+JMJ+ June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the novena begins today, June 3.

• Novena to the Sacred Heart (this is only the nine days themes and daily closing prayer; see links below for the complete novena). 
• Padre Pio’s Efficacious Prayer to the Sacred Heart (on this site).

Full novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus:

• Sacred Heart Novena and more at the National Catholic Register.
• Sacred Heart Novena at the Pray More Novenas site.
• USCCB Sacred Heart Novena in PDF format on the USCCB site.

Thank you for visiting and reading. Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us! May we be not afraid to become saints! God bless you and may His peace be always with you. +JMJ+

Image: Sacred Heart of Jesus.

+JMJ+ Greetings, y’all! During the Blessed Virgin Mary’s month of May I’m writing posts about her. One of the books I’m reading right now is Mary in Our Life by Fr. William G. Most. This post will focus on mental prayer and touch on our Blessed Mother’s help in our spiritual life. See other posts in this brief series.

Before we begin with our text, let me share with you what I just discovered: you can read Mary in Our Life online at the Catholic Culture website. The section covered in this post is Chapter XII: Pondering in Our Hearts with Mary. I had a difficult decision as to which chapter to focus on for this, our last post in the series for now, before we return to the Carmelite books, I Want to See God and Divine Intimacy (series link). I had narrowed it down to these three, all of which show the importance of our Blessed Mother—and about her role—in the Christian’s interior life: 

• Chapter X: Aridity, Consolations, and the Presence of Mary
• Chapter XI: The Humility of His Handmaid
• Chapter XII: Pondering in Our Hearts with Mary

I finally chose Chapter XII: Pondering in Our Hearts with Mary. This chapter deals more closely with mental prayer than those others and that helps tie it in with our previous (and ongoing) series, too.

Twice within the second chapter of his Gospel, St. Luke tells us of Mary’s habit of meditating on the great mysteries in which she was taking part. After the shepherds had left, we read: “But Mary kept all these words, pondering them in her heart.” Again, after the return to Nazareth, when Jesus had been lost, and found in the temple, “His mother kept all these words in her heart.” (See Luke 2:19 and 2:51.)

These two scanty references give us but a glimpse of the soul of Mary. They show her to us as one whose communion with God in mental prayer or meditation was constant. Actually her prayer was of a loftier kind than meditation: she was engaged in contemplation, the form of prayer to which meditation ought to lead in a fervent and generous soul. For if other saints have enjoyed contemplation, certainly she who was full of grace far surpassed all others in her contemplation.

—Mary in Our Life, 105.

Mental prayer “aims at a union of the soul with God. Therefore its two essential parts are, first, the work of the mind, which reasons and ponders; and second, the work of the will, which, deriving motivation from the work of the mind, unites us to God in a loving conversation with Him…no matter what method we employ, this is its purpose. Method is useful or useless to us on any given occasion according as it helps or hinders us in the accomplishment of these ends. (Page 106)

If you’ve read any other Catholic Christian works on prayer, you probably already know about its general structure, and this is not meant to be too closely followed, I mean, not held to so closely that one is not open to the leading of the Holy Spirit during prayer. But self-deception can sneak up on one so easily that using some method helps to guard against that. Or else we can spend our entire prayer time with our minds wandering while we talk to ourselves, not praying for even a moment. 

Fr. Most spends much of this chapter showing how to go about mental prayer. I highly recommend that you read it and then read it again. I like the helps he mentions—using the Gospels, the Psalms, the Rosary, the Way of the Cross, the Passion, some other good book for prayer and meditation. 

Some lines I highlighted in my own reading follow.

After recalling our minds to the presence of God and making acts of adoration to Him, we should remember that “the graces of meditation come to us through Mary, and since she is so intimately associated with her divine Son throughout all the work of redemption, we will do well to try to make our whole meditation in mindfulness of her presence as well as of His…In meditation, however, even though we are not at every moment calling on Mary, yet her help is constantly supporting us, for all graces come through her. ” (107. Emphasis in the original.)

Fr. Most suggests we spend a brief period of self-examination which should be “followed by acts of sorrow, for true contrition is really love expressing its regret for sin.” (109-110. Emphasis mine.)

He also reminds us that emotions are not the essential thing in prayer. They may or may not be present or make themselves felt. And their presence or lack thereof does not tell us anything about the quality of our prayer or our spiritual life. They can be a distraction and we would do well not to go looking for them.

