Feast of St. Thomas Aquinas, OP, priest, friar, doctor of the Church

Thomas Aquinas' feast day is today.

Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) lived at a critical juncture of western culture when the arrival of the Aristotelian corpus in Latin translation reopened the question of the relation between faith and reason, calling into question the modus vivendi that had obtained for centuries. This crisis flared up just as universities were being founded. Thomas, after early studies at Montecassino, moved on to the University of Naples, where he met members of the new Dominican Order. It was at Naples too that Thomas had his first extended contact with the new learning. When he joined the Dominican Order he went north to study with Albertus Magnus, author of a paraphrase of the Aristotelian corpus. Thomas completed his studies at the University of Paris, which had been formed out of the monastic schools on the Left Bank and the cathedral school at Notre Dame. In two stints as a regent master Thomas defended the mendicant orders and, of greater historical importance, countered both the Averroistic interpretations of Aristotle and the Franciscan tendency to reject Greek philosophy. The result was a new modus vivendi between faith and philosophy which survived until the rise of the new physics. Thomas's theological writings became regulative of the Catholic Church and his close textual commentaries on Aristotle represent a cultural resource which is now receiving increased recognition. The following account concentrates on Thomas the philosopher and presents him as fundamentally an Aristotelian. (http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/aquinas/)

One of my favorite saints, I used him greatly in teaching. I wish that I had had time to study him more when I was in the seminary.

Prayer of St. Thomas Aquinas: Grant me, O Lord my God, a mind to know you,a heart to seek you, wisdom to find you, conduct pleasing to you, faithful perseverance in waiting for you, and a hope of finally embracing you. Amen.

Another prayer of St. Thomas Aquinas: [Recited in Preparation for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass]
Almighty and ever-living God, I approach the sacrament of your only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. I come sick to the Doctor of Life, unclean to the Fountain of Mercy, blind to the Radiance of Eternal Light, and poor and needy to the Lord of Heaven and Earth. Lord, in your great generosity, heal my sickness, wash away my defilement, enlighten my blindness, enrich my poverty, and clothe my nakedness. May I receive the bread of angels, the King of kings and the Lord of lords with humble reverence and with the purity and faith, the repentance and love, and the determined purpose that will help to bring me salvation. May I receive the Lord’s body and blood, and its reality and power. Kind God, may I receive the Body of your only begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, born from the womb of the Virgin Mary, and so be received into His Mystical Body and numbered among his members. Loving Father, as on my earthly pilgrimage I now receive your beloved Son under the veil of a sacrament, may I one day see Him face to face in glory, who lives and reigns with you forever. AMEN.

B16 to the Slovenian Bishops

Zenit.org "Not all forms of humanism are the same," he added, "nor are they equivalent in moral terms. I am not referring here to religious aspects, but limit myself to ethical and social questions. The various visions of man that can be adopted have consequences for civil coexistence. If, for example, man is conceived -- following a widespread modern tendency -- in individualistic terms, how can we justify efforts for the construction of a more just and united community?"

"Each generation is called to renew the choice between life and goodness and death and evil. We as pastors have the duty to show Christians the path of life, that they in their turn may become the salt and light of society. I encourage the Church in Slovenia, then, to respond to materialist and selfish culture with a coherent evangelizing activity that begins in parishes."

The Huck and the Second Amendment

Diversity

There are many who believe that the politically correct concept of "diversity" is something that makes life better for everyone. Diversity is, of course, the bastard child of "multiculturalism," i.e., the idea that all cultures and their characteristic "values" are equal. This is an idea that should be resisted by everyone. It was brought home to me by someone mentioning the absurd idea that it is wonderful that there are so many different Christian denominations---as if that were something to rejoice in---and by the presentations at the National Pastoral Musicians convention in Indianapolis in July of last year. There we had contemporary Catholic liturgy served with a large helping of multiculturalism and two scoops of diversity. It was silly.

Look, the only reason why these other Christian bodies exist is because we Catholics didn't do our job right.

If we had fulfilled the mission that Christ gave us at his Ascension, then the world would've been evangelized, the Gospel preached, and those who came to Faith would've been baptized and joined to his body. It is a shame, and it is contrary to the desire of Christ himself (See the Last Supper discourse in the Gospel of John.) Of course, we can't go back and change history, but we should be able to learn from it, you'd think.

The work of Christian ecumenicism is not to rejoice in diversity in the essentials of the Faith. There is no room for diversity in the essentials, that's why they are essentials. The existence of different rites, and spiritualities are diversities of the non-essential variety, and to be gloried in. But the Faith itself is only one, as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one, and for which Christ prayed so earnestly on the night before his death. To pretend otherwise is simply to fall into religious indifferentism, and no Catholic can hold to that.

A new martyr for Christ

(AINA) -- According to the Assyrian website ankawa.com, a 14 year old Christian Assyrian boy, Ayad Tariq, from Baqouba, Iraq was decapitated at his work place on October 21.

Ayad Tariq was working his 12 hour shift, maintaining an electric generator, when a group of disguised Muslim insurgents walked in at the beginning of his shift shortly after 6 a.m. and asked him for his ID.

According to another employee who witnessed the events, and who hid when he saw the insurgents approach, the insurgents questioned Ayad after seeing that his ID stated "Christian", asking if he was truly a "Christian sinner." Ayad replied "yes, I am Christian but I am not a sinner." The insurgents quickly said this is a "dirty Christian sinner!" Then they proceeded to each hold one limb, shouting "Allahu akbar! Allahu akbar!" while beheading the boy.

Translated from Arabic by AINA

© 2008, Assyrian International News Agency. All Rights Reserved

Some Dutch are not taking Islamisation lying down.

Jewish Professor at Roman University defends the Pope

Defending the Pope comes with a cost, says a Jewish math professor from Rome's La Sapienza University. (See full article in Zenit: http://www.zenit.org/ ) Giorgio Israel spoke with L'Osservatore Romano last week after protesters at La Sapienza objected to a planned visit from Benedict XVI. The protesters wrote a letter in which they claimed the Pope is "hostile" to science. The event eventually escalated to the point of students taking over the rector's offices and the cancellation of the trip, planned for Jan. 17.
The Jewish math professor admits that there is an anti-papal climate in the universities that is difficult to address. Again, the university, supposedly a place of calm pursuit of truth, is revealed to be just the opposite. Liberal factions and politically-correct thought police rule the day. If the universities fail us in the pursuit of truth, then where will it happen for most folks?

