HE MUST INCREASE

Talk #2 to the Legion of Mary

2010-12-29T23:41:00.001Z

DEVOTION TO AND LOVE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Mulier ecce filius tuus – ecce mater tua

These words: Woman behold your Son – Behold your Mother, are very familiar to all members of the legion for it forms part of the standard of the Army of Souls who stand under that Heavenly Queen’s authority and protection. In this 2nd talk I’d like to speak somewhat about Our Blessed Lady as our Mother. And that not as some vaguely spiritual notion but really and truly our mother at the level of grace as much as our own mothers have given life to us in the flesh. And it is that spiritual motherhood which she exercises over us that far outweighs anything that our physical mothers have done or ever will do for us.

St. Therese has famously said: “She is for me both Mother and Queen, but more Mother than Queen”. It is important that we remember that although we have been enlisted in that Heavenly Army to fight the good fight, as St. Paul puts it, and although we are indeed foot-soldiers of our Heavenly Queen, we are first and foremost her children and she is our Mother. Christ is uniquely her Son by way of the human nature he took from her and, in him, we are her children by way of the grace he gave to us. He is her Son by way of the flesh – we by way of the Spirit, by the waters of Baptism when we became members of his Mystical Body.

Mary is our Mother, the most wonderful of Mothers – for if she was good enough for the Divine Son of the Almighty Father – then how much more is she good enough for us, who are not Divine but who are his children in Christ Jesus. We are sons and daughters of God in the Only Son of God. We are, as I have said, by grace what Christ is by nature. In other words he is naturally and eternally the Only Begotten Son of God, while we are supernaturally the adopted children of God. And Mary, being the Mother of the Son of God, is also the Mother of all God’s children.

Now what would your Mother think if you said to her – I love you as if you were my Mother. It would seem strange and yet that is how many people think when they try to express their devotion to Our Blessed Lady. But she, our Heavenly Mother, loves us immensely more than our earthly mother ever could and while our earthly mother gave birth to us at the natural level and saw to our upbringing and nurturing – our Heavenly Mother has brought us forth to supernatural life and sees that we grow to the full maturity of Christ as sons and daughter of the Heavenly Father. Just as Christ was formed in his humanity in her womb and grew under her authority at Nazareth – so we are placed under her maternal authority. Because our Head, Jesus Christ is formed in her and through her cooperation with God’s plans; so we, his members – whether we accept it our not - are formed in her and through her cooperation. What kind of unnatural birth would it be for a child to have two mothers, one for its head and another for its members. So we, if we are real members of Christ, if we are really his brothers and sisters, must come forth from the same mother – Mary our Queen.

God entrusted Mary with his most precious Son, there was nothing greater that he could have given her. Jesus Christ chose to be utterly dependent upon her – and he prepared her for that mission himself. If she was found worthy of having the Son of God placed under her authority then we can be sure that if we place ourselves under her – entrusting and consecrating our lives as sons and daughters of God to her Maternal Heart then we will surely arrive at that fullness of grace and holiness, that state of perfection that will allow us to enter heaven.

Sanctifying Grace which unites and keeps us united to Christ as God’s children comes to us through the humanity of Jesus Christ – true God and true man – he is the channel of grace. But that Divine Humanity was taken from Mary, was formed with her consent and cooperation – and so we can say that Mary is really the giver of graces – Mediatrix of all graces, because it was through her that every grace has come to us, since Jesus Christ the source of all grace has come to us through her. The Giver of all graces comes through Mary, and so no grace, no gift, is ever given except through Mary including the grace of Baptism and the gift of Eternal Life. It is not her grace, not her eternal life, but it is hers to give. In giving the world a Saviour through Mary, God gave the World Salvation through Mary. In giving birth to Christ she has become the Mother who gives birth to all of God’s children. Is it any wonder then that the great St. Augustine should write: “About Mary, never enough can be said.”

We cannot doubt that the love, honour, devotion and dedication we show to Our Lady is very pleasing to Christ and is a most perfect imitation of his dispositions towards her. As Bl. Columba Marmion puts it: “If we wish to love Christ, if we wish him to be all in all to us, we ought to have a really special love for his Mother.” And this very special love for Mary our Mother is more fully and perfectly demanded of her legion; as the handbook states: “One of the dearest duties of the Legion shall be to show whole-hearted devotion to the Mother of God.” Whole hearted – is a far cry from half-hearted. Whole-hearted devotion is what Christ showed her and we would do well to imitate him in this to the best of our abilities – always remembering that Jesus spent 33 years on this earth. 30 of those years he gave to Mary and only 3 to the rest of the world.

Mary is truly our mother to whom we should submit ourselves, our plans and our salvation – for she has been divinely commissioned to form Christ in all his brothers and sisters. St. Augustine made the point that since God, Jesus Christ, came to us through the womb of Mary, so every Christian must go to God by being formed in that same womb. One day, St. Gertrude, while singing the Divine Office of the Church came across a reference to Christ as the ‘first-born Son of the Virgin Mary’ and she thought to herself – that can’t be right – surely it should be only-Son. Our Lady then appeared to her and said: “No – it is not at all ‘only Son’ that best describes him but first-born Son, for after Jesus, my very dear Son – or more exactly, in him and through him – I have become mother of all of you in the womb of my charity, and you have become my children, the brothers and sisters of Jesus. “

On Calvary, on that great day of our Redemption, Jesus Christ put in place the last piece of the plan of Redemption, when just before he expired on the Cross he gave something wonderful to the beloved disciple; who is not named precisely so that he stands for every disciple who is beloved of the Lord and who loves him in return. And what is that something – the Cure of Ars explains: “Jesus Christ, after having given us all he could give, that is to say, the merits of his toils, his sufferings, and his bitter death; after having given us his Adorable Body and Blood to be the food of our souls, willed also to give us the most precious thing he had left – his Holy Mother.” The disciple took her to himself, the Gospel tells us, and so Scripture clearly tells us two things about the Blessed Virgin: firstly that she is one of the great gifts the Saviour has made to us – part of his plan of salvation for us - and, secondly, that we would do well to receive that gift.

Some, in their eagerness to exalt and worship Christ, fear that paying too much attention to Our Lady might in some way take away something that is due to Jesus Christ. That she might stand in the way as an obstacle to him, or else obscure his glory. And indeed so great a figure is the Blessed Virgin and so great is the honour which the entire Church lavishes upon her, that it is no wonder that many uninformed brothers and sisters in Christ of the Protestant persuasion accuse us, wrongly of course, of worshipping Mary. As the great young Carmelite Bl. Elizabeth of the Trinity put it: “Our Lady is so transparent, so luminous that one would mistake her for the light, yet she is but the mirror of the Sun of Justice.”

Mary’s greatness is completely subordinate to and dependant upon her Son – Jesus Christ, and any attention we give to her is also subordinate to the worship which Jesus, the Father and the Holy Spirit alone should receive. She will not obstruct or obscure Christ’s glory – rather she reflects it and glorifies him more perfectly than any other creature. To those who are timid or reserved in their devotion to the Blessed Virgin I offer the encouraging words of St. Therese: "Do not be afraid to love the Blessed Virgin too much. You can never love her enough. And Jesus will be very happy, because the Blessed Virgin is His Mother." How could you ever outdo the Lord Jesus in his honouring of his Mother – all the honours ever given or ever to be given her by men and women on earth or the saints and angels in heaven could not even begin to approach those bestowed on her by her Divine Son.

And what are those honours?
Out of love for Her Jesus has heaped privilege after privilege, grace upon grace, honour upon honour – greater privileges, graces and honours than upon any other creature. He exempted her from the laws that the rest of humanity must be subject to. He made her, and her alone, Immaculate in her conception and free from the least stain or tendency to sin – more full of grace than any saint or angel ever could be. Blessed Columba Marmion puts it well when he says: “If God, for her, overturned so many laws that he himself has established, it is because she was to be the Mother of his Son. Christ loved his Mother. Never has God so loved one who is simply a creature; never son loved his Mother as Christ Jesus does. He has loved men so much… that he died for them and could not have given them more proof of his love than that… But never forget this truth: that Christ died above all for his Mother, to pay for her privileges. The unique graces that Mary has received are the first fruits of the Passion of Jesus… (Mary), says Marmion, is the greatest glory of Christ, because it is she who has received the most from him.”

For any of you who have seen the film – the Passion of the Christ – you will know the scene I want to draw your attention to. Christ is being mercilessly scourged and he is at the end of his human strength it seems. At that moment he looks across the courtyard and sees his Mother standing there mournfully supporting him and as they exchange that gaze he seems to be filled with new strength and rises to his feet to ready himself for more scourges, more cruel blows. And every time I see that scene I think of the strength that the thought of the holiness, purity, dedication and love of the Blessed Mother must have brought to Christ, as he was suffering for her great privileges, suffering to redeem her by an altogether unique means as the dogma of the Immaculate Conception states – she being redeemed by being preserved from sin, while we are redeemed by being rescued from out of it. And as he gazes on her Immaculate soul how he must have burned with a desire to accomplish his sacrifice on the cross so that other souls might in some small way approach the greatness of soul which he had formed in his own Mother. There is a great mystery in the relationship between Jesus and Mary and it shows the centrality of the person of Mary in God’s eternal plan – for it is for her above all that Christ shed his precious blood, but it is from her that he received the blood which he would shed for her and for the redemption of the whole human race. As Pope Leo XIII puts it: “One must remember, too, that Christ's blood shed for our sake, and those members in which He offers to His Father the wounds He received as the price of our freedom, are no other than the flesh and blood of the Virgin. The flesh of Jesus is the Flesh of Mary.”

The Church is the mystical Body of Christ – his members who are animated by the one and same Holy Spirit – and we need only look at how the Church has and continues to venerate Mary her Mother and Queen to know that Jesus desires to continue to love, honour, cherish and reverence the Immaculate Virgin Mary through his members – collectively in the Church and indeed in each and every individual member. What the Church does is really done by Christ, and so what the Church does for Mary is really done for her by Christ. But the Church, because she is made up of weak and sinful members like you and me, can only do imperfectly for Mary what Christ has done perfectly.

St. Paul famously wrote: “With Christ I hang upon the Cross and it is no longer I who lives, but Christ lives in me”. And so it is Christ who urges the Christian, urges you and I to love Mary our Mother, in imitation of his loving relationship with her, and indeed, following St. Paul’s logic, it is Christ in me that loves her – and the more perfectly I love her then the more perfectly I am imitating the Lord Jesus and being formed in his image and likeness. And that is the road to heaven; for only in so far as the Heavenly Father sees Christ Jesus formed in us are we found worthy of eternal life – and how much progress we will make in that undertaking if we have in our hearts the ardent love Christ had and has in his most Sacred Heart for his beautiful Mother.

Speak often and tenderly of your great love for Our Lady – make no apologies for it. Other more high minded people who fancy that they know a thing or two about the things of God will see your simple childlike devotion to Mary as something childish and beneath them – but they will live to regret not paying homage to our Heavenly Mother, for they will never allow into their hearts that ardent surge of love which rises in the heart of Jesus when he thinks of his Mother. And their souls will be sorely impoverished by their coldness towards her. Speak freely of Our Blessed Lady to others – promote devotion to her, especially in the hearts of children – speak often the praises of Mary and when you pass from this life may you experience what Archbishop Fulton Sheen always wished for himself after death: as you meet your Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ may his first words to you be: “I have heard my Mother speak of you.”

Talk to the Legion of Mary #1

2010-10-19T23:12:00.006+01:00

Below is the first of 3 talks I gave to the members of the Legion of Mary in this area. The First talk is on Prayer, the second on Devotion to Our Blessed Mother and the Third was on Spiritual Warfare. They are quite long, but hopefully some of you readers will get something from them.

St. Alphonsus Ligouri doesn’t hesitate to say: “Those who pray are certainly saved; those who do not pray are certainly damned”. And it all goes back to the fact that we cannot possibly follow God’s direction for our lives if we don’t take sufficient time to hear what his plan for us is.

The well known passage of scripture which tells of the constant struggle between the active and contemplative sides of life and how easily we can let one (usually the active) get out of sync with the other is the story of Martha and Mary who receive Jesus as a visitor to their home. Martha is delighted to be able to serve the Lord, for without her effort, her guest will go hungry. She is intent on meeting his needs and in so doing she becomes a model of service of Christ and has no doubt inspired countless saints who do not have the Lord before them, but eagerly serve his brothers and sisters who come to them in any need. Martha does nothing wrong and yet her reproach of her sister Mary, shows that she hasn’t quite understood the bigger picture. Martha and Mary, two sisters who share the same home, two attitudes under the same roof, two different ways of serving the Lord, but it is Mary who has chosen the better part.

Many of us are more like Martha than Mary, practical, efficient, self-sacrificing. But there is a danger in all that of falling into the famous trap: Too busy working in the service of the Lord to worry about the Lord we are serving. We all need the Martha tendency to be tempered by a little bit of Mary’s attitude. All our activity – if it is to be truly fruitful, truly of lasting service to the Lord and for his greater glory, must be rooted in prayer, must flow from prayer, must be inspired by the Lord whom we encounter in prayer and must at the end of the day be submitted to him once again in prayer. As one of the Psalms tells us: If the Lord does not build the house, in vain do its labourers build.

It might seem that we are about to condemn Martha for her lack of prayerfulness. But that’s not what that gospel passage is saying. Yes, it praises Mary’s choice to remain at the feet of Christ, to be served by him, to hear his words, to be fed by him. But there is no condemnation of Martha in her busy serving of Christ. Under the same roof Christ is both served and serves. He is fed by Martha, but he feeds Mary with his presence, with his words. And both He and Mary take greater delight in their encounter. Mary has chosen the better part – it will not be taken away from her. But that doesn’t mean that Martha has done something terribly wrong. She seeks to please the Lord by serving him, Mary by spending time in his presence. Both are pleasing to the Lord. But Mary has chosen the better part. As Archbishop Fulton sheen pointed out: “We always make the fatal mistake of thinking that it is what we do that matters, when really what matters is what we let God do to us. God sent the angel to the Virgin Mary, not to ask her to do something, but to let something be done.” Mary has chosen the better part over Martha because Mary allows Christ to do what he came to do, what he loved to do most – to serve and not to be served.

So we need to always have a balance. Prayer that doesn’t overflow into concern for others, for God’s kingdom, for the salvation of souls – hardly seems authentic. But service of others cannot reach its full potential unless we have submitted our plans and efforts to the Lord for his guidance and most especially for his blessing. The kingdom is built not by human hands but by human hearts that have been inflamed by the grace and love of Christ and have been called to cooperate within the limits of the life and opportunities which God has set before them. That inflaming of the heart can only take place in the furnace of the Sacred Heart of Jesus; by a meeting of our heart with his, which comes about in our prayer. We need to encounter the Lord there, in our hearts, often. Take a blazing coal from the fire and it will soon fade and die. Take the most active soul away from his prayers and his activity ceases to be what God intends it to be and indeed runs the risk of ceasing to be altogether.

Prayer is not to be a substitute for action, much less an excuse for inaction; but prayer must be the foundation of our actions. Jesus preached, worked miracles, healed and accomplished salvation in 3 years, but he prayed for 30 years before that, and indeed his ministry was constantly interspersed with prayer – the Gospel tells us that he passed whole nights in prayer. Jesus is the supreme model for us on how to pray and, after him, we have a beautiful model of prayer in Our Blessed Lady – and who but her faithful legion should strive most to imitate her in this great activity of the human soul – conversing lovingly with one by whom we know ourselves to be loved – as St. Teresa of Avila defined prayer.

However, in considering the primacy of prayer over action it is well to remember that it isn’t a case of either/or, but, both prayer and action being essential in our lives – and especially in lives dedicated to service of Our Lady’s cause in the Legion of Mary. The Legion handbook makes it quite clear that legionaries shouldn’t consider that the auxiliary members are the prayer power behind their apostolic activities. No, the active legionary is to appreciate the power of those prayers, but he or she is to be even more so immersed in prayer than the inactive auxiliary who prays. Because the legionary who neglects prayer and relies on the fact that others are praying while he or she is acting, will soon find his or her activity fruitless and burdensome. Only when we pray can we be sure that the activity we carry out – even if it be unfruitful, will be pleasing to God and will be of some unknown benefit to the kingdom of God. As Pope Paul VI put it: “only your personal and profound union with Christ will assure the fruitfulness of your apostolate, whatever it may be.” And that personal and profound union with Christ is only possible for those who cultivate a strong prayer life.

“Souls are won on our knees” say St. Charles Borromeo – and could it be otherwise – to convert, heal, sanctify and save a soul is a supernatural task, and no amount of purely natural activity or means will contribute to that task in any way. Blessed Columba Marmion once wrote: “All the human activity in the world, if it is not made fruitful by grace and Divine Blessing, is powerless to convert or sanctify a single soul.” Our prayer supernaturalises our work – fills it with Divine Power. The more you pray the more your work will be of benefit to souls. The more you pray the more graces are bestowed on our world and the full power of the Holy Spirit can be unleashed on the hearts and minds of millions. A lot of prayer – a lot of power, a little prayer – a little power, no prayer – no power. We must base our hope for success in the vineyard on the Infinite Power of God, to whom we pray, rather than on our own talent, efforts or powers of persuasion. “Millions of favours, says Archbishop Fulton Sheen, are hanging from heaven on silken cords; prayer is the sword that will cut them loose.” Again Blessed Columba gives a warning to priests that could well be suited to all those who are given a special share in the work of the salvation of souls – a work that is certainly part and parcel of the Legion’s reason for existence: “Believe me, he says, whatever may be your talents, your knowledge, and your enthusiasm when you begin your ministry, unless you are men of prayer, you will do nothing worth while… The Saints who accomplished great things for love of God delighted certainly in devotedness and in action, but they were also men of prayer,… they all spent hours conversing with God. Let us be, therefore, mediators conscious of our mission, men of prayer who, by virtue of our constant communion with the Lord, sanctify the souls of which we have charge, while at the same time sanctifying ourselves.”

Nothing does more good to souls than our prayers for them and nothing does our own soul more good than its daily encounters with God. And nowhere do we see this more than in the example of our Heavenly Mother and Queen. While the Apostles who had come to know Jesus over the 3 years of his public ministry went in the pursuit of souls throughout the known world; she who knew him best – his Blessed Mother who had spent 30 years in intimate communion with him – remained in silent, hidden, but heartfelt prayer and how poor would have been the fruits of the Apostles labours had she not done so. How fruitless indeed would the labours of the entire Church to this day have been if she did not continue to pray from her high place in heaven. Prayer is not the only thing that needs to be done for the soul, but it is certainly the most important. St. John Chrysostom taught: “Nothing is equal to prayer; for what is impossible it makes possible, what is difficult, easy.”

The Holy Rosary
First among the many forms of prayer, outside of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the Sacraments of course, must be The Holy Rosary and Eucharistic Adoration. And I’d like to speak a little about these two essential devotions of our faith. I say essential because they, unlike other devotional practices which are highly commendable and to be encouraged, are two non-negotiables – all the more so for those who are enlisted in Our Blessed Lady’s legion.

About the Rosary Pope John Paul II has stated in his letter on the Holy Rosary, that it releases a great power into our lives and into our world: “Against the background of the words Ave Maria, he tells us, the principal events of the life of Jesus Christ pass before the eyes of the soul… and they put us in living communion with Jesus through – we might say – the heart of his Mother. (RVM, #2) and he goes on to say that: “Mary constantly sets before the faithful the “mysteries” of her Son, with the desire that the contemplation of those mysteries will release all their saving power. (RVM #11). The Holy Father is teaching that in some way as we meditate on the various stages of the life of Jesus and Mary we are tapping into the power with which those two lives are infused and causing that Divine Power – grace – to be released upon the situation we are praying for, the people we bring to our Rosary, the world that is so much in need of Divine Intervention. As we pray the 5th Sorrowful Mystery, for example, we can bring the souls of all those who are dying at that moment to the Heart of Mary as she stands supporting her Son Jesus in his final agony. And as power went out from Jesus in the Gospel to the woman who touched the hem of his garment, how much more will power go out from him to those who touch the heart of his Mother. And the Rosary, according to the teaching of Pope St. Pius X, “is the prayer that touches most the heart of the Mother of God.”

In the 2nd talk, this afternoon, I will speak about love and devotion to Our Blessed Lady, but for now I want to present to you the teaching of St. Jose Maria Escriva on how to develop that love for Mary through the reflective and not superficial praying of the Rosary: “Do you want to love Our Lady? He asks – Well, then get to know her. How? – by praying her rosary well. But in the rosary we always say the same things! But don’t people in love always say the same things to each other? Might it not be that you find the Rosary monotonous because, instead of pronouncing the words like a man, you mumble noises while your mind is very far from God? Pause for a few seconds – 3 or 4 – in silent meditation to consider each mystery of the rosary before you recite the Our Father and the Hail Mary’s of that decade. I am sure, says St. Josemaria, that this practice will increase your recollection and the fruits of your prayer.” Indeed Frank Duff, founder of the Legion of Mary, himself warns against rattling through the Rosary, calling such prayer – disrespectful of Our Blessed Mother. A constant danger in those of us who pray the Rosary is that we might recite it rather than genuinely pray it. Yes grace will be released in that recital, but how much more divine power is left untapped because we have failed to really enter the heart of Mary in our prayers. “The Rosary, says Pope Benedict XVI, when it is prayed in an authentic way, not mechanical and superficial but profoundly, it brings, in fact, peace and reconciliation. It contains within itself the healing power of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, invoked with faith and love at the centre of each "Hail Mary".”

Eucharistic Adoration
And now a word on Eucharistic Adoration and its greatness as a form of devotion. Indeed if it be combined with the meditative prayer of the Holy Rosary, then how great indeed it is for forming our souls in the image of Jesus Christ. The Legion of Mary Handbook states that “every avenue of legionary action must be availed of to awaken knowledge and love of the Blessed Sacrament and to dissipate the sin and indifference which keep men from it.” These are fine sentiments and indeed the handbook, which is the roadmap which guides the legion in its advance, clearly states that the “main object of legion activity is to establish the reign of the Eucharist in all hearts”.

However, in order to extend that Eucharistic Reign of Christ in souls we must first let him triumph and reign over our own soul – the Eucharist must become the centre of our own devotional life – since the Eucharist is Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ is the Divine Sun around which orbits all of creation and towards which every soul is attracted as a moth to a flame. The Handbook states that, “the Legions battle for souls must begin in the heart of the individual legionary.” And the extending of the Eucharistic Reign of the Lord Jesus must begin in each individual legion soul too.

But in order for that reign of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament to begin we have to be utterly convinced of Christ’s Real Presence in the Eucharist – and, even though we can learn much from the Catechism and from the great spiritual teachings of our Catholic past, that conviction happens only when we are found often before the Eucharistic Lord in loving conversation – gazing at the sacramental veil trying to catch a glimpse of Christ who is hidden behind that veil. For Jesus Christ sits on his Throne in Heaven surrounded by the myriads of Angels and Saints who scarcely dare to gaze upon his majesty – so bright is the glory which surrounds him, the Father and the Holy Spirit. But that same Jesus is present on our altars, in our Tabernacles and he is no less glorious, no less powerful, no less merciful, loving and good, no less God than he is reigning gloriously in Heaven. For our sake and our salvation he became man, for our sake too, he remains with us under the veil of the Eucharist – not surrounded by a blinding light of glory, for we would not then dare approach, but there amid a few meagre candles, not being praised by countless angels but receiving gladly the simple praise of the flowers, which all to quickly wither in the vases before him, not being acclaimed by the saints in glory, but offered the poor prayers and adoration of us sinners. Indeed Jesus in our tabernacles is surrounded by the light of glory, by the angels and saints, but they, like he, have been made invisible to our senses and can only be apprehended by the eyes of faith.

