Saturday's are days to catch up on things: sleep, errands, oil change for the car, watering the garden, especially the vegetables; even having lunch with a friend and dinner with my family. It was a somewhat lazy summer day. In between I made a visit to Our Lady of Grace Monastery (North Guilford, CT) for the rosary, some quiet time with the Lord and to browse the gift shop. And of course, going to Confession. You?
June 2012 Archives
Peter Kleponis has published a book dealing with pornography as a "major epidemic." A well respected clinical therapist outside Philadelphia. He's worked laity and clergy alike and has addressed groups of clergymen like the Archdiocese of New York on this issue in the past. He works for the Institute for Marital Healing.
The CNA story is here.
You can count on a delegation from the Ancient See of Constantinople visiting Rome and the Holy Father on the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul. Most years a small of group of bishops and archimandrites designated by the Ecumenical Patriarch descend on Rome to pray at the Tombs of Peter and Paul, to attend the Mass with the Pope and those receiving the pallium and to exchange ideas with the Pope. Lunch in the Apostolic Palace is regular. In an editorial by L'Osservatore Romano, Pope Benedict talks more openly about the goal of these ecumenical exchanges. Eucharistic sharing is still impossible, but the hope and identifiable goal is that one day --and one hopes it happens in the next 50 years-- that we can be in full visible communion. The editorial is below with my emphasis.
The Second Vatican Council, the 50th anniversary of whose opening is to be celebrated next 11 October, has marked "a new and important phase in relations" between Catholics and Orthodox. In recognizing this the Pope expressed the hope that "progress may also be made in the current phase", while waiting "to arrive soon at the blessed day when we will be able to share in the Eucharistic banquet".
The traditional meeting with the Delegation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, received in audience on Thursday morning, 28 June, on the eve of the Feast of Sts Peter and Paul, was an opportunity for Benedict XVI to recall the importance of the Council in the development of ecumenical dialogue. It was also an opportunity to remember, in particular, the "passion for the unity of the Church" which inspired the Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras and the Pontiffs, John XIII and Paul VI, who "made themselves champions of courageous projects that paved the way to renewed relations between the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Catholic Church".
Continue reading To the roots of communion.
These are the ones who, living in the flesh, planted the Church with their blood; they drank the chalice of the Lord and became the friends of God.
O God, who on the Solemnity of the Apostles Peter and Paul give us the noble and joy of this day, grant we pray, that your Church may in all things follow the teaching of those through whom she received the beginnings of right religion.
The antiphon and Collect set the tone by noting our belief: the Church is built on the life, work and sacrifice of two men in collaboration with Christ. It is, as Benedict says, truth is one and symphonic (an idea taken from von Balthasar). How do we live this reality?
Today's solemnity brings with it a wonderful remembrance of how God uses unsuspecting people to witness to his truth and power. The Pope has "traditionally" bestowed the pallium on the new archbishops as a sign of communion with him in serving the Church and a share in the Cross. North America has several new metropolitan archbishops who went to Rome to pray at the tombs of these Apostles and to receive from the Holy Father this beautiful symbol of office.
Two paragraphs below are taken from the Holy Father's homily, but the entire text may be read here:
In front of Saint Peter's Basilica, as is well known, there are two imposing statues of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, easily recognizable by their respective attributes: the keys in the hand of Peter and the sword held by Paul. Likewise, at the main entrance to the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, there are depictions of scenes from the life and the martyrdom of these two pillars of the Church. Christian tradition has always considered Saint Peter and Saint Paul to be inseparable: indeed, together, they represent the whole Gospel of Christ. In Rome, their bond as brothers in the faith came to acquire a particular significance. Indeed, the Christian community of this City considered them a kind of counterbalance to the mythical Romulus and Remus, the two brothers held to be the founders of Rome. A further parallel comes to mind, still on the theme of brothers: whereas the first biblical pair of brothers demonstrate the effects of sin, as Cain kills Abel, yet Peter and Paul, much as they differ from one another in human terms and notwithstanding the conflicts that arose in their relationship, illustrate a new way of being brothers, lived according to the Gospel, an authentic way made possible by the grace of Christ's Gospel working within them. Only by following Jesus does one arrive at this new brotherhood: this is the first and fundamental message that today's solemnity presents to each one of us, the importance of which is mirrored in the pursuit of full communion, so earnestly desired by the ecumenical Patriarch and the Bishop of Rome, as indeed by all Christians.
Continue reading Saints Peter and Paul.
O God, who called the Bishop Saint Irenaeus to confirm
true doctrine and the peace of the Church, grant, we pray, through his
intercession, that, being renewed in faith and charity, we may always be intent
on fostering unity and concord.A fascinating thing is to chart the influence
of one on another. To whom do you owe a deep sense of gratitude for showing you
the way to follow? With Irenaeus, his beloved master was Saint Polycarp (d. 155), from whom he learned about Christ, himself the disciple of Saint John the Apostle. From here we set out to revere
the person of a martyr who met his end in AD 202 after serving the Lord and the
Church for nearly 80 years.