The Games Muslims Play

For those interested in a quick overview of Muslim hypocrisy, take a look at this: http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/Pages/Games-Muslims-Play.htm#other

Knights of Columbus continue their work at the National Shrine

Click below to see the continuing work of the K of C for the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, DC:

http://www.kofc.org/news/releases/detail.cfm?id=506224

LA Diocese to sell Catholic Center.

(01-22) 19:42 PST Los Angeles (AP) --
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles has sold its 12-story administrative headquarters building to help pay last year's $660 million settlement with people alleging sex abuse by clergy, a spokesman said Tuesday.
The Archdiocesan Catholic Center was sold to Jamison Properties of Los Angeles for $31 million, archdiocese spokesman Tod Tamberg said.
Staffers who oversee the archdiocese's cemeteries will move to office space on the grounds of a cemetery, Tamberg said. Others will consolidate in four of the building's floors that church officials will lease from the new owner, Tamberg said.

It is sad that a problem that was brought on by the bishops has to be paid for by the faithful by the selling of Church property. I lay this completely at the feet of the bishops without apology. They told us that they had it fixed, and then didn't do it.

St. Vincent of Saragossa, Deacon and Martyr

Saint Vincent of Saragossa, also known as Vincent of Huesca, is the patron saint of Lisbon. His feast day is January 22 Catholic; November 11 Orthodox. He was born at Huesca and martyred under Diocletian in 304.

One of the things that the authorities sought in Dioceltian's persecution was the copies of the scriptures. The imperial authorities also went after the bishops, presbyters (priests), and deacons of the Church, figuring that by cutting of the head(s) the Church would quickly did. Of course, that was a mistake.

He was born at Huesca but lived in Zaragoza (Saragossa in English; also in the Aragon region of Spain) and is also known as Saint Vincent the Deacon. The title "deacon" (diakonos) means minister or servant. Vincent served as the deacon of Saint Valerius, bishop of Saragossa. Imprisoned in Valencia for his faith, and tortured on a gridiron — a story perhaps adapted from the martyrdom of another son of Huesca, Saint Lawrence— Vincent, like many early martyrs in the early hagiographic literature, succeeded in converting his jailer. Though he was finally offered release if he would consign Scripture to the fire, Vincent refused.

The earliest account of Vincent's martyrdom is in a carmen (lyric poem) written by the poet Prudentius, (348 – after 405), who wrote a series of lyric poems, Peristephanon ("Crowns of Martyrdom"), on Hispanic and Roman martyrs, including Lawrence. Prudentius describes how Vincent was brought to trial along with his bishop Valerius, and that since Valerius had a speech impediment, Vincent spoke for both, but that his outspoken fearless manner so angered the governor that Vincent was tortured and martyred, though his aged bishop was only exiled.

Eternal Father, you gave St. Vincent the courage to endure torture and death for the Gospel: fill us with your Spirit and strengthen us in your love. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Papal visit to Roman University cancelled

VATICAN CITY, 16 JAN 2008 (VIS) - The Pope will not make the visit he was scheduled to make tomorrow, 17 January, to Rome's "La Sapienza" University for the inauguration of the academic year, according to a communique released yesterday evening by the Holy See Press Office.
The communique reads: "In the wake of the widely-publicised events of the last few days relating to the Holy Father's visit to Rome's 'La Sapienza' University which, at the invitation of the rector, was to have taken place on Thursday, 17 January, it was considered opportune to postpone the event. The Holy Father will, nonetheless, send the text of the speech he had been due to pronounce".
The "events" to which the note refers include a petition to the rector signed by 67 professors asking for the invitation to Benedict XVI to be withdrawn, and protests by groups of students who yesterday occupied the rector's office to demand the right to demonstrate within the university campus on the day of the Pope's visit.
The signatories of the petition take exception to a talk given by the then Cardinal Ratzinger in 1990, and in particular to a phrase he used on that occasion to the effect that "in Galileo's time the Church remained much more faithful to reason than Galileo himself. The trial against Galileo was reasonable and just". The future Pope's remarks, a quote from a work by the philosopher of science Paul Feyerabend, were made in the context of a talk on the crisis of confidence in science, in which he used the example of changing attitudes towards the case of Galileo. OP/PAPAL VISIT/LA SAPIENZAVIS 080116 (290)

So much for freedom of speech and the honesty of the scientific method.

Ordinary Time

The earliest day that Easter can be is 22 March---an event that happens only once every 200 years. This year Easter is 23 March, something that comes once a century. This fluxuation is brought about by the ancient problems of determining Easter anyway. It combines a lunar calendar such as the Jews used, and a solar calendar such as the Romans used. The purpose is to keep Easter a) on a Sunday, and b) in the spring. In the history of the Church there have been other attempts to fix the date of Easter. Some wanted it to coincide with Passover, but that meant that "The Lord's Day" would not always be Sunday. The Church found this unacceptable since it had already been celebrating Sunday as the Lord's Day from the time of the Apostles. To celebrate the annual observance of his resurrection on a day other than Sunday would make no sense.

Thus, we have at the Council of Nicea (325) the formulation of the calculating of the date of Easter: The First Sunday after the Full Moon, after the Vernal Equinox. This has kept Easter in the spring, and on a Sunday, and more or less around the time of the Jewish Passover.

Between Ash Wednesday and now we are in ordinary time. This is so-called because the Sundays are ordered from one to thirty-four. This cycle is disrupted by Lent and Easter, but takes up again after Pentecost. The Sundays between Epiphany and Lent were formerly called Sunday's after Epiphany. They were followed by the pre-Lenten cycle of Septuagesima, Sexagesima, and Quinquagesima Sundays before Ash Wednesday. The reform of the liturgical calendar after Vatican II did away both with the Sundays after Epiphany and the pre-Lenten Sundays. This year we will have four Sundays of Ordinary Time before Lent.

Someone with too much time on his hands

It is possible to make a trumpet out of 12 feet of garden hose and a mouthpiece. Here's an organist/trumpeter who can collect both salaries:

Becket

We celebrated on the 29th of December the feast of the "Holy, blissful martyr" St. Thomas Becket, one of the great saints of the middle ages, and one of my favorites as well. He was slain by knights of Henry II who thought they were following orders. It was a martyrdom that shocked Europe and made the cathedral of Canterbury a place of pilgrimage as important as Rome or Compostella. The Archbishop was also the Abbot of the cathedral monastery and as is described by William the monk below:

"He suffered on this day, who was Primate and Legate, in the Church and on behalf of the Church, about the hour of the evening prayer, while the choir of monks sang psalms round about, and the clergy and the company of the people stood by, and while reigned our Lord Jesu Christ to Whom be honour for ever and ever. Amen."

