The recent article in the UK’s Catholic Herald of John Henry Newman’s biographer who takes on the gay revisionists who try to rewrite the life of the late convert-cardinal-now-saint-hopeful. Father Ian Kerr defends Newman by trying to understand the meaning of the man’s life and words. I think the 19th century priest Father St. John is correct: we’ve lost a concept of affectionate friendship that’s not sexual.
Father Ragheed Ganni: a martyr’s 2nd anniversary of death
Today, it seems, is a day of remembering because it is an anniversary of two important witnesses of Jesus Christ: one is Blessed Pope John XXIII and the other is the 35 year old Iraqi priest, Father Ragheed Ganni. A Chaldean Catholic priest, Ganni was killed with three of his deacons after celebrating the Holy Mysteries. Forced from their car they were told to renounce faith in Christ and make their submission to Islam. They refused to renounce Christ and were gunned down.
Lord, you gave Ragheed Ganni Your servant and priest the privilege of a holy mystery in this world. May he rejoice for ever in the glory of Your kingdom.
Sandro Magister’s essay on Father Ganni’s last Mass…
Here is the story of Father Ganni published on the first anniversary of his death.
On 27 January 2009, Pope Benedict received the priestly vestments of Father Ganni and those of another witness to Jesus Christ, Archbishop Paul Rahho.
46th Anniversary of Blessed Pope John XXIII’s death
Today we observe the 46th anniversary of the death of a
great Father of the Church, Blessed John XXIII (known in history as Angelo Giuseppi
Roncalli). Many will remember him as the “smiling pope”. He was the
pope of senior age who called the Second Vatican Council.
In the course of time the Church has recognized this pope’s holiness and he was declared a “blessed” by Pope John Paul II. Blessed John’s liturgical memorial is observed on 11 October
and he is the patron of papal delegations.
Pope John Paul II thoughts of Pope John are a fantastic summary of John’s beauty:
Everyone remembers the image of Pope John’s smiling face and
two outstretched arms embracing the whole world. How many people were won over
by his simplicity of heart, combined with a broad experience of people and
things! The breath of newness he brought certainly did not concern doctrine,
but rather the way to explain it; his style of speaking and acting was new, as
was his friendly approach to ordinary people and to the powerful of the world.
It was in this spirit that he called the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council,
thereby turning a new page in the Church’s history Christians heard themselves
called to proclaim the Gospel with renewed courage and greater attentiveness to
the “signs” of the times. The Council was a truly prophetic insight of this
elderly Pontiff who, even amid many difficulties, opened a season of hope for
Christians and for humanity. In the last moments of his earthly life, he
entrusted his testament to the Church: “What counts the most in life is blessed
Jesus Christ, his holy Church, his Gospel, truth and goodness”
God our Father, you reward all who believe in You. May Your servant, John XXIII, our Pope, vicar of Peter, and shepherd of Your Church, who faithfully administered the mysteries of Your forgiveness and love on earth, rejoice with You for ever in heaven.
Born: 25 November 1881
Professed as a Secular Franciscan: 23 May 1897
Ordained priest: 10 August 1904
Appointed Apostolic Visitator in Bulgaria: 3 March 1925
Ordained bishop: 19 March 1925
Appointed Apostolic Delegate in Turkey & Greece: 12
January 1935
Appointed Nuncio in France: 23 December 1944
Created cardinal & Patriarch of Venice: 12 & 15
January 1953
Elected pope: 28 October 1958
Died: 3 June 1963
Beatified: 3 September 2000
Becoming like Christ
Pay attention! The author has something really important to say:
The Encyclical Mystici Corporis says expressly:
the Holy Spirit is communicated to the Church so that she and each of her
members may become daily more and more like to our Savior. Those whom God
foreknew he predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son (Romans 8:29);
every Christian is holy and pleasing to God to the extent that he has become
like Christ.
And it is the Holy Spirit who is the artisan who will
fashion the traits of the divine resemblance in us, making us daily more and
more like to our Savior. If we would cooperate fully with his action, each day
would witness some progress in our becoming more like Christ.
Struck by this thought, [Blessed] Sr. Elizabeth of the Trinity prayed:
Spirit of love, descend within me and reproduce in me as it were, an
incarnation of the Word, that I may be to him another humanity; wherein he
renews his mystery.
If Christ is the model to which all the baptized should
conform, there is no presumption in aspiring to become so like him that he can
renew his mystery in us, or rather, prolong in us his work of glorifying the
Father and of redeeming men. Indeed this is exactly Jesus’ desire in sending us
his Spirit.
