Virtue in Person, The Immaculate Conception

"Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee." St. Luke, 1:28.

In the past, one of the most prized awards in the whole scientific, artistic and lit­erary world was the Nobel prize, given by the King of Sweden to men and women who have excelled in science, art or literature. To receive the Nobel prize was a distinct mark of merit. It represented a reward to persons who worked for the interest of humanity, established by the will of Alfred Nobel, the Swedish inventor of dynamite, who lived from 1836 to 1896, and who left his estate for this purpose.

In 1928 the prize for literature was awarded to Sigrid Undset, a convert to the Catholic Church. On her way to Stockholm where the distinction was to be conferred upon her, she passed through Oslo, Norway.

There a great celebration was arranged in her honor. She received a laurel wreath, token of the Nobel prize. But the very next day, the feast of the Immaculate Conception of our Blessed Mother, she went to the church of St. Dominic and reverently laid the laurel wreath before the statue of our Blessed Mother.

In the same way, on this glorious feast of the Immaculate Conception, we wish to lay at the feet of Mary all the tributes of her sons and daughters throughout the world.

We want to honor her today and every day because God the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit honored her. God gave Mary every possible beauty and privilege. Today we honor one of those beauties - her Immaculate Conception.

1. The Immaculate Conception does not refer to the Virgin Birth of our Lord. Neither does it refer to the sinlessness of Jesus. Neither does the Immaculate Conception mean that the conception of Mary was like the conception of Christ in that Christ had no human father.

2. The Immaculate Conception does mean that the Blessed Virgin, from the very first instant that she began to exist in the womb of her own mother, St. Ann, was preserved from all stain of all sin. It especially means that she was preserved from original sin, by a singular privilege and favor of God.

3. Original sin is that moral guilt, that stain of soul, which we inherit from our first parents. In the very origin of the human race Adam and Eve disobeyed God. That sin has been passed on to all their sons and daugh­ters, with one single exception - Mary, the Mother of the God-man, Jesus Christ.

As we know, of course, Christ was also born and conceived sinless, by reason of the fact that He was God as well as man.

4. From the very first instant of her existence Mary was free from all sin and filled with grace, filled with the love and pleasure of God, filled with the life of God Himself. That is why the angel announced: "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee."

5. The Old Testament foretold this privilege in many ways:

A. Right after the fall of Adam and Eve God promised a Redeemer, and He promised a wonderful woman and mother. God told the serpent: "I will put enmities between thee and the woman. . . she shall crush thy head." Genesis, 3 :15.

B. Again we read of her in Proverbs, 8:22: "The Lord possessed me in the beginning of His ways."

C. And the Canticle of Canticles exclaims of her: "Thou art all fair. . . and there is no spot in thee." Canticles, 4:7.

6. This has been the constant teaching and belief of Mother Church. And when the Pope defined this fact as a dogma of faith in 1854, he was indeed exercising his power as supreme teacher, but he was also putting into positive, definite form a belief of the Church from apostolic times.

7. It is well to remember that the Immaculate Conception was a privilege and not a right, as far as Mary was concerned. God chose her as the mother of His Son. Then out of love for His Son's mother, the Almighty gave Mary every possible beauty and grace. Furthermore, Jesus did not want His Mother to be for one second in the power of Satan.

8. Immaculate means without stain, without the least stain of sin. Mary was spotlessly pure in body and soul. That purity gave her a charm and fascination beyond all description. It makes her appealing to all God's children, but especially to us Catholics who have learned to whis­per her sweet name as soon as we learned to say Papa and Mama, who have prayed to her in quiet times and troubled times, who have really and often experienced her sweet help and motherly interest.

9. God gave Mary to us as a Model of every virtue. Keep her in mind through the coming year as we consider obedience to the laws of the Church, as we think about prayer, and especially as we meditate upon the various virtues. She is all of these good things - in person.

Like Sigrid Undset, we want to honor Mary every day, but especially this day when we recall her singular privilege of being kept free from all sin. We know that she is not God. No Catholic ever said she was. But she was the Mother of God. That gives her a special claim on our honor, praise and veneration.

Particularly we Americans, who are dedicated to her under the title of today's feast, Immaculate Conception, wish to show her our love and respect and devotion.

May Mary Immaculate keep America and all Americans! May Mary Immaculate draw all Americans to understand, to respect, and to love her! May Mary Immaculate take us by the hand and guide us gently and surely in the footsteps of her divine Son! Amen.
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Adapted from Prayers, Precepts and Virtues
by Fr. Arthur Tonne, OFM (©1949)

Contemplating the Immaculate Conception, the Grace of God

"The Lord keepeth thee free from evil, may the Lord keep thy soul. May the Lord keep thy coming in and thy going out from henceforth, now and forever." - (Psalm cxx, 7-8.)

1. Divine Grace is necessary.
2. It is efficient and powerful.
3. It may be resisted.

Introduction. - The Immaculate Conception of Mary is a miracle of Divine Grace. To us also God gives His grace in various though different ways. This grace is the supernatural life of the human soul.

1. Divine Grace is absolutely necessary for our gaining merit and Salvation.

(a) We all are burdened with original sin. "We are by nature children of wrath" (Ephes. ii, 33. God has graciously preserved Mary from original sin, and removed it in our case by Baptism. "God, Who is rich in mercy, for His exceeding charity, wherewith He loved us even when we were dead in sins, has quickened us together in Christ, by Whose grace you are saved" (Ephes. ii, 4, 5);

(b) We all have soiled our souls with actual sins, and from these we may free ourselves only through grace. Divine grace must move us to repentance and reform. Absolution in the Sacrament of penance is by Divine Grace.

(c) Without Divine Grace we cannot resist the temptation to do evil: "Lead us not into temptation."

(d) Without Divine Grace we cannot accomplish any good. "For it is God Who works in you both to will and to accomplish" (Phil. ii, 13). In the good that men do without Divine assistance is lacking the motive that gives it merit; it is done for the sake of reputation or for other worldly purposes.

(e) Without Divine Grace we cannot persevere in virtue. "Wherefore he that thinks himself to stand, let him take heed lest he fall" (1 Cor. x, 12).

2. Divine Grace is efficient and powerful. "I can do all things in Him Who strengthens me" (Phil. iv, 13).

(a) Divine Grace leads to repentance and reform. St. Peter,
St. Paul, St. Augustine, and many others.

(b) Divine Grace assists in conquering sin. "But by the Grace of God I am what I am" (1 Cor. xv, 10).

(c) Divine Grace makes victory easy. "For my yoke is sweet and my burden light" (Matt. xi, 30).

(d) Divine Grace sweetens adversity; for instance, it made virtue bearable to the martyrs.

(e) Divine Grace causes its own increase. "For he that hath, to him shall be given" (Matt. xiii, 12).

3. Divine Grace is not irresistible. It may be resisted. Man is free. Divine Grace does not compel him. We cannot resist the Almighty Power of God, but we can resist Divine Grace. "God made man from the beginning, and left him in the hand of his own counsel. Before man is life and death, good and evil. That which he shall choose shall be given him" (Eccl. xv, 14-18).

(a) God is willing to enlighten you and to show the way. You, however, are at liberty to close your eyes, and to prefer darkness to the light.

(b) God's Grace moves you to do good. You may refuse to listen.

(c) God may arouse your conscience and induce you to pen­ance. It is for you to yield or to refuse.

(d) God's Grace may exhort you to renounce worldliness. You are free to choose.

(e) God's Grace puts before your mind, both eternal punishment and eternal reward. You may choose either.

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Adapted from Plain Sermons by Practical Preachers, Vol. II(©1916)
Nihil Obstat: Remegius Lafort, S.T.D
Imprimatur: John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York

Battle for soul of St. Thomas takes a turn for the worse

Katherine Kersten updates readers in the Star Tribune about a story covered previously:

[On Oct. 25, 2007] St. Thomas' trustees voted to eliminate the archbishop's automatic position on the board. As a result, come next spring, for the first time since Archbishop John Ireland founded the institution, a sitting archbishop will not chair the St. Thomas board. Moreover, he may not even have a seat on it...The vote severing this legal link with the archdiocese is the latest development in a long-running struggle for St. Thomas' soul...

