July 2007 (from 13th Sunday Ordinary time to the
16th week)
Morning Offering:
O Jesus, through the most pure heart of Mary, I offer you all the
prayers, works, joys and sufferings of this day for all the intentions
of your divine heart, in union with the holy sacrifice of the Mass. I
offer them especially for the Holy
Father's intentions:
Pope Benedict
XVI'sgeneral prayer intention
for the month of July 2007:
"That all citizens, individually and in groups, may be
enabled to participate actively in the life and management of the
common good." Pope Benedict
XVI'smissionary prayer
intention for July 2007:
"That, aware of their own missionary duty, all Christians
may
actively help all those engaged in the evangelization of peoples."
Prayers this week: All nations, clap your
hands. Shout with a voice of joy to God. (Ps 46:2)
Father, you call your
children to walk in the light of Christ. Free us from darkness and keep us in the radiance of your truth. We ask this through our
Lord Jesus Christ your Son in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God.
(July 1) Today let us think of Blessed Junipero
Serra and Saint Oliver
Plunkett
Junípero
Serra (1713-1784) the founder of the Missions in California. He
was born on the island of Majorca, part of the kingdom of Spain, on the
24th of November, 1713. At the age of sixteen, he became a monk
of the order of St. Francis, and the new name of Junípero was
then substituted for his baptismal name of Miguel José. After
entering the convent, he went through a collegiate course of study, and
before he had received the degree of Doctor, was appointed lecturer
upon philosophy. He became a noted preacher, and was frequently invited
to visit the larger towns of his native island in that capacity.
Junípero was thirty-six years of age when he determined
to become a missionary in the New World. In 1749 he crossed the ocean
in company with a number of Franciscans, among them several who
afterward came with him to California. He remained but a short time in
the City of Mexico, and was soon sent a missionary to the Indians in
the Sierra Madre, in the district now known as the State of San Luis
Potosi. He spent nine years there, and then returned to the City of
Mexico where he stayed for seven years, in the Convent of San Fernando.
In 1767, when he was fifty-four years of age, he was appointed to the
charge of the Missions to be established in Upper California. He
arrived at San Diego in 1769, and, with the exception of one journey to
Mexico, he spent all the remainder of his life here. He died at the
Mission [San Carlos Borromeo] of Carmel, near Monterey, on the 28th of
August, 1784, aged seventy- one years. Ruins of the Mission San Carlos
as seen in 1882 are shown in the picture below. Our knowledge of
Serra's character is derived almost
exclusively from his biography by Palou, who was also a native of
Majorca. Palou, also a Franciscan and his disciple, came
across
the Atlantic with him. He was his associate in the college of San
Fernando, his companion in the expedition to California, his successor
in the Presidency of the Missions of Old California, his subordinate
afterward in New California, his attendant at his death-bed, and his
nearest friend for forty years or more. Under the circumstances, Palou
had the right to record the life of his preceptor and superior.
Junípero Serra, as we ascertain
his
character directly and inferentially in his biography, was a man to
whom his religion was every thing. All his actions were governed by the
ever-present and predominant idea that life is a brief probation, with
eternal perdition on one side and salvation on the
other. Earth for its own sake had few joys for him. His soul did not
recognize this life as its home. He turned with dislike from nearly all
the sources of pleasure in which the polished society of the world
delights. He was habitually
serious. He
delighted in no joyous books. Art or poetry never served to sharpen his
wits, lighten his spirit, or solace his weary moments. The sweet
devotional poems of Fray Luis de Leon, and the delicate humour of
Cervantes, notwithstanding the genuine piety of both, were equally
strange to him. The rights of man and the birth of chemistry did not
withdraw his fixed
gaze from the other world, which formed the constant subject of his
contemplation. It was not sufficient for him to abstain from positive
pleasure; he considered it his duty to inflict upon himself bitter
pain. He ate little, avoided meat and wine, preferred fruit and fish,
never complained of the quality of his food, nor sought to have it more
savoury. He often lashed himself with ropes, sometimes of wire; he was
in the habit of beating himself in the breast with stones, and at times
he put a burning torch to his breast. These things he did even while
preaching or at the close of his sermons, his purpose being, as his
biographer says, “not only to punish himself but also to move his
auditory to penitence for their own sins.” Serra and his
biographer did not allow the Protestant doctrine that there have
been no miracles since the Apostolic age. They imagined that the power
possessed by the chief disciples of Jesus had been inherited by the
Catholic priests of their time, and they saw wonders where their
contemporary Protestant clergymen like Conyers, Middleton, and
Priestly saw
nothing save natural mistakes. Serra’s religious conviction found in
him a congenial mental constitution. He was even- tempered, temperate,
obedient, zealous, kindly in speech, humble and quiet. His cowl covered
neither greed, guile, hypocrisy, nor pride. he had no quarrels and made
no enemies. He sought to be a monk, and he was one in sincerity. Even
those who think that he made mistakes
of judgment
in regard to the nature of existence and the duties of man to society,
must admire his earnest, honest and good character. (Saints)
Saint Oliver
Plunkett Martyr and Archbishop. St Oliver Plunkett was born into
an aristocratic Anglo-Irish family at Loughcrew in County Meath on 1
November 1625. This was during the Penal Laws when the Catholic Church
and her ministers were suppressed. The faith was not allowed to be
practised openly and the celebration of Mass and the various Sacraments
was banned. Oliver went to Rome in 1647 to study for the priesthood and
was ordained in 1654. After three years at San Gerolamo della Carita he
was appointed professor of theology in the College of Propaganda Fide.
In 1669 he was appointed as Archbishop of Armagh. He worked tirelessly
in the pastoral care of his flock. At first he was able to work openly
but later, when the political situation changed, he was obliged to go
into hiding. Even then, however, at great peril to himself, he
continued to minister to his people. In 1679 Archbishop Plunkett was
arrested on a charge of treason. False witnesses testified against him
but a jury in Ireland, made up entirely of Protestants would not
convict him. He was transferred to London and tried there for treason.
False witnesses were brought against him, (several of whom were later
also executed for other crimes) he was convicted and sentenced to be
hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn. Oliver Plunkett publicly forgave
all those who were responsible for his death on this day in 1681. His
body is at Downside. His head is kept in a shrine at St Peter's Church
in Drogheda. Oliver Plunkett was beatified in 1920 and canonised in
1975. In 1979, Pope John Paul II venerated the relic of St Oliver
Plunkett during the Drogheda part of his Papal visit to Ireland.
The
Feast
of St Oliver Plunkett is celebrated each year on the anniversary of his
death. Special celebrations are held on this date in Drogheda. A
procession of the Saint's relic is made from Our Lady of Lourdes
Church, Hardman's Gardens to the Church of St Peter, West Street. A
special Mass in honour of St Oliver Plunkett is held in St Peter's
Church on the last Friday of each month at 7.30pm. (Note: Several books
and websites list St Oliver's feast day as 11 July. Others give 1 July
as the date. One mentions both dates as his feast day in different
parts of the same entry. (The Archdiocese of Armagh celebrates it
today.) (Saints)
When the days
for
Jesus’ being taken up were fulfilled, he resolutely determined to
journey to Jerusalem, and he sent messengers ahead of him. On the way
they entered a Samaritan village to prepare for his reception there,
but they would not welcome him because the destination of his journey
was Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this they asked,
“Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?”
Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they journeyed to another village.
As they were proceeding on their journey someone said to him, “I will
follow you wherever you go.” Jesus answered him, “Foxes have dens and
birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his
head.” And to another he said, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, let
me go first and bury my father.” But he answered him, “Let the dead
bury their dead. But you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” And
another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say farewell
to my family at home.” To him Jesus said, “No one who sets a hand to
the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of
God.”(Luke
9:51-62)
In an age in
which
so very many are dependent on the computer and on the Internet, we all
fear the virus. The virus, coming in from cyberspace, attacks computer
programs and causes the breakdown of our information technology. Let
that be an image of a certain kind of spiritual virus causing a
breakdown of the spirit of Catholicism. In our Gospel text today St
Luke narrates our Lord’s exchange with three prospective disciples who,
if we read between the lines, seem to lack the full obedience of faith
which our Lord was looking for. We have the impression that they judge
other things somewhat to supersede our Lord’s call. Let their words
remind us of how private judgment can complicate the obedience which
should characterize faith in Jesus. The obedience of faith is of the
essence of Christianity, and it is in this sense that the famous
Cardinal Newman wrote that authority and obedience are of the essence of
religion. God has revealed himself to man supremely and completely in
Christ. The man Jesus is God revealing himself to us, and the perennial
issue till the end of time is, how are we to respond to the great God
who thus reveals himself? We are called to respond to him with the
obedience of faith, which means, firstly, the full surrender of
ourselves to Christ in faith. We do not see that full surrender in the
three disciples our Lord speaks with in our Gospel passage today
(Luke 9:51-62). But there is a further
aspect of this surrender of self which needs to be stressed. It is that
this personal surrender in faith must be expressed in a total
acceptance of the truth revealed by Christ. We assent to his word
because of his authority as the divine Truth itself. The man Jesus is
God, and so our response to him is unreserved faith expressed in total
assent and obedience to his word.
However, there is more to the spirit of Catholicism than
this. What marks the Catholic mind is the recognition that the living though
unseen Jesus continues to teach with a visible voice, and that voice is
the voice of the Church he founded. This Church is the Catholic Church which is
Christ’s body in space and time. Christ lives in his Church not just as a
general presence, but as her Head till the end of the ages when he will come
again in glory. The disciple who met and heard our Lord when he walked the earth
was called by him to express his faith by full obedience to his word. So too the
disciple of any age is called to express his faith in the living risen Jesus by
religious assent and obedience to the word of his body the Church. The obedience
of faith due to the person and word of the living Jesus is, ever since his
resurrection and ascension, now expressed in obedience to the word of
the Church when she utters in his name. The danger is that just as the
prospective disciples of today’s Gospel allowed something of their own private
judgment to interfere with an obedience of faith, so too the same danger remains
from generation to generation in man’s response to Jesus who speaks as the
living head of his Church. A special propensity of our age is to think that we
and not Christ know what is true and right. In concrete terms this means that we
are prone to refuse to accept with the obedience of faith the word of the Church
speaking in his name. We are peculiarly inclined to prefer our own private
judgment for this word in deciding what is right and true. If we go with this
tendency the true spirit of Christianity and of Catholicism will be corrupted in
our life. Our faith in Christ will be corrupted by the virus of a misplaced
private judgment which we follow in place of the authoritative word of the
Church, which the truly Catholic mind knows is the word of the living Jesus.
This is an especially
important matter for the lay faithful whose irreplaceable mission is to
bring the word of Christ to the public square, to the family home, to
the workbench, to politics and the legislature and to every corner of
our very secular world. If a Catholic out there in the world chooses to
substitute his private judgment as to what is right and wrong for the
word of Christ as it comes in the word of the Church, he betrays the
loss of a Catholic mind. A virus has penetrated his living of the
Catholic faith and has corrupted its true spirit. That virus is the
preference for one’s own private judgment over obedience to the
authoritative word of the Church. This obedience is the only authentic
expression of faith in Jesus. Let us resolve to be like Mary our Mother
who after Christ was the perfect embodiment of the entire biblical
witness to the obedience of faith given to God revealing himself and
his word. Throughout her life she rendered in a perfect way the
obedience of faith, expressing it simply and perfectly at the
annunciation when she replied to the angel by saying, “Let it be done
unto me according to your word.”
(E.J.Tyler)
Further reading: The Catechism of the
Catholic Church, no.144-149 (Obedience of faith)
“Follow me”(Luke 9:51-62) St Teresa Benedicta of
the
Cross [Edith Stein] (1891-1942), Carmelite, Martyr, Co-Patroness
of Europe (Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross)
The Saviour preceded us on the path
of
poverty. All the possessions of heaven and earth belonged to him. They
presented for him no danger; he could make use of them while keeping
his heart completely free. But he knew that it is almost impossible for
a human being to have possessions without subjecting ourselves to them
and becoming a slave. That is why he gave up everything and so showed
us by his example even more than by his words that only the one who
possesses nothing possesses everything. His birth in a stable and his
flight to Egypt already showed that the Son of the Man had nowhere to
rest his head. Whoever wants to follow him must know that we have here
below no permanent dwelling. The more deeply we become aware of it, the
more ardently we shall aim towards our future dwelling, and we shall
exult in the thought that we will find our home in heaven. (Selected by "The Daily Gospel", New Hope, KY 40052. USA.)
What place does the family occupy in
society?
The family is the original cell of human society and is,
therefore,
prior to any recognition by public authority. Family values and
principles constitute the foundation of social life. Family life is an
initiation into the life of society. (2207-2208)
(Compendium of the
Catechism of the Catholic Church, no.457)
(July
2) Today let us think of the Servant of God Bernard of Quintavalle (d. 1246?) Bernard was a
wealthy man of Assisi, known and esteemed for his virtue and his
wisdom. He was also the first follower of St. Francis, and would
ultimately prove to be first in the order of sanctity. Moved by the
poverty and humility of Francis, Bernard invited him to stay at his
house one night. There Bernard observed that Francis forsook a full
night's sleep and instead spent the hours in prayer. By the following
morning Bernard was convinced that Francis was indeed motivated by
sincere love of God and, so, Bernard asked to become a disciple.
Francis joyfully took him to the church where they attended Mass and
then asked the priest to open the Bible three times. Three passages
appeared: "If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give
to the poor" (Matthew 19:21). "Take nothing for the way" (Mark 6:8).
"If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his
cross and follow Me" (Matthew 16:24). Francis said: "This will be the
rule of life which we and all those who will join us shall follow." At
that, Bernard sold all his possessions and divided the money among the
poor. Francis admired much in Bernard because he was older and because
he was so holy. He sent his new follower and a companion to Florence
and then to Bologna. In both places they were made sport of because of
their poor clothing and the manner of their life. But Bernard was only
upset when the townspeople of Bologna began to recognize his holiness.
He asked Francis to bring him back. Later Francis took Bernard with him
as he headed out for Africa to preach to the Muslims. But along the way
they met a poor sick man and Francis left the ever-joyful Bernard to
care for the man until he himself would return. Before his death
Francis gave Bernard a special blessing and asked all of the brothers
to have respect for this holy man. Bernard is buried in Assisi near his
holy founder in the Basilica of St. Francis. (Saints) Saint John Francis Regis
Jesuit priest. St John was born in 1597, in Fontcouverte in
south-eastern France and lived most of his life there. He worked as a
teacher and priest through the plague years, tending the sick, visiting
prisons, collecting food and clothing for the poor and setting up homes
for the rehabilitation of prostitutes. When he was 43, he had a
premonition about his own death. After a three-day retreat, he went
back to work in the village of Louvesc. He heard confessions, said Mass
and preached through a very cold and snowy Christmas, after which he
caught pneumonia. Shortly before he died he experienced a vision of
heaven. (Saints)
Click centre arrow to start video
Scripture today: Genesis
18:16-33; Psalm 103:1b-2, 3-4,
8-11; Matthew 8:18-22
When Jesus saw a
crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other shore. A scribe
approached and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you
go.” Jesus answered him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have
nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.” Another of his
disciples said to him, “Lord, let me go first and bury my father.” But
Jesus answered him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead.” (Matthew 8:18-22)
Consider Buddha,
consider Confucius, consider any great figure of history and I suspect
it will be difficult finding a personality who asked for such a total
following of his person as Jesus of Nazareth asked of his disciples.
Moreover, he commissioned his disciples to go out to the whole world
and make disciples of all the nations. So he set forth a scheme in
which the entire world would be asked to give to his own person its
total adherence. That is not in any way to say that he succeeded in
eliciting this following from all those he personally invited. One need
only think of Judas Iscariot and countless others who have refused him
or who having once started subsequently fell away. Nevertheless that
is what Jesus Christ called for and what he stated as being the plan of
God for man. God’s plan for man is that the salvation of every man is
to be found in a personal love for Jesus ensuing in the total
acceptance of his word. Christ expects of his disciples that obedience
of faith which would be given to God, and he asks that all the nations
be his disciples in this sense. Furthermore, he made it clear that at
the end he would come to judge the living and the dead and that all the
nations would be judged by him. In that Last Judgment the critical
issue will be how we have treated others. But observe how at that very
Judgment he will say to those on his right “I was hungry and you gave
me to eat...” His person is still the object of our life and of our
Judgment for in serving the least who are in need, we serve the person
of our Lord — and for this we shall be rewarded. Would any prudent and
good man make such claims and expect such a unique personal following
unless because of his incomparable greatness is was due to him? Hardly.
If we accept Christ as a great and holy man at all then we must accept
his claims and call to follow him with all our heart. It is this which
we see him doing in today’s Gospel. It is one of many similar passages
which could be cited.
In our Gospel
passage today the setting is that of our Lord deciding to cross to the
other shore. “A scribe approached and said to him, ‘Teacher, I will
follow you wherever you go.’ Jesus answered him, ‘Foxes have dens and
birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his
head’.” (Matthew
8:18-22)
This sentence reminds us that not all of the “scribes” were in
opposition to him. There were those who were captivated by his person
and his teaching and counted themselves among his disciples. We have
here an instance of a scribe who wanted to follow him “wherever” he
chose to go — perhaps the scribe was even stating that he wanted there
and then to accompany our Lord “to the other shore.” Our Lord by no
means refused his request to follow him physically (as he did, say, the
man from the Gerasenes whom he had exorcised) but he warned him
of what it would entail. We are reminded by his reply to the scribe
that whatever be the discomfort the following of Christ is the one
thing necessary. The second disciple is one whom our Lord obviously
took the initiative to call. Our Lord called various persons to follow
him. He called Levi, and Levi immediately got up and followed him. He
called the rich young man, and the rich young man went away sad because
he had many possessions. He calls this disciple to follow him, but the
disciple asks our Lord to give him time. He wants to go home and fix
things up first by burying his father. Again, our Lord’s reply to
him reminds us that the following of the Master is the one thing
necessary and in all that we do — including the fulfilling of family
obligations — the one thing necessary is that we be following Jesus.
Our Lord allows for no distractions from this fundamental project of
human life. This is of immense importance for the lay Christian to
understand because on him depends the implanting of the Christian
message in the midst of the world. In the world he is to bear witness
to Jesus and his word with all his heart.
Let us place
ourselves in the presence of Jesus in our Gospel scene today,
presenting our tendency to forget what the following of him will
require, and our tendency to turn away from him to deal with other
so-called more pressing matters of life. Let us hear again his reply,
telling us that there will be a cost and we must be prepared to pay it,
and that nothing must distract us from the one thing necessary which is
to love him with all our heart and to keep his commandments.
(E.J.Tyler)
“The Son of Man has nowhere to lay his
head.” (Matthew 8:18-22) Venerable Charles de Foucauld
(1858 – 1916), Hermit and Missionary in the Sahara (Retreat in Nazareth)
So here, oh my Lord Jesus, is that
divine poverty! How necessary it is that you teach me this! You loved
it so much!… During your mortal life, you made it your faithful
companion. You left it as an inheritance to your saints, to all who
want to follow you, to all who want to be your disciples. You taught it
by the example you gave throughout your entire life. Through your
words, you glorified this poverty, you beatified it, proclaimed it as
necessary. You chose poor workers to be your parents. You were born in
a cave that served as a stable. You were poor in the work you did when
you were a child. The first ones to adore you were shepherds. At your
presentation in the Temple, the gift of the poor was offered. You lived
as a poor worker in Nazareth for thirty years, where I have the good
fortune to walk, where I have the joy … of picking up manure.
Then, during your public life, you lived
from alms in the midst of poor fishermen whom you had taken to be your
companions. “With no place to lay your head.” On Calvary, you were
stripped of your clothing, your only possession, and the soldiers
gambled among themselves. You died naked, and you were buried by means
of alms by strangers. “How blest are the poor!” (Mt 5:3)
My Lord Jesus, how fast will the person
become poor who, loving you with all his heart, cannot bear to be
richer than his Beloved!
(Selected by "The Daily Gospel", New Hope, KY 40052. USA.)
What are the duties that society has
toward the family?
Society, while respecting the principle of subsidiarity, has the duty
to support and strengthen marriage and the family. Public authority
must respect, protect and foster the true nature of marriage and the
family, public morality, the rights of parents, and domestic
prosperity. (CCC 2209-2213, 2250)
(Compendium of the
Catechism of the Catholic Church, no.458)
(July
3) Among the Apostles, Thomas is
remembered mainly because of his doubts about the resurrection of
Christ. He did not want to admit anything that went beyond the bounds
of his experience and reason. Eight days later he made up for that
unbelief with a profession of faith, “My Lord and my God” (John
14:5-6). Nothing certain is known of his life apart from what is given
in the Gospels, but tradition has it that he preached the Gospel in
India where he suffered martyrdom. From the sixth century a feast of
the translation of his relics has been kept at Edessa on July 3.
(Saints)
Click centre arrow to start video
Scripture today: Ephesians
2:19-22; Psalm 117:1bc,
2; John 20:24-29
Thomas, called
Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the
other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” But Thomas said
to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my
finger into the nail marks and put my hand into his side, I will not
believe.” Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas
was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in
their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put
your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into
my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.” Thomas answered and
said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you come to
believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen
and have believed.”(John 20:24-29)
Despite what might
be called the voice of mankind as expressed in cultures and societies
beyond counting and as documented in anthropology, archaeology and
history, in our Western culture the existence of the supernatural
is doubted. Consider the progress of Western philosophy during the last
few of centuries say, in England. It may be characterized as (among
other things) an advancing and confident scepticism as to the existence
of God and the supernatural. Indeed, so many of our modern philosophers
have been proud to profess atheism. Conduct a survey of the literature
over the last fifty years, and I am sure you will see that those who
stand for the active reality of the supernatural are in
a mode of defence. One could not be sure whether this world of
intellectual life has acted on the popular mind, or whether the popular
mind since the Reformation and the Enlightenment has been the prompt
for the direction of thought in intellectual life. Whatever be its
origins and influences, characteristically the mind of our age finds
its preferred home in the material world and looks with repugnance to
the supernatural. For this reason we are dubbed to be secular man. We
ask for empirical evidence for things, and we tend not to allow for the
reality of anything that is not empirical. Why we should do this is not
clear, for it manifests an assumption — the assumption being that the
real is empirical. If a proposition is to have any chance of
being taken as true, we expect and assume to be able in some sense to
see, hear, feel, taste or smell it. Such is the characteristic
assumption of modern man, but it is not the instinctive assumption of
man in the broad sweep of general history. As history, anthropology and archeology show, man is usually religious and he lives at home with the
supernatural.
Be that as it may,
our Gospel passage (John 20:24-29) presenting us with the
figure of Thomas is very relevant. Despite the testimony of the
disciples, Thomas — and St John makes a point of mentioning that he was
one even of “the Twelve” — would not allow Jesus to have risen from the
dead unless it were shown to him empirically. Christ had died, and the
common voice of the disciples meant little to him. He had to see and
feel for himself. Now, when we think of it, Thomas’s stated condition
for his own acceptance of the resurrection was very risky. What would
have happened had Christ not shown him the mercy of manifesting himself
to him? After all, our Lord did not manifest himself to many others,
say, to those who had condemned him to death. There were only certain
witnesses to his Resurrection, and what would have happened if in the
providence of God Thomas had not been vouchsafed the sight and touch of
the Lord that he demanded? Would Thomas have been prepared to fall
away? Let us hope not, but it was certainly risky and it may have
bordered on tempting God to demand empirical proof of the resurrection.
Whatever of that speculation our Lord had his plans for the good-souled
Thomas and he showed himself to him. Thomas, who had absolutely refused
to believe the testimony of the disciples, saw, felt and heard
the living person of Jesus after he had died on the cross. Thomas saw
for himself that Jesus was risen from the dead and more than this, he
grasped that this living Jesus was God himself. Jesus was his Lord and
his God, the Lord God of the Old Testament, Yahweh himself — and yet
not the Father. He was the Son, Son of God made man and our Redeemer
who with the Father gives to his disciples and the Church the Holy
Spirit. Thomas’s firm scepticism rose to a magnificent profession of
faith in the divinity of Christ and by implication in the Holy Trinity.
His words to Christ on seeing and hearing and touching him rank among
the greatest statements of the Holy Scriptures and the climactical
utterance in St John’s account of the resurrection.
Let us look to
Saint Thomas as a magnificent teacher for modern secular man. He says
to us, I did not accept the (infant) Church’s testimony about the risen
Jesus. But I saw and heard and felt him for myself, and I can tell you
that this man, risen from the dead, is your Lord and your God. Give him
your life. Live in him and for him totally and spend your life bearing
witness to him.
"My Lord and my God!"(John 20:24-29)Pope Benedict XVI
(General Audience, 27 Sept 2006)
Then, the proverbial scene of the
doubting Thomas that occurred eight days after Easter is very well
known. At first he did not believe that Jesus had appeared in his
absence and said: "Unless I see in his hands the print of the
nails, and place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand
in his side, I will not believe". Basically, from these words emerges
the conviction that Jesus can now be recognized by his wounds rather
than by his face. Thomas holds that the signs that confirm Jesus'
identity are now above all his wounds, in which he reveals to us how
much he loved us. In this the Apostle is not mistaken. As we know,
Jesus reappeared among his disciples eight days later and this time
Thomas was present. Jesus summons him: "Put your finger here, and
see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; do not be
faithless, but believing". Thomas reacts with the most splendid
profession of faith in the whole of the New Testament: "My Lord
and my God!". St Augustine comments on this: Thomas "saw and
touched the man, and acknowledged the God whom he neither saw nor
touched; but by the means of what he saw and touched, he now put far
away from him every doubt, and believed the other" (In ev. Jo. 121, 5).
The Evangelist continues with Jesus' last words to Thomas: "Have
you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not
seen and yet believe". This sentence can also be put into the
present: "Blessed are those who do not see and yet believe"…
The Apostle Thomas' case is important to
us for at least three reasons: first, because it comforts us in
our insecurity; second, because it shows us that every doubt can lead
to an outcome brighter than any uncertainty; and, lastly, because the
words that Jesus addressed to him remind us of the true meaning of
mature faith and encourage us to persevere, despite the difficulty,
along our journey of adhesion to him.
(Selected by "The Daily Gospel", New Hope, KY 40052. USA.
What are the duties of children toward their parents?
Children owe respect (filial piety), gratitude, docility and obedience
to their parents. In paying them respect and in fostering good
relationships with their brothers and sisters, children contribute to
the growth in harmony and holiness in family life in general. Adult
children should give their parents material and moral support whenever
they find themselves in situations of distress, sickness, loneliness,
or old age. (CCC 2214-2220, 2251)
(Compendium of the
Catechism of the Catholic Church, no.459)
(July
4) Saint
Elizabeth of Portugal. Born the daughter of King Peter
III in the royal family of Aragon in the year 1271, Isabella was named
after
her great-aunt St Elizabeth of Hungary, whose virtues she also
inherited.
Theoretically, the leaders of
society should set the best example. In practice, "nobles" have often
ignored the proverb, "Noblesse oblige"; but Queen St. Elizabeth of
Portugal made it her life motto. Even as a child she had a winning
disposition and a gift of prayerfulness and self-denial. Princesses
married young in those days. Elizabeth was only twelve when she became
the wife and queen of King Diniz (Denis) of Portugal. As queen, she set
from the start an outstanding example of abstemiousness, modesty and
good cheer. She followed an undeviating schedule of devotions, family
duties, public duties, and charities. Her charitable works were
outstanding. She founded institutions for the sick, for travelers, for
wayward women, for abandoned infants. She established a convent for
nuns and provided dowries for poor brides. King Denis had the honesty
to admire Isabella's beauty, charm and piety. He interfered in no way,
but he refused to imitate her religious example. Although a capable
ruler, he was not a moral man. His subjects used to say of him that he
"fiz tanto fiz" ("did whatever he wanted to"). The queen prayed
constantly for his change of heart, but his notorious infidelity caused
her great pain. Nevertheless, she showed him patient affection and took
good care of his children born of other women. Queen Isabella's
peacemaking began at home. There was no love lost between the king and
their son Affonso. Affonso twice planned an armed rebellion against
Denis. Fortunately, she was twice able to defuse their anger, even
though at one time the king accused her of siding with Prince Affonso,
and for a time exiled her from the court. The saint also succeeded
later on in stopping hostilities between Ferdinand IV of Castile and
one of his cousins, and then of reconciling that same cousin to her own
brother, James III of Aragon. In 1324, King Denis fell gravely ill. The
queen attended him night and day up to his death in early 1326.