This reminded me at once of something I think I read long ago by St. Francis de Sales, probably in his Introduction to the Devout Life (read online): we should seek not the gifts but the Giver of the gifts. (I’m paraphrasing St. Francis. And I’m not even sure he was the one I’m thinking of. Perhaps someone will mention it in the comments. When I find it, I’ll add the citation here.) And this, of course, reminds me of John 6:22-27 (RSVCE) where the crowd follows Jesus around because they’re hoping for more bread, not because they have witnessed His miracles and recognize Him as the Lord, the Son of God.

It’s worth, I think, repeating that emotions are not necessary in mental prayer. They may or may not be present so don’t be thinking that your prayer is worthless if you don’t come away from it with all sorts of great emotions and consolations and feeling like you’re floating along on the clouds like a harp-strumming angel. The Lord may grant you some consolations and He may not and that’s not the point anyway so we have to get back to what we’re supposed to be doing, which is praying, not stopping by to get a quick charge and then go off on our merry way. This is what some people do when they should be worshiping: they try to stir themselves up into a frenzy and then call that being spiritual and worshiping God when they’re worshiping themselves and doing just what the people in the Gospel did when they chased Jesus all around, hoping for a miracle and a piece of bread, not to strengthen their faith but to satisfy their curiosity and their bellies.

At some point we need to stop talking and listen for that still, small voice, those inner promptings that we are so good at ignoring. And we also need to take some time to gaze at Him, the One Who we know loves us, because He is Love.

One thing I have asked of the Lord, this will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. That I may see the delight of the Lord, and may visit his temple.

—Psalm 27:4 RSVCE.

I recommend the whole chapter, and the whole book, to you and there we will leave it for now. Thank you for visiting and reading. And may we be not afraid to become saints! God bless you and may His peace be always with you. +JMJ+

Notes and Links

• You can read Mary in Our Life online at the Catholic Culture website. Just discovered that today, May 28.
• Mary In Our Life, by Fr. William G. Most: Hardcover, Paperback, published by Literary Licensing, LLC; or this Paperback with a pretty cover, published by Angelus Press (Amazon affiliate links, see Full Disclosure below).
• Mary In Our Life, by Fr. William Most: direct from Angelus Press, Paperback or ebook. I think it you can get Kindle, Nook, and Apple Books (formerly iBooks) versions from them.
• Introduction to the Devout Life, by St. Francis de Sales: Paperback (TAN Classics), Kindle (not the TAN book) (Amazon affiliate links, see Full Disclosure below) or read free online.

Images: Virgin of Humility, by Fra Angelico, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain. Adoration photo by Jacob Bentzinger on Unsplash

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+JMJ+ Greetings, y’all! During the Blessed Virgin Mary’s month of May I’m writing posts about her focuing on the book, Mary in Our Life, by Fr. William Most. I was going to post one tonight (Part 3), but health issues are making that rather difficult. I’m going to try to finish it up and post it tomorrow, Thursday, instead. It’s a section of the book that deals with mental prayer, tying it in with what we were seeing in our Carmelite book, I Want to See God.

Check back tomorrow, probably late as I have someone coming over to help me for a while and I don’t know for sure when or for how long. I need the help but when my energy is low like this, I’m left exhausted by even a brief time. 

Sarcoidosis takes a toll on ya, lemme tell ya. For many years I could live a fairly normal life, but now things sure are different. This is a whole other ballgame and I’m still discovering how to deal with it, some new development all the time. If only they were fun developments. But no! They’re not. 

Okay, enough of that. I’m boring myself and probably you, too. Thank you for visiting and reading. And may you and I be not afraid to become saints! God bless you and may His peace be always with you. +JMJ+

Notes and Links

• Mary In Our Life, by Fr. William G. Most: Hardcover, Paperback, published by Literary Licensing, LLC; or this Paperback with a pretty cover, published by Angelus Press (Amazon affiliate links, see Full Disclosure below).
• Mary In Our Life, by Fr. William Most: direct from Angelus Press, Paperback or ebook. I think it you can get Kindle, Nook, and Apple Books (formerly iBooks) versions from them. 

Image: Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com

+JMJ+ Greetings, y’all! During the Blessed Virgin Mary’s month of May I’m writing posts about her. One of the books I’m reading right now is Mary in Our Life by Fr. William G. Most. What I’m most interested in right now are 1) her title as Co-Redemptrix (see part 1), and 2) the hyperdulia that she is owed, and why. I think these are things maybe the most misunderstood, even by Catholics. Join me as I work on deepening my own understanding of these important teachings of our faith. This week we’ll look at hyperdulia. Before that we need to understand at least something about latria and dulia, the worship (adoration) owed to God and the veneration (honor) owed to the saints.