"I found this action very, very disturbing -- it was clearly directed at Archbishop Nienstedt," said Tom Mooney of St. Paul, a St. Thomas alumnus and donor. Many St. Thomas alums are concerned about the "erosion" of the institution's Catholic identity, he said.

"I think there's a problem, and a lot of priests do," said the Rev. Paul LaFontaine of St. Charles Borromeo parish in St. Anthony. "The archbishop is the chief teacher of the faith in the diocese. He ought to be part of the academic community, and respected and regarded as such."

. . .

The pace of secularization at St. Thomas could escalate rapidly if two archdiocesan seminaries affiliated with the university -- St. Paul Seminary and St. John Vianney College Seminary -- move to cut ties. Both are independent archdiocesan corporations. St. Paul Seminary was once a separate organization and could possibly be again.

An interesting observation and one which may need to be evaluated further if St Thomas trustees continue their secularization of the university.

Another good article, The Politics of Higher Education, by Anne Hendershott, can be read at insidecatholic.com here.

Church Ladies Be Damned, Part 2

...so reads the headline of the latest RFT story of St Louis' feminine imitators of Laurel and Hardy...

The Riverfront Times (RFT) provides a followup to a November 7 article, "The Church Ladies" which discussed the recent sham "ordination" of Rose Marie "Ree" Hudson, of Festus, and Elsie McGrath, of south St. Louis by another fraudulent "cleric", Patricia Fresen, who falsely represents herself as a Roman Catholic "bishop."

The current RFT article by Kristen Hinman is really nothing more than a repeat of old news - a regurgitation of things already known to those who have been following the escapades and fantasies of the local 'priestess' imposters.

In a seemingly boorish attempt at ridicule, Hinman writes:

Rose Marie “Ree” Hudson and Elsie McGrath took another step toward eternal damnation this week by failing to show up for a hearing before St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke.

Hinman may not realize how truthful her words really are. And McGrath and Hudson, seemingly obsessed with starting their own church and religion as so many other heretics and schismatics have done. Faithful Catholics understand that this type of rebellious spirit does, in fact, lead to the eternal death of the soul if left unchecked and unrepented - and it stems from pride which commonly leads to disobedience.

Most people are already aware that:

Immediately after being ordained on November 11 as part of the Roman Catholic Womenpriest Program, Hudson and McGrath were greeted by a special process server in the lobby of the Central Reform Congregation...with a [summons] from the archbishop...

Now that would have been a sight to see, I think!

....the process server appeared with a letter from the archbishop stating that Hudson and McGrath were “summoned” to appear “personally before [him]” at 10 a.m. on Monday, December 3, in order to defend themselves against the charges of “schism” and “rejection of the definitive truth, de fide tenenda, infallibly set forth that women cannot validly receive the sacrament of ordination to the priesthood.”

Wait a second...hasn't Joe, our frequent disruptor, theologian, and canon law expert, already told us that this teaching was not infallible? Hmmm...contradictory statements - how do we resolve this dilemma? Who is right? Faithful Catholics will heed the Church...Friends and accomplices of the evil one will wilfully reject the teachings of the Church...

We are told that Hudson and McGrath did not show up for their meeting. Could it be that deep down inside they know that they are wrong? Or maybe they think Jesus was wrong? Maybe they prefer the lies of the devil rather than the truth of the Almighty?

McGrath says she and Hudson did not consider showing up for the hearing. “We would have had one of two options at the tribunal. One: to plead guilty to the charges of heresy and schism and recant, which is, of course, a lie. Or two: to prove that we’re right and they’re wrong, which is, of course, impossible.

Batting .500, they're "wrong" on the first point, but correct on the second. They are, by all appearances, guilty of heresy and schism. And there's no possible way them to prove that they are right. So why then do they persist if they know that they cannot 'prove' that they are correct?

"There’s another reason, too, for not going, and that is to demonstrate that a mere man who presumes to speak for God has no power over us. Were we to have attended the hearing, we would be granting him a position of authority, which is one of the very things we want to eradicate in our model of priestly ministry.”

Get it? They want to change what Jesus has instituted! What pride, what arrogance, what conceit, what narcissism! Those affected by such vanity and egoism can do nothing except lead others away from the King of kings and the Lord of lords...And it seems that over a hundred foolish "followers" are supporting these two in their delusional quest away from God...

As Archbishop Burke reminds us:

I urge you, therefore, to offer fervent prayers for the women involved, that they will repent and be reconciled with the Church. Please pray, too, for all who will be confused and led astray by their sinful action.

The RFT piece can be read here.

Gospel for Thursday, 1st Week in Advent

Optional Memorial of St. Nicholas, bishop
Old Calendar: St. Nicholas, bishop and confessor

From: Matthew 7:21, 24-27

Doing the Will of God

(Jesus said to His disciples,) [21] "Not every one who says to Me, `Lord, Lord,' shall enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in Heaven.

Building on Rock

[24] "Every one then who hears these words of Mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock; [25] and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. [26]And every one who hears these words of Mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house upon the sand; [27] and the rain fell, and the floods came, and winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell; and great was the fall of it."
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Commentary:

21-23. To be genuine, prayer must be accompanied by a persevering effort to do God's will. Similarly, in order to do His will it is not enough to speak about the things of God: there must be consistency between what one preaches--what one says--and what one does: "The Kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power" (1 Corinthians 4:20); "Be doers of the word, not hearers only, deceiving yourselves" (James 1:22).

Christians, "holding loyally to the Gospel, enriched by its resources, and joining forces with all who love and practise justice, have shouldered a weighty task on earth and they must render an account of it to Him who will judge all men on the last day. Not every one who says `Lord, Lord' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but those who do the will of the Father, and who manfully put their hands to the work" (Vatican II, "Gaudium Et Spes", 93).

To enter the Kingdom of Heaven, to be holy, it is not enough, then, to speak eloquently about holiness. One has to practise what one preaches, to produce fruit which accords with one's words. Fray Luis de Leon puts it very graphically: "Notice that to be a good Christian it is not enough just to pray and fast and hear Mass; God must find you faithful, like another Job or Abraham, in times of tribulation" ("Guide for Sinners", Book 1, Part 2, Chapter 21).

Even if a person exercises an ecclesiastical ministry that does not assure his holiness; he needs to practice the virtues he preaches. Besides, we know from experience that any Christian (clerical, religious or lay) who does not strive to act in accordance with the demands of the faith he professes, begins to weaken in his faith and eventually parts company also with the teaching of the Church. Anyone who does not live in accordance with what he says, ends up saying things which are contrary to faith.

The authority with which Jesus speaks in these verses reveals Him as sovereign Judge of the living and the dead. No Old Testament prophet ever spoke with this authority.

22. "That day": a technical formula in biblical language meaning the day of the Judgment of the Lord or the Last Judgment.

23. This passage refers to the Judgment where Jesus will be the Judge. The sacred text uses a verb which means the public proclamation of a truth. Since in this case Jesus Christ is the Judge who makes the declaration, it takes the form of a judicial sentence.

24-27. These verses constitute the positive side of the previous passage. A person who tries to put Christ's teaching into practice, even if he experiences personal difficulties or lives during times of upheaval in the life of the Church or is surrounded by error, will stay firm in the faith, like the wise man who builds his house on rock.

Also, if we are to stay strong in times of difficulty, we need, when things are calm and peaceful, to accept little contradictions with a good grace, to be very refined in our relationship with God and with others, and to perform the duties of our state in life in a spirit of loyalty and abnegation. By acting in this way we are laying down a good foundation, maintaining the edifice of our spiritual life and repairing any cracks which make their appearance.
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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.

Just for Today, December 6

If Thou wilt have me to be in darkness, be Thou blessed; and if Thou wilt have me to be in light, be Thou again blessed; if Thou vouchsafe to comfort me, be Thou blessed; and if it be Thy will I should be afflicted, be Thou always equally blessed.
-Bk. III, ch. xvii.
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I thank Our Lord for making me walk in darkness, for I do so in much peace. I would willingly spend the whole of my religious life in this dark underground passage, if by it I might win light for sinners.

I am only too glad to be without consolation; I would be ashamed if my love were no better than that of a fiancee in the world, who only looks for presents or admiration. I love my Betrothed for His own sake, and it is His tears and not looks of admiration that I want from Him. I long to wipe away those tears, to gather them up as precious diamonds to adorn my wedding dress.