I had the privilege of praying at the place of his murder and in the crown chapel in 2002 (so called because one of the knights sliced off the top of his skull with his sword). The knights wounded him terribly, and after slicing off the top of his skull used their swords to scrape out his brain onto the pavement. One of the monks almost had his arm cut off as he raised it to try to fend off the blows that the Archbishop-Abbot was receiving.

St. Thomas Becket's shrine in the cathedral became one of the most richly endowed. St. Louis of France sent a special stone for it called the "Regale of France" that became part of the shrine for several hundred years, until the heresiarch and fornicator, Henry VIII, destroyed the shrine, taking the votive offerings for himself and destroying the relics of this saint who dared defy his king.

Epiphany

This weekend, the Solemnity of the Epiphany falls on a Sunday. Since it is not a holy day of obligation in the US, it used to be celebrated only in monasteries, cathedrals and at daily Mass in parishes. After Vatican II, the American bishops moved it to the closest Sunday. The principle of double-effect is at work here. While moving it to Sunday allowed American Catholics to celebrate this wondrous feast when they would normally be going to church anyway, it also cut the Epiphany from its calendrical mooring of January 6. Thus Twelthnight (Epiphany night) often falls on less or more days than the traditional twelve days of Christmas. This is some cultural loss, except this year when Epiphany and Sunday are the same day. We will truly have the full twelve days of Christmas and Twelthnight on the proper day.

Three things are celebrated at the Epiphany: the visit of the Magi, the Lord's baptism, and the miracle at the wedding feast at Cana. All three are "epiphanies" of Christ: to the gentiles in the person of the Magi; to John the Baptist and the Apostles at the Jordan; and the first miracle of Christ's ministry,recorded by St. John the Divine.

In the Greek Orthodox Church, this feast centers on the Jordan, and usually, wherever possible, the bishop will throw a cross into the nearest river, and young men will dive for it. This can be quite exhilarating, especially in a Russian winter!

The Hurdy-gurdy

For those of you who know not the hurdy-gurdy, then I say "Gentlemen, behold!

Awake My Soul

When I was in college at St. John's to of my friends and I got hooked on the music from William Walker's Southern Harmony, and B.F. White's Sacred Harp, both published in the 1850's The rough-hewn angularity and back-country vitality of these hymns are refreshing. Many of the melodies are quite touching as well. I've loved this music ever since. Even though it is quintessentially Protestant in its scope, I still love it. For those who are interested in the Sacred Harp, this DVD will come in handy and is very interesting.

Childermas Day 28 December

Today we celebrate Childermas or the feast of the Holy Innocents. Matthew describes this incident as the murder of the boys of Bethlehem up to two years old by Herod seeking to destroy thereby the new-born King of the Jews as the Magi called him. Children are blessed today by their parents.

The following blessing of children is from the "fisheaters" blog: http://www.fisheaters.com/customschristmas5.html

The father of the home should formally bless the children. A common way of doing this is as follows:
Father: O Lord, hear my prayer.
All: And let my cry come unto Thee.
Father:
Let us pray. O Lord Jesus Christ, once Thou embraced and placed Thy hands upon the little children who came to Thee, and said: "Suffer the little children to come unto Me, and forbid them not, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven, and their angels always see the face of my Father!" Look now with fatherly eyes on the innocence of these children and their parents' devotion, and bless them this day through our prayers.
The father signs the forehead of each child with holy water.
Father: In Thy grace and goodness let them advance continually, longing for Thee, loving Thee, fearing Thee, keeping Thy commandments. Then they will surely come to their destined home, through Thee, Savior of the world. Who lives and reigns forever and ever.
All: Amen.
Father: May God bless you. And may He keep your hearts and minds -- the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.
All: Amen.

The Comites Xsti

The three days after Christmas celebrate three saints or group of saints. The first, celebrated on the 26th, is the feast of St. Stephen, the Protomartyr. Then, today, the Feast of St. John the Divine, and tomorrow, the Feast of the Holy Innocents of Bethlehem. I suppose that we could lump in St. Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, whose feast is the 29th.

Comites Xsti or Christi, if you don't want to use the ancient abbreviation, is the name for these saints: the Companions of Christ. They were given this name in the middle ages since their feasts came right after the Nativity. All of them, except Thomas (who only comes from the 12th century) were celebrated early on in the Roman Rite. This year, none of them will be knocked out by the Feast of the Holy Family, that is the Sunday between Christmas and Epiphany.

St. John the Divine is the patron saint of wine, because when someone offered him a goblet of poisoned wine, he blessed it and it broke and a snake came forth. Today wine is blessed in honor of St. John. A blessing for it follows:

O Lord God, deign to bless and consecrate with Thy right hand this cup of wine and of whatever drink: and grant that through the merits of Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist, all who believe in Thee and who drink from this cup may be blessed and protected. And as blessed John drank from the cup of poison and remained completely unharmed, may, through his merits, all who drink from the cup on this day in honor of blessed John be rescued from every sickness of poison and from every kind of harm; and, offering themselves up body and soul, may they delivered from all fault. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Bless, O Lord, this creature of drink: that it may be a remedy of salvation for all who consume it: and grant through the invocation of Thy holy name that whoever will have tasted of it may, through Thy giving, experience health of the soul as well as of the body. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
And the blessing of almighty God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, descend upon this creature of wine and of whatever drink, and remain forever. Amen.

As St. Stephen's day is the feast of Deacons, so is today, St. John the Divine, the feast of priests, and tomorrow, the Holy Innocents is the feast of novices, students, and choirboys.

St. Nicholas' Day

Today, the 6th of December is the feast of St. Nicholas, Bishop of Myra. He had been a monk and an abbot before being elected bishop of Myra. During the persecution of Diocletian he was tortured as were many of the bishops of the Church. He was one of the fathers of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicea. This council addressed the teachings of Arius on the nature of Christ: that Christ was only a good man whom God exalted. This was refuted by the bishops of the Church and Arius was condemned. Many of the bishops, as Nicholas, had suffered persecution during the reign of Diocletian, so the council must have looked like a gathering of war veterans.

