Author Archives: John Brian Schuettler

COME HOLY SPIRIT

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Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year B


An icon of the Christian Pentecost, in the Greek Orthodox tradition. This is the Icon of the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles. At the bottom is an allegorical figure, called Kosmos, which symbolizes the world.

COME, HOLY SPIRIT

“Come, O Holy Spirit, send from heaven a ray of your light. Come, O giver of graces; come, O light of hearts. You are rest in our labor, peace in difficulties and solace in our grief. O most holy Light! Fill the inmost being of the hearts of your faithful. Grant to your children trust in your seven holy gifts. Give them reward for virtue; give them salvation; give them everlasting joy!

To Mary, Spouse of the Holy Spirit:

THE HAIL MARY

Hail, Mary, full of grace, our Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.Amen.

BREATHE IN ME

Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may all be holy, Act in me, O Holy Spirit, that my work, too, may be holy. Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit, that I may love only what is holy.
Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit, that I may defend all that is holy.
Guard me, O Holy Spirit, that I may always be holy.
A Prayer of St. Augustine

PRAYER FOR THE SEVEN GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

O Lord Jesus Christ, Who, before ascending into heaven did promise to send the Holy Spirit to finish Your work in the souls of Your Apostles and Disciples, please grant the same Holy Spirit to me that He may perfect in my soul the work of Your grace and Your love.

Grant me the Spirit of Wisdom that I may despise the perishable things of this world and aspire only after the things that are eternal. The Spirit of Understanding to enlighten my mind with the light of Your divine truth. The Spirit on Counsel that I may ever choose the surest way of pleasing God and gaining heaven. The Spirit of Fortitude that I may bear my cross with You and that I may overcome with courage all the obstacles that oppose my salvation. The Spirit of Knowledge that I may know God, know myself, and grow perfect in the science of the Saints. The Spirit of Piety that I may find the service of God sweet and amiable. The Spirit of Fear that I may be filled with a loving reverence towards God and may dread in any way to displease Him. Mark me, dear Lord with the sign of Your true disciples and animate me in all things with Your Spirit. Amen.

PRAYER TO THE HOLY SPIRIT BY ST. ANTIOCHUS

O Holy Spirit, most merciful Comforter: You proceed from the Father in a manner beyond our understanding. Come, I beseech You, and take up you abode in my heart. Purify and cleanse me from all sin, and sanctify my soul. Cleanse it from every impurity, water its dryness, melt its coldness, and save it from sinful ways. Make me truly humble and resigned, that I may be pleasing to You, and that You abide with me forever. Most blessed Light, most amiable Light, enlighten me. O rapturous Joy of Paradise, Fount of purest delight, my God, give yourself to me, and kindle in my innermost soul the fire of your love. My Lord, please instruct, direct, and defend me in all things. Give me strength against all immoderate fears and against despondency. Bestow upon me a true faith, a firm hope, and a sincere and perfect love. Grant that I always do your most gracious will.

Amen.

Citazioni di
Ac 10,25-26. 34-35.44-48: www.clerus.org/bibliaclerusonline/en/9bfhjcj.htm
1Io 4,7-10: www.clerus.org/bibliaclerusonline/en/9ak0lmd.htm
Io 15,9-17: www.clerus.org/bibliaclerusonline/en/9asskgo.htm

“I no longer call you slaves, […] I have called you friends” (John 15:15). These words, spoken to us by the Risen Lord, should be a source of abundant joy and the certain hope for whatever the future holds for us. They are the roots of our life, ever new, always given in a passionate love for Christ, for the Truth and for all humanity.

These words are the bearers of a radical new relationship between God and humanity. They reveal something that humanity, in its human condition and sinfulness, could never have imagined: that the Son of God, the only Son of the Father, calls us His friends.

We should probably think again about what this word ‘friendship’ really means. Like ‘love’, it has been used and abused to such an extent that it seems today to be almost emptied of its real meaning. But Jesus explains to us in today’s Gospel what the authentic friendship of God really means.

The Lord tells us that the status of friends is, as we might put it, qualitatively superior to that of servants. This seems obvious to us today when think of the idea of servitude as against our rights. The condition of a servant seems to us to be clearly unworthy of a human being, who should be able to live freely and able to achieve our great ideals.

Yet we can see that this way of understanding the words of Jesus is incorrect. It’s incorrect in the historical context of the time, and in terms of the unique relationship which is being discussed. The relationship between God and humanity goes deeper than our simple understanding of the words ‘friend’ and ‘servant’. It is not just a relationship between one person and another, but a relationship between man and His Creator and Redeemer.

The situation of servitude before God was, in fact, what made Israel the chosen nation. Israel was called out of slavery in Egypt and put above all the nations of the world to serve the Lord. It was, and is, an honour and privilege for a people to be chosen and called to be servants of God.

Now, through grace, we can say that God has truly descended into our midst in order to raise us up to His Presence.

In Christ, we see the plan of the Father fulfilled. He is the real promised land, that was prepared for us in the womb of the Virgin Mary. We are not like Moses, the servant of the Lord (c.f. Deut 32: 52), destined only to see the promised land from a distance. We are able to enter and dwell there: “as the Father has loved me, so I have loved you […] I have made known to you everything I have learnt from my Father” (John 15: 9, 15).

This is what is so radically new in this friendship. Humanity, chosen and loved by God, created and called to serve Him, is now destined for a love which is beyond compare. “A man can have no greater love than to lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). The Son of God, made man, gives His whole Self and lifts us up towards the Father. He opens the door of his dwelling and welcomes the faithful to the wedding feast.

By choosing us, which really means that He called each of us personally, Christ gives us the joy of sharing in His Life and Sonship. We become participants, as St Peter says, in the divine nature (c.f. 2 Peter 1:4).

Animated by this new and profound communion with the Risen Lord, that accompanies us always and everywhere, we implore the Blessed Virgin Mary, Refuge of Sinners and Our Lady of Fatima, to help us to ‘remain’ in the love of Christ, to love one another and bear fruit as befits the children of God. Amen!

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FIRST READING: Acts 2:1-11.

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. And they were amazed and wondered, saying, “are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians, we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.”