My heart's desire is to love Jesus as He has never been loved before.
- L.
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For a List of Abbreviations, see this post.
Adapted from Just For Today(©1943 Burns & Oates)
Nihil Obstat: Reginaldus Phillips, S.T.L.,Censor deputatus
Imprimatur: Edwardus Myers, Vic. Cap.

Thoughts and Counsels - December 6

It is not enough to forbid our own tongue to murmur; we must also refuse to listen to mur­murers.

-Ven. Louis de Granada
_________________________
From Mary, Help of Christians
Part VI, Thoughts and Counsels of the Saints for Every Day of the Year
Compiled by Fr. Bonaventure Hammer, OFM (© 1909, Benziger Brothers)

Meditation for December 6, Happiness of the State of Grace

Who can tell the treasures of joy contained in the single thought, "the state of grace"? To resemble the angels! To hold God within! If I suffer, to suffer for Him; if I weep, to feel that He consoles me; if I am ill, to have Him at my bedside; if I die, to go with Him to Heaven.

Pleasures lead to disgust and weariness; human joys, even the purest, lose in the long run the savor of their first transports. But in this union of the soul with God, there are joys unceas­ingly renewed.

He who does not bear within himself this divine harmony, sanc­tifying grace, cannot enjoy to the full the beauties of nature. Oh! to love You, my God, to love You in looking up to the sky, to behold You in everything, to hear Your Name in every passing sound, and to sing to You in my heart a hymn of ever-increasing beauty; such are the true delights of the Christian upon earth!

"My God, for myself, for all those I love, I ask but one single happiness, the state of grace." (Marie Jenna.)

During this whole time of Advent I will try to live more prayer­fully in the living tabernacle of my soul; I will unite myself with the recollection of Mary awaiting the birth of Jesus who takes form within her chaste womb.

Jesus living in Mary during those nine months between the Annunciation and the Nativity was a real Presence. The Holy Spirit dwelling in me throughout my life by the state of grace is a Presence just as real. In Mary, however, it was a corporeal Presence, the Presence of Jesus, the Man-God. In me it is a Presence solely spiritual - the Holy Trinity has no body - but it is a decidedly Real Presence.

I will endeavor to accustom myself to the reality of the Real Presence within me.
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Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)

Jesuit Fr Kolvenbach:Theological dialogue with Islam 'impossible'

An excerpt from an interview by John Allen with Jesuit Father General, Fr. Peter-Hans Kolvenbach:

On the strictly religious and theological level, is dialogue with Islam possible?

I’m afraid that at a theological and dogmatic level, dialogue with Islam is impossible. Often in Beirut, Muslims would ask me: ‘How is it possible that an educated person, a professor, believes in three gods?’ Obviously, they were referring to the Christian dogma of the Trinity. That’s an example of the difficulties of dialogue. Some who are favorable to theological dialogue with Muslims forget that at a certain point, you have to choose. For Muslims, it’s very clear: God is one. They chant it five times every day...

Plenary Indulgence for the 150th Anniversary of Lourdes

VATICAN CITY, DEC 5, 2007 (VIS) - According to a decree made public today and signed by Cardinal James Francis Stafford and Bishop Gianfranco Girotti, O.F.M. Conv., respectively penitentiary major and regent of the Apostolic Penitentiary, Benedict XVI will grant the faithful Plenary Indulgence for the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Lourdes.

"The forthcoming 150th anniversary of the day in which Mary Most Holy, revealing herself as the Immaculate Conception to Bernadette Soubirous, wished a shrine to be erected and venerated in the place known as 'Massabielle' in the town of Lourdes," the decree reads, "calls to mind the innumerable series of prodigies through which the supernatural life of souls and the health of bodies has drawn great advantage from the omnipotent goodness of God."

"Indeed, by venerating the Blessed Virgin Mary in the place 'upon which her feet trod,' the faithful draw nourishment from the Holy Sacraments, expressing the firm intention to lead in the future Christian lives of increasing faithfulness" and they "achieve a vivid vivid perception of the significance of the Church. ... Indeed the succession, over time, of marvelous events ... enables us to glimpse the joint operation of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Church: in the year 1854 the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary was defined," and "in the year 1858 Mary Most Holy showed herself to ... Bernadette Soubirous using the words of the dogmatic definition: 'I am the Immaculate Conception.'

"In order to draw increased fruits of renewed sanctity from this holy anniversary," the decree adds, "the Supreme Pontiff Benedict XVI has decided to concede the gift of Plenary Indulgence" to the faithful under the usual conditions (sacramental Confession, Eucharistic communion and prayer in keeping with the intentions of the Holy Father), in the following way:

A) "If between December 8, 2007 and December 8, 2008 they visit, preferably in the order suggested: (1) the parish baptistery used for the Baptism of Bernadette, (2) the Soubirous family home, known as the 'cachot,' (3) the Grotto of Massabielle, (4) the chapel of the hospice where Bernadette received First Communion, and on each occasion they pause for an appropriate length of time in prayer and with pious meditations, concluding with the recital of the Our Father, the Profession of Faith, ... and the jubilee prayer or other Marian invocation."

B) "If between February 2, 2008 ... and February 11, 2008, Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lourdes and 150th anniversary of the apparition, they visit, in any church, grotto or decorous place, the blessed image of that same Virgin of Lourdes, solemnly exposed for public veneration, and before the image participate in a pious exercise of Marian devotion, or at least pause for an appropriate space of time in prayer and with pious meditations, concluding with the recital of the Our Father, the Profession of Faith, ... and the invocation of the Blessed Virgin Mary."

The decree concludes by recalling that faithful who "through sickness, old age or other legitimate reason are unable to leave their homes, may still obtain the Plenary Indulgence ... if, with the soul completely removed from attachment to any form of sin and with the intention of observing, as soon as they can, the usual three conditions, on the days February 2 to 11, 2008, in their hearts they spiritually visit the above-mentioned places and recite those prayers, trustingly offering to God, through Mary, the sickness and discomforts of their lives."

PENT/DECREE INDULGENCES/STAFFORDVIS 071205 (600)

Source: VIS

Calgary Catholic school board dumps Golden Compass

CALGARY — The Catholic school board in Calgary has followed the lead of a Catholic school board in Burlington, Ont., in pulling the children's fantasy book The Golden Compass off school shelves....

However, not everyone in Calgary's Catholic community was jumping on the book-banning bandwagon.

Calgary Bishop Fred Henry said there are more pressing issues facing Catholics than debating a children's fantasy novel.

My suspicion is that something is not quite right about the paraphrasing of Bishop Henry's remarks. Where are his exact comments, I wonder? Maybe direct quotes wouldn't fit the Globe and Mail's spin?

Gospel for Wednesday, 1st Week in Advent

Old Calendar: St. Sabbas, abbot

From: Matthew 15:29-37

The Canaanite Woman (Continuation)

[29] And Jesus went on from there and passed along the Sea of Galilee. And He went up into the hills, and sat down there. [30] And great crowds came to Him, bringing with them the lame, the maimed, the blind, the dumb, and many others, and they put them at His feet, and He healed them, [31] so that the throng wondered, when they saw the dumb speaking, the maimed whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.

Second Miracle of the Loaves

[32] Then Jesus called His disciples to Him, and said, "I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with Me now three days, and having nothing to eat; and I am unwilling to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way." [33] And the disciples said to Him, "Where are we to get bread enough in the desert to feed so great a crowd?" [34] And Jesus said to them, "How many loaves have you?" They said, "Seven, and a few small fish." [35] And commanding the crowd to sit down on the ground, [36] He took the seven loaves and the fish, and having given thanks He broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. [37] And they all ate and were satisfied; and they took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces left over.
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Commentary:

29-31. Here St. Matthew summarizes Jesus' activity in this border area where Jews and pagans were living side by side. As usual He teaches and heals the sick; the Gospel account clearly echoes the prophecy of Isaiah which Christ Himself used to prove that He was the Messiah (Luke 7:22): "the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped..." (Isaiah 35:5).

"They glorified the God of Israel": this clearly refers to the Gentiles, who thought that God could give the power to work miracles to Jews only. Once again the Gentiles are seen to have more faith than the Jews.