First let’s look at what we owe to the Lord with respect to worship. We owe the Lord the highest form of worship possible: latria, adoration. I’m not going to go into what older uses of the word entail. Let’s suffice it to say here that the Lord is owed adoration and only the Lord is owed adoration. It is not proper to give adoration, to adore, any other person or Person. We say, in everyday language, that we adore so-and-so or this or that, but that is everyday language. In this study, and on this blog in general, I’ll be using theological terms and the theological use of the word adoration is used in a very specific way. Only the Lord is due adoration. Kneeling, head bowed, hands folded in an attitude of prayer, adoration. What we do before the Blessed Sacrament. Or when we genuflect toward the tabernacle (or rather the Lord in the tabernacle) or bow toward the altar (the place where the Eucharistic sacrifice takes place) in the church.

What we owe the angels and saints, however, is never adoration. What we owe them is: dulia, honor, veneration. And if we owe the angels and saints honor and veneration, how much more so do we owe honor and veneration to the Blessed Virgin, the Mother of Our Lord, the one who said Yes, “Fiat! Let it be done unto me according to Thy word!” The one who gave of her own flesh that would become the flesh of the One Who created her and all things. What we owe her is hyperdulia, the highest honor possible to give to one who was created. Of all created beings she is the highest. This hyperdulia is not merely more dulia or even a higher degree of that dulia, but of a higher kind. (See pg 60.)

Dulia is a Greek word meaning “service.” The prefix hyper means “above.”–Ibid., 65,

(Remember, Jesus is not a created being. He is the Word made flesh, the Word Incarnate. He is not a human person. He is a Divine Person with both a human and a divine nature.)

• So, to the uncreated Trinity we give latria, adoration.
• To tha angels and saints, dulia, veneration.
• To the Blessed Virgin Mary, hyperdulia, the highest level of honor and veneration given to a creature who is unique among all creatures. No one else was chosen to give carry Jesus in her womb, no one else, no man or woman, was chosen to give his or her flesh to Him. 

And what do we most want her to do for us? Well, we know, or should know, that she always points to her Son and says, “Do whatever He tells you.” (See the Wedding at Cana, John 2:1-12.) But we also pray these words at the end of the Hail, Mary prayer: Holy, Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death.” As Fr. Most says in his book:

“Especially do we rely on Mary’s protection and help to obtain for us that grace which the Council of Trent calls the great gift: the gift of final perseverance, which alone is sufficient and necessary to make our death a happy death.”—Ibid., 60.

“…we can now see that devotion to Mary is not to be considered as optional or as a luxury item in the spiritual life. At least a certain basic filial devotion to Mary is a necessity, even for salvation (unless, of course, one is excused by ignorance). This follows from the fact that God has made Mary the constant subordinate helper of His Divine Son throughout all the work of the Redemption, so that He dispenses no graces except through her. No one can say that he loves the Son who ignores the Mother. Certainly it would be a great disorder for anyone to go directly contrary to the plans of God and neglect Mary…Of course, as we have already said, it is not necessary that we ask explicitly for the intercession of Mary each time we pray.”—Ibid., 62.

A good way to begin every day with our Lord Jesus and His Blessed Mother is with the Morning (or Daily) Offering. There are various versions of the Offering. This is the one I have used for many years.

O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer You my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world. I offer them for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart: the conversion of sinners, salvation of souls, reparation for sins (including my own), the reunion of all Christians. I offer them for the intentions of our bishops and of all Apostles of Prayer, and in particular for those recommended by our Holy Father this month. Amen.

Thank you for visiting and reading. May you and I be not afraid to become saints! God bless you and may His peace be always with you. +JMJ+

Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia,
Because the Lord is truly risen, alleluia.

Notes and Links

• Mary In Our Life, by Fr. William G. Most: Hardcover, Paperback, published by Literary Licensing, LLC; or this Paperback with a pretty cover, published by Angelus Press (Amazon affiliate links, see Full Disclosure below).
• Mary In Our Life, by Fr. William Most: direct from Angelus Press, Paperback or ebook. I think it you can get Kindle, Nook, and Apple Books (formerly iBooks) versions from them. 

Images: Virgin of Humility, by Fra Angelico, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain. Christ Appearing to His Mother by Juan de Flandes, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain. Large version at the Met.