EXPLANATION: “Pentecost” which means “fiftieth” was the second of the three most important of the annual feasts in the Jewish calendar. It occurred seven weeks after Passover and was primarily a feast of thanksgiving for the harvest: the first-fruits of the wheat crop were offered to God on that day. Later on the giving of the Law to Moses on Mount Sinai was also commemorated on this feast day. All Jewish men, not legitimately impeded, were expected to come to Jerusalem, to the temple, for the feast. Hundreds of Jews from outside of Palestine also came, and the city was usually full to overflowing. It was very fitting therefore that this feast day was chosen for the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles. The Christian religion was to be universal, and the gift of tongues showed its universality. The law given by God to Moses was for the Jews only; the new law, given by Christ, and confirmed by the power of the Holy Spirit, was for all men. The vast gathering of Jews from Palestine and from all nations was a very suitable occasion on which to proclaim publicly the message of Christ given through the mouth of Peter.

Suddenly…a sound came: The Apostles had been told by Our LOrd to wait in Jerusalem (Lk. 24:49), until the Holy Spirit came on them. They were all in one place, probably the room of the Last Supper where Jesus had appeared to them twice after his resurrection.

like the rush of a mighty…: Spirit means breath or wind, so it was fitting the Holy Spirit made his presence felt by the noise of a strong driving wind.

Tongues as of fire appeared: Something that looked like a flame rested on each of them. When God gave the Law to Moses, peals of thunder and lightning flashes signified God’s presence and made the people tremble (see Ex. 19:18ff). The loud noise and the flames signified the presence of the Holy Spirit.

to speak in other tongues…: The first signs of the power of the Spirit. They were given foreign languages and a new superhuman courage to proclaim their faith. Hitherto they had sheltered from the Jews.

and at this sound: This sound “like a driving wind” was heard all over the city, and by devout Jews from “every nation under heaven,” a pious exaggeration and a way of saying that they came from most of the known nations of the Roman Empire, which was the whole world then known to the Jews.

each one heard: Each foreigner who spoke the language of the country he came from heard one or other of the Apostles speaking his language.

amazed…wondered: Little wonder they were amazed. They had enquired of the local Jews, and knew that the Apostles were simple men, with little education, from Galilee. Where did they learn all these foreign languages?

Parthians…: These foreigners say they are from Mesopotamia, Greece, Asia Minor, Egypt and North Africa, Crete and Arabia. There are even Romans present, most of them Jews, but Gentile proselytes also among them.

we hear…tongues: This was the cause of their amazement, these simple folk from Galilee speaking all kinds of languages.

the mighty works of God: The Apostles were speaking of Christ, his teaching, and his resurrection. St. Peter develops this theme later (2:14ff).

APPLICATION: Pentecost day is called the “birthday” of the Church. The Apostles had already received the Holy Spirit on Christ’s first appearance to them after his resurrection (Jn. 20:22). But on Pentecost day the descent of the Holy Spirit was a public manifestation intended to impress and amaze the crowds of local and foreign Jews who thronged Jerusalem on that great festive occasion. The signs and wonders that manifested his coming brought these Jews in huge crowds to the place where the Apostles were staying, and immediately the gift of tongues was used by the Apostles to explain the occurrence. It was a marvel wrought by God, a necessary consequence of the sojourn of Christ among them. He was the Christ whom the Jews had crucified but whom God had raised from the dead, thus proving he was the promised Messiah and his own beloved Son. Christ had chosen the Apostles to bring his good news to all nations—the good news that all men were once more reconciled to God their Creator, and were now adopted sons of God and heirs to heaven.

Today was the day chosen for the opening of this mission of the Apostles. That they were backed by the divine power of the Holy Spirit was proved not only by the gift of tongues but more especially by the change his coming wrought on the Apostles. From this day forward they were men dedicated to one purpose and to one purpose only, to bring the good news, the Gospel of Christ, to the world.

When Peter, representing the eleven, preached Christ, crucified, raised from the tomb by the power of the Father, and now seated at his right hand in heaven, he raised the Christian standard aloft. He and his fellow Apostles (including Matthias and Paul later) gave their lives gladly to plant it throughout the Roman Empire. The remaining twenty six chapters of the book of Acts and the inspired letters of the Apostles tell the story of the growth of the infant Church. It was brought about by frail and mortal men, turned into spiritual heroes by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Twenty centuries separate us from those heroic men of God, but the truth of their labors is with us still thanks to the same Holy Spirit who has remained with the Church down through the years. From generation to generation the message and the means of salvation have been handed down, sometimes through periods of peace and evident progress, but more often through years of persecution and apparent near-extermination. The Church survived because men of God valued eternal life, and the Church as the means of reaching it, more than their own comfort or personal safety.

Our own generation too needs men of principle, men of generosity, men who will put the eternal values before personal conveniences or earthly gain. The Church today has her enemies. They shout loud and long—the same centuries-old themes are put to some of the present-day pop music. But we need not fear. The voice of the Holy Spirit is still as strong as it was on that first Pentecost day in Jerusalem. His powers are divine and will never diminish. He is still at the helm of the barque of Peter and will continue to bring millions to the shores of the eternal kingdom as he has done during the past two thousand years.

“Come, Holy Spirit, enkindle in the hearts of the faithful the fire of divine love.”

Second ReadingSECOND READING: 1 Cor. 12:2-7, 12-13.

No one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus be cursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit.

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of working, but it is the same God who inspires them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

But just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

EXPLANATION: The gifts of the Holy Spirit were very evident in the infant Church. This was necessary to prove to the pagans that the Christian religion was from the real God who controlled all things. As pagans they had their local god or gods to whom supernatural powers were often falsely attributed. But the God of the Christians had real powers and they were distributed freely by the Holy Spirit when occasion demanded. St. Paul in this part of his first letter to the Corinthians is emphasizing that these gifts are not given to an individual for his honor or glory but to help to build up the Church.

No one…the Spirit: One of the first tests of the genuineness of a gift from the Holy Spirit was conformity with the Christian faith. If any man claimed he was moved by the Holy Spirit to blaspheme Jesus, he was evidently a liar and a fraud. On the other hand he who sincerely professed that Christ was God was moved by the Holy Spirit. Faith is a gift from God.

varieties…same Spirit: All the gifts given to the early Christian converts were from the same Holy Spirit and each had its special purpose. It is possible that Paul wished to prevent any temptation for one to boast that he had a better gift than his neighbor. All were from the same source.

varieties…service: The ability to help in administering the affairs of the early Christian communities was a gift of God—each one receiving the gift necessary for his particular task. Helping the sick, feeding the poor, calling the assemblies together, explaining the faith, powers of healing, are all examples of these different ministries, but they all came from the same God.

given for the common good: These gifts were given for the good of the whole community—to help build up the Church, and so that no one should refuse to use the gift he got or claim it as his own.

