It was dragged out from under the bed, the little creature trembling and struggling to escape the presence of the priest. “Now,” the priest demanded, “I command you in the name of the Almighty God, Three in One, to tell your master who you are and what is your purpose in this house.” Forced to obey, the furious, still trembling monkey spat out these words to his shocked master: “I am no ordinary beast. I am a demon from hell who has taken on the form of a monkey who attends to your every bid and call. And so I do, but I await under your bed every night for the first night that you might leave off that abominable custom taught to you by your mother of saying three Hail Marys before you retire. For then, and only then, do I have permission to strangle you in your sleep and drag your soul to the eternal fires.” With these words spoken, the writhing monkey disappeared. The arrogance and mocking manner of the host faded with the wretched creature. Ashen faced and shaken, he turned to the priest. “Ah, my fortunate man,” the holy man said. “For fortunate indeed you have been to have retained this small devotion to the Mother of Mercies, who never abandons even the most wretched who have recourse to her.” He heard the confession of the man, who became a model of faith in the city and was especially renowned for his tender devotion to the Virgin Mary. How many of us in our journey through life have felt the presence of a monkey under our beds, or in our rooms? And how many of us have experienced the goodness and mercy of Mary, who until the end of the world will never cease relieving the miseries of man and flying to their aid to return them to the path of truth, the Holy Catholic Church? The Mother of Mercy, she stays the hand of justice of her divine Son for all who invoke her, even for three Hail Marys. This story ought to move all of us to pray the 3 Hail Marys daily, morning and night. For those who honor the Mother, shall not die under the displeasure of the Son. “He who honors his mother, is as one who layeth up a treasure.” Ecclus. 3:5.
Story of the Butcher, Captain and the Old Woman
THE WEIGHT OF THE HOLY MASS: (From the Catholic Society of Evangelists Newsletter, August, 1999)
The following TRUE STORY was related to Sr. M. Veronica Murphy by an elderly nun who heard it from the lips of the late Reverend Father Stanislaus SS.CC: One day many years ago, in a little town in Luxembourg , a Captain of the Forest Guards was in deep conversation with the butcher when an elderly woman entered the shop. The butcher broke off the conversation to ask the old woman what she wanted. She had come to beg for a little meat but had no money. The Captain was amused at the woman and the butcher. ‘Only a little meat, but how much are you going to give her?’, he wondered. ‘I am sorry I have no money but I’ll hear Mass for you, ‘ the woman told the butcher. Both the butcher and the Captain were indifferent about religion, so they at once began to scoff at the old woman’s idea.
‘All right then,’ said the butcher. ‘You go and hear Mass for me and when you come back I’ll give you as much as the Mass is worth’. The woman left the shop and returned later. She approached the counter and the butcher said. ‘All right then we’ll see.’ He took a slip of paper and wrote on it ‘I heard a Mass for you.’ He placed the paper on the scales and a tiny bone on the other side, but nothing happened. Next he placed a piece of meat instead of the bone, but still the paper proved heavier. Both men were beginning to feel ashamed of their mockery but continued their game. A large piece of meat was placed on the balance, but still the paper held its own. The butcher, exasperated, examined the scales but found they were alright.
‘What do you want my good woman? Must I give you a whole leg of mutton?’ At this he placed the leg of mutton on the balance, but the paper outweighed the meat. A larger piece of meat was put on, but again the weight remained on the side of the paper. This so impressed the butcher that he was converted and promised to give the woman her daily ration of meat. As for the Captain, he left the shop a changed man and became an ardent lover of daily Mass. Two of his sons became priests, one a Jesuit and the other a Father of the Sacred Heart.
Father Stanislaus finished the story by saying, ‘I am from the Religious of the Sacred Heart & the Captain was my father. ‘From this incident the Captain became a daily Mass attendant & his children were trained to follow his example. Later, when his sons became priests, he advised them to say Mass well every day and never miss the Sacrifice of the Mass through any fault of their own. If you like the story, share it with someone.