And it is your task, dear members of the Mary’s Legion, as it is my task as a priest, to make the people we come into contact with more aware, more respectful, more loving toward Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. And the best way we can do that is by our example, by showing that we have an awareness of Our Lord’s presence in the way we genuflect (if our knees haven’t yet given out), by showing that we respect his presence by the way we respect the holiness of the Church in which he is to be found, in our dress, in our decorum, in our attitude. It used to be that people dressed up for Sunday Mass, because it was something so utterly special and unique, now more and more our people dress down. They would never present themselves before our madam President in the way they present themselves before Almighty God.

And the supreme witness we can give to the love which is Christ’s due in the Eucharist is to spend time with him - to receive him with loving reverence and to spend some time, even a short time, in thanksgiving after Mass for the great gift Christ has made of himself to us in the Eucharist, and then to commit to some time in his presence each week – to fill up the emptiness he must feel at the indifference and coldness of so many hearts, even Catholic hearts, to his wondrous gift of himself in the Eucharist. Later today we will spend time in prayer before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament – maybe we could have 2 intentions for that Holy hour: firstly that our faith and love of the Eucharistic Jesus might be increased and, secondly, that the Lord might be consoled for so much indifference he receives in the Blessed Sacrament of the altar – that our poor prayers and presence to him, might be able to make reparation for the solitude which surrounds him in so many churches throughout our land and throughout our world.

Lazy Servants

2010-10-19T22:55:00.002+01:00

From the Imitation of Christ:

“Many listen more willingly to the world than to God, and are readier to follow the desires of their flesh than God’s good pleasure. The world promises temporal things which are really of small value and it is served with great eagerness; I, the Lord promise most excellent and everlasting things and yet men’s hearts remain sluggish. Who is there that serves and obeys me in all things with that great care with which the world and its lords are served? The shame of it – for an unchangeable good, for an inestimable reward, for the highest honour and never-ending glory, they are loath to undergo even a little fatigue and difficulty. Blush then lazy servant.”

At times, we are exact to the smallest detail when we wish to impress someone, or to obtain some favour, but when it comes to the Lord we can tend to be a bit lax in our attitude. There are those who will go through their CV with a fine tooth comb for possible mistakes before submitting it for the job and then they will put on their best suit and best foot forward and present themselves as best they can for the interview panel so as to increase their chances of getting that job. But they can come to Mass and stand before the Lord of the Universe – their only hope of salvation - and be utterly unprepared in body and more importantly in soul.

Love Life!

2010-10-19T22:53:00.001+01:00

You have been trusted to look after something precious; guard it with the Help of the Holy Spirit.

St. Paul is speaking these words to St. Timothy – a young man who he had appointed as a bishop. And Paul is urging Timothy to recognise the great gift he received in being ordained a priest of Jesus Christ and how he is to make every effort to proclaim the truth in season and out. The something precious he has been entrusted to look after was the flock of the Church which he had to look after spiritually.

Now not all of us will be bishops or priests, but everyone of us is entrusted with something precious to look after, or rather with quite a number of things. For me as a priest I am to see to the spiritual welfare of the people of my parish, I am to urge them to be open to the Lord’s leading in their lives, something done more effectively by my example, which is so often less than perfect, than by my preaching, I am to help them to be faithful to their responsibilities as Catholics and I am to warn them against anything that would endanger their eternal salvation.

Many are parents – and so to them have been entrusted the little sons and daughters of God who depend completely on them for the natural things in life, but also that they will lead them to and teach them about the supernatural things in life – about God, Jesus Christ, his Mother and all the other bits and pieces that make up our faith. And that is a great mission given to them by God.

Each of us is entrusted with something special in our lives and we should strive to guard it well. What I am entrusted with is not for you, what your neighbour has to do – not what you have to do. But there is one thing that we have all been entrusted with and which we are commissioned by almighty God to guard well, guard securely and guard with our lives. That thing is life itself – firstly our own and then the lives of others, whether they be next door to us, in a test-tube somewhere, in the womb, or on their death bed – every human being, because he or she is alive has an inalienable dignity that is not given by the law of any country, but given by almighty God himself. It is the job of governments to recognise and protect that right to life and its dignity, but not to legislate about it as though one person’s life is worth more than another’s. That human life is precious and from God is a given, though in many places life is not respected nearly enough. In its early stages as embryos human lives are manipulated in various laboratories. Many people, Catholics included, do not know or choose to ignore the fact that IVF and Embryonic Stem Cell Research are wrong, and strictly forbidden by the Church.

In life’s later stages, when the burden of years begins to take its final toll – we often hear people say things which seem to judge the value of life by its usefulness, rather than by the fact that it is from God and, therefore that it is for him to decide how and when it should cease. How often have I heard at wakes or funerals – sure wasn’t it better for him, better for her – he or she had no quality of life – as if the quality of life should always determine its inherent value. And indeed I have heard that said about the person in their presence at their sickbed – and how cruel that is for those people who are being basically told that they would be better off if they died as soon as possible. The sick need to feel valued, cherished and loved, not that they are a burden, an inconvenience or worthless.

The mentality that places the quality of a person’s life over the inherent value and dignity of their life is, I’m afraid, alive and well in the western world. And if that mentality were to take deep enough root then we will have here, as some countries already do, euthanasia on demand. And that will undoubtedly quickly move from a situation where a person can choose to die, to a situation where a person feels compelled to die because he or she feels themselves to be a burden that their family or wider society could do without. It’s a slippery slope. Quality of life should never trump its inherent value and dignity. Be careful when you hear people use that term – quality of life – what thinking lies behind it? As Catholics we should proclaim the greatness of life at all its stages – even its final stages – always remembering that it was precisely at the weakest, most pain-filled and horrific moments of his life that Jesus Christ brought to fulfillment the great mission of salvation. Who knows what great mission is being worked out at the supernatural level by those in their final days and hours.

Every heartbeat is precious, whether it be the first stirrings of the foetal heart in the womb, the pumping of a strong heart of a young athlete, or the last gasps of an exhausted heart in a hospital bed – equally precious in God’s eyes and equally to be cherished. As Catholics we are called to cherish life in all its stages and to see those stages as the unfolding of God’s plan for the human person. And no law should ever be accepted that seeks to diminish the value of a single human life. The person dying of cancer, perhaps bedridden and in need of constant care – that person’s life is of no less value in God’s eyes than that of a young man or woman in their prime who hasn’t a care in the world. No less value in God’s eyes, then in our eyes too they must be equally cherished, guarded, and loved.

I'm Back

2010-09-16T00:39:00.003+01:00

After a long break from blogging (due to circumstances beyond my control) I am back online. The summer has been hectic to say the least - but so full of graces and grace-filled encounters with the Lord through the people I have ministered to (some of whom I accompanied into the next life with prayer and the Sacraments of the Church).

Then the Bishop called me in and told me that he wanted me to move to a new parish. And the past month or so I've been busy packing up and then unpacking my stuff. All that packing made me realise that I haven't really taken the Lord's admonition - 'Carry no purse or haversack' seriously enough. It's amazing how much 'stuff' one acumulates. I've been in the parish here now for just over two weeks and so far so good. I'm responsible for roughly 1000 souls here and it's a nice community with friendly 'natives'.

Of course I have begun what you might call 'liturgical renovations' by making small changes in the way things are done and trying to elevate the liturgy to a more solemn level - careful not to usher in a liturgical revolution all at once, though. Step by step - as they say.

I'm also teaching a few classes each week in a Secondary School (High School for those readers who are American/Canadian)and enjoy the challenge of the teens who ask what they consider intelligent and original questions! They pride themselves on being open-minded and free thinkers - and I'm amazed at how pre-conditioned they are and how much of their thought processes have been formed (deformed) by the media and popular culture. They don't actually think for themselves - they actually think what they have been conditioned to think. Their minds are, unfortunately neither open nor free.

Hopefully I will get more time now to make a few more entries in my blog. If you're a regular or have just happened upon this post - please say a prayer for me as I begin to shepherd a new flock in pastures new.

In the Hearts of Jesus and Mary,

Fr. B

In Honour of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ - Truly Present in the Most Blessed and Awesome Sacrament of the Eucharist

2010-06-05T15:01:00.003+01:00

Confirmation Irish Style - A living faith is optional

2010-05-12T20:24:00.003+01:00

I agree 100% with THIS PRIEST regarding the reception of the Sacrament of Confirmation as it currently is administered throughout Ireland.

I pray that the renewal that is on its way in Ireland allows us to look again at the way we administer the sacraments in a very changed Ireland.

First Holy Communion Season - a.k.a. Silly Season

2010-05-09T22:44:00.006+01:00

All over Ireland during the month of May in parish after parish it is First Holy Communion time. And what a time it is. I have to be honest and say that I dread it each year. Each year I spend hours upon hours with the children of the school I am chaplain to in an effort to instill in them a love for and an awareness of Jesus in the Eucharist and the great thing that is the Mass.

Unfortunately the Sunday Mass practice rate among these young children is less 10% and there are a number of them who have rarely (if ever) been at Sunday Mass. So I often feel like I am speaking to them in a completely foreign language, sinc ehte subject matter is so very foriegn to them. But we as a Church in Ireland dare not say: "Okay your parents obviously don't consider the faith important enough to introduce you to the most basic elements of our faith - so we'll leave off First Holy Communion until later." No - it's very much a free for all.

I know some might quote me the Lord saying: "Let the little children come to me." And that is something I dwell quite alot on - but I'm more and more convinced that the Church in Ireland is more than willing to demean her Sacraments to make it convenient as possible for people to partake without even the bare minimum of commitment. That seems to be a pattern right across the board - how can we facilitate you Sir/Madam - Rule: Let's not get caught up in Rules - your wish is my command. I often get the impression from some of my brother priests - a minority I think/hope - that it's more about backsides on seats than about drawing people to sainthood.

Every year quite a number non-Catholic Christian parents ask our parish if their child can be baptised (again!!) as Catholic (only for the day you understand) so that they can make their First Communion with their classmates. I fear in some parishes some priests might be saying yes!

In my few experiences of First Holy Communion day in the parish I have seen too much of the outward trappings of the day and very little of the real meaning of this great day in the lives of the children. It seems to be about the money, the hair, the clothes, the performance (readings, prayers, songs, poems, the photos (so much about the photos), the celebration afterwards; and so very little about that awesome encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist. It is indeed wonderful to find a child (and family) that have their priorities right - who take their child to Mass every Sunday (before and after First Holy Communion)and who make the day centre around the celebration of Mass. Those families are rare enough it seems.

And it is sad to say that it is at First Holy Communion in the Parish that I encounter the most disrespect and downright obsenity at Mass. The Church is treated like it was a bingo hall, and some people - and I mean ladies - are dressed in ways that are less than lady like. I was severly tempted to say to one lady at our recent First Communion Mass that she was in the wrong building - that the local swimming pool was at the other side of town.

At the end of this rant (I seem to be doing alot of that lately) I have to say that the children are like sponges when it comes to the things of God since for many of them their parents have utterly failed to introduce them to Jesus Christ in any meaningful way. They are so open to the Gospel and to the things of God. And none of them have made a decision against going to Mass. It just doesn't appear on the horizon of priorities in many families. As one young child in the First Communion Class said to me: I asked my parents to bring me to Mass - but they said no! It might sound harsh, but one wonders how their judgment will go - since they take their vocation as parents so lightly and are doing precisely what the Lord warned should not happen - that the little ones be kept from him.

Lord - come soon! Maranatha!

But wait!!!!

The Archbishop of Dublin makes a good point - one that he will hopefully follow through on:

"We need a more demanding catechesis, within a parish framework, for those who wish to come forward for admission to the sacraments. Admission to the sacraments is not something which is automatically acquired when one reaches a certain class in school. "

The New Missal Translation is on the way!!!

2010-04-28T17:37:00.003+01:00

News out today that the new missal translation for the english-speaking world has received the required 'recognitio' from Rome. Soon (hopefully not much more than a year) we will have a truly accurate, faithful and more obviously scriptural text with which to praise and worship the Lord at Mass in thevernacular of the Ordinary Form.

The Holy Father noted in his address to the Vox Clara commission - (an advisory body which has overseen the new translation - Bishop Philip Boyce being the Irish Episcopal Representative on it) that:

"I welcome the news that the English translation of the Roman Missal will soon be ready for publication, so that the texts you have worked so hard to prepare may be proclaimed in the liturgy that is celebrated across the anglophone world. Through these sacred texts and the actions that accompany them, Christ will be made present and active in the midst of his people."

He further noted: "A new task will then present itself, one which falls outside the direct competence of Vox Clara, but which in one way or another will involve all of you – the task of preparing for the reception of the new translation by clergy and lay faithful. Many will find it hard to adjust to unfamiliar texts after nearly forty years of continuous use of the previous translation. The change will need to be introduced with due sensitivity, and the opportunity for catechesis that it presents will need to be firmly grasped. I pray that in this way any risk of confusion or bewilderment will be averted, and the change will serve instead as a springboard for a renewal and a deepening of Eucharistic devotion all over the English-speaking world."

The entire address can be found HERE.

I have to say that I am delighted with this news and can't wait to use this new text in the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice. The translation may not be to everyone's liking, but surely it will be better than the banal and uninspiring translation we currently use.

Devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus

2010-04-20T23:44:00.002+01:00

I've recently taken a greater interest in the Devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus. It is after all part of the name of my favourite saint - St. Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face. This WEBSITE seems to have alot of information about it and might be worth a visit.

St. Peter Julian Eymard on Mercy

2010-04-20T23:34:00.002+01:00

I have no idea where the following comes from so I hope I am not breaking some copyright somewhere. This text came my way and I thought I'd share it. It is attributed to St. Peter Julian Eymard:

The love which God feels for us is more merciful than benevolent because, sinners by nature, we have above all need of mercy. Besides it is His mercy which He reveals more than all His other attributes, on this earth, during our lifetime. This world is its empire; time, its kingdom.

Mercy has left the Heavens. It has come down to earth to envelop and cover man. It is his atmosphere and his environment, the air which he breathes, the light which illumines him. We live on mercy.

It rescues the sinner from that justice which should punish every sin; it arrests it, holds it up until death itself. It follows man, accompanies him everywhere he goes, never leaves him, not even after his death, for it follows him into purgatory. Purgatory is nothing but the last effort of the mercy of God toward the sinner, and there is written above the door of that flaming prison: “The Mercy of God!”

The mercy of God for man is infinite. We can never exhaust it, never smother it under our ingratitude, cannot tire it nor dishearten it. It pardons always; it pardons everyone. Even face to face with patent crime, it still says: “Father forgive them; they do not know what they are doing.

Our Sins will never be as great as the mercy of God.
The sinner despairs of course; that is the aftermath of the pleasure of his sin, and this despair is even surer than the first. Adam and Eve, who feel and doubt the possibility of finding mercy, Cain, who rejects it and cries out, “My iniquity is greater than that I may deserve pardon, are types of sinners after they have committed their crimes. We give ourselves up to despair after our infidelity, and for the most part those sinners who put off being converted are held back by their despondency: “I cannot be forgiven; I have offended God too much”—the day when they will weep, they will be converted.

And the pious souls, why do they fall? From despair also. They are discouraged by a few failures; they have not succeeded; things have not gone as they expected. Then the devil fills them with doubt—his most successful manner of entering into a soul and destroying it. Never let this feeling dominate you. Would it be possible for you to doubt God’s mercy! No, never! If you fall, raise yourself up again by humble trust and repentance. Self-abasement which is content to remain in its abjection is the same as pride humiliated and in defiance. Sincere humility flies to God on wings of faith.

Instead of descending into hell to find out what place you might occupy there, it is better to make an act of faith in the mercy of God. Take hold of God through His weakness, His tenderness, and His Heart: a man taken by his weakness will give all he has and more besides. Therefore, point out to God that His glory lies in showing mercy to you, that His mercy cannot be put to better use than in exercising it on you, that you will become mercy’s victory and greatest work. Gain God’s benevolence by way of His Heart.

But observe the mercy of God. How different it is from man’s. When men forgive they humiliate, and the fear of the humiliation prevents a child from asking pardon. The good Lord forgives with kindness; His pardon is a grace which confers honor, purifies, sanctifies, and embellishes. It is the same act which forgives us and sanctifies us. On the instant, our garb of innocence, our white robe is returned to us. We have humbled ourselves only for the purpose of being raised up immediately by forgiveness.

Man tires of forgiving. He is more severe in case of a relapse and demands various conditions, while God seems to become more merciful the oftener He pardons. Great sinners who return to Him are His dearest friends. He came for those who were ill, rather than those who are well. As long as there is humility and confidence in our confession, we are always sure of being well received.

He forgives irrevocably and forever. “He casts our sins behind His back” says Holy Scripture, He plunges them into the sea, and the scarlet of our crimes becomes the snowy white of innocence in the bath of His mercy. They will never reappear to accuse us, and, personally I like the opinion of a great many of theologians, according to which they will not even be mentioned in the last judgment, because our Lord says: I will pardon their wrong-doing; I will not remember their sins any more.” (Heb 8:12)

Men make us pay for pardon with a punishment or at least with loss of position or of our civil rights: Jesus Christ gives us back our honour and re-establishes us in all our rights as they were before the sin. Thus He redeemed St. Peter and confirmed him in the function of supreme shepherd after his fall.

He ennobles in pardoning: of Magdalene the sinner He makes a heroine of supernatural love and He lauds her publicly with the most beautiful praise that God can bestow: “She has greatly loved.”

He takes sinners and makes them princes of His Mercy and of His love, as He did with Saint Paul and so many others.

And we should despair after that? You must know then that it is a necessity for Our Lord to pardon. His heart is oppressed by the possibility of having to condemn us; He weeps over us; and when He pardons us He is relieved and delighted by His mercy. And if Our Lord could still suffer, it would be by seeing us despair of His mercy and not implore His pardon.

But it is for us, priests and religious, that the mercy of God is most in evidence. For our sins we should be deprived of our dignities. That is what the world does with its magistrates and public officers, but then there would be no more priests to pardon other sinners.

Our Lord is more generous toward us, His mercies are more abundant, His pardon more full of goodness. That is because we have more need of pardon than the others. This should make us more merciful toward sinners. Being transgressors ourselves, pardoned so often, and having still need of pardon for the future, how could it be possible not to pardon others?

I'm Still Alive!

2010-04-20T23:16:00.005+01:00

Hi all regular readers (if there are any regular readers that is). I know you were probably beginning to think I had died or something - it has been so long since I last blogged. Truth is things have been quite busy here in the parish since Easter and I don't get much time to make new entries these days. So here I am blogging about not blogging.

I've been getting a little stressed out lately and so I'd appreciate some prayers. (Don't worry it's not a vocational crisis or anything). Just busy in the vineyard and under a little pressure. It is so easy to get caught up with the work of the Lord and neglect the Lord of the work - and that is a constant temptation! One that I and many priests I know succomb to too easily.

Also physically I've been feeling under the weather somewhat for the past while and being a 'MAN' I keep putting off going to the doctor. Isn't that a surprise - a man who refuses to go to the Doctor!

Will sign off for now and hit the pillow.

Yours in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary,

Fr. B

Divine Mercy Sunday

2010-04-11T12:41:00.002+01:00

Today we celebrate the Feast of Divine Mercy and so I thought the following quotations from the Diary of St. Faustina might be helpful:

"Today, in the course of a long conversation, the Lord said to me, How very much I desire the salvation of souls! My dearest secretary, write that I want to pour out My divine life into human souls and sanctify them, if only they were willing to accept My grace. The greatest sinners would achieve great sanctity, if only they would trust in My mercy. The very inner depths of My being are filled to overflowing with mercy, and it is being poured out upon all I have created. My delight is to act in a human soul and to fill it with My mercy and to justify it. My kingdom on earth is My life in the human soul." (Diary, 1784)

"Let the greatest sinners place their trust in My mercy. They have the right before others to trust in the abyss of My mercy. My daughter, write about My mercy towards tormented souls. Souls that make an appeal to My mercy delight Me. To such souls I grant even more graces than they ask. I cannot punish even the greatest sinner if he makes an appeal to My compassion, but on the contrary, I justify him in My unfathomable and inscrutable mercy. Write: before I come as a just Judge, I first open wide the door of My mercy. He who refuses to pass through the door of My mercy must pass through the door of My justice." (Diary, 1146)

"Tell souls where they are to look for solace; that is, in the Tribunal of Mercy [the Sacrament of Reconciliation]. There the greatest miracles take place [and] are incessantly repeated. To avail oneself of this miracle, it is not necessary to go on a great pilgrimage or to carry out some external ceremony; it suffices to come with faith to the feet of My representative and to reveal to him one's misery, and the miracle of Divine Mercy will be fully demonstrated. Were a soul like a decaying corpse so that from a human standpoint, there would be no [hope of] restoration and everything would already be lost, it is not so with God. The miracle of Divine Mercy restores that soul in full. Oh, how miserable are those who do not take advantage of the miracle of God's mercy! You will call out in vain, but it will be too late." (Diary, 1448)

O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of Mercy for us, I trust in You.

Paedophilia not just a problem with Celibate Catholic Priests

2010-04-08T22:16:00.006+01:00

To my great astonishment the (in my opinion) virulently anti-Catholic Irish Times today carried a story that doesn't have the words Catholic Church and Paedophilia in the same sentence. In fact, this particular sex abuse scandal has nothing to do with the Catholic Church at all.

While the abuse scandals in the Catholic Church deserve our utmost condemnation, it has seemed lately in the media that it is a phenomenon that is exclusively a Catholic Clergy problem - one which the media often link (erroneously) to the fact that the Priest is Celibate.

This ARTICLE tells the story of abuses in an elite (Protestant) School which, to quote the article, "were ignored by teachers, police and the local authorities".

As I said, the abuse within the Catholic Church is deplorable and the stories of other institutions where abuse was carried out and/or covered up doesn't in any way exonerate those who failed to protect vulnerable children in the Church. But it is good for once to see the media reporting this terrible crime as it happens in other places and by people who are not celibate, not bound to the 'institutional Church' and all the baggage that is supposed to come with that.

For once the media (or at least the Irish Times) seems to have looked beyond the Church and begun to report paedophilia for what it really is - not solely a scourge in the Catholic Church, but one that affects every level of society.

He is Risen - and so are we!

2010-04-04T09:50:00.001+01:00

On that fateful Friday evening a small group of his loyal friends and family had lovingly prepared the Body of the Lord for burial. They had scarcely time to mourn over him, the Sabbath rest was beginning and the work of burial had to be done quickly. They placed his lifeless body in the tomb and rolled a large stone in place over the opening, sealing the Lord of Life inside – he was dead now and with him so much of the joy and beauty of life had died too. It doesn’t get more final than that. That tombstone, like every tombstone seemed to be so final.

But this tombstone was different in one important way, because it would not long serve to mark the spot were death had its ultimate victory. Our tombstones mark the final resting place of the mortal remains of our loved ones and indeed of ourselves in our turn. His tombstone, rolled away on Easter Morning, bears witness to Christ’s great and final victory over death. His open and empty tomb is the first of many open graves, for he rose from the dead to prove that he had the power to keep his promise: that those who believe in him would not be held in death, would not be defeated forever, but that their tombs would open and that their bodies would rise too on the last day to new and glorious life.