Although she grieved at bis passing, he consoled her with his repentant
death. After the funeral, St. Isabella made a pilgrimage to the great
shrine of St. James in Santiago, Spain. Her wish afterwards was to
become a nun of the Poor Clare Franciscan convent she had established
at Coimbra, Portugal. When her advisers counselled otherwise, she
followed the example of St. Elizabeth of Hungary by becoming a
Franciscan tertiary. Building a small house near the Coimbra convent,
she spent the rest of her life in prayer and good works, living
according to the Franciscan ideal of poverty. In 1336, a new threat of
political strife called her away from Coimbra. King Affonso IV of
Portugal, her volatile son, had declared war on King Alfonso XI of
Castile, her rakish nephew. Despite her relatively advanced age and the
heat of summer, the saint would not be deterred from making the
100-mile trip to Estremoz, Portugal, where the battle lines were
forming. The exertion proved too much for her; but before her death at
Estremoz on July 8 1336, she knew that she had again averted bloody
combat. This remarkable woman apparently had a spiritual gift to calm
hearts by her very presence. Buried at Coimbra, the dowager queen was
at once hailed as a saint, a model of patience and serenity in the
midst of infidelity and violence. She was canonized in 1625. (Saints)
When Jesus came to
the territory of the Gadarenes, two demoniacs who
were coming from the tombs met him. They were so savage that no one
could travel by that road. They cried out, “What have you to do with
us, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the appointed
time?” Some distance away a herd of many swine was feeding. The demons
pleaded with him, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of
swine.” And he said to them, “Go then!” They came out and entered the
swine, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea where
they drowned. The swineherds ran away, and when they came to the town
they reported everything, including what had happened to the demoniacs.
Thereupon the whole town came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him
they begged him to leave their district. (Matthew 8:28-34)
Saint Jerome once
wrote that the one who knows not the Scriptures does
not know Christ. Of course, we must interpret such a statement broadly
and recognize that one can know the content of the Scriptures without
being an avid reader of the actual text. Consider the illiterate yet
profoundly religious Catholic whose spiritual life is nourished by a
prayerful and daily recitation of the (very scriptural) Rosary, by the
great prayers recommended by the Church, by the preaching
of the word
of God, by the Sacraments, and by the whole life of the Church of which
he or she is a faithful member. That is to say, the content of the
Scriptures can come to a person not only in the actual text (which is
far and away the privileged mode of knowing them) but by other means as
well. The Revelation that is Christ comes to us in both the Scriptures
and in the Church’s Tradition, and the holy illiterate mentioned above
is primarily nourished by the Church’s Tradition. That proviso having
been made, there is not the slightest doubt that the inspired text of
the Scriptures and most especially of the Gospels nourishes our
knowledge of the person of Jesus in a most eminent way. Soren
Kierkegaard once wrote that we ought read the Scriptures as if we are
reading a letter to us from our very close friend. If that is the case
with the Scriptures it is particularly so with the Gospels which are
the Church regards as their most precious portions. They present to us
the person and teaching of the Lord. Countless Catholics begin their
day in the presence of the living Christ by praying over the Gospel of
the Mass of that day. This is an excellent spiritual practice and will
lead to the knowledge and love of Christ, the Christ of the Gospels.
Well then, let us consider our Gospel text of today (Matthew
8:28-34) in which we have a
confrontation between Christ and the demons.
The demons are
unusually savage and strong, for we read that “they were
so savage that no one could travel by that road.” The first thing we
notice is their fear and desperation in the presence of Christ. They
know he has no part with them whatever and that he has the mastery. At
the sight of him they fear the consequences. They cried out, “What have
you to do with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before
the appointed time?” They know they are doomed and they know that their
doom will come from the one who is before them. He is all holy and he
is all powerful. He has come to put an end to their influence. But we
observe too that they are aware of his mercy, and so, doomed though
they are, they appeal for a species of leniency in the short term.
“Some distance away a herd of many swine was feeding. The demons
pleaded with him, ‘If you drive us out, send us into the herd of
swine.’ And he said to them, ‘Go then!’” It is incidents such as these
that suggest, I think, degrees of damnation. Hell is eternal and will
be a horror for all who by their lives in effect choose to go there.
But might we not think that the mercy of God allows for degrees of
suffering, and that Dante’s picture of this eternal inferno with its
grades and levels is legitimate? Whatever of that, in our Gospel
scene
we have on the one hand the destructive and yet ultimately helpless
demons, and on the other hand the all-holy and all-powerful Christ. Let
us place ourselves in our Gospel scene and make our choice once again.
Let us place ourselves definitively in the company of Christ and
renounce anything that might smack of the devil and his ways. Satan has
no future, but Christ’s kingdom will never end. As the devils know all
too well, there is an appointed time when he will come and then there
will be only happiness or torment. Let the thought of this help to
protect us in time of temptation.
So, dear friend,
what is it to be, Christ or Satan? Let it not be a bit
both ways but rather one or the other. In the book of Revelation Christ
says that if we are neither hot nor cold he will spit us out of his
mouth. As St Ignatius Loyola puts it in his famous Spiritual Exercises,
there are two standards flying aloft. One is that of Christ and the
other is that of Satan. Let us take our stand with Christ and don the
armour and weapons of Christ. That weapon, that armour is the
Cross.
Let us carry it in company with Jesus.
(E.J.Tyler)
What are the duties of parents toward
their children?
Parents, in virtue of their participation in the fatherhood of God,
have the first responsibility for the education of their children and
they are the first heralds of the faith for them. They have the duty to
love and respect their children as persons and as children of God and
to provide, as far as is possible, for their physical and spiritual
needs. They should select for them a suitable school and help them with
prudent counsel in the choice of their profession and their state of
life. In particular they have the mission of educating their children
in the Christian faith. (CCC 2221-2231)
(Compendium of the
Catechism of the Catholic Church, no.460)
(July
5) Saint
Anthony Zacharia, priest (1502-1539). Born in Cremona,
Italy. Anthony Mary Zacharias was born of a noble family, at Cremona,
on the Pau. Even in his childhood marks of his future holiness
became manifest. There shone brightly in him, signs of excellent
graces of childlike love toward God and the blessed Virgin, and more
especially of tenderness toward the poor, for the relief of whose needs
he was ready more than once to strip off his own costly dress. He
studied arts at his own home, philosophy at Ticino, and medicine at
Padua, and as he excelled all others in goodness, so did he surpass all
his companions in intelléctual power. After taking his degree he
returned home, and there understood from God that his call was to the
healing of souls rather than to that of bodies. He therefore
began earnestly to study theology while he continued in the meantime to
visit the sick, to teach Christian doctrine to children, to excite
godliness among the young, and oftentimes even to exhort the aged, to
amend their ways. It is said that when he first said Mass after
his ordination a light broke from heaven, and he seemed to the
astonished bystanders to be surrounded by a circle of angels. From that
time forth he laboured more earnestly for the salvation of souls, and
the struggle against evil living. His fatherly love for strangers, for
the needy, and for the afflicted, and the godly exhortations and alms
wherewith he entertained them, made his house to become a refuge for
the wretched, and earned for himself from his fellow-citizens the title
of father of the fatherland and of angels. He
organized the group called the Clerks Regular of St Paul, also termed
Barnabites, who worked for the reform of customs and for the renewal of
the clergy an the laity. He was a zealous and untiring preacher who
completely wore himself out in his work, dying at the early age of
thirty six.
(Saints)
After entering
a
boat, Jesus made the crossing, and came into his own
town. And there people brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Courage, child,
your sins are forgiven.” At that, some of the scribes
said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” Jesus knew what they
were thinking, and said, :Why do you harbour evil thoughts? Which is
easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’?
But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to
forgive sins”– he then said to the paralytic, “Rise, pick up your
stretcher, and go home.” He rose and went home. When the crowds saw
this they were struck with awe and glorified God who had given such
authority to men.(Matthew 9:1-8)
Various things
caused astonishment among the people at the sight of our
Lord engaged in his public ministry. The ease with which he worked
truly extraordinary miracles, the authority with which he taught and
pronounced on God and the entire life of religion, the confidence with
which he silenced his opponents, these and many other features of his
person and work captivated the people and disconcerted his enemies. But
in the eyes of the leaders
especially, but also of
the people, there
was one kind of act which especially surprised them. It was his calm
and effortless forgiveness of sins. Who is there in the entire Old
Testament who took on himself such a ministry and who exercised such an
authority? Who is there in all human history who did this? I am not
aware of any other religious figure who presumed to forgive the sins of
people on his own authority. In our passage today Christ does not pray
to the Father asking that in his mercy he forgive the sins of this
person who was sick, nor does he declare that he has the sense that the
Father has forgiven the sins of this person. No, on his own authority
he forgives him his sins. It is as if he places himself directly in the
position of God against whom the sins have been committed, and as one
in God’s place forgives the person his sins because he has every right
to do so. And it is thus that the scribes interpret our Lord’s action.
They regard him as having blasphemed: “Courage, child, your sins are
forgiven.” At that, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man
is blaspheming.” (Matthew
9:1-8) A
mere man has no authority to act as
God would and could act, and our Lord knew that this was the issue in
their minds. That our Lord accepted that it was the issue is clear from
his response: “But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority
on earth to forgive sins”– he then said to the paralytic, ‘Rise, pick
up your stretcher, and go home’.” Christ forgave as God forgives and he
healed as God heals.
That is to
say, the
man Jesus was acting as God acts and indeed on
various occasions in the Gospel he claims to be God — without, of
course, claiming to be the Father. But this action is the prelude to
something almost as astonishing. Christ confers this very authority to
forgive sins on the Twelve. Having shown in his public ministry that he
has authority to forgive sins, having shown in his public ministry that
his mission was to take away sins, and in the fulness of time having
shown how he would take those sins away (by his death and
resurrection), he now confers the power to forgive sins on others so
that they may take this blessing of the remission of sins to the whole
world. On rising from the dead he appeared to the Eleven that very
evening. At that first meeting with the Eleven as a group he conferred
on them the Holy Spirit especially to go out on his behalf and to
forgive sins. “Receive the Holy Spirit,” he said to them. “Whose sins
you forgive they are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain they are
retained.” How extraordinary this would have seemed to our Lord’s
enemies and indeed to all had he done this during his public ministry
in their presence! But no, he does this in the exclusive presence of
the Eleven, just as he instituted the holy Eucharist in their exclusive
presence at the Last Supper the night before he died. The authority to
forgive sins which he himself had exercised during his public ministry
in the presence even of his enemies (such as the scribes) he now
entrusts to the Eleven for them to exercise in the mission for which he
was now empowering them. This power to forgive sins is handed down to
the successors of the Apostles by means of the apostolic succession and
to all those ordained to the ministerial priesthood. It is very evident
from the Gospels that this ministry of the forgiveness of sins must be
at the forefront of the work of bishops and priests.
At times I
come
across persons who object to the confession of sins to
the ordained priest, saying that anyone can seek forgiveness from God
in prayer and obtain God’s forgiveness. What has any particular man to
do with this? But Christ’s plan was that there be a specific Sacrament
for the forgiveness of sin. He forgave sins, and he entrusted this
ministry to the Twelve and to the ordained ministerial priesthood. Let
us have a profound appreciation of the Sacrament of Penance and make it
a regular and genuine feature of our Christian life.
How are
parents to educate their children in the Christian faith?
Parents do this mainly by example, prayer, family catechesis and
participation in the life of the Church. (CCC 2252-2253 )
(Compendium of the
Catechism of the Catholic Church, no.461)
(July 6) Saint
Maria Goretti, virgin and martyr. (Summary: Born at Ancona in
Italy of a poor family in the year 1890, she spent her childhood near
Nettuno in poverty helping her mother in the domestic chores. She was
well known to her neighbours for her cheerfulness and piety, and was
much given to prayer. In the year 1902, while defending her chastity
against a man attempting to violate her, she preferred to die rather
than give in, and was repeatedly stabbed with a knife. After many years
in prison her assailant attended her canonization.
(Saints))
Saint Maria Goretti.
She was born on October 16, 1890, in Corinaldo, in the Ancone province
of Italy, into a family poor in earthly goods, but rich in faith and
virtues. Every day, they had common prayer and the Rosary; on Sundays,
Mass and Holy Communion. Maria was the third of seven children of Luigi
Goretti and Assunta Carlini. From the day after her birth, she was
baptized and consecrated to the Virgin Mary. She received the sacrament
of Confirmation at the age of six. After the birth of his fourth child,
Luigi Goretti, too poor to remain in his native land, emigrated with
his family towards the vast plains, still unhealthy at that time, of
the Roman countryside. He settled down at Le Ferriere di Conca, in the
service of Count Mazzoleni. There, Maria did not hesitate to reveal a
precocious intelligence and sense of judgment. She was never found to
throw a temper tantrum, to disobey, or to lie. She was truly the angel
of the family. After a year of exhausting work, Luigi was struck with
an illness which carried him off in ten days. For Assunta and her
children, a long Calvary began. Maria often mourned the death of her
father and took advantage of the least occasion to kneel before the
cemetery gate; her father was perhaps in Purgatory, and since she did
not have the means to have Masses said for the repose of his soul, she
tried hard to compensate with prayers. One should not think, however,
that this child practiced kindness naturally. Her astonishing progress
was the fruit of her prayer. Her mother would say that the Rosary
became a necessity to her, and, in fact, she carried it always, wound
around her wrist. She drew from contemplation of the Crucifix an
intense love of God and a profound horror of sin.
«I
want Jesus» Maria yearned for the day when she would
receive Holy Communion. According to the custom of the day, she had to
wait until the age of eleven. «Mother,» she asked one day,
«when will I make my First Communion?… I want
Jesus. — How can you make it? You don't know your
catechism, you don't know how to read, we don't have the money to buy
you the dress, the shoes, or the veil, and we don't have a free
moment.»—«Mother, I will never make my First Communion this
way! And I can't be without Jesus!»—«But what do you want
me to do? I can't let you go to receive Communion like a little
ignorant girl.» Finally Maria found the means to prepare herself,
with the help of a person from the area. The entire village came to her
assistance to furnish her with the Communion garments. She received the
Eucharist on May 29, 1902. Receiving the Bread of Angels only increased
Maria's love of purity, and made her resolve to keep this angelic
virtue at all costs. One day, after having heard an indecent exchange
of words between a young man and one of his female companions, she said
with indignation to her mother: «Mother, how terribly this girl
speaks!»—«Be very careful not to ever take part in such
conversations.»—«I can't even think of it, Mother; rather
than do it, I would prefer to…», and the word «die»
remained on her lips. A month later, the voice of her blood would
finish the sentence…
In putting himself in the service
of Count Mazzoleni, Luigi Goretti had associated with Gianni Serenelli
and his son, Alessandro. The two families had separate apartments, but
a common kitchen. It was not long before Luigi regretted this union
with Gianni Serenelli, a personality so different from his, a drinker
and without restraint in his words. After his death, Assunta and her
children fell under the despotic yoke of the Serenellis. Maria, who
understood the situation, tried her best to support her mother:
«Courage, Mother, don't be afraid, we are getting big. It is
enough that Our Lord gives us health. Providence will help us. We will
struggle, we will struggle!» Always in the fields after the death
of her husband, Mrs. Goretti did not have time to take care of the
housekeeping or the religious instruction of the youngest children.
Maria took everything upon herself, as much as she was able. She didn't
sit at the table until she had served everyone, and took for herself
only what was left. Her willingness to help extended to the Serenellis
as well. For his part, Gianni, whose wife had died in the psychiatric
hospital in Ancone, hardly looked after his son Alessandro, a robust
fellow of nineteen years, crude and vicious, who took pleasure in
papering the walls of his room with obscene pictures and reading bad
books. On his deathbed, Luigi Goretti had a presentiment of the danger
which the Serenellis' company represented for his children, and he
repeated endlessly to his wife: «Assunta, go back to
Corinaldo!» Unfortunately, Assunta was in debt and bound by a
tenant farming contract. An
immaculate lily Through contact with the Gorettis, some
religious sentiment was awakened in Alessandro. He sometimes joined in
the Rosary that they recited as a family; on feast days, he attended
Mass, and he even went to confession from time to time. All this,
however, did not stop him from making indecent proposals to the
innocent Maria, who, at first, did not understand. Then, realizing the
boy's depravity, the young girl held her guard and rejected his
flattery as a threat. She begged her mother not to leave her alone in
the house, but didn't dare clearly expose to her mother the grounds for
her fear, for Alessandro had warned her, «If you let your mother
know anything, I'll kill you.» Her sole recourse was prayer. The
day before her death, Maria again asked her mother, with tears, not to
leave her alone. Not having obtained any further explanation, Mrs.
Goretti believed it to be a childish whim, and did not give any
consideration to this repeated plea. On July 5th, fava beans were being
threshed in the area, about forty meters from where the Gorettis lived.
Alessandro drove a cart led by oxen and turned it again and again on
the beans spread out on the ground. Towards three o'clock in the
afternoon, while Maria was alone in the house, Alessandro asked,
«Assunta, would you drive the oxen for me for a minute?»
The woman complied, without mistrust. Maria, seated on the threshold of
the kitchen, was mending a shirt that Alessandro had given her after
the meal, while watching her little sister, Teresina, who slept close
to her.
«Maria!» exclaimed Alessandro. «What do you
want?»—«I want you to follow
me.»—«Why?»—«Follow me!»—«Tell me
what you want, or I won't follow you.» Faced with this
resistance, the boy took her violently by an arm and dragged her to the
kitchen, where he barred the door. The child screamed, but the noise
did not carry to the outside. Not succeeding in making his victim
yield, Alessandro gagged her and brandished a dagger. Maria
trembled but did not give way. Furious, the young man tried with
violence to tear her clothes off. Maria freed herself of her gag and
cried out, «Don't do it… It's a sin… You will go to Hell.»
Little concerned with the judgment of God, the miserable soul raised
his weapon: «If you don't want to, I will kill you.» In the
face of her resistance, he stabbed her repeatedly with his knife. The
child cried out, «My God! Mother!» and fell to the floor.
Believing her dead, the assassin threw his knife aside and opened the
door to flee, when he heard that she was still groaning. He retraced
his steps, picked up his weapon and stabbed her all over once more,
then climbed to his room and locked himself in. Maria had received
fourteen serious wounds; she had fainted. Regaining consciousness, she
called to Mr. Serenelli: «Gianni! Alessandro has killed me…
Come…» At nearly the same time, Teresina, awaked by the noise,
let out a shrill cry, which Mrs. Goretti heard. Frightened, the mother
said to her young son Mariano, «Go quickly to look for Maria—tell
her that Teresina is calling her.» At that moment, Gianni
Serenelli climbed the stairs and, seeing the horrible scene which
presented itself to his eyes, exclaimed, «Assunta and you, too,
Mario, come!» Mario Cimarelli, a worker on the farm, climbed the
stairs four at a time. The mother arrived in turn:
«Mother!» moaned Maria. «What
happened?»—«Alessandro wanted to hurt me!» The doctor
was called, along with the town police, who arrived in time to prevent
the terribly excited neighbors from putting Alessandro to death on the
spot. Not a drop of water! After
a long and painful ambulance ride, they arrived at the hospital,
towards eight o'clock in the evening. The doctors were astonished that
the child had not already succumbed from her wounds—the pericardium,
the heart, the left lung, the diaphragm and the intestine had all been
struck. Seeing that she could not be saved, they called the confessor.
Maria made her confession in complete lucidity. The doctors then
lavished their medical attentions on her for two hours, without putting
her to sleep. Maria did not complain. She did not stop praying and
offering her sufferings to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Sorrows.
Her mother was admitted to her bedside. Maria
found the strength to console her: «Mother, my dear mother, I am
well now!… How are the little brothers and sisters doing?» Maria
was consumed with thirst—«Mother, give me a drop of
water.»—«My poor Maria, the doctor won't allow it, it will
make you worse.» Astonished, Maria continued, «Is it
possible that I can't have a drop of water!» She glanced at Jesus
on the Cross, who had also said, I thirst!, and resigned herself. The
hospital confessor helped her in a fatherly manner. At the moment of
giving her Holy Communion, he asked her, «Maria, do you forgive
your assassin with all your heart?» She suppressed an instinctive
repulsion, then replied, «Yes, I forgive him for the love of
Jesus… and I want him to come with me to Paradise… I want him at my
side… May God forgive him, because I have already forgiven him…»
It was in these sentiments, those of Christ Himself on Calvary, that
she received the Holy Eucharist and the Last Rites, serene, tranquil,
humble in the heroism of her victory. The end was approaching. She was
heard to call out, «Papa.» Finally, after a last appeal to
Mary, she entered into the immense joy of Paradise. It was the 6th of
July, 1902, at three o'clock in the afternoon.
«You are wasting your time, Your
Excellency» Three months after the drama, Alessandro's
trial was held. On his lawyer's advice, he admitted, «I liked
her. I had propositioned her twice and hadn't been able to get anything
out of her. In my frustration, I had prepared the dagger which I was to
use.» He was condemned to thirty years of hard labour. He acted as
though he did not regret his crime and was even heard sometimes to
exclaim, «Be cheerful, Serenelli, twenty-nine years and six
months more and you will join the middle class again!» But Maria
did not forget him. A few years later, Bishop Blandini of the diocese
where the prison was located, had the inspiration to visit the murderer
to lead him to repent. «You are wasting your time, Your
Excellency,» asserted the guard, «he's a tough one!»
Alessandro, muttering to himself, received the bishop. But, remembering
Maria, her heroic forgiveness, and the infinite kindness and mercy of
God, he allowed himself to be touched by grace. When the prelate left,
he wept in the solitude of his dungeon, to the great astonishment of
his guards. One night, Maria appeared to him in a dream, dressed in
white, in the flowery gardens of Paradise. Overwhelmed, Alessandro
wrote to Bishop Blandini: «I regret my crime so much more, that I
am aware that I have taken the life of a poor innocent girl who, up to
the last moment, wanted to save her honour, sacrificing herself rather
than give in to my criminal desire. I publicly beg pardon from God and
from the poor family for this great crime committed. I want to hope
that I too will obtain my pardon, like so many others on this
earth.» His sincere repentance and his good conduct in prison
earned him his release four years before the end of his sentence. He
then found a position as a gardener in a Capuchin convent and proved
himself exemplary. He was admitted into the Third Order of St. Francis.
Thanks to his
good dispositions, Alessandro was called to testify at Maria's
Beatification Procedure. It was for him a quite delicate and very
difficult matter. But he confessed, «I must atone for and do
everything in my power
for her glorification. The evil was all from me. I allowed myself to go
to brutal passion. She is a saint. Hers is a true martyrdom. She is one
of the foremost souls in Heaven, after what she had to suffer because
of me.» At Christmas 1937, he went to Corinaldo, where Assunta
Goretti had retired with her children, solely to atone and ask
forgiveness from the mother of his victim. Hardly was he before her
than he begged, crying, «Assunta, will you forgive
me?»—«Maria has forgiven you, could I not forgive you,
too?» stammered the mother. Christmas Day, the residents of
Corinaldo were not a little surprised and moved to see Alessandro and
Assunta approach the Eucharistic Table side by side.
«Look at her!» The
influence of Maria Goretti, canonized a martyr by Pope Pius XII on June
26, 1950, continues to our day. Pope John Paul II has made her a model
especially for youth: «Our vocation to holiness, which is the
vocation of all the baptized, is encouraged by the example of this
young martyr. Look at her, especially you adolescents, you youth. Be,
like her, capable of defending the purity of your hearts and bodies;
make an effort to fight against evil and sin, sustaining your communion
with the Lord by prayer, the daily practice of mortification, and the
scrupulous observance of the Commandments» (September 29,
1991).
As Jesus passed by,
he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post. He said to him,
“Follow me.” And he got up and followed him. While he was at table in
his house, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat with Jesus and
his disciples. The Pharisees saw this and said to his disciples, “Why
does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” He heard this
and said, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do.
Go and learn the meaning of the words, I desire mercy, not sacrifice. I
did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”(Matthew 9:9-13)
At various times in
history great changes have come to a people or society, and often it
has been due to the change of mind of the ruler or chief persons in
that society. All this stands to reason. Constantine converted to the
Christian religion and the Roman Empire soon after found itself with
Christianity as it official religion. That having been said, we must
not overlook the slow, silent and yet decisive role played by the
little person in bringing about momentous changes. Consider Constantine
again. Constantine’s conversion would have been unimaginable had it not
been for the nearly three centuries of unconquerable Christian witness
amid inexorable persecution. That witness was sustained by
the little person. What the ordinary person does in his ordinary life
is very important in the providence of God. The Roman Empire became
Christian because of the lives of ordinary Christians. Consider
what happened after the fall of the Roman Empire in the West due to the
barbarian invasions. Over some three or four hundred years of what we
commonly call the Dark Ages, Christianity again triumphed. Europe
emerged as a Christian continent. It was due to the ordinary lay
faithful, the ordinary priest, the ordinary monk, the ordinary bishop,
the ordinary missionary faithfully working away amid immense
difficulties of Viking invasions and numerous upsets. With this hidden
stream of witness going on, the outstanding individuals who emerged or
led the Church were able to have their due effect. The point, though,
is that we ought be aware of the importance of the ordinary Christian
in the providence of God and in his saving presence in the Church and
in history. Now then, with this in mind let us contemplate our Lord in
our Gospel today. He is passing by and he sees an ordinary tax
collector at his customs post. He called him to follow him. An ordinary
event in an ordinary life, but viewed from the broad perspective of
God’s saving work, it was momentous.
There is no reason
to think that Matthew was immensely gifted — gifted, possibly, but not
extraordinarily so. He was totally disposed to accept the word and call
of Christ, and that was the important thing for this otherwise ordinary
person.
(Matthew 9:9-13) He offered the
obedience of faith. God can do the rest. But then look what happened
after Matthew’s immediate and total response. Our Lord dined at the
house of Matthew and “many tax collectors and sinners came and sat with
Jesus and his disciples”. Again, they were ordinary persons and even
less than ordinary in the sense that they were regarded as obvious
sinners and probably were so in fact. They drew near to Christ and
chose to be in his company. We have no way of telling what became of
this in terms of their becoming disciples in some sense, but it is
surely a picture of much of Christian history. Christ and his Church is
above all a great family of ordinary children of God, sinners all, who
are called to respond to the call of Christ as did Matthew. The little
man who is in Christ has a glorious role to play in the course of
history and his importance derives from his being in Christ by baptism
and grace. If he follows the Lamb whithersoever it goes (as the Book of
Revelation puts it) then God’s work will be done and in the long run
great things will be achieved. Those ordinary tax collectors and
sinners who came to sit with Jesus and his disciples are the stuff of
salvation history. We can all identify with them knowing that our lives
will achieve their purpose if they are lived out as branches of the
great Vine which is Christ. Our heavenly Father is the Vinedresser, and
fruit will most certainly come forth from the Vine. The important thing
is to do the will of God in our everyday life, bearing witness to Jesus
in our fidelity and our word. Thus will God’s kingdom advance and we
who are in Jesus will be its instruments, however ordinary and unworthy
we know ourselves to be. Thus is the ordinary life a thing of grandeur.
Let us never
underestimate the importance of the life which God in his goodness has
given to us. We have one shot, and once it is fired it is all over.
That one shot is the life we have been given. Let us aim carefully and
high. It must hit a high target and that target is union with Christ
and a full and generous sharing in his work, the redemption of mankind.
No matter how small on the stage of things we feel ourselves to be, let
us resolve to do our best.
Are family bonds an
absolute good?
Family ties are important but not absolute, because the first vocation
of a Christian is to follow Jesus and love him: “He who loves father or
mother more than me is not worthy of me; whoever loves son or daughter
more than me is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10:37). Parents must support
with joy their children's choice to follow Jesus in whatever state of
life, even in the consecrated life or the priestly ministry. (CCC
2232-2233)
(Compendium of the
Catechism of the Catholic Church, no.462)
(July 7) Today let us think of Blessed Ralph Milner and Roger
Dickenson Died at Winchester, England, 1591; beatified in 1929.
Roger Dickenson was born at Lincoln and educated at Rheims, France,
where he was ordained to the priesthood in 1583. He worked in the
mission fields of England and was hanged for his proselytizing efforts.
Milner, born at Stackstead, Hantshire, was a husbandman martyred for
providing shelter to Fr. Dickenson (Benedictines).
(Saints))
The disciples of
John approached Jesus and said, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast much,
but your disciples do not fast?” Jesus answered them, “Can the wedding
guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come
when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.
No one patches an old cloak with a piece of unshrunken cloth, for its
fullness pulls away from the cloak and the tear gets worse. People do
not put new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise the skins burst, the
wine spills out, and the skins are ruined. Rather, they pour new wine
into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.” (Matthew
9:14-17)
In our Gospel
passage today Matthew tells us that the disciples of John approached
our Lord to ask him why his disciples do not fast while they and the
Pharisees do fast. Now of course we could enter into a detailed
discussion of the meaning of what our Lord says in response to this
particular questions. But I suggest we consider one aspect of his
response which relates to how he describes himself — because Christ
himself is the object of the Gospels. If we understand his person
aright then our response to his answers and teachings will more
likely be right too. In answer our Lord describes himself as the
bridegroom and his disciples as the wedding guests (Matthew 9:14-17). Now, it is interesting
that John’s disciples are the ones to whom Christ said this because
John their master had himself described our Lord — the one who was to
come — as the bridegroom. We read in the Gospel of St John (3:29) how
John the Baptist, when told by his disciples that Jesus’ influence was
increasing beyond his own, described our Lord as the bridegroom and
himself as the friend of the bridegroom. As the friend of the
bridegroom he rejoiced, he told them, to hear the arrival of the
bridegroom. So John had described our Lord as “the bridegroom” and
himself as the bridegroom’s friend, and here our Lord describes himself
as “the bridegroom” and his disciples as the bridegroom’s guests. For
those steeped in the Old Testament this would surely have been an
exalted and powerful image. The bridegroom of the Old Testament
prophetic books was Yahweh God himself. His people were his spouse and
between him and them there had been established a covenant to be
likened to marriage. He was a faithful husband while his spouse was
not. I suspect that the very name of Yahweh had a connotation similar
to that of bridegroom because not only did it mean the one who is (I am
who am), but contained in this was the notion that he would be there
with them. I shall be there as who I am.