The legends of St. Nicholas are many, and he is the patron saint against imprisonment, robberies, and robbers. He is patron of pharmacists, bakers, barrel makers (coopers) sailors, boys, brewers, brides, captives, children, dock workers, fishermen, grooms, judges; lawsuits lost unjustly, Ireland, maidens, merchants, murderers; newlyweds, old maids, parish clerks, paupers, pawnbrokers; perfumeries, perfumers, pilgrims, poor people, scholars, school children, shoe shiners, single women, thieves, travelers, and water men, among others.

I always told the boys in the dorm to put their shoes out before they went to bed and St. Nicholas would come and give them something in the night. Mostly I would put candy in them, but there were some who merited a trip to the old powerhouse at the abbey so that I could bring a few lumps of coal. The point was made.

The picture above shows the saint preventing the execution of innocents.

Wachet auf!

I wanted to get this posted for Advent, but wasn't able to. It is a glorious rendition of the Bach chorale setting of Wachet auf (Sleepers awake) played by Ton Koopman. Enjoy.

The Solemnity of Christ the King

Today is not only the patronal feast of our Church of the Most Holy Redeemer, but we also celebrate the anniversary of its dedication in 1923, by Bishop John B. Morris, of Little Rock. We had a bi-lingual Mass at 11 o'clock followed by a parish pot-luck lunch. This evening we'll be having solemn vespers and I have invited the ministers of the downtown churches to attend and their congregations. It is always nice, and we have a reception in the parish all afterward. Dr. Loomis from First Presbyterian is preaching for us this evening.

It has not always been that ecumenical here in El Dorado. There was, and is, still much anti-Catholicism amongst the rednecks. However, the downtown churches have worked together for many years. First it was the annual Holy Week services between the six churches. One church gets a year off, since these services are only for the weekdays of Holy Week, but the ministers take turns preaching in the other churches. I've preached in all of the downtown churches now over the years. They include First Baptist, First Presbyterian, First Methodist, First Christian, St. Mary's Episcopal, and Holy Redeemer.

The next thing that got us working together was Interfaith Help Service (IHS) that has been a way for us to pool our contributions to the poor and have some system to take care of those who come to us for help. This has been going on for over ten years now, and has been a great help, and a great success.

Shortly after starting IHS, we began the Interfaith Clinic to provide a place where the working uninsured could come see a doctor or dentist. This grew so quickly that it was finally signed over to the Share Foundation here in El Dorado to manage.

Then, over the years, we have kept up our weekly ministers' discussion group. We've studied documents from the WCC, the Vatican, joint Catholic-Anglican and Catholic Mennonite documents. It has been very rewarding to see how similar we are, but how very divided that we still are. No amount of glossing over will ever hide the facts of our divisions. We still try ourselves to come to greater mutual understanding, and it, at least for us, has paid off.

Nashville, day 4

This has been a relaxing time with no pressures. I visited with Don Ruesewald yesternight. He took me out to dinner and then home to meet his wife and two children. He was one of my choir members for the four years he was at Subiaco, graduating in 1984. He's done well for himself, and was probably one of the best voices I had to work with in those years.

Butch has been very well behaved. He's such a sweet dog. I'm glad that I have him.

As one drives onto the campus of John Paul II High School here, there is a sign on the left side of the drive. It is black with gold letters and says: BECAUSE GOD IS LOVE. Every morning as the children and staff come to school they see that sign. It may not resonate with them every day, but at least they read it every day that they come there. I would think that there would be some kind of long-term formation that it does for all of them to be daily reminded of that great truth of our Faith.

After a day of rain, a cold front has moved in, and the temperatures are only supposed to be in the low sixties at best. This is true fall weather, and I love it.

Nashville

I'm taking a few days off and visiting friends in Nashville, TN. It is a relaxing time, much needed. The trees are much further along here in the colors of their leaves. Many are quite brilliant. It will be a few weeks before our trees in south Arkansas start to turn.

I went to a choir party for the choir of St. John Vienney last night. A good time was had by all. It included stargazing, but the clouds were bothersome. Did manage to see one comet, though.

A former student of mine from Subiaco lives here with his family, and I'm getting together with him this afternoon. He was one of the best singers that I had when I directed the Subiaco Men's Chorus.

There is a certain life in larger cities that cannot be found in a little town like El Dorado. Both have their advantages, but a change now and then is a good thing.

It looks as if the new translation of the Roman Missal is completed, and is now being reviewed by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Bishops of the episcopal conferences of the English language. It will be different, and our hymnals are going to be out of sync with the new missal which means that we will have to get new ones. I am going to be very careful this time about choosing one, but I am sure not going to invest in "missalettes!"

Despite all the horror stories that have been making the rounds, I believe that the new translation will be much better. The one that we've been using for the last 30+ years was done in haste with the idea that it would be revisited at a later time. Finally that time has come. The changes will take some getting used to by the congregation, but mostly by the priest. Things that I have memorized will no longer be the same, and I will have to have my head buried in the book during many parts of the Mass that I know by memory.

My little dog, Butch, is a good travelling companion. He is quiet and seldom needs to stop for the necessities of nature. There's a baby in the house where we're staying, and I have to admit that he's been a model of patience with her.

Men's Prayer Breakfast

This morning at 6:30 we celebrated Lauds from the Office for the Dead and included Holy Communion for first Friday. Afterwards we adjourned to the parish hall for a delicious breakfast of bacon, grits, biscuits and gravy, fresh fruit, coffee and oj prepared by a couple of the men of the parish. I'm very glad to see that more men are attending now that we've moved the time to 6:30, instead of 7. Perhaps we'll have to start something for the women of the parish as well. I'll suggest it and leave it up to them to decide. The great thing is to get people to the church for something other than the Mass. Hard to do these days.

All Souls Day

On November 2, we celebrate the feast of All Souls. It came about through strongly Benedictine influence especially from the Cluniac Congregation in the middle ages. We commemorate all the souls of the faithful departed today. This feast proclaims the doctrine of Purgatory in both its scriptural and traditional bases. It also shows the Church's solicitude for all those who have died, and therefore are in need of our prayers and supplications. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

All Saints Day

Today the Church commemorates all of those who "have gone before us with the sign of peace and are now at rest." This feast was, in the Latin Church, begun with the consecration of the Pantheon in Rome to St. Mary and all Martyrs. Later, in the middle ages, it was moved to November 1.