Irenaeus is honored by the Catholic Church as a
Doctor of the Church from the Apostolic age. Being a doctor of the Church is given to few (most recently the Doctor's honor was given to Saint Hildegard) because of his learning and publications, but much has been lost. What remains are significant fragments of the original text. His works are mainly in Greek, a few in Armenian but there are several texts that were given to us in Latin; He's likely to
be most known for his famous Adversus Haereses (Against the Heresies), in which
he gives reasons for his hope, that is, an explanation of the Faith. This text is renown because he combated gnosticism, that is, false knowledge. Only truth triumphs.
In the field Scripture and dogma studies Saint Irenaeus indicated that an orthodox Christian uses the canon sacred Scripture in the explanation of the faith. He asserted the rightful use of the four gospels and not merely one as was popular at that time. You may recall that Irenaeus contradicted the heretic Marcion with the doctrine of canonocity of scripture, apostolic authority, and began to develop a theology of Mary viz. salvation history and the Incarnation. A significant and lasting contribution the Saint made to Christian life is the dating of Easter: the Latin Church celebrated the Lord's resurrection on adhering to what Saint Peter did; the Eastern Church celebrated the feast with respect to Passover. Both traditions are respected today, even if a little more nuanced.
That said, Irenaeus' preaching was brilliant which contributed to conversion to Christ
almost the all of France to the Faith. One writer speaks of the Christians of
Lyons as models in Christian living because of their candor, rejection of
ambition, poverty, chastity and temperance.
Two "New Yorkers" advance in the study of their sanctity: Fulton J. Sheen and Mother Angelina Teresa.
Today, Pope Benedict XVI gave his permission for the promulgation of the decree concerning the "heroic virtues" of now Venerable Servant of God Fulton J. Sheen (1895-1979). Sheen was a great communicator of the faith in the 20th century. His winning personality and sincerity drew people to Christ.
A wonderful development is the recognition that Brigida Teresa McCrory (1893-1984) known as Mother Angelina Teresa, foundress of the Carmelite Sisters of the Aged and Infirmed, lived a life of heroic virtue. This is good news because it highlights the good work these Carmelite sisters continue to do, notably around the corner from St Catherine of Siena Church (NYC).
Moreover, he did the same for the former Prelate of Opus Dei, the Servant of God Alvaro del Portillo y Diez de Sollano, Spanish prelate of the Personal Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei (1914-1994). He was the immediate successor to Saint Josemaria.
Angelo Cardinal Amato SDB, prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, presented these and other causes for sainthood.
UPDATE: Cardinal Dolan writes about the 2 New Yorkers...
"Our Lord was crucified by the nice people who held that religion was all right in its place, so long as its place was not here, where it might demand of them a change of heart. The gravest error of the nice people in all ages is the denial of sin."
The Servant of God Archbishop Fulton Sheen
h/t Fr Z
Yahoo News reports:
"He was a U.S. Navy seal best known for learning to use a screwdriver. And now Cold War veteran Gunnar has passed away on Monday. He was 38-years-old at the time of his death and enjoying some quiet living in Washington DC's National Zoo."
More here because you're interested in the service of this seal.
The public has been bombarded with the media's assessment of nuns, church, the sexual abuse crisis, fidelity to the Lord, and the like. In some ways the media looks at the life of the Church and picks out the obvious problems of coherence. No doubt we have matters of concern that we have to work to correct; the adage: "the Church always needs renewal" is very true today. We rely on the Holy Spirit and the good work of Pope Benedict. The other day I found this review of a document written by members of the International Theological Commission (ITC), a group of theologians organized by the Pope to advise him on certain questions of theological questions of importance. Even the Pope needs advice! The ITC group is made up of a diversity of peoples from around the world. The ones I know personally are fine men and women, credible witnesses of the Lord. The review of Theology Today that follows is written by Father Paul McPartlan in which he synthesizes the document giving us the broad view of the work of Catholic theologian. What he highlights sits in contradistinction to what we've heard about the recent work of Sr Margaret Farley and other theologians who see themselves in a different light. I prefer to put my money the ITC and not on "envelop pushing, agenda driven" theologians. You?
Following its examination, in Chapter One, of the fundamental nature of theology, as the rational exploration of that faith which is a response to the proclamation of the Word of God, and prior to its extended reflection, in Chapter Three, on significant aspects of the rationality of theology, the new International Theological Commission (ITC) text, Theology Today: Perspectives, Principles and Criteria, carefully considers the ecclesial context of theology in Chapter Two. "The ecclesiality of theology is a constitutive aspect of the theological task, because theology is based on faith, and faith itself is both personal and ecclesial", it says, emphasising that "it is through the Church that theologians receive the object of their enquiry" (n.20). Theological enquiry is therefore properly conducted within the living and life-giving milieu of the leiturgia, martyria and diakonia of the Church (cf. n.7). In short, as the chapter's title indicates, it is necessary for theologians to abide in the communion of the Church.
Today marks the 24th anniversary of the great Swiss theologian [and cardinal-elect] Hans Urs von Balthsar.
Von Balthasar was a brilliant theologian who served the Church well. His theological legacy continues in the publication of his books and articles and through the international Communio journal.
He was nominated by Blessed John Paul II to be a cardinal three times, declining the dignity twice; the third time he accepted it but he died the night before receiving the cardinal's hat.
Eternal memory!
Don't let your life be barren. Be useful. Make yourself felt. Shine forth with the torch of your faith and your love...Don't flutter around like a hen, when you can soar to the heights of an eagle!