This great feast day is the greatest feast day we have in our faith, and it is our feast day, the day when Christ’s promise to each of us, and to each and every one we love and have mourned for, is placed before us. He promises life to us – because he is the victorious Lord of life whom death could not hold and death will not hold those who belong to him. And that is our great hope for our loved ones and indeed for ourselves.

Unlike the tombstones we place over the graves of our loved ones – Jesus’ tombstone had nothing written on it. His grave was the beginning of something new, a page of history not yet written. Until that day – death was final, death was the end of all life, all hopes, all dreams and all mankind. But now we inscribe the gravestones of our dead with signs of life eternal. With the Cross as the tree of eternal life, with prayers that the departed soul may rest in peace, and with sentiments that long for the Resurrection of the Dead on the last day. Indeed the prayer of blessing at the burial speaks well of how the Christ has changed the very meaning of death and the grave:

Lord Jesus Christ, by your own 3 days in the tomb you hallowed the graves of all who believe in you and so made the grave a sign of Hope that promises Resurrection even as it claims our mortal bodies.

Grant that our brothers and sisters may sleep here in peace until you awaken them to glory, for you are the Resurrection and the life.

Because of his Resurrection and his promise to let us share the same destiny – death is not disaster to the eyes of the believer. Yes it can be hard, yes it can leave us in great distress, but it cannot break the back of those who believe, because it is precisely the belief in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ that is the backbone of our faith. He is Risen Alleluia – and all our hope is that we will rise with him too – for without that – how difficult this life would be. As the Hymn of the Easter Exsultet – sung at the Easter Vigil puts it: What good would life have been to us if Christ had not come as our Redeemer?

The Easter Sequence - Victimae Paschali Laudes

2010-04-03T15:04:00.004+01:00

One of my favourite hymns.

The Text and Translation:

VICTIMAE Paschali
laudes immolent Christiani.
Agnus redemit oves:
Christus innocens Patri
reconciliavit peccatores.

Mors et vita duello
conflixere mirando:
dux vitae mortuus,
regnat vivus.

Dic nobis Maria,
Quid vidisti in via?
Sepulcrum Christi viventis,
et gloriam vidi resurgentis:

Angelicos testes,
sudarium et vestes.

Surrexit Christus spes mea:
praecedet suos in Galilaeam.

Scimus Christum surrexisse
a mortuis vere:
Tu nobis, victor Rex miserere.
Amen. Alleluia.

CHRISTIANS, to the Paschal Victim
offer sacrifice and praise.
The sheep are ransomed by the Lamb;
and Christ, the undefiled,
hath sinners
to his Father reconciled.

Death with life contended:
combat strangely ended!
Life's own Champion, slain,
yet lives to reign.

Tell us, Mary:
say what thou didst see upon the way.
The tomb the Living did enclose;
I saw Christ's glory as He rose!

The angels there attesting;
shroud with grave-clothes resting.

Christ, my hope, has risen:
He goes before you into Galilee.

That Christ is truly risen
from the dead we know.
Victorious King, Thy mercy show!
Amen. Alleluia.

Spiritual Nourishment for Holy Saturday

2010-04-03T14:52:00.002+01:00

The following is taken from an ancient homily and it describes Christ's descent to the Underworld after death and the liberation he proclaims to Adam and all the Just:

What is happening? Today there is a great silence over the earth, a great silence, and stillness, a great silence because the King sleeps; the earth was in terror and was still, because God slept in the flesh and raised up those who were sleeping from the ages. God has died in the flesh, and the underworld has trembled.

Truly he goes to seek out our first parent like a lost sheep; he wishes to visit those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. He goes to free the prisoner Adam and his fellow-prisoner Eve from their pains, he who is God, and Adam's son.

The Lord goes in to them holding his victorious weapon, his cross. When Adam, the first created man, sees him, he strikes his breast in terror and calls out to all: 'My Lord be with you all.' And Christ in reply says to Adam: ‘And with your spirit.’ And grasping his hand he raises him up, saying: ‘Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light.

‘I am your God, who for your sake became your son, who for you and your descendants now speak and command with authority those in prison: Come forth, and those in darkness: Have light, and those who sleep: Rise.

‘I command you: Awake, sleeper, I have not made you to be held a prisoner in the underworld. Arise from the dead; I am the life of the dead. Arise, O man, work of my hands, arise, you who were fashioned in my image. Rise, let us go hence; for you in me and I in you, together we are one undivided person.

‘For you, I your God became your son; for you, I the Master took on your form; that of slave; for you, I who am above the heavens came on earth and under the earth; for you, man, I became as a man without help, free among the dead; for you, who left a garden, I was handed over to Jews from a garden and crucified in a garden.

‘Look at the spittle on my face, which I received because of you, in order to restore you to that first divine inbreathing at creation. See the blows on my cheeks, which I accepted in order to refashion your distorted form to my own image.

'See the scourging of my back, which I accepted in order to disperse the load of your sins which was laid upon your back. See my hands nailed to the tree for a good purpose, for you, who stretched out your hand to the tree for an evil one.

`I slept on the cross and a sword pierced my side, for you, who slept in paradise and brought forth Eve from your side. My side healed the pain of your side; my sleep will release you from your sleep in Hades; my sword has checked the sword which was turned against you.

‘But arise, let us go hence. The enemy brought you out of the land of paradise; I will reinstate you, no longer in paradise, but on the throne of heaven. I denied you the tree of life, which was a figure, but now I myself am united to you, I who am life. I posted the cherubim to guard you as they would slaves; now I make the cherubim worship you as they would God.

"The cherubim throne has been prepared, the bearers are ready and waiting, the bridal chamber is in order, the food is provided, the everlasting houses and rooms are in readiness; the treasures of good things have been opened; the kingdom of heaven has been prepared before the ages."

PRAYER TO BE SAID 33 TIMES ON GOOD FRIDAY

2010-04-02T23:38:00.001+01:00

My Lord Jesus, I humbly beg of thee by the merits of thy Most Precious Blood, by thy painful Passion and cruel Death and the love of thy Sacred Heart, assist me and mine in all our present necessities.

I thank thee O Lord Jesus that thou did suffer in thy bitter Passion and die a cruel death on the Cross for my sins.

Crucified Lord Jesus, have mercy on the souls in Purgatory.

We beseech thee, help us thy servants whom thou has redeemed by thy Most Precious Blood.

We adore thee O Christ and praise thee, because by thy Holy Cross thou hast redeemed the world.

O God be merciful to me, a sinner.

Sacred Heart of Jesus, strengthened in thine Agony by an Angel, strengthen us in our agony.

O Jesus, King of Love, I trust in thy merciful goodness.

Most merciful Jesus, Lover of souls; I pray you by the Agony of your Most Sacred Heart and by the Sorrows of our Immaculate Mother, to wash in your Most Precious Blood, the sinners of the world who are now in their agony and who will die this day.

Heart of Jesus, once in Agony, have pity on the dying.

O Redemptor... Chrism Mass

2010-03-31T23:27:00.002+01:00

On Holy Thursday at the Chrism Mass during the procession of the oils it is customary to have the Hymn O Redemptor. This is the only one i could find on youtube - so ignore the motorcycle that passes noisily outside during the recitation.

Pange Lingua

2010-03-31T11:43:00.005+01:00

In honour of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ - Truly Present in the August and Wondrous Sacrament of the Altar: A truly beautiful Hymn and a truly beautiful Video.

Prayer for the Holy Father

2010-03-29T23:48:00.005+01:00

In these days when many attacks are being made upon the Holy Father, we should pray for Pope Benedict XVI that the Lord will pour out his blessing upon him abundantly and that he will sustain him from the attacks upon his person and upon the Catholic Church in general.

The text of the prayer in english reads:

Let us pray for Benedict our Pope.
May the Lord preserve him, and give him life, and make him blessed upon the earth, and deliver him not up to the will of his enemies. Amen

St. Francis de Sales & Confessions

2010-03-29T22:56:00.003+01:00

As the Holy Season of Lent draws to an end I thought it might be helpful to link to some words of wisdom on the Sacrament of Confession by St. Francis de Sales in his Introduction to the Devout Life.

HERE and HERE you will find what he has to say about confessing sins.

Addressing the present state of the Church

2010-03-24T00:34:00.002Z

Below is an extract from a message reputedly given by Our Lady to a saintly nun in Quito, Ecuador in the 17th Century - Venerable Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres. It makes sober reading and certainly given the recent revelations of corrupt and sinful clergy in many parts of the world it seems to be spot on.

I offer it for your consideration and as an encouragement to more prayer, fasting and penance for the many sins of the clergy and religious which are particularly offensive to God since they are consecrated and set apart in a profound way by virtue of their ordination or profession - not that holiness is the sole preserve of the clergy and religious. I often think how diificult it will be for those of us who are priests to enter heaven.

"The Church will find itself attacked by waves of a secret sect ... corrupted priests will scandalize the Church ... Moreover, in these unhappy times there will be unbridled luxury which, acting thus to snare the rest into sin, will conquer innumerable frivolous souls who will lose themselves. Innocence will almost no longer be found in children, nor modesty in women, and, in this supreme moment of need of the Church, those whom it behooves to speak will fall silent."

“As for the Sacrament of Matrimony, which symbolizes the union of Christ with His Church, it will be attacked and deeply profaned. Freemasonry, which will then be in power, will enact iniquitous laws with the aim of doing away with this Sacrament, making it easy for everyone to live in sin and encouraging the procreation of illegitimate children born without the blessing of the Church. The Catholic spirit will rapidly decay; the precious light of Faith will gradually be extinguished until there will be an almost total and general corruption of customs. Added to this will be the effects of secular education, which will be one reason for the dearth of priestly and religious vocations. “The Sacrament of Holy Orders will be ridiculed, oppressed, and despised, for in this Sacrament, the Church of God and even God Himself is scorned and despised since He is represented in His priests."

"The Devil will try to persecute the ministers of the Lord in every possible way; he will labor with cruel and subtle astuteness to deviate them from the spirit of their vocation and will corrupt many of them. These depraved priests, who will scandalize the Christian people, will make the hatred of bad Catholics and the enemies of the Roman Catholic and Apostolic Church fall upon all priests. "This apparent triumph of Satan will bring enormous sufferings to the good Pastors of the Church, the many good priests, and the Supreme Pastor and Vicar of Christ on Earth, who, a prisoner in the Vatican, will shed secret and bitter tears in the presence of his God and Lord, beseeching light, sanctity, and perfection for all the clergy of the world, of whom he is King and Father."

The Power of Christ's Precious Blood

2010-03-22T23:05:00.002Z

Below is the text of today's Office of Readings from the Liturgy of the Hours. It is a commentary by St. John Fisher on the Penitential Psalms:

Christ Jesus is our bishop, his most precious body is our sacrifice, which he offered upon a cross for the redemption of all the world. The blood shed for our redemption was not the blood of goats or calves as in the old law; it was the very blood most innocent of our Saviour Jesus Christ.

The temple wherein our bishop did sacrifice was not made by man’s hand but only by the power of God, he shed his precious blood for our redemption in the face of all the world, which is the temple made only by the hand of God. This temple has two divers parts, one is the earth whereon we live, the other is not yet known to us mortal creatures.

First he did sacrifice in the earth when he suffered his passion. After, in a new clothing or garment, the vesture of immortality, and with his own precious blood he entered into sanctum sanctorum [the Holy of Holies] that is to say into heaven when he showed his most precious blood before the Throne of his Father which he shed for all sinners 7 times.

By this Holy Sacrifice Almighty God must needs have pity and execute his mercy to all true penitents and this sacrifice shall continue not only year by year as the manner was of the Jews, but also it is daily offered for our comfort, and every hour and moment for our most strong succour, wherefore Saint Paul says: Having obtained eternal redemption.

By it we are redeemed forever. Every contrite and true penitent person not willing to fall again but with a full purpose to continue in virtuous living is a partaker of this Holy Sacrifice. As saint John shows in his first epistle: My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin; but if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And he is the expiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

Email the Pope

2010-03-21T23:22:00.004Z

Fr. Tim over at The Hermeneutic of Continuity makes the wonderful suggestion that we email the Holy Father to offer our support (and thanks) for all he has done and continues to do. His email address is benedictxvi@vatican.va. As his Pastoral Letter to Ireland has received some mixed reactions, (something the media seem to latch onto if it is in any way negative reaction), maybe it would be good for Irish Catholics to write to him and thank him for this wonderful pastoral intervention in our time of crisis.

All you who read this blog - please continue to pray for the Church in Ireland - as we attempt to steer a course through these troubled waters that surround us.

Benedict XVI - Prayer for the Church in Ireland

2010-03-20T23:00:00.002Z

I wish to conclude this Letter with a special Prayer for the Church in Ireland, which I send to you with the care of a father for his children and with the affection of a fellow Christian, scandalized and hurt by what has occurred in our beloved Church. As you make use of this prayer in your families, parishes and communities, may the Blessed Virgin Mary protect and guide each of you to a closer union with her Son, crucified and risen.

God of our fathers,
renew us in the faith which is our life and salvation, the hope which promises forgiveness and interior renewal, the charity which purifies and opens our hearts to love you, and in you, each of our brothers and sisters.

Lord Jesus Christ,
may the Church in Ireland renew her age-old commitment to the education of our young people in the way of truth and goodness, holiness and generous service to society.

Holy Spirit, Comforter, Advocate and Guide,
inspire a new springtime of holiness and apostolic zeal for the Church in Ireland.

May our sorrow and our tears, our sincere effort to redress past wrongs, and our firm purpose of amendment bear an abundant harvest of grace for the deepening of the faith in our families, parishes, schools and communities, for the spiritual progress of Irish society, and the growth of charity, justice, joy and peace within the whole human family.

To you, Triune God,
confident in the loving protection of Mary, Queen of Ireland, our Mother, and of Saint Patrick, Saint Brigid and all the saints, do we entrust ourselves, our children, and the needs of the Church in Ireland.
Amen.

Pope Benedict's Letter to the Irish

2010-03-20T22:51:00.003Z

Below are some significant excerpts from the Holy Father's Letter to the Church in Ireland. The Letter deserves to be read in full and can be read HERE.

Dear Brothers and Sisters of the Church in Ireland, it is with great concern that I write to you as Pastor of the Universal Church. Like yourselves, I have been deeply disturbed by the information which has come to light regarding the abuse of children and vulnerable young people by members of the Church in Ireland, particularly by priests and religious. I can only share in the dismay and the sense of betrayal that so many of you have experienced on learning of these sinful and criminal acts and the way Church authorities in Ireland dealt with them.

It is true, as many in your country have pointed out, that the problem of child abuse is peculiar neither to Ireland nor to the Church. Nevertheless, the task you now face is to address the problem of abuse that has occurred within the Irish Catholic community, and to do so with courage and determination. No one imagines that this painful situation will be resolved swiftly. Real progress has been made, yet much more remains to be done. Perseverance and prayer are needed, with great trust in the healing power of God’s grace.

At the same time, I must also express my conviction that, in order to recover from this grievous wound, the Church in Ireland must first acknowledge before the Lord and before others the serious sins committed against defenceless children. Such an acknowledgement, accompanied by sincere sorrow for the damage caused to these victims and their families, must lead to a concerted effort to ensure the protection of children from similar crimes in the future.

To the victims of abuse and their families
You have suffered grievously and I am truly sorry. I know that nothing can undo the wrong you have endured. Your trust has been betrayed and your dignity has been violated. Many of you found that, when you were courageous enough to speak of what happened to you, no one would listen. Those of you who were abused in residential institutions must have felt that there was no escape from your sufferings. It is understandable that you find it hard to forgive or be reconciled with the Church. In her name, I openly express the shame and remorse that we all feel. At the same time, I ask you not to lose hope. It is in the communion of the Church that we encounter the person of Jesus Christ, who was himself a victim of injustice and sin. Like you, he still bears the wounds of his own unjust suffering. He understands the depths of your pain and its enduring effect upon your lives and your relationships, including your relationship with the Church.

I know some of you find it difficult even to enter the doors of a church after all that has occurred. Yet Christ’s own wounds, transformed by his redemptive sufferings, are the very means by which the power of evil is broken and we are reborn to life and hope. I believe deeply in the healing power of his self-sacrificing love – even in the darkest and most hopeless situations – to bring liberation and the promise of a new beginning.

Speaking to you as a pastor concerned for the good of all God’s children, I humbly ask you to consider what I have said. I pray that, by drawing nearer to Christ and by participating in the life of his Church – a Church purified by penance and renewed in pastoral charity – you will come to rediscover Christ’s infinite love for each one of you. I am confident that in this way you will be able to find reconciliation, deep inner healing and peace.

To priests and religious who have abused children
You betrayed the trust that was placed in you by innocent young people and their parents, and you must answer for it before Almighty God and before properly constituted tribunals. You have forfeited the esteem of the people of Ireland and brought shame and dishonour upon your confreres. Those of you who are priests violated the sanctity of the sacrament of Holy Orders in which Christ makes himself present in us and in our actions. Together with the immense harm done to victims, great damage has been done to the Church and to the public perception of the priesthood and religious life.

I urge you to examine your conscience, take responsibility for the sins you have committed, and humbly express your sorrow. Sincere repentance opens the door to God’s forgiveness and the grace of true amendment. By offering prayers and penances for those you have wronged, you should seek to atone personally for your actions. Christ’s redeeming sacrifice has the power to forgive even the gravest of sins, and to bring forth good from even the most terrible evil. At the same time, God’s justice summons us to give an account of our actions and to conceal nothing. Openly acknowledge your guilt, submit yourselves to the demands of justice, but do not despair of God’s mercy.

The Solemnity of St. Joseph

2010-03-19T12:38:00.003Z

Happy Feast of St. Joseph. As regular readers will know I have a strong devotion to St. Joseph and so in his honour I duly present:

And here one St. Joseph speaks of THEE St. Joseph:

St. Joseph, loving foster Father of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and Most Chaste Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary - pray pray for us now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

The Dangers of Fortune Telling & Other Occult Practices

2010-03-18T18:44:00.003Z

In the Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 16, St. Luke recalls the following incident involving a fortune-teller: “It happened one day that as we were going to prayer, we were met by a slave girl who was a soothsayer (literally in Greek: who had a python-spirit, so called from the serpent python of the ancient Delphic Oracle) and made a lot of money for her masters by foretelling the future. This girl started following Paul and the rest of us and shouting, ‘Here are the servants of the Most High God; they have come to tell you how to be saved!’ She did this day after day until Paul was exasperated and turned round and said to the spirit, ‘I order you in the name of Jesus Christ to leave that woman.’ The spirit went out of her then and there.”

As can be seen from this short passage, the abilities which this girl had were authentic, but they were not a gift from God. Her ability to ‘see’ was given her by the evil spirit which possessed her. This is not to say that all those who dabble in telling fortunes are possessed, but that their ‘art’ is steeped in and founded on occult practices; practices which both the Old and the New Testament condemn in very strong terms.

“Let there not be found among you… a fortune-teller, soothsayer, charmer, diviner, or caster of spells, nor one who consults ghosts and spirits or seeks oracles from the dead. Anyone who does such things is an abomination to the Lord.” (Deuteronomy 18: 10-12)

“As for cowards and traitors to the faith, the depraved and murderers, the fornicators and sorcerers, the idol-worshippers and deceivers of every sort – their lot is the fiery pool of burning sulphur – the second death” (Revelation 21:8).
.

These last words are Jesus’ words and their strength and harshness should alert us to the great dangers that are inherent in all occult practices. If these practices are condemned so forcibly then it can only be in proportionate response to the spiritual danger they pose to us. Our Father does not desire the death of the sinner but that he or she repents. These practices, however, open us up to the darkness of hidden things (the real meaning of occult) and can extinguish the light of life and faith within us.

So what practices of the occult fall under the banner of fortune-telling? There are many around these days, ranging from the most simplistic to the more obviously occult practices. At the more usual end of things, and something which is unfortunately practiced by well-intentioned Christians, is the consulting of horoscopes which hold that our fate or destiny is dictated by the stars and the movement of the planets. How could the Father who knows every hair on your head and who looks after even the birds (see Matthew 6) leave something as important as our life here on earth in the hands of the stars and at the mercy of the movement of the planets?

As St. Thomas Aquinas states: “Those who believe that Heavenly Bodies (planets and stars) influence the human will, and who choose certain season for their actions, make gods and rulers out of the heavenly bodies and cast horoscopes.”

Another more developed and increasingly popular method of fortune-telling is the use of tarot-cards. This practice uses various occult symbols on a pack of cards and seeks to reveal the future through the permutations of the dealt cards. An even more sinister type of fortune-telling involves the use of a psychic, medium or channeller who seeks to consult a spirit or departed soul to predict the future. It is this sort of practice that is recounted in the above passage from the Acts of the Apostles and a similar account is recalled in 1Samuel 28, when Saul consults a witch about the outcome of a battle he had to engage in. She conjured up the dead prophet Samuel, but it didn’t go well for Saul after that; he and his sons were to die the next day.

So the practice of fortune-telling ranges from what “seems” to be harmless fun to the more serious magical consultations of forces and spirits that are not of God. Some Catholics justify the consulting of the daily horoscope in the newspaper as harmless fun and not to be taken too seriously, but innocence and naivety and a lack of desire to do anything occultic is hardly a defence against our mortal enemy who prowls around “like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour” (1Peter 5:8). We must never do anything that would compromise the stand we take with and for Christ as Christians. We are advised by St. Paul: “Do not give the devil his opportunity” (Ephesians 4:27); “Avoid what is evil, stick to what is good” (Romans 12:10).

And what exactly is this compromise? It is twofold in nature. Firstly, any occult practice is opposed to the action of the Holy Spirit and seeks to obtain some power, knowledge, or gain that God has not desired us to have. Once again let us hear St. Thomas Aquinas: “Those who engage in sorcery and incantations treat the demons as if they were gods, since they seek to obtain from the demons that which God alone can give, namely knowledge of what is hidden and the truth about future events.”

A Christian who dabbles in occult practices cannot dwell in the light of God and the darkness of these satanic practices at the same time as “God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. If we say that we share in God’s life while we are living in darkness, we are lying.” (1John 1:4-6). Jesus himself warns us that we cannot be slave to two masters (see Matthew 6:24).

The second type of compromise we make by getting involved in the occult through the practice of or consulting of fortune-telling involves an undermining of the faith we profess to have. If we believe in the absolute sovereignty of God as our Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier then how can we doubt his goodness and providence on our behalf? It is normal enough for us to be curious about the future; to wonder what our life will be like in 5 or 10 years time. (If only we had the same concern about our eternal future). But to be a Christian is to be called to a radical trust in the Providence of God. We call God Father not just as some sort of nice title or as some symbolic title. We call him Father because that is what he is. It is from him that all fatherhood takes its being (See Ephesians 3:14) and he is the best of all Fathers. Jesus repeatedly calls us to trust in the loving care of our Father for us. He encourages us to “seek first the kingdom of God” (Matthew 6:33) and not to worry about the future because the Father will take care of all that.

St. Paul reminds us that, “God makes all things work together for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to his decree.” (Romans 8:28) As Christians, it is our belief that our whole lives are in God’s hands and therefore we have nothing to fear of the future because God can and does use all things and all circumstances – even the seemingly bad or hopeless ones – to bring about good in our lives and in our world. We can fear about the future and be paralysed by it. Going to a fortune-teller is, for many, an attempt to get control of their future and their destiny; to escape the fear of the unknown. But at any moment we may have no more future to look forward to. Upon our death, all the worry about tomorrow, and what will happen then, will seem very foolish because all we really have is today – this very moment.