32. The Gospels speak of our Lord's mercy and compassion towards people's needs: here He is concerned about the crowds who are following Him and who have no food. He always has a word of consolation, encouragement and forgiveness: He is never indifferent. However, what hurts Him most are sinners who go through life without experiencing light and truth: He waits for them in the Sacraments of Baptism and Penance.

33-38. As in the case of the first multiplication (14:13-20), the Apostles provide our Lord with the loaves and the fish. It was all they had. He also avails of the Apostles to distribute the food--the result of the miracle--to the people. In distributing the graces of salvation God chooses to rely on the faithfulness and generosity of men. "Many great things depend--don't forget--on whether you and I live our lives as God wants" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 755).

It is interesting to note that in both miracles of multiplication of loaves and fish Jesus provides food in abundance but does not allow anything to go to waste. All Jesus' miracles, in addition to being concrete historical events, are also symbols of supernatural realities. Here abundance of material food also signifies abundance of divine gifts on the level of grace and glory: it refers to spiritual resources and eternal rewards; God gives people more graces than are strictly necessary. This is borne out by Christian experience throughout history. St. Paul tells us that "where sin increased, grace abounded all the more" (Romans 5:20); he speaks of "the riches of His grace which He lavished upon us" (Ephesians 1:8) and tells his disciple Timothy that "the grace of our Lord overflowed for me and with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy 1:14).
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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.

Advent Vespers?

A local Catholic parish has elected to have Rabbi Susan Talve speak at its "Advent Vespers" on December 11. Interesting, to say the least. Perhaps, it's a veiled endorsement of her stance last month of defiance against the Archdiocese?

For those who may not be familiar with Susan Talve, she is the rabbi of the Central Reform Congregation synagogue where the faux "ordinations" of Elsie McGrath and Rose Hudson as "priests" took place with so-called "Bishop" Patricia Fresen of 'Roman Catholic WomenPriests', a group of women who have separated themselves from the Church. (See previous posts here, here, and here).

Why any Catholic parish would undertake such a move in light of recent scandalous and divisive events is incomprehensible.

The above graphic is a screen capture of this web page which may change soon.

Just for Today, December 5

To be without Jesus is a grievous hell, and to be with Jesus a sweet paradise.

- Bk. II, ch. viii.
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I do not know what more I could have in Heaven than I already have on earth, except that I shall see God. As for being with Him, I am that always, even here on earth.

- H.
__________________
For a List of Abbreviations, see this post.
Adapted from Just For Today(©1943 Burns & Oates)
Nihil Obstat: Reginaldus Phillips, S.T.L.,Censor deputatus
Imprimatur: Edwardus Myers, Vic. Cap.

Thoughts and Counsels - December 5

Let your constant practice be to offer yourself to God, that He may do with you what He pleases.

- St. Alphonsus
_________________________
From Mary, Help of Christians
Part VI, Thoughts and Counsels of the Saints for Every Day of the Year
Compiled by Fr. Bonaventure Hammer, OFM (© 1909, Benziger Brothers)

Meditation for December 5, The Mystery of the Incarnation

Striving to express what a wonder the mystery of the God Man is, Father Lallemant, an author of the seventeenth century, wrote:

"After the Incarnation, we can no longer admire anything. It is dangerous to give admiration to creatures. Only God Incarnate deserves our admiration. If we admire anything in the order of nature it is a sign that our faith is meager."

Combining his veneration of the mystery of the Crib with that of the Altar, he continued,

"We should wish neither to see, nor to admire another thing upon earth....If God were capable of manifesting admiration, He would direct it to the Sacramental Mystery and the Mystery of the Incarnation only."

The author of Spiritual Doctrine is too wise to forbid all admiration of the beauties of earth which, imperfect as they are, constitute reflections of the beauty of God, but he means to say that all those created splendors are nothing in comparison with the Uncreated become a creature, in comparison with the Word made Flesh and Christ's Presence under the appearance of a
little bread.

"O well-beloved Word of God, do I appreciate at its true value Your comlng upon this earth? Do I conceive in at least a faint way the miracles You had to accumulate to become incarnate in Mary's womb, and nt every consecration to become present upon the altar? I adore You, O Divine Greatness, Who delighted in lowering Yourself to the form of a child and then to a little host. I adore You. I remain silent before You. I love You."

_________________
Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)

Modernism and Pope Pius X

A very timely article by Dana Cole
_________________________

The loss of faith is the rotten core of Modernism. The heresy of Modernism was identified and condemned by Pope Pius X in the early 20th century in his encyclical, “Pascendi Domenici Gregis.” Since this heresy was so pervasive at that time, reaching into the heart of the Church itself, the Pope took severe measures to root it out of the Church. While these measures stemmed the tide of the heresy and saved many young priests and the faithful from its effects, it continued to thrive in the secular world. However, once Vatican II provided a forum for broader theological inquiry, the virus of Modernism took hold in the Church once again, encouraged by an agnostic mind-set in the secular world.

What is Modernism? Pope Pius X analyzed various writings of the Modernists and identified three main themes: vital immanence, the historical-critical method of studying Scripture, and evolution of doctrine.

Vital Immanence: Essentially, agnosticism is a refusal to believe in anything beyond our five senses. If something cannot be seen, felt, heard, etc., it is not an objective phenomenon which can be studied by science and history. Therefore all past religious revelation and doctrine was only a collection of personal internal experiences, conjured up by the tension of man’s existence in an unpredictable world. This is the principle of religious immanence. Faith consists only in a sentiment originating in a need for the divine. Religious consciousness, then, is solely personal and unique to each individual. This is the philosophy permeating secular thought in the last two centuries, and when admitted into the seminaries and universities of the Church, it destroys faith.

The Historical-Critical Method: As Catholics, we read our Scripture with a trust that God’s Word is true and that Christ is Who He said He is: the Son of God. St. John the Evangelist most beautifully crafts his gospel to bring out the divinity of Jesus, the “Word made Flesh.” Where miracles occur in the historical records of the Old Testament and the New, we believe that God suspended the laws of nature to perform these.

However, the Modernists believe that the men who followed Jesus were so enthralled by His personal charisma and His teaching that they ascribed divine attributes to Him, elevating Him above His true condition, and embroidering the historical account with what seemed to be miracles. Because they are agnostics, the Modernists cannot accept what is not perceptible to the senses, and when they read the Scriptures they remove everything which raises persons or events above historical conditions. They must manufacture common, everyday reasons why things which looked like miracles occurred. As for Christ Himself, because the Modernists believe He was “transfigured” by men into a divinity, He must be stripped of all deeds and words not in keeping with the times and conditions in which He lived. Once stripped, He becomes just an itinerant preacher who suffered crucifixion and death because He fell afoul of the religious and political rulers of His day. There was no resurrection, they say. So this is the “Christ of history,” the real Christ, versus the “Christ of faith,” a fiction. Catechetical materials which present Jesus as a social revolutionary and downplay His divinity and His call to holiness betray the Modernist school of thought.

Evolution of Doctrine: Modernists believe that a living religion must change constantly, evolving with changing times and cultures. And, since for them religion is essentially a personal experience, they admit a wide variety of interpretations and modifications, all completely subjective without reference to an objective truth independent of time or culture. Today what matters is what one feels.

Nowhere is this more obvious than in the recent “ordination” of two Catholic women in a synagogue in St. Louis. Despite two thousand years of unbroken tradition and the unambiguous words of Pope John Paul II that the Church is unable to ordain women, these two women pursued this objective because “it felt right to them.” And the female rabbi of the synagogue, against ecumenical protocol and common decency, provided them with a venue because “it felt right to her.”

Toward the end of his encyclical, Pope Pius X lists certain reforms advocated by the Modernists:

• Theology is to be reformed, based on modern philosophy.

• Historical methods are to be reformed consonant with modern methods and principles.

• Dogmas are to be harmonized with science and history.

• Regarding worship, the number of external devotions are to be reduced.

• Church authority must be decentralized and democratized.

• In morals the principles of “Americanism” must be adopted; i.e., the active virtues are more important than the passive (action more important than contemplation).

• Ecclesiastical celibacy must be suppressed.

Modernism is alive and well today.