Moreover, in the
prophetical books Yahweh promises a new covenant in which Israel
his spouse would be empowered to be faithful. Our Lord is saying to
John’s disciples that the wedding has arrived and that he is the
bridegroom. Implicitly he is placing himself in the position of Yahweh
God himself and he is saying that the promised times have arrived when
there would be established the definitive covenant between God and his
people. God was with his people as their bridegroom and the wedding was
now in progress. Our Lord is calmly and unhesitatingly claiming for
himself the status of Messiah, and implicitly — to be appreciated in
due course — a Messiah who is Yahweh God himself. Christ is phrasing
his self-description in a form which is reminiscent of the testimony to
him of John himself, and in a form which also conjures up some of the
most beautiful descriptions of Yahweh God in the Old Testament. He is
all of this, and therefore his disciples have every reason to be
rejoicing as would the guests at the wedding of the bridegroom. Now,
all this should profoundly affect our own image of God and in
particular of Jesus our Lord. His attitude to us who are in him by
baptism is nuptial. His bond with us is unbreakable as is the Christian
marriage. As St Paul writes in one of his Letters nothing can separate
us from the love of Christ. This is the kind of religion that has been
revealed to us by God and of which by his grace we have been made
living members. The more we consider it, the more wondrous it ought
appear. I am not aware that other religions describe God in this way
nor our relationship with him. Does Islam describe God as the
bridegroom of the people of Islam? Moreover, I think the suggestion
that Mahomet is the bridegroom of his people (of Islam) would be
preposterous to the Muslim world. Allah is the Merciful Master who
utterly transcends those who believe in him and of course the entire
world. But the case of Christianity is entirely different. Yes, God is
utterly transcendent of course, but he is also unimaginably close and
even on familiar terms. He is to be described as the Bridegroom made
manifest in Christ the bridegroom of his redeemed people.
Let us rejoice in
Christ as would specially invited guests at the wedding feast. The
wedding has come in the life, death and resurrection of Christ and now
we are living out the divine marriage which will never end. We must be
faithful to the grace we have been given so as not to be cast outside
when the bridegroom comes again.
How should authority be exercised in
the various spheres of civil society?
Authority should always be exercised as a service, respecting
fundamental human rights, a just hierarchy of values, laws,
distributive justice, and the principle of subsidiarity. All those who
exercise authority should seek the interests of the community before
their own interest and allow their decisions to be inspired by the
truth about God, about man and about the world. (CCC 2234-2237,
2254)
(Compendium of the
Catechism of the Catholic Church, no.463)
Prayers this week:
Within your Temple
we ponder your loving kindness, O God. As your name, so also your praise reaches to the end of the
earth; your right hand is filled with justice. (Psalm 47:10-11)
Father, through the
obedience of Jesus your servant and your Son, you raised a fallen
world. Free us from sin and bring us the joy that lasts forever. We ask this through our
Lord Jesus Christ your Son in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God.
(July 8) St.
Gregory Grassi and Companions (d. 1900) Christian
missionaries have often gotten caught in the crossfire of wars against
their own countries. When the governments of Britain, Germany, Russia
and France forced substantial territorial concessions from the Chinese
in 1898, anti-foreign sentiment grew very strong among many Chinese
people. Gregory Grassi was born in Italy in 1833, ordained in 1856 and
sent to China five years later. Gregory was later ordained Bishop of
North Shanxi. With 14 other European missionaries and 14 Chinese
religious, he was martyred during the short but bloody Boxer Uprising
of 1900. Twenty-six of these martyrs were arrested on the orders of Yu
Hsien, the governor of Shanxi province. They were hacked to death on
July 9, 1900. Five of them were Friars Minor; seven were Franciscan
Missionaries of Mary — the first martyrs of their congregation. Seven
were Chinese seminarians and Secular Franciscans; four martyrs were
Chinese laymen and Secular Franciscans. The other three Chinese laymen
killed in Shanxi simply worked for the Franciscans and were rounded up
with all the others. Three Italian Franciscans were martyred that same
week in the province of Hunan. All these martyrs were beatified in
1946. (Saints))
At that time the
Lord appointed seventy-two others whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to
every town and place he intended to visit. He said to them, “The
harvest is abundant but the labourers are few; so ask the master of the
harvest to send out labourers for his harvest. Go on your way; behold,
I am sending you like lambs among wolves. Carry no money bag, no sack,
no sandals; and greet no one along the way. Into whatever house you
enter, first say, ‘Peace to this household.’ If a peaceful person lives
there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you.
Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you, for
the labourer deserves his payment. Do not move about from one house to
another. Whatever town you enter and they welcome you, eat what is set
before you, cure the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God is
at hand for you.’ Whatever town you enter and they do not receive you,
go out into the streets and say, ‘The dust of your town that clings to
our feet, even that we shake off against you.’ Yet know this: the
kingdom of God is at hand. I tell you, it will be more tolerable for
Sodom on that day than for that town.” The seventy-two returned
rejoicing, and said, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us because
of your name.” Jesus said, “I have observed Satan fall like lightning
from the sky. Behold, I have given you the power to ‘tread upon
serpents’ and scorpions and upon the full force of the enemy and
nothing will harm you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits
are subject to you, but rejoice because your names are written in
heaven.”(Luke 10:1-12,
17-20)
In
our Gospel passage today our Lord sends seventy two of his disciples out to
announce the imminent arrival of a kingdom (Luke 10:1-12,
17-20).
It is the kingdom of God. All through history there have been kingdoms
after kingdoms, and in our Lord’s day the greatest of them was the
empire of Rome. Large numbers of the chosen people of Israel assumed
that the kingdom which the prophets had predicted and which would have
the Messiah as its king would be of the same kind, only greater and
everlasting. Many thought that the kingdom of God would be a great
political kingdom not unlike that of King David many centuries before,
only far greater. God would reign in and through the Messiah,
God’s anointed one. Such would be the Kingdom of God. But as our Lord
stated in the presence of Pontius Pilate, his kingdom was not at all
like the kingdoms of this world. As he had said during his public
ministry, the kingdom of God is within you. By his death and
resurrection and by means of his Church, God in Christ would be present
and glorified among men as King of kings and Lord of lords. But now,
let this thought arising from today’s Gospel remind us of what is the
ultimate end and purpose of all things. The fact is that very many
people rarely ask themselves what is the ultimate purpose of
everything. They pragmatically set for themselves their own purposes,
and live and work accordingly. If you were to walk through a busy
street of Sydney and stop this or that person to ask him what is the
purpose of the world and of all things, I think you would see a very
puzzled look on his face. Many might admit to never having thought of
the matter. Some might say, on reflection, that the purpose of the
world and of all things is to provide for the needs of man. For this
reason, they might go on, we must care for our planet and our universe
and not allow it to be ruined by man-made climate changes. Others might
say that the world does not have an objective end or purpose at all,
and that it is just there. We find ourselves living in it and we just
make use of it for our own happiness just as the creatures of the wild
make use of their environments. If you were to ask them what is the
purpose of their own life, they might have some answer but it would be
a tentative one, and it would be even more tentative if the question
were about the purpose and end of the world and of all things.
But
in fact we know what the ultimate purpose and end of all things is, the
purpose of the world and of the life of each one of us. That purpose is
the honour and the glory of God. It is a profound and simple answer to
a perplexing question and it contains an ocean of meaning which if
taken to heart will transform a person’s life. It has been revealed to
us and it casts light on everything. God created the world and all that
is in it in order to show forth his goodness, truth and beauty. The
ultimate end of all creation is that God will be all in all, and in
this lies man’s true happiness. We were made to find our happiness in
God being honoured and glorified. So our life ought be lived and the
world ought be used in such a way that God is glorified, and he will be
glorified if his will is done. Every time we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we
pray that God’s Kingdom will come and that his will be done on earth as
it is done in heaven. We have come from God and he freely sustains all
things constantly. He gives us the capacity to act and he leads us and
all things towards fulfilment. That fulfilment will come in God being
glorified, and he will be glorified if we live in union with the person
of Jesus. All things and each of us as well, are recapitulated, as St
Paul puts it, in Christ. We are connected with him, by our baptism we
live in him, and our true fulfilment is to be found in living and dying
in union with him. We and all things are sustained to give glory to
God. But sin ruins this plan. Christ our redeemer lived, died and rose
to give glory to his heavenly Father, and he redeemed mankind so that
his Father would be glorified and honoured the more. The purpose of the
Church Christ founded and sustains is in order that in him we might all
be able to live in such a way that God the most holy Trinity is
glorified.
No matter what might be
our vocation or profession in life, the end or purpose of life and of
all things is that God be honoured and glorified. That is our daily
mission. How seldom it is that journalists, politicians, legal people,
those in industry and commerce, families or trades, understand that
this is the meaning of things. It is this which gives direction to life
and it is the decisive factor in the daily choices that have to be
made. St Ignatius Loyola formulated a famous motto. It is, All for the
greater glory of God. Let us make our favourite prayer the one we pray
during the Rosary, Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the
Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be for
ever.
(E.J.Tyler)
Further reading: Catechism of the
Catholic Church, no. 293-301
"Charity: soul of the mission"Pope Benedict XVI
(Message for the World Mission Day 2006)
Unless the mission is oriented by charity, that is, unless it springs
from a profound act of divine love, it risks being reduced to mere
philanthropic and social activity. In fact, God's love for every person
constitutes the heart of the experience and proclamation of the Gospel,
and those who welcome it in turn become its witnesses. God's love,
which gives life to the world, is the love that was given to us in
Jesus, the Word of salvation, perfect icon of the Heavenly Father's
mercy.
The saving message can be summed up
well, therefore, in the words of John the Evangelist: "In this
the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son
into the world, so that we might live through him" (I Jn 4: 9). It was
after his Resurrection that Jesus gave the Apostles the mandate to
proclaim the news of this love, and the Apostles, inwardly transformed
by the power of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, began to bear
witness to the Lord who had died and was risen. Ever since, the Church
has continued this same mission, which is an indispensable and ongoing
commitment for all believers.
(Selected by "The Daily Gospel", New Hope, KY 40052. USA.)
You have told me sometimes that you are like a clock out of order,
which strikes at the wrong moment: you feel cold, dry and arid at the
time of your prayer, and on the other hand, when it is least to be
expected, in the street, in the midst of your daily activities, in the
bustle and hubbub of the city, or in the concentrated calm of your
professional work, you find yourself praying... At the wrong moment?
Possibly; but don't waste those chimes of your clock. The Spirit
breathes where he will.
(The Way,
no.110)
What are the duties of citizens in regard
to civil authorities?
Those subject to authority should regard those in authority as
representatives of God and offer their loyal collaboration for the
right functioning of public and social life. This collaboration
includes love and service of one's homeland, the right and duty to
vote, payment of taxes, the defence of one's country, and the right to
exercise constructive criticism. (CCC 2238-2241, 2255)
(Compendium of the
Catechism of the Catholic Church, no.464)
(July 9) Today let us think of St. Nicholas Pick
and Companions (d. 1572) It is not always possible to choose
when and how we will witness to our faith. In 1568 the Low Countries
revolted against Spain. In the northern part (now the Netherlands), the
revolt was also directed against Catholicism. This rebellion ultimately
led to the recognition in 1648 of an independent Republic of United
Provinces (Netherlands). Nicholas and his companions (11 Franciscans
and eight diocesan priests) are also known as "the martyrs of Gorcum,"
where they were arrested by Calvinist soldiers. They were taken to
Briel and urged to renounce the Roman Catholic teaching on Christ’s
presence in the Eucharist and on the pope’s primacy. They refused and
were hung from crossbeams. The execution was clumsily handled; it took
two hours for some of them to strangle. They were canonized in 1867.
(Saints)
Let us also think of St. Augustine Zhao
Rong and Companions (17th-20th centuries) Christianity arrived
in China by way of Syria in the 600s. Depending on China's relations
with the outside world, Christianity over the centuries was free to
grow or was forced to operate secretly. The 120 martyrs in this group
died between 1648 and 1930. Most of them (87) were born in China and
were children, parents, catechists or labourers, ranging from nine
years of age to 72. This group includes four Chinese diocesan priests.
The 33 foreign-born martyrs were mostly priests or women religious,
especially from the Order of Preachers, the Paris Foreign Mission
Society, the Friars Minor, Jesuits, Salesians and Franciscan
Missionaries of Mary. Augustine Zhao Rong was a Chinese solider who
accompanied Bishop John Gabriel Taurin Dufresse (Paris Foreign Mission
Society) to his martyrdom in Beijing. Augustine was baptized and not
long after was ordained as a diocesan priest. He was martyred in 1815.
Beatified in groups at various times, these 120 martyrs were canonized
in Rome on October 1, 2000. Comment: The People's
Republic of China and the Roman Catholic Church each have over a
billion members, but there are only 10 million Catholics in China. The
reasons for that are better explained by historical conflicts than by a
wholesale rejection of the Good News of Jesus Christ. The Chinese-born
martyrs honoured by today's feast were regarded by their persecutors as
dangerous because they were considered allies of enemy, Catholics
countries. The martyrs born outside China often tried to distance
themselves from European political struggles relating to China, but
their persecutors saw them as Westerners and therefore, by definition,
anti-Chinese.
The Good News of Jesus Christ is intended to benefit all peoples;
today's martyrs knew that. May 21st-century Christians live in such a
way that Chinese women and men will be attracted to hear that Good News
and embrace it.
A year after these martyrs were canonized, Pope
John Paul II addressed a group of Chinese and Western scholars,
gathered in Rome for a symposium honouring the 400th anniversary of the
arrival in Beijing of Matteo Ricci, a Jesuit scholar and Chinese
intellectual. After noting the positive contributions that Christianity
had made to China, especially in health care and education, Pope John
Paul II continued: “History, however, reminds us of the unfortunate
fact that the work of members of the church in China was not always
without error, the bitter fruit of their personal limitations and of
the limits of their action. Moreover, their action was often
conditioned by difficult situations connected with complex historical
events and conflicting political interests. Nor were theological
disputes lacking, which caused bad feelings and created serious
difficulties in preaching the Gospel….“I feel deep sadness for these
errors and limits of the past, and I regret that in many people these
failings may have given the impression of a lack of respect and esteem
for the Chinese people on the part of the Catholic Church, making them
feel that the church was motivated by feelings of hostility toward
China. For all of this I ask the forgiveness and understanding of those
who may have felt hurt in some way by such actions on the part of
Christians.”
Click centre arrow to start video
Scripture today:
Genesis
28:10-22a; Psalm 91:1-2, 3-4,
14-15ab; Matthew 9:18-26
While Jesus was
speaking, an official came forward, knelt down before him, and said,
“My daughter has just died. But come, lay your hand on her, and she
will live.” Jesus rose and followed him, and so did his disciples. A
woman suffering haemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him and
touched the tassel on his cloak. She said to herself, “If only I can
touch his cloak, I shall be cured.” Jesus turned around and saw her,
and said, “Courage, daughter! Your faith has saved you.” And from that
hour the woman was cured. When Jesus arrived at the official’s house
and saw the flute players and the crowd who were making a commotion, he
said, “Go away! The girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they ridiculed
him. When the crowd was put out, he came and took her by the hand, and
the little girl arose. And news of this spread throughout all that land. (Matthew
9:18-26)
I wonder how many
of us appreciate the advantage of having the inspired Gospel text
constantly at hand. It was not so in the first few decades of the
infant Church. It is generally agreed that the Gospels were written
only some decades after the resurrection and ascension of our Lord, and
prior to their writing the faithful were nourished by the preaching and
developing Tradition of the infant Church. They did not have the full
formal text of the New Testament, only certain portions of it depending
on where they were and when they lived at that time. This is,
incidentally, one reason why it is incorrect to think that the
revelation of Christ comes to us only in the New Testament inspired text
(sola Scriptura). The New Testament Scriptures — meaning the Gospels,
Acts, Letters and book of Revelation — came to the faithful over some
decades, and even then the Canon of the Scriptures was only decided by
the Church long after. So then, there was a time in the very early
history of the Church when the faithful did not have constantly at hand
much of the inspired text of the New Testament and in particular of the
Gospels. In its place, though, they had a most privileged access to the
Church’s Tradition as it was being established by the Twelve and those
who were witnesses of the Lord. We have the Church’s Spirit-guided
Tradition and we also have the precious gift of the New Testament
Scriptures, and in particular the inspired text of the Gospels. If we
remain immersed in the Church’s Tradition and prayerfully and
assiduously read the Scriptures, daily meditating on the Gospels, we
shall be in a privileged position to know Christ and his saving
revelation. Let us then cherish a frequent and daily reading of
the Gospels, coming to know and love the person of Jesus. So let us
turn to today’s Gospel passage with a view to contemplating the person
of Christ.
Consider our Lord’s
response to the official who comes to him with a request that he come
and raise up his daughter from the dead. Our Lord at this point in his
public ministry is pressed on all sides by requests for help and
healing. He does not simply send the official off with a word assuring
him that the girl will live, but immediately rises to follow him (Matthew 9:18-26). He is gracious and
constantly in a posture of service for the individual who is in need.
Matthew adds the detail that his disciples followed him, reminding the
reader that being a disciple means following in the footsteps of Jesus
who lives for the sake of others. On his way with the crowd pressing
around a woman with a serious health complaint comes up to Jesus and
touches his cloak, sure that the touch would bring her healing. Again,
our Lord turns to her as an individual and gives her his personal
attention assuring her that her faith has saved her. He arrives at the
house, and takes the girl by the hand. There is the very personal
contact. The girl herself is physically touched by the Lord and raised
to life.
Christ does not just deal with humanity in general, with the masses. He
deals with individual persons and when immersed in the crowds he has
constant thought for the individual. All this is to say that Jesus
loves not just mankind, but he loves me. As St Paul writes, Christ
loved me and gave himself up for me. If we are ever to appreciate this
we must meditate on it and especially with the inspired Gospel text in
our hand. That is why the gift of the inspired Gospels is such a boon
for the serious Christian, the one who wishes to receive Christ into
his life. Let us take up the Gospel every day and place ourselves in
the presence of the risen living Jesus whose regard for us is
constantly portrayed in the Gospel accounts.
Jesus loves me and
gave himself for me. That is what each of us can say with St Paul. The
Christian religion places the person of Christ at the centre of life.
It involves coming to know, love and serve him with all our heart. If
we are to do this, we must come to know him. The daily and prayerful
reading of the Gospels are a most privileged means of arriving at this
personal knowledge of Jesus. Let us make this a linchpin of our
Christian life.
I had to smile at the impatience of your prayer. You were telling
him: 'I don't want to grow old, Jesus... To have to wait so long to see
you! Then, perhaps I won't have a heart as inflamed as mine is now.
"Then" seems too late. Now, my union would be more ardent for I love
you now with the pure Love of youth.'
(The Way,
no.111)
When is a citizen forbidden to obey
civil authorities?
A citizen is obliged in conscience not to obey the laws of civil
authorities when they are contrary to the demands of the moral order:
“We must obey God rather than men” (Acts of the Apostles 5:29).
(CCC 2242-2243, 2256)
(Compendium of the
Catechism of the Catholic Church, no.465)
(July
10) Today let us think of St. Veronica
Giuliani (1660-1727) Veronica’s desire to be like Christ
crucified was answered with the stigmata. Veronica was born in
Mercatelli. It is said that when her mother Benedetta was dying she
called her five daughters to her bedside and entrusted each of them to
one of the five wounds of Jesus. Veronica was entrusted to the wound
below Christ’s heart. At the age of 17, Veronica joined the Poor Clares
directed by the Capuchins. Her father had wanted her to marry, but she
convinced him to allow her to become a nun. In her first years in the
monastery, she worked in the kitchen, infirmary, sacristy and served as
portress. At the age of 34, she was made novice mistress, a position
she held for 22 years. When she was 37, Veronica received the stigmata.
Life was not the same after that. Church authorities in Rome wanted to
test Veronica’s authenticity and so conducted an investigation. She
lost the office of novice mistress temporarily and was not allowed to
attend Mass except on Sundays or holy days. Through all of this
Veronica did not become bitter, and the investigation eventually
restored her as novice mistress. Though she protested against it, at
the age of 56 she was elected abbess, an office she held for 11 years
until her death. Veronica was very devoted to the Eucharist and to the
Sacred Heart. She offered her sufferings for the missions. Veronica was
canonized in 1839.
(Saints)
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Scripture today:
Genesis
32:23-33; Psalm 17:1b, 2-3, 6-7ab, 8b and
15; Matthew 9:32-38
A demoniac who
could not speak was brought to Jesus, and when the demon was driven out
the mute man spoke. The crowds were amazed and said, “Nothing like this
has ever been seen in Israel.” But the Pharisees said, “He drives out
demons by the prince of demons.” Jesus went around to all the towns and
villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the
Kingdom, and curing every disease and illness. At the sight of the
crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were
troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to
his disciples, “The harvest is abundant but the labourers are few; so
ask the master of the harvest to send out labourers for his harvest.” (Matthew 9:32-38)
It is passages such
as these that give us a window into the heart and the person of Jesus
Christ. The gospel accounts show him as unmistakably a person of
enormous spiritual power. Where in the history of religions has there
been a person of such spiritual power when faced with the demonic?
There is no parallel in the Old Testament. No prophet showed such power
over the demons as did Jesus Christ. Is there any parallel in Islam?
Where is there a record of Mahomet or Zarathustra or Buddha doing this?
It would be laughable to suggest that any of the great military
conquerors such as Alexander the Great or Julius Caesar could do the
like. With good reason do we read in
our
Gospel passage that
“the crowds were amazed and said, ‘Nothing like this has ever been seen
in Israel.’” I tend to think that nothing like it had been seen in the
world. As well as this power over the demonic world he displayed
sovereign power over “every disease and illness.” There was no disease
or illness which he could not heal, and even death could not defy
Christ. He raised people from the dead — and of course would rise from
the dead himself. Who is there in the history of the world who can be
compared with Jesus of Nazareth in his stream of miracles in favour of
the sick and the afflicted? Set Christ on the world stage and he is
seen as having inner power beyond compare. On one occasion he calmly
and unhesitatingly in the presence of the religious leaders forgave the
sins of a sick person — and proceeded to back up this step by
effortlessly healing the person of his paralysis. The first thing the
average man or woman in history thinks of in God is his power. God is
the one of great power — and revelation informs us that he is actually
almighty.
Christ claimed to
be God — though not the Father — and backed up his claims by his
constant display of supernatural power. In fact, Christ’s displays of
power were displays of love and mercy. His power was manifest in mercy
and compassion. We read in our passage that “Jesus went around to all
the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the
Gospel of the Kingdom, and curing every disease and illness. At the
sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because
they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matthew
9:32-38).
Power as it is played out in human history has more often than not been
far from merciful and compassionate. Not so Christ. His heart was a
heart filled with pity for human distress. Just as his power was
divine, so too was his love divine. Each one of us ought every day
place ourselves in the presence of Jesus who lives with us as the head
of his Church, and think of his love and his power. As St Paul wrote,
Christ loved me and delivered himself up for me. Each of us can say the
same thing. He is our Lord, and he is the Lord of lords and King of
kings. St Ignatius Loyola in his classic Spiritual Exercises
has a
famous “Meditation on the Kingdom”. The one doing the
retreat is invited
to place himself in the presence of Christ as the King, considering him
in the context of all those who could be considered as worthy of an
enthusiastic following. Christ is the pre-eminent Lord beyond compare,
the one who, whatever be the worth of other leaders in the stream of
human history, is worthy of all our love and zeal. In this no one can
rank with him, and it is clear from the Gospels that Christ himself
knew this and claimed it to be so.
Let us make it our
daily business to come to know Christ in a truly personal sense. The
more we know him the more will our love for him have a chance to grow.
The purpose of life as it has been revealed to us by God is to know,
love and serve the living risen Jesus, and by means of this to see and
enjoy God in heaven.
I like to see you living that 'ambitious reparation'. The world!
you say. — Very good, but first of all, the members of your
supernatural family, your own relations, the people of your country.
(The Way,
no.112)
Why must human life be respected?
Human life must be respected because it is sacred. From its beginning
human life involves the creative action of God and it remains forever
in a special relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end. It is
not lawful for anyone directly to destroy an innocent human being. This
is gravely contrary to the dignity of the person and the holiness of
the Creator. “Do not slay the innocent and the righteous” (Exodus
23:7). (CCC 2258-2262, 2318-2320)
(Compendium of the
Catechism of the Catholic Church, no.466)
(July 11)
St Benedict, abbot (480-547). He was born at Norcia, Italy, and
was sent to Rome to be educated. At about the age of 20, he
went to live as a hermit in a cave in
the mountains of Subiaco. Many men followed his example and he set up
twelve monastic communities, each with 12 monks. In 529 St Benedict set
out for Monte Cassino with a small group. There they established a
monastery which was to become the most famous in Western Christendom,
and a model for thousands which followed. In the abbey of
Monte Cassino he wrote his Rule in which are wonderfully combined the
Roman genius
and the monastic wisdom of the Christian East. There is no
evidence that St Benedict was ever a priest. As his
communities grew his reputation spread and towards the end of his life
he was even visited by the Gothic king Totila. Another kind
of visitation came one night, when when he was
standing praying by a window. It is written that 'the whole world
seemed to
be gathered into one sunbeam and brought thus before his eyes.' When
death was at hand, in 550, he was carried into the chapel where he
received communion and died. He was buried in the same grave as his
sister St Scholastica. St Benedict once said: "If you are really a
servant of Jesus Christ, let the
chain of love hold you firm in your resolve, not a chain of iron." He
has been called the
Father of monasticism in the West, and indeed the Father of Europe. He
was proclaimed Patron of Europe by Pope Paul VI because of his
wonderful influence in the formation of Christendom in the Middle Ages.
Pope Benedict XVI took his name as Pope from St Benedict. (Saints)
Jesus summoned his
Twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive
them out and to cure every disease and every illness. The names of the
Twelve Apostles are these: first, Simon called Peter, and his brother
Andrew; James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and
Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James, the son of
Alphaeus, and Thaddeus; Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot who
betrayed Jesus. Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them
thus, “Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town.
Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, make
this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand’.” (Matthew 10:1-7)
I remember watching
a series on Christ and early Christianity that was shown on Sydney
television a couple of years ago. It was intriguing to notice who were
the scholars who were interviewed on various aspects of the topic
and history that was covered. It reflected the mindset of the producers
of the series. Those interviewed were scholars of an outlook that
understood Jesus of Nazareth to have begun a “movement”. That was the
word they continually used to describe his work and his legacy. He
began a “movement” and the movement has continued to this day in
enormous proportions and in various forms. The different Christian
churches are manifestations of this great unfolding religious movement
that Jesus began. Describing the work of Christ in this way puts it in
much the same category as that of various other founders who began
“movements” that grew to being great religions. I suppose we could say
that Buddha began a religious movement and it has grown to the
proportions that we see it possessing today. He does not seem to have
instituted a definite society or what we might call a clearly
structured “church”. He taught and set his example, attracted followers
and left his legacy. Perhaps even Mahomet could be described in these
terms, allowing for all the obvious differences. But it is plainly
erroneous to picture Christ in this way. He came announcing the arrival
of a Kingdom and he would be its anointed King. It would be the Kingdom
of God, which while in the world would not be like the kingdoms of the
world. He would establish it and it would endure forever. By means of
its advance God’s rule over the hearts of men would come about, and the
aim was that all men would be subjects of this spiritual Kingdom. Just
before he ascended into heaven Christ told his disciples that they were
to go to the whole world and make disciples of all the nations. Baptism
would mark the entry of a person into this Kingdom. Where would this
Kingdom be found and visibly located? This spiritual Kingdom of Christ
would be found in his Church, and through his Church the Kingdom would
extend in space and time.
In our Gospel today
(Matthew 10:1-7) we see Christ making
the first concrete steps to form the visible structure of his Kingdom
to be found and embodied in his Church. He would be the head of his
Church, and in and through his Church he would bring his kingdom to the
hearts of men. By means of his Church this Kingdom would have its
officers who would act in his name. He had attracted numerous
disciples, but now he formally selects the Twelve to be the
foundation stones of his Church. He then sends them out in a work that
empowers them to share in his mission at that stage: it was a harbinger
of what was to come after he had gone. He would be with them and they
would act in his name wielding the power he had entrusted to them.