Saint Josemaría Escrivá
The WayMore info on the life and works of Saint Josemaría Escrivá can be found here.
"It's today," squeaked Piglet.
"My favorite day," said Pooh.
These guys are the 2012 recruits for the Swiss Guard who protect the Pope. They began their service in early June.
A person who attends a bible study I organize asked if indulgences are still possible, in vogue, as it were. "Weren't they done away with at Vatican II?", I was asked. I assured this person that indeed indulgences were still a common practice in the Catholic Church and that they have received a renewed sensibility with Benedict XVI. THE thing that catapulted the Church into the protestant revolution is now being talked about with seriousness and sincerity because it is realized that the practice of giving indulgences does help us to know ourselves and the mercy of God better.
In brief, the Catechism teaches that "The doctrine and practice of indulgences in the Church are closely linked to the effects of the sacrament of Penance" (1471ff).
So, what is an indulgence? Why would a Catholic be interested in knowing more about indulgences?
"An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church which, as the minister of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints."
Continue reading Do Catholics believe in the use of indulgences today?.
O God, who raised up Saint John the Baptist to make ready a nation fit for Christ the Lord, give your people, we pray, the grace of spiritual joys and direct the hearts of all the faithful into the way of salvation and peace.
The key to understanding today's feast (on a Sunday no less) is the place John the Baptist has in the economy of salvation: making a nation fit for Christ the Lord. Not only was the Baptist a cousin of Jesus', he opened the doors of salvation by introducing us to His Lord and ours. His encounter with the Messiah is also ours; his dependence on God for everything is also ours. The challenge for us, therefore, is to live as the Baptist lived --with total, unreserved dependence upon God. In Catholic theology and the history of salvation, the Baptist is second only to Mary, the Mother of God in unlocking the door of salvation: Jesus Christ.
The Church celebrates as a feast day few birthdays. They are: the Nativity of Mary, the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, and of course the Nativity of the Lord. Note, too, that we celebrate each of these peoples entrances into heaven.
On the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus I am reminded of Saint Bernard's image in Sermon 61 on the Song of Songs. There the sainted Cistercian abbot likens the pierced heart of Jesus Christ, and the wounds in his hand and feet to the clefts in a rock. "The secrets of his heart are laid open through his wounds." (61:4)
What more can be said of our Lord, our Shepherd and our friend?
A blessed feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus!
O God, who in martyrdom have brought true faith to its highest expression, graciously grant that, strengthened through the intercession of Saints John Fisher and Thomas More, we may confirm by the witness of our life the faith we profess with our lips.The feast of Saint Thomas More and John Fisher gains more popularity today than it would otherwise with the Fortnight for Freedom being observed here in the USA. The US Bishops have proposed these two English saints --men who faced the persecution of a government over matters of conscience and liberty-- to help us focus our prayer and advocacy aright. The Mass prayer is really insightful.
The events of today require us to seek divine assistance. Actually the events of every day require us to seek divine assistance. Here's a prayer of Saint Thomas More
The Sacrament of Confession (aka Reconciliation or Penance) is a source of a new life for the Christian. It sets the soul ablaze in the love of God. It radically re-orients your life anew.
Change is difficult; admitting that one is a sinner is the grace of God in action. It is only by God's grace do we have the fortitude and courage to face our ugly self. Who wants to admit one is a sinner? Not many people. But when you realize that holiness is recognized in knowing who you are, that you are a loved sinner, and accepting the invitation to speak with Jesus Christ through the ministry of the priesthood, all is different.
The confession of sins helps us to confront our pride and our wrong-doing in a concrete, loving manner. This sacrament is nothing more, nothing less than taking the merciful hand of God.
Throw yourself onto the mercy of the Triune God. A little encouragement is here in this short video on Confession.
O God, who through Saint Romuald renewed the manner of life of hermits in your Church, grant that, denying ourselves and following Christ, we may merit to reach the heavenly realms of high.
"Sit in your cell as in paradise. Put the whole world behind you and forget it. Watch your thoughts like a good fisherman watching for fish. The path you must follow is in the Psalms -- never leave it.... And if your mind wanders as you read, do not give up; hurry back and apply your mind to the words once more. Realize above all that you are in God's presence, and stand there with the attitude of one who stands before the emperor..."
Saint Romuald (+1027)
The desire and capacity to linger in joy, beauty and truth is liturgically not easy to do these days with the absence of octaves following a major feasts. Eight days are not too long, not too complicated, not too esoteric to extend our prayer! And I don't mean to merely lament the ansence of an official 8-day period of liturgical prayer. The Church has retained the octaves of Christmas and Easter but the rest are sadly gone. At least for now. I think it was a colossal mistake of the reform of the Missal by Pope Paul VI to jettison the octave, especially the octave of Pentecost.
How often do we need to slowly meditate on the Gifts and Fruits of the Holy Spirit and beg for the grace to integrate grace into our lives. We need the opportunity to understand concretely the action of the Spirit in our lives and we need to hear the beautify music, poetry and preaching connected with the Pentecost's octave. The Pope even he wepted when he realized the change he made without thinking the whole thing through; the implications are significant; the absence of the Pentecost octave is diasasterous event for the Church. Why is it problematic? It is so because we are Church, a people of the Way, who rely on the Holy Spirit to guide each-and-every step we take in living the Gospel and seeking the face of God.
