Poverty can teach us a thing or two. Ignatius was born into poverty and entered the Capuchin order (an offshoot of the Franciscans) but he never seems to have let the poverty define him. What defined him was a manner that grew from his poverty: things like meekness, empathy, comfort, peace, and joy. He was well known in the community for such gifts. Those who gave to him felt they got so much in return. So many of their ills, physical and spiritual, where softened by his simple love. The story is told that when he would go out to beg for the community (they are a mendicant order) people noticed that he would skip the house of a rich but ruthless money-lender. The man felt slighted because Ignatius passed his house but went and asked the poor for help instead. The man complained to Ignatius' superior who, hopefully, knew nothing about the man's reputation and sent Ignatius to the man to beg. The saint returned with a large sack of food, but when the sack was emptied, blood dripped out. "This is the blood of the poor," Ignatius explained. "That is why I never ask for anything at that house." Let us think about the source of our charity. True poverty, the need for nothing that is not supplied, is the emulation of Jesus, and we derive so many riches from it, riches we share with others. Jesus said to his disciples: “A little while and you will no longer see me, and again a little while later and you will see me.” So some of his disciples said to one another, “What does this mean that he is saying to us, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?” So they said, “What is this ‘little while’ of which he speaks? We do not know what he means.” Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, “Are you discussing with one another what I said, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me’? Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices; you will grieve, but your grief will become joy.”
-- John 16:16-20
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The Patristic Age of the early Church is a delightful mix of orthodoxy and struggle. Epiphanius was a friend of Jerome but found the mysticism of John Chrysostom to be a bit unorthodox. It is a time of chaos, of settling, of standardizing, and for determining how to talk about the Truths that had been revealed. Arianism and other heresies were rampant, causing upheaval, violence, and confusion. Epiphanius worked tirelessly to right the wrong thinking and to lead flocks of believers in the path. This work to produce orthodoxy, where we accept some and question others, never stops and he shows us that it has been happening for a long time. For his work we call him a Doctor of the Church, and we honor his desires and prayers to keep the Faith whole and true. We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of all things, both visible and invisible; and in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten of God the Father, Only-begotten, that is, of the substance of the Father; God of God, Light of Light, true God of true God; begotten, not made; con-substantial with the Father; through whom all things were made, both those in heaven and those on earth, both visible and invisible; who for us and for our salvation came down and took flesh, that is, was born perfectly of the holy ever-virgin Mary by the Holy Spirit, was made man, that is, He received perfect man, soul and body and mind and all that man is, except sin, not from the seed of man nor as is usual with men, but He reshaped flesh into Himself, into one holy unity; not in the way that He inspired the prophets, and both spoke and acted in them, but He was made Man perfectly; for "the Word was made flesh (John 1:14)," not undergoing change, nor converting His own divinity into humanity; - joined together into the one holy perfection and divinity of Himself; - for the Lord Jesus Christ is one and not two, the same God, the same Lord, the same King; and He suffered in the flesh, and rose again and ascended into heaven in the same body, and sits in glory on the right of the Father, about to come in the same body in glory to judge the living and the dead; whose kingdom will have no end; and we believe in the Holy Spirit, who spoke in the Law and proclaimed in the Prophets and descended at the Jordan, speaks in the Apostles and dwelling in the saints; thus do we believe in Him: that the Spirit is Holy, Spirit of God, Spirit perfect, Spirit Paraclete, increate, and is believed to proceed from the Father and to be received from the Son. We believe in one Catholic and Apostolic Church, and in one Baptism of repentance, and in the resurrection of the dead and the just judgement of souls and bodies, and in the kingdom of heaven, and in eternal life. But those who say that there was a time when the Son or the Holy Spirit was not, or was made out of nothing or of another substance or essence, who say the Son of God or the Holy Spirit is liable to change or to becoming different, these people the Catholic and Apostolic Church, your Mother and ours, anathematizes; and again we anathematize those who do not confess the resurrection of the dead, and all heresies which are not consistent with this, the true faith.
