The first Four Men Prayer Group was started almost two thousand years ago when they carried their paralyzed friend to Jesus for his healing.  Not only was their friend healed but his sins were forgiven which is a far greater miracle.  These Four Men I believe are in heaven, so today is their feast day as today is All Saints Day.  Why are they in heaven? 

Whoever brings back a sinner will save his soul from death
and will cover a multitude of sins.” (James 5:20). 

Now this is Sacred Scripture, inspired by the Holy Spirit Himself and thus can neither deceive nor be deceived.  These Four Men are in heaven through their bringing back a sinner(the paralytic) to Jesus.  They all saved their souls from death and covered a multitude of sins. 

Why would Jesus be so generous as to save your soul just by bringing back a sinner to Him?

He Loves Souls, He died for them.  He poured out all His blood on Calvary to save souls.  He Thirsts for souls.  So not only do you help Him save the sinners(paralytic's) soul, you help Jesus save yours.  That is what he wants anyway.  He did not come to judge but to save.  
For God sent not his Son into the world, to judge the world, but that the world may be saved by him. (John 3:17)
 
He wants to save us all. 
Who will have all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
(1 Timothy 2:4)

So the original Four Men prayer group are all in heaven today and we celebrate their joining in the company of Saints.  I believe all other Four Men prayer groups will follow the same path to heaven by bringing souls to Jesus,

Keep up the Great Work,
Big Brother#2

For whom are we to Pray ? Great Sinners

Father Ravignan, an illustrious and holy preacher of the
Society of Jesus, also cherished great hope for the welfare
of sinners carried away by a sudden death, when othenvise
they had borne no hatred in the heart for the things of God.
He lived to speak of the supreme moment, and it seems
to have been his opinion that many sinners are converted
in their last moments, and are reconciled to God without
being able to give any exterior sign thereof. In certain
deaths there are mysteries of Mercy where the eye of man
sees nothing but strokes of Justice. As a last glimmer of
light, God sometimes reveals Himself to those souls whose
greatest misfortune has been to ignore Him ; and the last
sigh, understood by Him who penetrates hearts, may be a
groan that calls for pardon ; that is to say, an act of perfect
contrition. General Exelmans, a relative of this good father,
was suddenly carried to the tomb by an accident,
and unfortunately he had not been faithful in the practice
of his religion. He had promised that he would one day
make his confession, but had not had the opportunity to
do so. Father Ravignan, who for a long time had prayed
and procured prayers for him, was filled with consternation
when he heard of such a death. The same day, a person
accustomed to receive supernatural communications thought
he heard an interior voice, which said to him, " Who then
knows the extent of God's mercy ? Who knows the depth
of the ocean, or how much water is contained therein ?
Much will be forgiven to those who have sinned through
ignorance." 

The biographer from whom we borrow this incident,
Father de Ponlevoy, goes on to say, "Christians, placed
under the law of Hope no less than under the law of Faith
and Charity, we must continually lift ourselves up from the
depths of our sufferings to the thought of the infinite good-
ness of God. No limit to the grace of God is placed here
below; while there remains a spark of life there is nothing
which it cannot effect in the soul. Therefore we must ever
hope and petition God with humble persistency. We know
not to what a degree we may be heard. Great saints and
doctors have gone to great lengths in extolling the powerful
efficacy of prayer for the dear departed, how unhappy soever
their end may have been. We shall one day know the
unspeakable marvels of Divine Mercy. We should never
cease to implore it with the greatest confidence." 
 
The following is an incident which our readers may have
seen in the Petit Afessager du Cceur de Marie, November
1880. A Religious, preaching a mission to the ladies at
Nancy, had reminded them in a conference that we must
never despair of the salvation of a soul, and that sometimes actions of the least importance in the eyes of man are rewarded by God at the hour of death. When he was about to leave the church, a lady dressed in mourning approached him and said, " Father, you just recommended to us confidence and hope ; what has just happened to me fully justifies your words. I had a husband who was most
kind and affectionate, and who, although otherwise leading
an irreproachable life, entirely neglected the practice of his
religion. My prayers and exhortations remained without
effect. During the month of May which preceded his death,
I had erected in my room, as I was accustomed to do, a
little altar of the Blessed Virgin, and decorated it with
flowers, which I renewed from time to time. My husband
passed the Sunday in the country, and each time he re-
turned he brought me some flowers, which he himself had
plucked, and with these I used to adorn my oratory. Did
he notice this? Did he do this to give me pleasure, or
was it through a sentiment of piety towards the Blessed
Virgin? I know not, but he never failed to bring me
the flowers. 
 