The body is one: St. Paul now introduces the simile of the human body made up of many members, to describe the Church of Christ. From this we get the title of “Mystical Body of Christ” to describe the Church.

for by one Spirit: It was the Holy Spirit, sent by Christ on his ascension to heaven to direct and inspire his newly-founded Church, who gave us the grace to become members of Christ’s Body.

Jews or Greeks: Meaning all men. Greek stood for Gentile, that was the rest of the world apart from the Jews.

were baptized: The sacrament instituted by Christ to make men members of his Church, his body.

APPLICATION: These verses of St. Paul are very suitable on this the feast day of the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles. Not only did he make his presence felt by the external exercise of his powers on that first Pentecost day, but he continued to do so for some years until the Church had laid solid foundations in the Gentile world.

These gifts of the Spirit were foretold in the Old Testament as signs of the Messiah’s arrival (see Joel 3:1ff; Acts 2:16ff), and were manifested in the early Church in Jerusalem (Acts 2:4), Samaria (8:17), Ephesus (19:6), Rome (Rom. 12:6), Galatia (Gal. 3:5), and in Corinth. St. Paul has much to say of the gifts given in Corinth because there was evidently some abuse of them or some dissensions because of them in that city.

But for us the important point to bear in mind today on this the anniversary of the public manifestation of the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles is the infinite love of God for us, his Chosen People of the new covenant. Through the Incarnation men are empowered to become adopted sons of God; through baptism we become members of Christ’s body, his Church. Through the direct reception of the Holy Spirit in the Sacrament of Confirmation, we are made active members of the Christian Church, with all the strength and powers necessary to be effective members, on active service daily, true soldiers of Christ.

Let each one of us take an honest look at himself today and ask himself: Am I really an active member of the body of Christ? Am I spiritually healthy, living in God’s grace and thus helping the whole body to be healthy? Or am I a diseased member, and not only sickly and weak through my personal sins, but spreading that sickness and weakness to my neighboring members by my bad example? But perhaps I can claim I have no very big sins and give no grave scandal, but I am lukewarm in the practice of my religion. I haven’t much time for things of that sort. If I am one of these two types—a diseased member or a lukewarm one—I could hardly call myself a soldier of Christ on active service. Deserters and dishonest draft-dodgers are not at the front.

Thank God, a large percentage of Christians do strive to remain healthy members of his mystical body—they may weaken now and then but they call on their divine physician and put things right again. This is as it should be, but is it all that is expected of us?

The Holy Spirit came to us in Confirmation with his gifts and graces to enable us to work for the whole Church, for the whole body of Christ. We are made soldiers to form an army that will work together for the protection of our nation and our freedom. No man is put into military uniform in order to look after his own interests. We too are not made soldiers of Christ in order to save our own souls only—we are soldiers in order to help our fellow Christians and all men in their common fight against sin and Godlessness. We must then take an active part in the battles of the Church, against everything that impedes the practice of the Christian virtues.

There is a place for everyone in the Church’s line of battle. We need not search far to find it. We need not be physical or intellectual giants in order to fulfill the role destined for us. What we need is sincerity and a bit of moral courage; sincerity in our belief that it is the future life that counts—the present is only a few years of training; moral courage to face opposition and criticism from enemies and often from false friends. When God and the Holy Spirit are on our side, we need not worry about the opinions or sneers of worldly-minded men. If we are true soldiers of Christ we shall win our battles, not by crushing our enemies but by making them too children of God and our brothers for all eternity.

GospelGOSPEL: John 20:19-23.

On the evening of the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

EXPLANATION: For the explanation of these five verses of St. John, see the Second Sunday of Easter. They are repeated here today, the Feast of the Holy Spirit, because on that first appearance of the Risen Lord he conferred the Holy Spirit on the Apostles. Today’s feast commemorates the solemn public and publicized conferral of the same Holy Spirit.

evening of…first day: The evening of the Sunday.

the doors being shut…: He came through the closed door, which shows the spiritual qualities of the resurrected body (see 1 Cor. 15:44-48).

came and stood among them: To prove that he was the Christ who had been crucified and who was now alive once more.

Peace be with you: Jews saluted one another by wishing peace, that is, health and prosperity both in the material and spiritual sense. Here Christ is not only wishing “well-being,” especially the spiritual well-being, but he is giving it (see 14:27).

so I send you: He is now conferring on them the mission he had promised them before his death (see Mt. 4:19; Jn. 17:18; etc.), which was the continuation of the work of divine salvation inaugurated by himself.

Receive the Holy Spirit: He breathed on them and said these words—the sacramental action. He had promised them the Holy Spirit when he had returned to his Father in glory (7:39, 16:7). This condition had been fulfilled that Easter morning.

If you forgive…sins: Catholic tradition has rightly seen in this act the institution of the Sacrament of Penance.

APPLICATION: The liturgical cycle, which each year represents to us God’s mercy and kindness in our regard, closes today with this great Feast of Pentecost, the public solemn descent of the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier, on the Christian Church. During Advent we try to prepare ourselves for the coming of the Son of God to dwell as Man among us. Christmas recalls to our minds and hearts the great act of divine love. Lent prepares us for the sufferings endured by Christ during Holy Week on our behalf. Easter is the feast of triumph, Christ’s triumph over death, the guarantee of our final triumph and union with him in his eternal glory. Pentecost crowns Christ’s work among us. The Holy Spirit comes to abide with the Church, directing and effectively aiding its leaders to preserve, explain and spread the gospel of hope and love which Christ had brought on earth. This same spirit helps and aids each member of the Church to live a life of holiness by following the teaching of Christ and by helping his fellow man to do likewise.

Briefly, this annual series of Church feast days recalls to our minds the infinite love of the Blessed Trinity for us finite, mortal men. At the same time it shows us the part played by each of the divine Persons in the eternal plan to share with us the perfect peace and the unending happiness which they enjoy in their heavenly kingdom.

God the Father created us with the intention and plan to raise us up to adopted sonship with him. God the Son took human nature so that we might share in the divinity. Representing all men he gave perfect obedience and reverence to the Creator “even unto death on a cross,” and thus merited sonship for us. The Holy Spirit, the “fruit of divine love,” came from the Father and the Son to bring to perfection the work of our sanctification. Thus the three divine Persons of the Blessed Trinity have cooperated in the great work of infinite love and condescension which opens for us a future of unending happiness, if only we have the common sense to appreciate what has been done for us, and the simple common decency to do in return the few relatively easy little tasks asked of us.

May the Holy Spirit today fill us with gratitude for all that God has done for us.