I share the opinion with many others that one of the re-reforms of the Missal that still needs to be investigated is the restauration of the Pentecost Octave. However, I would also advocate the implementation of the Assumption and Epiphany octaves. Apparently, I am not alone: the editor of America magazine Jesuit Father Drew Christiansen is saying the same thing and he's quoting a friend, Benedictine Father Mark Daniel Kirby in his "Of Many Things" article this week.
The Lord loves parables. Today's parable is the one about the mustard seed growing into a big tree for all the birds to make a home. A fitting typology for heaven. But it is only a metaphor but a reality: the small becomes great. As Sofia Cavalletti said, "The person who at a certain point becomes aware of the dynamic nature of the Kingdom of God, which is like a mustard seed, will gradually come to see this dynamism filling the universe and empowering man and his history" (Religious Potential of the Child, 165). Jesus, in today's gospel, fixes our attention on the place we have in His Father's Kingdom here on earth and with Him in heave: our growth, transformation and conversaion is slow and purpose-filled. It is a recognition of the Mystery.The child hearing this parable will recognize that they exemplify the growing of the Kingdom in their bodies. As adults, do we believe that the small can become great? Do we believe that all have a place in God's Kingdom?
My heart will rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, who has been bountiful with me.
(Entrance ant. Ps. 13)
With Mother Church we pray,
O God, who has prepared a fit dwelling place for the Holy Spirit in the Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, graciously grant that through her intercession we may be a worthy temple of your glory.
The solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is directly followed by the memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the supreme human vessel of the Holy Spirit. In days following the feast of Pentecost the Church offers us an opportunity to dedicate our lives once again to the love and work of Divine Providence today. As we move through summer and then into the autumn we need a focus and the Hearts of Jesus and Mary are just the focus we need.
If you read the Litany to the Immaculate Heart of Mary you notice the characteristics the Church believes are part of Mary's witness to Divine Providence, and which ought to be a part of our lives, too. The Litany keeps the recognition of the Mystery alive; it awakens within us our destiny in Christ. Therefore, what is said of Mary ought to be said of us (with God's grace, of course). Let me note a few of the characteristcs that we ought to have: a heart like God's, a heart united to Jesus', an instrument of the Holy Spirit, a sanctuary of the Blessed Trinity, a tabernacle of the Incarnation, etc. Find the Litany of the Immaculate Heart and meditate on it today. It will be a invitation to conversion.
In August, the month dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, we'll return to a way of living in the purity of intention and love found in Mary.
We need perspective, we need a good review of what's happening in the press regarding the state of Catholicism. At least I do. The ever-well spoken George Weigel takes on us on a brief journey....
The American mainstream media, reflecting deeper currents in American culture, typically treats "religion" as a private lifestyle choice: a personal option one may exercise to make sense out of life (and death) through certain rituals embodied in communities. That the "choice" in question has anything to do with adherence to the truth, as one is grasped and transformed by that truth; that those rituals embody religious truth in a unique way that links the believer to the very life of God; that those communities are formed by, and accountable to, truths that can be rationally explicated in a body of knowledge called "theology" -- say what? To treat religion as a lifestyle choice leaves little room for the very concept of "truth," unless it be the anorexic postmodern notion of "your truth" and "my truth" (which means that Khalid Sheikh Muhammad's "truth" is just as much "truth" as Pope Benedict XVI's). In the sandbox of self-absorption that is so much of postmodern culture, there is little or no room for the truth.
Perhaps we should take a hint from a recent Church Council on this matter: "Theology relies on the written Word of God, taken together with sacred Tradition, as on a permanent foundation. By this Word it is most firmly strengthened and constantly rejuvenated, as it searches out, under the light of faith, the full truth stored up in the mystery of Christ." (Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation)
Read the whole article here.
Georeg Weigel
"Don't Know Much about Theology ..."
National Review online
June 12, 2012
"...the whole purpose of evangelism is to foster friendship with Jesus Christ, the Son of God who reveals both the face of the merciful Father and the truth about our humanity,"
Here's the master plan: Aparecida - Benedict XVI to Latin American and Caribbean Bishops.pdf
We in the north need this document; we need to study it and to apply its perspective to our context. But beware: we need to have the same thrust --
+ "everything in the Church must be mission-driven"
+ we need a "permanent catechesis: an ongoing encounter with the Lord Jesus, deepened spiritually through Word and Sacrament, the Bible and the Eucharist."
+ we need to live the Gospel and the Tradition given to us.
The designs of his Heart are from age to age, to rescue their souls from death,
and to keep them alive in famine. (Entrance ant. Ps 33)
I am always enthralled with the Church's solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. The wondrous love poured out for us, Christ's Heart is the center of our life of love, forgiveness, peace, compunction, and action. It is from the Heart of Christ that the Church is born and sacraments given as a sign and nourishment.