Our Faith tells us that neither satan nor the stars, or any other created being is in charge of our destiny. Jesus Christ is the “Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last” (Revelations 1:18). Only he controls the lives of all peoples. He decides, he plans and he gives you your future. St. Paul recognised this when he told us, “For all things give thanks; this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.” (1Thessalonians 5:18). For us Christians, an excessive anxiety or curiosity about the future contradicts our faith that Jesus Christ has, and indeed is, the power that directs human history. To try to discover our future says something very powerful about the faith we have in Jesus Christ. It undermines the fact that we address Jesus as ‘Lord’, because we imply that his Lordship does not extend to all things – our personal destiny in particular.

In every circumstance we must remember that the Risen Lord Jesus Christ has won the victory that has freed us from the tyranny of satan, superstition, fear and oppression. Why are we so willing to take up that burden again by dabbling in the occult? We must be more willing to abandon ourselves to the will of the Father – in imitation of Jesus who followed that will right to Calvary. To those who fear for the future and fear the circumstances that they presently find themselves in, listen to the words of Jesus: “In the world you will have hardship, but courage! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33).

The last word is given to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which has the following to say about an unhealthy obsession with knowing the future: “A sound Christian attitude consists in putting oneself confidently into the hands of providence for whatever concerns the future, and giving up all curiosity about it… All forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse to satan or demons, conjuring up the dead or other practices falsely supposed to ‘unveil’ the future. Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers. They contradict the honour, respect and loving fear that we owe to God alone.” (CCC 2115-2116)

If you have ever availed of the services of any kind of Fortune-teller then please do not delay in turning that sin over to the Lord of all mercies in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

St. Patrick's Breastplate

2010-03-16T23:19:00.004Z

In honour of the great St. Patrick I've posted the video below. It's a musical representation/adaptation of his great prayer - The Breastplate of St. Patrick. The musical version is commonly known as "The Deer's Cry" Happy St. Patrick's Day to one and all.

The full text translation of the prayer is found below and what better day than St. Patrick's day to pray it:

I bind unto myself today
The strong Name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same,
The Three in One and One in Three.

I bind this day to me for ever.
By power of faith, Christ's incarnation;
His baptism in the Jordan river;
His death on Cross for my salvation;

His bursting from the spicèd tomb;
His riding up the heavenly way;
His coming at the day of doom;*
I bind unto myself today.

I bind unto myself the power
Of the great love of the cherubim;
The sweet 'well done' in judgment hour,
The service of the seraphim,

Confessors' faith, Apostles' word,
The Patriarchs' prayers, the Prophets' scrolls,
All good deeds done unto the Lord,
And purity of virgin souls.

I bind unto myself today
The virtues of the starlit heaven,
The glorious sun's life-giving ray,
The whiteness of the moon at even,

The flashing of the lightning free,
The whirling wind's tempestuous shocks,
The stable earth, the deep salt sea,
Around the old eternal rocks.

I bind unto myself today
The power of God to hold and lead,
His eye to watch, His might to stay,
His ear to hearken to my need.

The wisdom of my God to teach,
His hand to guide, His shield to ward,
The word of God to give me speech,
His heavenly host to be my guard.

Against the demon snares of sin,
The vice that gives temptation force,
The natural lusts that war within,
The hostile men that mar my course;

Or few or many, far or nigh,
In every place and in all hours,
Against their fierce hostility,
I bind to me these holy powers.

Against all Satan's spells and wiles,
Against false words of heresy,
Against the knowledge that defiles,
Against the heart's idolatry,

Against the wizard's evil craft,
Against the death wound and the burning,
The choking wave and the poisoned shaft,
Protect me, Christ, till Thy returning.

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

I bind unto myself the Name,
The strong Name of the Trinity;
By invocation of the same.
The Three in One, and One in Three,

Of Whom all nature hath creation,
Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
Praise to the Lord of my salvation,
Salvation is of Christ the Lord.

Pope Benedict & that case in Munich

2010-03-16T21:41:00.004Z

The articles found HERE and HERE seem to clarify the accusations made against Pope Benedict XVI with regard to an abusive priest in the Munich Archdiocese while he was Archbishop there.

It seems that the then Cardinal Ratzinger allowed the priest to live in a parochial house while he was undergoing treatment, but did not give him any parish ministry. This priest was later assigned parish duties - but that was after Cardinal Josef Ratzinger had moved to the Vatican and was no longer Archbishop of Munich.

One wonders if the media will report these facts with as much zeal as they reported the initial (and inaccurate) story.

The Way of the Cross - 14th Station

2010-03-16T21:30:00.000Z

JESUS’ BODY IS LAID IN THE TOMB

John 19: 40-42
They took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, following the Jewish burial custom. At the place where he had been crucified there was a garden, and in this garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been buried. Since it was the Jewish day of preparation and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

Romans 6: 3-6
All of us when we were baptised into Christ Jesus, were baptised into his death. So by our baptism into his death we were buried with him, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the Father’s glorious power, we too should begin living a new life. If we have been joined to him by dying a death like his, so we shall be by a resurrection like his; realising that our former self was crucified with him, so that the self which belonged to sin should be destroyed and we should be freed from the slavery of sin.

Though the burial is done with haste and lacked the time necessary, the carefully and lovingly prepared body of Jesus is placed in a new tomb. A stone is rolled into place and darkness fall. The Passover has begun and the proper burial rites will have to wait a few days. Death seems to have won the day. His body sealed up in the bowels of the earth, Jesus’ tomb proclaims to the world that death has the final say, that evil has triumphed over good, that all is vanity and the life of man, any man, is futile and ultimately dissolves into nothingness. A few years and who would remember the carpenter from Galilee who ruffled a few too many feathers among those who mattered and paid the ultimate price for it. Until that day, every tomb that had been ever used told a similar tale of woe for mankind.

But this tomb was new, no one had ever been buried in it and certainly no-one like Jesus had ever been buried in any tomb before. The tomb which mocks man and puts an end to his hopes and aspirations, would become a symbol which would put new heart into him. As the Cross, that horrible instrument, a symbol of torture and death was to become the symbol of healing and life, so too in Jesus the tomb was to become a symbol of life. For though on Good Friday the tomb of Jesus seemed to proclaim the end, on Sunday morning that same tomb proclaims the beginning of new life, the conquest of sin and death. Death where is your victory, death where is your sting? For Easter Morning will deny you your ability to boast and taunt mankind.

Lord, help us to face death when it comes to us with great faith and trust. It is in dying that we are born to eternal life and so we submit ourselves to your holy will regarding our own time to depart this life. Give us the grace to be ready and we ask that you allow your Mother to prepare us well for that day, she whom we have countless times asked to pray for us at the hour of our death.

The Way of the Cross - 13th Station

2010-03-16T21:28:00.000Z

JESUS’ BODY IS TAKEN DOWN FROM THE CROSS

Luke 23: 50-53
And now a member of the Council arrived, a good and upright man named Joseph. He had not consented to what the others had planned and carried out. He came from Arimathaea, a Jewish town, and he lived in the hope of seeing the kingdom of God. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. He then took it down, wrapped it in a shroud and put it in a tomb which was hewn in stone.

Luke 2:7
And she gave birth to a son, her first-born. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger.

Mary receives the life-less body of her precious Son from the Cross. Her heart on fire with joy she had received him from the Father’s hands, full of life, and she had wrapped him in swaddling clothes. Now her heart pierced through with bitter sorrow she must hand him back to the Father, life-less, and once again she wraps him in clothes, this time a burial shroud. Who can say what anguish filled her soul. Her Son the Redeemer has given every last drop of blood in his body as a sign of the extremes of love and extremes of suffering that the Father’s will has brought him to. She has no more tears left to give, all have been poured out in the preceding hours; signs of her co-operation in her Son’s work of Salvation, of the great sorrowful suffering which she offered in union with her Lord. And with great faith she renews now her yes: “Behold the Handmaid of the Lord, let it be done according to your will.” She grieved her Son, but she grieved as one with hope, and no-one ever grieved as faithfully and filled with hope as she did. All according to your will Lord, according to your will.

We pray for all those who mourn the death of one they love, that they may not grieve without hope. Lord give them the strength to endure this bitter trial and give them the gifts of faith and hope, that even amid the darkness of death they may persevere in their expectation of the light of Resurrection.

The Way of the Cross - 12th Station

2010-03-16T21:23:00.001Z

JESUS DIES ON THE CROSS

John 19:28-34
After this, Jesus knew that everything had now been completed and, so that the scripture should be completely fulfilled, he said: ‘I Thirst’. A jar full of sour wine stood there; so putting a sponge soaked in the wine on a hyssop stick, they held it up to his mouth. After Jesus had taken the wine he said, ‘It is fulfilled’; and bowing his head he gave up his spirit.

It was the Day of Preparation, and to avoid the bodies remaining on the cross during the Sabbath – since that Sabbath was a day of special solemnity – the Jews asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken away. Consequently the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with him and then the other. When they came to Jesus, they saw he was already dead, and so instead of breaking his legs one of the soldiers pierced his side with a lance; and immediately there came out blood and water.

John 7: 37-38
Jesus stood and cried out: “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me! Let anyone who believes in me come and drink! As Scripture says: ‘From his heart shall flow streams of living water’.”

As he hangs there suspended between heaven and earth all of human sin flows to him. His open arms are an invitation to human wickedness and a sign of his vulnerability. And the sin which has perverted the human heart will flow ferociously out against him. All the depravity which the human heart is capable of will flow into his heart. The river of sin seems endless, how is it possible that one man could embrace it all. But that river of sin flows into the endless ocean of merciful love that has gathered in his Divine Heart. Sin will exhaust itself as it rages against love. The more it raises its voice to scream ‘no’ the more the Saviour will quietly repeat his ‘yes’. And as the fresh water of a river flowing into the sea becomes lost in the salty deeps so the foulness of our most vile sins disappears when it is conquered by infinite love. Our sins fall upon him and his blood falls upon us. The full measure of our sins draws forth the full measure of his life’s-blood. From our wounds flow waves of death and destruction - the foul-smelling rot of sin. From his wounds flow waves of the cleansing Blood of the Lamb without blemish, the medicinal water that flows from the tree of life, from the side of the temple, which is his body; the sweet-smelling ‘yes’ offered to the Father from a truly human heart – the Divine Heart of his Son.

With each breath he takes the stench of sin and death fill his soul so that the author of life itself, moves ever closer to death. And when the last wave of the last sin ever to be committed breaks upon the shore of his suffering and he breathes deeply the stench of that sin too, he lowers his head in death, breathing out the Holy Spirit over those raging waters. “Quiet now, be still.”

Lord, by your wounds we are healed, and so we press our open wounds to yours that we may be healed.

The Way of the Cross - 11th Station

2010-03-16T21:19:00.000Z

JESUS IS NAILED TO THE CROSS

Luke 23:33-34
When they reached the place of the Skull, there they crucified him and the two criminals, one on his right and one on his left. Jesus said, ‘Father forgive them; they do not know what they are doing.’

Psalm 21
Many dogs have surrounded me, a band of the wicked beset me. They tear holes in my hands and my feet and lay me in the dust of death.

Despite the pain, the exhaustion and cruelty that surrounded him, would it not have been for Jesus an interior joy to mount that cross and so accomplish the Father’s plan of salvation. Beholding the wondrous cross would he not have contemplated the countless souls who would embrace that cross, would look upon it as the image of merciful love and so understand the extremes of the Father’s love for them. Forever that image of the Saviour, arms wide open on the cross, would inspire sinners to come and be embraced by the Saviour whose arms are forever open to receive them. We can imagine that he did not shrink before it, but as he had carried it with such resolution and love, so now he would stretch himself out upon it, willingly easing himself into position.

With three powerful blows the first nail tears through Christ’s flesh and lodges itself in the wood of the Cross. Then follows the second, then the third; each with ruthless efficiency. The executioners couldn’t see that this was a defining moment for mankind – deicide, the murder of God. Had they known the importance of what they were doing at that moment then they would have known that such a moment demanded solemnity, time, ritual and they would have carried out each movement in this tragic turn of events with greater attention, with greater care allowing each atrocious wound the time and space to speak for itself. But they are completely ignorant of all this – they do not know what they are doing. Here is a criminal to be disposed of in the usual way. What they must do they do quickly and in a moment the Saviour of the world is lifted up and the full horror of a world gone mad is displayed for all to see.

The first wave of human sin is passed, but there comes another and yet another in a relentless onslaught crashing on the shores of that Divine Heart. Each wave foams with the sins of every human being of every generation. Every injustice, every lust, every infidelity, every angry word, every violent action, every evil thought, every gun fired, every bomb dropped, every abortion, every life taken, every conceivable evil that ever was or will be flood his soul. Each presents itself to the eyes of Christ as one huge tsunami following another – a tidal wave of rejection that roars ‘no’ to the Father.

Hanging on the cross the sins of the world wash over him, invade him and cause him the most unbearable suffering. He has asked for this, he has desired that it be this way because this is his Father’s will. And as each sin falls upon his head and his grief increases he utters no word of condemnation, no judgement. Silently he bears it all. No sin will every force him to say: ‘Enough – I will have no more, away with this cross!’

And amid all these thunderous waves there are countless small waves too. These waves do not crash violently over him, but timidly, humbly exhaust themselves at his feet. These are the waves of the Magdalenes of this world whose sins are not hurled at the Saviour, rather they are laid at the foot of his cross. They may be waves of sin – perhaps waves of the greatest possible sins, but they are waves which foam with repentance. These sins do cause him to suffer but as bitter as they are for him to swallow they leave a sweet taste as he gazes upon another soul saved for the Kingdom. While so many sinners would use their sins to crucify him – these sinners would have them crucified with him.

And so, as he is lifted up into the air on that Cross, Jesus’ words are not words of condemnation. From this throne, the judgement is mercy, mercy, mercy. Here the Saviour sits on his throne of mercy and the blood which flows from his crucified body pleads with the Father: Father forgive them, Father forgive them – they do not know what they are doing.

He prayed not for himself, not that the Father would ease his suffering, but that the Father would accept his sufferings in expiation for our sins. In extreme agony his thoughts were not on himself but on us, and that because, though great his physical sufferings were, it is a greater torture to him that any sinner should be lost. Father forgive them – Father forgive us, we offer you the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.

The Way of the Cross - 10th Station

2010-03-16T21:11:00.001Z

JESUS IS STRIPPED OF HIS GARMENTS

Genesis 3: 21-24
The Lord God made tunics of skins for the man and his wife and clothed them. Then the Lord God said, ‘Now that the man has become like one of us in knowing good from evil, he must not be allowed to reach out his hand and pick from the tree of life too, and eat and live forever.’ So the Lord God expelled him from the Garden of Eden, to till the soil from which he had been taken. He banished the man, and in front of the garden of Eden he posted the great winged creatures and the fiery flashing sword, to guard the way to the tree of life.

Psalm 22.19
They divide My garments among them, and they cast lots for my clothes.

The Lord finally arrives at the spot of his crucifixion. And now he is stripped of his garments in front of everyone. Naked he stands before the eyes of the world. His body is torn and the onlookers can see the extent of the damage that has been inflicted on him so far.

Adam stood naked too; when he had sinned. God took pity on Adam and Eve and clothed them to ease their sense of shame. Here Christ stands sholder to shoulder with Adam. The New Adam has entered into solidarity with the Old Adam. Adam stood despoiled of the garments of grace; his sin had stripped him of it. His exterior nudity points to an interior despoiling of the soul. Jesus who is the source of all grace, allows himself to stand exposed, stripped of his dignity and allows himself to be taken as yet another sinful son of Adam who has followed the path of his father, the path of disobedience and sin. But he is the innocent one, it is not his own sin that has left him exposed to sin’s horrible consequences, but the sins of the whole world which are placed on his shoulders. “For our sake he made the sinless one a victim of sin, so that in him we might become the uprightness of God” (2 Cor 5:21).

God clothes Adam before expelling him from the Garden as a sign that one day he will once again clothe him in the robes of righteousness before his re-entry into Paradise. To do this God allows himself to be stripped; as the final movement of that stripping away which began with the Incarnation, when he stripped himself of his glory, and became one of us, like us in all things but sin. And so great was that self-emptying, that stripping away, that he now stands on the verge of death, offering to strip himself of life itself in order to give us eternal life.

Lord we ask you to clothe those who have been despoiled of the baptismal robe of righteousness through their sins. Bring many to the sacrament of confession so that they may be restored to the state of grace and the divine friendship which is your will.

It never seems to reach rock bottom

2010-03-15T23:04:00.002Z

As yet another episode in the ongoing clerical abuse scandals in Ireland hits the headlines, I would ask that all readers of this blog pray for the Church in Ireland - especially as we celebrate St. Patrick's Day on Wednesday.

I started this blog determined not to use it as a forum to present news (especially such bad news as clerical paedophilia), but this thing is so big and so many of the faithful - both clergy and laity - are so demoralised, shocked and in many repsects at their wits end, that I feel it important to make this post. We must continue to pray for those whose young lives were so terribly derailed by the abuse they suffered, and we must pray for the Church in Ireland. May the Lord bring all the skeletons in the collective closet of the Church in this land once and for all into the light of day. And maybe then we can begin to rebuild something that will truly be to the glory of God and something which truly radiates the love and power of Jesus Christ in our Land.

A priest I know once remarked that the faith in Ireland is not dead - but it is on life-support. The past few days make me tempted to think he's not far off the mark. May the long-awaited letter from Pope Benedict be a moment when Peter will rouse the Irish church from her sickbed (Cf. Acts 9:40-41). I pray that the Lord intervenes soon - for many souls are tempted to distance themselves from the Church and the Sacraments - so great is the scandal they feel and so poor has the catechesis been here for at least 2 generations. For as great as the sins the clergy may be, there is not a single thing wrong with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the sacraments are as vital now (maybe moreso) than ever before. What a victory for the evil one that the sins of these priests should not only blight the lives of so many innocent children, but that they should also distance others from Christ.

As you may detect I write from a very sore place. I've gone through so many emotions in the past few days - anger, frustration, hopelessness, and hurt too - the same hurt many good Catholics up and down this country are feeling right now. We priests aren't exempt from that. We are as shocked and as disappointed as anyone else would be. We feel as helpless in this as any of the faithful. And after going through the whole range of emotions - what is there left to us but prayer and trust in God - for only he can bring light too and from all this darkness. In the end, only the Lord Jesus can bring the healing that is required on so many levels to so many different people who are affected by this terrible depravity and its aftermath.

May he does so quickly. Oh God come to our Aid - Oh Lord make haste to help us!

Mary Queen of the Apostles - pray for our bishops.

Mary Queen of Ireland - pray to God for us.

The Vatican & Paedophilia

2010-03-13T14:42:00.004Z

This interview appears in Vatican Information Service (VIS) and is quite significant for the clarifications it gives with regard to the Vatican's dealing with case of clerical child sex abuse.

VATICAN CITY, 13 MAR 2010 (VIS) - Given below is the text of an interview, published today by the Italian newspaper "Avvenire", with Msgr. Charles J. Scicluna, promoter of justice of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, concerning the investigative and judicial activities of that dicastery in cases of "delicta graviora", which include the crime of paedophilia committed by members of the clergy:

Msgr. Charles J. Scicluna is the "promoter of justice" of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. He is effectively the prosecutor of the tribunal of the former Holy Office, whose job it is to investigate what are known as "delicta graviora"; i.e., the crimes which the Catholic Church considers as being the most serious of all: crimes against the Eucharist and against the sanctity of the Sacrament of Penance, and crimes against the sixth Commandment ("thou shall not commit impure acts") committed by a cleric against a person under the age of eighteen. These crimes, in a "Motu Proprio" of 2001, "Sacramentum sanctitatis tutela", come under the competency of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. In effect, it is the "promoter of justice" who deals with, among other things, the terrible question of priests accused of paedophilia, which are periodically highlighted in the mass media. Msgr. Scicluna, an affable and polite Maltese, has the reputation of scrupulously carrying out the tasks entrusted to him without deferring to anyone.

Question: Monsignor, you have the reputation of being "tough", yet the Catholic Church is systematically accused of being accommodating towards "paedophile priests".

Answer: It may be that in the past - perhaps also out of a misdirected desire to protect the good name of the institution - some bishops were, in practice, too indulgent towards this sad phenomenon. And I say in practice because, in principle, the condemnation of this kind of crime has always been firm and unequivocal. Suffice it to recall, to limit ourselves just to last century, the famous Instruction "Crimen sollicitationis" of 1922.

Q: Wasn't that from 1962?

A: No, the first edition dates back to the pontificate of Pius XI. Then, with Blessed John XXIII, the Holy Office issued a new edition for the Council Fathers, but only two thousand copies were printed, which were not enough, and so distribution was postponed sine die. In any case, these were procedural norms to be followed in cases of solicitation during confession, and of other more serious sexually-motivated crimes such as the sexual abuse of minors.

Q: Norms which, however, recommended secrecy...

A: A poor English translation of that text has led people to think that the Holy See imposed secrecy in order to hide the facts. But this was not so. Secrecy during the investigative phase served to protect the good name of all the people involved; first and foremost, the victims themselves, then the accused priests who have the right - as everyone does - to the presumption of innocence until proven guilty. The Church does not like showcase justice. Norms on sexual abuse have never been understood as a ban on denouncing the crimes to the civil authorities.

Q: Nonetheless, that document is periodically cited to accuse the current Pontiff of having been - when he was prefect of the former Holy Office - objectively responsible for a Holy See policy of covering up the facts...

A: That accusation is false and calumnious. On this subject I would like to highlight a number of facts. Between 1975 and 1985 I do not believe that any cases of paedophilia committed by priests were brought to the attention of our Congregation. Moreover, following the promulgation of the 1983 Code of Canon Law, there was a period of uncertainty as to which of the "delicta graviora" were reserved to the competency of this dicastery. Only with the 2001 "Motu Proprio" did the crime of paedophilia again become our exclusive remit. From that moment Cardinal Ratzinger displayed great wisdom and firmness in handling those cases, also demonstrating great courage in facing some of the most difficult and thorny cases, "sine acceptione personarum". Therefore, to accuse the current Pontiff of a cover-up is, I repeat, false and calumnious.

Q: What happens when a priest is accused of a "delictum gravius"?

A: If the accusation is well-founded the bishop has the obligation to investigate both the soundness and the subject of the accusation. If the outcome of this initial investigation is consistent, he no longer has any power to act in the matter and must refer the case to our Congregation where it is dealt with by the disciplinary office.

Q: How is that office composed?

A: Apart from myself who, being one of the superiors of the dicastery, also concern myself with other matters, there are the bureau chief Fr. Pedro Miguel Funes Diaz, seven priests and a lay lawyer who follow these cases. Other officials of the Congregation also make their own vital contribution depending upon the language and specific requirements of each case.

Q: That office has been accused of working little and slowly...

A: Those are unjustified comments. In 2003 and 2004 a great wave of cases flooded over our desks. Many of them came from the United States and concerned the past. Over recent years, thanks to God, the phenomenon has become greatly reduced, and we now seek to deal with new cases as they arise.

Q: How many have you dealt with so far?

A: Overall in the last nine years (2001-2010) we have considered accusations concerning around three thousand cases of diocesan and religious priests, which refer to crimes committed over the last fifty years.

Q: That is, then, three thousand cases of paedophile priests?

A: No, it is not correct to say that. We can say that about sixty percent of the cases chiefly involved sexual attraction towards adolescents of the same sex, another thirty percent involved heterosexual relations, and the remaining ten percent were cases of paedophilia in the true sense of the term; that is, based on sexual attraction towards prepubescent children. The cases of priests accused of paedophilia in the true sense have been about three hundred in nine years. Please don't misunderstand me, these are of course too many, but it must be recognised that the phenomenon is not as widespread as has been believed.