The readings for today's Mass remind us that "what we will be then," i.e., in heaven, has not yet been revealed to us. We are on our way, becoming what we shall be on that day. They remind us also of that vast throng "which no man could number, of every tribe, language, people and nation," who are washed in the blood of the Lamb (Holy Baptism) and wearing white robes, with palm branches in their hands, give eternal worship with all the angels to the All-holy, and Blessed Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, one God, for ever and ever.

New possibilities of dialog

A group of Muslim scholars sent a letter to various Christian leaders, including the Roman Pontiff. It is a refreshing opening of dialog after many years of standoffishness. Below is a quote from a recent article in Zenit. I suggest reading the full article.

ZENIT [zenitenglish@zenit.org] The letter sent by the Muslim scholars, noted the pontifical institute, did "not seek refuge in a convenient one-sided protest," but rather placed "themselves as partners within humanity."The response said that a fundamental point of the open letter sent by the Muslims was common ground, in particular the commandment to love one's neighbor: "Only this can guarantee success in a genuine relationship between culturally and religiously diverse communities.""In addition," the letter continues, "as faith always goes together with good works, as the Koran never fails to repeat, [...] love of God is inseparable from love of neighbor."The text sent by Muslim scholars referred to various Christian texts of the Gospel, and the pontifical institute noted, "This is evidence of deep respect and genuine attentiveness to others, while at the same time of a true scientific spirit. In this respect also, we note the emergence of a new attitude."

With Lamps Burning

We are approaching the end of the ecclesiastical year that will conclude on the Solemnity of Christ the King. The readings for the day and for Sundays turn to the end times and the second (and final) coming of Christ. Today's reading is from Luke 12:35-38: See that you are dressed for action and have your lamps lit. Be like men waiting for their master to return from the wedding feast, ready to open the door as soon as he comes and knocks. Happy those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes, I tell you solemnly, he will put on an apron, sit them down at table and wait on them It may be in the second watch he comes, or in the third, but happy those servants if he finds them ready.

The picture of the wise and foolish virgins above is all that I could find. The parable is similar to the message of today's gospel, but not quite apt.

To be dressed for action is like a warrior wearing his military kit. As St. Paul tells us in another place: Put on the armor of light. A soldier who is not ready for battle is useless, and ultimately, dead. In Jesus' day there was no real public lighting, and mostly only thugs and the rich who could afford torch carrying body guards would be out at night. The servants at home had to be ready to immediately open the gate when the Master returned. Failure to open promptly would result in severe punishment. Here, however in contrast to the reading a few Sundays ago, the Master then serves the servants in reward for their readiness. It doesn't matter whether he comes in the 2nd watch (between 9 and 12) or the 3rd watch (between 12 and 3), those servants will be blessed.

As we prepare for Advent, Holy Mother Church again reminds us to stay awake. We must be ready for Christ whenever he calls upon us. Blessed is that servant who follows the Lord's admonition!

Sexual misconduct by teachers?

In a recent article:

ttp://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071020/ap_on_re_us/teacher_sex_abuse the vast problems of sexual abuse by teachers with students is finally beginning to be revealed. Naturally, the sex-abuse crisis in the Church is brought in, but no attempt is made to put it into perspective with the same crisis in American public schools. Private schools also get bashed because they often use non-credentialed teachers. (Of course this not true of accredited private schools, all of which have sexual abuse policies in place.) Here is a quote from the article:

Two of the nation's major teachers unions, the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association, each denounced sex abuse while emphasizing that educators' rights also must be taken into account. "Students must be protected from sexual predators and abuse, and teachers must be protected from false accusations," said NEA President Reg Weaver, who refused to be interviewed and instead released a two-paragraph statement.

Notice that the concern is for both the rights of students, and the rights of teachers. This is something lacking in the Catholic Church's situation, where even a false accusation results in immediate suspension a divinis, i.e., net able to celebrate the liturgy or sacraments, and the priest is immediately removed from his position,often overnight, and is then never allowed to serve again, contrary to the decrees of canon law. Said priest must then go to therapy and evaluation before he can be cleared (if the accusation was unfounded). But since no one can get any higher clearance than that they are probably unlikely to commit such an offence, what bishop would ever put said priest back into service again? It's like trying to prove a universal negative: the priest will never do it again. Only when he's dead.

The two new American cardinals are both associated with the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem. Cardinal-Archbishop Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston is the Grand Prior of the Southwest Lieutenency of the EOHSJ, and Cardinal-Archbishop John Patrick Foley has been the pro-Grand Master of the EOHSJ. Now, as a cardinal he drops the "pro" from his title and is simply called the Grand Master of the EOHSJ.

(From Zenit.org) Pope Benedict XVI announced the names of 23 new cardinals for the Church, including a historic move to bestow the first red hat to the head of a Texas archdiocese.The consistory, the second of the Pope's pontificate, will be held Nov. 24, the eve of the solemnity of Christ the King, the Vatican press office said today."The new cardinals," the Pope said at the end of today's general audience, "come from various parts of the world. And the universality of the Church, with the multiplicity of her ministries, is clearly reflected in them."Alongside deserving prelates who work for the Holy See are pastors who dedicate their energies to direct contact with the faithful." Two of the new cardinals are U.S. prelates: Archbishop John Patrick Foley, pro-grand master of the Equestrian Order of the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem and Archbishop Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, Texas.

St. Luke's Day

Today is the feast of St. Luke, the Evangelist. He was born of pagan parents, but converted to the faith. He was a disciple and companion of St. Paul, and composed the Gospel named after him, and the Acts of the Apostles. He told us of the birth and childhood of Jesus, and presented some of the most moving of Jesus' parables such as the lost sheep, and the prodigal son. His Gospel highlights the universal nature of salvation.

Collect: Father you chose Luke the evangelist to reveal by preaching and writing the mystery of your love for the poor. Unite in one heart and spirit all who glory in your name, and let all nations come to see your salvation Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Annual meeting of the EOHSJ

I have just returned from Oklahoma City for our Southwestern Lieutenency's annual meeting. Five members from Holy Redeemer were invested: Sir Phillip and Lady Denise Pesek, Dr. Sir Ken Gati, and Lady Daion Gati, and Lady Susan Hobart. There were also three others that I had nominated from the diocese of Little Rock: Fr. Aaron Pirerra, OSB, and Deacon Sir Robert Cowie, and Lady Elizabeth Cowie.