###
So true!

Bishop Listecki Instructs Priests to Warn Faithful about "The Golden Compass"

LA CROSSE, WI, December 4, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - With the controversial children's film "The Golden Compass" about to be released in theatres December 7, the Bishop of the Diocese of La Crosse in Wisconsin has instructed his priests to warn parents against the film and the book series on which it was based.

Bishop Jerome Listecki's letter to priests came one day after the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops official movie reviewer praised 'The Golden Compass" film. In a rare move, the Catholic League was quick to publicly condemn the review. Other Catholic leaders have called on the USCCB to fire their movie critic Harry Forbes, especially in light of the fact that he also caused scandal by giving a glowing review to the homosexual propaganda film Brokeback Mountain. (see coverage: http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/dec/07120304.html )

"My responsibility as Bishop is to inform you as well as the faithful as to any movies, activities or entertainments that question or undermine the belief of our people and subvert the message of salvation which you as pastors deliver to your communitie," wrote Bishop Listecki to pastors in his diocese in a letter dated November 30...

More here at LifeSiteNews

The Golden Compass - What's the big deal?

The Office of Catechesis and Evangelization of Diocese of La Crosse provides us with some answers:

So, what is the big deal about this movie? Why should parents be concerned?
The movie The Golden Compass is the first book of the trilogy, His Dark Materials. Parents need to be concerned because it attacks the foundation of the Catholic Faith.[1]

Author, Philip Pullman says,
• “My books are about killing God.”[2]
• “I am all for the death of God.”[3]
• “I’m trying to undermine the basis of Christian belief.”[4]

The author is an atheist, but how does that affect the film?
“Though much of Pullman’s trilogy involves… mystical worlds with talking animals and magical witches, the underlying theme is no simple fantasy. In the fictional universe of His Dark Materials, there is no real God; rather there is a high angel called the Authority, who purports to be God.”[5] The Catholic Church, frequently called the Magisterium, is portrayed as the dark force to be overcome.

Isn’t His Dark Materials just fiction?
It is fiction but it presents good as evil and evil as good. It portrays the evil of dark, demonic forces that battle God and ultimately kill God. So a film like this (and especially the trilogy it is based on) invites us to join forces against God.

How is the Golden Compass different from Narnia and the Lord of the Rings?
The Chronicles of Narnia are a fantasy representing the battle between God and His followers and Satan and his devils. In the Lord of the Rings, Tolkien shows the power of God and His grace and invites the reader to join Him. Pullman’s trilogy, His Dark Materials, promotes the lie that evil can ultimately defeat God. But we know that Jesus’ death on the Cross has already won the ultimate victory.

Why can’t kids go to it as a fun, fantasy movie? What am I to tell my child?
It is no simple fantasy. It is about evil being presented in an enticing and glamorous way. As the first teachers and protectors, parents would not allow their children to be desensitized to evil so that it becomes commonplace and they no longer recognize it as dangerous and seek to avoid it. It is the same as saying that parents would not let their children drink poison. Tell your children that this movie is definitely poison for the soul. In the Our Father, Jesus taught us clearly to pray, deliver us from evil.[6] Jesus does not want us to toy with evil even when it looks fascinating.

The producers say any references to the Catholic Church have been removed. Doesn’t this leave the movie as just a fun fantasy adventure?
The references to the Catholic Church have been removed from the movie but a different word has been substituted, it is the Magisterium. The producers of the movie are not stupid. They have removed some of the most sinister aspects against Christianity. But don’t be fooled. The fundamental direction of the story is the same even if it has been sanitized and Pullman’s goal is to entice people to read his books and reject God.

The books are much more detailed, more evil, and they attack, with a hateful vengeance, priests, nuns, bishops, the Mother of God and the Pope.

What is Pullman’s philosophy and how is it dangerous?
Pullman’s worldview is a world without God. He thinks the very idea of God needs to be destroyed. Pullman spreads his hatred for religion through these books. The Christian worldview is that God is our loving Father. We cannot exist without Him; God created us and has given us everything out of love. To believe in God and embrace Him for all eternity is the joy and very center of our lives.

How can we use this movie’s debut as a teaching experience?
Talk about this with your children. Do not be in denial that evil exists and that skilled marketers can disguise it and make it look attractive. We need to have a healthy level of concern about the power of evil even though Satan does not have equal power with God and cannot defeat God. Satan is a fallen angel who hates God and wants us to hate God.[7] We love God and therefore we reject Satan and all his evil. This is why you promised at baptism:
■ “to reject the glamour of evil and refuse to be mastered by sin.”

What should Catholic parents do?
Please do not go to the movie and do not buy the books. Return the books if you have already bought them. Spread the message to family and friends. Embrace the positive movies that have come from Hollywood like the Chronicles of Narnia or read the Lord of the Rings, and refuse to give your money or your approval to “Dark Materials” that try to snuff out the Light.[8]
________________________
1 1 John 4:1-4 “…every spirit which does not confess Jesus is not of God.”
2 Tony Watkins, Dark Matter, pp. 21, 152.
3 Philip Pullman, www.books.guardian.co.uk
4 Alona Wartofsky, “The Last Word; Philip Pullman’s Trilogy for Young. Adults Ends
With God’s Death, and Remarkably Few Critics,” Washington Post, Feb. 19, 2001.
5 The Golden Compass: Agenda Unmasked, Catholic League. p. 7.
6 Matthew 6:13, Philippians 4: 8
7 See Revelation 12:7-9; John 8:44; I John 2:18-25; Catechism of the Catholic
Church, #391.
8 Wisdom 4: 12 “ … the fascination of wickedness obscures what is good.”

###

Frater Alban of the CRNJ Serving the Holy Father

A nice post with some pics showing Frater Alban of the Canons Regular of the New Jerusalem while in Rome can be viewed at the Hermeneutic of Continuity blog.

The Fraters are in Rome for the year and Dom Daniel Augustine, prior of the Canons Regular is in California...Pleasse pray for them. We look forward to their anticipated return to St Louis next summer of fall.

A special HT to Paul H!

They just don't get it....

A Christmas Campaign project of "Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good" with support from Faith in Public Life has posted an Open Letter to Christmas Culture Warriors.

These people don't seem to understand that a there is a culture war going on and had people not made efforts to oppose this de-Christianization of America, we would have lost more ground, especially concerning Christmas.

These people are simply naive and fail to understand what's going on...Should we really just all hold hands and sing Kumbayah while more and more efforts are made to eliminate Christmas and Christianity?

Here is the Open Letter To Christmas Culture Warriors

Recall that this is sponsored byu a group which attempts to confuse Catholics on fundamental moral issues with respect to evaluating candidate for public office.

US Bishops asked to Fire Chief Film Critic over Glowing Reviews for "Brokeback" and "Compass"

"Bishops horrified at what has been done in their name"
By John-Henry Westen

WASHINGTON, DC, December 3, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Bishops of the United States are being asked to fire the chief movie reviewer for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). Harry Forbes, the Director of the USCCB Office for Film and Broadcasting, has reignited scandal by praising the film "The Golden Compass" which is based on an anti-Catholic novel.

Forbes caused similar controversy two years ago when he issued a glowing review in the name of the USCCB for the homosexual propaganda film "Brokeback Mountain"...

It's well past the time to tell Harry "Good-bye"....

More at LifeSite here

National Catholic Reporter Obsesses on "Women Priests"

Pamela Schaeffer reports for NCR on the recent "festivities" which occurred in St Louis:

“What a day. What an occasion. What a rabbi!”

The speaker was Patricia Fresen, a bishop in the Roman Catholic Womenpriests movement. The day, Nov. 11; the occasion, a jubilant ceremony at a Jewish synagogue, during which Fresen would ordain two women -- the latest of a series of such ceremonies, aimed at helping women to fulfill what they say is their calling: to serve the church as Catholic priests.

Ah, yes, what a day....a day a group of confused or delusional people got together to celebrate "self"! And there are plenty of pictures of participants!

Among Catholics generally, reactions to the movement range from elation to eye rolling; from tears of joy to expressions of disdain. Even church officials have reacted inconsistently to a trend that flies in the face of the church’s official stance that women cannot be priests. The first ordinations resulted in formal excommunication by the Vatican for the Danube Seven. The decree, signed by then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) was dated July 22, 2004, ironically, some noted, the feast day of St. Mary Magdalene, sometimes called “apostle to the apostles.”

