Gospel for May 31, Feast: The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

From: Luke 1:39-56

The Visitation

[39] In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah, [40] and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. [41] And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit [42] and she exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! [43] And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? [44] For behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leaped for joy. [45] And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord."

The Magnificat

[46] And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, [47] and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, [48] for He has regarded the low estate of His handmaiden. For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed; [49] for He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name. [50] And His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation. [51] He has shown strength with His arm, He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts, [52] He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted those of low degree; [53] He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent empty away. [54] He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy, [55] as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his posterity for ever."

[56] And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her home.
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Commentary:

39-56. We contemplate this episode of our Lady's visit to her cousin St. Elizabeth in the Second Joyful Mystery of the Rosary: "Joyfully keep Joseph and Mary company...and you will hear the traditions of the House of David.... We walk in haste towards the mountains, to a town of the tribe of Judah (Luke 1:39).

"We arrive. It is the house where John the Baptist is to be born. Elizabeth gratefully hails the Mother of her Redeemer: Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Why should I be honored with a visit from the mother of my Lord? (Luke 1:42-43).

"The unborn Baptist quivers...(Luke 1:41). Mary's humility pours forth in the "Magnificat".... And you and I, who are proud--who were proud--promise to be humble" ([St] J. Escriva, "Holy Rosary").

39. On learning from the angel that her cousin St. Elizabeth is soon to give birth and is in need of support, our Lady in her charity hastens to her aid. She has no regard for the difficulties this involves. Although we do not know where exactly Elizabeth was living (it is now thought to be Ain Karim), it certainly meant a journey into the hill country which at that time would have taken four days.

From Mary's visit to Elizabeth Christians should learn to be caring people. "If we have this filial contact with Mary, we won't be able to think just about ourselves and our problems. Selfish personal problems will find no place in our mind" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By," 145).

42. St. Bede comments that Elizabeth blesses Mary using the same words as the archangel "to show that she should be honored by angels and by men and why she should indeed be revered above all other women" ("In Lucae Evangelium Expositio, in loc.").

When we say the "Hail Mary" we repeat these divine greetings, "rejoicing with Mary at her dignity as Mother of God and praising the Lord, thanking Him for having given us Jesus Christ through Mary" ("St. Pius X Catechism", 333).

43. Elizabeth is moved by the Holy Spirit to call Mary "the mother of my Lord", thereby showing that Mary is the Mother of God.

44. Although he was conceived in sin--original sin--like other men, St. John the Baptist was born sinless because he was sanctified in his mother's womb by the presence of Jesus Christ (then in Mary's womb) and of the Blessed Virgin. On receiving this grace of God St. John rejoices by leaping with joy in his mother's womb--thereby fulfilling the archangel's prophecy (cf. Luke 1:15).

St. John Chrysostom comments on this scene of the Gospel: "See how new and how wonderful this mystery is. He has not yet left the womb but he speaks by leaping; he is not yet allowed to cry out but he makes himself heard by his actions [...]; he has not yet seen the light but he points out the Sun; he has not yet been born and he is keen to act as Precursor. The Lord is present, so he cannot contain himself or wait for nature to run its course: he wants to break out of the prison of his mother's womb and he makes sure he witnesses to the fact that the Savior is about to come" ("Sermo Apud Metaphr., Mense Julio").

45. Joining the chorus of all future generations, Elizabeth, moved by the Holy Spirit, declares the Lord's Mother to be blessed and praises her faith. No one ever had faith to compare with Mary's; she is the model of the attitude a creature should have towards its Creator--complete submission, total attachment. Through her faith, Mary is the instrument chosen by God to bring about the Redemption; as Mediatrix of all graces, she is associated with the redemptive work of her Son: "This union of the Mother with the Son in the work of salvation is made manifest from the time of Christ's virginal conception up to His death; first when Mary, arising in haste to go to visit Elizabeth, is greeted by her as blessed because of her belief in the promise of salvation and the Precursor leaps with joy in the womb of his mother [...]. The Blessed Virgin advanced in her pilgrimage of faith and faithfully persevered in her union with her Son unto the cross, where she stood (cf. John 19:25), in keeping with the Divine Plan, enduring with her only-begotten Son the intensity of His suffering, associating herself with His sacrifice in her mother's heart, and lovingly consenting to the immolation of this Victim which was born of her" (Vatican II, "Lumen Gentium", 57f).

The new Latin text gives a literal rendering of the original Greek when it says "quae credidit" (RSV "she who has believed") as opposed to the Vulgate "quae credidisti" ("you who have believed") which gave more of the sense than a literal rendering.

46-55. Mary's "Magnificat" canticle is a poem of singular beauty. It evokes certain passages of the Old Testament with which she would have been very familiar (especially 1 Samuel 2:1-10).

Three stanzas may be distinguished in the canticle: in the first (verses 46-50) Mary glorifies God for making her the Mother of the Savior, which is why future generations will call her blessed; she shows that the Incarnation is a mysterious __expression of God's power and holiness and mercy. In the second (verses 51-53) she teaches us that the Lord has always had a preference for the humble, resisting the proud and boastful. In the third (verses 54-55) she proclaims that God, in keeping with His promise, has always taken care of His chosen people--and now does them the greatest honor of all by becoming a Jew (cf. Romans 1:3).

"Our prayer can accompany and imitate this prayer of Mary. Like her, we feel the desire to sing, to acclaim the wonders of God, so that all mankind and all creation may share our joy" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 144).

46-47. "The first fruits of the Holy Spirit are peace and joy. And the Blessed Virgin had received within herself all the grace of the Holy Spirit" (St. Basil, "In Psalmos Homilae", on Psalm 32). Mary's soul overflows in the words of the "Magnificat". God's favors cause every humble soul to feel joy and gratitude. In the case of the Blessed Virgin, God has bestowed more on her than on any other creature. "Virgin Mother of God, He whom the heavens cannot contain, on becoming man, enclosed Himself within your womb" ("Roman Missal", Antiphon of the Common of the Mass for Feasts of Our Lady). The humble Virgin of Nazareth is going to be the Mother of God; the Creator's omnipotence has never before manifested itself in as complete a way as this.

48-49. Mary's __expression of humility causes St. Bede to exclaim: "It was fitting, then, that just as death entered the world through the pride of our first parents, the entry of Life should be manifested by the humility of Mary" ("In Lucae Evangelium Expositio, in loc.").

"How great the value of humility!--"Quia respexit humilitatem.... It is not of her faith, nor of her charity, nor of her immaculate purity that our Mother speaks in the house of Zachary. Her joyful hymn sings: `Since He has looked on my humility, all generations will call me blessed'" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 598).

God rewards our Lady's humility by mankind's recognition of her greatness: "All generations will call me blessed." This prophecy is fulfilled every time someone says the Hail Mary, and indeed she is praised on earth continually, without interruption. "From the earliest times the Blessed Virgin is honored under the title of Mother of God, under whose protection the faithful take refuge together in prayer in all their perils and needs. Accordingly, following the Council of Ephesus, there was a remarkable growth in the cult of the people of God towards Mary, in veneration and love, in invocation and imitation, according to her own prophetic words: `all generations will call me blessed, for He who is mighty has done great things for me'" (Vatican II, "Lumen Gentium", 66).

50. "And His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation": "At the very moment of the Incarnation, these words open up a new perspective of salvation history. After the Resurrection of Christ, this perspective is new on both the historical and the eschatological level. From that time onwards there is a succession of new generations of individuals in the immense human family, in ever-increasing dimensions; there is also a succession of new generations of the people of God, marked with the sign of the Cross and of the Resurrection and `sealed' with the sign of the paschal mystery of Christ, the absolute revelation of the mercy that Mary proclaimed on the threshold of her kinswoman's house: "His mercy is [...] from generation to generation' [...].

"Mary, then, is the one who has the "deepest knowledge of the mystery of God's mercy". She knows its price, she knows how great it is. In this sense, we call her the "Mother of Mercy": Our Lady of Mercy, or Mother of Divine Mercy; in each one of these titles there is a deep theological meaning, for they express the special preparation of her soul, of her whole personality, so that she was able to perceive, through the complex events, first of Israel, then of every individual and of the whole of humanity, that mercy of which `from generation to generation' people become sharers according to the eternal design of the Most Holy Trinity" (John Paul II, "Dives In Misericordia", 9).

51. "The proud": those who want to be regarded as superior to others, whom they look down on. This also refers to those who, in their arrogance, seek to organize society without reference to, or in opposition to, God's law. Even if they seem to do so successfully, the words of our Lady's canticle will ultimately come true, for God will scatter them as He did those who tried to build the Tower of Babel, thinking that they could reach as high as Heaven (cf. Genesis 11:4).

"When pride takes hold of a soul, it is no surprise to find it bringing along with it a whole string of other vices--greed, self-indulgence, envy, injustice. The proud man is always vainly striving to dethrone God, who is merciful to all His creatures, so as to make room for himself and his ever cruel ways.