Further in his ministry he would appoint one of them, Simon, to be the
visible rock of his Church and to be the one who would hold and use the
keys to the Kingdom of heaven. All this is to say that Christ did
not just begin a simple even if powerful “movement”. He established a
definite Kingdom, the locale and instrument of which was his Church.
The Twelve (reminiscent of the patriarchs of the twelve tribes of
Israel) were its foundation stones and he the cornerstone. He himself — the fulness of the Kingdom
— is to be found in this Church and the
riches he won for mankind and which are found in him are to be
dispensed by the one who holds the keys. The Twelve and the Church
built on the visible rock who is their chief, Peter, is an institution
which is all very visible, all very concrete and tangible and in no
sense is it a mere “movement.” What Christ inaugurated had a definite
structure and plan which under the guidance of the Holy Spirit whom he
and the Father sent has unfolded according to the constitution
established by him who is its Lord. That is to say, from Christ came
his Church, and the Church is his body. Christ established a Kingdom
here on earth. Where is it? It is to be found in his Church, and it is
advanced by his Church.
Let us reject the
cry that is occasionally heard, Christ yes, the Church no. Not at all.
Christ is the head and the bridegroom of his Church. His plan is that
we become subjects of his Kingdom by being members of his Church, for
his Church is his body and his spouse. Let us enter into and maintain
full communion with his Church knowing that in doing this we enter into
full communion with Christ who is the Church’s Lord, head and
bridegroom.
You were saying to him: 'you mustn't trust me. But I..., I do
trust you, Jesus. I abandon myself in your arms: there I leave all that
is mine, my weaknesses!' And I think it is a good prayer.
(The Way,
no.113)
Why is
the legitimate defence of
persons and of society not opposed to this norm?
Because in choosing to legitimately defend oneself one is respecting
the right to life (either one’s own right to life or that of another)
and not choosing to kill. Indeed, for someone responsible for the life
of another, legitimate defence can be not only a right but a grave
duty, provided only that disproportionate force is not used. (CCC
2263-2265)
(Compendium of the
Catechism of the Catholic Church, no.467)
(July
12) Today let us think of St John Jones (c.
1620-1679) and St John Wall
(1530-1598) These two friars were martyred in England in
the 16th and 17th centuries for refusing to deny their faith.
(Saints) John Jones
was Welsh. He was ordained a diocesan priest and was twice imprisoned
for administering the sacraments before leaving England in 1590. He
joined the Franciscans at the age of 60 and returned to England three
years later while Queen Elizabeth I was at the height of her power.
John ministered to Catholics in the English countryside until his
imprisonment in 1596. He was condemned to be hanged, drawn and
quartered. John was executed on July 12, 1598. John Wall was
born in England but was educated at the English College of Douai,
Belgium. Ordained in Rome in 1648, he entered the Franciscans in Douai
several years later. In 1656 he returned to work secretly in England.
In 1678 Titus Oates worked many English people into a frenzy over an
alleged papal plot to murder the king and restore Catholicism in that
country. In that year Catholics were legally excluded from Parliament,
a law which was not repealed until 1829. John Wall was arrested and
imprisoned in 1678 and was executed the following year. John Jones and
John Wall were canonized in 1970.
Every martyr knows how to save
his/her life and yet refuses to do so. A public repudiation of the
faith would save any of them. But some things are more precious than
life itself. These martyrs prove that their 20th-century countryman, C.
S. Lewis, was correct in saying that courage is not simply one of the
virtues but the form (shape) of every virtue at the testing point, that
is, at the point of highest reality. As Cardinal Newman once wrote, "No
one is a martyr for a conclusion; no one is a martyr for an opinion. It
is faith that makes martyrs" (Discourses to Mixed
Congregations).
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Scripture today: Genesis 44:18-21,
23b-29; 45:1-5; Psalm 105:16-21; Matthew 10:7-15
Jesus said to his
Apostles: “As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is
at hand.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, drive out
demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.
Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts; no sack for the
journey, or a second tunic, or sandals, or walking stick. The labourer
deserves his keep. Whatever town or village you enter, look for a
worthy person in it, and stay there until you leave. As you enter a
house, wish it peace. If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon
it; if not, let your peace return to you. Whoever will not receive you
or listen to your words go outside that house or town and shake the
dust from your feet. Amen, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for
the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that
town.” Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus, “Do not
go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town. Go rather to the
lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, make this proclamation:
‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’” (Matthew 10:7-15)
Any reader of the
Gospels will notice how frequently our Lord refers to the kingdom of
heaven, or the kingdom of God. It is the term he uses in announcing his
message and the reason for his call to repentance. After being baptized
by John the Baptist he begins preaching “Repent, for the kingdom of God
is at hand.” We ourselves have perhaps lost a sense of the concrete
character which this term “kingdom” and “kingdom of heaven” evoked.
History had been characterized by the coming and the passing of
kingdoms, and the
announcement of the imminent appearance of a “kingdom” always aroused
anticipation and concern. We remember the reaction of
Herod when the
Magi came from the East to see the infant king. We think of Pilate
asking our Lord if he was a “king” and our Lord replying that yes he
was, but his “kingdom” was not of this world. A “kingdom” was (and is)
a very concrete thing and we ought try to regain the sense of this. As
the Scriptures had foretold God’s “kingdom” was coming and it would
never end. We see expressions of this in Genesis, in the prophets, the
book of Daniel, the historical books and others, and our Lord now
announces that it was at hand. In today’s Gospel passage (Matthew 10:7-15)
he
sends out the Twelve to the lost sheep of the house of Israel to
proclaim this good news everywhere. The miracles and exorcisms they
were to perform were signs of the joyous and blessed character of this
kingdom. The danger was, of course, that the term was so concrete a one
that the people and the Apostles themselves would tend to regard this
kingdom as like the kingdoms of this world bringing with it a political
rather than a spiritual freedom, a temporal rather than a spiritual and
personal sovereignty. Despite the danger it was a kingdom no less for
that. Christ came to conquer and his kingdom would never end.
The kingdom of God
is real, concrete and very definite. It has a king, Jesus the Messiah,
anointed by the Holy Spirit. The most striking thing about this kingdom
is that it is constituted in Jesus himself. One becomes a citizen of
this kingdom by being incorporated into the person of Jesus and this is
done by believing in him and by baptism. If we believe in him and in
what he has revealed as it is taught by the Twelve and the Church which
Christ built on them, and if we are baptized into his Church, we shall
be in Jesus and he in us. The kingdom of God consists of all those who
are in Jesus as branches of the vine. Christ is the vine, the Father is
the vinedresser. The life of the kingdom is our life in Christ and that
comes with and is the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is what the Church
calls the life of grace, and it is the gift of God to man as a result
of the death and resurrection of Christ. This “kingdom” of Christ and
God is not just some amorphous and vague spiritual reality somewhat
like the air we breathe and the atmosphere around us. It is all this in
a certain sense, but it is also a very definite thing in character with
its being a “kingdom”. The kingdom of God is localized and can be seen.
It has its outward form and can be pointed to. I has its governance and
its clearly-defined life. Where is it? In the first instance it is in
the Church of which Christ is head and which he sustains. The Twelve
are its foundation stones and it is built by Christ on them, and in
particular on the one he appointed to be its visible rock and to hold
the keys. That Rock is Peter and his successors. Yes, it is a very
definite and identifiable kingdom and its heart and soul is the person
of Jesus present in his Church. By being incorporated into him we are
citizens of this kingdom, and our vocation is to be transformed into
him. This glorious drama is played out in the Church Christ founded to
bring his person and blessings to all mankind.
Let us endeavour to
recover a sense of the freshness and very concrete reality of the
“kingdom of God”. Let us remember its character of hard fact bringing
great changes to the life of all its citizens. Above all let us
remember that in its essence it involves life in Jesus who abides in
his Church. As St Paul puts it in one of his Letters, this is the
mystery now revealed, Christ in you, your hope of glory.
(E.J.Tyler)
What is the purpose of punishment?
A punishment imposed by legitimate public authority has the aim of
redressing the disorder introduced by the offence, of defending public
order and people’s safety, and contributing to the correction of the
guilty party. (CCC 2266)
(Compendium of the
Catechism of the Catholic Church, no.468)
(July
13) Saint
Henry (973-1024) Born in Barvaria, he succeeded his
father as Duke of Bavaria and later was elected Holy Roman Emperor. He
was outstanding for his reforms in the Church and for his encouragement
of missionary
activity; he set up many dioceses and founded monasteries. As German
king and Holy Roman Emperor, Henry was a practical man of affairs. He
was energetic in consolidating his rule. He crushed rebellions and
feuds. On all sides he had to deal with drawn-out disputes so as to
protect his frontiers. This involved him in a number of battles,
especially in the south in Italy; he also helped Pope Benedict VIII
quell disturbances in Rome. Always his ultimate purpose was to
establish a stable peace in Europe. According to eleventh-century
custom, Henry took advantage of his position and appointed as bishops
men loyal to him. In his case, however, he avoided the pitfalls of this
practice and actually fostered the reform of ecclesiastical and
monastic life. He was canonized by Pope Eugene III in the year 1146.
(Saints)
All in all, this saint was a man of his times.
From our standpoint, he may have been too quick to do battle and too
ready to use power to accomplish reforms. But, granted such
limitations, he shows that holiness is possible in a busy secular life.
It is in doing our job that we become saints. A passage from John
XXIII’s encyclical is relevant: “We deem it opportune to remind our
children of their duty to take an active part in public life and to
contribute toward the attainment of the common good of the entire human
family as well as to that of their own political community. They should
endeavour, therefore, in the light of their Christian faith and led by
love, to insure that the various institutions—whether economic, social,
cultural or political in purpose—should be such as not to create
obstacles, but rather to facilitate or render less arduous man’s
perfecting of himself in both the natural order and the
supernatural.... Every believer in this world of ours must be a spark
of light, a centre of love, a vivifying leaven amidst his fellow men.
And he will be this all the more perfectly, the more closely he lives
in communion with God in the intimacy of his own soul” (Blessed Pope
John XXIII, Peace
on Earth, 146, 164).
Jesus said to his
Apostles: “Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves;
so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves. But beware of men, for
they will hand you over to courts and scourge you in their synagogues,
and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake as a witness
before them and the pagans. When they hand you over, do not worry about
how you are to speak or what you are to say. You will be given at that
moment what you are to say. For it will not be you who speak but the
Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will hand over
brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise up
against parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all
because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved. When
they persecute you in one town, flee to another. Amen, I say to you,
you will not finish the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.” (Matthew
10:16-23)
When I was young a
priest in charge of our formation used to stress the danger of what he
called “human respect.” By that he meant that the worldly expectations
and values of those with whom one associates can constitute a true
danger to one’s fidelity to Christian values. Why? The reason lies in
our perfectly natural and God-given desire to be socially accepted. We
crave the respect of human society and if it is denied us because of
what we choose to do it will cause us
suffering. I remember years ago in one parish I served in there was one
Catholic couple who could not get one of their children to go to Sunday
Mass. As it turned out the reason was that the boy’s friends who lived
in the same street nearby would tease and mock him for going to Mass.
Human respect was extremely powerful in that boy’s life as it is in the
life of everyone. The only way it can be overcome is by something that
is held to be even more important such as one’s religion and the God
who is worshipped and served in it. The priest I mentioned earlier who
was often warning us against the power of “human respect” was not only
thinking of its effect in the life of an individual Christian. He was
thinking also of its effect in the life of Christian communities and
families and religious institutes. Gradually the influence of the
world’s expectations and the values of a secular society as it is
exemplified in one’s associates and companions can be accepted through
fear of ridicule and rejection or through the attraction of greater
ease and convenience. The upshot can be that a whole institute or
community can be led into the broad way of the world and away from the
demanding path of Christ. Families can stray from the Christian faith
because of their acceptance of a contrary and worldly example. The
church in a certain locality or country can in this way decline and
society itself can gradually become less Christian. The hard-won
evangelization of a culture can gradually evaporate because of undue
respect for the approval of others. Human respect is a power that
competes with respect for God.
In our Gospel today
our Lord solemnly warns his Apostles — and therefore the entire Church
of which they were the foundation stones — of the hatred and
persecution of men. Bearing witness to Christ’s name will bring the
scorn, the disregard, the ridicule, the vituperation, and even active
persecution of men (as we see in Asian communist countries such as
China and certain Islamic societies). Of course, from age to age the
form of rejection and persecution will vary. In a society which has
learnt (through Christian influence) that human rights and conscience
are to be respected, an active persecution is unlikely. But other forms
of persecution can be just as virulent. Pope Benedict has
famously referred to the “dictatorship of relativism” so rampant in
Western secular culture and which can be so intolerant of Christian
orthodoxy. The point here is that our Lord’s warning in today’s Gospel
applies to every age while appearing in different guises. The tendency
to respect and desire human approval and to avoid anything which brings
down upon one’s head the disapproval of those who have influence or
power is to be actively disciplined. Otherwise it will be impossible to
withstand what our Lord calls being “hated by all because of my name.”
Not only must we be vigilant against human respect, but we must bear in
mind our Lord’s wonderful assurance of divine aid in the midst of
opposition: “When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to
speak or what you are to say. You will be given at that moment what you
are to say. For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your
Father speaking through you.” (Matthew
10:16-23).
We ought pray that at all times we shall be alert and open to the
assistance of the Holy Spirit who abides with the one who is in Jesus.
The Holy Spirit bears witness to Jesus and he assists those who are
called to give this witness to the world. This is consoling to know,
and we ought pray for a lively faith in our Lord’s assurance on this.
Let us see
ourselves in the company of our Lord’s Apostles as he sends them out to
bear witness to his name. We who are Christians and members of Christ’s
Church founded on the Apostles and on Peter are called to share in
their mission. We have the Holy Spirit to help us. Let us be strong
against the temptation to human respect, and place our hopes not in the
approval of man but in that of God.
(E.J.Tyler)
What kind of punishment may be imposed?
The punishment imposed must be proportionate to the gravity of the
offense. Given the possibilities which the State now has for
effectively preventing crime by rendering one who has committed an
offense incapable of doing harm, the cases in which the execution of
the offender is an absolute necessity “are very rare, if not
practically non-existent.” (Evangelium Vitae). When non-lethal means
are sufficient, authority should limit itself to such means because
they better correspond to the concrete conditions of the common good,
are more in conformity with the dignity of the human person, and do not
remove definitively from the guilty party the possibility of reforming
himself. (CCC 2267)
(Compendium of the
Catechism of the Catholic Church, no.469)
(July
14) Blessed
Kateri Tekakwitha 1656-1680) The blood of martyrs is the
seed of saints. Nine years after the Jesuits Isaac Jogues and John de
Brébeuf were tortured to death by Huron and Iroquois Indians, a
baby girl was born near the place of their martyrdom, Auriesville, New
York. She was to be the first person born in North America to be
beatified. Her mother was a Christian Algonquin, taken captive by the
Iroquois and given as wife to the chief of the Mohawk clan, the boldest
and fiercest of the Five Nations. When she was four, Kateri lost her
parents and little brother in a smallpox epidemic that left her
disfigured and half blind. She was adopted by an uncle, who succeeded
her father as chief. He hated the coming of the Blackrobes
(missionaries), but could do nothing to them because a peace treaty
with the French required their presence in villages with Christian
captives. She was moved
by the words of
three Blackrobes who lodged with her uncle, but fear of him kept her
from seeking instruction. She refused to marry a Mohawk brave and at 19
finally got the courage to take the step of converting. She was
baptized with the name Kateri (Catherine) on Easter Sunday. Now she
would be treated as a slave. Because she would not work on Sunday, she
received no food that day. Her life in grace grew rapidly. She told a
missionary that she often meditated on the great dignity of being
baptized. She was powerfully moved by God’s love for human beings and
saw the dignity of each of her people. She was always in danger, for
her conversion and holy life created great opposition. On the advice of
a priest, she stole away one night and began a 200-mile walking journey
to a Christian Indian village at Sault St. Louis, near Montreal. For
three years she grew in holiness under the direction of a priest and an
older Iroquois woman, giving herself totally to God in long hours of
prayer, in charity and in strenuous penance. At 23 she took a vow of
virginity, an unprecedented act for an Indian woman, whose future
depended on being married. She found a place in the woods where she
could pray an hour a day—and was accused of meeting a man there! Her
dedication to virginity was instinctive: She did not know about
religious life for women until she visited Montreal. Inspired by this,
she and two friends wanted to start a community, but the local priest
dissuaded her. She humbly accepted an “ordinary” life. She practiced
extremely severe fasting as penance for the conversion of her nation.
She died the afternoon before Holy Thursday. Witnesses said that her
emaciated face changed colour and became like that of a healthy child.
The lines of suffering, even the pockmarks, disappeared and the touch
of a smile came upon her lips. She was beatified in 1980.
Father Pierre Cholenec, a witness at her
deathbed, states that at the time of her death Kateri's face "... so
disfigured and so swarthy in life, suddenly changed about fifteen
minutes after her death, and in an instant became so beautiful and so
fair that just as soon as I saw it (I was praying by her side) I let
out a yell, I was so astonished, and I sent for the priest who was
working at the repository for the Holy Thursday service. At the news of
this prodigy, he came running along with some people who were with him.
We then had the time to contemplate this marvel right up to the time of
her burial. I frankly admit that my first thought at the time was that
Catherine could well have entered heaven at that moment and that she
had -- as a preview -- already received in her virginal body a small
indication of the glory of which her soul had taken possession in
Heaven. Two Frenchmen from La Prairie de la Magdeleine came to the
Sault on Thursday to be present at the service. They were passing by
Catherine's cabin where, seeing a woman lying on her mat and with such a
beautiful and radiant face, they said to each other, Look at this young
woman sleeping so peacefully and kept going. But, learning the next
minute that it was a dead body, and that of Catherine, they returned to
the cabin and went down on their knees to recommend themselves to her
prayers. After having satisfied their devotion for having seen such a
wonderful scene, they wished to show their veneration for the dead girl
by constructing then and there a coffin to hold such cherished
remains."
(Note: The picture above of Kateri
was painted 1682-1693 by Fr Chauchetiere)
Kateri once said: “I am not my own; I have given
myself to Jesus. He must be my only love. The state of helpless poverty
that may befall me if I do not marry does not frighten me. All I need
is a little food and a few pieces of clothing. With the work of my
hands I shall always earn what is necessary and what is left over I’ll
give to my relatives and to the poor. If I should become sick and
unable to work, then I shall be like the Lord on the cross. He will
have mercy on me and help me, I am sure.” We like to think that our
proposed holiness is thwarted by our situation. If only we could have
more solitude, less opposition, better health. Kateri repeats the
example of the saints: Holiness thrives on the cross, anywhere. Yet she
did have what Christians—all people—need: the support of a community.
She had a good mother, helpful priests, Christian friends. These were
present in what we call primitive conditions, and blossomed in the
age-old Christian triad of prayer, fasting and alms: union with God in
Jesus and the Spirit, self-discipline and often suffering, and charity
for her brothers and sisters.
(Saints)
St Camillus de
Lellis, priest (1550-1614). Coming from a noble family of Chieti
in Abruzzi (Italy), Camillus was a young soldier of fortune when
he converted and decided to consecrate his life to the service of the
sick. He completed his studies and was ordained priest, and worked to
improve the treatment and care of hospital patients. He founded the
Order of Hospitallers which carries his name. He died in Rome. (Saints)
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Scripture
today: Genesis 49:29-32;
50:15-26a; Psalm 105:1-4, 6-7; Matthew
10:24-33 Jesus said to his
Apostles: “No disciple is above his teacher, no slave above his master.
It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, for the
slave that he become like his master. If they have called the master of
the house Beelzebul, how much more those of his household! “Therefore
do not be afraid of them. Nothing is concealed that will not be
revealed, nor secret that will not be known. What I say to you in the
darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the
housetops. And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot
kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul
and body in Gehenna. Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet
not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.
Even all the hairs of your head are counted. So do not be afraid; you
are worth more than many sparrows. Everyone who acknowledges me before
others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. But whoever denies
me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.”(Matthew 10:24-33)
There is no doubt
about it, a lot of things can disturb us in this life. Cardinal Newman
in nineteenth century England — that outstanding witness to Christian
orthodoxy — states in his famous book Apologia
Pro Vita Sua
(1864) that were it not for the unmistakable notice about God provided
by his conscience, the fact of evil for him would be overwhelming. That
is to say that the world and life are in a state of immense
disfunction. Disturbance is an unavoidable component of
the human condition. Suffering and frustration beset man from the
cradle to the grave and the sooner he understands that this is the
pattern of life the better, because if he fails to appreciate it his
bewilderment and bitterness will be very great. Pope Benedict once
wrote that each man and woman must learn how to live. An essential part
of this learning process is learning how to deal with life’s
unavoidable evils which can at times be crushing. Now, what is the key
to learning how to deal with suffering? Well, it is obvious that while
technology and science go some way to dealing with evils it is not the
ultimate answer. Philosophy has its place but it too will not suffice
if only because of its uncertainty. In the history of man and his
cultures man has looked to the superior powers for his main aid in the
face of evil and suffering. I can think of at least one British
anthropologist (Evans-Pritchard) who pinpointed the way evil and
suffering as dealt with as being the defining element in an
indigenous religion. Whatever about that suggestion, it is obvious that
religion is man’s stay and principal resource in his recurring
confrontation with evil. Characteristically he appeals to his
gods in dealing with the disfunction and hostility that characterize
the forces of this world which is his abode. The danger of our age is
to disregard faith and to look instead wholly to this world for
his answers.
When we turn to
divine Revelation — to what God has revealed — we immediately see that
in his mercy God has responded to the evil that inflicts man. In
our Gospel today our Lord places before
us central elements of this Revelation. He refers to the disciple being
treated as the Master is treated, and to those who can kill the body
but not the soul. He says, do not fear all this. Think of God your
heavenly Father and of what he intends for you and live accordingly. We
read, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the
soul. Rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body
in Gehenna. Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of
them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge. Even all the
hairs of your head are counted. So do not be afraid. You are worth more
than many sparrows. Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will
acknowledge before my heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before
others I will deny before my heavenly Father.” (Matthew 10:24-33)
So we must acquire the habit of living in the presence of God and of
living in the light of his revealed plan for us, while doing all we can
to overcome the evils and sufferings that bear down upon us. Ultimately
we must live in the unseen arms of God and draw light and abiding
consolation from his revealed plan. This requires faith. As St John
puts it in his inspired Letter, “this is the victory over the world,
our faith.” Faith in God and in his revelation gives us the victory
over the forces around us and within us that can crush us. Ultimately
those forces derive from sin, and sin has been overcome by Christ.
Christ is man’s light and Christ is man’s stay, and though he walk
through the valley of darkness he need not fear. So we must not be
afraid.
That is our Lord’s
message in today’s Gospel. This was the inaugural message of Pope John
Paul II as he began his pontificate in October of 1978. Do not be
afraid! Open the doors to Christ! Let us resolve then always to live in
the light of God and his revelation. Let us live as if we have seen the
unseen, and this we shall do if we live by a lively faith in the person
of Christ who is the revelation of the Father. If we do this and bear
witness before men to this faith, Christ will bear witness to us before
his heavenly Father.
(E.J.Tyler)
The fifth commandment forbids as gravely contrary to the moral law:
* direct and intentional murder and cooperation in
it;
* direct abortion, willed as an end or as means, as
well as cooperation in it. Attached to this sin is the penalty of
excommunication because, from the moment of his or her conception, the
human being must be absolutely respected and protected in his integrity;
* direct euthanasia which consists in putting an end
to the life of the handicapped, the sick, or those near death by an act
or by the omission of a required action;
* suicide and voluntary cooperation in it, insofar
as it is a grave offense against the just love of God, of self, and of
neighbour. One’s responsibility may be aggravated by the scandal given;
one who is psychologically disturbed or is experiencing grave fear may
have diminished responsibility. (CCC 2268-2283, 2321-2326)
(Compendium of the
Catechism of the Catholic Church, no.470)
Prayers this week:
In my justice I
shall see your face, O Lord; when your glory appears my joy will be full. (Psalm 16:15)
God our Father, your
light of truth guides us to the way of Christ. May all who follow him reject what is contrary to the Gospel. We ask this through our
Lord Jesus Christ your Son in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God.
(July
15) Saint
Bonaventure, bishop and doctor of the Church.
Little is known of the childhood of this successor
of St. Francis of Assisi. Saint Bonaventure was born near Viterbo
between 1218 and 1221. His took the habit of the Friars Minor, and
studied under the "Unanswerable" Doctor, Alexander of Hales. He himself
is known as the "Seraphic" Doctor, teaching theology and Holy Scripture
from 1248 to 1257. St. Bonaventure was called by his priestly
obligations to preach, and this he did with much vigour, engendering
fire in those who listened to him. While he was at the University of
Paris, he wrote the Commentary on the Sentences of Peter Lombard,
covering the field of Scholastic Theology. This time in Paris was
difficult though, as there was great jealousy against the medicant
friars for many reasons including academic success and the ease with
which they reproved the worldliness around them. Battling books were
issued between the groups, with William of St. Amour leading the
secular clergy, and St. Bonaventure defending the poverty of life of
the Friars. Finally, Pope Alexander IV sent cardinals to settle the
manner, and the books of William of St. Amour were burned, the Friars
reinstated, and the attack suspended. In the following year, St.
Bonaventure and St. Thomas Aquinas received their Doctorates of
Theology together. Whereas Thomas' work centres on the
intellect, St. Bonaventure's texts are of a more spiritual nature,
including Concerning
the Perfection of Life, Soliloquy and Concerning
the Threefold Way. He forms the basis of the Franciscan school
of
thought. This same year of his Doctorate, 1257, St. Bonaventure was
elected minister general of the Franciscans. He immediately set upon a
standardization of the Order, since it had fractured into sections
ranging from permissive and lax to excessively rigorist. In setting the
Order straight, he formed a Constitution following a middle to
conservative path. This reformed and disciplined the lax, while
tempering the excesses of the rigorists. In many ways he acted almost
as if he were Francis, and is still considered the Second Founder of
the Order. The saint refused the first promotion to the Episcopate, but
was induced into the Cardinalate of Albano in 1273. Gregory X
instructed the Saint to prepare the General Council of Lyons, and
during the proceedings St. Bonaventure proved most crucial in reuniting
the Greeks Catholics with Rome. He also attending the last General
Chapter of the Order during the breaks in the Council. There Saint
Bonaventure preached at the Reunion Mass after the council, and then
died suddenly in the night of July 14-15, 1274.
(Saints)
As a theologian Pope Benedict XVI
considers himself in the line of Augustine and Bonaventure.
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Scripture: Deuteronomy
30:10-14; Psalm 69:14, 17, 30-31, 33-34, 36, 37 or Psalm 19:8 — 11;
Colossians 1:15-20; Luke 10:25-37
There was a scholar of
the law who stood up to test him and said, “Teacher, what must I do to
inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “What is written in the law?
How do you read it?” He said in reply, You shall love the Lord, your
God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength,
and with all your mind, and your neighbour as yourself.” He replied to
him, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.” But
because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my
neighbour?” Jesus replied, “A man fell victim to robbers as he went
down from Jerusalem to Jericho. They stripped and beat him and went off
leaving him half-dead. A priest happened to be going down that road,
but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. Likewise a
Levite came to the place, and when he saw him, he passed by on the
opposite side. But a Samaritan traveller who came upon him was moved
with compassion at the sight. He approached the victim, poured oil and
wine over his wounds and bandaged them. Then he lifted him up on his
own animal, took him to an inn, and cared for him. The next day he took
out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper with the
instruction, ‘Take care of him. If you spend more than what I have
given you, I shall repay you on my way back.’ Which of these three, in
your opinion, was neighbour to the robbers’ victim?” He answered, “The
one who treated him with mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do
likewise.” (Luke 10:25-37)
The story
of the Good
Samaritan is one of the most famous stories of world literature and has
inspired countless Christians to a life of service to those in need.
For instance, in Australia there is one Institute of women religious
founded in the nineteenth century that takes the Good Samaritan for its
name. Our Lord told the story in explanation of the Old Testament
divine command to love. In order to gain eternal life we must love God
with all our heart and our neighbour as ourself. Christ subsequently
added a new element to this command, that we are to love one another as
he loves us. Love for one’s neighbour is a central requirement for
salvation. In our Lord’s description of the Last
Judgment as narrated in the Gospel of St Matthew (chapter 25), our
judgment hinges on how we have treated our neighbour, particularly the
one in need. Christ our Judge will regard what we do to the least in
need as having been done to himself. In our Gospel today
(Luke 10:25-37), the question directed
to our Lord is, who is my neighbour? In effect the question is, exactly
who am I to love as myself? Is it the one with whom I have God-given
natural ties and for whom I have natural responsibilities? Our
Lord’s answer is, I am to love as myself all who are in need and whom I
am able to help. In the story the priest and the Levite pass by the
wounded man in need. They are able to help him but they do not. They
are breaking God’s fundamental law of love the observance of which is
necessary for salvation. A foreigner and one who is not of their
religion comes by and sees the man in need and serves him at personal
cost and inconvenience. Our Lord holds up the example of that
compassionate Samaritan and says, go and do the same yourself. The
question we can go on to ask is, in just what circumstances is the
average person to do this?
