(Again, this prophet for our times - one of several - focuses the reader exactly on the enemies within the gates - the wolves in sheep's clothing. The Faithful must be on guard, lest we falter and fall.) The Archbishop begins:
In these last hours that mark the conclusion of the civil year, each of us is preparing to take part in the solemn functions with which the Church raises to the Divine Majesty the praises of thanksgiving contained in the hymn Te Deum.
Te Deum laudamus: te Dominum confitemur. We praise you, O God: we acclaim you as Lord. In the plural “we,” one perceives the august voice of the Bride of the Lamb, adorned with the precious jewels of the Sacraments and the most precious gems of her royal crown: the most august Sacrament of the Altar, the Sacrosanct Sacrifice of the Mass and the Order of the Priesthood. And it is before the Most Blessed Sacrament that we all, standing as befits victors who are on our feet with Christ on the day of triumph, give thanks to God for the year that is drawing to a close.
Let us therefore consider that for which we must give thanks to the Most Holy Trinity.
We thank the Lord God for punishing us for our lukewarmness, our silence, our inclination to compromise, our hypocrisies,.... (continued here...)