"We should beg God not to let us fall into this temptation. Pride is the worst sin of all, and the most ridiculous.... Pride is unpleasant, even from a human point of view. The person who rates himself better than everyone and everything is constantly studying himself and looking down on other people, who in turn react by ridiculing his foolish vanity" ([St] J. Escriva, "Friends of God", 100).

53. This form of divine providence has been experienced countless times over the course of history. For example, God nourished the people of Israel with manna during their forty years in the wilderness (Exodus 16:4-35); similarly His angel brought food to Elijah (1 Kings 19:5-8), and to Daniel in the lions' den (Daniel 14:31-40); and the widow of Sarepta was given a supply of oil which miraculously never ran out (1 Kings 17:8ff). So, too, the Blessed Virgin's yearning for holiness was fulfilled by the incarnation of the Word.

God nourished the chosen people with His Law and the preaching of His prophets, but the rest of mankind was left hungry for His word, a hunger now satisfied by the Incarnation. This gift of God will be accepted by the humble; the self-sufficient, having no desire for the good things of God, will not partake of them (cf. St. Basil, "In Psalmos Homilae", on Psalm 33).

54. God led the people of Israel as He would a child whom He loved tenderly: "the Lord your God bore you, as a man bears his son, in all the way that you went" (Deuteronomy 1:31). He did so many times, using Moses, Joshua, Samuel, David, etc., and now He gives them a definitive leader by sending the Messiah--moved by His great mercy which takes pity on the wretchedness of Israel and of all mankind.

55. God promised the patriarchs of old that He would have mercy on mankind. This promise He made to Adam (Genesis 3:15), Abraham (Genesis 22:18), David (2 Samuel 7:12), etc. From all eternity God had planned and decreed that the Word should become incarnate for the salvation of all mankind. As Christ Himself put it, "God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).
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Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.

Note: Picture above is from the Murals of the Basilica of Conception Abbey

The Priest at Prayer, May 31

Second Part
The Priestly Ministry

The Breviary

First Meditation - An Obligation and a Treasure

I. As a mental focusing before the recitation of the daily Office, and now as a preamble to this meditation, let us heed the majestic voice of the Church echoing the rally­ing call of the royal Prophet:

Venite, exultemus Domino, jubilemus Deo, Salutari nostro!
"Come, friends, rejoice in the Lord's honour; cry we out merrily to God, our strength and deliverer!" (Ps. xciv,1)

Throughout her whole history the Church has enjoined upon her priests. the canonical Hours, com­posed chiefly of the psalms. Vestiges of this ruling are to be found in the Apostolic Constitutions of Pope St. Clement, in Tertullian, and even in Philo Judaeus' book on the Therapeutae.

The precept of the Lateran Council should be familiar to all priests: "Districte praecipientes, in virtute sanctae obedientiae, ut Divinum Officium nocturnum, pariter atque diurnum, studiose celebrent atque devote." A strict command, in virtue of holy obedience, that all priests perform the Divine Office, the night Office and the day Office, both diligently and devoutly.

Canon 135 of the new Code runs as follows:

"Clerics in Major Orders are under obligation to recite daily all the canonical hours according to their proper and approved liturgical books." (Trans. Woywood)

It is therefore a grave, inescapable duty which I freely took upon myself at ordination. Have I, in actual practice, always considereo it as such? Haven't I often claimed, under futile pretexts, to be released from this obligation?

II. We should not undermine the force of this obligation imagining it to be merely ecclesiastical, something human. Even if it were, it would none the less be seriously binding in conscience. The Church, as the perfeet Society that She is, has received from her Divine Founder the power to legislate, the power most essential to any self-contained human society properly constituted.

In reality, however, it is something more. The Divine Office is radically and substantially of Divine Law; it is of the pith and marrow of our priesthood, of priest­hood in general; for, as the Epistle to the Hebrews expresses it:

"The purpose for which any high priest is chosen from among his fellowmen, and made a repre­sentative of men in their dealings with God, is to offer gifts and sacrifices in expiation of their sins." (Heb. v, 1)

Hence the Apostles thought themselves bound pri­marily to prayer, in preference to corporal works of mercy: It is not reason that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. . . we will give ourselves con­tinually to prayer and to the ministry of the word. (Acts vi, 2 and 4)

We are the lawful representatives before God, appointed by the Church; Her ambassadors at the Divine Court; and the ambassadorial petitions we are asked to present before God are not left to our private initiative, they are given us and even formulated for us word for word: the prayers of the breviary and other liturgical books. Mother Church knows only too well ­for She understands her children as only a mother can - that left to our own devices we should make a hash of this petitioning, if we did it at all.

The Office, therefore, is of Divine Law as regards its essence, and of Ecclesiastical Law in the concrete form of its expression. Thus the priest who is physically debarred from reciting the breviary is dispensed by the Church, but not entirely; it is commuted to him for other prayers.

O God, I believe that it is Thou personally who hast aid upon me a strict obligation to pray more frequently than any other soul. I realise that at ordination I assumed the most honourable task of representing the great Kingdom of Thy Church before Thy lofty Throne.

I am the mouthpiece of hundreds of millions of Catholics, of countless sincere non-Catholics, and even of all mankind, of the entire creation: I speak for them before the Throne of the Most High.

What a sublime function! Who am I to deserve it?

III. Justice - commutative justice very often, and always equity - bids me say my Office. If the Church imposes on me the obligation of prayer and sacrifice, it is quite right that I should find attached thereto the means of a livelihood; and vice-versa, if I accept the livelihood I also incur the corresponding obligations. This is the idea, implicit at least, in the minds of the faithful who have bequeathed their possessions to the clergy, demand­ing of them in return the divine praises. In the old foundations this was often laid down explicitly.

If the faithful provide me with a livelihood, if I am kept in food and clothes, and even live in the lap of luxury, at the expense of the faithful, so that I may fulfil my priestly obligations, what if I neglect my duty? Do I not hold myself up to scorn? I could well appropri­ate to myself the caustic comment which the humble, hard-working St. Vincent de Paul used to think applied to him: "Wretch! you're not even earning your daily bread!"

IV. Apart from the foregoing motives and that of the common good, what spiritual treasures would be mine if I said the Divine Office properly! Treasures of the mind, treasures of the heart, imperishable treasures of the soul.

I should be making the holiest use of part of my day by the fulfilment of Christ's great precept: "To pray continually, and never be discouraged"; a precept reaffirmed afterwards by St. Paul: "Never cease praying." (Luke xviii, 1) I Thess. v, 17)

I should be steeping my spirit in the ever-fresh aroma of those old prayers of the Church, the only prayers worthy of God; of those psalms wherein the Divine Spirit pleads with unutterable groans and longings through the voice of all creatures visible and invisible, a pleading that runs through the whole scale of human love, feeling, and mysterious yearning.

And perhaps I shall also begin to be curious and delve into the hidden treasures amassed in the liturgical books, in the Missal, Ritual, Breviary, etc.; books where one can learn the language that is pleasing to God, books abounding in sovereign beauty, enough to enrich many a literature; books that in sheer grace of style, depth of feeling, boldness and sublimity of thought, surpass the greatest literatures, either popular or classical.

Let us hang our heads in shame. To our confusion, it has taken strangers, lay-people, sometimes even atheists and enemies of Christ's Church, to penetrate our cathedrals and churches and bring to light their innumerable artistic treasures. We were like a stupid child who needed the assistance of a neighbour to point out to him the value of the furniture and jewels be­queathed him by his father. Learned men, even men with no religion, had to come from outside and explain to us the power and grandeur radiating from those litur­gical prayers and canticles which we maul and mumble so listlessly day after day.

Resolutions
1. I shall never forget the practical issue: that the obligation to say the Office is sub gravi, and that there­fore I commit a mortal sin the day I omit it entirely, or a notable part of it equivalent to one of the small Hours, unless I am excused for some good and solid reason of charity or justice or I am handicapped by some physical or moral impossibility; and if I hold a benefice, in the strict sense of the word, any unwar­ranted omission of the Office obliges me to make resti­tution.

2. In my spare moments - and who hasn't them? - ­I propose to study the breviary: the psalter and the prayers added by the Church. Could I honestly say that I ever spent so much as half an hour in such profitable study? Am I quite sure I don't consider the breviary something unrelated to practical life, futile, scarcely mtelligible; in fine, something to be read just because it has to, because it's the law, and that's that? To per­suade myself of the shallowness of this judgement, this
very day I'm going to study slowly all the prayers of Prime and Compline in order to grasp their meaning thoroughly.

Jesus, grant me the grace to end my life with the recitation of Compline; I would take it as a sign of my predestination.
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Adapted from The Priest at Prayer
by Fr. Eugenio Escribano, C.M. (© 1954)
Translated by B.T. Buckley, C.M.