Many interpret our
Lord’s teaching in this story as applying to special initiatives we can
take for those in need, initiatives that are over and above the
ordinary duties of everyday life. For instance, the St Vincent de Paul
members walk in the footsteps of the Good Samaritan, visiting persons
in material need in their own free time and assisting those who are not
otherwise helped by the various institutions of society. Again, parish
catechists involve themselves in very important spiritual works of
mercy, visiting the state schools in their own free time teaching
children who lack the critically important knowledge of the Catholic
Faith. They are Good Samaritans assisting every week considerable
numbers of young people in spiritual need. Many other examples of
spiritual and corporal works of mercy to those in need could be
mentioned that every parish invites all parishioners to consider giving
of their time to engage in. However, our Lord’s teaching does not
apply only to this kind of loving service to those in need. He is
speaking of the love for others that ought permeate our entire life in
whatever circumstance we find ourselves and whatever might be our
calling or profession. It must be remembered that the characteristic
situation of the lay faithful is in the world. He lives in the world of
family and work and daily acquaintances and his life is largely one of
service in that context. His life is inextricably bound up with the
world and by means of this involvement in the world the Church herself
is made present there. It is largely through the lay person that the
Church brings Christ into the world. The Church is present in society,
in family life, in the myriad forms of daily work, in commerce and in
political and legislative action precisely through and in the lay
faithful.
This means that the lay person in the world
must live and act as an instrument of Christ and his Church right there in his
daily situation in the world. It means that precisely there he must
constantly be the Good Samaritan whom our Lord says we must imitate. In his
family life the lay member of Christ’s Church must be the Good Samaritan serving
the one in spiritual or material need. In his daily profession and work he must
be the Good Samaritan serving those in need as would Christ. Imagine Christ and
his foster-father Joseph at their daily work and profession in Nazareth all
those years. They embodied to a perfect degree the spirit of the Good Samaritan
in everyday life. It means taking to heart the needs of the common good in
society and doing all possible to ensure that civil and political life and all
legislation serve those in need. In God’s plan society itself and all its laws
and institutions ought be imbued with the spirit of the Good Samaritan. Christ
would say to every country and culture and institution, go and do what the Good
Samaritan
did. The mission of the lay faithful in Christ’s Catholic
Church is so to live and work in family and society that the spirit of
the Good Samaritan, which is nothing other than the spirit of Christ
himself who became poor that we might be rich, pervades all of life be
it personal, social, economic, legal, political, national and
international. Christ, having told the parable of the Good Samaritan,
says to each of us and to the entire world, Go and do the same
yourself. If we and the world neglect to do this, God will judge us and
the world accordingly.
(E.J.Tyler)
Further reading: The Catechism of the
Catholic Church, no.1913-1916
You write. 'In my spiritual reading I build up a store of fuel. —
It looks like a lifeless heap, but I often find that my memory, of its
own accord, will draw from it material which fills my prayer with life
and inflames my thanksgiving after Communion.'
(The Way,
no.117)
What medical procedures are
permitted when death is considered imminent?
When death is considered imminent the ordinary care owed to a sick
person cannot be legitimately interrupted. However, it is legitimate to
use pain-killers which do not aim at in death and to refuse
“over-zealous treatment”, that is the utilization of disproportionate
medical procedures without reasonable hope of a positive outcome.
(2278-2279)
(Compendium of the
Catechism of the Catholic Church, no.471)
(July 16)
Our
Lady of Mount Carmel. The sacred Scriptures speak
of the beauty of Mount Carmel where the prophet Elijah defended the
faith of the people of Israel in the living God. In the twelfth century
(a time of much needed Church reform) a group of hermits settled there
and afterwards set up the Carmelite Order to lead a contemplative life
under the patronage of the holy Mother of God.
(Saints)
Jesus said to his
Apostles: “Do not think that I have come to bring
peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the sword. For
I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her
mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one’s
enemies will be those of his household. “Whoever loves father or mother
more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter
more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his
cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life
will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
“Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the
one who sent me. Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet
will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever receives a righteous man
because he is righteous will receive a righteous man’s reward. And
whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to
drink because he is a disciple – amen, I say to you, he will surely not
lose his reward.” When Jesus finished giving these commands to his
Twelve disciples, he went away from that place to teach and to preach
in their towns.(Matthew
10:34—11:1)
It is not easy to
think of a person in history who, while being
universally allowed to have been good and holy, required of his
disciples such absolute devotion to his very person as did Jesus
Christ. Consider Buddha, Confucius, Mahomet. Did they require that
people be prepared to lose their lives for their sakes, with the
guarantee that if they did they would find and regain their lives? They
made claims for the authority and truth of their teaching, but as far
as I am aware they did not make their own persons the object of the
life of their disciples. Not so Jesus Christ. His teaching is to be
followed whatever be the cost, but this is to flow from total devotion
to his very person. Our Gospel passage today is one of several that
could be cited in which Christ calmly presents himself as the supreme
value in each person’s life. Because of this, he states, his coming
will cause profound division within many families and one’s “enemies”
could well come from one’s own family and household. For the disciple,
the person and teaching of Christ is to be utterly non-negotiable
whatever be the consequences for one’s personal life and natural family
and social ties. No one is to be preferred before Jesus, and “whoever
loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever
loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever
does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me.”
(Matthew
10:34-11:1).
I may be mistaken but this appears to me to be a
very distinctive feature of the Christian religion. Christ himself is
its object. No patriarch or prophet in Judaism demands the like, nor, I
think, does the founder of Islam. Christ’s claims and requirements are
no different from that of God himself. Indeed, Jesus Christ makes that
very claim. The one who sees him sees the Father. For this reason he is
the Way, the Truth and the Life. Full acceptance of his teaching
whatever be the consequences to life and relationships and possessions
flows from this devotion to his person.
This all stands to
reason for the Christian has drawn near in faith to
the person of Jesus and in his prayerful reading or hearing of the
words of the Gospels has heard him speak. The Christian keeps Christ
company day by day and comes to know him as a real and living person.
Christ has to be discovered and it is necessary to approach him and to
be with him as were the Twelve to whom our Lord speaks in today’s
Gospel. The person of Christ is not just an academic study as one would
study the stars and come to a learned view as to the existence and
nature of this or that galaxy or distant planet. He is not just an
intellectual challenge posed by the belief and witness of many fervent
Christians — even though he can be all this too. Rather, Christ is a
person who now lives risen from the dead and is approached through
listening with prayer and faith to the proclamation of the Church and
her Scriptures. I remember many years ago watching a movie the story of
which was about some early Christians in the Roman Empire. There was
one memorable scene in which a pagan Roman officer who loved a
Christian girl prayed for a Christian facing the wild animals in the
Colosseum. He said, Christ, if you exist, help him! That Roman officer
in the movie who so prayed became a Christian. He turned to Christ as
to a real person. Christ is not just an academic exercise. He is a
living unseen person who has to be personally approached if he is ever
to be known. Once one comes to know him one must stay in his company,
listening to him with openness of heart until love dawns and flowers.
The Christian is one who has come to see that in Christ is to be found
every heavenly blessing. In him is present the fulness of the godhead
bodily. He is man’s all. In having him we have everything and we show
our faith and love for his person by a total assent to his teaching as
it comes to us in the Tradition, the teaching and the Scriptures of the
Church he founded.
As we listen to the
words of our Lord in today’s Gospel asking from the
Twelve their total and undivided devotion to his person, let us
understand that those words are addressed to us as well. The Twelve
were the foundation stones of the Church Christ founded. He is the head
and the cornerstone. We who are baptized are part of that living
Temple, and our calling as Christians is to make Christ the object of
our life and to bear witness to him and his teaching to the world.
(E.J.Tyler)
Why must
society protect every embryo?
The inalienable right to life of every human individual from the first
moment of conception is a constitutive element of civil society and its
legislation. When the State does not place its power at the service of
the rights of all and in particular of the more vulnerable, including
unborn children, the very foundations of a State based on law are
undermined. (CCC 2273-2274)
(Compendium of the
Catechism of the Catholic Church, no.472)
(July 17) The
Blessed Martyrs of Compiegne
On this day in 1794 all the nuns of the Carmelite monastery of
Compiegne were guillotined by the revolutionary French republicans.
They offered their lives for France and her liberation from the terror.
They were the last executed under that regime and the terror soon
ended. (Saints)
Their story has been retold in many forms. A booklet written a few years ago
by Terry Newkirk, herself a Carmelite Secular, includes the following
excerpt:
"An ironic sidelight: the one nun
of royal blood, Marie of the Incarnation, happened to be away at the
time of the arrest and thus escaped execution; one of only three
survivors of her community, she became the martyrs' first historian,
collecting eyewitness accounts of the nuns deaths. Reverend Mother
Émilienne, Superior General of the Sisters of Charity of Nevers,
wrote in a letter: " 'I learned from a person who was a witness to
their martyrdom that the youngest of these good Carmelites was called
first and that she went to kneel before her venerable Superior, asked
her blessing and permission to die. She then mounted the scaffold
singing Laudate Dominum omnes gentes. She then went to place herself
beneath the blade (not) allowing the executioner to touch her. All the
others did the same. The Venerable Mother was the last sacrificed.
During the whole time, there was not a single drum-roll; but there
reigned a profound silence.'
"Sister Charlotte of the
Resurrection, seventy-eight and an invalid, having been thrown roughly
to the pavement from the tumbrel, was heard to speak words of
forgiveness and encouragement to her tormentor. Sister Julie had an
extreme horror of the guillotine; yet she refused to leave her sisters
even when her family sent for her, saying, 'We are victims of the age,
and we must sacrifice ourselves for its reconciliation with God.'
Another witness said of the nuns, 'They looked like they were going to
their weddings.'
"Throughout France a vaunted new
age of spiritual maturity, free from the bonds of sectarian religion,
was underway. On June 20, 1794, a Feast of the Supreme Being" was
celebrated in Compiègne. In November of the previous year, the
worship of Reason was officially proclaimed: the church of
Saint-Jacques in Compiégne became the Temple of Reason. The
church of Saint- Antoine became a public meeting hall and fodder
storehouse. In December, the Mayor of Paris had announced in the Temple
of Reason that the Declaration of the Rights of Man would henceforth be
the catechism of the French, and that the Constitution would be their
Gospel. The prevailing mood of the times is reflected in a letter of
July 17, 1794, from municipal officials of Compiègne to the
Comité du Sureté Nationale:
" 'The citizens of the
Commune of Compiègne and of the District celebrated a civic
festival on the 26 of this month (Messidor) in memory of the taking of
the Bastille and in rejoicing for the recent victories of our armies.
The minutes of the Municipalites attest that everywhere people were
animated by the same spirit. The festival was concluded with dances and
patriotic banquets.' "Yet there must have been a growing public unease
not evident in this letter. Something in the sight of the nuns being
executed seems to have affected even the hardened Parisian crowd,
accustomed to cheering loudly each fall of the guillotine blade. Within
ten days, by July 27, 1794, Robespierre and the provisional
revolutionary government were finished."
Jesus began to
reproach the towns where most of his mighty deeds had been done, since
they had not repented. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!
For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and
Sidon, they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes. But I
tell you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of
judgment than for you. And as for you, Capernaum: Will you be exalted
to heaven? You will go down to the netherworld. For if the mighty deeds
done in your midst had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until
this day. But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of
Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”(Matthew 11:20-24)
Ever since the
Enlightenment God and Christ have been widely understood and presented
as being purely benevolent. By that I mean that the notion of God and
the image of Christ that have taken root in many people’s minds and
imaginations exclude the thought of a harsh and irrevocable judgment.
Hell is deemed to be incompatible with the notion of God, and by
implication, of Christ. Whatever about the difficulty of integrating in
our own minds divine justice with divine love, we observe in our Gospel
passage today our Lord doing what prophet after prophet had done before
him. He reproached and denounced many of his people and warned them of
a terrible judgment that was coming. Our
Lord is clearly doing nothing less than telling the towns in clear and
graphic terms that they were heading for hell. Hell was were they were
going. His own town where he lived and was based for the most part of
his public ministry seems to have been Caphernaum. What did he say to
them? “And as for you, Capernaum: Will you be exalted to heaven? You
will go down to the netherworld. For if the mighty deeds done in your
midst had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.
But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom on the
day of judgment than for you.”
(Matthew 11:20-24) It is as plain as the
day that Christ solemnly taught that after the death of every person
there would be a solemn judgment by God, and that there would be only
two possible upshots of that judgment. The person would go to heaven
(after being sanctified) or he would go to hell. Therefore to accept
Christ as our God and Saviour must include the acceptance of the
reality not only of heaven for which we were redeemed, but the reality
of hell. It is clear from our Lord’s words that hell is no fantasy and
the people of the towns our Lord mentions were heading for hell.
The second thing to
notice is the precise issue for which our Lord was so reproachful of
the towns. Did he reproach Caphernaum and the other towns for being
murderers? No. Did he condemn them for widespread adultery or theft? No — at least not in our passage here. Did he say that they were going to
hell because they practised idolatry and worshipped the gods of the
surrounding peoples? No. Did he say that they would not inherit the
kingdom of God because they practised sexual perversion or because they
refused to forgive others? No. That is not to say that all these things
will not bring the judgment of God. They will, as our Lord and the
writers of the New Testament make abundantly clear. But what our Lord
rails against in our passage today with such vigour is their unbelief.
They refused to believe in him and all that he claimed. He claimed a
lot, but he provided all the evidence they needed to accept his word as
the word of God. We see throughout our Lord’s public ministry that he
was seeking faith. He wanted all to believe in him, and he taught that
everything depended on it. The blessings of God coming to man in the
person of his Son Jesus Christ depended on his being accepted in faith.
If a person positively refused to believe after having received the
light then there would be awful consequences. Here in our passage today
our Lord gives vent to his profound concern that people had refused to
believe in him despite all they had been shown. “For if the mighty
deeds done in your midst had been done in Sodom, it would have remained
until this day.” Our Lord’s deeds had indeed been mighty — who had ever
done them before? All this is to say that an enormous amount hangs in
the balance in respect to the free choice to believe in Jesus. Our
eternity is bound up in the person of Jesus Christ and in assent to his
word. As our Lord told his disciples before he ascended into heaven,
the one who refuses to believe will be condemned.
Let us who have
been granted the supernatural gift of faith offer thanks to God for the
gift and not take it for granted. It has to be cherished and guarded,
and it has to be lived by. Our faith must be guarded and brought to
others so that they too might believe. But we must also live lives in
accord with our Christian faith otherwise, as St James says in his
Letter, our faith is dead. Faith alone is not sufficient, though it is
the most necessary thing of all. Works must accompany our faith and be
its manifestation. In this way will Christ reign in our life and we
shall reign with him.
(E.J.Tyler)
How beautiful is holy purity I But it is not
holy, nor pleasing to God, if we separate it from charity.
Charity is the seed that will grow and yield rich fruit under the
fertile rain of purity.
Without charity, purity is barren, and its sterile waters turn the soul
into a swamp, into a cesspool from which rises the stench of pride.
(The Way,
no.119)
How does one avoid scandal?
Scandal, which consists in inducing others to do evil, is avoided when
we respect the soul and body of the person. Anyone who deliberately
leads others to commit serious sins himself commits a grave offence.
(2284-2287)
(Compendium of the
Catechism of the Catholic Church, no.473)
(July
19)
Servant of God Francis Garces and Companions (c. 1781).
Government interference in the missions and land grabbing sparked the
Indian uprising which cost these friars their lives. A contemporary of
the American Revolution and of Blessed Junipero Serra, Francisco
Garcés was born in 1738 in Spain, where he joined the
Franciscans. After ordination in 1763, he was sent to Mexico. Five
years later he was assigned to San Xavier del Bac near Tucson, one of
several missions the Jesuits had founded in Arizona and New Mexico
before being expelled in 1767 from all territories controlled by the
Catholic king of Spain. In Arizona, Francisco worked among the Papago,
Yuma, Pima and Apache Native Americans. His missionary travels took him
to the Grand Canyon and to California. Friar Francisco Palou, a
contemporary, writes that Father Garcés was greatly loved by the
indigenous peoples, among whom he lived unharmed for a long time. They
regularly gave him food and referred to him as "Viva Jesus," which was
the greeting he taught them to use. For the sake of their indigenous
converts, the Spanish missionaries wanted to organize settlements away
from the Spanish soldiers and colonists. But the commandant in Mexico
insisted that two new missions on the Colorado River, Misión San
Pedro y San Pablo and Misión La Purísima
Concepción, be mixed settlements. A revolt among the Yumas
against the Spanish left Friars Juan Diaz and Matias Moreno dead at
Misión San Pedro y San Pablo. Friars Francisco Garcés and
Juan Barreneche were killed at Misión La Purísima
Concepción (the site of Fort Yuma).
(Saints)
In the 18th century the
indigenous peoples of the American Southwest saw Catholicism and
Spanish rule as a package deal. When they wanted to throw off the
latter, the new religion had to go also. Do we appreciate sufficiently
the acceptable adjustment our faith can make among various peoples? Are
we offended by the customs of Catholics in other cultures? Do we see
our good example as a contribution to missionary evangelization? On a
visit to Africa in 1969, Pope Paul VI told 22 young Ugandan converts
that "being a Christian is a fine thing but not always an easy one."
Click centre arrow to start video
Scripture today: Exodus
3:13-20; Psalm 105:1 and 5, 8-9, 24-25, 26-27; Matt
11:28-30
Jesus said: “Come
to me, all you who labour and are burdened, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of
heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and
my burden light.”(Matthew 11:28-30)
It is almost a
byword that the problem of suffering and evil is the nagging and
unresolved problem of mankind. Why is there not just peace and
happiness? Why is it that from the cradle to the grave in the life of
every man and woman there is a trail of difficulties and burdens? Such
is the human condition and it is a mystery because man is
characteristically also convinced that there is a good God. But if
there is a good God, why are things as they are and what is to be done
about it? There have been various attempts at an answer. At the time of
the Hebrew prophets such as Jeremiah, across in the Far East Buddha was
seeking his answer to the
problem of suffering and he thought he found it in the renunciation of
all desires and the attainment of Nirvana. However, he left out all
reference to a personal God and that is the glaring defect of classical
Buddhism because it is God who is the ultimate happiness of man. Now,
consider Christ and his answer. He says, come to me and you will find
in me, in my very person, your rest. He does not simply say that if
people follow his doctrine then they will find happiness — Buddha made
this claim. He does, of course, state that following him will involve
accepting and following the path of his doctrine. Believing in him
means learning from him, assenting to his doctrine wholly, and
embracing it wholeheartedly. But that is not the beginning and the end
of it. In the first instance it means believing in his very person and
entrusting oneself to his person. It means, in other words, acting
towards him as one would act towards God. In God lies the happiness of
man and Christ makes the identical claim. In him, in his very person,
in coming to him, in entrusting oneself and one’s burdens entirely to
his keeping and to his disposition, in taking up his yoke will man
attain the happiness God intended for him.
Buddha, Mahomet and
other formulators of a doctrine for the wellbeing and happiness of man
entrusted their legacy to their followers and to history. They did not
claim for their very persons the source of man’s happiness. But this is
exactly what Christ claimed and he showed by his incomparable holiness
and deeds that overburdened man is called to come to him and find his
rest in him. He says, place your faith entirely in my person and
in my word, for I guarantee you that in me will you find rest for your
souls
(Matthew
11:28-30). So our fundamental
vocation as human beings is to turn to Jesus Christ and enter daily
into his company bringing with us all the difficulties inherent in our
human condition and circumstances. Our calling is to love Jesus, to be
with him, to learn from him, and to take upon ourselves his yoke. This
consists in doing the will of God in union with him and according to
his teaching and his way. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life, and he
teaches us humility and meekness of heart. If we do this with him and
in him, if we take up our cross every day and follow in his footsteps,
then we shall find rest for our souls. If we take up his yoke — life
for God in union with Jesus and according to what St Paul calls his
“mind” — then all will be well. Let this mind be in you, St Paul
writes, that was in Christ Jesus. That is what the yoke of Christ is,
and it is the key to our true happiness. So it is that the Church which
Christ founded and which he constantly sustains as her Head, bears
continued witness to the world and to all the religions of man that the
person of Christ and his ineffable revelation is the path to man’s
ultimate happiness here in this life and forever hereafter. This is
what the saints did and they found happiness beyond compare. We ought
pray insistently for the grace to do as they did.
Our Gospel passage
today is a passage that ought resound in our hearts assuring us that
the way to life and happiness is clear but difficult. We have the key.
It lies in belonging to Jesus and in living in union with him. He says,
come to me with all your burdens and I will give you rest. That is
God’s answer to the problem of evil and suffering. The answer lies in a
particular Person who though unseen lives with abundant divine life
which he wishes to give all who come to him. That person is Jesus. So
let us then come! Let us abide with Jesus! He is our happiness and our
stay.
(E.J.Tyler)
A second reflection on today's Gospel
passage:
Click centre arrow to start video
Jesus
said: “Come
to me, all you who labour and are burdened, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of
heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and
my burden light.”(Matthew 11:28-30) Ultimately
there are two great facts, life and death.
Life appears as a thing of beauty and to be embraced, death as an ugly
end to be shunned. Life comes from God, while death flowed forth from
sin. It is a wondrous thing, then, that the religion that has come from
God holds up the death of the Saviour as something filled with the
promise of life. But so it is. By dying on the cross Christ destroyed
our death and opened the floodgates of abundant life.
This triumph of the
Cross we see at
work during
Christ’s very passion. As Christ struggled along the way to Calvary
bearing his cross, a man from the country is forced to carry his cross.
He is Simon of Cyrene, and the Gospel tells us the revealing detail
that he is the father of Alexander and Rufus. Those two sons of his
must have been well known in the Christian community, suggesting that
their father Simon who carried the cross of Christ
became a disciple
together with his family. What does this tell us? It tells us of the
power of the Cross of Christ and how filled it was with redeeming
grace. Mary too follows Christ along his way, perhaps praying for Simon
as he carries the cross. The scene then moves to Calvary as Christ
hangs crucified, with two others one on
either side. One criminal rebukes the other and says that he, Jesus,
has done nothing wrong. Then he makes his stunning request: Jesus,
remember me when you come into your kingdom. No miracle is worked
before his eyes. He sees nothing except this good man beaten beyond
description with all his future seemingly gone forever and about to die
an ignominious death. Yet he addresses him as the Lord of a kingdom to
come and asks to be admitted. Christ turns to him and promises him that
this very day he would be with him in a paradise. How did that
crucified criminal arrive at such an extraordinary faith? It was
through the grace of Christ’s passion and death, together with,
probably, the prayers of Mary so close by. The scene shifts again with
Christ dead on the Cross, and the centurion exclaims in admiration
that this man was the son of God! He was touched by the grace of
Christ’s Cross as Mary prays nearby. One wonders about that man’s
subsequent story. It shows that the closer we come to the Cross of
Christ in union with Mary, the more profoundly will our lives be
changed and sanctified. Christ came that we might have life in
abundance. That life flows from the Cross.
Three hundred and
fifty years ago in the wilds of where New York now stands a native
American Indian girl was born. Nine years
before her birth in that very area the holy Jesuit missionaries Isaac
Jogues, John de Brebeuf and their companions — who are now canonized
saints — were tortured to death by the Huron and Iroquois Indians. The
girl’s
mother was a Christian Algonquin Indian, taken captive by the Iroquois
and given as wife to the chief of the Mohawks. The Mohawks were the
fiercest of the Five Indian Nations of that part of north America. When
the girl was four she lost her parents in a smallpox epidemic that left
her disfigured and half blind. Her uncle succeeded as Mohawk chief and
adopted the child. He hated the blackrobed missionary priests but had
to put up with them because of a treaty with the French allowing the
presence of priests where there were Christian captives. The child was
moved by the words of the priests and despite opposition
sought conversion at the age of 19. She took the baptismal name of
Kateri, Catherine. Kateri’s life in grace grew rapidly and all the
while her life was constantly in danger. On the advice of a priest she
stole away and began a 200 mile walking journey to a distant Christian
village near Montreal. For three years there she grew in great holiness
with the help of spiritual direction, giving herself to prayer, charity
and strenuous penance. At 23 she took a vow of celibacy, which was an
unprecedented act of a native Indian woman. She led an otherwise
ordinary life while practising severe penance for the conversion of her
own nation. She loved Christ and drew near to his Cross, embracing it
in her own life and understanding it to be at the heart of the
Christian religion. She died at the age of 24. She has been beatified
by the Church and is known as Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, the lily of
the Mohawks. She
was a child of a wild and savage Indian nation and yet quickly attained
great holiness. Her secret was to have learned to love the crucified
Jesus and to bear the cross with him.
All our lives let us
contemplate and pray before the
Cross of Christ. It brought redemption to mankind. If we
draw near the Cross with Mary we shall be blessed. If we stay under its
shadow and learn from it, we shall be sanctified and drawn to embrace
the cross of Christ. Mary is our help. Let us bear in our hearts
Christ's words, Take my yoke upon you and learn from me. My yoke is
easy and my burden light (Matthew 11:28-30). Let us pray for the
grace
to accept the cross when it comes, to embrace it when it is offered,
and to
understand with Christ and his saints that paradoxically it is a
blessing from God. Let us unite ourselves with
Christ crucified so as to experience now and hereafter the power
of his resurrection.
(E.J.Tyler)
When are scientific, medical, or
psychological experiments on human individuals or groups morally
legitimate?
They are morally legitimate when they are at the service of the
integral good of the person and of society, without disproportionate
risks to the life and physical and psychological integrity of the
subjects who must be properly informed and consenting. (CCC 2292-2295)
(Compendium of the
Catechism of the Catholic Church, no.475)
(July
20) St.
Kunigunde (1224-1292) When Pope John Paul II
travelled to his native Poland in June 1999, he fulfilled a long-held
dream to canonize Kunigunde, a Polish princess whose elevation to
sainthood had been stalled for many years because of political
conditions. Celebrating the momentous event with him were half a
million people who gathered in a field outside the small town of Stary
Sacz. Kunigunde, or Kinga, was born in 13th-century Hungary into a
royal family distinguished for its political power as well as its holy
women. Her aunts included St. Elizabeth of Hungary, St. Hedwig and St.
Agnes of Prague; numbered among her siblings are the Dominican St.
Margaret and Blessed Yolande. When only 15, Kunigunde became engaged to
the man who was to become the next King of Poland: Boleslaus V. Upon
their marriage, the two took vows of chastity before the bishop and
lived out their promises during their 40 years of married life.
Meanwhile, Queen Kunigunde undertook the care of her young sister and
spent many hours visiting the sick in hospitals. As the First Lady of
Poland she was ever attentive to the welfare of her people and their
special needs. When King Boleslaus died in 1279, the people urged the
queen to take over the reins of government, but she wished to
consecrate herself wholly to God. For 13 years she lived the simple
life of a Poor Clare nun, residing at a convent she and her husband had
established. Ultimately she was elected abbess, and governed with
charity and wisdom. She died a peaceful death, surrounded by her loving
sisters. Many miracles are said to have occurred at her tomb. In 1715,
Pope Clement XI chose her as the special patron of Poles and
Lithuanians.
(Saints)
Kunigunde must have learned
at home the charity that won her canonization. Perhaps it was the
generosity of her sainted aunts that impressed her; more likely she
picked it up from her immediate family. In any case, she cared for
others’ needs even as a teenage bride. The virtue of charity, like
faith, is more caught than taught. If youngsters see us responding to
poverty and suffering, chances are they will follow in our footsteps.
Click
centre arrow to start video
Scripture today:
Exodus 11: 10-12:14; Psalm 116:12-13, 15 and 16bc,
17-18; Matthew 12:1-8
Jesus was going
through a field of grain on the sabbath. His disciples were hungry and
began to pick the heads of grain and eat them. When the Pharisees saw
this, they said to him, “See, your disciples are doing what is unlawful
to do on the sabbath.” He said to the them, “Have you not read what
David did when he and his companions were hungry, how he went into the
house of God and ate the bread of offering, which neither he nor his
companions but only the priests could lawfully eat? Or have you not
read in the law that on the sabbath the priests serving in the temple
violate the sabbath and are innocent? I say to you, something greater
than the temple is here. If you knew what this meant, I desire mercy,
not sacrifice, you would not have condemned these innocent men. For the
Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath.” (Matthew 12:1-8)
If we allow our
minds to range over the whole sweep of the Scriptures both Old and New
Testaments, particularly the Old Testament, who is there who speaks as
Jesus Christ speaks? I refer to the way Jesus speaks about himself.