Wiliam Blatty, author of THE EXORCIST, announces canonical lawsuit against Georgetown

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William Peter Blatty, the author of The Exorcist, is asking Georgetown alumni, faculty, students, and friends to join in his canonical case, in which he will ask the Archdiocese of Washington and the Holy See to take action “up to including the possible removal or suspension of top-ranked Georgetown’s right to call itself Catholic or Jesuit in its fundraising and representations to applicants.”

In his plea for support of the canonical case, Blatty argues that Georgetown has failed to comply with the standards set forth in Ex Corde Ecclesiae for the conduct of Catholic universities. He lists a series of offenses, leading up to this week’s decision by Georgetown to honor Kathleen Sebelius, the Secretary of Health and Human Services. “Georgetown is being dishonest” by presenting itself as a Catholic institution, the author argues. “Together, we need to end that!”

Blatty—who won an Oscar for the screenplay of the film based on his best-selling novel—is a member of Georgetown’s class of 1950, and a recipient of the university’s John Carroll Medal for alumni achievement. In presenting his argument for action against Georgetown, he emphasized his own debt to the school and his desire to bring Georgetown back into line with its Catholic heritage.

Blatty has enlisted the Cardinal Newman Society and the St. Joseph Foundation to assist with his canonical case.

Noted author announces canonical lawsuit against Georgetown

Continuing the debate on Subsidiarity

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Do the American Catholic bishops think it’s morally acceptable to bounce checks? Because that’s what will happen, you know, if Congress follows the bishops’ advice on federal spending.

The US Conference of Catholic Bishops has repeatedly criticized proposed budget cuts in federal spending, without suggesting alternative ways to balance the budget. Although in these statements the bishops occasionally mention in passing that they recognize deficit spending might be a problem, those disclaimers are never very convincing. There is no sign that the US bishops, as a body, recognize the enormity of the central problem here:

The US government is spending money that it doesn’t have.

When you insist on spending more money than you bring in, and you can’t fall back on savings, you have two options: You can borrow money, or you can write bad checks. If you can’t find lenders willing to extend you credit, you’re down to one option. The US government is approaching that morally catastrophic position at an alarming rate, and the US bishops’ conference is encouraging Congress to press down on the accelerator.

The bishops’ statements, encouraging support for various welfare programs, are based on the premise that the US government can afford to spend money to care for those in need. In cold, hard, economic terms, the US government can’t afford anything. After decades of ambitious government spending programs, Americans have grown accustomed to thinking that the federal government has enormous sums at its disposal—so that whereas you and I can’t afford to help the poor, Uncle Sam can. That’s simply wrong. You and I have more money than the federal government. You and I are in a much better position to help the poor—even in monetary terms—than the massive bureaucracy in Washington.

We usually think of ourselves as people of limited means, and of the federal government as a financial colossus, with plenty of money available to spend on our favorite programs. But in reality the US government has less money than we have. In fact the US government has less money than anyone on earth; the federal government is the most impoverished institution in human history!

Think about it. If your financial assets exceed your liabilities you are (relatively speaking) wealthy; if your liabilities exceed your assets you are (relatively speaking) poor. The liabilities of the US government exceed its assets by trillions of dollars. (There’s no use trying to calculate the exact amount, because the figure will rise by billions of dollars in the time it takes you to do the calculations.) There are no plans circulating in Washington that would eliminate, or even decrease, the net federal debt. The Republican budget plans, to which the US bishops have taken such exception, would merely slow the rate at which the continued deficit spending flows into the seemingly fathomless sea of red ink.

The US bishops’ conference has charged that Republican budget proposals are morally unacceptable because they do not maintain adequate funding for programs that help the poor. But any budget proposal should be judged against another moral test as well: the test of basic financial prudence.

Imagine that a certain man, Mr. X, is a fine Christian gentleman, with modest means, generous impulses, and chaotic habits. X wishes to help his needy neighbors, and so he writes large checks to a local charity. (We’ll take it for granted here that the charity does a good job in helping the poor—just as the bishops take it for granted, with much less reason, that federal programs are effective in easing poverty.) There’s a problem: X does not have enough money in his bank account to cover those checks. But have no fear! He has credit-card account that protects him from overdrafts, and his “deficit spending” is rolled into a revolving-credit account that increases, at a high interest rate, indefinitely. Eventually his heirs will be forced to pay off the debt, or the bank will take a big loss for being foolish enough to furnish this spendthrift with unlimited credit.

Now would you regard Mr. X as a generous man? As a prudent man? As a responsible steward of his own resources? Would you say that his generosity toward the local charity is admirable? If not, please explain how his spending habits differ from those the American bishops have suggested for the federal government.

The game can’t go on forever. Eventually the bank would close down Mr. X’s line of credit, and his checks would begin to bounce. For an institution as powerful as the US government the rules may be suspended for a long time, but those rules cannot be abolished. Sooner or later—much later, admittedly, for Uncle Sam—checks must be honored; debts must be paid.

This week we are watching anxiously as the Greek government teeters on the brink of financial collapse. The notes are coming due; will the Greek government honor them? Or will the leaders of Greece admit, in effect, that they have been writing bad checks for years?

The crisis is not yet imminent for the US, but it is clearly approaching. If the American bishops persist in advising Congress to increase welfare spending, they have a moral obligation to explain how the debts will be paid.

On federal spending, the US bishops' advice fails a moral test

SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

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Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year B

Citazioni di
Ac 10,25-26. 34-35.44-48: www.clerus.org/bibliaclerusonline/en/9bfhjcj.htm
1Io 4,7-10: www.clerus.org/bibliaclerusonline/en/9ak0lmd.htm
Io 15,9-17: www.clerus.org/bibliaclerusonline/en/9asskgo.htm

“I no longer call you slaves, […] I have called you friends” (John 15:15). These words, spoken to us by the Risen Lord, should be a source of abundant joy and the certain hope for whatever the future holds for us. They are the roots of our life, ever new, always given in a passionate love for Christ, for the Truth and for all humanity.

These words are the bearers of a radical new relationship between God and humanity. They reveal something that humanity, in its human condition and sinfulness, could never have imagined: that the Son of God, the only Son of the Father, calls us His friends.

We should probably think again about what this word ‘friendship’ really means. Like ‘love’, it has been used and abused to such an extent that it seems today to be almost emptied of its real meaning. But Jesus explains to us in today’s Gospel what the authentic friendship of God really means.

The Lord tells us that the status of friends is, as we might put it, qualitatively superior to that of servants. This seems obvious to us today when think of the idea of servitude as against our rights. The condition of a servant seems to us to be clearly unworthy of a human being, who should be able to live freely and able to achieve our great ideals.