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Please pray for our priests and pray for vocations to the priesthood!

Dr Ed Peters: Applying Canon 1398 to Politicians is Very Weak

The case for applying Canon 1398 to politicians is very weak

Robert Miller's important essay for First Things (30 May 2007), wherein he says that, in accord with Canon 1398, "the Church should declare openly that [Catholic politicians] have incurred the penalty of excommunication latae sententiae", must be carefully read before considering my remarks.

snip, snip

In Miller's essay, we see a serious analyst applying, in charity, a fine mind to an important issue. … But if Miller, with everything he brings to the discussion, is wrong in asserting that Canon 1398 can reach pro-abortion Catholic politicians, and I think he is wrong, does that not mean that the time has come to conclude this particular debate and focus on other ecclesiastical responses, including canonical ones, to the grave scandal these people give?

Read the rest here: http://www.canonlaw.info/2007/05/case-for-applying-canon-1398-to.html

Tertullian, Some Things to Keep in Mind

The Holy Father, in speaking about Tertullian:

The work of this North African writer, said the Pope, "yielded vital fruits that it would be inexcusable to undervalue." His influence extended "from language and the recovery of classical culture to the identification of a shared 'Christian soul' in the world and the formulation of new prospects for human coexistence."
. . .
In his apologetic writings Tertullian set himself two objectives: "confuting the terrible accusations made by pagans against the new religion and, in a more constructive and missionary sense, communicating the Gospel message in dialogue with the culture of his time."

Tertullian also "made a significant contribution to the development of Trinitarian dogma," said the Pope. "Using Latin he gave us a language appropriate for expressing this great mystery, introducing the terms 'one substance' and 'three Persons'."

"No less important," the Pope added, "is Tertullian's Christology," as well as his writings "on the Holy Spirit, ... on the Church (which he always recognizes as mother), ... on the moral conduct of Christians and on the life to come, ... on Mary, ... on the Sacraments, ... on the Petrine primacy and on prayer."

What really struck me in the Pope's address, though, is this:

Commenting on the writer's eventual break with the Church, the Pope said:

"I often think of this great moral and intellectual figure, this man who made such a great contribution to Christian thought. It is clear that in the end he lacked the simplicity and humility to be part of the Church, to accept her weaknesses. When one sees only one's own ideas, in all their greatness, in the end it is precisely this greatness that is lost.

"The essential characteristic of great theologians is the humility to remain with the Church, to accept her weaknesses and their own, because only God is truly holy. We, on the other hand, always have need of forgiveness."

Something to keep in mind, especially these days...

New Members Named to USCCB National Review Board

WASHINGTON (May 29, 2007) — Judge Michael R. Merz, of Dayton, Ohio, has been named chair of the National Review Board (NRB) by Bishop William S. Skylstad, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

Judge Merz’s appointment becomes effective June 1. He succeeds Patricia O’Donnell Ewers, Ph.D. as chair. He was named an NRB member in 2004.
. . .
Bishop Skylstad also named four new board members: Emmet M. Kenney, Jr., M.D.; Diane M. Knight, ACSW, CISW; Robert C. Kohm, J.D.; and Susan Steibe-Pasalich, Ph.D.

Local Priest Sued Again...Followup

A former priest with the Archdiocese of St. Louis was sued Tuesday by a man accusing him of sexual abuse at St. George Parish in Affton 30 years ago.

At a news conference Tuesday, attorney Ken Chackes, said his client — referred to in the case only as John Doe BA — was 13 in 1977 when the abuse is alleged to have taken place.

The suit, filed in St. Louis County Circuit Court, says that Donald Straub "worked with, mentored and counseled" the teenager at Resurrection Parish in St. Louis, but that the abuse occurred at St. George.

Straub, who is now 58 and lives in Crestwood, was ordained in 1975. He served at St. George's in 1977, when he was removed from ministry by St. Louis Archbishop Cardinal John Carberry.

Let's see, the criminal pervert molests the boy in 1977 and Cardinal Carberry removes him from ministry that same year...Is that not what he should have done immediately to protect others? But why did he not turn this homosexual molester over to the authorities for his criminal behavior?

The lawsuit says church officials knew about the alleged abuse, but failed to report it and helped cover it up. It also names the archdiocese and St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke as defendants.

And why, pray tell, would Archbishop Burke be party to the suit except for the fact that he is the current bishop?

Documents were released by one of Straub's victims earlier this month, after he had agreed to a settlement with the archdiocese. The papers showed that Carberry and his successor, Archbishop John May, knew about Straub's actions, yet allowed him to continue working in parishes for years afterward.

Now that's a bit strange...Didn't Carberry remove him from ministry in 1977? Did he subsequently place him back in ministry?

Four cases involving Straub over the last couple of years have been settled by the archdiocese for less than $200,000, according to Chackes.

Is this not enough money for Chackes?

Chackes also noted Tuesday that the archdiocese had filed suit against his law firm, Chackes, Carlson, Spritzer and Ghio. The archdiocese's suit, filed May 11, seeks relief against what it called the firm's "past disclosure and anticipated future disclosure" of archdiocesan personnel and medical records to "third parties," including the Post-Dispatch.

Womenpriests...Sliding into obscurity and irrelevance

An interesting article on the latest shams perpetrated by "Bishop" Patricia Fresen and others got me to thinking...Now let's recall that the location of the "ordination" ceremony was kept a "secret" until the day of the "ceremony" - no doubt, this secrecy was an effort to keep the throngs of gleeful supporters at bay, in a playful game of hide-n-seek. But here's the more interesting part, I think:

The Womenpriests organization kept the site of the ordination secret until the day of the event, which took place at 3 p.m. A press conference was held after the ceremony, but it garnered almost no media coverage in Toronto except for a couple of radio reports.

Can't you hear the lamentations?
"We're all gussied up and there are no TV cameras to show the world how important and relevant we are!"
Sorry, ladies, it looks like no cares... A pity , really...It sorta reminds me of a Cindy Sheehan book signing...

And lastly, may we conclude from the news article that this group of malcontents (and asylum escapees) will soon pass in the annals of history, forgotten, except for a footnote here or there ascribing to them the designation of being just another lunatic fringe group which came to nothing?

Which leads me to wonder...Should we ignore this group of delusional fanatics in the hope and knowledge that they will soon fade into oblivion, or should we try to persuade them to seek the professional mental assistance that they truly and desperately need?

Kentucky Bishops Ban Useful Voters' Guides

With Kentucky’s gubernatorial election campaign in high gear, the state’s Roman Catholic bishops have reminded churches and Catholic organizations of the prohibition against involvement in partisan political activity.
* * *
The bishops’ 2006 policies and their recent letter mention specific types of political activity to be avoided by churches. They range from publication of certain voting guides to links on church Web sites to political Web sites.

Only voting guide material published by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops or the Catholic Conference of Kentucky “may be distributed in parishes,” the policies say. “Other materials, even if they are published by a Catholic organization and seem nonpartisan, shall not be distributed.”

Is this it for the good and useful guides like Catholic Answers Voters Guide for Serious Catholics? Apparently clear and concise materials for education of the faithful are taboo. Why some wish to promote and distribute the USCCB guide is beyond me. Looks like it's up to faithful in Kentucky to educate themselves.

No Ordination to the Priesthood for Deacon

A deacon formerly associated with the controversial Society of St. John will not be a priest in the Catholic Diocese of Paterson, N.J.

Deacon Joseph Levine is still a deacon in the diocese, but will not be ordained to the priesthood, Marianna Thompson, the diocesan communications director, said Tuesday.

The diocese announced late last week that Deacon Levine would not be ordained Saturday in Paterson as previously scheduled, but released no other details. Four other men were ordained.

Ms. Thompson confirmed Deacon Levine’s ordination is off permanently, a result of the “discernment” process during which the deacon and church officials examined his call to the priesthood.
* * *
The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, which asked the diocese not to ordain Deacon Levine, applauded the decision.

Gospel for Wednesday, 8th Week in Ordinary Time

From: Mark 10:32-45

Third Prophecy of the Passion

[32] And they (the disciples) were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them; and they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the Twelve again, He began to tell them what was to happen to Him, [33] saying, "Behold, we are goingup to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles; [34] and they will mock Him, and spit upon Him, and scourge Him, and kill Him; and after three days He will rise."

The Sons of Zebedee Make Their Request

[35] And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to Him, and said to Him, "Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask of You." [36] And He said to them, "What do you want Me to do for you?" [37] And they said to Him, "Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory." [38] But Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?" [39] And they said to Him, "We are able." And Jesus said to them, "The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; [40] but to sit at My right hand or at My left is not Mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared." [41] And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. [42] And Jesus called them to Him and said to them, "You know that those who are supposed to rule over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. [43] But it shall not be so among you; but whoever would be great among you must be your servant, [44] and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. [45] For the Son of Man also came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom of many."
________________________
Commentary:

32. Jesus was making His way to Jerusalem with a burning desire to see fulfilled everything that He had foretold about His passion and death. He had already told His disciples that He would suffer there, which is why they cannot understand His eagerness. By His own example He is teaching us to carry the cross gladly, not to try to avoid it.