Humility and gentleness are strikingly coupled with claims to a unique
greatness. In our Gospel scene today (Matthew 12:1-8) our Lord is passing
through a field of grain on a Sabbath with his disciples, presumably
the Twelve. Perhaps he had
finished his teaching and ministry in the Synagogue and was walking
through the fields in a resting mode with his disciples. Our Lord would
have observed the Sabbath as a day of rest. How good and gentle would
have been the company of our Lord! How accessible his person and how
much at ease would he have put those with him! He and his disciples
presumably had not had any opportunity to eat and they began to pick
the heads of grain and to eat them, and the Lord looked gently on. But
the Pharisees saw this and came to our Lord to accuse him of allowing
them to break the Sabbath law of rest — for they were in effect doing
the work of harvesting on the Sabbath. It was absurd, but our Lord
answered them patiently, genially and rationally. The point to be
noticed about his answer, though, is that he unhesitatingly pointed to
the unique authority of his own person. There is something greater than
the temple here. He is greater even than the temple. Indeed, he says,
he is Lord of the Sabbath. What prophet or king or priest in the Old
Testament ever made such a claim? Our Lord made the claim calmly before
his enemies while showing humility, modesty and gentleness. As he said
on another occasion, he is meek and humble of heart. Christ is great
beyond all others and at the same time is profoundly humble.
As we think of this
simple Gospel scene let us place ourselves in the company of Jesus with
his disciples as they are presumably relaxing while walking through the
fields on the Sabbath day. Let us stay in his company all the while
recognizing that he is Lord and Master of all, including of the
Sabbath. He is holy, gentle, humble, winning and yet full of power. No
one is his superior in knowledge and wisdom, as the Pharisees, the
Sadducees and others of his enemies repeatedly learn. Most stunning of
all, in this man we have God himself. God walks the earth as the man he
has become. In him God has become man. The person of Jesus is the
wonder of the universe and the greatest Reality of all time. His
disciples walk familiarly in his company almost taking him for granted
and his enemies pursue him and desire to do away with him. Such is the
humility of God that he easily bows so low. What cannot the great God
do if he can become man like us, and put himself in a position where he
can speak as a man among men and suffer and be rejected like no one
else? The non-Christian ought consider carefully this figure of Jesus
who effortlessly made such unique claims and supported them by the
holiness of his life and the wonder of his deeds. The Christian in his
turn ought never take the Incarnation for granted. He ought preserve in
his mind and heart a profound sense of wonder at what God has done in
sending his Son. The Incarnation made possible the Atonement for the
sins of the world. The person of Jesus is at the heart of the world,
and knowing him is the one thing necessary. As our Lord said at the
Last Supper, eternal life is this, to know the Father and Jesus Christ
his Son.
Let us pray for the
grace to know and love the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Lord of lords
and the King of kings. All authority in heaven and on earth has been
given to him. Eternal life is to be found in him. He exceeds and
transcends all other figures of human history, and as he tells us in
today’s Gospel, the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath. To him be
the glory.
(E.J.Tyler)
Are the transplant and
donation of organs allowed before and after death?
The transplant of organs is morally acceptable with the consent of the
donor and without excessive risks to him or her. Before allowing the
noble act of organ donation after death, one must verify that the donor
is truly dead. (CCC 2296)
(Compendium of the
Catechism of the Catholic Church, no.476)
(July
21)
St. Lawrence of Brindisi (1559-1619) At first glance
perhaps the most remarkable quality of Lawrence of Brindisi is his
outstanding gift of languages. In addition to a thorough knowledge of
his native Italian, he had complete reading and speaking ability in
Latin, Hebrew, Greek, German, Bohemian, Spanish and French. He was born
on July 22, 1559, and died exactly 60 years later on his birthday in
1619. His parents William and Elizabeth Russo gave him the name of
Julius Caesar, Caesare in Italian. After the early death of his
parents, he was educated by his uncle at the College of St. Mark in
Venice. When he was just 16 he entered the Capuchin Franciscan Order in
Venice and received the name of Lawrence. He completed his studies of
philosophy and theology at the University of Padua and was ordained a
priest at 23. With his facility for languages he was able to study the
Bible in its original texts. At the request of Pope Clement VIII, he
spent much time preaching to the Jews in Italy. So excellent was his
knowledge of Hebrew, the rabbis felt sure he was a Jew who had become a
Christian. In 1956 the Capuchins completed a 15-volume edition of his
writings. Eleven of these 15 contain his sermons, each of which relies
chiefly on scriptural quotations to illustrate his teaching. Lawrence’s
sensitivity to the needs of people—a character trait perhaps unexpected
in such a talented scholar—began to surface. He was elected major
superior of the Capuchin Franciscan province of Tuscany at the age of
31. He had the combination of brilliance, human compassion and
administrative skill needed to carry out his duties. In rapid
succession he was promoted by his fellow Capuchins and was elected
minister general of the Capuchins in 1602. In this position he was
responsible for great growth and geographical expansion of the Order.
Lawrence was appointed papal emissary and peacemaker, a job which took
him to a number of foreign countries. An effort to achieve peace in his
native kingdom of Naples took him on a journey to Lisbon to visit the
king of Spain. Serious illness in Lisbon took his life in 1619.
His constant
devotion to Scripture, coupled with great sensitivity to the needs of
people, present a lifestyle which appeals to Christians today. Lawrence
had a balance in his life that blended self-discipline with a keen
appreciation for the needs of those whom he was called to serve.
(Saints)
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Scripture
today: Exodus
12:37-42; Psalm 136:1 and 23-24, 10-15;
Matthew 12:14-21
The Pharisees went
out and took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. When Jesus
realized this, he withdrew from that place. Many people followed him,
and he cured them all, but he warned them not to make him known. This
was to fulfil what had been spoken through Isaiah the prophet: Behold,
my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved in whom I delight; I shall
place my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.
He will not contend or cry out, nor will anyone hear his voice in the
streets. A bruised reed he will not break, a smouldering wick he will
not quench, until he brings justice to victory. And in his name the
Gentiles will hope.(Matthew 12:14-21)
As we think of the
course of history one great theme is the presence of power. Power ebbs
and flows, it rises and falls, it has its impact and it wanes. There
are persons in history who gather power and exercise it in various
ways, and it is often taken away from them. The common man caught up in
the stream of history looks to power to gain the help he needs. He may
look to those who are powerful in human society, or he may look to the
supernatural powers above. If we consider those persons who have had
power over others in society and history, how often is their power
exercised violently and for self-seeking purposes! Consider the
powerful ones in the past: Alexander the Great, Julius
Caesar, Genghis Khan, Napoleon Bonaparte, and many others. They left a
trail of carnage and human massacre in the exercise of the great power
they acquired. Consider even the individual on the smaller stage of his
own personal life of family and work. How often when he has or gains
power over others he causes injury to them! But now, let us
consider one person in history who showed astonishing power over things
which all would take to be subject to God alone. I refer to Jesus
Christ who healed the sick, cleansed lepers, raised the dead, quelled
storms, walked on the sea, fed thousands of people with a handful of
food, showed a power of mind no one could match in debate and in
exposition, and who showed himself to be beyond the control of others
unless he allowed it. Take any other figure in history no matter what
his military or political power over others and ask, could he have done
these things which Christ did? Obviously not. Christ showed that there
was nothing he could not do had he chosen. His power was almighty. What
is also clear is that he chose not to use his power except in very
precise ways that supported and illumined his very precise mission. He
absolutely refused, for instance, to accept being a king.
In our Gospel today
St Matthew narrates how Christ’s enemies took counsel on how to put him
to death despite the holiness of his life and the extraordinary deeds
of mercy that emanated from him. Christ could have resisted and
overcome them by an exercise of his divine power but instead he
withdrew from there, though the people followed him to benefit from his
power. Christ for all his power constantly exercised restraint,
humility and meekness. He did not react to the evil shown him by an
overwhelming power, the power he showed that in fact he had. Rather, he
was prepared to suffer. The power he showed in the face of evil was his
power to suffer and bear on his own shoulders the suffering flowing
from the sin of the world. St Matthew quotes the prophet Isaiah
predicting that the Messiah would not impose himself over others as do
the powerful ones of this world. The prophet wrote: “This was to
fulfil what had been spoken through Isaiah the prophet: Behold, my
servant whom I have chosen, my beloved in whom I delight; I shall place
my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. He
will not contend or cry out, nor will anyone hear his voice in the
streets. A bruised reed he will not break, a smouldering wick he will
not quench, until he brings justice to victory. And in his name the
Gentiles will hope.” (Matthew
12:14-21).
The ultimate result of Christ’s choice was his death on the cross, and
that death was the greatest display of his power to save. He had the
power to bear in himself the sins of all mankind and in this way to
take away the sin of the world. He was the great Suffering Servant
predicted by the prophet, and his power — so manifest in his miracles — was finally displayed in the triumph of his death and resurrection. In
this way he showed how God exercises his power. The divine power is
exercised to manifest his mercy. We too who are in Christ are called to
manifest mercy in any exercise of power or human capacity.
Let us contemplate
the redeeming mercy and compassion of Christ that led him to suffer and
to die for the world rather than to exercise his power in the manner of
the world. Let us in our turn resolve to follow in his footsteps by
showing mercy and compassion in our everyday life, and in bearing with
Christ the cross that will undoubtedly come our way in the doing of
God’s will.
(E.J.Tyler)
What practices
are contrary to respect for the bodily integrity of the human person?
They are: kidnapping and hostage taking, terrorism, torture, violence,
and direct sterilization. Amputations and mutilations of a person are
morally permissible only for strictly therapeutic medical reasons.
(CCC 2297-2298)
(Compendium of the
Catechism of the Catholic Church, no.477)
Prayers this week:
God himself is my
help. The Lord upholds my life. I will offer you a
willing sacrifice; I will praise your name, O Lord, for
its goodness. (Ps 53.6.8)
Lord be merciful to your
people. Fill us with your gifts. and
make us always eager to serve you in faith, hope and love. We ask this through our
Lord Jesus Christ your Son in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God.
(July 22) St.
Mary Magdalene Except for the mother of Jesus, few women
are more honoured in the Bible than Mary Magdalene. Mary Magdalene is
mentioned in the Gospels as being among the women of Galilee who
followed Jesus and His disciples, and who was present at His
Crucifixion and Burial, and who went to the tomb on Easter Sunday to
anoint His body. She was the first to see the Risen Lord, and to
announce His Resurrection to the apostles. Accordingly, she is referred
to in early Christian writings as "the apostle to the apostles."
Mary Magdalene, Mary of
Bethany (sister of Martha and Lazarus), and the unnamed penitent woman
who anointed Jesus's feet (Luke 7:36-48) are sometimes supposed to be
the same woman. From this, plus the statement that Jesus had cast seven
demons out of her (Luke 8:2), has risen the tradition that she had been
a great sinner before she met Jesus. Yet most Scripture scholars today
point out that there is no scriptural basis for confusing the two
women. Mary Magdalene, that is, “of Magdala,” was the one from whom
Christ cast out “seven demons” (Luke 8:2)—an indication, at the worst,
of extreme demonic possession or, possibly, severe illness. Father W.J.
Harrington, O.P., writing in the New Catholic Commentary,
says that “seven demons” “does not mean that Mary had lived an immoral
life—a conclusion reached only by means of a mistaken identification
with the anonymous woman of Luke 7:36.” Father Edward Mally, S.J.,
writing in the Jerome
Biblical Commentary, agrees that she “is not...the same as the
sinner of Luke 7:37, despite the later Western romantic tradition about
her.”
Mary Magdalene was one of the many “who were assisting them [Jesus and
the Twelve] out of their means.” She was one of those who stood by the
cross of Jesus with his mother. And, of all the “official” witnesses
that might have been chosen for the first awareness of the
Resurrection, she was the one to whom that privilege was given. (Saints)
Click centre
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Scripture today:
Genesis
18:1-10a; Psalm 15:2-5; Colossians 1:24-28;
Luke 10:38-42
Jesus entered a
village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a
sister named Mary who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him
speak. Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, “Lord,
do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?
Tell her to help me.” The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha,
you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only
one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken
from her.” (Luke 10:38-42) We have just heard a
very beautiful scene in the Gospel offering much food for prayerful
reflection. We know from the Gospels that Martha and Mary of our
scene today had Lazarus for their brother, the one our Lord raised from
the dead after his having been in the grave four days. We are told in
the Gospel that our Lord loved Martha, Mary and Lazarus. Just as in the
Gospel of St John there is repeated reference to the “beloved disciple”
— a reference to John himself — so there is mention of the fact that our Lord had a
special friendship with Lazarus, Martha and Mary. Let us note that
there is no explicit mention of any of these three actually
accompanying our Lord on his journeys throughout Galilee and Judea.
Seventy-two disciples are mentioned as being sent out by our
Lord to go
ahead of him to preach and prepare for his coming. The Twelve are
described as being called to be with our Lord and to be sent out to
preach and to do much of what he himself was doing. Certain women too
are presented as accompanying our Lord and the Twelve to assist them in
various ways and to support them from their means, fulfilling something
of the role of later assistants and housekeepers for the intensely busy
travelling band. But there is no mention of Lazarus, Martha and Mary
among them. It looks as if for various reasons they stayed at their
home in Bethany fulfilling their own commitments. But they were ardent
disciples and overflowing friends of the Master. They loved him and
they gave their total assent to his teaching, placing all their hopes
in him. Undoubtedly they bore constant witness to Jesus among their
friends, relatives and acquaintances in their everyday life and work in
and around Bethany. The Gospel tells us that Jesus loved them and it is
clear that he called on them when he was in the area of Jerusalem and
perhaps stayed with them. We could liken their vocation to that of the
typical lay member of Christ’s faithful with his family and work in the
world, and their wonderful friendship with our Lord reminds us that all
are called to a deep friendship with Jesus whatever be their vocation
in life and whatever be the circumstances in which their calling is
lived out.
Our
scene today not only reminds us of the friendship with Jesus to which
all are called, but it tells us of a most important element of this
friendship. Friendship with Jesus requires being like Mary sitting at
the feet of Jesus listening to him speaking. Christian prayer involves
an abiding openness to the word of God as uttered by Jesus. St Luke
holds up before the ordinary Christian, the Christian of ordinary
everyday circumstances in home, family and small duties, the example of
Mary sitting at the feet of Jesus listening to him speaking (Luke 10:38-42). St Luke is not meaning
to
assert that what Mary was doing at this particular moment is to be done
at all times. Rather he is holding before us this snapshot and saying
to every member of Christ’s faithful that however busy like Martha you
are you must put time into doing
what Mary was doing at this instant. You must spend time into being
with Jesus in prayer, listening to his word as it comes to you in the
Scriptures and in the life and the Tradition of the Church. In this
snapshot of the Gospel scene Martha complains to our Lord that Mary is
not getting on with pressing duties, and our Lord tells her,
undoubtedly with a smile, that what Mary is doing is of the greatest
importance and most pleasing to him. At this particular moment Martha
was anxious and worried about too many things and excessively so,
perhaps even to have briefly forgotten the Lord. That is pure
speculation, and in any case every year the Church celebrates the feast
day of St Martha, whereas there is no explicit feast day for Mary or
for Lazarus though undoubtedly they are saints in heaven. The point,
though, of our brief Gospel scene is that prayer at the feet of the
Master must be the most important and indispensable component of our
life in Christ, and if our prayer life is weak then our relationship
with Christ
will be weak. Everyday we ought put time into doing what Mary in our
scene is doing, and we must persevere in our life of prayer despite
distractions and difficulties. With this daily meeting with Jesus
sitting at his feet in prayer gazing on him in faith and listening to
his word, we are able to bring to our many duties of service in
everyday life a growing love of the Master, enabling us to serve him
with love and bear daily witness to him in our service of others in
family, work and everywhere our calling in life might place us.
Let us resolve to be
Christ’s very close friends. That is the vocation of all who are
baptized. If we are to be his friends, a strong, daily and persevering
life of prayer is indispensable. Prayer is a loving conversation with
the one whom we know loves us, a conversation which is characterized
above
all by an attitude of gazing on Jesus and listening as he speaks his
word to us. That word comes to us in the Scriptures and in the entire
Tradition of the Church. By means of his word we grow in the knowledge
and the love of him and we are able to live in a way that pleases him.
Our daily witness to him becomes possible and effective only if we live
a life of persevering daily prayer despite all difficulties. In this
way we shall be able to pray always, while serving God fruitfully in
our daily work and responsibilities.
(E.J.Tyler)
Further reading: The Catechism of the
Catholic Church, no. 2725-2728
You, a doctor, an apostle, write to me: 'We
all know by experience that we can be chaste, living vigilantly,
frequenting the sacraments and stamping out the first sparks of passion
before the fire can spread. And it so happens that among the chaste are
found the finest men in every way. And among the lustful predominate
the timid, the selfish, the treacherous and the cruel — characters of
little manliness.'
(The Way,
no.124)
The dying have a right to live the last moments of their earthly lives
with dignity and, above all, to be sustained with prayer and the
sacraments that prepare them to meet the living God. (CCC 2299)
(Compendium of the
Catechism of the Catholic Church, no.478)
(July 23) St.
Bridget of Sweden (1303?-1373) From age seven on, Bridget had
visions of Christ crucified. Her visions formed the basis for her
activity—always with the emphasis on charity rather than spiritual
favours. She lived her married life in the court of the Swedish king
Magnus II. Mother of eight children (the second eldest was St.
Catherine of Sweden), she lived the strict life of a penitent after her
husband’s death. Bridget constantly strove to exert her good influence
over Magnus; while never fully reforming, he did give her land and
buildings to found a monastery for men and women. This group eventually
expanded into an Order known as the Bridgetines (still in existence).
In 1350, a year of jubilee, Bridget braved a plague-stricken Europe to
make a pilgrimage to Rome. Although she never returned to Sweden, her
years in Rome were far from happy, being hounded by debts and by
opposition to her work against Church abuses. A final pilgrimage to the
Holy Land, marred by shipwreck and the death of her son, Charles,
eventually led to her death in 1373. In 1999, she, Saints Catherine of
Siena and Edith Stein were named co-patronesses of Europe.
Bridget’s visions, rather than
isolating her from the affairs of the world, involved her in many
contemporary issues, whether they be royal policy or the Avignon
papacy. She saw no contradiction between mystical experience and
secular activity, and her life is a testimony to the possibility of a
holy life in the market place. Despite the hardships of life and
wayward children, Margery Kempe of Lynn says Bridget was “kind and meek
to every creature” and “she had a laughing face.” (Saints)
Click
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Scripture today:
Exodus
14:5-18; Exodus 15:1bc-2, 3-4,
5-6; Matthew 12:38-42
Some of the scribes
and Pharisees said to Jesus, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.”
He said to them in reply, “An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a
sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah the
prophet. Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and
three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three
days and three nights. At the judgment, the men of Nineveh will arise
with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the
preaching of Jonah; and there is something greater than Jonah here. At
the judgment the queen of the south will arise with this generation and
condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the
wisdom of Solomon; and there is something greater than Solomon here.” (Matthew
12:38-42)
If there is one
thing that can be said about human discourse and discussion in society,
it is that no matter what is asserted someone will be found who will
contradict it. I suppose the constant prevalence of assertion and
contradiction issuing in new assertions that are contradicted accounts
for the place of the dialectic of thesis, antithesis and synthesis in
the Hegelian and Marxist philosophies. Of course there is no doubt that
man’s grasp of truth develops considerably in
this way, but there are serious dangers in it for fallen man. We can
fail to search for truth with the right moral dispositions, and expect
the truth to come to us and provide us with the proofs we, from our
armchair, announce that we expect. We can keep contradicting and
expecting demonstrations of the truth that suit our intellectual whims.
We can be almost like a king on his throne expecting truth to dance
before us for our entertainment. This is especially serious when it
comes to religious truth and above all divine revelation. In our Gospel
today we see something that crops up time and again in our Lord’s
public ministry. It is the constant demand for “proof.” Our Lord clearly
considered that his works and miracles were sufficient to vindicate his
claims. In our Gospel today (Matthew
12:38-42) some of the scribes and
Pharisees said to Jesus, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.”
They wanted it to be proved to them beyond the slightest doubt that
Jesus was all he claimed to be. They asked for a great “sign.” On the
hill of Calvary as our Lord hung dying, they jeered at him saying that
if he were to come down from the cross they would believe in him. In
fact nothing would satisfy them because they were not disposed to
believe. We are reminded of our Lord’s story of the rich man and
Lazarus. The rich man was in hell, and Abraham said to him that if his
brothers did not believe the testimony of the prophets, they would not
believe even if someone were to rise from the dead.
If we are to
receive the testimony of Christ’s revelation with true assent, then we
must be duly disposed for it. If we are not disposed then the “proofs”
which God has deigned to provide us with will not drag us along the
road of genuine assent. Assent to truth is a moral matter because it is
free. It involves a duty, the duty to assent to truth. If it is a duty
it is not a physical and constitutional necessity, even though there
will be consequences flowing from the failure to fulfil the duty — in
this case the duty to seek, to find, and to assent to revealed truth.
The fundamental issue is being properly disposed for and desirous of
the truth of Christ. The scribes and the Pharisees of our Gospel
passage were not thus disposed. They continued to set what they
regarded as difficult tests for Christ hoping to find him wanting. That
is the attitude of so very many who demure at the person and the claims
of Christ, and who, indeed, have a problem with there being any
Revelation at all. They set their own tests for God to fulfil,
unconsciously hoping that he will be found wanting. Rather it is God
who must set the tests, and it is he who determines what indications
are sufficient for man to attain the truth he graciously chooses to
reveal. Time and again in the Gospels we see instances of persons
coming to our Lord and with seemingly little need for “proof” who
discover his true identity and mission. Our Lord’s first disciples as
recorded in the Gospel of St John are a case in point. John the Baptist
pointed our Lord out to two of his disciples who forthwith followed our
Lord and stayed with him the rest of that day. That was sufficient for
them to perceive that he was the long awaited Messiah. Soon after
Nathanael was brought to our Lord who revealed a detail of Nathanael’s
recent history. It elicited a great act of faith in him. He was
properly disposed. What are the foundations of a right disposition
before God who reveals himself? That can be difficult to determine, but
God knows them, and we ought pray to him to give us those right
foundations.
Let us pray to be
disposed for the truth, most especially the truth that has been
revealed by God, in the way God wants. We see in the New Testament many
examples of disciples of Christ who were properly disposed to
receive his person and his truth. There is no doubt that the holy
figures of the Old Testament would have rejoiced to have met and known
him. They longed for his day. Let us reject the example of the scribes
and Pharisees who required of our Lord that he conform to their tests
rather than their submitting to God’s.
How I would like — you told me — the young
apostle, John, would take me into his confidence and give me advice:
and encourage me to acquire purity of heart.
If you really would like it, tell him so: and you will feel encouraged,
and you will receive advice.
(The Way,
no.125)
How
are the bodies of the deceased to be treated?
The bodies of the departed must be treated with love and respect. Their
cremation is permitted provided that it does not demonstrate a denial
of faith in the resurrection of the body. (CCC 2300-2301)
(Compendium of the
Catechism of the Catholic Church, no.479)
(July 24)
Sts.
John Boste, George Swallowell, & John Ingram,
Blessed Louise of Savoy St. John Boste
(or John Boast) Priest and martyr,
born of good Catholic family at Dufton, in Westmoreland, about 1544;
died at Durham, 24 July, 1594. He studied at Queen's College, Oxford,
1569-72, became a Fellow, and was received into the Church at Brome, in
Suffolk, in 1576. Resigning his Fellowship in 1580, he went to Reims,
where he was ordained priest, 4 March, 1581, and in April was sent to
England. He landed at Hartlepool and became a most zealous missioner,
so that the persecutors made extraordinary efforts to capture him. At
last, after many narrow escapes, he was taken to Waterhouses, the house
of William Claxton, near Durham, betrayed by one Eglesfield [or
Ecclesfield], 5 July, 1593. The place is still visited by Catholics.
From Durham he was conveyed to London, showing himself throughout
"resolute, bold, joyful, and pleasant", although terribly racked in the
Tower. Sent back to Durham for the July Assizes, 1594, he behaved with
undaunted courage and resolution, and induced his fellow-martyr, Bl.
George Swalwell [or Swallowell], a convert minister, who had recanted
through fear, to repent of his cowardice, absolving him publicly in
court. He suffered at Dryburn, outside Durham. He recited the Angelus
while mounting the ladder, and was executed with extraordinary
brutality; for he was scarcely turned off the ladder when he was cut
down, so that he stood on his feet, and in that posture was cruelly
butchered alive. An account of his trial and execution was written by
an eye-witness, Venerable Christopher Robinson, who suffered martyrdom
shortly afterwards at Carlisle. In 1970, John Boste was canonized by
Pope Paul VI among the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales, whose joint
feast day is kept on 25 October.
(Saints)
The Protestant
minister and school teacher George Swallowell
was born near Durham. He
was condemned and executed at Darlington, for having been reconciled to
the Church. At that same time at Gateshead, Father John Ingram,
another
convert to Catholicism, was martyred for his priesthood. Father Ingram
was born at Stoke Edith, Herefordshire, converted to the faith, studied
at New College, Oxford, and then prepared for ordination at Rheims and
Rome. He was ordained a priest in 1589 and worked in Scotland until his
death (Benedictines). Both died 1594; beatified in 1929.
(Saints)
Click
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Scripture today:
Exodus
14:21—15:1;
Exodus 15:8-9, 10 and 12, 17; Matthew 12:46-50
While Jesus was
speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers
appeared outside, Someone told him, “Your mother and your brothers are
standing outside, asking to speak with you.” But he said in reply to
the one who told him, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” And
stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my
mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father
is my brother, and sister, and mother.”(Matthew 12:46-50)
There are two
things the disciple of Christ must keep constantly in
mind whenever Christ is thought of. The first is that Jesus was truly
man, and the second is that he was truly God. One or other of these can
be lost sight of. In the Gospels there is no evidence that anyone found
it difficult to accept that Jesus was truly man. The difficulty was
accepting his claim that he was not just a man. When it became evident
to our Lord’s enemies that he was claiming to be equal to God because
of his being the very Son of God, then they took up stones to put him
to death. It was above all because of his claims of being equal to the
Father that he was
condemned to death. That was then. He died in
witness to this truth. But since then there has been at times the
opposite danger of not really appreciating the extent of his being man.
That is to say, we can fail to appreciate that God became truly man in
every way, except, of course, in sin. He was utterly and totally
sinless for he was and is the all-holy God. But if we accept that he is
what he is, namely the living God — God’s eternal Son — then it is a
breathtaking wonder that he became one of us. There have been
theologians in the past who have proposed that the great sin of the
angels in heaven was their rejection of the prospect of adoring God
made man. Whether this was indeed their damning sin is another matter,
but at least the proposal stresses the astonishing marvel of the
Incarnation. To think that God made man was crucified by his creatures!
Well now, let us consider our Gospel today with this perspective. We
read that while Jesus was speaking to the crowds, his mother and his
brothers appeared outside, Someone told him, “Your mother and your
brothers are standing outside, asking to speak with you.” We are
reminded that our Lord immersed himself in a family. He not only had
his all-holy mother and saintly foster-father, but had all his cousins
and various relatives making up a knit family circle in which he would
have been treated familiarly and even casually. Let us remember that we
are talking here about God. It is God who immersed himself in this very
typical human setting.
The utterly
transcendent God has immersed himself in our situation and
condition. He, the transcendent One, is immanent in our world and life
to a degree which is almost beyond our capacity to appreciate. But
appreciate it we must. Just as Jesus was truly man and walked the earth
as one of us, so now he abides among us still. He is not seen but he is
with us nevertheless. He is God with us, sharing our humanity though
glorious now, but still with us. We go to the Father through the man
Jesus who is his divine Son. We access the divine by means of the
sacred humanity of Jesus. The further question is, where is Jesus to be
located among us now? Our Gospel scene today reminds us of the answer
to this. Our Lord on being told that his relatives wanted to see him
outside, asks, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” And stretching
out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my
brothers. For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my
brother, and sister, and mother.” (Matthew
12:46-50) He
is pointing to the Church to come. It is the will
of the heavenly Father that we believe in his Son Jesus Christ, and
this includes accepting his body the Church. Christ is located in the
midst of his family the Church and he comes to us in the Church’s body,
ministry, word, and sacraments. He is the Church’s Head and Bridegroom.
The Church is his body and his spouse. We are members of the Vine which
is Christ, and the Vinedresser is the Father. The Church is the
continuation of the presence of Christ in our midst of which I was
speaking earlier. God became man and dwelt among us as a true member of
a family and truly immersed in his society. He dwells in our midst now
within his new and eternal family the Church. This his Church subsists
in the Catholic Church, and it is there that Christ abides in all his
fullness and with all the graces and blessings he means to give us,
however limited and sinful the Church’s members may be.
Let us strive to
appreciate that Jesus is both man and God. To assert
that he is God is a hard saying in the ears of our Jewish and Muslim
friends, as it is for many other religions. But so it is. It was the
claim of Jesus which he backed up with the evidence of his incomparable
holiness and extraordinary works. He is God, but let us appreciate too
that in him God became man in every way like us except for sin. In him
was the fullness of the Godhead bodily. He dwelt among us. He dwells
among us still in his body the Church and it is there that we have
ready and immediate access to him in all his fullness.