-- Baptismal Creed by Epiphanius from about 374 A.D. When I was young, the nuns made sure that we understood that Lucia, one of the three children of Fatima, was still alive - that we 'knew' not just a living saint but one who had met the Virgin. I'm not sure that my young brain processed that in the way they hoped, other than to be impressed that someone that old was still alive; still I assumed that God spoke to us all the time, that we had a relationship with Him that meant that everyday, via Guardian Angels and the Communion of Saints (which they also taught) we were wrapped in God and that we were not alone and that these things were therefore perfectly normal. But I did not fully understand. My grandfather was even older than she was at the time but I did not understand time in those numbers. I did not understand childhood faith, nor the greys of life. When Lucia finally died in 2005, I understood a lot better. Not the conspiracy theories or the whipping of people with rosaries but the simple message of devotion to the Gospel that someone so touched by God can give to the world. Throughout history there have been supernatural apparitions and signs which go to the heart of human events and which, to the surprise of believers and non-believers alike, play their part in the unfolding of history. These manifestations can never contradict the content of faith, and must therefore have their focus in the core of Christ's proclamation: the Father's love which leads men and women to conversion and bestows the grace required to abandon oneself to him with filial devotion. This too is the message of Fatima which, with its urgent call to conversion and penance, draws us to the heart of the Gospel.
-- From The Message of Fatima, Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith If you think about it, we are all replacement apostles. The use of lots to select Matthias speaks to the work of the Spirit in selecting us for what we need to do. We must also ask did "Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also known as Justus" (Acts 1:23) stop being called just because the lot did not fall in his favor? It matters not because we probably know as much about him as we do about Matthias, which means both men lived out their call to holiness in simple grace and humility. So it is for us. Those of us called to "greatness" must not find pride or pleasure in it; those of us called to "lesser duties" must also find no shame or displeasure in it. It is our job to "become with us a witness to his resurrection.” (ibid 22b) "I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete.
This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. This I command you: love one another." -- John 15:9-17 I am not sure how many garden statues of Isidore are confused for Francis (along with Fiacre - he is also holding a shovel but down not up) but I feel like it is a significant number. It probably does not help that so many of each are so poorly made as to be indistinguishable from the others. Both are noted for their piety and humility so it is probably fine to have either one watching over your flower bed. In your garden though, it might make a difference. Nor need we think only of those already beatified and canonized. The Holy Spirit bestows holiness in abundance among God’s holy and faithful people, for “it has pleased God to make men and women holy and to save them, not as individuals without any bond between them, but rather as a people who might acknowledge him in truth and serve him in holiness”. In salvation history, the Lord saved one people. We are never completely ourselves unless we belong to a people. That is why no one is saved alone, as an isolated individual. Rather, God draws us to himself, taking into account the complex fabric of interpersonal relationships present in a human community. God wanted to enter into the life and history of a people.
-- Apostolic Exhortation GAUDETE ET EXSULTATE 6, Pope Francis Another one of my favorite saints. When I was young my small room was decorated in sailing ships and that was probably where I caught the sailing bug, and Brendan falls right into that. But he was so much more than just a sailor and that has inspired me more. Help me to journey beyond the familiar
and into the unknown. Give me the faith to leave old ways and break fresh ground with You. Christ of the mysteries, I trust You to be stronger than each storm within me. I will trust in the darkness and know that my times, even now, are in Your hand. Tune my spirit to the music of heaven, and somehow, make my obedience count for You. AMEN. -- A prayer attributed to St. Brendan. How does our sin make a saint? This may seem like a strange questions but if we profess that God makes all things new, creates only good, even from evil, then it must be true. If the whole of the Hebrew Scriptures are to be believed (and they should be) then that is what God tells us again and again, in every book. So back to the question. This is not an invitation to sin but a call to look at the way God works in the world. Even amidst the selfishness and the evil it causes, among our pettiness, our envy, our sloth, our greed, saints arrive inspired by Jesus and his love of sinners who act to bring that love to others even surrounded by evil. He also brings grace to us in times of evil. Saint after saint endures suffering and death to bring the love of Christ to fruition. Zealous for the Faith, Blessed Antonia is one such saint. The evil of attempted rape and final murder performed on her also recalls to us the story of Maria Goretti. As with her as well, it is the power and grace of God who turns the evil done to this girl into a powerful witness to His love to us, just as Christ's passion and death are proof positive of His love for us and an example for us to follow. No matter what happens do not fear for "the Lord, your God, is with you wherever you go" (Joshua 1:9); be at peace in every situation. No one can withstand you as long as you live. As I was with Moses, I will be with you: I will not leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and steadfast, so that you may give this people possession of the land I swore to their ancestors that I would give them. Only be strong and steadfast, being careful to observe the entire law which Moses my servant enjoined on you. Do not swerve from it either to the right or to the left, that you may succeed wherever you go. Do not let this book of the law depart from your lips. Recite it by day and by night, that you may carefully observe all that is written in it; then you will attain your goal; then you will succeed. I command you: be strong and steadfast! Do not fear nor be dismayed, for the LORD, your God, is with you wherever you go.