Series Navigation
Mary in Our Life Annotated TOC
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+JMJ+ Greetings, y’all! During May I’ll be posting posts about our Blessed Mother. May is her month, after all. One of the books I’m reading right now is Mary in Our Life by Fr. William G. Most. The sections I’m focusing on right now are about 1) her title as Co-Redemptrix, and 2) the hyperdulia that she is owed and why. See the annotated TOC. Last week’s post was an introduction of sorts. This post is part 1.

The section on the title of Co-Redemptrix, from page 259 to 267, consists of quotes from documents of the Church, theologians, and a section on those who argued in what appears to me to be almost dissenting. I’m not sure it rises to the level of formal dissent. But it looks perilously close to it to me. Maybe they were thinking out loud. I don’t know yet. I’ll pay special attention to that given our presnt circumstances, but anything I say of my own will necessarily be merely my opinion. Take it with a grain of salt. I’m not trying to teach, I’m trying to understand. My wee little mind is wrestling with these complicated things that are complicated. (Remember that? Twitter/X link.) 

Mostly, right now at least, I’ll be sharing notes and quotes, expanding on ideas where I think it’s needed, a definition or link here and there. I may write something about my own thoughts at some point, too. You see, this idea that we shouldn’t or can’t use the title Co-Redemptrix anymore (because it would need to be explained—excuse me, isn’t that the case with most of Catholicism?) has been bugging me since I first became aware of it and I’m determined to get to the bottom of it, one way or another. You’re welcome to go on the journey with me. 

We’ll dip into the first part of the book before we get into the Co-Redemptrix section which is in Appendix III, and later on, not today, we’ll come back to the main text because it’s very rich and will help us develop a well-founded devotion to the Blessed Virgin, as you’ll see in the first few quotes. And it ties in with mental prayer, which we’ve been looking into in our Carmelite series, which will resume after May and our posts about Mary, our Blessed Mother.

Quotes begin here and are all from Mary in Our Life, by Fr. William G. Most, unless otherwise indicated.

The theme of this book can be summed up in one sentence: God has given to Mary an all-pervading place in the work of the Redemption; therefore, if we wish to imitate the ways of God as perfectly as possible, we should give her a corresponding place in our spiritual lives. 

We are going to study both aspects of that theme: the dogmas [Truths infallibly defined by the Magisterium to be divinely revealed. See note at the end of this post for more.] that show Mary’s place in the plans of God, and the means by which we can make our lives harmonize with God’s plans. For doctrine and devotion are closely interrelated. Our devotion must be solidly grounded on the firm rock of dogma; otherwise devotion will be shallow. But knowledge of dogma should deepen devotion; otherwise we may become hard. In our Introduction we present the deeper reasons why devotion should flow from doctrine, so that the reader may gain the maximum profit from this book. —vii

In [upcoming] chapters we discover the very essence of spiritual growth—growth in love of God and neighbor. We study the principal virtues that make room for love: humility and mortification. We examine the na- ture and the normal stages in the development of mental prayer, from the meditation of beginners up to the first forms of mystical infused prayer. After this we discuss the great means of grace—the Mass and the Sacraments, and Mary’s relation to them…—viii

Quotes from Chapter III, the Popes and the Co-Redemptrix [Pages 18-19]

Now, although this guidance is sometimes given in the form of solemn definitions, such as those of the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption, a great part of the Church’s teaching is promulgated in other forms.

A curious misunderstanding often appears even among educated Catholics: it is thought that nothing less than a solemn definition carries any binding force for Catholics. This error had become so common that the Holy Father himself saw fit to strike at it. In his encyclical, Humani generis, of August 12,1950, Pope Pius XII wrote as follows:

Nor must one think that the things which are taught in Encyclical Letters do not of themselves demand assent, on the pretext that in them the Popes do not exercise the supreme power of their teaching authority. For these things are taught with the ordinary teaching authority, in regard to which it is also correct to say: “He who heareth you, heareth Me. [AAS* 42:568]

Most of the teachings found in encyclicals are on matters that are already settled and accepted in Catholic doctrine. But if the Pope reaches beyond that area, and deliberately gives, in an encyclical or other official document, a judgment on a doctrinal matter that was up to that time controverted, then all Catholics must consider the controversy as settled. They must accept what the Holy Father teaches, giving true internal assent to his words.2 The fact that these statements are not in the form of solemn definitions does not destroy their binding force; after all, the preaching of the Apostles was not in the form of definitions: yet of it Our Lord said: “He who heareth you, heareth Me.”