Q: The accused, then, are three thousand. How many have been tried and condemned?

A: Currently we can say that a full trial, penal or administrative, has taken place in twenty percent of cases, normally celebrated in the diocese of origin - always under our supervision - and only very rarely here in Rome . We do this also in order to speed up the process. In sixty percent of cases there has been no trial, above all because of the advanced age of the accused, but administrative and disciplinary provisions have been issued against them, such as the obligation not to celebrate Mass with the faithful, not to hear confession, and to live a retired life of prayer. It must be made absolutely clear that in these cases, some of which are particularly sensational and have caught the attention of the media, no absolution has taken place. It's true that there has been no formal condemnation, but if a person is obliged to a life of silence and prayer, then there must be a reason...

Q: That still leaves twenty percent of cases...

A: We can say that in ten percent of cases, the particularly serious ones in which the proof is overwhelming, the Holy Father has assumed the painful responsibility of authorising a decree of dismissal from the clerical state. This is a very serious but inevitable provision, taken though administrative channels. In the remaining ten percent of cases, it was the accused priests themselves who requested dispensation from the obligations deriving from the priesthood, requests which were promptly accepted. Those involved in these latter cases were priests found in possession of paedophile pornographic material and, for this reason, condemned by the civil authorities.

Q: Where do these three thousand cases come from?

A: Mostly from the United States which, in the years 2003-2004, represented around eighty percent of total cases. In 2009 the United States "share" had dropped to around twenty-five percent of the 223 cases reported from all over the world. Over recent years (2007-2009), the annual average of cases reported to the Congregation from around the world has been two hundred and fifty. Many countries report only one or two cases. There is, then, a growing diversity and number of countries of origin of cases, but the phenomenon itself is much reduced. It must, in fact, be borne in mind that the overall number of diocesan and religious priests in the world is four hundred thousand, although this statistic does not correspond to the perception that is created when these sad cases occupy the front pages of the newspapers.

Q: And in Italy ?

A: Thus far the phenomenon does not seem to have dramatic proportions, although what worries me is a certain culture of silence which I feel is still too widespread in the country. The Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI) offers an excellent technical-juridical consultancy service for bishops who have to deal with these cases. And I am very pleased to observe the ever greater commitment being shown by Italian bishops to throw light on the cases reported to them.

Q: You said that a full trial has taken place in around twenty percent of the three thousand cases you have examined over the last nine years. Did they all end with the condemnation of the accused?

A: Many of the past trials did end with the condemnation of the accused. But there have also been cases in which the priest was declared innocent, or where the accusations were not considered to have sufficient proof. In all cases, however, not only is there an examination of the guilt or innocence of the accused priest, but also a discernment as to his fitness for public ministry.

Q: A recurring accusation made against the ecclesiastical hierarchy is that of not reporting to the civil authorities when crimes of paedophilia come to their attention.

A: In some English-speaking countries, but also in France , if bishops become aware of crimes committed by their priests outside the sacramental seal of Confession, they are obliged to report them to the judicial authorities. This is an onerous duty because the bishops are forced to make a gesture comparable to that of a father denouncing his own son. Nonetheless, our guidance in these cases is to respect the law.

Q: And what about countries where bishops do not have this legal obligation?

A: In these cases we do not force bishops to denounce their own priests, but encourage them to contact the victims and invite them to denounce the priests by whom they have been abused. Furthermore, we invite the bishops to give all spiritual - and not only spiritual - assistance to those victims. In a recent case concerning a priest condemned by a civil tribunal in Italy, it was precisely this Congregation that suggested to the plaintiffs, who had turned to us for a canonical trial, that they involve the civil authorities in the interests of victims and to avoid other crimes.

Q: A final question: is there any statue of limitation for "delicta graviora"?

A: Here you touch upon what, in my view, is a sensitive point. In the past, that is before 1889, the statue of limitations was something unknown in canon law. For the most serious crimes, it was only with the 2001 "Motu Proprio" that a statute of limitations of ten years was introduced. In accordance with these norms in cases of sexual abuse, the ten years begin from the day on which the minor reaches the age of eighteen.

Q: Is that enough?

A: Practice has shown that the limit of ten years is not enough in this kind of case, in which it would be better to return to the earlier system of "delicta graviora" not being subject to the statue of limitations. On 7 November 2002, Venerable Servant of God John Paul II granted this dicastery the power to revoke that statue of limitations, case by case following a reasoned request from individual bishops. And this revocation is normally granted.
CDF/DELICTA GRAVIORA/SCICLUNA VIS 100313 (2070)

What it means to be a follower of Christ

2010-03-13T00:54:00.001Z

The Holy Mass in 155 AD

2010-03-13T00:39:00.001Z

Sound familiar to you?

Who are we?

2010-03-13T00:27:00.001Z

We are the Catholic Church

On Misguided Eucharistic Hospitality

2010-03-12T00:09:00.004Z

O Sacramentum pietatis! O Signum Unitatis!

O Vinculum Caritatis!

On account of our reverence for the Blessed Sacrament and since the Eucharist represents full unity with the Church, those who are not in full communion with the Church and who do not profess the same Faith in the Eucharist as we do, should not receive Holy Communion at Mass. This seems like a very straight forward position, but unfortunately in the name of Eucharistic ‘hospitality’, justified by appeals to the Jesus who ate with sinners, this teaching seems to be disregarded by many priests today. On a similar foundation of hospitality Catholics are invited, and duly oblige, to communicate in various reformed Churches. All this is due, I think, to a lack of a clear understanding of what the Eucharist is and what its relationship to the Church is.

Unfortunately, many today see the Eucharist as that which creates communion, that which brings about unity with God and with one another. There is nothing wrong with this picture in itself, but it needs to be qualified by an assertion that there needs to be something concrete to unite; a believing community, sharing a common faith.

The act of receiving Holy Communion is a visible expression of unity of faith and life with the Community that is celebrating that Eucharist. It follows then that to communicate in any other Christian eucharist is a public statement of how one views that denomination or ecclesial communion. To receive the Catholic Eucharist means that one is making a statement of faith to the effect that one is in communion of faith with the Catholic Church. Of course the Church does allow non-Catholic Christians to receive Holy Communion, but with certain criteria (differing for Orthodox Christians) and only in exceptional cases. If it were to become a frequent, even weekly event, then one would have to ask why such a person does not live the communion he professes each time he communicates in the Catholic Eucharist and so become a Catholic.

When a non-catholic is brought into the Catholic Church the rite has as its high point the reception of the Holy Eucharist, thereby underlining the fact that the Eucharist is one of the Sacraments of Initiation. To receive Communion in this case means that this person is in full communion with the Church; they hold the faith of the Church and believe as she does, thereby opening the way for the reception of the Eucharist as the summit of communion; as a point arrived at, not as a point of departure. As Pope John Paul II put it: “The celebration of the Eucharist, however, cannot be the starting-point for communion; it presupposes that communion already exists, a communion which it seeks to consolidate and bring to perfection.” (Ecclesia de Eucharistia)

It seems obvious that the root of many misguided practices among some Catholics with regard to the Eucharist is a concept of the Mass which is at least reductive, if not entirely erroneous and alien to Catholic Eucharistic theology. This concept treats the Mass as merely a fraternal banquet; a coming together of the community to do what the Lord Jesus did. If this were the reality then one could scarcely object to Eucharistic sharing with other Christians not in full communion with us. But the Eucharist is much more than that. As the Catechism puts it: “The Mass is at the same time, and inseparably, the sacrificial memorial in which the sacrifice of the Cross is perpetuated and the sacred banquet of communion with the Lord's body and blood.” (CCC #1382)

To counteract this tendency the encyclical “Ecclesia de Eucharistia” forcefully reasserted the sacrificial aspect of the Mass and lamented the under-evaluation of this aspect in favour of the more secondary aspect:

“At times one encounters an extremely reductive understanding of the Eucharistic mystery. Stripped of its sacrificial meaning, it is celebrated as if it were simply a fraternal banquet.” Ecclesia de Eucharistia, No. 10

To invite someone who is not in communion with the Church, for whatever reason, to partake of the Eucharist, is to invite them to publicly lie; to come forth physically to receive the Sacred Body of the Lord, while rejecting his mystical body - the Church and what she believes. This exterior manifestation of unity with Christ contradicts an inner disposition or reality that recognises no unity. Similarly, a Catholic who receives communion from a Protestant Ecclesial Community, is outwardly expressing approval for all that this community believes. In either of these cases the Catholic Eucharist – the Body and Blood of the Lord - is dragged down to a level that we cannot accept as Catholics or the Protestant eucharistic bread is exalted to a level that neither community can accept. For we Catholics recognise (and consequently by necessity must worship) in our Eucharist the Real Presence of Christ – Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity; while Protestants hold this to be idolatrous. So a Catholic who receives communion at a Protestant service risks equating these two very different realities as though they were the same thing. As Pope John Paul put it:

“The Catholic faithful, therefore, while respecting the religious convictions of these separated brethren, must refrain from receiving the communion distributed in their celebrations, so as not to condone an ambiguity about the nature of the Eucharist and, consequently, to fail in their duty to bear clear witness to the truth” (Ecclesia de Eucharistia, No. 30)

A Protestant who receives the Catholic Eucharist, on the other hand, would be receiving what his faith would believe to be an idol created by what he believes to be “blasphemous fables, and dangerous deceits” - as per article 31 of the 39 Articles of the Anglican Communion.

The Eucharist is the greatest treasure the Church has. All else is secondary to what is found in the Blessed Eucharist, as here, in his Sacramental Presence, is found the Author of the other sacraments, the Author of redemption, and the Author of all grace. “The Eucharist is too great a gift to tolerate ambiguity and depreciation.” (Ecclesia de Eucharistia #10) It is therefore not possible to reconcile a desire to share communion with those of other denominations and the lack of unity in faith on the very thing we wish to share.

“Of its very nature, celebration of the Eucharist signifies the fullness of profession of faith and the fullness of ecclesial communion. This principle must not be obscured and must remain our guide in this field.” (From the Document: “On Admitting other Christians to Eucharistic Communion in the Catholic Church,” Part IV)

So the question that needs to be clearly posed to those who would overlook the real differences which exist with regard to the Eucharist is: How can that which divides us possibly unite us?

Examination of Conscience

2010-03-11T22:34:00.004Z

“The examination of conscience is one of the most decisive moments in a person's life. It places each individual before the truth of his or her own life. Thus, we discover the distance that separates our deeds from the ideal that we had set for ourselves.” Pope John Paul II

An examination of conscience in the form of a list of ways in which we sin and fail to live up to our obligations can be of great help to us before confession. Going through it can help us to be honest with ourselves and honest with God. This Examination of Conscience may help in preparation for a good confession.

While it is quite thorough, there may be other things that are not explicitly mentioned in it. Before going through it, you should ask the light of the Holy Spirit to help you to be honest and to draw your attention to what applies to you. Some, if not many, of the things listed might not apply to you; but if something in particular touches your conscience then perhaps the Lord is telling you to bring that to confession.
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In making an examination of conscience we must never lose sight of the fact that God is infinite Mercy and Love. The main reason we remember our sins is so that we can turn to him and receive his forgiveness.

· Has God got the number one place in my life?
· Do I pray often and every day?
· Do I misuse the Holy Name of Jesus?
· Do I really believe that my whole life is under God’s protecting hand?
· Am I thankful for the good that is in my life?
· Am I superstitious?
· Have I dabbled in occult/psychic practices (satanic rituals, witchcraft, seances, ouija board, mediums, fortune-telling etc.)?
· Do I use foul language?
· Do I read the Sacred Scriptures? Ignorance of Scriptures is Ignorance of Christ!
· Do I attend Mass on Sundays?
· Do I attend Mass on Holy Days of Obligation?
· Do I habitually come late to Mass or leave early?
· How do I keep the Lord’s day holy?
· Have I lied or purposely withheld serious sins during a previous confession?
· Do I respect every member of my family?
· Do I hold hatred or resentment in my heart against someone?
· Do I drink too much?
· Do I take drugs?
· Do I show respect for life?
· Am I pro-life?
· Have I had an Abortion?
· Have I encourage or facilitated an Abortion?
· Am I pure of heart?
· Do I allow my eyes to wander in lustfulness?
· Do I have unhealthy/sinful relationships?
· Do I accept and live by the truth that sex is for Marriage?
· Do I guard with care and live chastely the holy gift of my sexuality?
· Do I read or look at immoral materials?
· Do I use pornography?
· Have I masturbated?
· Have I committed impure actions with others?

Have I respected the bodily integrity of others?
· Have I engaged in pre-marital sex?
· Have I engaged in homosexual acts?
· Am I faithful to my commitments and obligations?
· Am I a patient person?
· Am I able to disagree without being disagreeable?
· Do I waste money?
· Am I too materialistic?
· Does my ambition have a negative effect on others?
· Am I wasteful with my talents?
· Do I do a fair day’s work?
· Do I pay a fair wage?
· Have I cheated anyone?
· Have I stolen anything?
· Have I taken the good name of another?
· Have I spread gossip?
· Is there someone I need to forgive?
· Is there someone I need to ask forgiveness from?
· Do I spread rumours?
· Have I broken the confidence of another?
· Have I told lies?
· How have I dealt with my anger?
· Do my words build people up or do they tear people down?
· Do I hold bitterness?
· Have I tried to deepen my understanding of the Catholic faith?
· Have I made efforts to understand the Mass?
· Have I made efforts to understand the sacraments?
· Have I received a sacrament, especially the Eucharist, unworthily while in a state of mortal sin?
· Do I try to fast or practice some form of penance?
· Do I pray with my family?
· Do I pray for my family?
· Do I take my spiritual life seriously?
· Do I give to charity?
· Am I willing to speak about Jesus to others?
· Does my life help others to come to know Christ?
· Have I given bad example to others?
· Am I a helpful neighbour?
· Do I enrich my parish?
· Do I encourage others to live the Christian life?
· Do I make sacrifices for the benefit of others?
· Have I ignored someone who needed my attention?
· Am I a sincere person?
· Am I a violent person?
· Do I take other people for granted?
· Am I a person of prayer?
· Do I care properly for my own body?
· Do I care excessively for my body?
· Am I vain?
· Do I mock anyone?
· Do I bully anyone?
· Have I encouraged others to sin?
· Am I a good friend?
· Am I a law-abiding citizen?
· Have I littered?
· Do I always drive carefully and within the speed limits?
· Have I driven under the influence of alcohol or drugs?

For Spouses and Parents the following questions might be useful:

· Have I always been faithful to my spouse?
· Do I make an effort to always show love and consideration to my spouse?
· Do I take my spouse for granted?
· Do I have unrealistic expectations of my spouse?
· Do I thank God every day for the gift that is my spouse?
· Do I pray for and with my spouse?
· Am I faithful to all my marriage vows?
· Do I use contraception?
· Have I allowed myself to be sterilised?
· Have I ever availed of IVF (In-vitro fertilisation)?
· Am I conscientious in my duties as a Father/Mother towards my children?
· Do I thank God for the gift of children?
· Do I teach my children about God and the Catholic Faith?
· Do I pray for and with my children?
· Do I encourage them to practice their faith?
· Is my home a place of prayer?
· Do I protect my children from bad influences upon them?
· Do I show my children enough love?
· Am I too strict or too lenient with my children?
· Do I take enough interest and make an effort with regard to my children’s education?

"The message that must be transmitted: what counts most is to make people understand that in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, whatever the sin committed, if it is humbly recognized and the person involved turns with trust to the priest-confessor, he or she never fails to experience the soothing joy of God's forgiveness… It is not sin which is at the heart of the sacramental celebration but rather God's mercy, which is infinitely greater than any guilt of ours." Pope Benedict XVI, 2008 Message to Confessors of the Apostolic Penitentiary

Pope John Paul II on the Sacrament of Reconciliation

2010-03-11T22:26:00.001Z

General Audience, 22nd February 1984

Often, in the experience of the faithful, it is precisely the obligation to present themselves before the minister of mercy which constitutes a particular difficulty for them. Why, they object, reveal to a man like myself my most intimate circumstances and also my most secret faults? Why, they also object, can I not address God or Christ directly instead of going through the mediation of a man in order to receive the forgiveness of sins?

These and similar questions can seem quite plausible because of the effort which the Sacrament of Penance always asks of us… It is true: the man who absolves is a brother who must also confess in his turn, since, despite his obligation to grow in personal holiness, he remains subject to the limitations of human frailty. The man who absolves, however, does not offer the forgiveness of sins in the name of his own holiness… When he raises his hand in blessing and pronounces the words of absolution, he acts ‘in persona Christi’ – in the person of Christ – not simply as Christ’s representative, but also and above all as a human instrument in which the Lord Jesus – God-with-us - is present and acts.

Homily during Mass at the Phoenix Park, Dublin, September 29th, 1979

In the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we are all invited to meet Christ personally and to do so frequently. This encounter with Jesus is so very important that I wrote in my first Encyclical Letter these words: "In faithfully observing the centuries-old practice of the Sacrament of Penance - the practice of individual confession with a personal act of sorrow and the intention to amend and make satisfaction - the Church is therefore defending the human soul's individual right : man's right to a more personal encounter with the crucified forgiving Christ, with Christ saying, through the minister of the sacrament of Reconciliation : 'Your sins are forgiven' ; 'Go, and do not sin again'". Because of Christ's love and mercy, there is no sin that is too great to be forgiven; there is no sinner who will be rejected. Every person who repents will be received by Jesus Christ with forgiveness and immense love.

Homily, 16th March 1980

The confession boxes of the world in which people bring their sins to light do not proclaim the severity of God, but above all they speak of his merciful goodness. And those who approach the confessional, sometimes after many years and with the weight of serious sins, find the longed-for relief when they go from there; they find the joy and serenity of conscience, which they can find nowhere else but in confession. No-one but God has the power to free us from our sins. And the man who receives such a remission of sin, receives the grace of a new life of the Spirit, which God alone can give him from his infinite goodness.

The Way of the Cross - 9th Station

2010-03-11T22:03:00.001Z

Jesus Falls The Third Time

Isaiah 53: 4-6
Ours were the sufferings he was bearing, ours the sorrows he was carrying, while we thought of him as someone being punished and struck with affliction by God; whereas he was being wounded for our rebellions, crushed because of our guilt; the punishment reconciling us fell on him, and we have been healed by his bruises. We had all gone astray like sheep, each taking his own way, and the Lord brought the acts of rebellion of all of us to bear on him.

Psalm 38: 4
My sins stand higher than my head, they weigh on me as an unbearable weight.

Many of the onlookers must have thought him dead at this point. There is a gasp from the crowd, but this most pitiful state does not persuade his torturers to go any easier on him. Mercilessly they give vent to their frustration that he has once again fallen. More blows rain down on him, weakening him even further. He struggles to his feet and with one last burst of strength he takes the cross upon his shoulders again. He has given more than any man could possibly give, but he desires that his efforts should reach the maximum possible gift of self. He is filled with his divine zeal to accomplish this supreme gift of self, but the weakness of his human body will not respond as vigorously as he would desire it to. His body is bent under the sheer weight of the cross. By now it seems to be a thousand times heavier than when he first laid his hands to it. His steps are slow and laborious, but each step is made. One after another, step by step, merciful love unfolds itself over poor sinful humanity. For those onlookers the effects of exhaustion might look like reluctance. If they only knew the truth – that he would run to Calvary gladly had he the physical strength to match his desire.

Lord Jesus, help us to have high ideals and aspirations in our lives. Plant in our souls a great zeal for holiness, a great desire to fulfil your will to the best of our ability. But give us the faith and trust not to be discouraged or become frustrated at our weakness which causes us to fall and prevents us from becoming all that your will calls us to be. Rather let these be moments in which we come to know that we are completely dependent upon you who said: Apart from me you can do nothing. “Glory be to him whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine” (Eph 3:20).

The Way of the Cross - 8th Station

2010-03-11T21:59:00.001Z

Jesus Meets The Women Of Jerusalem

Luke 23: 28-31
Jesus turning to them said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming when they will say, 'Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never gave suck!' Then they will begin to say to the mountains, 'Fall on us'; and to the hills, 'Cover us'. For if they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?"

On his journey to Calvary Jesus meets some of the holy women of Jerusalem. These were not those who accompanied him from Galilee, but were women who had probably heard him teach or who had benefited from his miraculous actions. They are weeping for him and it seems that they are doing the right thing. And it is surprising that Jesus responds to them in the way that he does. Do not weep for me, weep for yourselves and your children.

Do not weep for me, as you would a victim who is swept along by the evil that is in the world, for I have the power to lay down my life and the power to take it up again. I lay down my life freely, I am a willing victim. I am in control in all this despite what might appear to you. Do not weep for me, I suffer because I want to so that I might free you from evil.

Weep rather for yourselves. To weep for me in my suffering, to have compassion on me and console me in this terrible suffering is a good thing, but it gives me more consolation that you should weep over your own sins which have caused me this great suffering and distress.

I am the green wood, pure and innocent, full of the life of God. And this is the great suffering I undergo, the fire of God’s justice devours me. How will dry wood, that is a soul dried because of its sin, stand up to that devouring flame, unless it repent and be grafted onto the green wood and be brought back to life.

Lord help us to have a better awareness of our sins and the confidence to cast them into the furnace of your loving mercy. Give us a greater capacity to repent and weep for our sins. As we accompany you along this way of misery, may we acknowledge our sins, repent of them and give thanks for your willingness to undergo such bitter trials to take those sins away.

The Way of the Cross - 7th Station

2010-03-11T21:55:00.002Z

Jesus Falls The Second Time

2Cor 4:16-17
That is why we do not waver; indeed though this outer human nature of ours may be falling into decay, at the same time our inner human nature is renewed day by day. The temporary light burden of our hardships is earning us forever an utterly incomparable, eternal weight of glory.

This second fall of Jesus is more severe on him than the first. By now he is too exhausted to put up much resistance to the crushing weight of the cross and the constant tugging of the soldiers has probably contributed to this fall. The soldiers are mercilessly leading him forward, for they are in a hurry to accomplish the plans of evil. The Lord does not, however, languish in the dust. As quickly as his strength will allow him he rises once again and takes up again the burden of the cross, for though his executioners are in a hurry to carry out his death, he is in an even greater hurry to offer his life, eager that the salvation he came to bring should not be delayed by even a second. As his human strength diminishes, his sheer determination to accomplish the will of the Father gives him renewed power to go on. Resolutely he moves forward, onward towards Calvary.

Lord Jesus, help us not to waver in the resolutions and promises we have made to you. Keep us from the temptation to turn back, to renounce the decisions we have made to follow your will. When we are weak and the path ahead seems beyond our strength; when your will seems to ask more than we are able or willing to give, give us a renewed sense of purpose and a renewed zeal for your call, wherever it may be leading us.

On the Redemptive Power of Jesus Christ

2010-03-04T21:23:00.002Z

More great stuff from the writings of Blessed Columba Marmion; this time on the saving power of Christ:

Sin is an insult given to God, an insult that has to be expiated. Man, being simply a creature, is by himself incapable of paying off properly the debt contracted against the Divine Majesty by an offence, the malice of which is infinite. A satisfaction, to be adequate, must be offered by someone of the same dignity as the one offended. The gravity of an insult is in proportion to the dignity of the one offended; the same insult given to a prince is more serious because of his rank than if it had been given to a peasant***… Now, between us and God there is an infinite gap… You know what God’s answer has been… He decreed that the ransom of humanity would only be brought about by the satisfaction equal to the rights of his infinite justice, and that this satisfaction would be given by the bloody sacrifice of a victim who would substitute himself freely, voluntarily, for sinful mankind. Who would this Saviour be?...

