St Jude, relative of the Lord

The holy apostle Jude, relative of the Lord is honored by the Byzantine Church today. In addition to being an apostle he is in-charge of difficult cases. He is frequently invoked by medical professionals and those who are living with illness.

“Like many of the other apostles, Jude’s name has several variations. In the Gospels he is called Judas; Luke adds, “son of James,” and John says parenthetically, “not the Iscariot.” Matthew and Mark call him Thaddeus, no doubt because of the odium associated with the name Judas. Jude, as we know him, was one of the Twelve, and a relative of Christ through James.

Aside from mention of Jude in the Gospels and his own letter which is part of the New Testament Canon, there is nothing known of his life or manner of death.

The Epistle of Jude is addressed to all Christians. His work was a contribution to the complex struggle of the infant Church against heresy. Jude’s letter is witness to the Church’s steadfast confirmation of Apostolic Tradition and law.” (NS)

Blessing of Agriculture

“That Thou wouldst please to give and preserve the fruits of the earth…we beseech Thee hear us.”

“Bless, O Lord, Almighty God, this land; may health and purity, goodness and meekness, and every virtue reign here.”

Today we had the blessing of agriculture using the Latin prayers (with a English translation provided for some). Two of our priest friends in the Order of Preachers and some friends, came out to the North Guilford Monastery (the Dominican nuns) to bless the honey bees, the chickens, the cows, the pigs, the land, the orchard and a mode of transportation. Because the nuns are cloistered the land, gardens and forest were blessed with them in spirit.

As a beekeeper, I am keen on having my bees and hives receiving the Lord’s blessing.

Since we do not have the Catholic Rural Life chapter in Connecticut, CRL’s influence is rather negligible but as a national, Catholic nonprofit organization it is dedicated to the vitality of the America’s agriculture.

Blessing of Honey Bees

O Lord, God almighty, who hast created heaven and earth! Thou didst create all living things for man’s use. Moreover, Thou didst order by the ministry of Thy Church that candles made from the industry of bees shall burn during the Sacred Mystery in which we consecrate and consume the most holy Body and Blood of Jesus Christ Thy Son. Send Thy holy blessing upon these bees and this beehive to make them numerous and productive, and to preserve them from harm, so that their yield of wax can be turned to Thy honor, and to the honor of Thy Son and Holy Spirit and to the veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.”

Beauty in our life through ritual

The life we lead is informed by the gestures and intentions we do and have. I ask myself what judgment –that is, what is the meaning– of how and why I do things, and how the things I say and do have an impact on my own soul and that of others. The perspective of the author is the Byzantine Liturgy but if one looks a little deeper into the Latin similar gestures are present but often neglected. Catholicism, East and West, is an embodied faith. Consider what the Lord did with the 12, with the 72, and how He engaged and loved them. What was seen with Jesus is now passed into the Church. But sometimes we have neglected the body ethic to our detriment. It does not have to be THAT way. We can attend to how we use our bodies to worship the Lord, to pray, to contemplate holy things, and to act as witnesses to the Good News revealed to us.

“How do we make our life a work of art? One of the important benefits of liturgical prayer and the rituals that accompany it is that it teaches us how to meet each moment with our best intention, and to approach our daily life as an arena of spiritual practice. By focusing on the quality of our presence at Divine Liturgy, for example, by consciously entering into the ritual movements that accompany the prayer — the sign of the cross, the reverence, the kissing of the icon — our presence during this time becomes choreographed. There is nothing artificial in this, but rather it is a means of creating beauty. Our body is responding to the mystery that is before us, and this in turn conditions us to pay attention to our movements outside liturgy, in the various rhythms of daily life. If we are conscious and mindful of God’s presence throughout the day, life can increasingly become a work of art, one that honors the dignity of our humanity.” (NS)

Communion and Liberation sainthood causes

The Fraternity of Communion and Liberation has four people who are in some process of beatification/canonization and study for thereof. There is, of course, the Servant of God Father Luigi Giussani, the Servant of God Andrea Aziani, the Servant of God Enzo Piccinini and the soon to be beatified Carlo Acutis.

 

The other day on the website for Communion and Liberation there was an update on beatification of Enzo Piccinini. The update is that the nulla osta for the cause of beatification has been received from the Congregation for Saints. Only twelve months ago was the cause opened. The news came on “twenty-first anniversary of the death of the Modenese surgeon, friend and collaborator of Fr. Giussani, celebrated on Tuesday, May 26.” The nulla osta from the Holy See means that the diocesan inquiry for the cause can officially begin.

The announcement can be read be here.

In addition, we in the Movement are also waiting on the diligent work on the sainthood caused for Father Luigi Giussani, Andrea Aziani and the beatification of the Venerable Servant of God Carlo Acutis. We await word of a date for the beatification ceremony for Acutis.

The Acutis Family doesn’t have a history of practicing the Catholic Faith and there is speculation that the Polish woman who cared for Carlo introduced him to the person of Jesus. Known as a techi, Carlo was involved with CL and the Rimini Meeting. Two brief intros into the life and person of Carlo Acutis are from OSV and Crux. Acutis is a saint whose mission is (and was) to draw our attention to the reality of the Holy Eucharist and our devotion to the Most Blessed Sacrament.