-- Joshua 1:5-9 Popes are an interesting lot and John is no different. He was a man caught between two worlds; not just the world of politics and the world of Faith, but within each of those worlds as well. He practiced intolerance early in his career, supporting the anti-pope and yet was forgiven and eventually elected Pope. In the West Theodoric the Ostrogoth was an Arian, while many of his subjects were orthodox Catholic. In the East, Justin was Orthodox while many of his subjects were Arian. In the West they looked to the East; in the East to the West. In the East the Arians appealed to Theodoric for help and Theodoric sent John to appeal for justice from the persecution. He was received in honor and argued from love for those who believed something that he did not and Justin relented, with some minor caveats. Theodoric was more political and viewed his non-Arian subjects with suspicion as possibly more loyal to the East. John's success and warm welcome in the East also raised his suspicions. Ironically, the love that John proclaimed brought relief in the East but persecution and his death in the West. His life and martyrdom are an example of the merits and perils of tolerance. When a few days had passed, King Agrippa and Bernice arrived in Caesarea on a visit to Festus. Since they spent several days there, Festus referred Paul’s case to the king, saying, “There is a man here left in custody by Felix. When I was in Jerusalem the chief priests and the elders of the Jews brought charges against him and demanded his condemnation. I answered them that it was not Roman practice to hand over an accused person before he has faced his accusers and had the opportunity to defend himself against their charge. So when (they) came together here, I made no delay; the next day I took my seat on the tribunal and ordered the man to be brought in. His accusers stood around him, but did not charge him with any of the crimes I suspected. Instead they had some issues with him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus who had died but who Paul claimed was alive. Since I was at a loss how to investigate this controversy, I asked if he were willing to go to Jerusalem and there stand trial on these charges. And when Paul appealed that he be held in custody for the Emperor’s decision, I ordered him held until I could send him to Caesar.”
-- Acts 25:13-21 I do not mean for this to be a week of popes, but Celestine's story always gets me. Peter was a hermit and holy man from an early age, he started an order (eventually to be called the Celestines after his papal name) but was thrust into the papacy when, prompted by God, he went to Rome to challenge the Curia for taking so long to elect a new pope. They immediately elected him, which either speaks to his holiness and the impression it made on the Cardinals or to the hot-potato, last man standing problem, or political manipulation situation. Certainly the Spirit prompted them to select him no matter what their personal thoughts, and he set about to reform the clergy and their worldly ways and to invite the faithful back to holiness through the emphasis on forgiveness and pardon (sounds familiar?). Of course his piety and simplicity were taken advantage of, again probably by those who elected him for such a purpose. He saw the writing on the wall and after only five months abdicated to a much more savvy leader (Boniface VIII), adding him to the small list of popes to do so (like Pontian and Benedict XVI). It is his humility that strikes me. He sought to do God's will from an early age and seems to have accomplished that, even at the cost of being tossed to the wolves. The corruption that surrounded him as pope did not consume him though. He neither fell or was destroyed by it, actually apologizing for his inadequacies as he abdicated. Boniface sequestered him for his own protection but as a hermit he probably was happy to be where he always wanted to be. We need to recognize our strengths and our weaknesses as we seek to serve God in Jesus; we need humility and the strength of character to know when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em. Celestine pray for us! An argument broke out among the Apostles about which of them should be regarded as the greatest. Jesus said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them and those in authority over them are addressed as 'Benefactors'; but among you it shall not be so. Rather, let the greatest among you be as the youngest, and the leader as the servant. For who is greater: the one seated at table or the one who serves? Is it not the one seated at table? I am among you as the one who serves. It is you who have stood by me in my trials; and I confer a kingdom on you, just as my Father has conferred one on me, that you may eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom; and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel."