Subsequent ordinations have so far failed to elicit a Vatican response, leaving it to local dioceses to decide whether silence or public warning is the best approach. In St. Louis, Archbishop Raymond L. Burke warned of excommunication latae sententiae for Elsie Hainz McGrath and Rose Marie Dunn Hudson, the two scheduled to be ordained, along with their supporters, meaning that even without a formal decree, their actions put them outside the church. (Burke’s 1,750-word statement can be viewed at www.stlouisreview.com, archbishop’s column for Nov. 9.) After the ceremony, McGrath and Hudson were served with a summons to appear before a church tribunal Dec. 3. McGrath, a former editor at Liguori, a Catholic publishing house, labeled it “a canonical kangaroo court,” and both women said they would not appear.

LIGUORI IS STILL SELLING McGRATH's ITEMS! It was checked again this morning...

The women priests tend to regard such hierarchical rumblings with a mixture of amusement and regret. “Burke is a paper tiger,” said Gerry Rauch of St. Louis, a board member of the Women’s Ordination Conference, which supports a variety of forms of priestly roles for women, ranging from ordination to a “discipleship of equals,” in which all symbols of power, including ordination, would be obsolete....

The archbishop is a "paper tiger?"

Such pioneering [women priests] for some has come with a hefty price. Were women priests to compose a litany of emotional and financial costs, it would include the following: Fresen, fired from a prestigious teaching post and expelled from her religious order; Jane Marchant, forced to resign her position as head of health care ministry for the Boston archdiocese; Meehan, facing income losses now that Liguori, a Catholic publishing house, has removed her books from its lists.

She would prefer that a Catholic publishing house sell books and other materials by heretics and schismatics? Perhaps to celebrate diversity?

Schaeffer's article can be read here.

As a matter of fact, NCR is so enamored with these "priestesses" that it's run a special profile of five of these confused women...here, as well as these other two articles:

Reluctant bishop ordained for North America [Patricia Fresen]

Finished playing by the rules in which the editor concludes:

Whither women priests? Perhaps they will become yet another breakaway movement, as many church officials must drearily hope. Or, depending on the faithful’s response, these women could conceivably drag the church into the 21st century. We’ll pray for that.

It's clear that the views promoted by NCR are anything but Catholic. Isn't it time that it quits referring to itself as such?

Golden Compass promoters trying to advertise in Catholic press

...by using the positive review received by the USCCB Movie Reviewers...

CNA STAFF, Dec 3, 2007 / 05:44 pm (CNA).- The promoters of the controversial movie, The Golden Compass, are making an effort to diminish the boycott being threatened by Catholics and other Christian groups. The advertising agency for the movie has sent an email to the top 50 weekly Catholic newspapers asking that they consider running an ad promoting the movie.

Advertising Media Plus, the agency promoting The Golden Compass, is trying to use a review by Harry Forbes, the director of the U.S. Bishops’ Conference Office for Film & Broadcasting, as leverage against the boycott being called for by Catholics and Evangelicals...

Nice work, Harry!

Catholicism Tarred by Christian Film...

And this, coming on the heels of "The Golden Compass"...

On December 7, Gener8Xion Entertainment, a prominent Protestant film company, will release “Noëlle.” Catholic League president Bill Donohue disputes the claim that the movie is merely “a parable of forgiveness and grace”:

“We’ve seen the movie and it’s a gem. In the synopsis provided by Gener8Xion, it accurately describes Jonathan Keene as ‘a young Catholic priest seemingly devoid of genuine human emotion’; his job is ‘to do what he does best: shut down a failing parish.’ Then there is ‘the child-like Fr. Simeon Joyce, a faithful but disillusioned priest who blatantly disregards church regulations, uses church monies to pay an old fisherman’s medical bills and spends most of his time drinking at the local pub.’ Both priests are portrayed as losers....

“Throughout the film, confession is trivialized, celibacy is ridiculed, the Virgin Mary is disrespected, nuns are belittled, last rites are mocked, and priestly vocations are caricatured. In short, that which is uniquely Catholic is trashed. However, the plot and the acting are so deliriously absurd that it is impossible for us to get too worked up about this flick....

An Invitation to Fox 2 News

In response to recent story of two local women pretending to be Catholic priests, an invitation was emailed (and cc'ed to us) to the local St Louis Fox affiliate, which seems to have a proclivity for the absurd and ridiculous.

Dear Fox,

Thanks for running your article on the so-called "Catholic" priestesses.
I think you should know that I have recently, and of my own accord, assumed the hierarchical leadership position of "Catholic Popess," and may be addressed hereafter as "Popess Delusional the First and Last."

I invite you to contact me anytime at your convenience so that we might discuss the matter of these women priestesses, especially since they are now answerable to me and to me alone, given the fact that I have been "ordained" as the earthly ruler of all marginalized and disaffected "Catholics". And as the Supreme Pontiffess, I speak with that authority which all of the known and unknown gods and goddesses have bestowed on me during a private ceremony on the Mississippi River this past Saturday.

My assumption of the powers of Popess has exactly as much, if not more, validity as the "ordination" of these priestesses. These powers oblige me to speak my truth to the prevailing opppresive, hierarchical, and misogynistic powers in the church.

As the new earthly leader of all "Catholic" women priestesses, it would be grossly unprofessional of you to continue to report on their fantasies and antics while ignoring mine, which happen to be truly "divine".

Sincerely,

Popess Delusional the First and Last

On the True Practice of Advent Prayer

Fr Thomas Euteneuer has a wonderful Spirit & Life reflection:

Advent Challenge

We soon begin the great and holy season of Advent, a yearly time of renewal and focus of our faith. I will not bother you with another sermon about the dangers of materialism in the lead-up to Christmas, but if you really need to be reminded about the true spirit of Christmas, the following thoughts may help you to find that balance of living in the world but not of the world....

Cardinal Kasper's Ecumenism: Truth Above All

The complete text of the address delivered at the consistory by the president of the pontifical council for Christian unity. Good progress with the Orthodox, bad with the mainline Protestants, so-so with the "evangelicals" and Pentecostals. And meanwhile, with the Muslims...
by Sandro Magister

Gospel for Tuesday, 1st Week of Advent

Optional Memorial of St. John Damascene, priest and doctor
Old Calendar: St. Peter Chrysologus, bishop, confessor and doctor; St. Barbara, virgin and martyr

From: Luke 10:21-24

Jesus Gives Thanks

[21] In that same hour He (Jesus) rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, "I thank Thee, Father, Lord of Heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; yea, Father, for such was Thy gracious will. [22] All things have been delivered to Me by My Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him."

[23] Then turning to the disciples He said privately, "Blessed are the eyes which see what you see! [24] For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it."
______________________

Commentary:

21. This passage of the Gospel is usually called our Lord's "hymn of joy" and is also found in St. Matthew (11:25-27). It is one of those moments when Jesus rejoices to see humble people understanding and accepting the word of God.

Our Lord also reveals one of the effects of humility--spiritual childhood. For example, in another passage He says: "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven" (Matthew 18:3). But spiritual childhood does not involve weakness, softness or ignorance: "I have often meditated on this life of spiritual childhood, which is not incompatible with fortitude, because it demands a strong will, proven maturity, an open and firm character [...]. To become children we must renounce our pride and self-sufficiency, recognizing that we can do nothing by ourselves. We must realize that we need grace, and the help of God our Father to find our way and keep it. To be little, you have to abandon yourself as children do, believe as children, beg as children beg" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 10 and 143).

22. "This statement is a wonderful help to our faith," St. Ambrose comments, "because when you read 'all' you realize that Christ is all-powerful, that He is not inferior to the Father, or less perfect than He; when you read 'have been delivered to me', you confess that Christ is the Son, to whom everything belongs by right of being one in substance [with the Father] and not by grace of gift" ("Expositio Evangelii Sec. Lucam, in loc.").

Here we see Christ as almighty Lord and God, consubstantial with the Father, and the only one capable of revealing who the Father is. At the same time, we can recognize the divine nature of Jesus only if the Father gives us the grace of faith--as He did to St. Peter (cf. Matthew 16:17).