" In the beginning of the following month he died sud-
denly, without having had time to receive the consolations
of religion. I was inconsolable, especially as I saw all my
hopes of his return to God vanish. In consequence of my
grief, my health became completely shattered, and my family
urged me to make a tour in the south. As I had to pass
through Lyons, I desired to see the Cure' d'Ars. I there-
fore wrote to him asking an audience, and recommending
to his prayers my husband, who had died suddenly. I
gave him no further details. 
 
"Arrived at Ars, scarcely had I entered the venerable
Cure's room than, to my great astonishment, he addressed me
in these words : ' Madame, you are disconsolate ; but have
you forgotten those bouquets of flowers which were brought
to you each Sunday of the month of May ? ' It is impos-
sible to express my astonishment on hearing M. Vianney
remind me of a circumstance that I had not mentioned to
any one, and which he could know only by revelation. 
He continued, 'God has had mercy on him who honoured
His Holy Mother. At the moment of his death your hus-
band repented ; his soul is in Purgatory ; our prayers and
good works will obtain his deliverance.' "

Extract from Purgatory Explained by the Lives and Legends of the Saints, by Fr. F.X. Schouppe, S.j.
Tan Books 1986, Pgs 272-275


WE MUST NEVER CEASE TO PRAY FOR THE HEALING, CONVERSION, AND SALVATION OF ALL, ESPECIALLY GREAT SINNERS. 
                
WE SHALL ONE DAY KNOW THE UNSPEAKABLE MARVELS OF DIVINE MERCY.  WE SHOULD NEVER CEASE TO IMPLORE  IT WITH THE GREATEST CONFIDENCE.

IN CHRIST,
BIG BROTHER#2

How sad it is, Dear Reader, whoever you may be now reading what I write. Think: do you value grace? Do you believe that gold and silver and precious stones are but dirt in comparison with what may be termed a little grace, though indeed all grace is great? You do know it well enough; you fully believe it. Then, bring that faith into practice. Look at your past life. You have perhaps had to move from one place to another. Was your first thought to look to the spiritual advantages you might gain by your change of residence, daily Mass and the rest? You may have many a time taken a holiday in the country; did you previously ascertain whether there was a church in the place, or perhaps have you not known there was not one and yet determined to spend your holiday in one place you fancied more than another, though there was no Blessed Sacrament there, no daily Sacrifice of the Mass, no opportunity of receiving the Sacraments?      Think of it, Dear Reader. Look through your life, your daily life, as well as long years back, and see if you are the least bit as anxious to obtain spiritual riches as to obtain worldly goods. Do you not allow any little matter to interfere, for instance, with a visit to the Blessed Sacrament, God put aside for your own comfort! How sad it is! I have said it in another work, [The Path of Mary] but I must say it again: Souls are being lost daily, hourly, momentarily; with every breath we draw, a soul has drawn the last breath in this world of mercy and has entered another region, a region where the Divine Justice is exercised with a severity we shrink back from contemplating; and if we could ask each miserable soul that has already commenced its eternity of woe why it was lost, what, if it answered truly, must be its answer? It had neglected grace. I beg, I entreat all who read this, think of what I say. Do you value the salvation of your soul? Then value grace. Do you care for the souls of others-----your children, relations, those around you whom you love, or those unknown to you, but whom you love because Jesus loves them and died to save them? Do you care to assist with Him in saving them? Then you must value grace. Do you care, with Jesus, to glorify your Father Who is in Heaven? You must value grace.