It was an especially great time, filled with liturgy and prayer, and much renewing of friendships from our pilgrimage of last November. There were also some late-night sessions in the hotel bar, but I will not comment on them other than to say that they were deep and amicable, and a lot of fun.

We were addressed at the Sunday evening banquet by Arch-eparch Elias Chacour, of the Galilee. It was a very interesting and blunt account of the life of Christians in the Holy Land. I am hoping that I will be able to gather a group of pilgrims who would go and see his work, after all, he invited us.

Tonight I will stay at the abbey, and then leave tomorrow for Little Rock and continuing education for the clergy. We will study the motu proprio, Summorum Potificum on the greater access to the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite, known as the Tridentine Mass.

Back at Subiaco

Since Tuesday I've been back at my monastery of Subiaco. (Abbey coat of arms to the left) It has been a refreshing break from the parish. I'm staying at St. Benedict Rectory with my confrere Father Aaron since the priests of the diocese of Tulsa, OK are here on retreat, and they've filled the guesthouse and the extra rooms in the monastery.
On Tuesday evening I was sitting in a choir stall before the divine office and Father Paul, who is quite elderly and even with hearing aids is deaf as a post passed by me and smiled and nodded, which I returned. Then he made his way around the stalls until he got to his on the last row. He was behind me, about five feet over my right shoulder when I heard him say to Father Sebastian in a very loud voice that reverberated through the choir: "Is that Father Gregory?" Father Sebastian said in an equally loud voice: "Yes." Father Paul then said: "He's sure getting old fast." Father Sebastian said loudly: "Yes." At that point I turned and looked at them and gave them a smile and a thumbs up sign. It's good to know that I have a home.
The abbot called the monks to return to the monastery for three days to attend the lectures by Cistercian Father Michael Casey. They have been very well presented and his dry Australian wit has been entertaining in itself. His last conference is tonight.
Tomorrow I pick up Deacon and Mrs. Bob Cowie to the west of Paris, Arkansas, and we will make our way to Oklahoma City for the annual meeting of the Southwest Lieutenentcy of the EOHSJ where I will meet up with the other members of my parish who are being knighted, as well as the other members of Holy Redeemer who are already members. I think that we will have 100% attendance from south Arkansas.
The weather here has been delightfully cool. This morning it was in the 50's, so it's been a great change of pace from El Dorado. We'll see what Oklahoma has to offer tomorrow.

The Holy Guardian Angels, 2 October

The feast of the Holy Guardian Angels was put on 2 October 1615. It reminds us of the providence of God for everyone on earth.

Jesus’ teaching always employs examples that the people could understand that were drawn from their daily experiences or common knowledge.
The idea that people had angel guardians was somewhat common in Jesus’ day. St. Michael, the Archangel, was considered the guardian of Israel.
See that you never despise any of these little ones, for I tell you that their angels in heaven are continually in the presence of my Father in heaven. Scripture scholars make these “little ones” out to by symbolic of the members of the Christian community, not just children in a sentimental fashion---sentimentality didn’t exist then, anyway. What it tells us is that all of us are in the presence, that is, present to God, who loves us and works constantly of our salvation, therefore we must always consider ourselves to be little ones in the kingdom of God.

25 September

Not much happening today at the parish. An air-conditioner drain has been leaking into the office. Our trusty maintenance staff have been on it and seem to have fixed the problem. It has rained intermittently all day so far. My little dog, Butch, is visiting his friends this afternoon.

I received word last night that Tom Hunkins, Sr., the father of some of my former students and alumni of Subiaco died yesterday of a heart attack. He had nine children, and lived in St. Louis. Please pray for the repose of his soul and the consolation of his family.

This morning I went to the dentist to have my teeth cleaned. No cavities were found.

We are in the process of replacing our trash cans with a dumpster. I hope that it will beautify things a bit, but it could be just replacing one eyesore with another.

Signed checks for the week today. Amazing how much money it takes to run a parish.

Recommended Reading

Many times the media tells us that so much of our Western Civilization is traceable to Muslim/Arabic influences. This has become standard "knowledge" among many people. The following article makes a good refutation of that falsehood:

http://www.jihadwatch.org/dhimmiwatch/archives/018190.php

Christian survival

Christianity cannot survive without Christ. It is Christ who is the center, the head, the life, the Lord of his Church. The Church is his Body, not an independent end in herself. As the Council of Trent taught so clearly 5 centuries ago, the sacraments are not magic.

Without personal faith and response to God's mercy and grace, the sacraments do not save; do not justify. Without personal faith and response to God's grace, there is no living faith to hand on to the next generation. Without personal faith and response, loyalty, identity, and commitment vanish. Without living faith, catechesis, which is intended to foster the Christian maturity of those who are already disciples, is without effect.Christian culture is not self-sustaining.

Christian culture is the fruit of personal faith. Without the preaching of the kerygma and personal conversion which is the source of renewal in every generation, Christian culture ultimately withers away and dies.

(From the Blog: Intentional Disciples)

The mind of man is never at rest

Where do they get the time for these things? It is funny, though.

Domine, non sum dignus (Lord, I am not worthy)

The readings for today may be found at http://www.usccb.org/nab/091707.shtml

This is a familiar but still curious story from the gospel of Luke ( Lk 7:1-10 ). Capernaum was by the Sea of Galilee, it was also the home of Peter. The bystanders urge Jesus to heal the centurion's slave because "he built our synagogue for us." Having made one pilgrimage to the Holy Land, I am now an expert in these things. The ruins of the synagogue of Capernaum that still stand are of the "white synagogue" that was built out of marble hauled in from far away. It did not exist in the time of Jesus. The synagogue that is under the "white synagogue" is called the "black synagogue" because it was built of the local, black basalt. This is the synagogue that existed in the time of Jesus. Was it the one built by the centurion? We cannot say.

The centurion would seem to have been in the ranks of what the Jews called "God fearers." They were edified by the religion of the Jews, and sought to conform to it without actually converting. They were respected in the community, and, as is the case reported here, were often benefactors thereof. Jesus responds to the urging of the crowd and follows the messengers of the centurion. And here is where the incident turns. Before Jesus can even arrive at his house, the centurion has second thoughts, and sends other servants to tell Jesus that he is not worthy to have him "come under his roof." The centurion understands authority and respect. He knows that Jesus can command the illness to depart without even sullying himself (becoming ritually unclean) by entering the home of a gentile.