Father Gabriel of Saint Mary Magdalen, OCD, Divine Intimacy
Saint Charles Lwanga & companions
The African martyrs add another page to the martyrology–the
Church’s role of honor–an occasion both of mourning and of joy. This is a page
worthy in every way to be added to the annals of that Africa of earlier times
which we, living in this era and being people of little faith, never expected
to be repeated.
In earlier times there occurred those famous deeds, so
moving to the spirit, of the martyrs of Scilli, of Carthage and of that “white
robed army” of Utica commemorated by Saint Augustine and Prudentius; of the
martyrs of Egypt so highly praised by Saint John Chrysostom and of the martyrs
of the Vandal persecution. Who would have thought that in our days we should
have witnessed events as heroic and glorious?
Who could have predicted to the famous African confessors
and martyrs such as Cyprian, Felicity, Perpetua and the greatest of all,
Augustine, that we would one day add the names so dear to us as Charles Lwanga
and Matthias Mulumba Lekemba and their twenty companions? Nor must we forget
those members of the Anglican Church who also died for the name of Christ.
These African martyrs herald the dawn of a new age. If only
the mind of man might be directed not toward persecutions and religious
conflicts but toward a rebirth of Christianity and civilization!
Africa has been washed by the blood of these latest martyrs,
the first of this new age (and, God willing, let them be the last, although
such a holocaust is precious indeed). Africa is reborn free and independent.
The infamous crime by which these young men were put to
death was so unspeakable and so expressive of the times. It shows us clearly
that a new people needs a moral foundation, needs new spiritual customs firmly
planted, to be handed down to posterirty. Symbolically, this crime also reveals
that a simple and rough way of life -enriched by many fine human qualities yet
enslaved by its own weakness and corruption–must give way to a more civilized
life wherein the higher expressions of the mind and better social conditions
prevail. (Pope Paul VI, homily at the canonization of St Charles, 1963)
Father, You have made the blood of the martyrs the seed of Christians. May the witness of Saint Charles and his companions and their loyalty to Christ in the face of torture inspire countless men and women to live the Christian faith.
The Concerns of Catholics and the US President: An Evaluation
God unites & sustains society
Two weeks ago in the School of Community we were discussing the answer Msgr. Giussani gave to a questioner who asks if it is reasonable for a non-believer to ask Christ for anything: Giussani says that it is completely reasonable to ask Christ to answer our needs because He is the answer to absolutely everything. Wow! Christ is the answer to everything for all time. Period. Christ is the answer is THE to every question, to every concern we have. Now, let’s be serious: we’re not saying Christ is the answer to whether we’ll eat pasta or cereal today. He’s the answer to questions of meaning, faith, vision, fulfillment, etc. What follows here is the Pope is addressing the matter of how and why the Church is engaged in culture. This is the same work that the World Youth Alliance is doing and what Communion & Liberation is about; the pope’s explanation of ecclessial engagement in culture is reasonable. No?
The Church’s engagement with civil society is anchored in
her conviction that authentic human progress — whether as individuals or
communities — is dependent upon the recognition of the spiritual dimension
proper to every person. It is from God that men and women receive their
essential dignity (cf. Gen 1:27) and the capacity to transcend particular
interests in order to seek truth and goodness and so find purpose and meaning
in their lives. This broad perspective provides a framework within which it is
possible to counter any tendency to adopt superficial approaches to social
policy which address only the symptoms of negative trends in family life and
communities, rather than their roots. Indeed, when humanity’s spiritual heart
is brought to light, individuals are drawn beyond themselves to ponder God and
the marvels of human life: being, truth, beauty, moral values, and
relationships that respect the dignity of others. In this way a sure foundation
to unite society and sustain a common vision of hope can be found.
(Pope Benedict XVI’s address to the new Ambassador of New Zealand to the Holy See Robert Carey Moore-Jones, May 29, 2009)
NO such thing as second class grace
I have to admit that I am not a frequent reader of the spiritual theology of Saint Josemaría Escriva but I am more and more interested in what he said because I think there is something that corresponds to my heart. Time will tell how he will affect my my life.
Here the saint briefly speaks to the fact that we are called by the Gospel to conform to Christ –a message I tried to get across to the parish youth group. Of course, speaking of following AND conforming the self to the Will of God is a hard concept to get across to anyone let alone young people. As Christians we follow; we also closely adhere to the cross while looking to the resurrection. Be careful, you don’t get the resurrection without the cross coming first.