Yet we can see that this way of understanding the words of Jesus is incorrect. It’s incorrect in the historical context of the time, and in terms of the unique relationship which is being discussed. The relationship between God and humanity goes deeper than our simple understanding of the words ‘friend’ and ‘servant’. It is not just a relationship between one person and another, but a relationship between man and His Creator and Redeemer.

The situation of servitude before God was, in fact, what made Israel the chosen nation. Israel was called out of slavery in Egypt and put above all the nations of the world to serve the Lord. It was, and is, an honour and privilege for a people to be chosen and called to be servants of God.

Now, through grace, we can say that God has truly descended into our midst in order to raise us up to His Presence.

In Christ, we see the plan of the Father fulfilled. He is the real promised land, that was prepared for us in the womb of the Virgin Mary. We are not like Moses, the servant of the Lord (c.f. Deut 32: 52), destined only to see the promised land from a distance. We are able to enter and dwell there: “as the Father has loved me, so I have loved you […] I have made known to you everything I have learnt from my Father” (John 15: 9, 15).

This is what is so radically new in this friendship. Humanity, chosen and loved by God, created and called to serve Him, is now destined for a love which is beyond compare. “A man can have no greater love than to lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). The Son of God, made man, gives His whole Self and lifts us up towards the Father. He opens the door of his dwelling and welcomes the faithful to the wedding feast.

By choosing us, which really means that He called each of us personally, Christ gives us the joy of sharing in His Life and Sonship. We become participants, as St Peter says, in the divine nature (c.f. 2 Peter 1:4).

Animated by this new and profound communion with the Risen Lord, that accompanies us always and everywhere, we implore the Blessed Virgin Mary, Refuge of Sinners and Our Lady of Fatima, to help us to ‘remain’ in the love of Christ, to love one another and bear fruit as befits the children of God. Amen

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FIRST READING: Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48.

When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I too am a man.”

And Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I perceive that God shows no partiality, but in every nation any one who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.”

While Peter was still saying this the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. And the believers from among the circumcised who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, “Can any one forbid water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days.

Today’s text from the Acts of the Apostles describes the reception of the first Gentiles into the Christian Church. Cornelius, a Roman centurion stationed in Caesarea, had been an admirer of the God of the Jews. He gave alms generously and prayed much. God told him through an angel to send for Simon Peter who was in Jaffa. Peter, already prepared by a vision of clean and unclean animals (10:8-16) in which he was taught that what God had made clean must not be called unclean, came to Caesarea. The vision given him in Jaffa became clear on seeing the religious faith of Cornelius. He had no hesitation in entering a pagan household, something strictly forbidden to a Jew. He preached Christ’s life, death and resurrection to the assembled Gentiles and while he was preaching the Holy Spirit descended on them and they began to praise God in various languages, just as the Apostles and disciples had done on Pentecost day in Jerusalem. What greater proof was needed to convince Peter and his companions that God wanted the Gentiles, as well as the Jews, in his Church? Thus Cornelius and his household were baptized in the name of Jesus Christ and became the first Gentiles to enter the Church.

Cornelius…feet: The Roman centurion wanted to honor Peter as a God, but Peter made him stand up telling him that he, Peter, was a mere man and should not be honored thus.

Peter said: Having learned from Cornelius about the vision of the angel and the command to send for Peter, the Apostle declares that he now understands that all men, Gentiles as well as Jews, are acceptable to God, if they turn to him. His own vision in Jaffa had prepared him for this.

still…this: While Peter was explaining Christ and his teaching (10:36-43), the Holy Spirit came upon all the Gentiles present.

believers…circumcised: The converted Jews, “brothers from Jaffa” (10:23) who had accompanied Peter, “were amazed that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles,” for they still had the idea that Christ was the Messiah of the Jews only. Although Peter had no hesitation in accepting Cornelius and his household into the Church, the Council of Jerusalem had to be called to correct this wrong Jewish idea (Acts 15:1-29).

Can…baptizing: With the incontrovertible evidence that the Holy Spirit had descended on these Gentiles, Peter rightly declared that no manmade opinion could or should prevent them from full membership of the Church. They were then baptized with Christian baptism.

“God shows no partiality but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.” These inspired and inspiring words of Peter, the head of the Apostles, removed any doubts which his fellow Jewish-Christians from Jaffa had as to the right of Cornelius and his household to be baptized and become Christians like themselves. They should also have opened the minds of all Jewish converts to the mission of Christ as a mission of salvation for all nations and not for Jews only. Unfortunately, there were some who exaggerated their own claims on God and who still looked down on the Gentiles. There were among the Jewish-Christians those who grudgingly admitted that Gentiles could be received into the Christian Church, but only if they became Jews first by accepting circumcision.

These people were a serious embarrassment to St. Paul in his missionary activity among the Gentiles. They followed him through Asia Minor telling the converted Gentiles that they were not really members of the Christian Church for they had not first become Jews. These “Judaizers,” as they were called, were causing such upsets among the Gentile converts that Paul and Barnabas were forced to ask the Apostles, assembled in the first Council of the Church in Jerusalem, to give a definitive answer to this question (Acts 15:1-2). They did, and the false teaching of the Judaizers was condemned. Gentiles could and should be received directly into the Church, without passing through any form of Judaism or without accepting any of the Jewish ritualistic practices.

God, through the Holy Spirit, has been with his Church right down through the ages and from its very beginning. The case of the conversion of Cornelius, narrated in today’s reading, happened in order that Peter, the head of the Apostles and the principal speaker at the Council of Jerusalem, should have visible proof from God that he wished Gentiles to be taken directly into his Church without any of the Jewish ritual observances. Peter’s address to the Council, describing what happened at Caesarea, silenced all opposition and settled this question for all time. But before the vision of the clean and unclean animals shown him in Jaffa, and the proofs of the presence of the Holy Spirit which he witnessed in Caesarea, Peter too had his narrow Judaizing tendencies.

The lesson for all Christians is that God has been, and will be, always with his Church. Christ has committed it to the care of mortal and fallible men but he has given them (and us) the assurance that he will be with them always even unto the end of time (Mt. 28:20). Today, many devout and sincere Christians are worried because of evident dissension between theologians on moral and dogmatic questions. Since the Second Vatican Council there has been a flood of writings from the pens of reputable theologians and sometimes from men with less depth of knowledge and less balanced judgement. This is but a natural consequence of the winds of change to which the saintly Pope John opened the windows of the Church.