35-44. We can admire the Apostles' humility: they do not disguise their earlier weakness and shortcomings from the first Christians. God also has wanted the Holy Gospel to record the earlier weaknesses of those who will become the unshakeable pillars of the Church. The grace of God works wonders in people's souls: so we should never be pessimistic in the face of our own wretchedness: "I can do all things in Him who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13).

38. When we ask for anything in prayer, we should be ready, always, to accept God's will, even if it does not coincide with our own: "His Majesty knows best what is suitable for us; it is not for us to advise Him what to give us, for He can rightly reply that we know not what we ask" (St. Teresa, "Mansions", II, 8).

43-45. Our Lord's word and example encourage in us a genuine spirit of Christian service. Only the Son of God who came down from Heaven and freely submitted to humiliation (at Bethlehem, Nazareth, Calvary, and in the Sacred Host) can ask a person to make himself last, if he wishes to be first.

The Church, right through history, continues Christ's mission of service to mankind: "Experienced in human affairs, the Church, without attempting to interfere in any way in the politics of States, `seeks but a solitary goal: to carry forward the work of Christ Himself under the lead of the befriending Spirit. And Christ entered this world to give witness to the truth, to rescue and not to sit in judgment, to serve and not to be served' (Vatican II, "Gaudium Et Spes", 3). Sharing the noblest aspirations of men and suffering when she sees them not satisfied, she wishes to help them attain their full flowering, and that is why she offers men what she possesses as her characteristic attribute: a global vision of man and of the human race" (Paul VI, "Populorum Progressio", 13).

Our attitude should be that of our Lord: we should seek to serve God and men with a truly supernatural outlook, not expecting any return; we should serve even those who do not appreciate the service we do them. This undoubtedly does not make sense, judged by human standards. However, the Christian identified with Christ takes "pride" precisely in serving others; by so doing he shares in Christ's mission and thereby attains his true dignity: "This dignity is expressed in readiness to serve, in keeping with the example of Christ, who `came not to be served but to serve.' If, in the light of this attitude of Christ's, `being a king' is truly possible only by `being a servant', then `being a servant' also demands so much spiritual maturity that it must really be described as `being a king.' In order to be able to serve others worthily and effectively we must be able to master ourselves, possess the virtues that make this mastery possible" (John Paul II, "Redemptor Hominis", 21). Cf. note on Matthew 20:27-28.
___________________________
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.

The Priest at Prayer, May 30

Second Part
The Priestly Ministry

The First Ministerial Duty

Fourth Meditation - The Priest's Practice of Mental Prayer

I. How long should my daily meditation last?

We all know St. Teresa's advice - if it is hers - to meditate for at least one quarter of an hour each day.

"If a soul perseveres in mental prayer, however many sins, temptations, and lapses the devil may bring about in a thousand different ways, I hold it a certainty that the Lord will finally see her safe in the harbour of salvation." (Life, chap. viii)

We should profit greatly if we read again and again this chapter eight of the life of that wonderful " Mater spiritualium." On this all-important theme it contains lapidary expressions, such as the following:

"Although we are always in God's Presence, it seems to me that those who take up prayer seriously are present to God in a different way, because they see that God is looking at them."

If I could only feel God's gaze on me for fifteen minutes each day! At the trifling expense of one quarter of an hour's "seeing that God is looking at me," this is the bargain I get: freedom from mortal sin, at least.

What excuse shall I make to Thee, Lord, on the Day of Reckoning if even this I refuse Thee, and thus remain in sin?

II. Where shall I meditate?

In the last resort, wherever God is, and He tells us:

"Do I not fill heaven and earth?" (Jerem. xxiii, 24)

But, if you can manage it, choose a place of retire­ment:

"When thou art praying, go into thy inner room and shut the door upon thyself." (Matt. vi, 6)

It would be preferable, perhaps, in your own bedroom, after dressing and saying your morning prayers, before you go out and get busy with other affairs; because if in the early morning your mental prayer was neglected or impeded, it is not easy to make it later in the day. And happy you if you can spend this quarter of an hour before the Blessed Sacrament, where it will be so much easier to place yourself in God's Presence, where every­thing is conducive to recollection, and where our Lord's promise finds literal fulfilment: 1 am there in the midst of them.

And what posture should I adopt?

Let it be devout, becoming, and naturally indicative of God's Presence. Christ, however, prayed prostrate upon the ground: the posture more of a slave and humbler than any other known to man - and Christ was the Only-Begotten of the Father! We, poor wretches, what shall we do? We may stand, sit, or kneel, as we please; as long as our demeanour reflects the highest respect for the Majesty of the One in Whose Presence we pray.

III. At what time of the day?

At daybreak, after the example of the Psalmist:

Praevenerunt oculi mei ad te diluculo ut medi­tarer eloquia tua. (Ps. cxviii, 147)

"Twilight comes, and I awake to plead with Thee."
And after the example of our Lord Himself:

"Then, at very early dawn, he left them, and went away to a lonely place, and began praying there." (Mark i, 35)

Your early morning prayer will please God immensely, because you will be starting the day with a gift of time otherwise given to resting.

At no other time will your spirit be so free to mount the calm regions of the divine Mysteries. Every hour that slips by during the day leaves on one's conscious mind a trail of worry, regret, or some deep sensorial impression, like so much birdlime fettering the flight of the mind from the things of earth.

Moreover, your early rising, if I may say so, will cut at the roots of those serious dangers which a refined sense of chastity encounters in over-sleeping, in the soft and sensuous indulgence of drowsy semi-consciousness when the weak human will is the only one asleep, while the rabid instincts of the flesh emerge from their kennel
and begin to whine for their food.

The priest who does not rise early and who yields with dilly-dallying complacency to the pleasure of morn­ing dozing will not make his meditation; he will not be devout, perhaps not even upright and honest; nor will his parishioners be good Christians if their shepherd is still sleeping when they have to be already at work in fields, factories, and offices, having had to pass by a mute belfry, by the bolted and barred doors of a silent church, as though it were a shop that had gone out of business or a haunted house.

O Jesus, alone and forgotten in those churches that do not open until mid-morning, deliver Thy Church from the shame of seeing Her homes of prayer the last to open and the first to close, like so many redundant show­rooms.

Give to Thy flock watchful and thoughtful shepherds who will rise at break of day to gather for themselves and for their sheep the manna of divine blessings.

IV. What method of prayer shall I use?

Several authors have given their own: SS. Ignatius of Loyola, Peter of Alcantara, Francis de Sales, and among the masters of the spiritual life, Fr. Granada. They all agree as to the need for establishing some sort of orderly use of the mental faculties; so we might sum up in the words of Astete's popular Spanish catechism:

"What is mental prayer? That which is done by exercising the powers of the soul: remembering something good and holy with the memory; think­ing about it and reasoning it out with the intellect; and with the will, making various acts, such as sorrow for sin, or various resolutions, such as to go to confession or to lead a better life."

But when all is said and done, perhaps the most suit­able method for everyone, with few exceptions, will be that very simple procedure adopted by St. Teresa during those eighteen years of difficulty and dryness when she found herself unable to dispense with aids to meditation, and until God raised her to lofty supernatural contem­plation. These are her words:

"Now I seem to understand why the Lord pro­vided that I should find no one to teach me (methods of discursive prayer), because it would have seemed an impossibility to persevere those eighteen years which I spent in such difficulty and such great aridity through not knowing, as I say, how to use my reasoning power in prayer.

During all those years, except perhaps just after receiving Holy Communion, I never dared to settle down to prayer without a book; I was scared to be without it; I felt like going out defenceless to an armed mob. With this remedy - the book - which was like a bodyguard or a shield warding off the assaults of many distracting thoughts, I went along consoled. Not that aridity was the ordinary thing, but it came upon me whenever I was without a book, and my soul was immediately routed; but with the book my soul began to gather its thoughts together and to hold them caressingly.

And often it was enough merely to have the book beside me. Sometimes I read a little, sometimes a lot, according to the favour the Lord dispensed me. And so it seemed to me at the beginning that as long as I had a book and could find solitude there was no danger which could deprive me of such great good."

What the great Mistress of the spiritual life so graphi­cally depicts is rather like the usual comportment of our fickle and restless imagination than an extraordinary path of trial, don't you think so? Then, after the Saint's example, keep it on a leash during meditation, by the deliberate and well-pondered reading of a spiritual book.

Resolution
From tomorrow I shall rise early. Five o'clock? . . .Six? . . . It depends on the season of the year.

And I shall take all necessary measures to overcome my laziness. I shall not leave my bedroom without first having gone through my quarter or half-hour's medi­tation leisurely, unless I can easily do it in the church. This resolution will be part of my examination of con­science before going to Confession; and if I have failed, I shall accuse myself clearly and bluntly.