-- Luke 22:24-30 As a footnote I add Dunstan to today, who as the story goes tweaked the devil's nose with hot tongs to drive him away and also shod the devil's cloven hoof with a horse shoe causing the devil to shriek in pain. Dunstan promised to remove it only if the devil would go and so he avoids homes with horseshoes to this day - one possible origin of placing horseshoes over doorways. For these reasons he is also the patron of blacksmiths! Dunstan guide our hammers! How do you operate under pressure? If we look at the time period that Bernardine operated in then we can truly say that Jesus and the Spirit sustain the Church in truth and charity through its saints. I am always in awe of the Lord's power to keep things together despite all our best efforts to create chaos through selfishness, greed, lust for power, and a general disregard for the needs of others. And yet Bernadine was not disillusioned by the hypocrisy around him, as many young people can be and use that excuse for inaction, he set himself to service of the sick instead and then set about to preach to others and reform the Franciscans. He shows us that despite what goes on in the world around us and that no matter what our age we can serve the Lord in fidelity and charity. There is a general rule concerning all special graces granted to any human being. Whenever the divine favor chooses someone to receive a special grace, or to accept a lofty vocation, God adorns the person chosen with all the gifts of the Spirit needed to fulfill the task at hand.
This general rule is especially verified in the case of Saint Joseph, the foster-father of our Lord and the husband of the Queen of our world, enthroned above the angels. He was chosen by the eternal Father as the trustworthy guardian and protector of his greatest treasures, namely, his divine Son and Mary, Joseph’s wife. He carried out this vocation with complete fidelity until at last God called him, saying: “Good and faithful servant enter into the joy of your Lord.” What then is Joseph’s position in the whole Church of Christ? Is he not a man chosen and set apart? Through him and, yes, under him, Christ was fittingly and honorably introduced into the world. Holy Church in its entirety is indebted to the Virgin Mother because through her it was judged worthy to receive Christ. But after her we undoubtedly owe special gratitude and reverence to Saint Joseph. -- From a sermon on St. Joseph Love, money, and social status often do not go together. Love brought Eugene's rich mother and poor father together, but the difficulty of money and social status, as Jesus so rightly points out, can make for a life that can enjoy neither the money nor the love, broken by bitterness and fighting. But love can triumph over the pettiness of mammon and status. Many couples struggle with finances - it is probably the number one symptom of problems in a marriage and family. The problem is how we think about money, how we think about the difficulties caused by economic systems and how we choose to live in them. Setting priorities is the way we make or break in such systems and hard times. For Eugene's parents the monetary and family pressures were too great. Eugene himself struggled between the two worlds of God and Mammon, eventually giving himself over to God. He went on to found an order which spread around the world. How we decide to let the world influence us makes a difference in our lives and in the world. Eugene pray that we will put God first so that everything else will be in focus. Servants! Farmhands! Peasants! Poor! Come and learn who you are in the eyes of God. You poor of Jesus Christ, you afflicted, unfortunate suffering, infirm, diseased: all you who are burdened with misery, listen to me! You are the children of God, brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ, co-heirs of His eternal kingdom, His cherished inheritance. Lift up your minds: you are the children of God. Look through the tatters that cover you. There is an immortal soul within you made to the image of God, a soul redeemed at the price of the very blood of Jesus, more precious in the eyes of God than all the riches and all the kingdoms of this earth. Know your dignity - you even share the Divine Nature - Children of God, Children of the Most High!