… God sent the promised Saviour, the Saviour who was to ransom creation, destroy sin and reconcile mankind with God. Who was it who would come? It was the Son of God made man… This solution is a wonderful one. ‘The humanity of Christ,’ says St. Gregory, ‘permitted him to die and to satisfy for men; his divinity gave him the power to restore us to the grace that sanctifies.’ Death had come from a human nature soiled by sin. From a human nature united to one who is God, would spring forth the source of grace and of life.

***‘Sin committed against God has an infinite quality because of the infinity of the Divine Majesty, for an offence is greater to the extent that the one transgressed against is greater’. St. Thomas Aquinas – ST III, q.1

On being a son of God

2010-03-03T23:48:00.003Z

At the minute I am reading the wonderful theological and spiritual classic by Blessed Columba Marmion: Christ, the Life of the Soul. Marmion could be described as one who strongly promotes and emphasises the fact that we are adopted sons and daughters of God in and through the only Son of God – Jesus Christ. His writings are full of great spiritual gems. Below you will find some of them. I will add more as I find them.

By nature, God has only one Son. By love, He will have a multitude of them, without number. This is the grace of supernatural adoption.

The Father pre-destined us to be adopted… through Jesus Christ (cf. Ephesians 1:5). We are sons, like Jesus – we by title of grace, He by nature. He is Son, and we are sons: He, the Father’s own Son, and we, adopted sons. But He saves, while we are saved.

Christ is not only holy in Himself, He is our holiness. All the holiness that God has destined for souls has been deposited in the humanity of Christ, and this is the source from which we must draw.

God has chosen me – chosen us – to be raised infinitely above my natural condition, to enjoy eternally His own beatitude, to be the realisation of one of His Divine thoughts, to be one voice in the concert of the elect, to be one of those brethren who are like Jesus, and who share, without end, His celestial inheritance.

Every one of the elect is the fruit of the blood of Jesus and of the wonderful operations of His grace.

We shall be pleasing to the Eternal Father – and is not the very basis of holiness to be pleasing to God? – only if He recognises in us the features of His Son. Through grace and our virtues, we ought to be so identified with Christ, that the Father, gazing on our souls, may recognise us as His true children, may take pleasure in that, as He did in contemplating Christ Jesus on earth.

A Rant on 'Children's Liturgies'

2010-03-03T00:23:00.003Z

About a year ago I was asked at short notice to cover the Sunday Mass in a certain parish. (Being a smaller parish there was only one Mass) I duly obliged and arrived in good time to prepare the Mass - not knowing what the set up was at that parish. As soon as I arrived I was told by the sacristan that the Mass had a children's liturgy dimension incorporated into it. Immediately my heresy/litrugical abuse radar switched on and began to imagine what such children's 'participation' might entail.

Cautiously I enquired as to what format this participation would take - only to be told that at the beginning of Mass the children would leave the Church and go to an adjoining room for some catechetical activity with a number of adults. I was suitably not impressed. I thought to myself: "How unlucky that I should have to cover this parish on this particular Sunday'. Further enquiry revealed that this happens every Sunday.

So as I walked out on the Sanctuary and spoke the opening greeting. Then - 'extra omnes' under 8 years - and the Mass continued. I waited for the children's return - but to no avail. I thought after the homily surely - no! Maybe at the offertory they would come bearing gifts - no! Surely in time for the Consecration - but no, still no sign of these to whom the Kingdom is promised. Finally just after the purification of the Sacred Vessels and just before the Concluding Prayer of the Mass - a small crowd of children began to gather at the back of the Church - holding in thier hands various little drawings. And so the procession began and I was presented with a blaze of colouring amidst the smiling admiration of so many contented parents. And what must have appeared to be a broad smile on my face was actually gritted teeth!

Every Sunday these children are extracted from the public worship of the Church to do catechesis. Now catechesis is a wonderful thing - indispensible - but these children don't get to attend Mass. As for the adults who give of their time for this catechesis - well that is to be commended, and one hopes that they attend another Mass, because they certainly haven't attended this one.

As you may guess by now - I am not a fan of 'children's liturgies'. While I have no problem adapting the Mass suitably to a lower level of comprehension for the children (though I avoid the Eucharistic Prayers for Children like the plague) by addressing them in the homily and acknowledging their presence and activity (catechetical work and art done outside of the Mass), I am a firm believer in giving the children a lived experience of liturgy in the family of the Church - something which children's liturgies sacrifice for the sake of ???? (I'm not sure of the purpose actually - babysitting??).

And when those children reach the age of 9 or 10 or 13 and it's no longer 'cool' to colour some pictures of Jesus the Good Shepherd, will they have an experience of the Mass which will keep them interested, engaged and present. Will they have been given the chance to participate in the Holy Sacrifice fully, consciously, and actively in the truest meaning of that term - i.e. by prayerful engagement with the Sacred Liturgy as best as a child can do that. If Mass is presented to them as something fun and entertaining for so many years and they don't actually get to experience it properly - what happens when they reach an age when it's no longer fun, no longer entertaining? What will hold them then?

I left that Parish that morning with the words of Our Saviour ringing in my ears: "Let the little children come to me." How sad that in too many parishes they are kept at bay during one of the most priviledged and profound encounters with Christ any of us can have this side of the grave.

End of Rant

The Idolatrous Worship of the Priest

2010-03-02T17:51:00.004Z

A few days ago I baptised a few children here in the parish. One of those children was the 5th child of a particular family and so her other siblings (all under 9) were there for the great occasion. After the ceremony had taken place and as all the photos were being snapped I was doing a little bit of a tidy up and went to blow out the paschal candle. As I was taking it down out of the candle stand (can anyone tell me what this is called) one little boy of about 5 years of age came running up to me. I lowered the candle to him and told him to blow it out - he duly obliged.

I asked him a question or two about himself and his newly baptised sister and then sent him on his way. I was not prepared for what happened next. Before he took his leave, he folded his hands reverently in prayer and made a profound genuflection in front of me. When I pointed out to him that it was towards the Tabernacle that he should be genuflecting and not to the priest - he looked genuinely perplexed as if what he had done was the most natural thing in the world; and so he turned to head back to his family - none of whom had noticed what he had done.

The incident got me thinking about another incident in which a priest friend of mine was visiting a class of 6 year olds and was asked by one inquisitive young boy if he was God.

My brush with idolatry struck me forcefully though - since that young boy somewhere, somehow probably began to associate (and confuse) the priest with Jesus. And it made me think of the many ways in which I am anything but Christ-like. And what damage can that do to the faith of someone as young or as impressionable as this little boy if I were to be anything less than Christ-like. If only I and every priest would be mistaken for Christ in the way we live and speak and proclaim the Gospel - how much more effective our ministry would be. This little boy's mistaken identity episode has reminded me that I must live up to the calling that is mine as a priest of Jesus Christ.

The Way of the Cross - 6th Station

2010-03-01T17:27:00.000Z

Veronica Wipes The Face Of Jesus

Psalm 31:16
Let your face shine on your servant, save me in your faithful love.

2Cor 4:6
It is God who said, ‘let light shine out of darkness’, who has shone into our hearts to enlighten them with the knowledge of God’s glory, the glory on the face of Christ.

Tradition tells us of an episode in which a woman steps out of the crowd, perhaps in a calm moment amid the storm of abuse and insults, which rain upon Jesus. Tradition calls her Bernice. And she is known to us a Veronica – a name deriving from the Latin for True and the Greek for Image.

John Paul II tells us in Novo Millennio Ineunte that ‘In order to bring man back to the Father’s face, Jesus not only had to take on the face of man, but he had to burden himself with the face of sin.”

Blood, sweat, spittle and dirt cover the Saviour’s face. The human countenance of the Almighty God, so longed for by the Patriarch’s and Prophets who sought his face, that face which must have radiated such majesty, such beauty, such tenderness, is by now disfigured grotesquely and veiled by the effects of sin. Those who lined the streets of Jerusalem not a week beforehand to catch a glimpse of the famous prophet and healer, the wonderworker from Galilee, those same people would not recognise this man now, nor would they wish to look upon that face, so disfigured did he look. Perhaps, this woman was there on Palm Sunday and had caught a glimpse of him. Now she steps forward, and in a simple gesture she looks beyond the appearance and seeks to get to the reality. “I long to see your face.” And tradition tells us that her reward for the compassion she showed to the Lord in his Passion is that he imprinted his image on her cloth. And in a similar way, the Lord will also imprint his image on the souls of those who meditate on and participate in his Passion.

Lord help us to look beyond appearances to the reality. When something looks all wrong, help us to see that you are present in that too; somewhere to be found by those with the patience, faith and desire to see your hand at work in all things, even the worst of things. For though all things are not necessarily willed by you, all things are permitted by you and will ultimately serve your purposes. Father, give us the faith to give thanks to you in all things, seeing in these the will of God for us in Christ Jesus. (Cf. 1 Thess 5:18)

The Way of the Cross - 5th Station

2010-03-01T17:22:00.001Z

Jesus Is Helped By Simon

Mt 27:32
As they went out, they came upon a man of Cyrene, Simon by name; this man they compelled to carry his cross.

Mt 16:24
Jesus told his disciples, "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."

Simon is someone in the wrong place at the wrong time. He is compelled; we are told, to carry the cross. He is obviously reluctant to do so. To carry the cross means to share in the shame of it, what might people think? He might be thought of as the one condemned. But, he isn’t like this condemned criminal. He is a good man. Circumstances have overtaken him though and the soldiers force him; he must take up this stranger’s cross and be associated with him. The fact that the gospel’s tell us that he was the father of Rufus and Alexander, presumably two well known persons to the early Christians, probably means that his time carrying the cross of Christ had a profound effect on him and that somewhere along the way he uncovered the truth of this criminal and the truth about who really owned that cross.

What a privilege, was Simon’s. It is a privilege the Blessed Virgin would have dearly loved to have. One can imagine that St. Paul, that great disciple of the Cross, would have longed to have had it. And here was Simon, a reluctant carrier of the Cross. Simon is like so many of us – the Cross is not something we looked for, sometimes not something we expected and it is placed upon us without our consent. It threatens us because it means stepping into the unknown and the risk of losing so much we hold dear.

Simon thought that he was carrying the Cross for Jesus when in fact it was Jesus who was carrying the Cross for him. Lord may we, when confronted by the cross in our lives, take heed of the words of your Apostle Peter: “In so far as you share in the sufferings of Christ, be glad, so that you may enjoy a much greater gladness when his glory is revealed.” (1Peter 4: 13) For we are sure that if we share your sufferings, if we embrace the crosses in our life, we will share your glory and your joy (cf. Rom 8:17).

The Way of the Cross - 4th Station

2010-03-01T17:17:00.001Z

Jesus Meets His Mother

Luke 2:34-35,51
Simon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, Look, he is destined for the fall and the rise of many in Israel, destined to be a sign that is opposed – and a sword will pierce your soul too… His mother stored all these things in her heart.

Psalm 56:8
My heart is ready, Oh God, my heart is ready.

That day in the temple Mary marvelled at the wondrous things that surrounded the presentation of the child Jesus. And Simeon had forewarned her that this first presentation of her Son would have its sequel on a darker day, when a sword would pierce her soul. She pondered these things in her heart so that when the time came she would be ready. And now that day has arrived. With what love she loved her Son and her Lord, and the greater the love the keener the sufferings she would undergo. How did they meet, how long did that encounter take. Perhaps only a few seconds before the guards dragged him on. Tradition affords us no words spoken between the two. Perhaps there wasn’t enough time, but more likely there was no need. What love and pain must have passed between them in the meeting of their gaze; in the meeting of their hearts. Mary looks at her beloved Son, and the sword of sorrow which had always swayed over her maternal heart must have been plunged into that heart in that very instant. And Jesus looks at his suffering and sorrowful Mother and so beautiful is her soul, so strong and so full of love and faith, that it ravishes his Sacred Heart and more resolutely he moves on, so that all might have the chance to be somehow more like her, she who is the supreme triumph of his grace, its highest fruit.

Mother Mary – Blessed art thou among women, but what mother has suffered more than thee. Help us, Oh Holy and Sorrowful Mother, to always walk with Jesus, even when things seem beyond our strength or endurance.

The Way of the Cross - 3rd Station

2010-03-01T17:12:00.002Z

Jesus Falls The First Time

Hebrews 4: 15-16
For the High Priest we have is not incapable of feeling our weaknesses with us, but has been put to the test in exactly the same way as ourselves, apart from sin.

Hebrews 12:11-12
Of course, any discipline is at the time a matter of grief, not joy; but later, in those who have undergone it, it bears fruit in peace and uprightness. So steady all weary hands and trembling knees and make your crooked paths straight; then the injured limb will not be maimed.

The initial enthusiasm with which Christ resolutely took up the cross is now being sorely tested. The weight of the cross, the blood he has lost, the horrific treatment of his body up to now, have the combined effect of making the going one immense struggle. Did he trip on a stone, did his legs simply fold beneath him, or was it a sudden swoon from loss of blood. Any and all of these might be involved, and the Lord falls on his face, his holy face already so bruised is buried in the dust and rocks of the Via Crucis. And the heavy cross comes crashing down on him, on his head, and buries that terrible crown of thorns ever deeper into his sacred head. He gets to his feet again. On he moves to Calvary.

Lord this is your first fall. Headlong you plunge into the dust, a symbol of mankind who from the dawn of creation rushed headlong in disobedience back into the dust from which we are made. Dust we are and unto dust we shall return, though we were made in your image and likeness. This fall is also a symbol of your Incarnation, lowering yourself to be like us in all things, but sin. But as you raise yourself with great effort from that dust, even here we see the seeds of resurrection beginning to sprout. In this scene you speak to our hearts and say: Arise, Oh Man, work of my hands, arise, you who were fashioned in my image. (Office of Readings – Holy Saturday).

Lord you desire to give us life to the full, raise us out of dead ways and dead works, raise us out of the dust of sin, let us dust ourselves off, turn with confident resolution towards you and continue walking. Give us strength Lord to walk that journey of faith. We are weak and so we do not expect that we will never fall again. But Lord, when we fall give us the faith and hope to always rise again, relying on your merciful love, give us the strength to continue on. Lord give this day the gift of confidence to all those who believe in your name and may many rise again through the sacrament of penance; your image restored to them, and the dust of sin wiped away.

The Mass is ended - where to from here?

2010-02-25T23:35:00.004Z

Mark Shea has this wonderful little piece explaining more fully the final dismissal of the Mass - Ite Missa Est! He explains how a poor translation of this latin phrase has led us to lose sight of its forceful admonition to proclaim Christ and his Gospel in our daily lives.

The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass - Irish Style!

2010-02-25T10:53:00.006Z

The Irish Independent national newspaper has a front page caption today of a priest who is offering his parishioners a "quickie" Mass during Lent which he guarantess will take no longer than 15 minutes.
.
Fr. Michael Kenny of Kilconly parish in Co. Galway has introduced these 15 minute Masses to better facilitate his parishioners and their busy lives. Normally the Mass would be at 9am but that time proved to be inconvenient for many who had work and school to attend. And so he now offers the Mass at 7.30am for the duration of Lent.
(For those of you who are not Irish - it's important to understand that places in Ireland, like school and workplace, open soemwhat later than in many other countries.)

The move has seen a 10 fold increase in those attending daily Mass for Lent (30-40 instead of 3-4). Fr. Kenny says: "Now, more and more people are coming along to the Mass at 7.30am as they know they can be on their way to work or school 15 or 20 minutes later and it is far more suitable."

The paper (not the online edition) carries a breakdown of the 15 minute Mass and seems to join the parishioners (at least those who were interviewed) in their admiration for the Lenten Fast Mass. The "15 Minute Service", as the paper calls it, goes as follows:

7.30am (Sharp) Mass begins with the Entrance Antiphon

7.31am Opening Prayer

7.32am First Reading

7.35am Responsorial Psalm

7.37am Gospel

7.39am Communion. Lay Minister of the Eucharist speeds up the distribution of communion.

7.44am Prayer after Communion.

7.45am Fr. Michael wishes the congregation a happy day. Mass over and congregation disperse.

Now there are a number of problems with this timescale - not least how it is possible to pray the entire Eucharistic Prayer (even Eucharistic Prayer II) and the entire Communion Rite in 2 minutes - between 7.37am and 7.39. That seems to be an impossible feat. Perhaps I have misunderstood or perhaps the reporter mistook a Liturgy of the Word with distribution of Holy Communion for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. But Fr. Kenny assured the reportere that he wasn't "leaving anything out" of the Mass. It just doesn't seem possible to do it all in 15 minutes.

Quite apart from the fact that, with 40 people in the congregation, an Extra-Ordinary Minister of Holy Communion (in my experiencethe correct terminology is still almost unknown in the Irish Church) seems to be illicit; how can it take them from 7.39am to 7.44am to distribute Communion - unless of course Fr. Michael is very particular about the way he purifies the Sacred Vessels afterwards.

This story just leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth. First we had 'A La Carte' Catholicism, then 'Cafeteria' Catholicsim and now Convenience Catholicism.

One last sound bite from Fr. Kenny: "We are here to facilitate the congregation and if there are any further increases in numbers attending, then the more the merrier."

Respectfully I would disagree with Fr. Kenny on this point (among others). We priests are here to facilitate an encounter between God and his people, to facilitate the lifting of hearts and minds to the Lord in worship that is beautiful and edifying - both for the priest and the people. We priests are here to offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass as prayerfully and as lovingly as we possibly can. Fr. Kenny may well be able to do all that in his 15 minute Mass - if so then fair play to him. I couldn't do it in that time and still feel that I have given my parishioners a draft of the spiritual treasures that are in the Mass.

And one final thought: One of the parishioners interviewed expressed the hope that the cause of the 15 minute Mass would be taken up in other parishes. I pray sincerely that this does not happen.

From Sacrosanctum Concilium #7 & #10:

Every liturgical celebration, because it is an action of Christ the priest and of His Body which is the Church, is a sacred action surpassing all others; no other action of the Church can equal its efficacy by the same title and to the same degree...

Pastors of souls must therefore realize that, when the liturgy is celebrated, something more is required than the mere observation of the laws governing valid and licit celebration; it is their duty also to ensure that the faithful take part fully aware of what they are doing, actively engaged in the rite, and enriched by its effects.

Felix & Freddy - The Fighting Felines

2010-02-24T19:35:00.001Z

This is just plain funny

Immaculate Heart, Oh Sacred Heart

2010-02-24T19:31:00.002Z

This is a beautiful Consecration to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary.

Divine Mercy Chaplet - Musical Version

2010-02-24T19:01:00.000Z

This is a wonderful version of the Divine Mercy Chaplet - quite haunting. And the World could sure use an enormous outpouring of Divine Mercy in our day.

Donna Cori Gibson - Divine Mercy Chaplet - Video - Catholic Online

The Importance of Meditation and Contemplation for Priests

2010-02-23T18:12:00.001Z

The following is an extract from an Apostolic Exhortation on Priestly Sanctity given by Pope St. Pius X called Haerent Animo. It is a rather long extract but well worth a read.

Despite the high dignity of the various functions of the priestly office and the veneration which they deserve, frequent exercise of these functions may lead those who discharge them to treat them with less respect than is their due. From a gradual decline in fervor it is an easy step to carelessness and even to distaste for the most sacred things. In addition, a priest cannot avoid daily contact with a corrupt society; frequently, in the very exercise of pastoral charity, he must fear the insidious attacks of the infernal serpent. Is it not all too easy even for religious souls to be tarnished by contact with the world? It is evident, therefore, that there is a grave and urgent need for the priest to turn daily to the contemplation of the eternal truths, so that his mind and will may gain new strength to stand firm against every enticement to evil.

Moreover, it is the strict duty of the priest to have a mind for heavenly things, to teach them, to inculcate them; in the regulation of his whole life he must be so much superior to human considerations that whatever he does in the discharge of his sacred office will be done in accordance with God, under the impulse and guidance of faith; it is fitting then that he should possess a certain aptitude to rise above earthly considerations and strive for heavenly things. Nothing is more conducive to the acquisition and strengthening of this disposition of soul, this quasi-natural union with God, than daily meditation; it is unnecessary to dwell upon this truth which every prudent person clearly realizes.

The life of a priest who underestimates the value of meditation, or has lost all taste for it, provides a sad confirmation of what we have been saying. Let your eyes dwell on the spectacle of men in whom the mind of Christ, that supremely precious gift, has grown weak; their thoughts are all on earthly things, they are engaged in vain pursuits, their words are so much unimportant chatter; in the performance of their sacred functions they are careless, cold, perhaps even unworthy. Formerly, these same men, with the oil of priestly ordination still fresh upon them, diligently prepared themselves for the recitation of the Psalms, lest they should be like men who tempt God; they sought a time and place free from disturbance; they endeavored to grasp the divine meaning; in union with the psalmist they poured forth their soul in songs of praise, sorrow and rejoicing. But now, what a change has taken place!

In like manner, little now remains of that lively devotion which they felt towards the divine mysteries. Formerly, how beloved were those tabernacles! It was their delight to be present at the table of the Lord, to invite more and more pious souls to that banquet! Before Mass, what purity, what earnestness in the prayers of a loving heart! How great reverence in the celebration of Mass, with complete observance of the august rites in all their beauty! What sincerity in thanksgiving! And the sweet perfume of Christ was diffused over their people! We beg of you, beloved sons: Call to mind . . . the former days; for then your soul was burning with zeal, being nourished by holy meditation.

Some of those who find recollection of the heart a burden, or entirely neglect it, do not seek to disguise the impoverishment of soul which results from their attitude, but they try to excuse themselves on the pretext that they are completely occupied by the activity of their ministry, to the manifold benefit of others.

They are gravely mistaken. For as they are unaccustomed to converse with God, their words completely lack the inspiration which comes from God when they speak to men about God or inculcate the counsels of the christian life; it is as if the message of the Gospel were practically dead in them. However distinguished for prudence and eloquence, their speech does not echo the voice of the good Shepherd which the sheep hear to their spiritual profit; it is mere sound which goes forth without fruit, and sometimes gives a pernicious example to the disgrace of religion and the scandal of the good.

It is the same in other spheres of their activity; there can be no solid achievement, nothing of lasting benefit, in the absence of the heavenly dew which is brought down in abundance by the prayer of the man who humbles himself.

Sometimes it's good to just praise HIM!

2010-02-21T01:34:00.003Z

This Video reminds us of the awesome power and goodness of God which can be seen in the things he has created.

And this Video is just another for good measure. Enjoy!

Act of Consecration of Children to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

2010-02-20T19:30:00.001Z

Our Lady of Fatima, Mary our Mother, to your Immaculate Heart we consecrate ourselves, our youth, our growth in faith and our future.

Mother Mary, keep us close to you and protect us from anything that leads us away from Jesus.

Keep us pure and teach us how to love God above everything.

In this consecration we place ourselves into the care of your Immaculate Heart, so that under your protection and through your intercession we will grow up to be happy holy and healthy young men and women, strong in the faith and with a great love for you and for Jesus.

Blessed Francisco of Fatima, pray for us.
Blessed Jacinta of Fatima, pray for us.

Act of Consecration of the Family to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

2010-02-20T19:23:00.002Z

Immaculate Virgin, Our Lady of Fatima, trusting in your motherly goodness and your great concern for Christian families, we come before you and we consecrate our family and every family to your Immaculate Heart.