Andrea Aziani died 12 years ago while serving the Lord in Peru, where as a consecrated member of CL’s Memores Domini, he taught Philosophy at a school he helped to establish, Sedes Sapientiae University. His was a life to dedicated to Christ through the service of the poor. His cause proceeds.

Aziani’s postulator is Father Antonio Nurena.

Saints beget saints.

St Basil the Great at Pentecost

We are fast approaching the great feast of Pentecost. A saint to attend to is St. Basil the Great.

Basil’s work is understood as a key and definitive statement on the divinity of the Holy Spirit in the early Church. A monumental intellectual work on the Holy Spirit won’t appear for many centuries later with Cardinal Ives Congar’s 3 volume work, I Believe in the Holy Spirit (1982).

As one commentator writes, “Unlike the previous approach to defending Christ’s divinity—which had relied on language outside of Scripture since Arian heretics had an explanation for every verse cited against them—Basil based his case for the divinity of the Holy Spirit on an extraordinarily close reading of the Bible, which makes his work unique both for its theological contributions and its exegetical style.”

We all ought to be familiar with the Holy Spirit and what the Church believes and teaches about the Spirit and so if you are inclined, read Basil’s On the Holy Spirit here and here to read the Office of Readings (from the Divine Office) for his feast day.

McGivney to be beatified by Church

This morning in Connecticut (Roman Noon) it was announced that the Holy Father approved the dossier stating that Father Michael J. McGivney will be beatified. Connecticut gets its first native Blessed of the Church. A miracle has been certified through the intercession of Father Michael J. McGivney. He was the founder of the Knights of Columbus.
 
– il miracolo, attribuito all’intercessione del Venerabile Servo di Dio Michele McGivney, Sacerdote diocesano, Fondatore dell’Ordine dei Cavalieri di Colombo, v.d. The Knights of Columbus; nato il 12 agosto 1852 a Waterbury (Stati Uniti d’America) e morto a Thomaston (Stati Uniti d’America) il 14 agosto 1890

St Philip Neri at Pentecost

On the vigil of Pentecost in 1544, St Philip was praying in the Catacombs of Saint Sebastian, on the Via Appia, as he had done many times, and asked God to give him the Holy Spirit. St Philip was suddenly filled with great joy, and had a vision of the Holy Spirit as a ball of fire. This fire entered into St Philip’s mouth, and descended to his heart, causing it to expand to twice its normal size, and breaking two of his ribs in the process (a fact later proven by his autopsy). He later said that it filled his whole body with such joy and consolation that he finally had to throw himself on the ground and cry out, “No more, Lord! No more!”

(courtesy of Bp. Mario Aviles, CO)

St Alban

In addition to St Bede and St Philip Neri, the Church recalls the memory of St Alban, the first Christian martyr of Britain, today. The list of saints commemorated on any given days is always interesting and worth our time in knowing and praying for their assistance.

The Byzantine Church recalls Alban’s memory today while the Latin Church will claim him on June 22. The year of his death is disputed.

The entry for Alban’s life reads thusly for one of the typicons:

“Our venerable father, Alban, protomartyr of the English.

Since the island of Britain was under Roman rule, Dio­cletian’s persecution accounts for Alban’s martyrdom some time around 287.

Alban, of Latin-Briton stock, gave shelter to a fleeing Christian priest. After hearing his guest describe his belief in Christ, Alban requested baptism. When soldiers traced the priest to Alban’s house, they discovered Alban dressed in the priest’s clothes. This enabled the priest to escape, but gave the authorities an excuse to execute Alban.

He was beheaded on a hill outside a town now known as St Albans in Hertfordshire. A monastery was founded on the site in the 8th century and became a famous Benedictine abbey. (NS)

Francis G. Morrisey, RIP

The sad news was sent out among the canon lawyers that the “dean” of canonical study, Father Francis G. Morrisey, O.M.I., died this morning at 9:40 a.m. at Élisabeth Bruyère Hospital, Ottawa.  Father Morrisey had been receiving palliative care for the past several weeks due to a cancer diagnosis. His sister, Joan, was with him at the time of his death.

As one canonist said, “The Church has been enriched by Frank’s selfless outpouring and, through the Church, cultures and societies throughout the world have also been enriched. He remains a gentleman esteemed and admired by a plethora of social innovators, church leaders, and professional colleagues. He has shown himself to be a faithful son of Saint Eugene De Mazenod who envisioned bringing healing and hope to the peripheries of Eugene’s day. Frank has done the same in today’s world.”

Father Morrisey mentored many at Saint Paul University, Ottawa. It was  said that he was a brilliant, humble, caring teacher –a priest and servant of the gospel- a colleague, a gentle soul and a friend. He was a great contributor at the annual CLSA convention and at regional canon law conferences.

While I did not know Father Morrisey personally, I had some communication with him through the years and I have used his canonical thought. We all have been enriched by Father’s presence and his great humanity. He won a lifetime achievement aware in 2019 which you can read/listen here. Thanks be to God.

Eternal rest, grant unto Father Morrisey O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon him.
May he rest in peace. Amen.

May Father’s soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
Amen.

Eternal memory.