"Perish the skill of my right hand" (Ps. cxxxvi, 5) if I overlook this resolution!
_________________________
Adapted from The Priest at Prayer
by Fr. Eugenio Escribano, C.M. (© 1954)
Translated by B.T. Buckley, C.M.

###
Please pray for our priests and pray for vocations to the priesthood!

Attorneys file sixth lawsuit against former priest

(KMOV) -- Attorneys for SNAP, or the Survivor Network of those Abused by Priests, filed a sixth lawsuit against the former priest, Donald Straub Tuesday.

The archdiocese is on the offensive and suing those attorneys.

In that lawsuit, the archdiocese claims attorneys released confidential documents from previous settlements, which included a case of sexual abuse involving Straub.

The victims' attorney says those victims have a right to make the documents public.

At a SNAP press conference, attorneys gave News 4 copies of documents in question, which included a letter where Straub writes the allegations are true.

If the archdiocese's lawsuit continues, Archbishop Raymond Burke could end up being deposed.

I made a video of the report in case I can't locate that of the local station...If I can't find it, I may end up posting it later.

A "Canon Law Consumer Alert: On-Line Confession"

Dr Edward Peters posts about "on-line confessions"...

On-line confessions are absolutely null and utterly void. 1983 CIC 960-961, just for starters.

A website purporting to offer on-line confession was recently called to my attention. I decline to link to it...

Back in March, we posted on a similar story here. It's difficult to imagine that any Catholic with a basic understanding of the faith could even fall for such nonsense, but then, considering the rampant confusion in many circles of the Church today, maybe it's not so dificult after all.

Dr Peter's post can be read here

Great News! 38 New Priests for Opus Dei

ROME, MAY 28, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Thirty-eight men from 18 countries were ordained to the priesthood for the Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei.

Bishop Javier Echevarría, prelate of Opus Dei, conferred the ordinations Saturday afternoon in Rome, reminding the ordinands in his homily that they will be instruments of the Holy Spirit "to illuminate souls and answer the questions that weigh upon the hearts of many people."

Lawyer Seeks to Have Archbishop Burke Deposed

I received this second hand (not from the radio) but I have been informed that KMOX Radio reporter Kevin Killeen reported from a live newscast at the Archdiocese that St Louis attorney Ken Chackes seeks to have the Archbishop deposed. Reportedly, this action is in retaliation for the Archdiocese initiating a lawsuit against Chackes for releasing information about alleged incidents of priest abuse.

More to follow, I'm sure...When I find a link, I'll post it.

Confused "Theologians" Demand 'Restructuring' of CDF

PARIS (Reuters) - Pope Benedict is coming under mounting criticism from his former German theologian colleagues who liken the Catholic Church's doctrinal office, which the pontiff once headed, to a 19th century censorship bureau.

Its censure in March of Father Jon Sobrino, a leading liberation theology proponent, prompted an appeal for a thorough overhaul of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), the modern-day successor of the Inquisition.

"The structure of the CDF must be reformed," Peter Huenermann told Reuters by telephone from Tuebingen, Germany.

"It still operates just like the censorship bureaus most European countries had until the end of the 19th century," Huenermann, the appeal's author and a retired theology professor from Tuebingen University, said.

About 130 theologians in Germany and Austria have backed the appeal and messages of support are starting to come in from other countries as it gets translated.

The protest amounts to a vote of no confidence in the way Benedict, who headed the CDF for 24 years before becoming pope in 2005, deals with critical thinkers in the Church.

The Church in Crisis And Scenarios for a Solution

Christian Order Magazine Interview with Dr. Alice von Hildebrand

THE LATIN MASS: Dr. von Hildebrand, at the time that Pope John XXIII summoned the Second Vatican Council, did you perceive a need for a reform within the Church?

ALICE VON HILDERBRAND: Most of the insights about this come from my husband. He always said that the members of the Church, due to the effects of original sin and actual sin, are always in need of reform. The Church's teaching, however, is from God. Not one iota is to be changed or considered in need of reform.

In terms of the present crisis, when did you first perceive something was terribly wrong?

It was in February 1965. I was taking a sabbatical year in Florence. My husband was reading a theological journal, and suddenly I heard him burst into tears. I ran to him, fearful that his heart condition had suddenly caused him pain. I asked him if he was all right. He told me that the article that he had been reading had provided him with the certain insight that the devil had entered the Church. Remember, my husband was the first prominent German to speak out publicly against Hitler and the Nazis. His insights were always prescient.

Had your husband ever talked about his fear for the Church before this incident?

This is stunning...some of what she states is common knowledge for those who have studied, but there is more here that I had not heard before...

Washington Post Rehashes Cristicism of Archbishop Burke

One can certainly tell where the article is headed by the headline and the first paragraph:

St. Louis Prelate Aims to Bring Flock in Line
Burke Takes Firm Stance on Social Issues

ST. LOUIS -- When it comes to expressing his views of church values, Roman Catholic Archbishop Raymond Burke has a habit of making headlines, not always to the satisfaction of his flock.

The writer if this piece, Peter Slevin, gets it wrong from the outset - the faithful of St Louis could not be more pleased and relieved that we have a bishop who teaches what the Church teaches and who reminds us how we should live our lives for Christ even when the world opposes Him and His Church.

Slevin then goes on to remind his readers of Archbishop Burke's "headline making" actions such as his position on John Kerry and his receiving of Holy Communion, the Sheryl Crow incident, and the Claire McCaskill speaking engagement at a local Catholic school.

At a time when significant segments of the Catholic population are breaking with the church on such issues as embryonic stem cell research and abortion, Burke is adhering to Vatican orthodoxy endorsed by Pope Benedict XVI -- and he expects the same of all Catholics in his archdiocese.

Those who wish to claim fellowship with Christ are to follow Him by manifesting fidelity, not only to Him, but also to His Church.

Burke's decisions -- and their very public nature -- have roiled the church in St. Louis, home to more than 500,000 Catholics. While some praise Burke for firmness in an era of moral laxity, others complain that the church under his direction seems out of touch.

Faithful Catholics do, indeed, praise him for his leadership - he follows the example of the Good Shepherd, who is willing to lay down his life for his sheep. Some other bishops seem more concerned about human respect than they do about feeding and tending the sheep. Those Catholics who complain about the Archbishop and the Church are, at the very least, confused and poorly catechized. Years of defective faith formation have left them vulnerable to the lies and deceits of the world.

Burke "has relatively little concern for, let's say, negative reaction," said James Hitchcock, a professor at Saint Louis University who writes for the diocesan press and calls Burke "a very humble man in his personal life."

"He sees himself as being obliged to do what he thinks is the right thing, and he's not too concerned with strategy or how he might finesse the thing," Hitchcock said. "There are quite obviously deep divisions within the church. Archbishop Burke is one bishop who has chosen to confront them directly, as opposed to other bishops who may prefer to minimize them."

Dr Hitchcock provides a clear picture to the readers. And St Louis Catholics should be thankful to Almighty God that they have been blessed with such a faithful shepherd.

The writer then proceeds to quote a number of people who claim (or claimed) to be Catholic but whose embarrassing words and actions demonstrate that they choose to reject Christ and His Church, because, it seems, of the clear and unambiguous teachings which have been repeated by Archbishop Burke.

The bishop's determination to challenge Catholic public figures was clear in his previous post, as bishop of La Crosse, Wis. Among those he contacted was Rep. David R. Obey, a long-serving Wisconsin Democrat, who traded letters with Burke after the bishop privately voiced unhappiness with Obey's votes on abortion-related issues.

Wisconsin voters should be ashamed that they have elected Obey - a man who rejects even the most basic rights and protections to the weakest among us, the unborn.

The leaders of St. Stanislaus Kostka church know Burke's wrath. They ran afoul of the archbishop by insisting that their property remain independent of diocesan control, as it has for decades. Burke responded by evicting the church from the diocese and excommunicating the parish leadership, which has appealed the decision to Rome.

Slevin must have gotten his "facts" from the rebels at St Stanislaus. Otherwise he would not have used the word "wrath." Nor did he "evict" the parish from the archdiocese - he suppressed the parish because of its leadership's schismatic actions.

Of course, Marek Bozek, the hired "priest" who has no faculties, has no qualms showing his ignorance by allowing himself to be quoted:

"From his point of view, we are nonexistent," said the Rev. Marek Bozek, the church's pastor. "I find it wrong to perceive the world in white and black colors only. Unfortunately, he does. And we are wondering why the church is losing its people?"

Bozek, clueless when it concerns the reality of life, especially eternal life, insinuates that gray is a color worthy of Catholics. Gray is the area of error and sin which Catholics enter after stepping out of the light of truth - right before going into the darkness of spiritual death.