Ever since Trent (1546), when the cold war with the Reformers began, the Catholic Church had remained rather static in its exposition of faith and morals. While the world around us had made giant strides in the study of man and the world in which he lived, and also in the study of ancient literature and culture, our seminary textbooks were faithfully copying the sixteenth century expositions of the theologians of that day. This in itself was right as far as it went, since the defined dogmas of the Church remain fixed for all time. However, it did not go far enough; it paid little or no heed to the immense growth in secular knowledge, or to the change in terminology and linguistics which the new philosophies had introduced. Scripture, especially which, with Tradition, is the basis of all theology, was very much neglected, to the detriment of our people’s knowledge of the revealed word of God.

Thanks to the Holy Spirit, who worked through Pope John and Vatican II, that has all been changed, or rather is being gradually changed. As in all change, there must be upsets and a disturbance of the status quo ante. There will be naturally men who oppose change, and on the other hand there are likely to be men who want to change too much. We are going through this period of change at present, and some people are surprised, if not shocked, at some of the moral and dogmatic pronouncements of present-day writers. Knowing, as we do, that the Holy Spirit is with the Church, we need have no fear. She has had similar experiences in the past—nearly all her great General Councils were preceded by disputes between theologians and would-be theologizers. The Councils, guided by the Holy Spirit, defined and expounded the true faith.

Truth will prevail; we can look forward confidently to the day when present disputes will end. Our Christian faith and morals will continue to be expounded authoritatively with the backing of the Holy Spirit, by the successors of the Apostles whom he sent to teach all nations.

SECOND READING: 1 John 4:7-10.

Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God, and he who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God; for God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the expiation for our sins.

On this Epistle see the Second Sunday of Easter. In today’s four verses, St. John is urging us to love one another, for we are sons of God whose very essence is love. He proved this when out of the infinity of his love he sent his own divine Son to give us eternal life and make expiation for the sins of the world.

let…another: The love St. John urges us to have for our fellow man is not the natural attraction which has its basis in family bonds, or sex, or some qualities we hold in common. It is that supernatural respect, interest and esteem which we have for all men. It is based on our knowledge of God as our common Father.

love is of God: This supernatural love of neighbor derives from God, whose very nature is love, and it is a free gift which he has instilled into us together with faith and hope in our baptism.

born…God: The man who has this supernatural love is a son of God by adoption, it was in his adoption ceremony that he was given this gift. He therefore knows God, not in the sense of the Gnostics but in the true sense; he is intimately associated with God through participation in the very nature of God which has been given him in baptism, in the divine gift of love.

God…Son: This is the manifestation of God’s love for us: he sent his only Son to live and die among us.

might…him: Through the Incarnation, the coming of God the Son as man among us, we have been made sons of God and heirs of eternal life.

not that we loved God: John is stressing the gratuitousness of God’s love for us. He loved us when we were incapable of loving him; even before we existed. His Son died for us while we were still sinners. As St. Paul says: “for someone really worthy a man might be prepared to die—but what proves that God loves us is that Christ died for us while we were still sinners” (Rom. 5:7-8).

It is told that when St. John was too old and feeble to say Mass, he insisted on being carried to the Church on Sundays to preach to the congregation. Sunday after Sunday his sermon consisted of one short sentence: “Little children, love one another.” After some weeks of this repetition, the presiding priest had the courage to say to the Apostle: “Father, could you not say something more?” The answer that he got was: “No, for if they do this they are doing everything.” Undoubtedly the Beloved Disciple was the Apostle of love. His Gospel and Epistles are dominated by the thought of “the Word made flesh,” the mystery of God’s love for us which brought about the Incarnation. Having been made children of God, we must, of course, love God for this gratuitous gift; but the real proof of our love of God is our love for our neighbor.

“He who does not love (his neighbor) does not know God.” This hardly needs proof. If we do know God we know the marvelous thing he has done for us in making us his children and heirs to heaven through the Incarnation, and the natural and supernatural reaction to such knowledge should be the desire to do something for God in return. And God himself through Christ has told us what we can do for him—we can be charitable toward his little ones, our fellow children of God on earth. Everything kind and good we do for them, we are doing it for himself, he tells us (Mt. 25:40).

Therefore, we are expected, and what is more, we are commanded, to love all God’s children. This is the way in which the good God allows us to make some little return for all he has done for us. Generous souls would not need a commandment, they would rejoice at the opportunity of doing something for God, but most of us are not too given to generosity, and so God has given us a commandment to do our duty. On the fulfilling of that commandment our own eternal welfare will depend. “I was hungry and you fed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick, I was in prison, and you visited me; well done good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of the Lord.”

These are words we all would like to hear when called to judgement. We shall hear them if we keep our part of the contract. If we carry out the spiritual and corporal works of mercy, whenever and wherever we can, we need have no fear about God doing his part. We may not have much of this world’s goods, and we may not be able therefore to help our neighbor much in his bodily needs, but we can help him with our prayers, with words of consolation and encouragement. There is a little poem on kindness written by Father Faber which brings out what a help even the poorest of us can be to his neighbor, if only true charity inspires us. It runs like this:

“It was but a sunny smile and little it cost in the giving, But it scattered the night like the morning light, And made the day worth living.

It was only a kindly word, a word that was easily spoken, But it was not in vain for it chilled the pain, Of a heart that was nearly broken.

It was but a helping hand and it seemed of little availing, But its clasp was warm and it saved from harm, A brother whose strength was failing.”

Which of us is so poor in spirit, so weak in charity, that he cannot give a sunny smile to his neighbor whenever he meets him, or speak a kind word to someone in need of consoling, or give a helping hand, be it ever so little, to one in greater need than himself?

GOSPEL: John 15:9-17.

Jesus said to his disciples, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide; so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. This I command you, to love one another.”

Today’s verses are a continuation of last Sunday’s quotation from Our Lord’s Last Supper discourse to his disciples on Holy Thursday night. In last Sunday’s Gospel, Our Lord used the image of the vine and the branches to describe the intimate association between himself and his followers that was necessary if his disciples were to produce fruit for eternal life. Today, Our Lord urges his followers to abide in his love and to love one another. This love for neighbor must have as its model and exemplar Christ’s love for his disciples, which made him lay down his life for them. The disciples are not Christ’s servants but his intimate associates: they will bear lasting fruit in their life work if they trust in God and are motivated by true love of God and neighbor.

As the Father has loved me: The Father loves the Son with an infinite love. As God, Christ’s love for his followers (represented by the disciples) is infinite; as man, it is as complete as human love can be.

if…commandments: God’s commandments were Christ’s also. Keeping the commandment’s is man’s way of proving his love for Christ.