Fortunately for us, there is more than one patron saint for lost causes. Rita led a life of denial; not on her own, but imposed upon her her whole life. In her piety though, she bore it all and continued to try to bring Christ into the lives of those around her. When she wanted to enter the convent, her family refused and married her off at the age of 12. When she finally reconciled her brutish husband to Christ, she was denied a happy marriage after his murder by his enemies; when her brutish sons plotted his revenge she was denied their love in her old age when she offered up their lives to keep them from mortal sin. When she tried to enter the convent after all this, she was denied because even though she was still young, she had been married. Cast about, she continued to work for reconciliation between her family and her husband's murderers. She never gave up, and eventually was allowed into the convent at 36, living the rest of her life there. Patience and persistence pay off in service to the Gospel, even if the results are not what we expect, or if we ever see them. Lost causes are not lost when placed in the hands of God. Rita pray for us in times of need. What profit have workers from their toil? I have seen the business that God has given to mortals to be busied about. God has made everything appropriate to its time, but has put the timeless into their hearts so they cannot find out, from beginning to end, the work which God has done. I recognized that there is nothing better than to rejoice and to do well during life. Moreover, that all can eat and drink and enjoy the good of all their toil—this is a gift of God. I recognized that whatever God does will endure forever; there is no adding to it, or taking from it. Thus has God done that he may be revered. What now is has already been; what is to be, already is: God retrieves what has gone by.
-- Ecclesiastes 3:9-15 What are limitations? Giovanni was brilliant but epileptic. Somehow he still managed to avoid the impediments and was ordained. He concentrated on the poor and marginalized, giving more to others that he kept for himself. Yet always, in the background, was his illness, and fear of what would happen if he had a seizure. So he avoided some of his sacramental duties. Convinced to fully live his calling, he became a great confessor. We never know what God has in store for us, who are created, as a friend of mine used to put it, "brown paper, string, and all." We often live in fear of failure, of our failings, of our limitations, the weight of the task ahead. We often feel that things are out of our control or beyond our abilities. But that is not who we are. We are created, individually, with strengths and weaknesses (some of which we bring on ourselves) yet that is not what God is concerned with. Christ has destroyed death so we should not fear it; God has forgiven our sins so that should not hold us back - if it does then Reconciliation is the only answer; He has given us grace and the Eucharist to strengthen us so that we can do the work that needs to be done. Doubt and fear can destroy life; they are some of the Devil's favorite tools. It is God alone who gives life and gives it fully in His Son. Fear not and do not let physical, mental, or spiritual limitations hinder you in your quest for holiness or your ability to serve. It is not we who serve but we who serve Christ; it is Christ who accomplishes all through us. You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.” Then Peter said, “Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?” And the Lord replied, “Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward whom the master will put in charge of his servants to distribute [the] food allowance at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so. Truly, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property.
-- Luke 12:40-44 When I was young I often wondered why we relied so heavily on Mary. Jesus was the man, right? It is he whom we should emulate, right? I grew up in a home with a loving, albeit imperfect, mother. It is only now, after I have seen her mother for many years, watched my wife, and now my daughter mother their children that I understand that it is not that Mary equals or rivals Jesus but that she is unable to stop being a mother. Jesus' earthly mission is completed and he is always there and is our God yet Mary cannot help but cheer for all of his efforts and do what she can to make them come to fruition. Mary is our aid and comforter not in spite of or in alternate to Jesus but because of Jesus. We too should look to being like her in supporting and aiding Jesus' mission on Earth; our efforts do not replace Jesus but enhance his love in the world. John said to Jesus,
"Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us." Jesus replied, "Do not prevent him. There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me. For whoever is not against us is for us." -- Mark 9:38-40 A busy Day for saints (as are most days), but ones well worth our time. I do not often recall multiple saints but these three show the diversity and unity of the Church throughout time and place. Each was a monastic, showing the rich monastic tradition within and the importance of that tradition to the Church and how it is rarely running away from the world, as the world so often views it. Each also approached the world and the needs of the Church (and World) differently. Each dedicated themselves to the improvement and betterment of others, each on different scales. Gregory, caught amidst the turmoil of the politics of his time sought reform of both Church and king. Bede focused on a true education of those around him to remove ignorance and superstition and encourage veneration and holiness and stability amidst chaos. Mary cultivated her personal interior garden and that of her sisters to the salvation of the world amid the fracturing of the Church. All of theses things should be considered even amidst the foibles of human weakness. So now, my dearly beloved brothers, listen carefully to what I say to you. All who in the whole world bear the name of Christian and truly understand the Christian faith know and believe that Saint Peter, the prince of the apostles, is the father of all Christians and their first shepherd after Christ, and that the holy Roman Church is the mother and mistress of all the Churches. If, then, you believe and unshakably hold this, such as I am, your brother and unworthy master, I ask and command you by Almighty God to help and succor your father and mother, if through them you would have the absolution of all your sins, and blessing and grace in this world and in the world to come.