B. Papal Texts [Pages 259-262]

[There are pages of papal texts in this section. I’ll give quotes from the first three popes for now. Some formatting, bold, etc., added by me to help make it clearer on the screen.]

1. Pope Pius IX
   Text: Ineffabilis Deus (December 8, 1854)
   And therefore just as Christ, the Mediator of God and men, having
   assumed human nature, blotted out the handwriting of the decree that was against us, and, as a conqueror, fastened it to the cross, so the most holy Virgin, joined with Him in a most close and indissoluble bond, together with Him and through Him, carried on eternal enmity against the poisonous serpent, and, most fully triumphing over him, crushed his head with her immaculate foot.

Comment: We note that Christ and Mary are always associated in an “indissoluble bond”; therefore this bond should not be broken even on Calvary. Mary triumphs “with Him and through Him” in the struggle in which He “as a conqueror” took the decree against us and “fastened it to the cross.” In the light of statements of later Popes, it appears that Pope Pius IX had in mind Mary’s immediate co-operation in the objective redemption. But without the help of other texts it would be hard to be entirely sure of that fact from the above passage alone.—259-260.

2. Pope Leo XIII
   Text 1: lucunda semper (September 8, 1894; ASS* 27:178)
   For when she . . . gave herself to God as a handmaid to be His
   Mother, or dedicated herself wholly with her Son in the temple, by both these actions she already became a sharer with Him in His laborious expiation for the human race. . . . Furthermore, it was in her presence and sight that the divine sacrifice was to be accom- plished, for which she had generously nourished the victim . . . [at the cross] she willingly offered her own Son to the Divine Justice, dying in her heart with Him, pierced with the sword of grief.

Comment: The statement that by her motherhood and dedication she “already became a sharer” implies that she remains a sharer later, even on Calvary.

Text 2: Adiutricem populi (September 5, 1895; ASS 28:130)
For thereupon, in accord with the divine plan, she began so to watch over the Church … so that she who had been the helper {administra) in the accomplishment of the mystery of human redemption, should also be the helper (administra) in the distribution of the grace coming from it for all time.

Comment: This text distinguishes clearly the objective and subjective redemption, and assigns her a similar role in each. Since there is no doubt of her role as New Eve in the distribution of all graces, by parallelism she must have been the New Eve in the once-for-all acquisition of the divine treasury.

3. Saint Pius X
   Text: Ad diem ilium (February 2, 1904; ASS 36:453-54) Moreover, we must praise the most holy Mother of God not merely for the fact that she presented “to God the only-Begotten who was to be born of human members the material of her own flesh” (St. Bede, L.IV, in Luc. XI) by which He was prepared as a Victim for the salvation of men; but also for her office of guarding and nourishing this same Victim, and even, at the appointed time, of presenting Him at the altar. Hence that never dissociated manner of life and labors of the Son and the Mother, so that the words of the Prophet apply equally to both: “For my life is wasted with grief and my years in sighs” (Ps. 30:11). And when the supreme hour of her Son came, “there stood by the cross of Jesus, his Mother” (John 19:25), not merely occupied in looking at the dreadful sight, but even rejoicing that “her only Son was being offered for the salvation of the human race; and so did she suffer, with Him, that, if it had been possible, she would have much more gladly suffered herself all the torments that her Son underwent” (St. Bonaventure, I Sent., d.48, ad Litt, dub.4). Now from this common sharing of will and suffering between Christ and Mary she “merited to become most worthily the Reparatrix of the lost world” (Eadmer, De Excellentia Virg. Mariae, c.9) and therefore Dispensatrix of all the gifts which Jesus gained for us by His Death and by His Blood. . . .

But Mary, as St. Bernard fittingly remarks (De Aquaeductu, n.4), is the “channel” or, even, the neck, through which the body is joined to the head, and likewise through which the head exerts its power and strength on the body. “For she is the neck of our Head, by which all spiritual gifts are communicated to His Mystical Body” (St. Bernardine of Siena., Quadrag. de Evangelio aeterno, Serm. X, a.3, c,3). We are thus, it will be seen, very far from declaring the Mother of God to be the author of supernatural grace, which is the function of God alone: yet, since she surpassed all in holiness and union with Christ, and was associated by Christ with Himself in the work of human redemption, she merited for us congruously, as they say, what Christ merited condignly, and is the principal minister in the distribution of grace (princeps largiendarum gratiarum ministra).