(E.J.Tyler)
What does the Lord ask of every person
in regard to peace?
The Lord proclaimed “Blessed are the peacemakers” (Matthew 5:9). He
called for peace of heart and denounced the immorality of anger which
is a desire for revenge for some evil suffered. He also denounced
hatred which leads one to wish evil on one’s neighbour. These
attitudes, if voluntary and consented to in matters of great
importance, are mortal sins against charity. (CCC 2302-2303)
(Compendium of the
Catechism of the Catholic Church, no.480)
(July 25) St. James the
Greater (Saints) This James is
the brother of John the Evangelist. The two were called by Jesus as
they worked with their father in a fishing boat on the Sea of Galilee.
Jesus had already called another pair of brothers from a similar
occupation: Peter and Andrew. “He walked along a little farther and saw
James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They too were in a
boat mending their nets. Then he called them. So they left their father
Zebedee in the boat along with the hired men and followed him” (Mark
1:19-20). James was one of the favoured three who had the privilege of
witnessing the Transfiguration, the raising to life of the daughter of
Jairus and the agony in Gethsemani. Two incidents in the Gospels
describe the temperament of this man and his brother. St. Matthew tells
that their mother came (Mark says it was the brothers themselves) to
ask that they have the seats of honour (one on the right, one on the
left of Jesus) in the kingdom. “Jesus said in reply, ‘You do not know
what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?’
They said to him, ‘We can’” (Matthew 20:22). Jesus then told them they
would indeed drink the cup and share his baptism of pain and death, but
that sitting at his right hand or left was not his to give—it “is for
those for whom it has been prepared by my Father” (Matthew 20:23b). It
remained to be seen how long it would take to realize the implications
of their confident “We can!” The other disciples became indignant at
the ambition of James and John. Then Jesus taught them all the lesson
of humble service: The purpose of authority is to serve. They are not
to impose their will on others, or lord it over them. This is the
position of Jesus himself. He was the servant of all; the service
imposed on him was the supreme sacrifice of his own life. On another
occasion, James and John gave evidence that the nickname Jesus gave
them—“sons of thunder”—was an apt one. The Samaritans would not welcome
Jesus because he was on his way to hated Jerusalem. “When the disciples
James and John saw this they asked, ‘Lord, do you want us to call down
fire from heaven to consume them?’ Jesus turned and rebuked them...”
(Luke 9:54-55). James was apparently the first of the apostles to be
martyred. “About that time King Herod laid hands upon some members of
the church to harm them. He had James, the brother of John, killed by
the sword, and when he saw that this was pleasing to the Jews he
proceeded to arrest Peter also” (Acts 12:1-3a). This James, sometimes
called James the Greater, is not to be confused with the author of the
Letter of James and the leader of the Jerusalem community.
The way the Gospels treat
the apostles is a good reminder of what holiness is all about. There is
very little about their virtues as static possessions, entitling them
to heavenly reward. Rather, the great emphasis is on the Kingdom, on
God’s giving them the power to proclaim the Good News. As far as their
personal lives are concerned, there is much about Jesus’ purifying them
of narrowness, pettiness, fickleness.
Click
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Scripture today: 2 Corinthans
4:7-15; Psalm 126:1bc-2ab, 2cd-6; Matthew 20:20-28
The mother of the
sons of Zebedee approached Jesus with her sons and did him homage,
wishing to ask him for something. He said to her, “What do you wish?”
She answered him, “Command that these two sons of mine sit, one at your
right and the other at your left, in your Kingdom.” Jesus said in
reply, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the chalice
that I am going to drink?” They said to him, “We can.” He replied, “My
chalice you will indeed drink, but to sit at my right and at my left,
this is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared
by my Father.” When the ten heard this, they became indignant at the
two brothers. But Jesus summoned them and said, “You know that the
rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and the great ones make their
authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather,
whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever
wishes to be first among you shall be your slave. Just so, the Son of
Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a
ransom for many.”(Matthew 20:20-28)
Our Gospel passage
today is selected by the Church for the feast of St James the brother
of John. The first thing we notice in it is that the mother of James
and John (the sons of Zebedee) and her two sons fully believed that
Jesus was the great King to come. Let us remember that at this point
there was no kingdom to be seen. All
they had before them was Jesus and the spiritual greatness of his
person together with his miracles. There was no kingdom, but they were
firmly convinced that he was the promised Messiah, and that he would be
ruler of the kingdom of God which he was announcing. That itself was a
marvellous step of faith. John, let it be remembered, was directed to
our Lord by John the Baptist, and he had come to faith in Jesus simply
by the testimony of John and by meeting and knowing him. We are told
about it in the early stage of his Gospel. He and Andrew followed
Jesus, who turned and invited them to come and see where he lived. They
did so, and came away permanently convinced that he was the Messiah.
James followed soon after, and their mother must also have come to
believe soon after. So let us read our Gospel passage today noticing
this first great point, that James and John, together with their
mother, fully believed in our Lord as the Messiah and that he would be
the King of kings and the Lord of lords. All God’s blessings would be
available in his kingdom. Taking our cue from James’s great faith let
us endeavour to give to Christ our total faith too. James crowned his
life with martyrdom not long after our Lord’s own death. His faith
flowered and endured to the end.
The second thing we
are reminded of in our passage today is that this faith in James
underwent a great maturation. It matured, which is to say that it was
initially immature. James, together with his mother and his brother
John, envisaged the kingdom of Jesus as a kingdom of personal glory and
prominence. Perhaps they saw our Lord as a future Conqueror, a
Conqueror on behalf of the good. Out of their own goodness and
generosity they were totally intent on battling for God’s cause with
their unique Master. I suppose we could say that elements of this are
to be found in most who are at the early stage of their Christian
discipleship. But our Lord has a tremendous lesson to teach every one
of his disciples, and it is that the only path to glory is through the
door of suffering (Matthew 20:20-28). It is an utterly
different kind of kingdom that our Lord is extending, very different
from the kingdoms of this world. But it is a true kingdom nevertheless,
and he is its king. Obedient suffering was the means whereby Christ
established his kingdom on earth. If the disciple of Christ wishes to
share in Christ’s glory, he must share in his sufferings too. He must
take up his cross every day and follow in his footsteps. Understanding
this, the saints have repeatedly spoken of the cross as a blessing. In
Christ, suffering is the door to blessings, and therefore it itself is
a blessing. In this sense Christ is the answer to the problem of evil.
Perhaps this is why our Lord chose to use the figure of “the chalice”
that he was to drink. A cup or chalice is filled with choice drink. It
is a blessing. This is how Christ chose to express suffering. The one
who believes in Christ must learn the lesson that faith in the Master
involves drinking of the chalice from which he has drunk.
It is a great grace
to believe in Christ. It is a great grace to understand that the
following of him involves the willing acceptance of the Cross for love
of him, and that the Cross is our path to glory. Let us pray for that
grace every day because on this grace depends the maturity of our faith
and our discipleship.
What is peace in this world?
Peace in this world, which is required for the respect and development
of human life, is not simply the absence of war or a balance of power
between adversaries. It is “the tranquility of order” (Saint
Augustine), “the work of justice” (Isaiah 32:17) and the effect of
charity. Earthly peace is the image and fruit of the peace of Christ.
(CCC 2304-2305)
(Compendium of the
Catechism of the Catholic Church, no.481)
(July 26) SAINT JOACHIM The
lives of some saints must always remain hidden; so it is with Joachim,
the husband of Saint Anne and the father of the Blessed Virgin. With no
certain knowledge about him, we are forced to rely on such apocryphal
documents as the Book of James, which, unlike the canonical Scriptures,
often mixes fiction with fact. This Book of James tells that Joachim
and Anne were a rich, childless couple living in Jerusalem and far
advanced in age. When Joachim was reproached by his fellow Jews for not
having "raised up seed in Israel," he went into the desert to fast and
pray, begging God to grant him a child. His wife prayed for the same
blessing, and after Joachim returned to Jerusalem, their prayers were
answered; Anne conceived and gave birth to a child, the girl Mary.
There are other apocryphal details about the life of Joachim, but like
the rest their authenticity is doubtful. The lone fact that he was the
father of the mother of God makes him worthy of veneration. Joachim
must have been a man wealthy in virtue to be chosen as the father of
Mary, who was destined to be the mother of God's Son.
(Saints)
SAINT ANNE
Into the hands of Saint Anne were placed the education, the training,
and direction of this child. Anne was the starting point of the
Redemption; through her the dawn began to break; in her the morning
star was conceived, free from Adam's sin. Through our relation to
Christ and His Mother, we become her grandchildren. There was little
written about Saint Anne in the first two centuries of the Church. The
details of her life, even her name, come to us through unreliable
sources in which fact and fiction are intermingled. By the fourth
century, devotion to Anne was widespread in the East, and several of
the early Fathers of the Church sang her praises. Her fame expanded
throughout the West after the Crusades and grew to great heights,
especially in France. Her best-known shrines are still Saint Anne
d'Auray in Brittany and Saint Anne de Beaupre in Canada. By many
miracles at these and other places, God has been pleased to testify how
highly He regards devotion to this saint, the model of all women in the
married state and charged with the rearing of children. Anne is
honoured today with the official title "Mother of the most holy -Mother
of God."
(Saints)
Click
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Scripture today: Exodus
19:1-2, 9-11, 16-20b; Daniel
3:52-56; Matthew 13:10-17 The disciples
approached Jesus and said, “Why do you speak to the crowd in parables?”
He said to them in reply, “Because knowledge of the mysteries of the
Kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but to them it has not been
granted. To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich;
from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away. This is
why I speak to them in parables, because they look but do not see and
hear but do not listen or understand. Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in
them, which says: You shall indeed hear but not understand, you shall
indeed look but never see. Gross is the heart of this people, they will
hardly hear with their ears, they have closed their eyes, lest they see
with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their
hearts and be converted and I heal them. “But blessed are your eyes,
because they see, and your ears, because they hear. Amen, I say to you,
many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did
not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”(Matthew 13:10-17)
In our Lord’s
somewhat veiled words to his disciples in today’s Gospel he speaks of
the far-reaching ramifications of a person’s basic dispositions, which
in turn spring from hidden, obscure choices. If we allow our minds to
range over many of the great teachers of mankind, we notice a great
variety of styles. Socrates, Plato and Aristotle had their styles of
teaching, as did Mahomet and others. One of the notable features of our Lord’s
style was his use of stories and parables which resulted in his
teaching being so very accessible to persons of all backgrounds. There
is nothing so universal as the story — it is the stuff of all forms of
literature be it the novel, the play or the epic poem. Teaching is
contained in the story which suggests or insinuates its message rather
than presenting it explicitly. In the Gospels our Lord often gives
explicit instruction (such as the Lord’s Prayer, the Beatitudes, and
many other instances of his teaching) and he often uses parables (such
as many of his parables of the Kingdom, introduced with the simply
statement that the “Kingdom of Heaven is like this..”). So notable and
frequent was his use of the bare parable with the crowds that his
disciples asked him quite directly why he spoke to the crowd in
parables. The question implies that often our Lord told the story and
left the story to make its own points, much as would a play, a novel or
some epic poem. In effect the disciples are asking our Lord why he did
not always speak directly and plainly to the many who were following
him. He replied that he was doing this because despite their following
of him fundamentally they were not open to his message. They “look but
do not see and hear but do not listen or understand.” Why was this? As
Isaiah predicted, they did not hear nor did they understand because
they were not willing to hear and understand. They had closed their
hearts for fear of what it might require of them.
(Matthew
13:10-17) This simple
analysis of the human heart coming from the lips of Christ ought be a
solemn warning to all. How disposed are we to the word of God as
embodied in the person of Jesus Christ? We are very likely to be
unaware of our own moral indisposition. That is to say, the sad thing
is that the human being can easily consider himself to be in the light
when he is actually in a moral darkness. This happens time and time
again. Our starting points can be hidden from our own sight and yet
they affect all that we choose and see. The foremost theological mind
of the English speaking world during the nineteenth century was
indisputably John Henry (later Cardinal) Newman, and an abiding
preoccupation of his was the nature and roots of faith. Among the many
things he stressed in his discussions of religious faith was the
critical importance of first principles, or a person’s starting points.
A person’s fundamental assumptions are of decisive importance in all
that he is disposed to accept as right and true. Now, much of this is
difficult of access to the individual himself because, as I said, a
person’s own starting points, his fundamental preferences and choices,
his basic expectations and viewpoints, are out of sight while yet
constantly at work. What must he do? He must pray that God will give
him the right starting points. He must pray that God will give him the
grace of being properly disposed for the divine will and word.
This grace will come if he genuinely acts according to the light he has
been given and endeavours to unmask self-deception in his own life.
More light will then come. He must pray that God will make of him good
soil for the reception of the seed which is the word of God. In our
passage today our Lord tells his disciples that the mysteries of the
kingdom of heaven were granted to them but not to (many in) the crowds.
The reason? His disciples were disposed to be open to his word but not
so these crowds.
Every day let us
place ourselves in the presence of Christ and his word, and ask for the
grace to respond to him in a way that is pleasing to him. Let us live
honestly in the presence of God striving to ensure that our conscience
is not fooled into being guided by little more than our own private
judgment in place of the word and the person of Christ.
What is required for earthly peace?
Earthly peace requires the equal distribution and safeguarding of the
goods of persons, free communication among human beings, respect for
the dignity of persons and peoples, and the assiduous practice of
justice and fraternity. (2304, 2307-2308)
(Compendium of the
Catechism of the Catholic Church, no.482)
(July 27) Today let us think of Blessed Antonio
Lucci (1682-1752) Antonio studied with and was a friend of
St. Francesco Antonio Fasani, who after Antonio Lucci’s death testified
at the diocesan hearings regarding the holiness of Lucci. Born in
Agnone in southern Italy, a city famous for manufacturing bells and
copper crafts, he was given the name Angelo at Baptism. He attended the
local school run by the Conventual Franciscans and joined them at the
age of 16. Antonio completed his studies for the priesthood in Assisi,
where he was ordained in 1705. Further studies led to a doctorate in
theology and appointments as a teacher in Agnone, Ravello and Naples.
He also served as guardian in Naples. Elected minister provincial in
1718, the following year he was appointed professor at St. Bonaventure
College in Rome, a position he held until Pope Benedict XIII chose him
as bishop of Bovino (near Foggia) in 1729. The pope explained, "I have
chosen as bishop of Bovino an eminent theologian and a great saint."
His 23 years as bishop were marked by visits to local parishes and a
renewal of gospel living among the people of his diocese. He dedicated
his episcopal income to works of education and charity. At the urging
of the Conventual minister general, Bishop Lucci wrote a major book
about the saints and blesseds in the first 200 years of the Conventual
Franciscans. He was beatified in 1989, three years after his friend
Francesco Antonio Fasani was canonized.
(Saints)
When Francis of Assisi
learned that Anthony of Padua was teaching theology to the friars in
Bologna, Francis wrote: "It pleases me that you teach sacred theology
to the brothers, as long as—in the words of the Rule—you do not
extinguish the spirit of prayer and devotion with study of this kind."
As Pope Paul VI wrote in 1975, people today "are more impressed by
witnesses than by teachers, and if they listen to these it is because
they also bear witness" (Evangelization in the Modern World, #41).
Jesus said to his
disciples: “Hear the parable of the sower. The seed sown on the path is
the one who hears the word of the Kingdom without understanding it, and
the Evil One comes and steals away what was sown in his heart. The seed
sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and receives it at
once with joy. But he has no root and lasts only for a time. When some
tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, he immediately
falls away. The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word,
but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word and it
bears no fruit. But the seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the
word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or
sixty or thirty fold.” (Matthew
13:18-23)
In our Gospel
passage today our Lord tells a parable which throws an immensely
important light on something that is present throughout the entire
Sacred Scriptures. Our Lord in his parable is commenting on the
reception and effectiveness of the word of God. The word of God
features from the very first page of the Bible when God spoke and
things came to be. In the beginning there was simply the void and the
Spirit of God hovered over it. Then God spoke and the universe, crowned
by man, came into being. Such is the power of the word of God. From
that point on the Scriptures feature the word of God and the results of
that word being spoken. Connected with this is another theme which also
appears in the very first pages of the Bible, and it is the frustration
of this word. God made man in his own likeness and set him in a garden
with one stipulation that he was to observe the divine word. He
was not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil which was
planted in the middle of the garden. But man refused to observe this
word. He rebelled and all was ruined. This could be said to be the
story of the Bible — God speaking and man either observing or
disregarding his word. Our Lord in our Gospel today (Matthew
13:18-23) takes up this central
theme and sums it up in his parable filling it with extra light. The
word that comes from him is the word about the Kingdom of God long
predicted and now being announced and established by Jesus the
Messiah. That word is like seed that produces the harvest, but
the harvest of the Kingdom which it promises depends also on it being
truly received and then retained, and with “understanding.” It is often
not understood, it is often received superficially, and it is often
choked to death by other interests. If it is received after the manner
of good soil, it will produce an abundant harvest. A danger we
all too easily lose sight of is that of not appreciating sufficiently
the power and the promise of the word of God. We forget or do not
really believe that God’s word can indeed produce a harvest in our
life, the harvest of personal holiness which is the flowering of the
Kingdom of God in our hearts. If a person really believes that a goal
is worthwhile and truly attainable, then he will be more likely to put
a persevering effort into its acquisition. For instance, why are our
prayers not heard? It could be that we are not really praying, but more
deeply, it may be because we do not really believe that our prayers
will be heard — which in turn implies that we may not be really praying
to the God of Revelation at all but to a caricature of him. So too in
the matter of the word of God bringing about the harvest in our life.
Do we really believe that Christ can bring about this harvest of
holiness in our life, or do we subconsciously think of this as just a
pipe-dream? If we do, then this will affect our reception and response
to the word of God. So then, prior to the question of our
persevering response to the word of God, we must deal effectively with
the possibility that we do not really believe the promise that comes
with God speaking to us. We remember Elizabeth exclaiming before our
Lady her young kinswoman, “blessed are you who have believed that the
promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled. Mary perseveringly put
that word into practice, but first of all she believed it and entrusted
herself to the Lord who had spoken to her. All through his public
ministry our Lord was seeking faith and unmasking its counterfeits. The
act of faith in God’s word is pivotal, and based on this faith a person
then goes on to live it in everyday life.
Let us place
ourselves continually in the presence of Jesus Christ who lives in his
Church and who speaks to the Church’s members and through the Church
speaks to the world. Let us appreciate anew that all depends on the
word of God and on our response to that word. If that response is
forthcoming, the harvest promised by the power of the word will surely
come. But our response in the first instance depends on our faith in
that word. Let us then pray to be able to believe the word
wholeheartedly, and then on the basis of this belief, to put that word
into daily practice.
(E.J.Tyler)
When is it morally permitted to use
military force?
The use of military force is morally justified when the following
conditions are simultaneously present:
* the suffering inflicted by the aggressor must be
lasting, grave and certain;
* all other peaceful means must have been shown to
be ineffective;
* there are well founded prospects of success;
* the use of arms, especially given the power of
modern weapons of mass destruction, must not produce evils graver than
the evil to be eliminated. (2307-2310)
(Compendium of the
Catechism of the Catholic Church, no.483)
(July
28) St.
Leopold Mandic (1887-1942) Western Christians who are
working for greater dialogue with Orthodox Christians may be reaping
the fruits of Father Leopold’s prayers. A native of Croatia, Leopold
joined the Capuchin Franciscans and was ordained several years later in
spite of several health problems. He could not speak loudly enough to
preach publicly. For many years he also suffered from severe arthritis,
poor eyesight and a stomach ailment. Leopold taught patrology, the
study of the Church Fathers, to the clerics of his province for several
years, but he is best known for his work in the confessional, where he
sometimes spent 13-15 hours a day. Several bishops sought out his
spiritual advice. Leopold’s dream was to go to the Orthodox Christians
and work for the reunion of Roman Catholicism and Orthodoxy. His health
never permitted it. Leopold often renewed his vow to go to the Eastern
Christians; the cause of unity was constantly in his prayers. At a time
when Pope Pius XII said that the greatest sin of our time is "to have
lost all sense of sin," Leopold had a profound sense of sin and an even
firmer sense of God’s grace awaiting human cooperation. Leopold, who
lived most of his life in Padua, died on July 30, 1942, and was
canonized in 1982.
St. Francis advised his followers
to "pursue what they must desire above all things, to have the Spirit
of the Lord and His holy manner of working" (Rule of 1223, Chapter 10)
— words that Leopold lived out. When the Capuchin minister general
wrote his friars on the occasion of Leopold’s beatification, he said
that this friar’s life showed "the priority of that which is
essential." Leopold used to repeat to himself: “Remember that you have
been sent for the salvation of people, not because of your own merits,
since it is the Lord Jesus and not you who died for the salvation of
souls.... I must cooperate with the divine goodness of our Lord who has
deigned to choose me so that by my ministry, the divine promise would
be fulfilled: ‘There will be only one flock and one shepherd’” (John
10:16).
(Saints)
Click
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Scripture today: Exodus
24:3-8; Psalm 50:1b-2, 5-6,
14-15; Matthew 13:24-30
Jesus proposed a
parable to the crowds. “The Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man
who sowed good seed in his field. While everyone was asleep his enemy
came and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off. When the
crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well. The slaves of the
householder came to him and said, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in
your field? Where have the weeds come from?’ He answered, ‘An enemy has
done this.’ His slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them
up?’ He replied, ‘No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the
wheat along with them. Let them grow together until harvest; then at
harvest time I will say to the harvesters, “First collect the weeds and
tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn.” (Matthew
13:24-30)
One of the very
persistent problems most people will face is that of resentment, hurts
and injury, and hence of the difficulty in forgiving. It is
possible to go right through life and never manage to forgive this or
that person for the injury done. This is very understandable but if one
is a Christian then this situation cannot be accepted because Christ
has commanded that we forgive from the heart. He has threatened that at
our judgment we shall be treated as we treat others, and that if we
refuse to forgive, forgiveness will be refused to us. Of course, it is
one thing to refuse to forgive, and it is another thing to have great
difficulty in forgiving despite
one’s constant attempts to do so. It helps to remember that the
injuries that constitute a burden in life and that cause so much
ongoing resentment have usually been brought on somewhat by oneself,
while having also been of course inflicted — often unjustly — by
others. There is usually as least some justice and also some or even a
lot of injustice involved. Well, even if to a large extent the injury
one suffers from was brought on by oneself, still, the one who
inflicted it can be very difficult to forgive. Now, I have often
thought that for the person who wants to forgive but who finds it very
difficult to do so it is a real help to remember that the person who
has caused one the injury is himself an injured person. His having
caused one the injury is itself to some extent due to his own limited,
flawed and injured condition. He is flawed with impatience or lack of
comprehension or whatever it might be. There is in his own make-up what
we might call many weeds amid the wheat. Those weeds have caused him to
react in the way he did, and you yourself have been injured as a
result. The weeds have grown in his field, as they have in yours. The
result in your case is that you were injured but it helps to remember
that the injury you suffer from is due to the weeds in both your
fields. This common flawed condition which we might sum up in the image
of weeds growing amid the wheat can help us be understanding towards
those who injure us.
This observation
about the common difficulty in forgiving is really an aside and is
meant to illustrate a much more general point. The point is that the
world of man which has come from God is not as God intended. Anything
that comes from a good God must be good and if it is corrupted in some
way or is found to contain the bad, then that element comes not from
God but from another source: “an enemy”. The same applies to the
Kingdom of God which was foretold dimly by the patriarchs and more
clearly by the prophets, and which was announced and established by our
Lord Jesus Christ. The Kingdom of God contains weeds in the midst of
the wheat. It is this point which our Lord makes in his parable today.
“The Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man who sowed good seed in
his field. While everyone was asleep his enemy came and sowed weeds all
through the wheat, and then went off. When the crop grew and bore
fruit, the weeds appeared as well” (Matthew
13:24-30).
The Kingdom of God is found in the person of Christ and one enters this
kingdom by becoming a member of his body the Church through faith and
baptism. Thus is the Kingdom extended from Christ to include all those
who are in him. The Catholic Church teaches that this Church Christ
founded subsists in the Catholic Church, though numerous elements
of it are found outside its visible confines. The point of today’s
parable, though, is that in this Kingdom which includes all who are in
Christ there are many, many weeds. This accounts for the sinfulness
that is always present in the Church which is the seed, the bearer and
the herald of the Kingdom of God because Christ is her Head. The weeds
that are present come from, our Lord tells us in his parable, “an
enemy”, and we must be patient with this reality just as God is
patient. The Church is holy because she has Christ for her Head, but
she is also flawed because she has fallen people for her members. Weeds
grow with the wheat.
Let us learn to be
patient and compassionate with the world and with what God has in his
inscrutable wisdom allowed in his providence. This applies to the very
Kingdom of God which Christ brought to man in his own person and which
he offers in his body the Church, made up as it is of human beings
united with their divine Head. There is wheat everywhere in the Kingdom
and there are weeds everywhere too. Let us work for God every day in
this reality patient and ever faithful with the knowledge that the
harvest time will most certainly come.
“Let them grow together until harvest”
(Matthew 13:24-30) Pius XII, Pope from
1939 to 1958 (Encyclical Mystici Corporis Christi,
1943)
Nor must one imagine that the Body of the Church, just because it bears
the name of Christ, is made up during the days of its earthly
pilgrimage only of members conspicuous for their holiness, or that it
consists only of those whom God has predestined to eternal happiness.
It is owing to the Savior's infinite mercy that place is allowed in His
Mystical Body here below for those whom, of old, He did not exclude
from the banquet (cf Mt 9:11). For not every sin, however grave it may
be, is such as of its own nature to sever a man from the Body of the
Church, as does schism or heresy or apostasy. Men may lose charity and
divine grace through sin, thus becoming incapable of supernatural
merit, and yet not be deprived of all life if they hold fast to faith
and Christian hope, and if, illumined from above, they are spurred on
by the interior promptings of the Holy Spirit to salutary fear and are
moved to prayer and penance for their sins.
Let every one then abhor sin, which
defiles the mystical members of our Redeemer; but if anyone unhappily
falls and his obstinacy has not made him unworthy of communion with the
faithful, let him be received with great love, and let eager charity
see in him a weak member of Jesus Christ. For, as the Bishop of Hippo
remarks, it is better "to be cured within the Church's community than
to be cut off from its body as incurable members." "As long as a member
still forms part of the body there is no reason to despair of its cure;
once it has been cut off, it can be neither cured nor healed."
Remove, Jesus, that filthy crust of sensual corruption which
covers my heart, so that I can feel and readily follow the touches of
the Paraclete on my soul.
(The Way,
no.130)
In danger of war, who has the responsibility for the rigorous
evaluation of these conditions?
This responsibility belongs to the prudential judgment of government
officials who also have the right to impose on citizens the obligation
of national defense. The personal right to conscientious objection
makes an exception to this obligation which should then be carried out
by another form of service to the human community. (CCC 2309)
(Compendium of the
Catechism of the Catholic Church, no.484)
Prayers this week:
God is in his holy
dwelling; he will give a home to the lonely, he gives power and
strength to his people. (Ps 67:6-7.36) God our father and
protector, without you nothing is holy nothing has value. Guide us
to everlasting life by helping us to use wisely the blessings you have
given to the world. We ask this through our
Lord Jesus Christ your Son in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God.
(July 29)
St.
Peter and St. Marcellinus Though we know very little about
these two martyrs under Diocletian, there is no question that the early
church venerated them. Evidence of the respect in which they were held
are the basilica Constantine built over their tombs and the presence of
their names in the first Eucharistic prayer. Pope St. Damasus says that
he heard the story of these two martyrs from their executioner who
became a Christian after their deaths. Marcellinus, a priest, and
Peter, an exorcist, died in the year 304. According to a legendary
account of their martyrdom, the two Romans saw their imprisonment as
just one more opportunity to evangelize and managed to convert their
jailer and his family. The legend also says that they were beheaded in
the forest so that other Christians wouldn't have a chance to bury and
venerate their bodies. Two women found the bodies, however, and had
them properly buried.
(Saints)
Jesus was praying
in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said
to him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.” He
said to them, “When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name, your
kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread and forgive us our sins
for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us, and do not subject us
to the final test.” And he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a
friend to whom he goes at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three
loaves of bread, for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a
journey and I have nothing to offer him,’ and he says in reply from
within, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked and my
children and I are already in bed. I cannot get up to give you
anything.’ I tell you, if he does not get up to give the visitor the
loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever
he needs because of his persistence. “And I tell you, ask and you will
receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to
you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and
to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. What father among you
would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? Or hand him a
scorpion when he asks for an egg? If you then, who are wicked, know how
to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in
heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?”(Luke 11:1-13)
Anyone with a
modicum of historical knowledge will know that religion is fundamental
to human history and very much part of the cultures of man. The glaring
exception — we could call it an anomaly — is the secular Western
culture of the last few centuries since the Reformation and the
Enlightenment, together with those cultures and philosophies that have
been influenced by the secularisation of Western culture. If religion
has been part of human cultures, so has prayer because prayer is at the
heart of religion. When we look at the life of prayer of mankind be it
public or private we see an enormous variation. The question naturally
arises then, how should we pray? We cannot simply look to
the testimony and practices of the various peoples because their
testimony differs so profoundly. Rather, in the first instance we must
look to what God has revealed about prayer, and this flows from what he
has revealed about himself because in prayer it is to him that man
addresses himself. What God has revealed about himself and about prayer
is given to us in the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, and is
interpreted and taught by the Church especially in her catechisms. Now,
is there any way of getting at the essence of what God has revealed to
us about true prayer, prayer that is pleasing to him and therefore
fruitful? Yes there is, and we do this by turning to the teaching of
our Lord himself. What he teaches about prayer sums up the teaching of
the Old Testament on prayer and fulfils it with his own revelation.