To you we gladly consecrate our family, our children, our life together in the home, our marriage, our vocation as Catholic spouses and parents. Look kindly upon our home as we ask you today to defend, now and always, our family from everything that is not of God. Ask your Holy Spouse, St. Joseph, to guard our family home, that he may be the guardian and protector of our family as he was the Guardian and Protector of the Holy Family of Nazareth.

Dearest Mother Mary, as we consecrate ourselves and our family to your Immaculate Heart we pledge to make greater room for you in our hearts and in our home, especially through the practice of family prayer together – in particular the Holy Rosary. Through this act of consecration we entrust all family to your intercession in the certain knowledge that Jesus our Lord will refuse nothing you ask of him.

Mary, our Mother and our Queen, may your Immaculate Heart triumph and reign in our home and in our hearts so that Jesus may be the true heart of our family and that our home may be filled with his heavenly blessing. Oh Lady of Fatima, obtain from the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, for our family and for every family that we may faithfully fulfil our Christian duties and that we all may be enriched with the abundant blessings of Almighty God.

Immaculate Heart of Mary, Refuge of Sinners, Cause of our Joy – Pray for us now and always. Amen.

The Offering of Bread and Wine

2010-02-20T17:31:00.000Z

Zenit has this scholarly article on the Offertory of the Mass, written by a porfessor of mine, Juan José Silvestre Valór, who teaches in the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross (Santa Croce) in Rome. Here is just a small quotation from a much longer piece:

"The bread and wine become, in a certain sense, the symbol of all that that the eucharistic assembly as such brings in offering to God and that it offers in spirit. This is the force and the spiritual meaning of the presentation of the gifts. In this light we understand the incensing of the gifts on the altar, of the cross and the altar itself, which signifies the offering of the Church and her prayer, which ascend like incense into the presence of God".

One particular practice that is widespread in the Church in Ireland is an offertory procession (usually during a Requiem Mass for a deceased person) in which anything and everything connected to the person is brought to the altar in procession along with the Bread and Wine - sometimes with, sometimes without a commentary. It's something I strongly disapprove of, though often when I con-celebrate at a funeral it inevitably happens. I've seen lots of different things in my time that have made their way to the altar: curling tongs, toys cars, paintings, reading glasses - and the list goes on...! Never have I seen a bible being brought forward or a Rosary Bead, nor anything that points to the person having lived their faith. Oh for the noble simplicity of the Mass according to the mind of the Church!!!!

But even if these things were acceptable for the offertory procession, they aren't really offered at all - since the family always takes these things back again after the Mass. So they aren;t really offered - more like given on loan and have absolutely nothing to do with the offertory and presentation of the bread and wine.

End of rant!

For an excellent explanation of the elements of bread and wine which are used for the Eucharist this Homily by Pope Benedict XVI on Corpus Christi 2006 is well worth meditating upon.

The Way of the Cross - 2nd Station

2010-02-18T14:59:00.000Z

Jesus Takes Up His Cross

Matthew 27:27-31
Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters, and they gathered the whole cohort around him. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on his head. They put a reed in his right hand and knelt before him and mocked him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" They spat on him, and took the reed and struck him on the head. After mocking him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

Hebrews 12: 2-3
Let us not lose sight of Jesus who leads us in our faith and brings it to perfection. For the sake of the joy which was still in the future, he endured the cross, disregarding the shamefulness of it.

To those who led him to the cross, it represented an instrument of inhuman torture. But to Jesus it is the key with which he will unlock the gates of paradise. Jesus lovingly embraces this Cross, for with it he will receive the baptism for which he longed to be baptised. Upon it He will be immersed in bitter suffering so that we can be immersed in the mercy of God. It is placed upon his shoulders, the heavy yoke of sin. He who said: ‘Come to me all you who labour and are over-burdened and I will give you rest… my yoke is easy and my burden is light’, now finds himself burdened by the immense weight of the cross. Physically it is a heavy yoke for his already bruised and battered body; spiritually it is an almost impossible burden, and who but the God-man could possibly support its insufferable weight.

Lord Jesus help us to support the daily crosses of all shapes and sizes that you ask us to embrace in our lives. You have shown us the way and, for the love of you and the reward you promise, may we endure it gladly.

Lord often we are reluctant to shoulder the cross, to touch it at all would mean suffering. Accept our meager efforts to accompany you in your passion. Allow us to unite our efforts with your incredible efforts so that like St. Paul we may be able to say: It makes me happy to be suffering for you now, and in my own body to make up all the suffering that still has to be undergone by Christ for the sake of his body, the Church’ (Col 1:24).

The Way of the Cross - 1st Station

2010-02-18T14:52:00.000Z

As Lent is upon us once again, I've decided to post little reflection on each of the Stations of the Cross over the next few weeks. We begin with the 1st Station

1st Station - Jesus Is Condemned To Death

Mark 15: 12-15
Pilate said to them, "Then what am I to do with the man you call King of the Jews?" They shouted back, “crucify him" Pilate asked them, "What harm has he done?" But they shouted all the louder, "Crucify him!" So Pilate, anxious to placate the crowd, released Barabbas for them and, after having Jesus scourged, he handed him over to be crucified.

Acts 13:28
Though they found nothing to justify his execution, they condemned him and asked Pilate to have him put to death.

Even though Pilate asks that question of Jesus: What is truth?, he knows the truth, the truth that Jesus is innocent. And yet out of fear, out of a desire to please the crowd, he finds the truth to be inconvenient and so he condemns the Lord of life to a terrible death. His judgement is unjust; the most unjust judgement ever made and yet the Lord uses that great travesty of justice and from this condemnation will come the acquittal of the every sinner who is willing to lay bear the truth about himself to the Lord’s merciful judgement. God gave his only Son, Jesus Bar Abba, Jesus Son of the Father, so that we who are wayward sons like Barabbas could go free. We do not deserve it, we did not merit it, and it cost the Lord everything. “What proves that God loves us is that Christ died for us while we were still sinners. (Rom 5:8). We are the convicted offenders, the sinners, we are the ones who deserve to die, but the Lord desires to free us from this sentence. He presents himself as the accused, as the sinner, and he is condemned to death in our place. The Son of God is condemned by man and man is set free by the Son of God.

Lord, you yourself said: “I was born for this, I came into the world for this, to bear witness to the truth; and all who are on the side of truth listen to my voice.”

Lord Jesus may we be always found on the side of truth. May our decisions be just, may they be merciful. Help us to show mercy in all the situations of our life so that we may be shown mercy in our turn. Lord you died to make us sons and daughters of the Father, may we always remain faithful to that high dignity, purchased by your intense suffering, and may we always be thankful for the freedom you purchased for us through your most bitter passion and death.

Pornography Part II

2010-02-11T21:20:00.001Z

As a continuation of a previous article on The Problem of Pornography I present the following:

The folks at Zenit recently had this interesting Article on the psychological effects on men who use pornography and on their marriages.

Now this is funny!!

2010-02-09T20:28:00.000Z

The folks at Creative Minority Report have this rather amusing post, though the whole thing shows how tacky some church architecture can be(come).

The Cross and the Sins of the World

2010-02-09T00:26:00.000Z

“I, when I am lifted up will draw all men to myself.”

With three powerful blows the first nail tears through Christ’s flesh and lodges itself in the wood of the Cross. Then follows the second, then the third; each with ruthless efficiency. The executioners couldn’t see that this was a defining moment for mankind – deicide, the murder of God. Had they known the importance of what they were doing at that moment then they would have known that such a moment demanded solemnity, time, ritual and they would have carried out each movement in this tragic turn of events with greater attention, with greater care allowing each atrocious wound the time and space to speak for itself. But they are completely ignorant of all this – they do not know what they are doing. Here is a criminal to be disposed of in the usual way. What they must do they do quickly and in a moment the Saviour of the world is lifted up and the full horror of a world gone mad is displayed for all to see.

The first wave of human sin is passed, but there comes another and yet another in a relentless onslaught crashing on the shores of that Divine Heart. Each wave foams with the sins of every human being of every generation. Every injustice, every lust, every infidelity, every angry word, every violent action, every gun fired, every bomb dropped, every life taken, every conceivable evil that ever was or will be flood his soul. Each presents itself to the eyes of Christ as one huge tsunami following another – a tidal wave of rejection that roars ‘no’ to the Father. Hanging on the cross the sins of the world wash over him, invade him and cause him the most unbearable suffering. He has asked for this, he has desired that it be this way because this is his Father’s will. And as each sin falls upon his head and his grief increases he utters no word of condemnation, no judgement. Silently he bears it all. No sin will every force him to say ‘enough – I will have no more, away with this cross!’

Amid all these thunderous waves there are small waves too. These waves do not crash violently over him, but timidly, humbly exhausting themselves at his feet. These are the waves of the Magdalenes of this world whose sins are not hurled at the Saviour, rather they are laid at the foot of his cross. They may be waves of sin – perhaps waves of the greatest possible sins, but they are waves which foam with repentance. These sins do cause him to suffer but as bitter as they are for him to swallow they leave a sweet taste as he gazes upon another soul saved for the Kingdom. While so many sinners would use their sins to crucify him – these sinners would have them crucified with him.

As he hangs there suspended between heaven and earth all of human sin flows to him. His open arms are an invitation to human wickedness and a sign of his vulnerability. And the sin which has perverted the human heart will flow ferociously out against him. All the depravity which the human heart is capable of will flow into his heart. The river of sin seems endless, how is it possible that one man could embrace it all. But that river of sin flows into the endless ocean of merciful love that has gathered in his Divine Heart. Sin will exhaust itself as it rages against love. The more it raises its voice to scream ‘no’ the more the Saviour will quietly repeat his ‘yes’. And as the fresh water of a river flowing into the sea becomes lost in the salty deeps so the foulness of our most vile sins disappears when it is conquered by infinite love. Our sins fall upon him and his blood falls upon us. The full measure of our sins draws forth the full measure of his life’s-blood. From our wounds flow waves of death and destruction - the foul-smelling rot of sin. From his wounds flow waves of the cleansing blood of the Lamb without blemish, the medicinal water that flows from the tree of life, from the side of the temple which is his body; the sweet-smelling ‘yes’ offered to the Father from a truly human heart – the heart of his Divine Son.

With each breath he takes the aroma of sin and death fill his soul so that the author of life itself, moves ever closer to death. And when the last wave of the last sin ever to be committed breaks upon the shore of his suffering and he breathes deeply the stench of that sin too, he lowers his head in death, breathing out the Holy Spirit over those raging waters. “Quiet now, be still.” “Behold I make all things new.” “It is accomplished.

The Suffering Servant

2010-02-09T00:16:00.000Z

I adore you profoundly, Lord Jesus,
truly present in the Blessed Sacrament.
I adore you profoundly, Lord Jesus,
truly present in all the tabernacles of the world.

I adore your Most Holy Body, Lord,
which perspired tears of your most Precious Blood for me.
I adore your Divine desire to follow the Father’s will
and I adore your divine courage to follow this through.

Oh Divine and Merciful Master who,
out of love for sinful mankind,
underwent the most bitter and tormenting trial;
agonising in the Garden of Gethsemane.
I adore your Most Gentle and Sacred Heart
which was flooded with an unbearable sadness
when you did yourself exclaim:
“My soul is sorrowful even unto death!”

May you be always and everywhere
praised and blessed, Lord Jesus,
because of the great love and mercy you have shown us.
I adore you, my Jesus, now and forever.
Amen

SHROUDed Mystery

2010-02-06T18:46:00.000Z

I personally tend to think the Shroud of Turin is authentic. Unfortunately I won't be among the millions(?) who will gather in Turin later this year to view it when it goes on public display - something which happens rather infrequently. CNS has the low-down on it.

The Legionaries of Christ in Rome have a wonderful exhibition on the Shroud which is very informative (and quite convincing I'd say). I've seen it a number of times during my time in Rome. It's in their University Building - the name of which escapes me at the moment.

Marmion on Death

2010-02-06T01:13:00.000Z

This is a little word of advice from Blessed Columba Marmion on how we should treasure each day and end each night with a good examination of conscience. He is speaking to priests, but it can equally apply to everyone:

“When evening comes, never lie down to rest without the intimate conviction that you are ready to appear before God.”

Putting on the Mind of Christ

2010-02-04T00:21:00.000Z

St. Paul places before us some important criteria for what should dictate the direction of our lives and our actions.

“Fill your minds with everything that is true, everything that is noble, everything that is good and pure, everything that we love and honour, and everything that can be thought virtuous or worthy of praise.”

Imagine if we filled our minds, our lives, our home, our world with things which fit that bill. Imagine how much better off we would be. Imagine how much the peace of God would reign in our souls if we were to make a concerted effort to avoid all that is not true, not noble, not good, and downright impure.

But in today’s world that would mean making quite some effort to avoid these things totally. So I ask you – are you up to it. It’s certainly worth the effort – we all want to be at peace with God, we all want to lead the kind of existence that St. Paul places before us. But what are we willing to do to achieve it? Well a good start might be to ask ourselves a few questions:

Will the newspaper I read this day fill my mind with what is good and pure, will it present me with honourable and virtuous things, or will it corrupt my mind and steal my peace? There’s nothing wrong with reading the news, but what about all the stuff that comes with it? The intimate tell-all stories from the life of some star or other, the very impure and almost pornographic portrayal of the great gift of sexuality? Somehow the excuse – I only buy it for the sport – doesn’t seem to justify allowing that kind of thing sit on your coffee table, never mind filling your mind.

Another question: Are the programmes I will watch on Television this day wholesome viewing which promotes Christian values? Once again, will they fill my mind with what is good and pure? Would the values (or lack of them) promoted by these shows be acceptable to Christ? Will I switch off in disgust or will I allow it to fill my mind with what is so obviously not of God?

If the honest answer to these two simple question is that they do more harm than good, then maybe it’s time we bought a more reputable paper or that we changed our viewing patterns.

Thank God: Ireland is Pro-Life

2010-02-04T00:03:00.000Z

Mary set out and went as quickly as she could. This took place right after the Angel Gabriel announced to her that she was to give birth as a Virgin to the Saviour of the world. It would have taken Mary, at the very least I'd say, a few days to get to Elizabeth’s house and so we can guess that when she arrived there, Jesus was no more than a couple of weeks old, quietly growing in her womb, at a stage of the pregnancy when many women wouldn’t yet know they were pregnant. And – small and all as he was – his presence; the presence of the Lord clothed in flesh, is felt by the six month old baby – John the Baptist - who leaps for joy in the womb of his mother. And Elizabeth filled with the Holy Spirit recognises as her ‘Lord’, what many in our world would class as a mere bunch of cells.

But this pregnancy and every pregnancy is much more than a bunch of cells – it is a living human being, growing and developing along the great path of life that we all have taken from the first moment of our conception to this day. Science tells us it is human life – that every pregnancy – no matter how conceived – means a human being is present and living.

And if it is a human being, and he or she is a human being, then it stands to reason that he or she has certain human rights which cannot and should not be overlooked – the most important being the right to exist – the right to life itself. As scientific progress advances our knowledge of the mechanics of life, and as the consciences of this generation and those of the future are awakened to the great evil of abortion, how will future generations judge our generation on how we treat human life at its most vulnerable, on how we stand up for the rights of living human beings at this most delicate stage of development. How will those future generations judge our world’s treatment of so many mothers who tragically feel they have to make the decision for abortion? Is that the best solution we have to offer them in difficult situations? A solution which leaves one dead and another seriously wounded on so many different levels. In Ireland, thankfully we haven’t yet completely sold out on our fellow citizens in the womb, although their brothers and sisters stored as excess embryos in labs fare less well.

Up and down this country in every parish, a high percentage of the baptism carried out are of children whose parents are not married. That’s not great news, it’s far from ideal, but I thank God that we live in a country that by and large cherishes the unborn – because in other countries, those same children have less of a chance of making it out of the womb alive, never mind being brought to the baptismal font. We are overwhelmingly a pro-life country and indeed our Catholic faith means that we can be nothing other than pro-life, because to be pro-choice (as benign and well-meaning as that title seems to be) is to be pro-death; pro the death of innocent human beings at their most vulnerable. Long may Ireland hold firm to its convictions and be a beacon of light – a sign of contradiction - to virtually the whole world. And when the world finally comes to its senses with regards to abortion – may history record that Ireland - and very few other places – was a place where that madness, that great evil, could find no inroads.

News or Views?

2010-02-03T19:08:00.000Z

Zadok the Roman has an interesting post on the kind of media coverage which the Vatican and the Holy Father receive and how it is very often skewed and with a particular agenda - which unfortunately is often quite strongly anti-Catholic.

Can I Live

2010-02-02T00:19:00.001Z

This Music Video could be an anthem of sorts for the pro-life cause. It tells the true story of a mother who changes her mind about abortion at the last minute. The mother in question is the artist's own mother. The video is powerful and a powerful affirmation of the dignity and potential of every life.

Fr. Schnippel over at Called by name tells the tale of a similar case, but with a very different outcome.
.
We should pray daily for the many women who consider abortion for whatever reason, that the Lord will send them someone to speak his word to them, to change their hearts and minds, and to choose life - no matter what.

What is Our Daily Bread?

2010-02-01T17:40:00.000Z

When I was doing my studies I had one lecturer who insisted that every day we, as a class would pray the Lord’s Prayer in Latin, however the text we used differed slightly from what we were accustomed to in that, rather than speaking of the usual, ‘panem nostrum cotidianum’ (our daily bread) - the version used in the liturgy and in personal prayer when praying the prayer in Latin - we spoke of ‘panem nostrum supersubstantialem’ (more on this term below).

It is important to know that there are two versions of the Lord’s Prayer in the New Testament: One in the Gospel of Matthew (Mt 6:9-13) and the other in the Gospel of Luke (Lk 2-4). Luke’s account of the Lord’s Prayer has 5 petitions, while Matthew’s account has 7 petitions. In the liturgy it is essentially Matthew’s version, as it appears in the Vulgate (the Latin translation of the Bible, prepared chiefly by Saint Jerome at the end of the 4th century, and used as the authorized version of the Roman Catholic Church), that is used. However, in the petition regarding the daily bread, the version used in Latin is that from the Vulgate translation of Luke which speaks of ‘panem… cotidianum’, rather than Matthew’s version which speaks of 'panem... supersubstantialem’.

Looking at the Greek text, however, we see that the word describing the bread in both gospels is the same: 'epiousion'. Nowhere else in Ancient Greek literature do we have this term, so there was much debate as to the exact meaning. The Fathers of the Church gave many interpretations, but seem almost unanimous that the bread referred to in the Lord’s Prayer is not solely the bread for bodily existence, but the heavenly bread of the Eucharist. St. Augustine added a third interpretation: that the bread was the Word of God as it is heard and lived daily by the faithful.

“We must take all three meanings conjointly; that is to say, that we are to ask for all at once as daily bread, both the bread necessary for the body, and the visible hallowed bread, and the invisible bread of the word of God.” St. Augustine, On the Sermon on the Mount.

Pope Benedict XVI has the following to say on this petition:

"Today there are two principal interpretations. One maintains that the word means “what is necessary for existence”. On this reading, the petition would run as follows: Give us today the bread that we need in order to live. The other interpretation maintains that the correct translation is “bread for the future”, for the following day. But the petition to receive tomorrow’s bread today does not seem to make sense when looked at in the light of the disciple’s existence. The reference to the future would make more sense if the object of the petition were the bread that really does belong to the future: the true manna of God. In that case, it would be an eschatological petition, the petition for an anticipation of the world to come, asking the Lord to give already “today” the future bread, the bread of the new world — Himself. On such a reading, the petition would acquire an eschatological meaning. Some ancient translations hint in this direction. An example is Saint Jerome’s Vulgate, which translates the mysterious word epiousios as supersubstantialis (i.e., super-substantial), thereby pointing to the new, higher “substance” that the Lord gives us in the Holy Sacrament as the true bread of our life."
Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth, Doubleday, New York 2007, pg.154

The different translations of this same word, epiousion, show that the Church would not confine itself to one single understanding of the multiple meanings which this phrase could have. The fact that the liturgy felt free to borrow the text of the Lord’s Prayer from Matthew’s version while using the translation of epiousion, as found in the Vulgate version of Luke’s account, shows that the Church and her liturgy, while listening to, serving and drawing upon the scriptures, also has the responsibility and power to present those scriptures to the faithful in a way that she feels is better suited to them.

However, in choosing the term ‘daily’ for the Lord’s Prayer the Church does not mean to exclude the other deeper meanings connoted in this term, and a sound catechesis is needed to ensure that this is understood by the faithful. The Catechism does just this, and explains the multiple senses of the term (CCC 2828 -2837). The fact that the Lord’s prayer is prayed at the moment in the Mass immediately prior to the distribution of the Eucharist should reinforce the eschatological or other-worldly dimension of those words regarding our daily or super-substantial bread. We pray that the Father may grant us now a foretaste of that heavenly banquet to which we are called in Christ. And his response is to feed us with the body and blood of his Son.

"In the Eucharistic liturgy the Lord's Prayer appears as the prayer of the whole Church and there reveals its full meaning and efficacy. Placed between the anaphora (the Eucharistic prayer) and the communion, the Lord's Prayer sums up on the one hand all the petitions and intercessions expressed in the movement of the epiclesis and, on the other, knocks at the door of the Banquet of the kingdom which sacramental communion anticipates." CCC2770

My Rant on Vatican II

2010-01-30T23:12:00.000Z

It is an unfortunate reality that ‘the spirit of Vatican II’ has become the much touted reason for any and all innovations to the Catholic faith and the way it is presented and expressed these days. This ‘spirit’ has become the animating principle behind such glorious theological constructs as 'devout' catholics being pro-abortion and liturgies of such true noble simplicity as the parish ‘Polka Mass’ – I kid you not! This ‘spirit’ of the council, while remaining silent throughout the council itself, began to speak even before the seats of the Council Fathers had cooled. This 'Spirit' has long since then spoken through the ‘creativity’ and ‘intuition’ of a select, but influential, few whose life mission seemed to be the call to carry forward the complete overhaul of the Catholic Church to bring it 'up-to-date' with the world around it; this ‘spirit’, however, seems to be anything but the Holy Spirit which for twenty centuries has guided the Church through the most difficult and dark moments of its long journey of faith.

Nowhere can this ‘spirit of the council’ be seen to be more active than in the travesty which sometimes passes for Catholic liturgy. Nowhere is it clearer that somehow, somewhere something has gone wrong, than when one sees a Mass that is more man-centred than God-centred, more about entertainment than about sacrifice, more about what the people can get out of it at the level of the emotions rather than what they can put into it at the level of the heart and soul.

So what went wrong? Why did a council which offered such an immense opportunity for the Church to engage with the modern world and which has, without a doubt, produced immense good fruit, also yield some of the most undesirable fruit imaginable? Who could have foreseen such a disastrous implementation of the council’s directives, as seems to have occurred in some quarters? So many questions, each with many diverse and complex answers, but I think Pope Paul VI intuited it well when he spoke about a supernatural undermining of the Council. Precisely because the Council was desired by God and guided by the Spirit of the Risen Christ, and precisely because it has (not had) the potential to revolutionise the Church in the most positive of senses; equipping it for the great task of evangelising the third millennium; precisely for these reasons the attack of the evil one will obviously be all the greater, since the Church’s charter is one of salvation and all her efforts are to this end and anything which the Lord inspires and graces the Church with will always make her more adept at fulfilling this purpose. And so, is it any wonder that the Council should undergo an attack of this kind, a subtle misinterpretation or misrepresentation?

It is, therefore, absolutely necessary for us to hold faithfully to the intentions of the council which are absolutely clear to anyone who reads the documents of the council without any preconceived agenda being at work in his or her mind. Precisely because the council has not been implemented faithfully by some of those assigned this task, must we strive all the more for fidelity to it.