I have…commandments: As man, he obeyed every wish and command of the Father in every detail, “not my will but thine be done.”

greater…friends: There is nothing greater that a man can do for those he loves than to give his life for them. Christ did this.

servant…know: His relationship with his disciples was not that of master and servant, for he had brought them into the intimacy of the divine family. He had revealed the Father to them during his years with them; he had made them adopted sons of the Father.

I chose you: Their vocation was Christ’s free gift to them. He chose them, not they him.

bear fruit: That fruit for heaven was the number of their brothers who would be brought to eternal life. This fruit will last forever.

ask…name: He is their (and our) mediator with God. All our petitions to the Father, made through him, will be answered because by his life, death and resurrection he has earned for us all spiritual and, where necessary for the spiritual, temporal rewards.

This I command you: Christ ends by repeating the second of the greatest commandments: love of neighbor.

It is only a few weeks since Good Friday when we commemorated the agonizing death of Christ on Mount Calvary. This was an excruciating, shameful death even for hardened criminals who deserved it. But for our loving Savior, the innocent lamb of God, one who had never offended God or neighbor, it was something of which the whole human race should be ashamed forever. What caused Christ that torment and death on the cross was our sins, the sins of all mankind and not the spite and hatred of his Jewish opponents, who were only instruments in the tragedy. Atonement had to be made to God for the sins of the world, so that men could reach the eternal inheritance which the Incarnation made available to them. However, not all the acts of the entire human race could make a sufficient atonement to God. A sacrifice, an expiation of infinite value was needed. The death of the Son of God in his human nature was alone capable of making such an expiation.

That Christ willingly accepted crucifixion for our sakes, that he gave the greatest proof of love which the world has ever known, by laying down his life for his friends, did not make his sufferings any less, did not ease any of the pains of Calvary. His agony in the Garden before his arrest shows this: he foresaw all the tortures and pains which he was to undergo and sweated blood at the thought of what awaited him. But he was to keep his Father’s commandment: “not my will but thine be done.” We Christians must have hearts of stone, hearts devoid of all sense of gratitude, when we forget what Christ has done for us and deliberately offend him! Alas, this is what all of us do sometimes, and many of us do all the time. Christ died to bring us to heaven but we tell him, by our sins, that he was wasting his time. We do not want to go to heaven, we are making our happiness here!

How far can human ingratitude and thanklessness go? Christ told us, through the disciples on Holy Thursday night, that he had made us his friends, his intimates. We are no longer servants in the household, who merely earn their daily wage and have no intimacy with the family and no hope of ever sharing in the family possessions. Instead, we have been adopted into the family by Christ becoming man, we have been guaranteed all the rights of children: intimacy with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and the future sharing in the eternal happiness of that divine household. Christ’s Incarnation made us God’s children; Christ’s death on the cross removed sin. Sin is the one obstacle that could prevent us reaching our eternal inheritance.

Because God gave us a free will we can in a moment of folly, a moment of madness really, deprive ourselves of the privileges and possessions which Christ has made available to us. We can choose to exchange an eternity of happiness for a few fleeting years of self-indulgence on earth. We can fling Christ’s gift of love back in his face and tell him we don’t want it. God forbid that we should ever act like this, that we should ever forget God’s purpose in creating us. It is a marvelous thing to be alive, if we have hope in a future life. If nothing awaited us but the grave, then to live on this earth, which is a valley of sorrow and tears for the vast majority, would be the cruelest of jests. But of this we need have no fear. Life on earth is but a short prelude to our real existence. If we use this brief period as Christ has told us how to use it, death for us will be the passage into the eternal mansions. Be grateful to God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, love the Blessed Trinity; prove your love by loving your fellow man. By doing this you are fulfilling the whole law and the prophets; and you are assuring yourself of the place in heaven which Christ has won for you.

Imitate St. John of Avila

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Pope Benedict XVI met on May 10 with students and faculty from the Pontifical Spanish College in Rome, which is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its current foundation.

Remembering the many Spanish priests who have been trained at the Roman institution, the Holy Father said that the proper formation of clerics is a critical challenge for the Church. He encouraged the students to give top priority to their own spiritual lives, saying: “You can not bring Christ to your brethren, nor can you find Him in the poor and the sick,” said Pope Benedict, “if you do not discover Him first in fervent and constant prayer.”

The Pope reminded his Spanish visitors that he will soon formally declare their countryman, St. John of Avila, a Doctor of the Church. He encouraged them all to imitate the saint’s example, saying: “His profound knowledge of Holy Scripture, the Fathers, the Councils, liturgy and sound theology, accompanied by his faithful and filial love for the Church, made him a true renovator at a difficult time in
ecclesiastical history.”

John of Avila

 

DEVOLVING OBAMA

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Both Vice-President Joseph Biden and President Barack Obama have said that their positions regarding same-sex marriage have evolved. When you are “evolving,” you should really watch your grammar. Otherwise, people might suspect you are devolving instead.

Take for instance, the hapless Joe Biden’s pronouncement of why he supports same-sex marriage. It’s all a matter of “who do you love.” His statement is both substantively and grammatically incorrect. It should, of course, be “whom do you love”. “You” is the subject and “whom” is the object of the verb “love.” Biden’s grammatical error reveals the problem with same-sex marriage. It has two subjects without an object.

What is the object of marriage? It is for two to become one flesh. Anatomically and morally, only a man and a woman can do this. Only spousal love is properly sexual for only it provides for the protection of that at which the marital act aims both in its unitive and procreative senses.

But what about “love”? Isn’t it a bit mean-spirited not to allow people who love each other to get married, even if they are of the same gender? Love always seeks the well-being of the loved one. This is true in all sorts of love, whether between parents and children, between children themselves, or between friends. Sexualizing the love in these relationships would be profoundly mistaken since none of these loving relationships is or could be spousal in character.

Therefore, sex between parents and children, between siblings, or between unmarried friends, or between friends of the same gender is objectively disordered and will inflict harm on the parties involved no matter how they “feel.” This is the opposite of seeking the loved one’s well-being.

Biden is now telling the country that this is not so – that if one man loves another man, sexualizing that love in the form of an act of sodomy is not only not harmful, but provides a sound moral basis for marriage. That is why Biden is in favour of sanctifying sodomy.