   These are three motives. You may look at them separately and influence yourself by whichever has most weight with you. You may say to yourself, "For my own good, I will get all the grace I can;" or "for my neighbor's good I will strive not to lose graces that so many poor souls are in such great need of." Or you may say, "For God's good, to glorify Him, that His wonderful mercy may be shown upon this sinful world, I will treasure, I will esteem His graces, as it is His wish I should." Take these three motives separately, if you will, though they are but one in reality, and see if they will not induce you to make a strong resolution for the remainder of your life, to look at grace in a different light, to realize that it is an entity, a real thing, far more real, far more valuable than the greatest treasure this world could give us.

Excerpt for Devotion for the Dying
by Venerable Mary Potter
Tan Books pgs 83-85
First Published 1880

THE PATIENCE THAT WE MUST EXERCISE IN COMPANY WITH JESUS CHRIST, IN ORDER TO OBTAIN ETERNAL SALVATION. 

 It is Necessary to suffer, and to suffer with Patience. 

 To speak of patience and suffering is a thing neither practiced nor understood by those who love the world. It is understood and practiced only by souls who love
the God. " O Lord," said St. John of the Cross to Jesus Christ, "I ask nothing of Thee but to suffer and to be despised for Thy sake." St. Teresa frequently exclaimed, " O my Jesus, I would either suffer or die." St. Mary Magdalene of Pazzi was wont to say, "I would suffer and not die." Thus speak the saints who love God, because a soul can give no surer mark to God of love for him than voluntarily to suffer to please him. This is the great proof which Jesus Christ has given of his love to us. As God he loved us in creating us, in providing us so many blessings, in calling us to enjoy the same glory that he himself enjoys; but in nothing else has he more fully shown how much he loves us than in becoming man, and embracing a painful life, and a death full of pangs and ignominies, for love of us. And how shall we show our love for Jesus Christ ? By leading a life full of pleasures and earthly delights ?

Let us not think that God delights in our pains; the Lord is not of so cruel a nature as to be delighted to see us, his creatures, groan and suffer. He is a God of infinite goodness, who desires to see us fully content and happy, so that he is full of sweetness, affability, and compassion to all who come to him. But our unhappy condition, as sinners, and the gratitude we owe to the love of Jesus Christ, require that, for his love, we should renounce the delights of this earth, and embrace with affection the cross which he gives us to carry during this life, after him who goes before, bearing a cross far heavier than ours; and all this in order to bring us, after our death, to a blessed life, which will never end. God, then, has no desire to see us suffer, but, being himself infinite justice, he cannot leave our faults unpunished; so that, in order that they may be punished, and yet we may one day attain eternal happiness, he would have us purge away our sins with patience, and thus deserve to be eternally blessed. What can be more beautiful and sweet than this rule of divine Providence, that we see at once justice satisfied, and ourselves saved and happy ? 
 
All our hopes, then, we must derive from the merits of Jesus Christ, and from him we must hope for all aid to live holily, and save ourselves; and we cannot doubt that it is his desire to see us holy: This is the will of God, your sanctification: But true as this is, we must not neglect to do our part to satisfy God for the injuries we have done to him, and to attain with our good works to eternal life. This the Apostle expressed when he said, "I fill up that which is wanting of the Passion of Christ in my flesh." Was the Passion of Christ, then, not complete, not enough alone to save us? It was most complete in its value, and most sufficient to save all men ; nevertheless, in order that the merits of the Passion may be applied to us, says St. Teresa, we must do our part, and suffer with patience the crosses which God sends us, that we may be like our head, Jesus Christ, according to what the Apostle writes to the Romans: Whom He foreknew, them He also predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren.   Still we must ever remember, as the Angelic Doctor warns us, that all the virtue of our good works, satisfactions, and penances, is communicated to them by the satisfaction of Jesus Christ: The satisfaction of man has its efficacy from the satisfaction of Christ} And thus we reply to the Protestants, who call our penances injurious to the Passion of Jesus Christ, as if it were not sufficient to satisfy for our sins. What we say is, that in order that we may be partakers in the merits of Jesus Christ, it is necessary that we labor to fulfil the divine precepts, even by doing violence to ourselves, in order that we may not yield to the temptations of hell. And this is what our Lord meant when he said, The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent seize upon it.* It is necessary, when occasions occur, that we do violence to ourselves by continence, by the mortification of our senses, that we may not be conquered by our enemies. And when we find ourselves guilty through the sins we have committed, we must do violence to God with our tears, says St. Ambrose, in order to obtain pardon. And then, to console us, the saint adds, " O blessed violence, which is not punished with the wrath of God, but is welcomed and rewarded with mercy !" " The more violent any man is with Christ, the more religious is he accounted by Christ. For we must first rule over ourselves by conquering our passions, that we may one day seize upon heaven, which our Saviour has merited for us. And therefore we must do violence to ourselves by suffering contradictions and persecutions, and by conquering the temptations and passions which, without violence, are never conquered. 