And with the failure of so many priests and bishops to proclaim the truth, does one really expect the people to stay? Especially if they have no firm foundation in the faith? And Bozek proudly shares in leading others away from the Church and from Christ.

"From the purely pastoral point of view, it's been nothing but good for us," Bozek said. "It has revitalized the parish. We are growing because people can't stand this any longer."

Bozek, in a typical schismatic fashion stimulated by a self indulgent pride, fails to understand that numbers do not make a "revitalized" parish, unless all are committed and obedient to Christ and the Church He founded...What he sees at St Stanislaus is congregationalism fueled by a love of self and enmity toward Archbishop Burke, which can only lead to a rejection of Christ and the Church He founded.

As always, all of these people who oppose Archbishop Burke and who reject the teachings of the Church need our prayers for their conversion. And let us not fail to pray daily for Archbishop Burke.

Gospel for Tuesday, 8th Week in Ordinary Time

From: Mark 10:28-31

Poverty and Renunciation (Continuation)

[28] Peter began to say to Him (Jesus), "Lo, we have left everything and followed You." [29] Jesus said, "Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for My sake and for the Gospel, [30] who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. [31] But many that are first will be last, and the last first."
____________________
Commentary:

28-30. Jesus Christ requires every Christian to practise the virtue of poverty: He also requires us to practise real and effective austerity in the possession and use of material things. But of those who have received a specific call to apostolate--as in the case, here, of the Twelve--He requires absolute detachment from property, time, family, etc. so that they can be fully available, imitating Jesus Himself who, despite being Lord of the universe, became so poor that He had nowhere to lay His head (cf. Matthew 8:20). Giving up all these things for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven also relieves us of the burden they involve: like a soldier shedding some encumbrance before going into action, to be able to move with more agility. This gives one a certain lordship over all things: no longer the slave of things, one experiences that feeling St. Paul referred to: "As having nothing, and yet possessing everything" (2 Corinthians 6:10). A Christian who sheds his selfishness in this way has acquired charity and, having charity, he has everything: "All are yours; you are Christ's; and Christ is God's" (1 Corinthians 3:22-23).

The reward for investing completely in Christ will be fully obtained in eternal life: but we will also get it in this life. Jesus says that anyone who generously leaves behind his possessions will be rewarded a hundred times over in this life.

He adds "with persecutions" (v. 30) because opposition is part of the reward for giving things up out of love for Jesus Christ: a Christian's glory lies in becoming like the Son of God, sharing in His cross so as later to share in His glory: "provided we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him (Romans 8:17); "all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted' (2 Timothy 3:12).

29. These words of our Lord particularly apply to those who by divine vocation embrace celibacy, giving up their right to form a family on earth. By saying "for My sake and for the Gospel" Jesus indicates that His example and the demands of His teaching give full meaning to this way of life: "This, then, is the mystery of the newness of Christ, of all that He is and stands for; it is the sum of the highest ideals of the Gospel and of the Kingdom; it is a particular manifestation of grace, which springs from the paschal mystery of the Savior and renders the choice of celibacy desirable and worthwhile on the part of those called by our Lord Jesus. Thus, they intend not only to participate in Christ's priestly office, but also to share with Him His very condition of living" (Paul VI, "Sacerdotalis Coelibatus", 23).
___________________________
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.

The Priest at Prayer, May 29

Second Part
The Priestly Ministry

The First Ministerial Duty

Third Meditation - Mental Prayer

I.
If in my soul, illuminated by faith, there remains the tiniest spark of affection for supernatural good, or of hatred for sin and sin's necessary consequences, the love behind this affection or hatred will from time to time evoke an idea or a sentiment pertaining to its object. Meditation, therefore, in the sense of frequent and affec­tionate remembrance or reflection, is the obbligato accompaniment to the melody of love. Hence the Psalmist:

Concupivi salutare tuum, Domine, et lex tua meditatio mea est.
Meditabar in mandatis tuis, quae dilexi.
Quomodo dilexi legem tuam, Domine; tota die meditatio mea est.
(Ps. cxviii)

"Weary it is, Lord, waiting for deliverance, but thy law is my comfort. Fain would I have all my study in the law I love. My delight is in thy bidding; ever my thoughts return to it."

The only way to recapture this love, if we should have the immense misfortune to be without it, would be to meditate assiduously and systematically on God's Goodness and promises. In the light of this Goodness the supernatural treasures will stand revealed, they do not shun the light of day. And why do we not passion­ately desire them? Simply because we have not relished the knowledge of them, an experimental knowledge that only affectionate and sustained reflection will yield.

Grant me, O Lord, to bring my parched and thirsting soul to those pure abundant waters where the seraphim slake their thirst, and where legions of saintly souls have drunk deep.

II.
It is not enough to believe; it is not good enough to keep the soul-stirring divine truths stored away like books of no practical use on the most recondite shelves of the mind; these truths will be energy, impulse, and fire, to the will and the other working faculties only when they shed their light upon the intellect, arouse the memory with their sublime evocations, inflame the will with longing or inspire with dread; only when we transform these truths by meditation into the daily sustenance of our spiritual organism.

Why do I remain stone-cold in the presence of the truths of our holy Faith? Is it not, radically, because of my aloofness from the exercise of meditation?

Moreover, the priestly virtues, so delicate as they are, in vessels so brittle, amid the inclemencies of that harsh climate called the world, will germinate and reach maturity only if they are kept in their native warmth, like hothouse plants, in the grace of God and in an atmosphere of supernatural motivation. Such an environ­ment is the product of chaste representations in the imagination, of pious reminiscences in the memory, of reasoning about holy things in the mind, and of spiritual yearnings in the will; that is to say, meditation.

And yet we wonder why our passions never seem to bend to control, why our virtues are lifeless or grow up so weak and rickety. Can't we see that the icy wind of a worldly and dissipated life is enough to nip them in the bud? Is there in my soul, open to all the gales of unruly desire, even the smallest plot of land sheltered by the warmth of piety where those virtues can ger­minate as in a nursery and come to maturity?

III.
In the confessional, in the pulpit, in our everyday dealings, we are obliged to speak a thousand times about the truths of our Faith and about Christian morals, in order to teach, convert, and consolidate the good begun.

If we try to impart all this to the faithful without having first made it part and parcel of our inmost being, both affectively and intellectually, by means of assiduous meditation, we shall closely resemble a man describing scenes only from hearsay, with the same inexactitude, conventionalism, and lack of feeling.

Let us bestow loving attention day in and day out upon what we have to expound to the faithful, and then, how different our speech will be! It will flow with the convincing and captivating tones of one who has con­templated a beautiful landscape and been wholly capti­vated by it.

There must be no mistake about it: only from fre­quent meditation shall we extract, by the grace of God, that overwhelming power of persuasion inherent in divine Truth, that evangelical unction, which is the soul of all fruitful apostolate.

Resolution
I frankly confess before God that I have flippantly underestimated the practice of mental prayer, notwith­standing the high esteem in which the Church has always held it. I see now, as clear as daylight, that this underrating has been the source of not a few of my spiritual misfortunes and of the fruitlessness of my ministry. By my undevout life, estranged from the atmosphere of the spirit of faith, I have been what St. Jude would call

"a cloud with no water, driven before the winds; an autumn tree that bears no fruit, given over anew to death, plucked up by the roots." (Jude, 12)

Grant me, O God, steadfastness in carrying out for the remainder of my days this salutary resolution which in Thy Presence I now engrave on my heart; namely, never to omit for a single day the exercise of medita­tion; if it cannot be done in the morning, I shall make it in the evening or at any other hour. I am resolved to keep the law laid down in Canon Law:

"All clerics shall devote some time to mental prayer every day." (Can. 125, ii) [1917 Code]

_________________________
Adapted from The Priest at Prayer
by Fr. Eugenio Escribano, C.M. (© 1954)
Translated by B.T. Buckley, C.M.

###
Please pray for our priests and pray for vocations to the priesthood!

Spiritual Sickness in Canada

What's the first clue? The headline tells us:

Canada Catholics 'ordain' women

Catholics who know their faith already recognize this as an utter impossibility. But then there are those who wish to defy, not only the Church, but Christ Himself.

An ordination ceremony that openly defies Roman Catholic doctrine has taken place in Toronto.

Five women and a married man, all Roman Catholics, have been ordained as priests and deacons by a female Catholic bishop.

While the BBC reported this as an "ordination ceremony," Catholics understand it as something else - some might even call it a circus...

The ordination ceremony was held at a Protestant church on the outskirts of Toronto known for its liberal views.

Known for its "liberal views"? Perhps there ise an aversion to precise terminology...?

Priestly 'sacrament'

The building was packed with an enthusiastic congregation.

Enthusiastic? No doubt...How often does a person get to see live clowns these days?

They watched as Bishop Patricia Fresen, one of the most well-known figures in the Roman Catholic Womenpriests movement, led the five women and one married man through a number of rituals to mark their ordination.

