THE GREAT INTERSESSIONS FOR GOOD FRIDAY: Sorry But The Church Never Intended To Pray For Air Travelers..... See For Yourself!

THE GREAT INTERCESSIONS
While the sacred Ministers put on black vestments, two Acolytes, spread a cloth on the altar and place the missal in the center of it. The Great Intercessions are sung from there.

FOR THE NEEDS OF THE FAITHFUL

LET US PRAY, dearly beloved, to God the Father almighty, that He would cleanse the worlds of all errors, take away diseases, drive away famine, open prisons, release from chains, grant a secure return to travelers, health to the sick, and a safe haven to those at sea.

The above prayer is one of the Great Intercessions - this one is for the needs of the faithful. This is found in the 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal.

Notice that in 1962 not many were traveling by plane. The airline industry was in its beginning. Now today everyone and their grandmother flies.

Most of you who attended Good Friday Service didn't pay attention to the words of the prayer for the needs of the faithful. If you did - you just assumed that the words:

grant a secure return to travelers

applies to those who travel by airplane. So you're covered by the Great Intercession prayers.

Or are you?

Why would the prayer mention those travelling by sea:

and a safe haven to those at sea. 

Would not those traveling by sea be covered by:

grant a secure return to travelers

Unless of course the Church was praying only for those by land and sea.

So this part of the prayer is for those traveling by land:

grant a secure return to travelers

And this part of the prayer is for those traveling by sea:

and a safe haven to those at sea. 

Where is the part when the faithful pray for those traveling by air?

There is none.

The Church never prays for those traveling by air.

But the lot of you assume that the Church prays for air travelers. This is a mistake.

The Church has condemned anyone who violates the 29,050 foot boundary established by God a boundary that man must not pass over. But modern man violates this boundary every day. 24/7.

So why should the Church pray for safe passage for those who violate a command of God?

Now you can say there is no command of God prohibiting modern man from flying above 15 cubits of the mountain tops, but you would have to ignore the Summa of St Thomas in two points -

• Question 64 Article: 4 Whether our atmosphere is the demons' place of punishment?
• Question 74. The fire of the final conflagration

These two questions have to be completely ignored and discarded by those who travel by air 15 cubits above the mountain tops.

Either St Thomas is wrong on these two Questions or air traveling modern man is wrong.

There is no in between.

Man is allowed to fly up to 29,050 feet but not higher - flying below 29,050 can be allowed.

Go ahead and investigate for yourselves Questions 64 & 74 and see if you come to the same conclusion as I did.

Here in case you missed it is St.Thomas Aquinas on the place where demons inhabit:

Summa Th. I EN Qu.64 a.4

Article: 4 Whether our atmosphere is the demons' place of punishment?

Objection: 

1. It would seem that this atmosphere is not the demons' place of punishment. For a demon is a spiritual nature. But a spiritual nature is not affected by place. Therefore there is no place of punishment for demons.

2. Further, man's sin is not graver than the demons'. But man's place of punishment is hell. Much more, therefore, is it the demons' place of punishment; and consequently not the darksome atmosphere.

3. Further, the demons are punished with the pain of fire. But there is no fire in the darksome atmosphere. Therefore the darksome atmosphere is not the place of punishment for the demons.

On the contrary Augustine says (Gn ad lit. iii, 10), that "the darksome atmosphere is as a prison to the demons until the judgment day."

I answer that The angels in their own nature stand midway between God and men. Now the order of Divine providence so disposes, that it procures the welfare of the inferior orders through the superior. But man's welfare is disposed by Divine providence in two ways: first of all, directly, when a man is brought unto good and withheld from evil; and this is fittingly done through the good angels. In another way, indirectly, as when anyone assailed is exercised by fighting against opposition. It was fitting for this procuring of man's welfare to be brought about through the wicked spirits, lest they should cease to be of service in the natural order. Consequently a twofold place of punishment is due to the demons: one, by reason of their sin, and this is hell; and another, in order that they may tempt men, and thus the darksome atmosphere is their due place of punishment. Now the procuring of men's salvation is prolonged even to the judgment day: consequently, the ministry of the angels and wrestling with demons endure until then. Hence until then the good angels are sent to us here; and the demons are in this dark atmosphere for our trial: although some of them are even now in hell, to torment those whom they have led astray; just as some of the good angels are with the holy souls in heaven. But after the judgment day all the wicked, both men and angels, will be in hell, and the good in heaven.

Reply to Objection:

1. A place is not penal to angel or soul as if affecting the nature by changing it, but as affecting the will by saddening it: because the angel or the soul apprehends that it is in a place not agreeable to its will.

2. One soul is not set over another in the order of nature, as the demons are over men in the order of nature; consequently there is no parallel.

3. Some have maintained that the pain of sense for demons and souls is postponed until the judgment day: and that the beatitude of the saints is likewise postponed until the judgment day. But this is erroneous, and contrary to the teaching of the Apostle (2Co 5,1): "If our earthly house of this habitation be dissolved, we have a house in heaven." Others, again, while not admitting the same of souls, admit it as to demons. But it is better to say that the same judgment is passed upon wicked souls and wicked angels, even as on good souls and good angels.

Consequently, it must be said that, although a heavenly place belongs to the glory of the angels, yet their glory is not lessened by their coming to us, for they consider that place to be their own; in the same way as we say that the bishop's honor is not lessened while he is not actually sitting on his throne. In like manner it must be said, that although the demons are not actually bound within the fire of hell while they are in this dark atmosphere, nevertheless their punishment is none the less; because they know that such confinement is their due. Hence it is said in a gloss upon Jc 3,6: "They carry fire of hell with them wherever they go." Nor is this contrary to what is said (Lc 8,31), "They besought the Lord not to cast them into the abyss"; for they asked for this, deeming it to be a punishment for them to be cast out of a place where they could injure men. Hence it is stated, "They [Vulg. 'He'] besought Him that He would not expel them [Vulg. 'him'] out of the country" (Mc 5,10).