In his chapter "The Heart of Jesus at His Birth in Bethlehem" Blessed Louis Guanella offers this prayer to the Sacred Heart:
Blessed Louis GuanellaO Most Holy Heart of Jesus, I cannot love you as the Blessed Mother loved you. I feel bad about it. I would like to love you, as the chaste Joseph did. At least, O Lord, make me love you with simplicity and affection equal to that of the devout shepherds. How happy will I be when I will really begin to love you! How fortunate I will be when, enkindling my accent, I will be able to applaud around you with the choirs of angels, saying: "Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth to men of good will!"
In the Month of Fervor: Thirty Scriptural Maxims Developed on the Sacred Heart of Jesus for Christian Souls
May the fire of the Heart of Jesus burn brightly within us!
In the Catholic press this morning there is a story about the Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma using the language of faith versus the language of politics for life, ministry and vocation. All this clap-trap with the LCWR and who's on what side or not is a bit over the top for several reasons (which I won't get into right now). Read what the Sisters of Mercy of Alma have to say --they give a more balanced view.
The Church is getting more deeply into sport laity with the John Paul II Foundation for Sport, and the Pontifical Councils for Culture and Laity. It is believed that sport as a privileged place for dialogue among church, culture and youth. Sport is healthy recreation and appropriate challenge. Sport is a point of reference of bettering oneself and the development of virtue.This is a new approach to following Christ.
(Sadly, the John Paul II Foundation for Sport is only a London based organization; let's hope something in the USA and Canada gets working.)
From Vatican Radio:
Representatives from the Pontifical Council for Culture and the Pontifical Council for the Laity held a press conference at the Vatican on Thursday, during which they presented the new lines of cultural approach to sport. The new approach is aimed at coming to an understanding of sport as a privileged place for dialogue among Church, culture and youth. The conference also provided an opportunity to present the Pontifical Council for Culture's new Department dedicated to Culture and Sport, which will work closely with the Church and Sport Section of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, and the John Paul II Foundation for Sport. One of those who participated in the press briefing was Fr. Kevin Lixey, who is Responsible for the Church and Sport Section at the Council for the Laity. He told Vatican Radio recent, highly publicized scandals in major league sports - including betting scandals in Italy - make the announcement extremely timely. "On the one hand," said Lixey, "we wanted to announce something we've been doing for the past year and a half," adding, "it's a moment for the Church to show that it is concerned." Fr. Lixey went on to say, "[The Church] is actively working and interested in trying to stimulate a little bit more the pastoral work with sport," on all levels, from youth leagues to international and professional compretition. "There is," said Fr. Lixey, "still a lot of good in sport."
Listen to Chris Altieri's extended interview with Fr. Kevin Lixey of the Pontifical Council for the Laity: 
Yesterday there was a very brief article in the newspaper from the AP about the discovery of homilies from Origen (AD 185-253/4) Church father (theologian) from Alexandria, Egypt. Later I noticed a friend on Facebook telling us a little more of the discovery the homilies on the Psalms. Few of his texts are extant. The press release (in German) is noted here.
More than being esoteric, this a really important find because Origen is a pivotal Christian thinker because he contributed to the building of our witness to Christ.
The manuscripts of the homilies were found in the Bavarian State Library by Marina Molin Pradel while she was doing some other work. The texts were verified by Lorenzo Perrone of the University of Bologna. These homilies are important since Origen's work as been until now unknown in Greek.
The 3rd century Origen was condemned by the Ecumenical Council of Constantinople in 553.
If you are interested in Origen you may be interested in what Pope Benedict XVI said about this theologian in 2007 when he dedicated two of his catechesis sessions on him.
Almighty ever-living God, who gave Saint Anthony of
Padua to your people as an outstanding preacher and an intercessor in their
need, grant that, with his assistance, as we follow the teachings of the
Christian life, we may know your help in every trial.One of the beautiful things that happened today was the reception of First Holy Communion of Giovannimaria Rainaldi, 6, who is living with neuroblastoma. From Rome, Italy, he's been here seeking treatment at Memorial Sloan-Kettering. Giovannimaria has had a setback and needs our fraternal and prayerful support.
Be sure to read the select for Saint Anthony in the Office of Readings. As usual, it's good for meditation.
Saint Anthony help us to find Christ, and stick with Him. Pray for us.
The Portsmouth Institute is set to begin its third year of work from June 22-24, 2012, with the theme of "Modern Science, Ancient Faith." The Institute is located at Portsmouth Abbey and School (Portsmouth, RI).The speakers include Rt. Rev. Dom James Wiseman (St. Anselm's Abbey, Washington, DC), R. Dom Paschal Scotti (Portsmouth Abbey), William Dembski, John Haught, Kenneth Miller, B. Joseph Semmes, Michael Ruse, Fr. Nicanor Austriaco, OP.
Prayer, fraternity and time to think are hallmarks of the Portsmouth Institute. Situated at the beautiful Portsmouth Abbey on the Narrangansett Bay, who could not love expanding one's thinking on faith and science.
Visit the website noted above for more information of the conference, the Abbey and School.
Previous Institutes:
2009 The Catholic William F. Buckley, Jr.
2010 Newman & the Intellectual Tradition
2011 The Catholic Shakespeare?
Join the work being done...
Trust in the Lord and do good, and you will dwell in the land and be secure.
Find your delight in the Lord, and he will grant your heart's desire.
