Communio – Page 466 – …bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Immaculate Conception of Mary

Hail Mary, full of grace!

Today we celebrate the Immaculate Conception of Mary, the Mother of Jesus. As we venerate her life of holiness, full of grace from the beginning of her existence, we praise God and acclaim the power of his gifts. May all Christians, filled with joyful hope and following the example of Mary, be faithful to God’s grace and seek a life of holiness.

(Pope Benedict XVI, Angelus address, December 8, 2009)

She is the branch of Jesse, the Virgin Mother, the garden wherein grew the divine plant, the holy fountain sealed with the mysterious gift: she it is that made the world happy by the fruit of her virginal womb.

Paul the Deacon, monk of Montecassino

Weinandy – Tilley: disputes between theologians or the Tradition?

When the average Catholic thinks of theological
disputation they quickly surmise that they can be tedious, if not irrelevant.
Connections are not made for the average Catholic between relevance of a theological truth or an idea to the spiritual life and the teaching of Truth and one’s salvation. Believe it or not, theology means something. Admittedly, I don’t blame people’s reluctance to enter into the fray of the
issues because they are complicated, convoluted and cause considerable
consternation between the interlocutors. But what else would you expect from
intelligent people? Theological matters are incredibly important for the life
of the Church particularly in the realm of protecting the deposit of faith from
charlatans. I, for one, love the controversy that’s stirred up because it gets
people talking and thinking about the issues posited by Catholic theologians.

Capuchin Father Thomas G. Weinandy (Dir. of Doctrine
Committee, USCCB) thinks Dr. Terrence W. Tilley (Fordham Univ. theologian &
chair of the Dept of Theology) is on the outer limits of what theological
reflection and research legitimately allows for. Tilley believes he and others
are recovering an older theological approach (method).

I for one think Weinandy
has the stronger argument.

Father Weinandy’s article is presented here Weinandy on
Tilley’s theological argument.pdf and Dr. Tilley’s address is found here Tilley CTSA
address 2009.pdf.

Benedictine named bishop in Chur, Switzerland: Abbot Dr. Marian Eleganti

Abbot Dr. Marian Eleganti, 54, until now the Abbot of the Abbey of Saint Otmasberg (Abtei St. Otmarsberg), has been nominated by the Holy Father to be an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Chur, Switzerland. He was elected abbot of his monastery on 15 July 1999 and in 2003 defended a doctoral dissertation on Romano Guardini at the University of Salzburg. Abbot Marian speaks seven languages and is a published author.

The Abbey of Saint Otmasberg belongs to the Congregation of Saint Ottilien, a grouping of missionary Benedictine monks who take vows to a particular monastery as other monks do, but since mission work is their common apostolate, monks are assigned from various monasteries for this mission work in monasteries in other parts of the world. This congregation of monks have a slightly different understanding of the monastic of stability but no less vital for monasticism and for the Church. There are two monasteries of the Congregation of Saint Ottilien in the USA: Saint Paul’s Abbey (Newton, NJ) and Christ the King Priory (Schuyler, NE).

Bishop-elect Marian is one of 32 Benedictine monks ordained to the episcopacy worldwide.

May God grant many years to Bishop-elect Marian and may Saint Ambrose sustain the bishop with his prayers. So, we pray for Abbot Marian and for his Benedictine community who will now prepare to elect a new abbot.

Saint Ambrose

O Ambrose, wonderworker and champion of the Church, Godbearing hierarch: thou did work miracles by thy faith and love for God; therefore we the earthborn glorify thee and cry out: Glory to Him Who has glorified tee; glory to Him Who has crowed thee; glory to Him Who through thee works healings for all. (Troparion, tone 1)

The Liturgy’s prayer for Saint Ambrose may be found here.

A biography for Saint Ambrose is found here and here.

Saint Ambrose on the Holy Spirit:

But lest perchance any one should speak against as it were
the littleness of the Spirit and from this should endeavour to establish a
difference in greatness, arguing that water seems to be but a small part of a
Fount, although examples taken from creatures seem by no means suitable for
application to the Godhead; yet lest they should judge anything injuriously
from this comparison taken from creatures, let them learn that not only is the Holy
Spirit called Water, but also a River, as we read: “From his belly shall flow
rivers of living water. But this He said of the Spirit, Whom they were
beginning to receive, who were about to believe in Him” (Jn 7:38-39).

So, then,
the Holy Spirit is the River, and the abundant River, which according to the
Hebrews flowed from Jesus in the lands, as we have received it prophesied by
the mouth of Isaiah (Is 66:12). This is the great River which flows always and
never fails. And not only a river, but also one of copious stream and
overflowing greatness, as also David said: “The stream of the river makes glad
the city of God.

For neither is that city, the heavenly Jerusalem, watered by
the channel of any earthly river, but that Holy Spirit proceeding from the
Fount of Life, by a short draught of Whom we are satiated, seems to flow more
abundantly among those celestial Thrones, Dominions and Powers, Angels and
Archangels, rushing in the full course of the seven virtues of the Spirit. For
if a river rising above its banks overflows, how much more does the Spirit, rising
above every creature, when He touches the as it were low-lying fields of our
minds, make glad that heavenly nature of the creatures with the larger
fertility of His sanctification. (St. Ambrose, On the Holy Spirit, Book One, 176-178)

Dolan calls for a truce: don’t mall each other at Christmas

Today the NY Daily News published a letter written by Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan, archbishop of New York. I am happy that the News published this letter because it is not only a message for Christians, but people of faith, and those looking for the gift of faith. The substance of the Archbishop’s letter can be summarized in this way: this is a time for peace among peoples; for love and reconciliation. And even though not all go about observing this season in the same way, we ought to respect one another!