Hmmmm, OK...

Bishop Fresen was herself ordained in a secret ceremony in Spain in 2003.

A "secret" ceremony - to protect the "bishop" who supposedly was involved in the farce...

...the bishops in the Womenpriests movement claim they are part of the Church's valid apostolic succession, because Catholic bishops in good standing ordained them secretly.

The "bishops" of Womenpriests? Apostolic succession? Let's see - do I believe the delusional or do I believe the Church? Anyone who has a problem that question has a problem with Christ Himself...If it wasn't so sad, it wuold be funny. But here, souls at at risk - for all eternity.

Where's the leadership?

An act of moral violence

San Francisco Catholic Charities ally has ad campaign to promote adoption by homosexuals

Local adoption and foster care agency Family Builders by Adoption unveiled an edgy new marketing campaign targeting LGBT people Monday, May 21 that puts a new twist on language often used by conservatives

The ads feature same-sex couples and their adopted children standing behind the slogans, "Family Planning" and "Intelligent Design." Underneath the slogans are the phrases, "Our family was no accident – we planned for it," and "Before we started our family we considered all the options."
* * *
The campaign comes a year after Catholic Cardinal Alfonso Lopez Trujillo stated that same-sex adoption was "an act of moral violence" against a child. The statement pitted the Catholic Church against LGBT parents, and created an awkward situation for Catholic Charities, which operates adoption services in many cities, including San Francisco. Catholic Charities in Boston came under fire and halted its adoption program. It was also revealed that Catholic Charities in San Francisco had granted adoptions to five same-sex couples over the last five years.
* * *
The Archdiocese of San Francisco did not respond to requests for comment on the campaign.

Of course, it didn't...Catholic leadership in San Francisco is AWOL...

A Final Appeal: Save Christian Iraq

It is the only country where the liturgy is still celebrated in Aramaic, the language of Jesus. But Christianity is in danger of dying out there. Killings, aggression, kidnappings. And now also the "jiza," the tax historically imposed by Muslims on their "infidel" subjects, those who have still not fled the country

by Sandro Magister

Continued here at Chiesa.

Gospel for Monday, Eighth Week in Ordinary Time

From: Mark 10:17-27

The Rich Young Man

[17] And as He (Jesus) was setting out on His journey, a man ran up and knelt before Him, and asked Him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" [18] And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but God alone. [19] You know the commandments: `Do not kill, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.'" [20] And he said to Him, "Teacher, all these I have observed from my youth." [21] And Jesus looking upon him loved him, and said to him, "You lack one thing; go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in Heaven; and come, follow Me." [22] At that saying his countenance fell, and he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions.

Poverty and Renunciation

[23] And Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, "How hard it will be for those who have riches to enter the Kingdom of God!" [24] And the disciples were amazed at His words. But Jesus said to them again, "Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the Kingdom of God!" [25] It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God." [26] And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to Him, "Then who can be saved?" [27] Jesus looked at them and said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God."
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Commentary:

17-18. As Matthew 19:16 makes clear, the young man approaches Jesus as an acknowledged teacher of the spiritual life, in the hope that He will guide him towards eternal life. It is not that Christ rejects the praise He is offered: He wants to show the depth of the young man's words: He is good, not because He is a good man but because He is God, who is Goodness Itself. So, the young man has spoken the truth, but he has not gone far enough. Hence the enigmatic nature of Jesus' reply and its profundity. The young man's approach is upright but too human; Jesus tries to get him to see things from an entirely supernatural point of view. If this man is to really attain eternal life he must see in Christ not just a good master but the divine Savior, the only Master, the only one who, because He is God, is Goodness Itself. Cf. note on Mt. 19:16-22.

19. Our Lord has not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17). The commandments are the very core of the Law and keeping them is necessary for attaining eternal life. Christ brings these commandments to fulfillment in a double sense. First, because He helps us discover their full implications for our lives. The light of Revelation makes it easy for us to grasp the correct meaning of the precepts of the Decalogue--something that human reason, on its own, can only achieve with difficulty. Second, His grace gives us strength to counter our evil inclinations, which stem from Original Sin. The commandments, therefore, still apply in the Christian life: they are like signposts indicating the way that leads to Heaven.

21-22. Our Lord knows that this young man has a generous heart. This is why He treats him so affectionately and invites him to greater intimacy with God. But He explains that this means renunciation--leaving his wealth behind so as to give his heart whole and entire to Jesus. God calls everyone to holiness, but holiness is reached by many different routes. It is up to every individual to take the necessary steps to discover which route God wants him to follow. The Lord sows the seed of vocation in everyone's soul, to show him the way to go to reach the goal of holiness, which is common to all.

In other words, if a person does not put obstacles in the way, if he responds generously to God, he feels a desire to be better, to give himself more generously. As fruit of this desire he seeks to know God's will; he prays to God to help him, and asks people to advise him. In responding to this sincere search, God uses a great variety of instruments. Later, when a person thinks he sees the way God wants him to follow, he may still not take the decision to go that way: he is afraid of the renunciation it involves: at this point he should pray and deny himself if the light--God's invitation--is to win out against human calculation. For, although God is calling, man is always free, and therefore, he can respond generously or be a coward, like the young man we are told about in this passage. Failure to respond generously to one's vocation always produces sadness.

21. "In its precise eloquence", John Paul II points out, commenting on this passage, "this deeply penetrating event expresses a great lesson in a few words: it touches upon substantial problems and basic questions that have in no way lost their relevance. Everywhere young people are asking important questions--questions on the meaning of life, on the right way to live, on the scale of values: `What must I do...?' `What must I do to share in everlasting life?'...To each of you I say therefore: heed the call of Christ when you hear him saying to you: `Follow Me!' Walk in My path! Stand by My side! Remain in My love! There is a choice to be made: a choice for Christ and His way of life, and His commandment of love.

"The message of love that Christ brought is always important, always relevant. It is not difficult to see how today's world, despite its beauty and grandeur, despite the conquests of science and technology, despite the refined and abundant material goods that it offers, is yearning for more truth, for more love, for more joy. And all of this is found in Christ and in His way of life.... Faced with problems and disappointments, many people will try to escape from their responsibility: escape in selfishness, escape in sexual pleasure, escape in drugs, escape in violence, escape in indifference and cynical attitudes. But today, I propose to you the option of love, which is the opposite of escape. If you really accept that love from Christ, it will lead you to God. Perhaps in the priesthood or religious life; perhaps in some special service to your brothers and sisters: especially to the needy, the poor, the lonely, the abandoned, those whose rights have been trampled upon, or those whose basic needs have not been provided for. Whatever you make of your life, let it be something that reflects the love of Christ" ("Homily on Boston Common").

22. "The sadness of the young man makes us reflect. We could be tempted to think that many possessions, many of the goods of this world, can bring happiness. We see instead in the case of the young man in the Gospel that his many possessions had become an obstacle to accepting the call of Jesus to follow Him. He was not ready to say "yes" to Jesus and "no" to self, to say "yes" to love and "no" to escape. Real love is demanding. I would fail in my mission if I did not clearly tell you so. For it was Jesus--Jesus Himself--who said: `You are My friends if you do what I command you' (John 15:14). Love demands effort and a personal commitment to the will of God. It means discipline and sacrifice, but it also means joy and human fulfillment.

"Dear young people: do not be afraid of honest effort and work; do not be afraid of the truth. With Christ's help, and through prayer, you can answer His call, resisting temptations and fads, and every form of mass manipulation. Open your hearts to the Christ of the Gospels--to His love and His truth and His joy. Do not go away sad!...

"Follow Christ! You who are single or who are preparing for marriage. Follow Christ! You who are young or old. Follow Christ! You who are sick or aging; who are suffering or in pain. You who feel the need for healing, the need for love, the need for a friend--follow Christ!

"To all of you I extend--in the name of Christ--the call, the invitation, the plea: `Come and follow Me'" (John Paul II, "Homily on Boston Common").

23-27. The reaction of the rich young man gives our Lord another opportunity to say something about the way to use material things. In themselves they are good: they are resources God has made available to people for their development in society. But excessive attachment to things is what makes them an occasion of sin. The sin lies in "trusting" in them, as if they solve all life's problems, and turning one's back on God. St. Paul calls covetousness idolatry (Colossians 3:5). Christ excludes from the Kingdom of God anyone who becomes so attached to riches that his life is centered around them. Or, more accurately, that person excludes himself.

Possessions can seduce both those who already have them and those who are bent on acquiring them. Therefore, there are--paradoxically--poor people who are really rich, and rich people who are really poor. Since absolutely everyone has an inclination to be attached to material things, the disciples see salvation as an impossible goal: "Then who can be saved?" No one, if we rely on human resources. But God's grace makes everything possible. Cf. note on Matthew 6:11.