(Ps 37; Introit for Mass for Religious)
These days there are celebrations of profession of vows and recognition of 50 years of monastic profession. The vocation to the monastic life is the search for God (cf. Rule of St Benedict) by the serious living of the gospel and one's baptism. It is a glorious vocation, one that entering the narrow gate is not easy but eloquent for its witness.
Three friends are living their vocation with fresh eyes. Each called by the Lord to follow and to be see-ers of the Kingdom (cf. Ratzinger) in this manner is sacrificial oriented to life eternal (cf. Spe Salvi, 12).
Benedictine Brother Pietro, a monk of the Monastery of Saint Peter and Paul (outside Milan, Italy) professed his first vows (temporary profession), Father Hilary of the Abbey of Saint Mary (Morristown, NJ) celebrated his 50th annviersary, and Benedictine Sister Marie Rita celebrated her 50th anniversary of profession of monastic vows. There are several others I could mention but let me satisfy this desire to recognize the sign of profession for service of the Kingdom and one's salvation.
Continue reading Profession of vows, celebration of 50 years of monastic vows.
Yesterday was the great feast of The Solemnity of the
Body and Blood of Christ. At Saint Catherine of Siena Church in New York City
the parish community with the Dominican Friars led by Father Jordan Kelly
celebrated a Solemn Mass for the feast and then took to the streets with the Monstrance containing Our Lord and Savior. For the
first time in years Our Lord in His Eucharistic Presence was carried in
procession in the neighborhood of the church. Imagine the faces of Catholics, Christians, Jews, Muslims and those who do not share our Eucharistic faith seeing such display of faith and devotion! Graces beyond imagining:
beautiful weather, lots of people, terrific sacred music given to our worship
by Daniel B. Sañez and his superb choir, an insightful homily and a rededication to the Sacred Heart with Benediction after an extended period of adoration.
I
came across this reflection from Saint John Chrysostom:
If we wish to understand the power of Christ's blood, we should go back to the ancient account of its prefiguration in Egypt. 'Sacrifice a lamb without blemish', commanded Moses, 'and sprinkle its blood on your doors'. If we were to ask him what he meant, and how the blood of an irrational beast could possibly save people endowed with reason, his answer would be that the saving power lies not in the blood itself, but in the fact that it is a sign of the Lord's blood. In those days, when the destroying angel saw the blood on the doors he did not dare to enter, so how much less will the devil approach now when he sees, not that figurative blood on the doors, but the true blood on the lips of believers, the doors of the temple of Christ.
Indeed, washed in Chris's blood,
and not that of a animal is what saves, and we ought to scream this from the
roof tops. Well, we actually didn't yell anything but we walked together in
professing our faith.
The Church of Saint Catherine of Siena NYC will never be the same! Thanks be to God.
The feast of Corpus Christi has a rich fare to savor: prayers, Bible readings, music, and poetic texts. The point of the Church offering us this opportunity to honor the Eucharistic Presence is to extend in our lives a deeper grace given in Communion theology, to have a closer with the Lord in His promised hundredfold. It is, of course, a deepening in our lives what the Lord Himself did and gave to us on Holy Thursday with Eucharist and the priesthood.
The Sequence (the poetry which follows the second lesson at Mass and directly precedes the Alleluia verse), Lauda Sion Salvatorem, is ideally fitting for the sacred Liturgy. Google this masterpiece of poetry expressing theology in a way that stimulates prayer and deepens one's faith.
The English priest Father Ronald Knox offers a perspective on what we're doing in observing the great feast of the Lord's Body and Blood. The following is taken from his meditation on Corpus Christi:
Like the Jewish Temple, the Christian altar is the rallying point of God's people. The whole notion of Christian solidarity grows out of, and is centered in, the common participation of a common Table. The primitive Church in Jerusalem broke bread day be day from house to house; its stronghold of peace was not any local centre, but a common meal. Christian people, however separated by long distances of land or sea, still meet together in full force, by a mystical reunion, whenever and wherever the Bread is broken and the Cup blessed.
The observance of Corpus Christi, sometimes called Corpus Domini (The Body of the Lord). In places like Rome, the traditional day to observe this feast is Thursday, connecting with Holy Thursday. A portion of the Pope's homily is noted below (the full text is here).
... the sacredness of the Eucharist. Also here we heard in the recent past of a certain misunderstanding of the authentic message of Sacred Scripture. The Christian novelty in regard to worship was influenced by a certain secularist mentality of the 60s and 70s of the past century. It is true, and it remains always valid, that the center of worship is now no longer in the rites and ancient sacrifices, but in Christ himself, in his person, in his life, in his paschal mystery. And yet, from this fundamental novelty it must not be concluded that the sacred no longer exists, but that it has found its fulfillment in Jesus Christ, incarnate divine Love. The Letter to the Hebrews, which we heard this evening in the Second Reading, speaks to us precisely of the novelty of the priesthood of Christ, "high priest of the good things that have come" (Hebrews 9:11), but it does not say that the priesthood is finished. Christ "is the mediator of a new covenant" (Hebrews 9:15), established in his blood, which purifies our "conscience from dead works" (Hebrews 9:14). He did not abolish the sacred, but brought it to fulfillment, inaugurating a new worship, which is, yes, fully spiritual but which however, so long as we are journeying in time, makes use again of signs and rites, of which there will be no need only at the end, in the heavenly Jerusalem, where there will no longer be a temple (cf. Revelation 21:22). Thanks to Christ, the sacred is more true, more intense and, as happens with the Commandments, also more exacting! Ritual observance is not enough, but what is required is the purification of the heart and the involvement of life.