-- From a letter of Pope St Gregory VII On the Tuesday before Ascension, Bede began to suffer greater difficulties in breathing and his feet began to swell slightly. Nevertheless, he continued to teach us and dictate all day, and made jokes about his illness: “Learn quickly,” he would say, “because I don’t know how long I’ll last: my Creator may take me very soon.” But it seemed to us that he was perfectly conscious of his approaching end. ...“It is time – if it is my Maker’s will – to return to him who made me, who shaped me out of nothing and gave me existence. I have lived a long time, and the righteous judge has provided well for me all my life: now the time of my departure is at hand, for I long to dissolve and be with Christ; indeed, my soul longs to see Christ its king in all his beauty.” This is just one saying of his: he said many other things too, to our great benefit – and thus he spent his last day in gladness until the evening. -- Cuthbert's narration of the death of Bede Come, Holy Spirit. May the union of the Father and the will of the Son come to us. You, Spirit of truth, are the reward of the saints, the refreshment of souls, light in darkness, the riches of the poor, the treasury of lovers, the satisfaction of the hungry, the consolation of the pilgrim Church; you are he in whom all treasures are contained. Come, you who, descending into Mary, caused the Word to take flesh: effect in us by grace what you accomplished in her by grace and nature. Come, you who are the nourishment of all chaste thoughts, the fountain of all clemency, the summit of all purity. Come, and take away from us all that hinders us from being absorbed in you. -- From the writings on revelation and temptation by St Mary Magdalene de Pazzi Phillip's life is a statement to the power of both the laity and the clergy to bring about change. When he started, he was a layman, zealous for the Faith; it was only after some ten years was he convinced that he should finish his studies to be more effective as a priest. That said, he was effective enough as a layman to cause changes in Rome. Once again the Spirit has seen fit to lose what I had written to remind me that my words are but straw. I leave it to you to learn more about this most wonderful saint. I will end by saying that Philip reminds us to live out our vocation, to turn thoughts into action, and to do all things in charity, regardless of whether we are clergy, religious, or lay!
-- Daily Meditations, May 3rd and 26th There is the old saying that goes something like: "God does not call the prepared, He prepares the called." Trite perhaps, but it is something for us to keep in the back of our minds and something that Augustine reminds me of. As a saint we honor him for his obedience and compassion and as a human we can learn from his lack of self-confidence and humanity. So many of the things that resulted from his weakness in the end shine in his work, even if they did not come to fruition until long after his death. He was afraid; he had trouble making decisions; he failed to reconcile people, who while they shared a single belief in Jesus, held opposing views as to the value of being victors and of being invaded, and on liturgical practices. Yet he ultimately held fast to the mission of his vocation and relied not on his own strengths but on the Lord. His gentleness and compassion managed to let Christ's love spread and Church grow in England, allowing the understanding of the people to be transformed into an understanding of Christ, without loss of dignity or custom. Augustine reminds us that we cannot let our weaknesses and sinfulness keep us from doing the will of God nor must we take pride in our accomplishments or despair from our failures. Your brothers know and are used to the Roman Church, in which you have been nurtured. But I approve of your selecting carefully anything you have found that may be more pleasing to Almighty God, whether in the Roman Church or that of Gaul, or in any Church whatever, and introducing in the Church of the Angli, which is as yet new in the faith, by a special institution, what you have been able to collect from many Churches. For we ought not to love things for places, but places for things. Wherefore choose from each several Church such things as are pious, religious, and right, and, collecting them as it were into a bundle, plant them in the minds of the Angli for their use.