The past few decades have been a sort of labour pain for the Church. The labour began when Pope John XXIII was inspired to throw open the shutters of the Church and let the Spirit breathe new life into her members. The Church rejoiced that the seeds of the ressourcement would soon bear fruit in a renewed and vibrant Church, which would harvest the whole world. But the labour pains have been many and at times torturous and, as with the woman in the Book of Revelations, the ancient serpent sits ever ready to devour that fruit. But the pains will, I believe, soon be passed and with great hope we should all look forward to that day when this masterpiece of the Spirit will be truly accomplished and the Church will emerge stronger and more faithful to her Lord. These labour pains will then be a memory.

Had the implementation of the council passed off peacefully and smoothly, without that the barque should rock a little, then perhaps we would have cause to worry. But the fact that it is attacked, misrepresented, misinterpreted and rejected by many should help us realise that it is truly a marvellous work of the Spirit and one which will lead to the spread of the Catholic faith and the salvation of souls to the glory of our Heavenly Father.

We, who are pastors of the flock of Christ, must therefore at all times recall our commitment on receiving Holy Orders to faithfully minister to the faithful only from within the faith and according to that faith. It will be love for Christ, for the Church and the people of God that will motivate both our creativity in winning souls and, at the same time, our fidelity to the means by which that salvation is administered. Christ does not need gimmicks to touch hearts, theology need not accommodate every spirit and disposition, and liturgy need not be simplistic and banal to be noble and simple. The true spirit of Vatican II presents us all with a great challenge to live faithfully the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a world that is often hostile to that way of life. The agenda-driven ‘spirit of the council’, on the other hand, is but a spectre which needs to be exorcised by humble religious submission to the authentic Magisterium of the Church, and adherence to the laws which govern the liturgical life of the Church.

May the good Lord give Pope Benedict XVI many more years. Another 10 years and he will have the whole ship back on course! Amen!

St. Therese and Flies

2010-01-30T22:50:00.000Z

Because I really cannot abide flies I like this little fact about St. Therese's attitude towards them on her deathbed. She wouldn’t kill them even though they tormented her.
She said of them: "I always give them freedom. They alone have caused me misery during my sickness. I have no enemies, and since God recommends that we pardon our enemies, I’m happy to find this opportunity for doing so."

That's why she's a saint and .... well, I've a long way to go! When I was younger I used to try to knock the flies off my bedroom window into the big spider web that was in the corner of the window. I succeeded in fattening that spider quite a bit. He crawled into my bed one night, though, and bit me and so he too met a sticky end!

The Morning Offering

2010-01-30T22:45:00.000Z

O Jesus,
through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
I offer You my prayers, works,
joys and sufferings of this day
for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart,
in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
throughout the world,
in reparation for my sins,
for the intentions of all my relatives and friends, and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father.
Amen.

This simple prayer turns your entire day into a sacrificial offering to God The Father and unites it with the priestly sacrifice of His Son.

Mother Teresa

2010-01-30T22:19:00.000Z

This is an old Video but I have a soft spot for Mother Teresa (one of the few saints I've dreamed about) and I like just about anything U2 has to offer, and so for your entertainment and edification I bring you - GRACE.

"If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one." Mother Teresa

"The greatest Disease is not TB or leprosy; it is the feeling of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for. We can cure physical diseases with medicine, but the only cure for loneliness, despair, and hopelessness is love. There are many in the world who are dying for a piece of bread, but there are many more dying for a little love. Give it now." Mother Teresa

Haiti Earthquake Appeal

2010-01-30T17:42:00.000Z

In a previous post I wrote about the charity, Marys Meals. They do some wonderful work with the worlds poorest children - providing meals to 390,000 children every day in schools. Prior to the earthquake they were feeding more than 12,000 children everyday in Haiti. Now they are feeding any and all victims of the disaster, who have been literally left with nothing.

HERE you will find an update of their work in Haiti. This is a charity which I have taken very much to heart and would encourage all who read this to consider their work in any charitable donations you may intend to make.

A Catholic Harry Potter

2010-01-29T23:33:00.000Z

In this Clip we see how virtuous Harry Potter really is

Obey Your Thirst for God

2010-01-29T23:28:00.000Z

I love this Video. Genius!

A Bond Forged in the Fires of His Love

2010-01-29T23:23:00.000Z

As a fan of 'The Lord of the Rings' Trilogy and as a stauch supporter of the irreplaceable position and role which marriage holds in our whole civilisation - I love this Video.

Men of God

2010-01-29T23:17:00.001Z

Another Video from Catholic Mountain on what it means to be a man as God intended.

Why do we pray?

2010-01-29T23:07:00.001Z

Many thanks to the folks at Catholic Mountain for this short Video on why we pray.

Theft of the Eucharist

2010-01-29T19:36:00.000Z

The Blessed Sacrament has been stolen from a church in Co. Laois, Ireland. The Parish Priest is at a loss as to why someone would steal the Blessed Sacrament since the lunette that held it is of little value:

"Certainly from experience, I have never experienced anything like this in any parish I've been in -it's never happened before," he remarked. "It's hard to understand the motivation behind this -you can only speculate on that.”
Msgr Byrne appealed to the whoever took the Eucharist to return it immediately. "We would very much appreciate its return and to find out the thinking behind taking it," he said.
And expressing the hope that there was no sinister aspect to the incident, he added that he "would like to be assured the Sacrament is being treated with respect and that it has not been consumed or destroyed.”

I would speculate that maybe the thief (or thieves) were very much aware that the lunette was of little value. Maybe they were after the Blessed Sacrament. Let us hope and pray that this Sacred Host is not being used for something far worse than being consumed or destroyed. Ireland is a very changed country with regards to the faith and the days when our ancestors were willing to die for the Mass and the Eucharist are well and truly gone. And that is a great pity.

Let us pray in reparation for this great crime of sacrilege.

Fr. B

TV - The Tabernacle of Satan?

2010-01-28T23:47:00.000Z

Eric Sammon's blog Divine Life has a thought provoking article on how much we allow our home-life be invaded by the less than edifying fare being piped through your average television set. Not that I'm advocating throwing the TV out the window. Tv, in and of itself is not bad and can be used for great good, but unfortunately it isn't being used for good alot of the time and much of our culture has now absorbed what I call - TV Values. But I think it is a salutary caution. As St. Paul tells us: “Fill your minds with those things that are good and that deserve praise: things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honorable” (Philippians 4:8)

Jessica Harris also has a very sobering warning, especially for parents in today's world, about the dangers that modern technology may pose to their children. When you open the link don't panic. The first word that will meet your eyes is the word 'Porn' because the website is called The Porn Effect. But don't worry the website is a Catholic site set up to help those who may have addictions or propensities to the use of pornography.

Film on Fatima

2010-01-27T15:41:00.000Z

I've just finished watching a most beautiful little film on the Apparitions of Our Lady at Fatima, Portugal in 1917. The film has the title: "The 13th Day" and its website can be found HERE.

I must say that the film is visually very beautiful and appealing. It is shot in black and white format, but colour is used whenever heaven breaks into this grey world during each of the apparitions. Also the musical score for the film is hauntingly beautiful. I would highly recommend this film at so many levels. Though it is not an exhaustive treatment of what happened back in 1917 at Fatima, it certainly would be a wonderful introduction for people to the Message of Fatima; a message as relevant today as when it first issued from the Immaculate Heart of Mary at the Cova d'Ira.

The Danger with Ambition

2010-01-26T00:39:00.000Z

The Letter of St. James shows James to be a something of straight talker. I think we should all take out our bibles and read his letter every now and then. And I think we’d get great fruit from it, and it will certainly challenge us all and the way we live our lives. James speak about the danger of naked ambition. “You want something and you haven’t got it”, he says, “so you are prepared to kill.” “You have an ambition that you cannot satisfy”, he says, “so you fight to get your way by force.”

And success, in its many forms, is a god that some people are willing to sacrifice too much, even everything, for. Some things are worth fighting for, worth setting our hearts on. Some things are worth committing your life to, some things are even worth dying for - not all ambitions are bad. But when the goals we set for ourselves mean that we have to go against what is right or lawful, or mean that we have to deprive another of what is rightfully his, then we have to ask ourselves: is it worth it.

No, ambition is not bad in itself, but a driving ambition is of little use if you’re on the wrong road. The devil was ambitious, more ambitious than any other creature. His pride and ambition drove him to challenge God for the throne of heaven, but at what a price. To serve in the highest echelons of the heavenly courts was not enough, he wanted to rule it. He wouldn’t serve in heights of heaven so his ambition brought him to reign in the depths of hell.

Don’t get me wrong, success is something good. We should try our best to succeed at anything we turn our hands to. God wants us to do our best, he wants us to be the best we can be. But success at all costs, getting our own way regardless of who we have to step over or crush to get it, is a dangerous game to play and certainly that does not have the Lord’s blessing upon it. And so we might find the price of our ambition to be well beyond what we were willing to pay.

As the Lord himself has told us: "What does it profit a man to win the whole world, but to thereby lose his own soul."

Who can forgive sins, but God?

2010-01-26T00:08:00.000Z

Who can forgive sins but God? The gospel tells us that - as a truth of the faith – only God can forgive sins. And so the next obvious question is: If only God can forgive sins then why am I obliged to present myself to a priest, who is obviously not God, in the confessional? Why can’t I approach God directly and receive his forgiveness for the wrongs I have done? Why, many object, reveal to a mere man what might be my most intimate circumstances and most secret faults? Why do I need the priest as a go-between in order to receive God’s forgiveness?

The Gospel story of the paralytic who is lowered through the roof to Jesus gives us a clue. The paralytic is unable to get to Jesus. He needs the help of his friends. And even then there are so many obstacles that meeting Jesus and being healed seems impossible. But these friends are undaunted, when others would just give up – these friends go to extreme lengths to ensure this paralytic has his meeting with Christ. They eventually bring him right to the feet of Jesus and he is thereby healed. These friends are a symbol of the Church and of our priests, who bring us into direct contact with Jesus. Why go to the priest for confession? Because through his priesthood we can be sure that we are placed in the presence of Christ and that from that place we will go forth reborn, free and strong.

Jesus makes it clear that the paralysis of the man in the Gospel was more spiritual than physical. And that spiritual paralysis was the healing he really needed. Jesus grants both types of healing to him, but puts the emphasis on the restrictive and destructive power of sin which must be removed and can only be removed by God. Only God can forgive sins.

The words of absolution which we hear each time we go to confession are spoken by the Priest. He does not say: "I forgive you your sins" nor "Christ forgives you your sins"; but "I absolve you," "I absolve you from your sins, in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit." The word ‘absolve’ means to unbind, or to set free. And in those words the mercy of God, the forgiveness of Christ, is applied to the soul. Priests are the Lord’s ministers of mercy. In the confessional they act, not merely on Christ’s behalf, but as Christ himself.

Why do we need to go to the priest for confession? If this great sacrament is what our faith tells us it is – then why would we go anywhere else, why would we even hesitate? But many do hesitate and even reject that great sacrament. The early Fathers of the Church, great saints and bishops of the early Church, called the sacrament of penance the second plank of salvation after the shipwreck which is the loss of the state of grace. The first plank is baptism, and by it we are hauled aboard the ship which is the Church. Serious sins is like falling overboard back into the dangerous sea and unless the Church throw overboard that second plank – confessions – then we risk being drowned in that sea of iniquity. What drowning man would refuse to reach out and grasp the only thing that can keep him afloat. And yet many do just that. Calling out from the stormy waves they have fallen into through sin – “Save me Lord, Save me” – and there beside them is that great ship called the Church offering salvation, but the offer goes unheeded.

Pope John Paul II spoke on the hesitation which many experience over this sacrament:
"It is true, he said, the man who absolves is a brother who must also confess in his turn, since, despite his obligation to grow in personal holiness, he remains subject to the limitations of human frailty. The man who absolves, however, does not offer the forgiveness of sins in the name of his own holiness… When he raises his hand in blessing and pronounces the words of absolution, he acts ‘in persona Christi’ – in the person of Christ – not simply as Christ’s representative, but also and above all as a human instrument in which the Lord Jesus is present and acts."

If we really believed in the healing power of the sacrament of confession, then such a crowd would gather round the doors of the confessional that it would be almost impossible to get in to have our meeting with Christ. It takes faith to believe in this sacrament, but it is precisely faith, the faith of those friends of the paralytic, which stirs Jesus to grant that man a complete healing of Body and Soul. After perhaps years of paralysis, one encounter with Christ, changed that man’s whole life and set him back on the road to eternal life. Let us pray that we might all appreciate both the reality and the necessity of receiving the Lord’s pardon in the great sacrament of reconciliation.

I leave you with another quotation from John Paul II:
“The confession boxes of the world in which people bring their sins to light do not proclaim the severity of God, but above all they speak of his merciful goodness. And those who approach the confessional, sometimes after many years and with the weight of serious sins, find the longed-for relief when they go from there; they find the joy and serenity of conscience, which they can find nowhere else but in confession.”

Lent is fast approaching. This year lets put repentance and confession of our sins at the top of our list of things to focus on.

In the Hearts of Jesus and Mary,

Fr. B

The Problem of Pornography

2010-01-25T23:55:00.000Z

"You know, surely that your bodies are members making up the body of Christ – Your body, you know, is the temple of the Holy Spirit." St. Paul takes it for granted that we know the high dignity to which we are called as Christians. And with that dignity comes the responsibility of living according to our state as sons and daughters of God. Our lives and our actions should always unfold keeping that dignity in mind and we are urged to avoid anything that would be a betrayal of who we are called to be, who we claim to be – Christians. St. Paul tells us to use our bodies for the glory of God, but indeed our whole lives as followers of Our Lord Jesus should be lived for the glory of God. Anything that compromises that dignity is not of God and has no place in our lives.

In another of his letters – to the Ephesians - St. Paul has this to say: "Among you there must not be even a hint of fornication, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are unbecoming of God’s holy people. Entirely out of place is obscene, foolish or vulgar talk." This is the inspired Word of the Lord.

The Greek word St. Paul uses for fornication is “Pornea”, meaning illicit and immoral non-marital relations. And though it covers quite a number of things – it is no coincidence that it is the root word for what we call pornography. St. Paul issues a stark warning. It’s a warning that is perhaps more relevant in the world we live in today than at any time in the past. “Keep away from fornication.” He is calling us to see the real damage that it causes to us and to our relationship with the Lord.

Many today won’t agree that pornography is that harmful. If they did think that it was harmful, that it is seriously sinful, seriously compromising their lives as Christians, then our world would not be so awash with it and it wouldn’t be one of the most profitable industries in the Western World.

But pornography is more harmful to a person than many might think. Someone who uses this kind of stuff, quickly loses the ability to look beyond the flesh, to the person. The images viewed present no personality – the person’s story – his or her life, what brought that person to such a low ebb as to show that which is so intimate, holy even, in such a public and unholy way – none of these things are important to the pornography user – who quickly teaches himself or herself that what is important is the exterior; the personhood and the dignity of the other is lost. That person is being used for the users’ own gratification.

The fact is that Pornography warps the great gift of human sexuality. It is a poison coming from the very depths of hell with the sole purpose of corrupting one the highest gifts God has given to us as human beings: The ability to give oneself completely to another, the ability to bring new life into the world. All that is swept away by this poison, and how many marriages and families are torn apart because of this poison we will perhaps never know. But a poison it is and it can get right to the heart of a marriage and kill it. And there are many who at first thought it harmless but who are now addicted to this poison and struggle to get free, it can become like a drug. But it is so prevalent, so available and, unfortunately, so widely accepted as normal that it is difficult to escape it. The first step is repentance, an honest confession and the Lord will surely help the person to overcome it. The second step is to close ones heart and ones mind to this kind of stuff, to get rid of it once and for all from ones life. That’s perhaps the hardest step.

How sad it is that the human body and human sexuality has become such a degraded and undervalued commodity in our world, something to be bought and sold. How sad that many, young men in particular, think pornography to be harmless fun, when it is really the worst possible preparation for marriage; and pity the poor woman who falls into the hands of someone like that – someone who will only have eyes for the externals, and not really care much for her soul. Is she supposed to live up to his warped expectations of a woman? His relationship with her is in real danger of being driven by lust and selfishness, instead of love and self-lessness, because that is what he has learned from pornography.

The real problem with pornography is not that it shows us too much – it shows far too little, focusing on the flesh and the pleasure it can give while obliterating the person in all his or her dignity.

Our world is awash with impurity as perhaps never before; and all around us human sexuality in all it goodness and greatness is debased and thrown like a priceless pearl before swine. Everything that was once taboo seems to be everyday stuff, to be flaunted and talked about openly and shamelessly. It seems we have gone from an extreme in the past where everything was deemed bad and dirty, to the other extreme where anything goes and virtues like purity and chastity, modesty and fidelity are seen as old fashioned and have become something to be scorned at.

St. Paul calls us to know our dignity, but also to recognise the dignity that others have. Your body, you know, is the temple of the Holy Spirit – do not defile that temple, reverence the temple you are and reverence that temple in others. By rejecting anything which compromises our dignity, by rejecting all forms of fornication, we will have a recipe for happier and healthier, men and women, happier and healthier relationships, happier and healthier homes and families; and so we will be building a happier and healthier society.

For anyone who struggles with an addiction to pornography I recommend a visit to a Catholic website which seeks to help people in that situation. The website is called http://www.whodoesithurt.com/

HERE you will find another article by New Oxford Review on the danger of pornography.

In the Hearts of Jesus and Mary,

Fr. B

UPDATE: HERE is another article that approaches the topic of Porn Addiction from a more scientific viewpoint.

Praying For Pope Benedict XVI

2010-01-25T23:43:00.000Z

As faithful Catholics we are duty bound to pray for the Pope, our spiritual father and visible head of the whole Church on earth. And that prayer is so very important since, not only does it surely bring graces from above upon the Holy Father, but it also reminds us of the great family of faith to which we belong as Catholics – a family which is watched over by the Successor of St. Peter. In the homily of his Mass of Inauguration, way back in 2005, Pope Benedict asked us to pray for him in the following words: “Pray for me, that I may not flee for fear of the wolves”.

In his letters St. Paul ask the same thing of the communities he was writing to; asking for their continued prayers so that he could better serve the Gospel. He asks the community at Ephesus: pray “for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.”
And how many times does Paul write too of the difficulties he had to face and of those difficulties being overcome?

In the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 14:19-20) we see the great fruit of those prayers made on his behalf. Paul is stoned and left for dead and yet somehow he is given the strength and courage to go back into the very city which had tried to kill him, in order to preach the Good News. An action like that had to have been more effective than a hundred sermons. People must have been impressed by that kind of fearlessness and they must have asked themselves where Paul got that courage.

Though Paul is a man of peace, weak and poor, he doesn’t run away for fear of those who might harm him. He knows that he possesses something far more powerful than hatred, insults, and the ever present threat of death. To conquer hatred he is armed with love, to counter the insults he speaks in love, and to overcome death he has the all powerful love of the Christ. As the Holy Father said in that 1st homily: “It is not power, but love that redeems us!”

It is Paul’s relationship with Jesus Christ and the unceasing prayers of the people of God that sustained him and enabled him to face the wolves who would seek to destroy God’s work and devour God’s flock. In the same way, it will be a strong relationship with the same Christ and the unceasing prayers of God’s people today, your prayers and mine, that will sustain Pope Benedict XVI as he fulfils his mission as Shepherd of the Church - Servant of the Servants of God. Let us take up his request, made right back at the beginning of his Petrine Ministry, and join our prayers with those of our brothers and sisters in heaven on his behalf.

The Conversion of St. Paul

2010-01-25T23:18:00.000Z

From the Acts of the Apostles:

"There was a disciple in Damascus called Ananias, and he had a vision in which the Lord said to him, Ananias!... Get up and go to Straight Street and ask at the house of Judas for someone called Saul, who comes from Tarsus… But in response Ananias said, ‘Lord, I have heard from many people about this man and all the harm he has been doing to your holy people in Jerusalem. He has come here with a warrant… to arrest everybody who invokes your name. The Lord replied: Go, for this man is my chosen instrument to bring my name before Gentiles and kings, and before the people of Israel; I myself will show him how much he must suffer for my name. Then Ananias went. He entered the house and laid hands on Saul. It was as though scales fell away from his eyes and immediately he was able to see again. So he got up and was baptised."

Today we celebrate one of the greatest conversion stories within Christianity. Saul, the one who lead the persecution of the early Church becomes Paul the one who leads the early Church’s missionary activity. But who is Paul?

Saul, or Paul, was born in Tarsus in present day Turkey. In his writings we are told that he was born a Roman Citizen but also born a Jew and became a Pharisee having studied in his youth in Jerusalem under Gamaliel – a famous Pharisees of that time. So Paul is a man of two worlds – the Roman world and the Jewish world.

Being a zealous Pharisee, Saul is anxious that nothing should stand in the way of the Jewish faith and so he strongly opposes the 'Way' of the Christians, seeing them as a threat to the faith and traditions of Israel. And so zealous is he that he begins a campaign of persecution and arrests. He believes that he is justified in doing so and he believes that he has the full force of the Jewish Law behind him, he believes that he is acting on God’s behalf – and so he instils fear in the disciples of the Lord. In Saul we have the first of many persecutors of the Church down through the centuries.

But on that road to Damascus he meets the Risen Christ. On that road he is struck blind and only then did he realise how blind he had really been up to that point. And Ananias is reluctant to go to him. Surely this is the man who wants to wipe out Christianity; surely this can’t be the Lord’s will? But Jesus replies: This man is my chosen instrument.’ He is chosen by God to be the greatest herald of the gospel the world has ever known. All the zeal and passion with which he persecuted the Church has been transformed and redirected due to his encounter with Christ and now he is passionately zealous for the gospel and the glory of Christ.

And that encounter with Christ became the reference point of the rest of his life. Everything he is, everything he says or writes, everything he does flows from his experience of Christ, comes from his knowing Christ. In his letter to the Philippians he gives us a glimpse of that passion for Christ which filled his soul when he writes:

"Circumcised on the eighth day of my life, I was born of the race of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew, born of Hebrew parents. In the matter of the Law, I was a Pharisee; as for religious fervour, I was a persecutor of the Church; as for the uprightness embodied in the Law, I was faultless. But what were once my assets I now through Christ Jesus count as losses. Yes, I will go further: because of the supreme advantage of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, I count everything else as loss… I can only say that forgetting all that lies behind me, and straining forward to what lies ahead, I am racing towards the finishing point to win the prize of God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus."

The supreme advantage of knowing Christ transformed Saul the persecutor into Paul the Apostle of the nations who brought the message of salvation to the known world. It was a message he vehemently opposed in his ignorance of Christ, but knowing Christ, that message became the centre of his life, the reason for his existence and so he gladly underwent constant suffering for bearing witness to the name of Jesus. Eventually he would die for Christ and the Gospel.

Pope Benedict speaks of Paul in the following words: "We see a determination in Paul that is explained only by a soul truly fascinated by the light of the gospel, enamoured of Christ, a soul sustained by a profound conviction: That it is necessary to take the light of Christ to the world, to proclaim the gospel to all. Let us pray so that the Lord, who made Paul see his light and hear his words and touched his heart profoundly, make us also see his light, so that our hearts will also be touched by his word and so that we too will be able to give today’s world, which thirsts for it, the light of the gospel and the truth of Christ."

May the great St. Paul pray for us that we will be light-filled witnesses who illuminate our darkened world with the message and love of Christ.

In the Hearts of Jesus and Mary,

Fr. B

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