23-24. Obviously, seeing Jesus with one's own eyes was a wonderful thing for people who believed in him. However, our Lord will say to Thomas, "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe" (John 20:29). St. Peter, for his part, tells us: "Without having seen Him you love Him; though you do not see Him you believe in Him and rejoice with unutterable and exalted joy. As the outcome of your faith you obtain the salvation of your souls" (1 Peter 1:8-9).
___________________________
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.

Just for Today, December 4

(Christ.) What do I require more of thee than that thou endeavour to resign thyself entirely to Me. What­soever thou givest beside thyself I regard not; for I seek not thy gift, but thyself. As it would not suffice thee, if thou hadst all things but Me; so neither can it please Me, whatever thou givest, as long as thou offerest not thyself. Offer thyself to Me, and give thy whole self for God, and thy offering will be accepted.

Behold, I offered my whole self to the Father for thee, and have given My whole Body and Blood for thy food, that I might be all thine, and thou mightest be always Mine. But if thou wilt not offer thyself freely to My will, thy offering is not perfect, nor will there be an entire union betwixt us.
- Bk. IV, ch. viii.

(Disciple.) Lord, all things are Thine that are in heaven and earth. I desire to offer up myself to Thee as a voluntary oblation, and to remain for ever Thine....Behold, I commit myself to Thy mercy; I resign myself into Thy hands. Deal with me according to Thy goodness.
- Bk. IV, ch. ix.
______________________

Saint Teresa went through great suffering during her life, and for the sake of souls wished this to be made known after her death, so that seeing the seal of the cross upon her life, they might recognize her mission as genuine. She did not, however, consider the martyrdom of the heart which she underwent was a sign of her acceptance as victim by God's merciful Love; it was the infinite tenderness of divine Love which overflowed from the Sacred Heart into her soul that she took as a pledge.

If she said that to offer oneself as a victim of Love is to give oneself up to much anguish and suffering, it was to souls who held back and would not allow Our Lord to work His whole will in them, as it was often painful; but to souls who, in spite of their shrinking from the cross, were on fire with love and zeal and sought after perfection, she said: Why are you afraid to offer yourself as a victim to God's merciful Love? I could understand if it were to His Justice, but His merciful Love will have pity on your weakness and will treat you very gently and merciful­ly.

- H.
_________________
For a List of Abbreviations, see this post.
Adapted from Just For Today(©1943 Burns & Oates)
Nihil Obstat: Reginaldus Phillips, S.T.L.,Censor deputatus
Imprimatur: Edwardus Myers, Vic. Cap.

Thoughts and Counsels - December 4

It is God Himself who receives what we give in charity, and is it not an incomparable happiness to give Him what belongs to Him, and what we have received from His goodness alone?

-St. Vincent de Paul
_________________________
From Mary, Help of Christians
Part VI, Thoughts and Counsels of the Saints for Every Day of the Year
Compiled by Fr. Bonaventure Hammer, OFM (© 1909, Benziger Brothers)

Meditation for December 4, Mary and Joseph

The Gospels are silent about Mary and Joseph before the Incar­nation. God alone was concerned with them.

To be the object of God's especial notice! What a blessing!

What does Joseph do? He lives in a modest corner of a little village. Nothing in his person gives exterior evidence to the passerby of the noble blood that flows in his veins. He is an artisan; he works with his hands; he is at the service of the country folk; he makes their oxen yokes, plows, tables, and repairs their wagons. A good workman, but nothing more than a workman! "He is Joseph, Joseph the carpenter," the people say, as they will say later when Jesus begins to attract publicity by His preaching: "Is this not truly the son of Joseph, the carpenter; you know, the carpenter?"

And Mary, the flower of Jesse so long expected, in what sur­roundings do we discover her?

She is the flower of the field, and the lily of the valleys, a lily beautiful but unseen. She is poor, also, and modest as becomes her purity; oh, so modest that one would say she fears being noticed or drawn from her contemplation. Not that she is at all unsociable. Indeed not! She smiles sincerely upon the women who pass; at the fountain she hurries graciously to aid her neigh­bors in drawing water, helping them, too, to place their pitchers on their heads. While with her parents, she applied herself to home duties, putting all her energy into the tasks of her state; she put things in order, swept, prepared the meals, mended the clothing and wove the wool.

Mary and Joseph were the chosen ones of the Holy Spirit. God alone was their all; the world was nothing to them but to them it owes everything.

"Grant me, O Joseph and Mary, a participation in your hidden virtue, the source of so many graces for you; let me love to live hidden."

_________________
Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)

Jan 11-13, St Louis Annual Marian Conference

We bring you the best speakers. You will hear the truth in Catholic doctrine, theology, Scripture, Tradition, and the teachings of the Fathers of the Church. You will hear of God's healing power in the Eucharist. You will be encouraged, satisfied, and full of hope and truth in this grace-filled weekend. Let the Conference weekend at the Adam's Mark be a winter retreat, a new start, new resolutions in living our life as Jesus lives in us.

Our confirmed speakers include the following: Fr. Charles Becker; Msgr. John J. Hickel; Fr. Mitch Pacwa, SJ; Fr. Andre Mhanna; Fr. Bill Casey; Fr. Wade Menezes: Roy Schoemann; Vinny Flynn; Mother Assumpta Long; and Fr. Thomas J. Loya, STB, MA.

For more information and registration, click here.

The Holy Father's Prayer Intentions for December

VATICAN CITY, DEC 1, 2007 (VIS) - Benedict XVI's general prayer intention for December is: "That human society may be solicitous in the care of all those stricken with AIDS, especially children and women, and that the Church may make them feel the Lord's love."

His mission intention is: "That the incarnation of the Son of God, which the Church celebrates solemnly at Christmas, may help the peoples of the Asiatic Continent to recognize God's Envoy, the only Savior of the world, in Jesus."

Source.

Christmas at Arlington Cemetery

I received an email the other day and after I verified that it was true (snopes.com), I thought I would share it. Some may have heard of it before, but others, like me, never knew that anything like this was taking place.

I had never heard of this -- only visited in the summer months. Funny that the drive-by media has never told this story in 15 years.



Readers may be interested to know that these wreaths -- some 5,000 -- are donated by the Worcester Wreath Co. of Harrington, Maine. The owner, Merrill Worcester, not only provides the wreaths, but covers the trucking expense as well. He's done this since 1992. A wonderful guy. Also, most years, groups of Maine school kids combine an educational trip to DC with this event to help out. Making this even more remarkable is the fact that Harrington is in one the poorest parts of the state.

Snopes reports, in part:

Morrill Worcester initially brought 4,000 surplus wreaths from the holiday decoration company he owns to adorn gravesites at Arlington in 1992. Every year since then he has set aside several thousand wreaths especially for that purpose, driving to Arlington in December with a trailer full of decorations and dozens of volunteers to distribute them throughout the cemetery...

I find it uplifting and encouraging to read about such efforts.

Teachers Vs. Priests; Unequal Treatment In the Media?

NEW YORK — When the Associated Press set out to investigate an apparent problem with sexual assault of children in public schools, the organization spared no expense.

A congressionally mandated study by Hofstra University had already found school-based sexual abuse to be a big problem.

“It was one of our priorities for the year,” said John Affleck, editor of the AP’s national reporting team.

The result was a three-part series, available to editors throughout the country beginning Oct. 20, that revealed widespread and routine sexual assault of public school students throughout the country....

So why apparently have only a handful of newspapers nationwide run the series — in stark contrast to the avalanche of press received by the Catholic Church since 2002?

I suppose it would be that it doesn't server the agenda of an anti-Catholic/anti-Christian press...but, I could be wrong.

Gospel for Dec 3, Memorial: St Francis Xavier, priest

From: Matthew 8:5-11

The Centurion's Faith

[5] As He (Jesus) entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to Him, beseeching Him [6] and saying, "Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, in terrible distress." [7] And He said to him, "I will come and heal him." [8] But the centurion answered Him, "Lord, I am not worthy to have You come under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. [9] For I am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, `Go,' and he goes, and to another, `Come,' and he comes, and to my slave, `Do this,' and he does it." [10] When Jesus heard him, He marvelled, and said to those who followed Him, "Truly, I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such faith. [11] I tell you, many will come from east and west and sit at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven."
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Commentary:

5-11. "Centurion": an officer of the Roman army in control of one hundred men. This man's faith is still an example to us. At the solemn moment when a Christian is about to receive Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, the Church's liturgy places on his lips and in his heart these words of the centurion, to enliven his faith: Lord, I am not worthy...".