-- From a letter of Gregory the Great to Augustine of Canterbury Political loyalty, religious loyalty, family, and friendship. There can be an odd collision of the understanding of loyalty among these. Unless, that is, Christ is the guiding and foundational light of each. Then they work in harmony and benefit all. Such was the case for Margaret. Like so many of that period, including Thomas More, the pull of secular thought might call one to be practical, give in, sign the paper, renounce the Faith; there were also political and monetary practicalities that would urge one to be "prudent" in human understanding of such things. Though she was assailed for her loyalty on all fronts and suffered greatly, she held true to Christ regardless of the pressures posed from outside against her interior life. In her loyalty to Christ, she excelled in loyalty to others. It behooves us all to follow our conscience instead of the fickle winds of human activity and to remain true to the Gospel no matter what the cost. The crowd joined in the attack on them, and the magistrates had them stripped and ordered them to be beaten with rods. After inflicting many blows on them, they threw them into prison and instructed the jailer to guard them securely. When he received these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell and secured their feet to a stake. About midnight, while Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God as the prisoners listened, there was suddenly such a severe earthquake that the foundations of the jail shook; all the doors flew open, and the chains of all were pulled loose. When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew [his] sword and was about to kill himself, thinking that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted out in a loud voice, “Do no harm to yourself; we are all here.” He asked for a light and rushed in and, trembling with fear, he fell down before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you and your household will be saved.” So they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to everyone in his house. He took them in at that hour of the night and bathed their wounds; then he and all his family were baptized at once. He brought them up into his house and provided a meal and with his household rejoiced at having come to faith in God.
-- Acts 16:22-34 Joseph basically spent his whole life doing one thing in one place for one group of people. Not a very exciting life but then being a missionary has many different rewards, though excitement and notoriety may not be among them. He is remembered for his patience and gentleness and is reflected in today's quote by him. Today is also the feast of Paul VI, which was declared after I initially wrote this entry. I cannot say enough about this man and his influence in my life. His choice of the name Paul speaks to me of his understanding of how Vatican II built on Vatican I and how, like Paul V, the job of implementing the council fell to him. It is fitting to celebrate both today. Both men speak to me of quiet strength and perseverance as well as steadfast devotion to the message of Christ. We must love them, love them in spite of everything, love them always.
-- Retreat Notes The saying goes that one man's garbage is another man's treasure. Beloved by the French reviled by the English in her time and yet, because we are all Catholic, she is today celebrated by the whole Church. She is a conundrum though. When the noted agnostic George Bernard researched and wrote his celebrated play "Saint Joan", he was hard pressed to find any "bad guys" or "good guys" for that matter (of course, it may have been because he was British). But we see with the eyes of Faith and an understanding of human sinfulness. What the story of Joan teaches us is that we must not be parochial in our thinking but be catholic. We must follow God's will in all things. She was a mystic, called to overcome injustice and deny roles and expectations in order to call all to love and honor regardless of nationality or political necessity. There are no borders for us; we must respect the rights of others, not because we are benevolent rulers but because we are brothers and sisters. Sometimes our conscience (God's voice within us) guides in ways that seem contrary to Church law or teachings, but upon closer examination, if we have truly given ourselves over to Him and not our own vanity, God's will is done, despite opposition from the well-intentioned. How many saints and religious orders and reformers have trod that path! We ourselves must hear the words of Jesus, when he defends his teachings “I have spoken publicly to the world. I have always taught in a synagogue or in the temple area where all the Jews gather, and in secret I have said nothing. Why ask me? Ask those who heard me what I said to them. They know what I said.” (John 18:20-21) A clear conscience gives us strength - there is no need for explanation. The text below is from the rather one-sided English trial against her, but I think speaks to her nature, which today we interpret one way, but at that time they interpreted in another. After Jeanne had been admonished in this manner and had heard these exhortations she replied thereto in this way: "As for my words and deeds, which I declared in the trial, I refer to them and will maintain them."