The faith of this gentile, and his sensitivity to the requirements of the Jewish religion astonish Jesus. If such faith can be found outside of Israel, how much more should it be evident in the members of the household of the Faith?

How often do we Christians play fast and loose with the sanctity that we should exhibit, and the holiness of the God of whom we are not worthy. Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word, and my soul shall be healed.

The following is a quotation from the Treatise on the Most Blessed Sacrament by St. Thomas More, Martyr. "A treatise to receive the Blessed Body of our Lord Sacramentally and Virtually both, made in the year of our Lord, 1534, by Sir Thomas More Knight, while he was prisoner in the Tower of London, which he entitled thus as followeth: To Receive the Blessed Body Of Our Lord Sacramentally and Virtually both."

For if we will but consider, if there were a great worldly prince, which for special favour that he bare us, would come visit us in our own house, what a business we would then make, and what a work it would be for us to see that our house were trimmed up in every point to the best of our possible power, and everything so provided and ordered, that he should by his honourable receiving perceive what affection we bear him, and in what high estimation we have him.

We should soon see by the comparing of that worldly prince and this Heavenly Prince together (between which twain is far less comparison than is between a man and a mouse), inform and teach ourself with how lowly, how tender loving heart, how reverent humble manner we should endeavour ourself to receive this glorious, heavenly King, the King of Kings, Almighty God Himself, that so lovingly doth vouchsafe to enter, not only into our house (to which the noble man Centurio knowledged himself unworthy), but His 'Precious Body into our vile wretched carcass, and His Holy Spirit into our poor simple soul.

End of life issues clarified

CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH
RESPONSES TO CERTAIN QUESTIONS
OF THE UNITED STATES CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS
CONCERNING ARTIFICIAL NUTRITION AND HYDRATION

First question: Is the administration of food and water (whether by natural or artificial means) to a patient in a "vegetative state" morally obligatory except when they cannot be assimilated by the patient’s body or cannot be administered to the patient without causing significant physical discomfort?
Response: Yes. The administration of food and water even by artificial means is, in principle, an ordinary and proportionate means of preserving life. It is therefore obligatory to the extent to which, and for as long as, it is shown to accomplish its proper finality, which is the hydration and nourishment of the patient. In this way suffering and death by starvation and dehydration are prevented.
Second question: When nutrition and hydration are being supplied by artificial means to a patient in a "permanent vegetative state", may they be discontinued when competent physicians judge with moral certainty that the patient will never recover consciousness?
Response: No. A patient in a "permanent vegetative state" is a person with fundamental human dignity and must, therefore, receive ordinary and proportionate care which includes, in principle, the administration of water and food even by artificial means.
* * *
The Supreme Pontiff Benedict XVI, at the Audience granted to the undersigned Cardinal Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, approved these Responses, adopted in the Ordinary Session of the Congregation, and ordered their publication.

Rome, from the Offices of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, August 1, 2007.

William Cardinal Levada
Prefect
Angelo Amato, S.D.B.
Titular Archbishop of Sila
Secretary

This document will be very helpful for me as a pastor and for faithful Catholics in dealing with the end-of-life issues that are its subject. I will never forget being awakened at 2:00 a.m. once with a woman who wanted to know that if she were putting her aunt in a rest home, and since her aunt had Altzeimer's disease could she have them not feed or hydrate her? The whole story is almost as interesting as the Protestant woman who called me for counselling because she and her husband had been to a party where there had been drinking which lead to a sex orgy. I will, however, save the telling of both until another time.

The late night caller just didn't want to fool with the old woman, and didn't want to pay the expenses of the rest home. Since I was unable to give her any satisfaction (after a long time of discussion), she wanted to know if there were another priest available. Hearing that I was the only one in the county, she was astonished, being from south Louisiana where priests and parishes are more common. At the end, she angrily thanked me for nothing and went away sad.

It is unbelievable that anyone would be so callous to begin with, but then wanting to starve and dehydrate people to death has been done often in the last century. I guess that the children of the times are more hardened to such things. I hope that the aunt died in peace without being starved or dying of thirst.

14 September, Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you, because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world!

The original name of this feast was the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, by which name it is still known by the Orthodox Church and the Eastern Rites of the Catholic Church. Since 1970, it has been called in English the Triumph of the Cross by the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church. However, in Latin its name remains 'The Exaltation of the Cross'. In some parts of the Anglican Communion it is called Holy Cross Day, a name also used by Lutherans. In Jewish folklore the feast was established by Saint Peter for converted Jews to observe instead of Rosh Hashana.

The feast commemorates the finding of the True Cross in 325 during a pilgrimage to Jerusalem by St. Helena, the mother of the Roman emperor Constantine I . The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was then built at the site of the discovery, by order of Helena and Constantine. The church was dedicated nine years later, with a portion [1] of the cross placed inside it. In 614, that portion of the cross was carried away from the church by the Persians, and remained missing until it was recaptured by the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius in 628. The cross was returned to the church the following year after initially having been taken to Constantinople by Heraclius.

The date used for the feast marks the dedication of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in 335. This was a two-day festival: although the actual Consecration of the church was on September 13, the cross itself was brought outside the church on September 14 so that the clergy and faithful could pray before it.

The other September 11 (1683)

On this day in 1683, King Jan III Sobieski of Poland arrived to break the siege of Vienna and defeated the Turks in one of the most heroic moments of the continual battle between the followers of the Prophet and those of Christ. The Ottoman troops broke and fled before the charge of the Polish hussars that ended the Ottoman designs on central Europe for the next three hundred and eighteen years. Islam is on the march again, but where is the Sobieski of our times? Who will protect us?

It is fondly to be hoped that someday reason, justice and charity will prevail, and that all peoples of the earth can live together in peace. We must work for that and pray for that. But we must never let down our guard against a religion that from its very inception has labored under the command of its founder to conquer the earth by the sword.

And don't come at me with any silliness about the Crusades (that were really skirmishes in the continuing War of Muslim Aggression) as examples of Christian aggression. They would not have happened if the Muslims had not destroyed the holy places, enslaved the Christian inhabitants of the Roman Empire, and set their sights on the domination of the West, which would have ended in the stagnation that has been evident in the Muslim world for the past 400 years.

Athiests attack religion!