Remember too that ‘a Holy Mass a day keeps the Devil away’. In the Mass, Jesus atones for our sins. In the Mass, our purgatory is shortened, and even possibly omitted. Those who go to Mass often will be preserved from many dangers and misfortunes that otherwise will befall them. Sometimes even a premature death, which the following two stories relate. St. Leonard related the story in THE HIDDEN TREASURE of two libertines who were out in the forest one day. They heard a cry that said, “Slay!” and one was instantly struck down by God. Then the other one heard the cry again, “Slay!” and expected certain death. Then he heard another voice say, “I cannot, for he heard Mass this morning.” His Mass preserved him from death and brought him back to God. Another story of 3 traders who took their goods to market. Two wanted to go home early rather than staying over and fulfilling their duty to go to Mass. The third would not hear it. The two left early, were crossing the bridge over the river after torrential rains, the bridge gave out and they were drowned. Pulled out of the water by the bystanders, the third recognized them the next morning on the way home after Mass, and forever after thanked God for the grace of preserving him after going to Holy Mass. In the Mass the sacrifice of Calvary is renewed. Jesus is not dying again but is being made present to us in an unbloody and invisible manner, according to the teaching of the Church. Jesus is the clean oblation offered to the Father throughout the entire world from morning till night. And this is what we say in the Offertory prayers in the traditional rite. “Accept, O Holy Father, Almighty and Eternal God, this spotless host…” And, again, “Accept, O Holy Trinity, this Oblation …” All this is foretold in Malachi: Chap.1:11: “ For from the rising of the sun even to the going down, my name is great among the Gentiles, and in every place there is sacrifice, and there is offered to my name a clean oblation: for my name is great among the Gentiles, saith the Lord of hosts.” Thus we see at the Last Supper Jesus taking the bread and saying it is His body, “Take ye and eat, This is my body,” and the chalice and saying , “This is my blood, which will be shed for many unto the remission of sins. “[26] And whilst they were at supper, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke: and gave to his disciples, and said: Take ye, and eat. This is my body. [27] And taking the chalice, he gave thanks, and gave to them, saying: Drink ye all of this. [28] For this is my blood of the new testament, which shall be shed for many unto remission of sins.” St. Matthew, chapter 26. This verse makes no sense if it is only juice or wine, because juice or wine were not poured out on the cross for us, but Christ’s real body and body. St. Paul believed it was his real body and blood. [16] The chalice of benediction, which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? And the bread, which we break, is it not the partaking of the body of the Lord? 1 Cor. 10:16.
Yet how many Catholics have left the Church and joined a protestant branch which denies these things. They no longer believe in Christ’s real presence in the Host. When one knows the truth about a doctrine of the faith yet still denies it, this is heresy. And St. Paul says a heretic is condemned by his own judgement. He goes by his own judgement, not the Church that Christ founded to “teach all nations, St. Matthew 28;19. “[10] A man that is a heretic, after the first and second admonition, avoid: [11] Knowing that he, that is such an one, is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned by his own judgment.” Titus chapter 3. St. Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, who was one of the first to speak of the Catholic Church by name in his letters, said of those who did not believe in the Holy Eucharist, “Be satisfied with merely praying to God for those who abstain from the Eucharist, because they deny it to be the flesh of Jesus Christ, who died for our sins,” while recommending the Christians not to have any communication with them.
Now let us look at the gravity of those who miss Mass on Sundays, and those who quit going altogether. St. Padre Pio, who died in 1968, bore the wounds of Jesus Christ in his body for 50 years, “the marks of the Lord Jesus in his body,” Gal. 6:17; had the gift of reading hearts in the confessional, and many other gifts including looking into the other world when God wanted to reveal something to him. One day a young lawyer went to confession to him, and after confessing, asked St. Pio about his grandfather who had died 4 years previously. His grandfather was a surgeon, and St. Pio told the young lawyer that because of his grandfather’s many good works, he was already enjoying the eternal vision of God. Then the man asked St. Pio about his other grandfather who had died 15 years before. The young man said his grandfather was an indifferent man. He would say, “Why should I go to Mass on Sundays? I prefer going out into nature and praying in the open air or at home! (But people who speak that way seldom do it). Why should I go to confession. I did not steal anything. I did not kill anybody.” With a trembling voice and quite excited, Father Pio said these dreadful words: “I cannot even look at him, he is so dreadfully ugly. He wallows in the eternal flames.” To miss Mass on Sunday without a sufficient reason is a grave violation of the third Commandment, “Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath Day.” When the Israelites committed fornication with the daughters of Moab, what was it that really flared up the anger of God, and brought death on 24,000 people? It was when the Israelites joined in the sacrifices and false worship of their false gods. “And the Lord being angry, [4] Said to Moses: Take all the princes of the people, and hang them up on gibbets against the sun: that my fury may be turned away from Israel. [5] And Moses said to the judges of Israel: Let every man kill his neighbours, that have been initiated to Beelphegor… [9] And there were slain four and twenty thousand men.’ Chapter 25 of Numbers. What did this false worship do? It gave honor to the devils, and deprived the honor which was justly due to God. “For all the gods of the Gentiles are devils.” Psalms 95:5. So we see it is a grave injustice to worship falsely, and to neglect to go to Holy Mass in the one, true, Holy Catholic Church on Sunday and Holydays. In the story, Cry of a Lost Soul, which can be found on the internet, she said that God had given her a gentle invitation to go to Mass again. “But I stifled the invitation with a decisive, “No!”Now I have to suffer the consequences of my resolution.” Like the examples of the others above who had no use for going to Mass, she lost her life that day, and lost her soul. It is hoped we will take these grave warnings to heart, and never again miss Mass on Sunday through our own fault. From the words of God to the Blessed Virgin on the 5th day of her novena for the Incarnation, “How small is the number of those who are to know and love Me as My chosen ones; and how great and extended is the number of the ungrateful and reprobate.” City of God, Bk 2, chap. 5. As the Scripture says, “The number of fools is infinite.” Eccles. 1:15.
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