Pope Benedict XVI
Corpus Christi at the Basilica of St. John Lateran
7 June 2012
My friend Father Cyril Crawford died unexpectedly a short time ago, on 15 May 2012. He died in his sleep in Leuven (Louvain), Belgium, at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, where he was working on a doctorate in Philosophy so that he could teach at his monastery's college.Dom Cyril, 46, was a monk and a priest of the Abbey of Saint Joseph of Covington, LA.
A photo tribute to Cyril can be seen here.
Over at The Substance of Things Hoped For, Benedictine Father Denis Robinson (Rector of Saint Meinrad Seminary) wrote a remembrance of Dom Cyril. Father Denis' words are very true and capture Cyril well. I met Cyril at Saint Meinrad's, in the library, and found him to be a friend.
My heart is saddened, deeply so. Cyril as a good monk, priest with an honest search for God and keen sense of humor and intellect.
More info including Abbot Justin Brown's homily at the Mass of Christian Burial of Cyril can be found here.
Saint Benedict and Saint Cyril of Alexandria, pray for Father Cyril, and for us.
The Meeting, as it is known in shorthand, is quickly approaching (19-25 August). This is its 33rd year. This cultural event now draws nearly 800,000 people from across the globe.The theme of the 2012 meeting is "By Nature, man is relation to the Infinite."
The brief video on The Meeting was produced by Rome Reports.
One of the last items is a note that our own NY CL member Dr Elvira Paravincini will be making a presentation on her work as a neonatologist and the hospice she founded. Blessings on Elvira and her work.
Dr Paravincini with several other healthcare professionals, many of them belonging to CL, the MedConference is a key event in the US for talking about faith and the practice of medicine. This year the MedConference is running 19-21 October in Florham Park, NJ.
Saint Norbert is often overlooked in this country, perhaps because he lived so long ago that he hardly matters today, or because meeting his spiritual sons and daughters is a rarity unless you live in Paoli, PA, DePere, WI or Silverado, CA (or a handful of other places places) where you might encounter the Canon Regular, aka Norbertines. BUT I would submit that Saint Norbert cannot be dismissed because he lived in the 11th nor because you have neither met the Canons nor the Canoness.Saint Norbert is a saint of the Eucharist. AND that ought to be enough of an enticement to know Norbert.
Today's first reading from the First Letter of Peter offers an exhortation to his hearers who are facing difficult times: be eager to stand firm. As the people who heard Peter so we too, today, need to remember that the Lord has an infinite amount of patience; in fact He never tires, but His adopted children need to recall that only He's the matrix of the covenant's fulfillment. God is present, stand firm.
Saint Boniface, the Englishman monk who became the Apostle to Germany, whose memory we commemorate today, also exhorted those of his time to stand firm because God is present. In the Office of Readings this morning I reacquainted myself with a rather curious set of images that Boniface delivered to the bishops of his time and place make connects very nicely with the Scriptures. Saint Boniface said, "Let us be neither dogs that do not bark nor silent onlookers nor paid servants who run away before the wolf. Instead let us be careful shepherds watching over Christ's flock. Let us preach the whole of God's plan to the powerful and to the humble, to rich and to poor, to men of every rank and age, as far as God gives us the strength, in season and out of season, as Saint Gregory writes in his book of Pastoral Instruction."
Indeed, let the bark be heard.
The monks of Saint Anselm's Abbey (Manchester, New Hampshire) have elected Father Mark Cooper as their 5th abbot. 25 of the 28 monks were eligible to vote.Abbot Mark Cooper succeeds Abbot Matthew Leavy who as served the Abbey, the College and the Church since 1986. Abbot Mark just retired after serving for 33 years as the VP for Finance of the College. He's an alum of 1971. More on Abbot Mark can be read here.
Abbot Mark is graduated Saint Anselm's College in 1971 with a BA in Political Science, and later studied at the University of Notre Dame, Saint John's Seminary, Brighton, MA, Saint Albert's House of Studies (operated by the Dominicans). He was ordained in 1976. In the course of time he taught at Woodside Priory and helped out pastorally as a priest.
As spiritual father of the monastic community the Abbot is also the Chancellor of the College; he is also the superior of Woodside Priory just outside of San Francisco, CA.
Upon election this morning the new abbot has taken the Oath of Fidelity and received the obedience of the monks and made the Te Deum for this gift of service. The election was presided over and confirmed by the Abbot President of the American Cassinese Congregation, The Right Reverend Hugh Anderson.
Continue reading Mark Cooper elected 5th abbot of Saint Anselm's Abbey, Manchester, NH.
The century old magazine edited by the Jesuits, America Magazine, has a new editor in chief, Father Matthew Malone, SJ. He's the 14th editor, and the youngest in the publication's history.America is a mixed bag of journal opinion when it comes to covering the Church, it mostly pushes the envelop on matters that are not up for debate: it sheds more smoke and than light. In many ways it seems as though America has abandoned it's prestigious and valuable nature of journalism as a Catholic publication rooted firmly in Ignatian spirituality. I pray that Saint Ignatius and all Jesuit saints and blesseds inspire Father Matt in his new mission. I certainly wish him the best.