Also, not putting our trust in riches means that everyone who does have wealth should use it to help the needy. This "demands great generosity, much sacrifice and unceasing effort on the part of the rich man. Let each one examine his conscience, a conscience that conveys a new message for our times. Is he prepared to support out of his own pocket works and undertakings organized in favor of the most destitute? Is he ready to pay higher taxes so that the public authorities can intensify their efforts in favor of development?" (Paul VI, "Populorum Progressio", 47).
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Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.

The Priest at Prayer, May 28

Second Part
The Priestly Ministry

The First Ministerial Duty

Second Meditation - The Priest must be a Man of Prayer

I. The Archangel called Daniel "a man of desires". Isaias called Christ "a Man of sorrows". Why not call Him equally "a Man of prayer"?

Christ's first act on entering into the world was, St. Paul assures us (Heb. x, 5), to pray to His Heavenly Father. His last before dying was that tr~mendous cry: Father, into Thy Hands I commend my spirit.­(Luke xxiii, 46)

During His Public Life He spends whole nights in prayer (Luke vi, 12), and at daybreak He returns to the temple to repeat His supplications (John viii, 2). While discoursing He raises His eyes to heaven and prays; He frequently teaches His disciples how to pray, and for the sake of engraving it on their memory He often repeats that supreme formula of prayer, the Our Father.

Our Lord, by example, teaching and recurrent exhortation, is the first Master of prayer.

O High Priest and Essential Mediator between God and man: Thou who hast not disdained to give me a special share in Thy Priesthood, see that there be accomplished in me one day the promise of Zacharias the prophet: "I will pour out upon you a gracious spirit of prayer." (Zach. xii, 10)

II.
Where shall I turn to ask for help but to Thee, O Lord?

The enemy is manifold and strong and, unfortunately for me, quite used to getting the upper hand; what with the fascinating allurement of the objects that surround me, the weakness and miseries teeming within me, the peremptory and most serious nature of my obligations, the need to tame and shackle the well-nigh invincible concupiscence of the flesh, the life of angels that I must live, so near to my God and Saviour in ideals, in aspirations, in loves, in my very bodily demeanour. There is no nature, however well-endowed one may imagine it, with the fund of energies that I require.

To nobody more than me canst Thou say, Lord:

As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abide in the vine; so neither can you; un1ess you abide with me . . . for without me you can do nothing. (John xv, 4, 5)

May I live continually in Thee, by Thy grace; and to Thee may I have recourse unceasingly in mind and heart! ­

III.
The Apostle calls the priest a man of God. The faithful would never have coined such a graphic turn of phrase by themselves, but their Christian instinct imparts to them what St. Paul received from the Holy Spirit: hence the faithful reward and respect in the priest one thing: the man of God.

Nothing is achieved by presenting ourselves to souls as men of books, or as geniuses steeped in profound lucubrations, or as orators of the well-rounded phrase and sparkling thought tinted with the magic splendour of a lively imagination; none of that invests us with the power over souls which characterises the Catholic priest.

The faithful demand that we descend to them, like Moses, from the pure unclouded summits of intimate communication with God, in order to speak to con­sciences in the Name of their Creator and their Saviour: that is, we must be men of prayer in the likeness of the Eternal Priest.

Are not our apostolic endeavours stricken with failure simply because we do not communicate inti­mately with God? The rays that radiated from Moses when he came down from the mountain do not radiate from us. The spirit of prayer does not shine in our countenances.

Resolutions
To turn more frequently to God; not to begin any work of my ministry without praying first, and to pray as my Lord Jesus Christ would have me pray.

If you ask anything of the Father in my name, He will give it you.

If you ask - so I will persevere untiringly until I am answered; anything - like a child entirely dependent upon, and expecting all from, his father; of the Father - ­with confidence, because no tide like that of "Father" can so inspire me; in my name - the Saviour's name, and therefore I must ask only for those things that are a help, or at least not a hindrance, to the salvation He came on earth to bring me; He will give it you - a guarantee that if I pray under these conditions I shall most certainly obtain everything from my heavenly Father.

So my one and universal asset is prayer.
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Adapted from The Priest at Prayer
by Fr. Eugenio Escribano, C.M. (© 1954)
Translated by B.T. Buckley, C.M.

###
Please pray for our priests and pray for vocations to the priesthood!

Dr Ed Peters: Are pro-abortion Catholics are still Catholic?

Well, since you asked, Yes, pro-abortion Catholics are still Catholic

That's precisely the problem. But maybe we should back up.

The laity's rapidly growing awareness of canon law is yet another sign that confusion in the post-conciliar Church is receding. But, as more folks without canonical training try to apply canon law in real life, we should expect them to make some mistakes. Nothing terrible about that, provided such mistakes are corrected in due course. Hardly had I blogged on the misuse of canon law by notorious abortion advocate, Frances Kissling, than I see canon law being misconstrued by the famous pro-lifer, Judie Brown of the American Life League….

Brown/ALL is currently pushing the slogan "You Can’t be Catholic and Pro-Abortion" (original emphasis). I think this assertion is flawed. Even so, I might have let it pass except that their advertising claims that the slogan is "100% true" and "backed by the full authority of Canon Law 915" (Celebrate Life, May-June 2007, back cover). That kind of talk gets my attention.

Read the rest: http://www.canonlaw.info/2007/05/well-since-you-asked-yes-pro-abortion.html

Gospel for Pentecost Sunday

From: John 20:19-23

Jesus Appears to the Disciples

19] On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." [20] When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. [21] Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent Me, even so I send you." [22] And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. [23] If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."
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Commentary:

19-20. Jesus appears to the Apostles on the evening of the day of which He rose. He presents Himself in their midst without any need for the doors to be opened, by using the qualities of His glorified body; but in order to dispel any impression that He is only a spirit He shows them His hands and His side: there is no longer any doubt about its being Jesus Himself, about His being truly risen from the dead. He greets them twice using the words of greeting customary among the Jews, with the same tenderness as He previously used put into this salutation. These friendly words dispel the fear and shame the Apostles must have been feeling at behaving so disloyally during His passion: He has created the normal atmosphere of intimacy, and now He will endow them with transcendental powers.

21. Pope Leo XIII explained how Christ transferred His own mission to the Apostles: "What did He wish in regard to the Church founded, or about to be founded? This: to transmit to it the same mission and the same mandate which He had received from the Father, that they should be perpetuated. This He clearly resolved to do: this He actually did. `As the Father hath sent Me, even so I send you' (John 20:21). `As Thou didst send Me into the world, so I have sent them into the world' (John 17:18). [...] When about to ascend into Heaven, He sends His Apostles in virtue of the same power by which He had been sent from the Father; and He charges them to spread abroad and propagate His teachings (cf. Matthew 28:18), so that those obeying the Apostles might be saved, and those disobeying should perish (cf. Mark 16:16). [...] Hence He commands that the teaching of the Apostles should be religiously accepted and piously kept as if it were His own: `He who hears you hears Me, and he who rejects you rejects Me' (Luke 10:16). Wherefore the Apostles are ambassadors of Christ as He is the ambassador of the Father" ([Pope] Leo XIII, "Satis Cognitum"). In this mission the bishops are the successors of the Apostles: "Christ sent the Apostles as He Himself had been sent by the Father, and then through the Apostles made their successors, the bishops, sharers in His consecration and mission. The function of the bishops' ministry was handed over in a subordinate degree to priests so that they might be appointed in the order of the priesthood and be co-workers of the episcopal order for the proper fulfillment of the apostolic mission that had been entrusted to it by Christ" (Vatican II, "Presbyterorum Ordinis", 2).

22-23. The Church has always understood--and has in fact defined--that Jesus Christ here conferred on the Apostles authority to forgive sins, a power which is exercised in the Sacrament of Penance. "The Lord then especially instituted the Sacrament of Penance when, after being risen from the dead, He breathed upon His disciples and said: "Receive the Holy Spirit...' The consensus of all the Fathers has always acknowledged that by this action so sublime and words so clear the power of forgiving and retaining sins was given to the Apostles and their lawful successors for reconciling the faithful who have fallen after Baptism" (Council of Trent, "De Paenitentia", Chapter 1).

The Sacrament of Penance is the most sublime __expression of God's love and mercy towards men, described so vividly in Jesus' parable of the prodigal son (cf. Luke 15:11-32). The Lord always awaits us, with His arms wide open, waiting for us to repent--and then He will forgive us and restore us to the dignity of being His sons.

The Popes have consistently recommended Christians to have regular recourse to this Sacrament: "For a constant and speedy advancement in the path of virtue we highly recommend the pious practice of frequent Confession, introduced by the Church under the guidance of the Holy Spirit; for by this means we grow in a true knowledge of ourselves and in Christian humility, bad habits are uprooted, spiritual negligence and apathy are prevented, the conscience is purified and the will strengthened, salutary spiritual direction is obtained, and grace is increased by the efficacy of the Sacrament itself" ([Pope] Pius XII, "Mystici Corporis").
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Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.