God teaches us that, in order not to lose our souls, we must be prepared to suffer the agonies of death, and to die; but, at the same time, he says that for him who is thus prepared he himself will fight, and will destroy his enemies. St. John saw before the throne of God a great multitude of saints clothed in white garments (because into heaven nothing defiled can enter), and he beheld that every one of them bore in his hand a palm, the token of martyrdom. What, then, are all the saints martyrs ? Yes, Lord, all grown-up persons who are saved must either be martyrs in blood or martyrs in patience, in conquering the assaults of hell and the inordinate desires of the flesh. Bodily pleasures send innumerable souls to hell, and, therefore, we must resolve with courage to despise them. Let us be assured that either the soul must tread the body under foot, or the body the soul.  
We must, then (I repeat), do ourselves violence in order to be saved. But this violence is such (it will be said by some one) that I cannot do it of myself, if God does not give it me through his grace. To such a one St. Ambrose says, "If you look to yourself, you can do nothing ; but if you trust in God, strength will be given you." But, in doing this, we must suffer, and it is impossible to avoid it; if we would enter into the glory of the Blessed, says the Scripture, we must, through much tribulation, enter into the kingdom of God. 2 Thus St. John, beholding the glory of the saints in heaven, heard a voice saying. These are they who have come out of great tribulation, and have washed their garments, and have made them white in the blood of the Lamb* It is true that they all attained heaven by being washed in the blood of the Lamb, but they all went there after suffering great tribulation. 
 
Be assured, St. Paul wrote to his disciples, that God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above what you are able.  God has promised to give us sufficient help to conquer every temptation, if only we ask him. Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find. ' He cannot, therefore, fail of his promise. It is a fatal error of the heretics to say that God commands things which it is impossible for us to observe. The Council of Trent says: God does not command impossible things; but when He commands, He bids us do what we can, and seek help for what we cannot do, and He will help us. St. Ephrem writes, " If men do not put upon their beasts a greater burden than they can bear, much less does God lay greater temptations upon men than they can endure." Thomas à Kempis writes, "The cross everywhere awaits thee; it is needful for thee everywhere to preserve patience, if thou wouldst have peace. If thou willingly bearest the cross, it will bear thee to thy desired end." In this world, we all of us go about seeking peace; and would find it without suffering; but this is not possible in our present state; we must suffer; the cross awaits us wherever we turn. How, then, can we find peace in the midst of these crosses? By patience, by embracing the cross, which presents itself to us. St. Teresa says "that he who drags the cross along with ill-will feels its weight, however small it is; but he who willingly embraces it, however great it is, does not feel it."  
The same Thomas à Kempis says, "Which of the saints is without a cross? The whole life of Christ was a cross and a martyrdom, and dost thou seek for pleasure Jesus, innocent, holy, and the Son of God, was willing to suffer through his whole life, and shall we go about seeking pleasures and comforts ? To give us an example of patience, he chose a life full of ignominies and pains within and without; and shall we wish to be saved without suffering, or to suffer without patience, which is a double suffering, and without fruit, and with increase of pain? How can we think to be lovers of Jesus Christ, if we will not suffer for love of him who has so much suffered for love of us? How can he glory in being a follower of the Crucified who refuses or receives with ill-will the fruits of the cross, which are sufferings, contempt, poverty, pains, infirmities, and all things that are contrary to our self-love?
Extract from The Passion and Death of Jesus Christ
Tan Books Pg 364-370

Lift High the Cross,
Onward to Heaven,
In Christ,
Big Brother#2