America's press release is here.
On January 14, Monsignor Massimo Camisasca admitted several men to Candidacy. This means those who are asking to be ordained priests in the Missionary Fraternity of Saint Charles Borromeo. Monsignor is the founder and Superior General. The reason I am posting this homily is because of Monsignor Camisasca's imagery of the house of God and the invitation given to enter. He sets the stage of what priesthood is about... Where do you remain, and with whom? Where is your joy?
To introduce us to the profound meaning of what happens to you today and in reflex to us, let us place ourselves on the same wavelength of the question that Andrew and John directed to Jesus: Master, where do you live? (Jn 1.38).
As well as this evening we also ask: "Where do you live?". To be able to stay with Him, we must know where he lives. Your "yes" today is placed on the path that you are completing here in the seminary, a path in which you learn where Jesus lives and how to stay with him. To know Jesus, to know Him interiorly, profoundly, to experience him constitutes the fullness of our existence.
Continue reading Where do you remain, and with whom? Where is your joy?.
Today marks the 25th anniversary of death of my dear grandfather, Julius J. Zalonski. I can't believe the time has moved so quickly. The noon Mass is celebrated for him as the Mass was celebrated for my grandmother last week on her 8th anniversary.
God was very good to me in giving me the grace of good grandparents on both sides of my family. A gift that allows me to be full of gratitude. Much good and love was experienced with my grandfather, more than what I am aware...
With the Church I pray,
O God, giver of pardon and loving author of our salvation, grant, we pray you, in your mercy, that through the intercession of the Blessed Mary, ever-Virign, and all the Saints, my grandfather Julius who has passed from this world 25 years ago, may attain a share in eternal happiness.
Today marks the 7th anniversary of death of M. Basil Pennington, OCSO, monk, priest, abbot, writer. In 2005 he died on the feast of the Sacred Heart.Abbot Basil died as a result of injuries sustained in a car accident at the age of 73.
He was described aptly as a "great, loving bear of a man" with a terrific sense of humor and laugh. He was energetic and an impressive leader with a very large capacity for friendship. His openness and keen intellect allowed him to publish 57 books and more than a 1000 articles.
Father Charles Cummings' obit of Dom Basil can be read here. If you've not known about Basil, then I would make the humble suggestion to read this piece and find the book, As We Knew Him, to introduce yourself.
Rest in peace, Dom Basil.
No one is to be called a Theist, who does not believe in a Personal God, whatever difficulty there may be in defining the word "Personal." Now it is the belief of Catholics about the Supreme Being, that this essential characteristic of His Nature is reiterated in three distinct ways or modes; so that the Almighty God, instead of being One Person only, which is the teaching of Natural Religion, has Three Personalities, and is at once, according as we view him in the one or the other of them, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit--a Divine Three, who bear towards Each Other the several relations which those names indicate, and are {125} in that respect distinct from Each Other, and in that alone.
John Henry Newman
An Essay in aid of a Grammar of Assent, Chapter 5
The Holy Father concluded the Seventh World Meeting of Families in Milan today but before he said his final prayers of the Mass and good-byes, Benedict announced that the 2015 Meeting will take place in Philadelphia.
Archbishop Charles Chaput made the announcement here.
1979 was the last time the Roman Pontiff visited Philadelphia.
In the Sacraments of Initiation, God invites us to
share in the life of the Most Blessed Trinity: we become recreated in the image
of Jesus Christ, filled with the Holy Spirit, and adopted as sons and daughters
of the Father.In Pope Benedict's Porta Fidei, the Letter opening the Year of
Faith later in 2012, wrote: To profess faith in the Trinity - Father, Son and
Holy Spirit - is to believe in one God who is Love (cf. 1 Jn 4:8): the Father,
who in the fullness of time sent his Son for our salvation; Jesus Christ, who
in the mystery of his death and resurrection redeemed the world; the Holy
Spirit, who leads the Church across the centuries as we await the Lord's
glorious return.
The Roman Church celebrated Pentecost last weekend thus concluding the Easter season. This weekend the same Church observes the feast of the Most Holy Trinity.Also this weekend, our Orthodox sisters and brothers are celebrating the Coming of the Holy Spirit (see Acts 2:1-4).
Let us beg for the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit.
You may read more about the Spirit's feast here.
Today, England's Queen Elizabeth II, 86, begins the 60th anniversary of taking the English Throne. Elizabeth is the Head of State and 15 Commonwealths; she's also the head of the Church of England.
May God bless the Queen for her service.
Our Lady of Walsingham, pray for us.
Saint George, pray for us.
Saint Augustine of Canterbury, pray for us.
All saints and blesseds of England, pray for us.
We have to avoid a secularism that excludes faith, that excludes God from public life, and transforms it into a purely subjective factor, and therefore also arbitrary. If God has no public value, if He is not a need for all of us, then He becomes an idea that can be manipulated.
Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger
Interview in Communion and Liberation Traces
October 2004
The general intention
That believers may recognize in the Eucharist the living presence of the Risen One who accompanies them in daily life.
The missionary intention
That Christians in Europe may rediscover their true identity and participate with greater enthusiasm in the proclamation of the Gospel.
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