The Jews of this time regarded any Jew who entered a Gentile's house as contracting legal impurity (cf. John 19:28; Acts 11:2-3). This centurion has the deference not to place Jesus in an embarrassing position in the eyes of His fellow Israelites. He shows that he is convinced that Jesus has the power over disease and illness; he suggests that if Jesus just says the word, He will do what is needed without having actually to visit the house; he is reasoning, in a simple, logical way, on the basis of his own professional experience. Jesus avails of this meeting with a Gentile believer to make a solemn prophecy to the effect that His Gospel is addressed to the world at large; all men, of every nation and race, of every age and condition, are called to follow Christ.
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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.

Just for Today, December 3

Aim only at this, pray for this, desire this, that thou mayest be divested of all self-seeking, and thus naked, follow the naked Jesus; that thou mayest die to thyself, and live eternally to Me. Then all vain imagination shall vanish, all evil disturbances and superfluous cares. Then also immoderate fear shall leave thee, and in­ordinate love shall die.
- Bk. III, ch. xxxvii.
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A novice had asked several Sisters to help her to shake blankets, adding rather sharply that they must be careful not to tear them, as the blankets were thin and worn. The Saint said to her: "If it did not happen to be your duty to mend the blankets, you would have spoken more gently and shown greater detachment. You ought not to let self-interest color your actions."
- C.
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For a List of Abbreviations, see this post.
Adapted from Just For Today(©1943 Burns & Oates)
Nihil Obstat: Reginaldus Phillips, S.T.L.,Censor deputatus
Imprimatur: Edwardus Myers, Vic. Cap.

Thoughts and Counsels - December 3

We should study the interests of others as our own, and be careful to act on all occasions with uprightness and loyalty.

- St. Vincent de Paul
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From Mary, Help of Christians
Part VI, Thoughts and Counsels of the Saints for Every Day of the Year
Compiled by Fr. Bonaventure Hammer, OFM (© 1909, Benziger Brothers)

Meditation for December 3, My Role in the World's Salvation

Today is the feast of St. Francis Xaxier, the great apostle of foreign missions. What enthusiasm is awakened in me by the very thought of the spiritual giants who go to the outposts of Christendom to carry the Gospel to poor pagans! Should my vocation call me to share their labors, God be praised! If it requires me to sanctify myself in my own country, [once] Chris­tianized, it shall be my aim to sacrifice nothing of my apostolic ardor.

There are many ways of working for the redemption of the world. The first and most valuable way is the sanctification of self in my own sphere of activity.

If we do not adequately understand the first lesson of the Cate­chism that we are created to praise, love and serve God and by this means save our soul, then we are robbing Christianity of its true significance. We are not on earth solely to work out our own salvation, but to effect simultaneously with our own, the salvation and sanctification of our brethren; we must save the greatest number possible of those who live with us upon the earth.

It is a serious error to suppose that every individual is respons1ble for himself alone. Quite the contrary, we are all bound to one another. If I sanctify myself, I aid in the sanctification of all; if I stray from the right path, I contribute to the general decline.

I will ask St. Francis to make me a true Christian, that I may never disassociate the thought of my own sanctification from the sanctification of the rest of the world.

"St. Francis Xavier, make me a Catholic soul, having a genuine instlnct and zest for the universality of the ambitions of Jesus Christ!"

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Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)

Rally for Troops Outnumbers SOA Watch Protest

Year after year, dissident Catholics and radical leftists stage a propaganda protest at the gates of Fort Benning against the U.S. Army’s Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation – the former School of the Americas. While anti-military protesters enjoy ample media coverage, little notice is given to thousands of patriotic Americans who honor the troops, only blocks away, during God Bless Fort Benning Day.

[This] event deserves attention...

Read the report from the American TFP here.

Two Female "Catholic" Priestesses Conduct First "Mass"

(KTVI - myFOXstl.com) --
Two Roman Catholic female priests who were recently ordained co-pastored their first mass Saturday night in the central west end.

Rose Marie Hudson and Elsie McGrath led the service at the first Unitarian church of St. Louis....

The Roman Catholic Church does not recognize the ordination of Hudson and McGrath that was conducted by an organization called Roman Catholic Women Priests.

Priestettes pretending to be Catholic priests - What a scandal. And the report indicates that 100 or so people were in attendance. Unfortuantely, those who support this act of rebellion and scandal can hardly claimn to call themselves Catholic.

Source KTVI Fox 2 News

Gospel for Sunday, 1st Week of Advent

Gospel From: Matthew 24:37-44

The Time of the Second Coming of Christ and of the Last Judgment (Continuation)

Jesus said to his disciples,) [37] "As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of man. [38] For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, [39] and they did not know until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of man. [40] Then two men will be in the field; one is taken and one is left. [41] Two women will be grinding at the mill; one is taken and one is left.

Vigilance. The Faithful Servant

[42] "Watch therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. [43] But know this, that if the householder had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have watched and would not have let his house be broken into. [44] Therefore you also must be ready; for the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
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Commentary:

37-39. In a few strokes our Lord sketches man's perennial insensitivity and carelessness towards the things of God. Man thinks it is more important to eat and drink, to find a husband or wife; but if that is his attitude he is forgetting about the most important thing--eternal life. Our Lord also foretells that the end of the world will be like the great flood; the Son of man's second coming will happen unexpectedly, taking people by surprise, whether they are doing good or evil.

40. It is in the context of the ordinary affairs of life--farmwork, housework, etc-- that God calls man, and man responds: that is where his eternal happiness or eternal punishment is decided. To be saved, one does not need to meet any special conditions, or to be in a special position in life: one simply has to be faithful to the Lord in the middle of ordinary everyday affairs.

42. Jesus himself draws from this revelation about the future the practical moral that a Christian needs to be on the watch, living each day as if it were his last.

The important thing is not to be speculating about when these events will happen and what form they will take, but to live in such a way that they find us in the state of grace.
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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.

2nd Reading for Sunday, 1st Week of Advent

From: Romans 13:11-14

Love, the Fulfilling of the Law (Continuation)

[11] Besides this you know what hour it is, how it is full time now for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed; [12] the night is far gone, the day is at hand. Let us then cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; [13] let us conduct ourselves becomingly as in the day, not in revelling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarrelling and jealousy. [14] But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
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Commentary:

11-14. The Church uses this inspired text in t he liturgy of Advent to help us prepare for the coming of the Lord. Christ came into the world by his Incarnation; he also comes to souls through grace; and at the end of time he will come as Judge. Rising like the sun, he dispelled the darkness when he came into the world, and he continues to dispel whatever darkness remains in souls the more he obtains mastery over the hearts of men.

13-14. Souls who have become members of the Church through Baptism are always in need of conversion to a new life. Sometimes God uses Sacred Scripture to awaken people from their spiritual lethargy. In fact, he used these particular words of Scripture to move the heart of St Augustine and have him take the last step towards casting off the attachments of the flesh. "I felt myself still enslaved by my iniquities, and therefore did I groan to myself, 'How long? How long must I continue saying Tomorrow, tomorrow? Why not now? Why not, at one instant, make an end of all uncleanness?' [...] And behold I heard a voice, like that of a child in the house next door, repeating in a sing-song tone, 'Take up and read. Take up and read' [...]. I rose up [...] and returned to where I had left the book of the Apostle; I took it quickly into my hand, opened it and read in silence the first passage on which my eye happened to fall." Having transcribed the verses we are now commenting, Augustine continues: "I read no further, nor was there any need to; for with the end of this sentence, as by a clear and constant light infused into my heart, the darkness of all former doubts was immediately driven away" ("Confessions", VII, 12, 28-29).

14. All Christians "put on" Christ in Baptism (cf. Gal 3:27). Starting with this initial configuration to Christ, they are steadily transformed into him by frequent reception of the sacraments, particularly the sacrament of Penance. "'"Induimini Dominum Iesum Christum". Put on the Lord Jesus Christ', says St Paul to the Romans. It is in the Sacrament of Penance that you and I put on Jesus Christ and his merits" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 310).
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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.