Comment: Saint Pius X stresses several times the close and never-broken sharing of Mary with Christ: “never dissociated manner of life and labors,” “common sharing of will and suffering,” “associated by Christ with Himself in the work of human redemption.” If her association and sharing held for the Annunciation and for the distribution of all graces (see chap. V on the latter), but not for Calvary, then Saint Pius could not say “never dissociated.”

He makes clear that the very reason she is Dispensatrix is that she shared in Calvary: “Reparatrix . . . and therefore Dispensatrix. …” By the same words he also clearly distinguishes between the objective and the subjective redemption, and makes Mary’s role in the subjective redemption depend on her role in the objective redemption.

“She merited for us congruously (de congruo), as they say (ut aiunt), what Christ merited condignly (de condigno)….” The verb she merited in Latin is promeret, a present tense. This is, however, the commonplace historical present, a tense familiar in all Latin authors. We have rendered it by a past, since it refers to the past. Otherwise we would have to suppose either that Mary is still meriting (which is untrue, for merit ceases with death) or we would have to translate promeret as “obtains” (by prayer). Now this meaning would be badly out of place in the familiar balanced formula, de congruo . . . de condigno. We would have to suppose that Saint Pius X meant to do a thing never done before or since: that he abruptly changed the sense of this old and well-established theological formula, so that we would have, on Mary’s part, a prayer de congruo (whatever that would be!) balancing a merit de condigno on Christ’s part. This would be an almost nonsensical combination. A change so violent and unheard of must be proved, not assumed. See also the comments in chap. Ill, especially note 10 on the phrase “as they say.”

In spite of the above reasoning, some Mariologists who admit that later Popes clearly teach Mary’s immediate co-operation in the objective redemption maintain that Saint Pius X has not made himself clear beyond doubt.

End of quoted material.

On this day in 1917, the apparition of Our Lady of Fatima

Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us!

• Our Lady of Fatima: The Apparitions, Three Secrets, and Historical Impact – from Catholic Answers
• Videos from Catholic Answers Live: Which Marian Apparition Has the Best Evidence? And What Is the Third Secret of Fatima?
• Thousands of pilgrims gather at Fátima to commemorate the apparitions of Our Lady – via EWTN News.

Thank you for visiting and reading. Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia, Because the Lord is truly risen, alleluia. And may we be not afraid to become saints! God bless you and may His peace be always with you. +JMJ+

Notes and Links

• Mary In Our Life, by Fr. William G. Most: Hardcover, Paperback, published by Literary Licensing, LLC; or this Paperback with a pretty cover, published by Angelus Press (Amazon affiliate links, see Full Disclosure below).
• Mary In Our Life, by Fr. William Most: direct from Angelus Press, Paperback or ebook. I think it you can get Kindle, Nook, and Apple Books (formerly iBooks) versions from them. 
• Dogma – Jimmy Akin – Catholic Answers Magazine: A very good article about the use of the word “dogma” in Church history, in the New Testament, the Church Fathers, and outside the Church. See quote from the article given below.
• AAS: Acta Apostolicae Sedis, Acts of the Apostolic See on the Vatican website.
• ASS: A Roman monthly publication containing the principal public documents issued by the Pope, directly or through the Roman Congregations. It was begun in 1865, under the title of “Acta Sanctæ Sedis in compendium redacta etc.”, and was declared, 23 May, 1904, an organ of the Holy See to the extent that all documents printed in it are “authentic and official”. (via Catholic Online.) Acta Sanctæ Sedis on the Vatican website.

It is important to note that the Church sometimes can exercise its infallibility without declaring a truth to be divinely revealed. In this case, the truth is not a dogma but merely infallible. Consequently, the Church does not say that it requires divine and catholic faith but merely that it is “to be definitively held.”

The Church has the ability to infallibly define certain non-revealed truths because they are necessary to properly defend and explain revealed ones. Without the ability to define such truths, doubt could remain concerning the divine revelation that Christ has given the Church.

Church teachings (i.e., doctrines) fall into three classes: (1) those which the Church has authoritatively but not infallibly taught, (2) those which it has infallibly taught, and (3) those which it has infallibly taught to be divinely revealed. Only the third kind are referred to as dogmas in modern usage.

Since heresy involves the rejection of a dogma (either by obstinately doubting or obstinately denying it), heresy can only be committed when one rejects a teaching belonging to the third category. If one rejects a teaching belonging to the first or second category, the result is not heresy, though it may be gravely sinful.—Dogma – Jimmy Akin – Catholic Answers Magazine.

Images: Virgin of Humility, by Fra Angelico, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain. Our Lady of Fatima.

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