Jesus Christ is our teacher in all things involving God and most
especially in the art and the practice of prayer. It needs to be
stressed in our day that the Christian looks to him for his life of
prayer and not primarily to sources other than Christ.
Our
Gospel passage today (Luke 11:1-13) is a most important
expression of our Lord’s teaching on prayer. As ever, it is simple,
concrete and illustrated by parables and parallels from everyday life.
Firstly, it gives us our Lord’s own prayer, the prayer he taught his
disciples when they asked him to teach them how to pray. It is the
Lord’s Prayer and being this it ought be a fundamental prayer for our
whole life. We ought pray it slowly and fervently every day, and
whenever it is prayed or sung at Mass it ought never be said or sung
just routinely. If we pray it well always during life, at the hour of
our death we shall be able to pray it with deep fervour. I remember
reading after Pope Paul VI died in 1978 that as he was dying he prayed
the Lord’s Prayer in Latin. His cause for canonization is progressing.
Imagine going from this life and into the presence of God with the
Lord’s Prayer having filled our mind, heart and soul! It has been said
that during the last moments of our life we draw on those simple things
that have proved to be our nourishment and stay through the years. I
invite you to make the Lord’s Prayer of our Gospel today just that, a
principal prayer of your daily life and the life of your family. I
recommend that you pray it with fervour often during each day and as a
family, allowing its words to shape your spiritual life and the life of
your family. It will shape our life with the thought that God is the
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and because we are in him by faith and
baptism, God is our loving Father too. In union with Jesus we and every
family address him as our Father. Because he is our Father we can
address our petitions confidently to him — and our Lord tells us in the
prayer he has taught us what those petitions ought be. We ought make
those petitions our own and shape our lives according to them. Let us
not take this prayer for granted simply because we know it so well. It
contains in summary all God’s revelation on prayer and that is why the
Church in her catechisms usually presents her teaching on prayer as a
commentary on the Lord’s Prayer.
In our passage our Lord,
having taught his Prayer to the disciples then goes on to comment on
it, and the comment he makes stresses the great confidence we ought
have in presenting our petitions to God our Father. Our confidence
ought be a share in the confidence of Jesus himself in praying to his
heavenly Father. Our Lord tells us that if we ask we shall receive,
most especially shall we receive the greatest of the Father’s gifts,
the gift of the Holy Spirit. In his Letter St James is so confident of
prayer that he writes that if we do not receive what we have asked for
it is because we have not asked for it in the way we should. How should
we address our petitions to our heavenly Father, then? We do it in the
way, and with the attitude and with the mind of Christ. We ought try to
do everything, including our prayer, in Christ and as he would do it.
When we pray we ought unite ourselves with our Lord and in his presence
ask ourselves if he would be pleased to unite our petitions with his.
Is my petition to God pleasing to him and does it bring glory to our
heavenly Father? Is my petition one that I am convinced Christ would be
pleased to make his own? If so, then present that petition
perseveringly to God our Father knowing that he will answer it in the
way he knows is best for me and for his glory. Let every person and
every family take to heart our Lord’s teaching on prayer in today’s
Gospel, for prayer ought be the basis of the life of every person and
every family.
(E.J.Tyler)
Further reading: The
Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2598-2619, 2734-2741
Never speak
of impure things or events, not even to lament them. Remember that such
matter is stickier than pitch. Change the subject or, if that is not
possible, continue with it, speaking of the need and the beauty of
purity — a virtue of men who know the value of their souls.
(The Way, no.131)
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In case of war, what does the moral
law require?
Even during a war the moral law always remains valid. It requires the
humane treatment of non-combatants, wounded soldiers and prisoners of
war. Deliberate actions contrary to the law of nations, and the orders
that command such actions are crimes, which blind obedience does not
excuse. Acts of mass destruction must be condemned and likewise the
extermination of peoples or ethnic minorities, which are most grievous
sins. One is morally bound to resist the orders that command such acts.
(CCC 2312-2314, 2328)
(Compendium of the
Catechism of the Catholic Church, no.485)
(July
30)
St. Peter Chrysologus (406-450?) A man who
vigorously pursues a goal may produce results far beyond his
expectations and his intentions. Thus it was with Peter of the Golden
Words, as he was called, who as a young man became bishop of Ravenna,
the capital of the empire in the West. At the time there were abuses
and vestiges of paganism evident in his diocese, and these he was
determined to battle and overcome. His principal weapon was the short
sermon, and many of them have come down to us. They do not contain
great originality of thought. They are, however, full of moral
applications, sound in doctrine and historically significant in that
they reveal Christian life in fifth-century Ravenna. So authentic were
the contents of his sermons that, some 13 centuries later, he was
declared a doctor of the Church by Pope Benedict XIII. He who had
earnestly sought to teach and motivate his own flock was recognized as
a teacher of the universal Church. In addition to his zeal in the
exercise of his office, Peter Chrysologus was distinguished by a fierce
loyalty to the Church, not only in its teaching, but in its authority
as well. He looked upon learning not as a mere opportunity but as an
obligation for all, both as a development of God-given faculties and as
a solid support for the worship of God. Some time before his death, St.
Peter returned to Imola, his birthplace, where he died around A.D. 450.
(Saints)
Quite likely, it was St. Peter Chrysologus’s attitude toward learning
that gave substance to his exhortations. Next to virtue, learning, in
his view, was the greatest improver of the human mind and the support
of true religion. Ignorance is not a virtue, nor is
anti-intellectualism. Knowledge is neither more nor less a source of
pride than physical, administrative or financial prowess. To be fully
human is to expand our knowledge—whether sacred or secular—according to
our talent and opportunity.
Click centre arrow to start video
Scripture today:
Exodus
32:15-24, 30-34; Psalm106:19-20, 21-22,
23; Matthew 13:31-35
Jesus proposed a
parable to the crowds. “The Kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed
that a person took and sowed in a field. It is the smallest of all the
seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants. It becomes a
large bush, and the birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.”
He spoke to them another parable. “The Kingdom of heaven is like yeast
that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour until
the whole batch was leavened.” All these things Jesus spoke to the
crowds in parables. He spoke to them only in parables, to fulfil what
had been said through the prophet: I will open my mouth in parables, I
will announce what has lain hidden from the foundation of the world.(Matthew
13:31-35)
In our Gospel
passage today we have yet another of our Lord’s parables describing the
Kingdom of heaven. The Gospels make it clear that “the Kingdom” is
central to our Lord’s preaching. He came to announce and establish “the
Kingdom of heaven,” the “Kingdom of God.” That is to say, he had come
to establish God’s active rule over the world, what Pope Benedict in
his masterly book Jesus
of Nazareth prefers to call God’s “lordship.” This rule of God that was long
foretold is not just a general kind of divine rule little different
from that always exercised by God over the work of his hands, but one
that actively fights against sin and works towards his full and holy
dominion. It has the person of Jesus Christ for its centre, it has a
life all of its own, it has a range of divinely instituted structures
and above all the presence of holiness amidst a world marred by sin.
This active rule or lordship of God — the “Kingdom of heaven” —
is present in its fulness in the person of Jesus and because Jesus
abides among men as the Head of his Church, this “Kingdom” can be
located. The “Kingdom of heaven” is present and active in the Church
Christ founded on Peter precisely because Christ in his fulness is to
be found there. But now, let us turn to the words of our Lord today
describing certain features of the new and promised lordship of God
which our Lord was bringing. Our Lord tells us that it does not appear
among men crashing through on to the scene in all its fullness, as it
were. When Alexander the Great went from victory to victory conquering
even the vast Persian Empire his kingdom arrived and overturned all
others before it. The rule of God is not like that even though it will
eventually conquer all when God will be all in all. No, it will begin
as something very small and even barely noticed. What is it like? It is
like “a mustard seed that a person took and sowed in a field. It is the
smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of
plants. It becomes a large bush, and the birds of the sky come and
dwell in its branches” (Matthew
13:31-35).
What this means is
that the final conquest and universal sovereignty of God over sin and a
world that is largely alienated from him begins unpromisingly — in the
passion and death of Christ — and grows silently and amid numerous
setbacks. But its final outcome is absolutely assured. Most
especially it depends on our puny efforts. The mustard seed is “the
smallest of all the seeds” and we who are in Christ by faith and
baptism are part of that seed. Our daily life is part of the process of
that seed’s growth. Our tiny efforts, our everyday duties, our ordinary
responsibilities and the everyday round in which God has placed us, are
all the stuff of the mustard seed that has been sowed in the field and
is slowly growing. The fundamental dynamic of growth is the same as
that whereby it began — and that is the cross. The seed was planted in
the field at the passion and death of Christ. It sprouted at his
resurrection, and the means of its authentic growth remains the cross
as borne by each of Christ’s members in his body the Church. That cross
is the fulfilment of God’s will amid suffering and difficulty. The
Church in her members bears the daily cross in the footsteps of the
Master, and in doing this nourishes the growth of the mustard seed that
is gradually advancing to its great size. There are setbacks and new
beginnings, but the final result is assured. That result is God’s
lordship over all when God in Christ will be all in all. What we must
do is make the very most of our very limited daily life with all its
possibilities and limitations to advance the honour and glory of God by
the acceptance and the fulfilment of his will. It means that every
person who is in Christ is part of an immensely grand project that is
continually going on. Something is afoot that is far larger than the
activity and horizon of any one individual or group or society. That
which is afoot is the advance of God’s active lordship and Kingdom, the
“Kingdom of Heaven” as present and embodied in the person of Jesus.
There are two great
Standards planted in the world and flying in the breeze. One is that of
Christ, the other is that of Satan and all that is against Christ.
Christ will win and his Kingdom is coming. Let us get with the strength
that is Christ and work for him with joy in our everyday duties. The
outcome is assured. Of Christ’s kingdom there will be no end. Let us
not miss out.
(E.J.Tyler)
What must be done to avoid war?
Because of the evils and injustices that all war brings with it, we
must do everything reasonably possible to avoid it. To this end it is
particularly important to avoid: the accumulation and sale of arms
which are not regulated by the legitimate authorities; all forms of
economic and social injustice; ethnic and religious discrimination;
envy, mistrust, pride and the spirit of revenge. Everything done to
overcome these and other disorders contributes to building up peace and
avoiding war. (CCC 2315-2317, 2327-2330)
(Compendium of the
Catechism of the Catholic Church, no.486)
(July 31) St.
Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556) The founder of the
Jesuits was on his way to military fame and fortune when a cannon ball
shattered his leg. Because there were no books of romance on hand during his
convalescence, he whiled away the time reading a life of Christ and
lives of the saints. His conscience was deeply touched, and a long,
painful turning to Christ began. Having seen the Mother of God in a
vision, he made a pilgrimage to her shrine at Montserrat (near
Barcelona). He remained for almost a year at nearby Manresa, sometimes
with the Dominicans, sometimes in a pauper’s hospice, often in a cave
in the hills praying. After a period of great peace of mind, he went
through a harrowing trial of scruples. There was no comfort in
anything—prayer, fasting, sacraments, penance. At length, his peace of
mind returned. It was during this year of conversion that he began to
write down material that later became his greatest work, The Spiritual
Exercises. He finally achieved his purpose of going to the Holy
Land,
but could not remain, as he planned, because of the hostility of the
Turks. He spent the next 11 years in various European universities,
studying with great difficulty, beginning almost as a child. Like many
others, he fell victim twice to the suspicions of the time, and was
twice jailed for brief periods. In 1534, at the age of 43, he and six
others (one of whom was St. Francis Xavier) vowed to live in poverty
and chastity and to go to the Holy Land. If this became impossible,
they vowed to offer themselves to the apostolic service of the pope.
The latter became the only choice. Four years later Ignatius made the
association permanent. The new Society of Jesus was approved by Paul
III, and Ignatius was elected to serve as the first general. When
companions were sent on various missions by the pope, Ignatius remained
in Rome, consolidating the new venture, but still finding time to found
homes for orphans, catechumens and penitents. He founded the Roman
College, intended to be the model of all other colleges of the Society.
Ignatius was a true mystic. He cantered his spiritual life on the
essential foundations of Christianity — the Trinity, Christ, the
Eucharist. His spirituality is expressed in the Jesuit motto, ad majorem Dei gloriam — “for the greater glory of God.” In his concept,
obedience was to be the prominent virtue, to assure the effectiveness
and mobility of his men. All activity was to be guided by a true love
of the Church and unconditional obedience to the Holy Father, for which
reason all professed members took a fourth vow to go wherever the pope
should send them for the salvation of souls.
Luther nailed his theses to the
church door at Wittenberg in 1517. Seventeen years later, Ignatius
founded the Society that was to play so prominent a part in the
Counter-Reformation. He was an implacable foe of Protestantism. Yet the
seeds of ecumenism may be found in his words: “Great care must be taken
to show forth orthodox truth in such a way that if any heretics happen
to be present they may have an example of charity and Christian
moderation. No hard words should be used nor any sort of contempt for
their errors be shown.” One of the greatest twentieth-century
ecumenists was Cardinal Bea, a Jesuit.
Ignatius recommended
this prayer to penitents: “Receive, Lord, all my liberty, my memory, my
understanding and my whole will. You have given me all that I have, all
that I am, and I surrender all to your divine will, that you dispose of
me. Give me only your love and your grace. With this I am rich enough,
and I have no more to ask.” (Saints)
Click centre arrow to start video
Scripture today:
Exodus
33:7-11; 34:5b-9, 28; Psalm
103:6-13; Matthew 13:36-43
Jesus dismissed the
crowds and went into the house. His disciples approached him and said,
“Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” He said in
reply, “He who sows good seed is the Son of Man, the field is the
world, the good seed the children of the Kingdom. The weeds are the
children of the Evil One, and the enemy who sows them is the Devil. The
harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. Just as
weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end
of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect
out of his Kingdom all who cause others to sin and all evildoers. They
will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and
grinding of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the
Kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears ought to hear.” (Matthew
13:36-43)
I remember many
years ago following the Second Vatican Council when the saintly Pope
Paul VI stated that the smoke of Satan had appeared in the Church — he
was referring to the abuses in doctrine and practice that were becoming
rampant — his words were reported on television news with some mirth.
What was considered amusing was Paul VI’s reference to Satan. For many,
Satan is something of a joke. There is, incidentally, another current
in the popular imagination that overestimates Satanic power and we see that in the various
movies of Satanic possession. Another tendency of modern secular man is
to dismiss references to Hell. An eternal Hell is an impossibility if
we are talking about a loving God. Christ could not really mean that a
person would be damned forever in torment were he to die in the state
of mortal sin. So runs the talk. But this kind of thinking is just what
Satan wants, and it shows the peril of disregarding orthodox Christian
doctrine. It can profoundly contribute to the loss of the sense of sin
which is so characteristic of our age. In fact as even a cursory
reading of the Gospels makes clear, Christ was insistent and explicit
on the reality of hell. Where in the Old Testament is there such clear
teaching on hell as there is found repeatedly in the words of Christ?
He is far more explicit on this than any figure in the Old
Testament, and the doctrine of hell could be said to be one of the very
distinctive revelations of Christ. Our Gospel passage today is a case
in point in which our Lord explains to his disciples the parable of the
weeds in the field of wheat. The weeds are those in the world who do
evil. “The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are
angels. Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it
be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they
will collect out of his Kingdom all who cause others to sin and all
evildoers. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there
will be wailing and grinding of teeth.”
(Matthew
13:36-43)
A famous
Evangelical Anglican pastor of eighteenth century England was John
Newton (1725-1807) who wrote the story of his conversion in the form of
many letters gathered into a single publication (Letters
of a Slave Trader freed by God’s Grace). He was a writer of
some hymns, the most well-known of which is his Amazing Grace. Anyone
who has read the Letters — the account of his conversion while a young
and spiritually reckless sailor — will notice the critical role
that the thought of hell had on his life. Two things came to the
fore during a terrible storm at sea, firstly the precariousness of his
life and secondly the judgment of God following death. Were he to die
now, he thought, what would happen? Hell would be the upshot of God’s
judgment on him. This thought and the thoughts that followed it
transformed his life and led him into the Anglican ministry and to a
life as a dedicated pastor in Olney in Bucks and then at Woolnoth.
Christ’s revelation about hell is a very important revelation.
Interestingly, one of the persons Newton came to influence was Thomas
Scott, Evangelical pastor of Aston Sanford (author of The
Force of Truth).
Scott died some sixteen years after Newton. Again, the thought of the
transience of life, of God’s judgment and of an eternity in hell was
decisive in turning Scott’s life around and indeed in setting him on
the path to accept the doctrine of the Trinity. Hell proved to be a
very important doctrine in Thomas Scott’s conversion. Let it be
remembered that Cardinal Newman in his Apologia
Pro Vita Sua pays
high tribute to the influence of Thomas Scott’s works on his own
youthful years as an Anglican. Many examples could be cited of the role
that the Christian doctrine of hell can and should play in turning away
a person from sin and directing his mind and heart to God. St Ignatius
Loyola gives the entire first week of his famous Spiritual Exercises
over to the renunciation of sin, and meditation on hell is a very
important component in this process.
Let us take to heart Christ’s assurance
that “all who cause others to sin and all evildoers” who do not repent
will be thrown “into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and
grinding of teeth”. As Newman writes at the end of one of his volumes,
life is short and eternity long. Let us then so live in God’s sight as
to please him, and thus by God’s grace merit eternal life.
(E.J.Tyler)
The saints were not abnormal beings: cases to be studied by a
'modernistic' doctor. They were — they are — normal: of flesh, like
yours. And they won.
(The Way,
no.133)
What responsibility
do human persons have
in regard to their own sexual identity?
God has created human beings as male and female, equal in personal
dignity, and has called them to a vocation of love and of communion.
Everyone should accept his or her identity as male or female,
recognizing its importance for the whole of the person, its specificity
and complementarity. (CCC 2331-2336, 2392-2393)
(Compendium of the
Catechism of the Catholic Church, no.487)
Morning Offering:
O Jesus, through the most pure heart of Mary, I offer you all the
prayers, works, joys and sufferings of this day for all the intentions
of your divine heart, in union with the holy sacrifice of the Mass. I
offer them especially for the Holy
Father's intentions:
He was habitually
serious. He
delighted in no joyous books. Art or poetry never served to sharpen his
wits, lighten his spirit, or solace his weary moments. The sweet
devotional poems of Fray Luis de Leon, and the delicate humour of
Cervantes, notwithstanding the genuine piety of both, were equally
strange to him. The rights of man and the birth of chemistry did not
withdraw his fixed
gaze from the other world, which formed the constant subject of his
contemplation. It was not sufficient for him to abstain from positive
pleasure; he considered it his duty to inflict upon himself bitter
pain. He ate little, avoided meat and wine, preferred fruit and fish,
never complained of the quality of his food, nor sought to have it more
savoury. He often lashed himself with ropes, sometimes of wire; he was
in the habit of beating himself in the breast with stones, and at times
he put a burning torch to his breast. These things he did even while
preaching or at the close of his sermons, his purpose being, as his
biographer says, “not only to punish himself but also to move his
auditory to penitence for their own sins.” Serra and his
biographer did not allow the Protestant doctrine that there have
been no miracles since the Apostolic age. They imagined that the power
possessed by the chief disciples of Jesus had been inherited by the
Catholic priests of their time, and they saw wonders where their
contemporary Protestant clergymen like Conyers, Middleton, and
Priestly saw
nothing save natural mistakes. Serra’s religious conviction found in
him a congenial mental constitution. He was even- tempered, temperate,
obedient, zealous, kindly in speech, humble and quiet. His cowl covered
neither greed, guile, hypocrisy, nor pride. he had no quarrels and made
no enemies. He sought to be a monk, and he was one in sincerity. Even
those who think that he made mistakes
of judgment
in regard to the nature of existence and the duties of man to society,
must admire his earnest, honest and good character. 
was during the Penal Laws when the Catholic Church
and her ministers were suppressed. The faith was not allowed to be
practised openly and the celebration of Mass and the various Sacraments
was banned. Oliver went to Rome in 1647 to study for the priesthood and
was ordained in 1654. After three years at San Gerolamo della Carita he
was appointed professor of theology in the College of Propaganda Fide.
In 1669 he was appointed as Archbishop of Armagh. He worked tirelessly
in the pastoral care of his flock. At first he was able to work openly
but later, when the political situation changed, he was obliged to go
into hiding. Even then, however, at great peril to himself, he
continued to minister to his people. In 1679 Archbishop Plunkett was
arrested on a charge of treason. False witnesses testified against him
but a jury in Ireland, made up entirely of Protestants would not
convict him. He was transferred to London and tried there for treason.
False witnesses were brought against him, (several of whom were later
also executed for other crimes) he was convicted and sentenced to be
hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn. Oliver Plunkett publicly forgave
all those who were responsible for his death on this day in 1681. His
body is at Downside. His head is kept in a shrine at St Peter's Church
in Drogheda. Oliver Plunkett was beatified in 1920 and canonised in
1975. In 1979, Pope John Paul II venerated the relic of St Oliver
Plunkett during the Drogheda part of his Papal visit to Ireland.
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«
dagger. Maria
trembled but did not give way. Furious, the young man tried with
violence to tear her clothes off. Maria freed herself of her gag and
cried out, «Don't do it… It's a sin… You will go to Hell.»
Little concerned with the judgment of God, the miserable soul raised
his weapon: «If you don't want to, I will kill you.» In the
face of her resistance, he stabbed her repeatedly with his knife. The
child cried out, «My God! Mother!» and fell to the floor.
Believing her dead, the assassin threw his knife aside and opened the
door to flee, when he heard that she was still groaning. He retraced
his steps, picked up his weapon and stabbed her all over once more,
then climbed to his room and locked himself in. Maria had received
fourteen serious wounds; she had fainted. Regaining consciousness, she
called to Mr. Serenelli: «Gianni! Alessandro has killed me…
Come…» At nearly the same time, Teresina, awaked by the noise,
let out a shrill cry, which Mrs. Goretti heard. Frightened, the mother
said to her young son Mariano, «Go quickly to look for Maria—tell
her that Teresina is calling her.» At that moment, Gianni
Serenelli climbed the stairs and, seeing the horrible scene which
presented itself to his eyes, exclaimed, «Assunta and you, too,
Mario, come!» Mario Cimarelli, a worker on the farm, climbed the
stairs four at a time. The mother arrived in turn:
«Mother!» moaned Maria. «What
happened?»—«Alessandro wanted to hurt me!» The doctor
was called, along with the town police, who arrived in time to prevent
the terribly excited neighbors from putting Alessandro to death on the
spot.
her bedside. Maria
found the strength to console her: «Mother, my dear mother, I am
well now!… How are the little brothers and sisters doing?» Maria
was consumed with thirst—«Mother, give me a drop of
water.»—«My poor Maria, the doctor won't allow it, it will
make you worse.» Astonished, Maria continued, «Is it
possible that I can't have a drop of water!» She glanced at Jesus
on the Cross, who had also said, I thirst!, and resigned herself. The
hospital confessor helped her in a fatherly manner. At the moment of
giving her Holy Communion, he asked her, «Maria, do you forgive
your assassin with all your heart?» She suppressed an instinctive
repulsion, then replied, «Yes, I forgive him for the love of
Jesus… and I want him to come with me to Paradise… I want him at my
side… May God forgive him, because I have already forgiven him…»
It was in these sentiments, those of Christ Himself on Calvary, that
she received the Holy Eucharist and the Last Rites, serene, tranquil,
humble in the heroism of her victory. The end was approaching. She was
heard to call out, «Papa.» Finally, after a last appeal to
Mary, she entered into the immense joy of Paradise. It was the 6th of
July, 1902, at three o'clock in the afternoon.
power
for her glorification. The evil was all from me. I allowed myself to go
to brutal passion. She is a saint. Hers is a true martyrdom. She is one
of the foremost souls in Heaven, after what she had to suffer because
of me.» At Christmas 1937, he went to Corinaldo, where Assunta
Goretti had retired with her children, solely to atone and ask
forgiveness from the mother of his victim. Hardly was he before her
than he begged, crying, «Assunta, will you forgive
me?»—«Maria has forgiven you, could I not forgive you,
too?» stammered the mother. Christmas Day, the residents of
Corinaldo were not a little surprised and moved to see Alessandro and
Assunta approach the Eucharistic Table side by side.
Unless the mission is oriented by charity, that is, unless it springs
from a profound act of divine love, it risks being reduced to mere
philanthropic and social activity. In fact, God's love for every person
constitutes the heart of the experience and proclamation of the Gospel,
and those who welcome it in turn become its witnesses. God's love,
which gives life to the world, is the love that was given to us in
Jesus, the Word of salvation, perfect icon of the Heavenly Father's
mercy.
(July 11) 
missionary
activity; he set up many dioceses and founded monasteries. As German
king and Holy Roman Emperor, Henry was a practical man of affairs. He
was energetic in consolidating his rule. He crushed rebellions and
feuds. On all sides he had to deal with drawn-out disputes so as to
protect his frontiers. This involved him in a number of battles,
especially in the south in Italy; he also helped Pope Benedict VIII
quell disturbances in Rome. Always his ultimate purpose was to
establish a stable peace in Europe. According to eleventh-century
custom, Henry took advantage of his position and appointed as bishops
men loyal to him. In his case, however, he avoided the pitfalls of this
practice and actually fostered the reform of ecclesiastical and
monastic life. He was canonized by Pope Eugene III in the year 1146.
by the words of
three Blackrobes who lodged with her uncle, but fear of him kept her
from seeking instruction. She refused to marry a Mohawk brave and at 19
finally got the courage to take the step of converting. She was
baptized with the name Kateri (Catherine) on Easter Sunday. Now she
would be treated as a slave. Because she would not work on Sunday, she
received no food that day. Her life in grace grew rapidly. She told a
missionary that she often meditated on the great dignity of being
baptized. She was powerfully moved by God’s love for human beings and
saw the dignity of each of her people. She was always in danger, for
her conversion and holy life created great opposition. On the advice of
a priest, she stole away one night and began a 200-mile walking journey
to a Christian Indian village at Sault St. Louis, near Montreal. For
three years she grew in holiness under the direction of a priest and an
older Iroquois woman, giving herself totally to God in long hours of
prayer, in charity and in strenuous penance. At 23 she took a vow of
virginity, an unprecedented act for an Indian woman, whose future
depended on being married. She found a place in the woods where she
could pray an hour a day—and was accused of meeting a man there! Her
dedication to virginity was instinctive: She did not know about
religious life for women until she visited Montreal. Inspired by this,
she and two friends wanted to start a community, but the local priest
dissuaded her. She humbly accepted an “ordinary” life. She practiced
extremely severe fasting as penance for the conversion of her nation.
She died the afternoon before Holy Thursday. Witnesses said that her
emaciated face changed colour and became like that of a healthy child.
The lines of suffering, even the pockmarks, disappeared and the touch
of a smile came upon her lips. She was beatified in 1980.
Nor must one imagine that the Body of the Church, just because it bears
the name of Christ, is made up during the days of its earthly
pilgrimage only of members conspicuous for their holiness, or that it
consists only of those whom God has predestined to eternal happiness.
It is owing to the Savior's infinite mercy that place is allowed in His
Mystical Body here below for those whom, of old, He did not exclude
from the banquet (cf Mt 9:11). For not every sin, however grave it may
be, is such as of its own nature to sever a man from the Body of the
Church, as does schism or heresy or apostasy. Men may lose charity and
divine grace through sin, thus becoming incapable of supernatural
merit, and yet not be deprived of all life if they hold fast to faith
and Christian hope, and if, illumined from above, they are spurred on
by the interior promptings of the Holy Spirit to salutary fear and are
moved to prayer and penance for their sins.
on hand during his
convalescence, he whiled away the time reading a life of Christ and
lives of the saints. His conscience was deeply touched, and a long,
painful turning to Christ began. Having seen the Mother of God in a
vision, he made a pilgrimage to her shrine at Montserrat (near
Barcelona). He remained for almost a year at nearby Manresa, sometimes
with the Dominicans, sometimes in a pauper’s hospice, often in a cave
in the hills praying. After a period of great peace of mind, he went
through a harrowing trial of scruples. There was no comfort in
anything—prayer, fasting, sacraments, penance. At length, his peace of
mind returned. It was during this year of conversion that he began to
write down material that later became his greatest work,