There have been a rash of books by atheists attacking religion of late (almost exclusively Christianity, naturally). They are so poorly written and so devoid of reasoning that it is time for Christians to help them out. What we need are some Christian scholars to write the books for them. Then they will get the arguments right, and won't be such an embarrassment to the intellectual establishment.

IX-XI

Today we remember those who died in the terrorist attacks against the United States by al Qaida operatives. As the war in Iraq continues unabated, and the immediacy of the events of this date recede in our collective memory, we perhaps need to recall that we live in a world that is still as dangerous a place as it has ever been in history. We Americans have been insulated from much misery that is the common experience of most of the world. The blessings of our geography and our commerce have protected us from the beginning of our nation. They will not continue to do so.

As I reflect on the plight of Christians in Muslim countries, I believe that they act as a moderating influence in the middle east. The Grand Prior (Archbishop Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston) of our Lieutenancy of the EOHSJ recently wrote:

You have heard often that the number of Christians in the Holy Land is dwindling. It seems to me that many think of "dwindling" in the sense it has when we speak of "dwindling oil supplies: or dwindling arctic ice pack." In this sense, there is progressively less and less petroleum, the are covered by the ice pack year by year seems to decrease. Would we, though say that oil supplies were merely "dwindling' in in ten years the amount of reserves fell by 80%? Would we say that the arctic ice pace was "dwindling" if its area decrease at ten or twenty times the rate we have observed?

Yet that is just what is happening to the Christian population in the Holy Land and surrounding countries. The World Council of Churches, according to a report by Newsweek Magazine, has estimated that in the last decade the number of Christians in that part of the world has plunged from 10 million to 2 million. Understandably, exact numbers are difficult to get, but anecdotal evidence is quite clear, and even the most casual observer can see that the decline has been precipitous.

You are tempted to think that the reason so many Christians are fleeing the Holy Land is because they are caught in the cross-fire, so to speak, between Muslims and Jews. But surveys attest clearly that economic reasons are the principal motives for emigration. Perhaps we can do little to compose the peace between Muslims and Jews, but we can do a great deal to help the economic situation of Christians in the Holy Land. Tourism is an important industry here in the United States, but relatively even more so in the Holy Land, and particularly for our Christian brethren there. (From the letter of August 2007)

I believe that if the economic situation of the peoples of the middle east were relieved, then much of the strife that destablizes the whole world would be mightily asuaged.

Friday, 7 September 2007

Today's readings may be found at: http://www.usccb.org/nab/090707.shtml

Jesus’ teaching always employs examples that the people could understand that were drawn from their daily experiences or common knowledge. We don’t store wine in skins anymore, although you can go to some catalogs and get a semi-authentic wine skin to show off with, I suppose. Because new wine is often still active, it has to have a container that will breathe and move with it. Old skins have lost their suppleness, instead of giving, they burst. It is the same with cloth. The natural fibers of wool and linen that were used most commonly in those days shrank after washing. A new piece attached to the shrunken fibers would shrink at the next washing and the hole would return. These examples deal with common good sense; from them Jesus has drawn his lesson: There is an appropriate way to deal with things and people, and they should be dealt with according to their nature. Wine that has settled down is more enjoyable because it has developed flavor and palatability. Old wine is better. But there will be no old wine, unless the new wine is properly stored. There is a way of teaching the young in the Faith that is appropriate for them. There is a way of further developing the Faith in others. As Aquinas said so truly in the 13th century: What is received is received in the mode of the receiver.

Gospel for 6 September

See this URL for today's readings: http://www.usccb.org/nab/090607.shtml

Sound travels well over water, and for Jesus to get into the boat and pull away from the shore for a distance allowed his words to be heard much better than if he were just sitting in the midst of the crowd. Unlike at other times, Luke fails to tell us what effect Jesus’ teaching had on those who listened. While his words were all well and good, on the religious level, you can almost hear the disbelief in Peter’s voice when he realizes that the carpenter is trying to tell the fisherman how to fish. Jesus’ teaching is verified for Peter, Andrew, James, and John by the splendid and unlooked for catch of fish. His message sank in, and the person of Jesus was revealed, only when Jesus’ work brought about faith---faith that led to repentance: Leave me, Lord; I am a sinful man. How slow we are to believe and to repent. At least our distance in time from Jesus’ day allows his word to be heard more clearly, just as his distance from the shore helped the crowd to hear.

Mother Teresa's Dark Night of the Soul

Mother Teresa of Calcutta was famous in her life and after her death because of her work for the poor and her spiritual teaching. Now that the cause for her canonization is working, her letters and other materials about her life have come to light. It appears that from the 1950's on she experienced a sense of complete abandonment by God. This feeling of God's absence in her life was a great trial, but something that never got her down. She continued steadfastly onward in her service of Christ without spiritual consolation. What a great example to us in modern western countries where the cult of "feelings" and "Oprah-ism" reigns. See the articles in Zenit: http://www.zenit.org

September 5, 2007

Both the epistle reading and today’s gospel contain the words “Good News.” The Good News that has reached you is spreading all over the world and producing the same results as it has among you ever since the day when you heard about God’s grace and understood what this reality is. And I must proclaim the Good News of the kingdom of God to the other towns too, because that is what I was sent to do. There is a universalist message about the Good News. It is not something to be put under the bed or a bushel basket---like a lamp it is to be placed on a stand to give light to the whole household of God. The people of Capernaum wanted Jesus to stay with them, and be their very own civic miracle worker. He would have been outstanding in that role, however, he was always conscious of his mission: to bring the gospel, the “Good News,” to those who were near and to those who were far off. Such should be our mission, too.

Gospel for 4 September

Today's readings may be found here: http://www.usccb.org/nab/090407.shtml

What is nice about today’s gospel is that there is no suspicion or violence in it, no Pharisees looking for a way to catch Jesus saying or doing something that will bring him into a scandal. His teaching made a deep impression on them because he spoke with authority. The scribes and Pharisees always appealed to the teachings of those who went before them, when they commented on the Torah---everything that they said had to be backed up with some ancient rabbi’s opinion. Jesus didn’t appeal to the opinions of the revered rabbis of the past---he spoke with his own authority: You have heard it said, but I say to you. Beyond that, he backed up his authority, as occasion offered by some kind of healing or other work---even on the Sabbath, as in today’s reading. The astonishment of his listeners was as much for his command of the scriptures as it was for his healing. Nothing like this had been seen in anyone’s memory. It truly seemed as if God had visited his people, and he did.