Asked if she thinks she is not bound to submit her words and deeds to the Church Militant [the Church on Earth] or any one other than God, she answered: "I will maintain that manner of speech which I always said and held in the trial." She said that if she were condemned and she saw the fire and the faggots alight and the executioner ready 'to kindle the fire, and she herself were in it, she would say nothing else and would maintain until death what she said in the trial. ...On Thursday after Whitsuntide, May 24th of the same year, we the said judges repaired in the morning to a public place, in the cemetery of the abbey of Saint-Ouen at Rouen, where the said Jeanne was present before us on a scaffold or platform. First we had a solemn sermon pronounced by master Guillaume Erart, a distinguished doctor of sacred theology, for the salutary admonition of the said Jeanne and of the great multitude of people present. ...The said doctor began his sermon by taking for his text the word of God in the fifteenth chapter of St. John: "A branch cannot bear fruit of itself except it abide in the vine." Then he solemnly explained that all Catholics must abide in the true vine of Our Holy Mother Church which Our Lord planted with His right hand: he showed how this Jeanne had cut herself off from the unity of our Holy Mother Church by many errors and grave crimes, and how she had frequently scandalized the Christian people. He admonished and exhorted her and the multitude of people by salutary doctrines. When the sermon was over he addressed Jeanne in these terms: "Behold my Lords your judges who have repeatedly summoned and required you to submit all your words and deeds to Our Holy Mother Church, showing and pointing out to you that in the opinion of the clergy many things are to be found in your words and deeds which it is good neither to affirm nor uphold." To which Jeanne replied: "I will answer you. Touching my submission to the Church, I have answered them on this point. Let all that I have said and done be sent to Rome to our Holy Father the Pope to whom after God I refer myself. As for my words and deeds, they were done at God's command." She said that she charged no one with them, neither her king nor any other; and if there were any fault it was hers and no other person's. Asked whether she would revoke all her words and deeds which are disapproved of by the clergy, she answered: "I refer me to God and to our Holy Father the Pope." -- The Trial of Joan of Arc, May 23-24. What good does it do to speak learnedly about the Trinity if, lacking humility, you displease the Trinity? Indeed it is not learning that makes a man holy and just, but a virtuous life makes him pleasing to God. I would rather feel contrition than know how to define it. For what would it profit us to know the whole Bible by heart and the principles of all the philosophers if we live without grace and the love of God? Vanity of vanities and all is vanity, except to love God and serve Him alone. -- Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ, I, 1 Seems like an odd thing to celebrate, Mary high-tailing it out of town to hang out with her cousin...suspiciously like the old story of the unmarried pregnant girl shipped off to live with the older spinster/widowed aunt until after the birth. But that is certainly not the case. She has gone to aid her cousin in her own time of need. Elizabeth has probably aided many others in her day but this is a first for her - she is expecting in her later years. But the most important thing we celebrate is once again the showing of Jesus to the world as will happen at his birth, his day in the temple, and many others until he his lifted highest on the Cross and then into Heaven. This feast is less about Mary visiting Elizabeth and more about John recognizing Jesus in the womb of the Theotokos. Jesus' divinity shines forth even in his developing humanity. Elizabeth recognizes the irony of the visit: "And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" (Luke 1:43) Who am I to be served by you? This is echoed at the Last Supper by Peter, and like Mary's response, Jesus calls him to remember the purpose for it all. This is our day to "leap for joy" in the womb of Mother Church and proclaim the glory of God to all the Earth. Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, "Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled." And Mary said: "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed: the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name. He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation. He has shown the strength of his arm, he has scattered the proud in their conceit. He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has come to the help of his servant Israel for he has remembered his promise of mercy, the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children for ever." -- Luke 1:39-56 |
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