Christians, particularly, are preparing themselves to welcome the Prince of Peace, the Wonder-Counselor, the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ, into their whole being. Others will be observing Chanuka and still others will just try to live the best they now how.

While faith-neural language like “holiday parties,” “Seasons Greetings,” or “holiday sale,” can get annoying, even ridiculous, our attention ought not to be exclusively on how “others” are removing Jesus Christ from view at this point of the calendar. Sure, some of our brothers and sisters are frustrated by this move away from our Christian roots. I am, too. However, I am not giving more power to those who agitate to rid the world of Advent & Christmas.

So we need ask ourselves, is the frustration worth it? Is letting the secularization of our Christian culture “get to us” giving more power to the forces of the faith-neutral ideologues in our lives than need be? If so, they’ve won. Reasonable people of faith and good will won’t think of Christ being removed from our hearts or families or the work place by anyone but ourselves. We can’t blame others for everything. So, the Archbishop’s call for a truce on all that distracts from the real meaning of Advent and the forthcoming Christmastide is well-taken.

I, for one, am going to get back to listening to “Christmas at Ephesus,” the recent album of Christmas hymns recorded by the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of the Apostles. Perhaps I’ll pray the Joyful mysteries of the rosary.

Saint Nicholas, bishop

You have proved yourself to be a holy priest, O Nicholas; You served God in Myra and lived the Gospel of Christ. You offered your life for your people; You rescued the innocent from death, therefore God has glorified you as a trustworthy guide of things divine.

(St Nicholas Kontakion, Tone 3)

You were revealed to your flock as a measure of faith. You were an image of humility and a teacher of self-control. Because of your humble life, heaven was opened to you, because of your poverty, spiritual riches were granted to you. O holy bishop Nicholas, we cry out to you: Pray to Christ our Go that our souls may be saved.

The Liturgy’s prayer for Saint Nicholas may be found here.

A brief bio on Saint Nicholas is here.

Blessed Mary Frances Schervier

God, our Father, You bestowed a marvelous gift of
charity on blessed Mary Frances the virgin to help the poor and the sick. Grant
us through her example to live the spirit of poverty with prudence and to serve
the brethren with all care.

A little bit on Blessed Mary Frances’ life is found here and about her order you can this entry.

Some groups and webpages have Blessed Mary Frances’ liturgical memorial on December 15. The Roman Martyrology lists her on December 14 and the Franciscan supplement to the Roman Missal indicates today.

Liturgy is both an end and source of strength

The Liturgy is at once both the end to which the
action of the Church tends and at the same time the source from which flows all
her strength. We, who have left everything to seek God alone and to possess him
more fully, should carry out the liturgical functions with particular
reverence. For when we accomplish the Liturgy, especially the Eucharistic
celebration, we have access to the Father through his Son, the Word Incarnate
who suffered and was glorified, in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Thus we achieve
communion with the Most Holy Trinity.

(Statutes of the Carthusian Order 41.1)

We are neither Carthusian monks nor nuns (at least I am not), but this paragraph from the Statutes should in some way focus our attention to the serious matter of prayer, redemption and the action of God, namely the Liturgy. Their sentiments must also be ours given our state in life. In what ways are we changed by the Liturgy (Mass and Divine Office)? If you are not changed, then what needs to be done in your life to be open to the divine changed hoped-for during and after the celebration of the Liturgy?

Saint John of Damascus

Saint John of Damascus spent most of his life in the monastery of Saint Sabas, near Jerusalem, under Muslim rule, indeed, protected by it. Born in Damascus c. 676, John received a classical and theological education, and followed his father in a government position under the Muslims. He resigned after a few years so that he could go to the monastery of Saint Sabas. Saint John is considered the last of the Greek Church Fathers (his writings)

Three points to remember about the Damascene:

1. he is known for his opposition to the iconoclasts, who opposed the veneration of images. Paradoxically, it was the Eastern Christian emperor Leo who forbade the practice, and it was because John lived in Muslim territory that his enemies could not silence him.

2. he is famous for his treatise, Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, a summary of the Greek Fathers. It is said that this book is the Eastern equivalent of Aquinas’ Summa.

3. he is known as a poet, one of the two greatest in the Eastern Church (the other being Romanus the Melodist). His devotion to the Theotokos (the Blessed Virgin Mary) and his sermons on her feasts are well known.

The Church and aliens, ETs, that is

Every so often something interesting happens in the brutish lives we live. Tuesday night
was one of those times, at a seminary no less, that we had an interesting conversation about something many of us knew nothing about: stars, aliens and the connection with faith. We had a visit from Jesuit
Father David Brown whose work is at the Vatican’s Observatory. Funny that David and I are classmates but our journeys took us in different directions. Of course, he went up…that is, he studies the stars and I just went…

As a
coinky-dinky, Stephen Colbert chatted with the Vatican astronomer, Jesuit
Brother Guy Consolmagno, about extraterrestrial life. Who would have thought
that the seminary and Mr. Colbert were doing the same stuff: thinking about life beyond
the present moment.

Watch the interview here…