Back to the saint’s thought: Saint Josemaria said, for example, about the matter of sanctity and priesthood:
There is no second class
sanctity: there is either a continuous struggle to be in the grace of God and
conformed to Christ our model or we desert these divine battles. Our Lord
invites everyone to sanctify himself in his own state. In Opus Dei this passion
for sanctity–in spite of our individual errors and miseries–is not changed by
the fact that one is a priest or a layperson.
sanctity: there is either a continuous struggle to be in the grace of God and
conformed to Christ our model or we desert these divine battles. Our Lord
invites everyone to sanctify himself in his own state. In Opus Dei this passion
for sanctity–in spite of our individual errors and miseries–is not changed by
the fact that one is a priest or a layperson.
Saint Josemaría, Homily, Priest for Eternity, 13 April 1973
Antonella Cappuccio: Contemporary Italian Paintings
The Knights of Columbus Museum is hosting an exhibit of an artist who has painted popes and scenes relevant to our human reality. Some hail Antonella Cappuccio as reviving a renaissance sense of painting. I like her work because it is evocative. See for yourself: the exhibit runs until October 4th.
KofC Museum is a philanthropic work of the Knights. The museum was founded in 1982. The museum is a contemporary work of the Knights that takes seriously the artistic interests of Father Michael McGivney who brought art and faith together when he served in various parishes in New Haven and Torrington, CT.
Today’s New Haven Register article
Visit the Cappuccio webpage of the exhibit at The Knights of Columbus Museum
Saint Justin martyr
The saints were seized and brought before the prefect of
Rome, whose name was Rusticus. As they stood before the judgment seat, Rusticus
the prefect said to Justin, “Above all, have faith in the gods and obey the
emperors.” Justin said, “We cannot be accused or condemned for obeying the
commands of Our Savior, Jesus Christ.”
Rusticus said, “What system of teaching do you profess?”
Justin said, “I have tried to learn about every system, but I have accepted the
true doctrines of the Christians, though these are not approved by those who
are held fast by error.” The prefect Rusticus said, “are those doctrines
approved by you, wretch that you are?” Justin said, “Yes, for I follow them
with their correct teaching.”
The prefect Rusticus said, “What sort of teaching is that?”
Justin said, “Worship the God of the Christians. We hold him to be from the
beginning the one creator and maker of the whole creation, of things seen and
things and unseen. We worship also the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He
was foretold by the prophets as the future herald of salvation for the human
race and the teacher of distinguished disciples. For myself, since I am a human
being, I consider that what I say is insignificant in comparison with his
infinite godhead. I acknowledge the existence of a prophetic power, for the one
I have just spoken of as the Son of God was the subject of prophecy. I know
that the prophets were inspired from above from when they spoke of his coming
among us.”
Rusticus said, “You are a Christian, then?” Justin said,
“Yes, I am a Christian.”
The prefect said to Justin, “You are called a learned man
and think you know what is true teaching. Listen. If you were scourged and
beheaded, are you convinced that you would go up to heaven?” Justin said, “I
hope that I shall enter God’s house if I suffer in that way. For I know that
God’s favor is stored up until the end of the whole world for all who have
lived good lives.”
The prefect Rusticus said, “Do you have an idea that you
will go up to heaven to receive some suitable rewards?” Justin said, “It is not
an idea that I have; it is something I know well and hold to be most certain.”
The prefect Rusticus said, “Now let us come to the point at issue, which is
necessary and urgent. Gather round then and with one accord offer sacrifice to
the gods.” Justin said, “No one who is right-thinking stoops from true worship
to false worship.”
The prefect Rusticus said, “If you do not do as you are
commanded you will be tortured without mercy.” Justin said,, “We hope to suffer
torment for the sake of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and so be saved. For this will
bring us salvation and confidence as we stand before the more terrible and
universal judgment seat of our Lord and Savior.” In the same way the other
martyrs said, “Do what you will. We are Christians; we do not offer sacrifice
to idols.”
The prefect Rusticus pronounced the sentence, saying, “Let those who have refused to sacrifice to the gods and obey the command of the emperor be scourged and led away to suffer away to suffer capital punishment according to the ruling of the laws.” Glorifying God, the holy martyrs went out to the accustomed place. They were beheaded and so fulfilled their witness of martyrdom in confessing their faith in their savior.