How does one evolve into this curious position? One undertakes what Nietzsche called the transvaluation of values. In other words, you take Christianity and dump it on its head and turn it into its opposite, while calling it the same thing. Let’s consider how President Obama “evolved” in this way. On September 25, 2004, Obama said:

“I’m a Christian. And so, although I try not to have my religious beliefs dominate or determine my political views on this issue, I do believe that tradition, and my religious beliefs say that marriage is something sanctified between a man and a woman.”

Indeed, that is what Christianity teaches. One wonders what in Christianity is inconsistent with his political views. How are his political views formed? Are they consistent with moral philosophy? Is the judgment of moral philosophy, as in a work like Aristotle’s The Ethics or in Socrates’ condemnation of sodomy, inconsistent with Christian teaching on same-sex marriage? Why doesn’t Obama’s moral reasoning lead him in the same direction as his Christian faith?

In his book The Audacity of Hope, Obama gives us a clue. He writes that:

“Implicit in [the Constitution's] structure, in the very idea of ordered liberty, was a rejection of absolute truth, the infallibility of any idea or ideology or theology or ‘ism,’ and any tyrannical consistency that might block future generations into a single, unalterable course…”

In other words, truth leads to tyranny. Truth does not set you free; it imprisons. Moral relativism sets you free. Then you can do what you want.

But it is absurd for him to say that the Founders of the United States did not believe in absolute truths. Had this been so, there would have been no Declaration of Independence (“we hold these truths…”) and no Constitution. Obama is reading his own moral relativism back into the document and then trying to use it to legitimize the very opposite of what it proclaims.

Here is another example. On January 28, 2010, during a town hall meeting at the University of Tampa, Obama said:

“My belief is that a basic principle in our Constitution is that if you’re obeying the law, if you’re following the rules, that you should be treated the same, regardless of who you are. I think that principle applies to gay and lesbian couples.”

Only a moral relativist would or could read same-sex marriage back into the Constitution. What Obama is really proposing to do is change the rules so that those who are not following them can have their own special set of rules. So, in the name of equality before the law – a sound constitutional principle – he denies equality before the law.

This all leads to Obama’s striking statement on Wednesday, May 9. Here it is with the personal pronouns italicized:

“I have to tell you that over the course of several years as I have talked to friends and family and neighbours when I think about members of my own staff who are in incredibly committed monogamous relationships, same-sex relationships, who are raising kids together, when I think about those soldiers or airmen or marines or sailors who are out there fighting on my behalf and yet feel constrained, even now that “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” is gone, because they are not able to commit themselves in a marriage, at a certain point I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married.”

Ten personal pronouns or the word “my” in one sentence. That is an impressive feat of solipsism that undergirds the moral relativism that authorizes what “is important for me” as the standard by which to judge what is right and wrong. Abraham Lincoln said that there is no right to do what is wrong. Obama and Biden are complicit in making a wrong a “right.”

The transvaluation of values requires more than the denial of objective morality. It requires that the negation – the transvaluation – becomes the new religion. It is the sanctification of nihilism, the Church of Nada. It needs to be sacramentalized, as in same-sex marriage. That is why Obama and Biden insist upon it.

Listen to this final, breathtaking part of Obama’s rationalization. Just as he used the Constitution to justify its opposite, he now employs Christianity in the same way. Christianity, which has unambiguously condemned sodomy for more than 2000 years, is enlisted to endorse it:

“The thing at root that we think about is, not only Christ sacrificing himself on our behalf, but it’s also the golden rule – you know, treat others the way you would want to be treated. And I think that’s what we try to impart to our kids, and that’s what motivates me as president.”

After all, Christ died to make the world safe for sodomy…

In other words, if you would like your moral misbehaviour to be rationalized, you should be willing to rationalize the moral misbehaviour of others. That way, we are all equal. That’s equal opportunity. This is Obama’s new golden rule. The transvaluation of values is complete.

Fear for the Republic. For the truths for which it stands have been taken away by this president.

Robert Reilly has worked in foreign policy, the military, and the arts. His most recent book is The Closing of the Muslim Mind: How Intellectual Suicide Created the Modern Islamist Crisis.

Evolving Obama

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Is anyone honestly surprised that President Obama has announced his support for same-sex marriage?

The timing may be a bit unexpected; Obama might have preserved a bit of ambiguity about his stance until after the November elections. But when he said that his views were “evolving”—after having stated 4 years ago that he could not support same-sex marriage—everyone knew in which direction they would evolve. This is clearly a case of “directed” evolution, in which fashionable public opinion among American intellectuals substitutes for “intelligent design.”

Or maybe an entirely different force is at work. Maybe Obama’s position represents a victory for “survival of the fittest,” insofar as his re-election campaign has concluded that open endorsement of same-sex marriage will be a net political gain. By throwing his support to the gay-rights movement, the President will ensure even more enthusiastic support from a large and very effective lobby. Homosexual activists were already likely to vote for him, but now they will be campaigning (and donating) vigorously for him as well. And the President’s announcement costs him very little, politically speaking. Anyone seriously opposed to same-sex marriage was already a near-certainty to vote for his Republican opponent, because everyone already knew where his “evolving” progress would eventually take him.

5th-Sunday of Easter-Paul, the Lion of God, enters the scene

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FIRST READING: Acts 9:26-31.

When Saul had come to Jerusalem he attempted to join the disciples; and they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. And he spoke and disputed against the Hellenists; but they were seeking to kill him. And when the brethren knew it, they brought him down to Caesarea, and sent him off to Tarsus.

So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was built up; and walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit it was multiplied.

Saul, who later changed his name to Paul, was born of Jewish parents in Tarsus in Cicilia. He came to Jerusalem as a youth to study the Law (of Moses) and become a rabbi. He had qualified as a rabbi about the year that Jesus was crucified. He took a firm stand against the young Christian Church, looking on it as an heretical sect which had to be crushed. Having harassed the Christians in Jerusalem, he set out for Damascus to arrest and bring to Jerusalem any Christians he found there. On the road to Damascus he was converted by a vision of the Risen Christ. Having spent some time in Damascus preaching to the Jews of the city that Jesus was the Son of God, he paid his first visit to Jerusalem, This visit is the subject of today’s reading.

join the disciples: Saul wanted to join with the Christians of Jerusalem at their prayers and meetings, but, remembering too well his past conduct in the city, they did not trust him, for they thought he had not become a disciple of Christ, but was there to spy on them.

Barnabas…apostles: Barnabas, a man of standing in the church in Jerusalem (Acts 4:32-37). was convinced that Saul had become a sincere Christian. He, therefore, introduced him to the Apostles, telling them about Saul’s conversion on the road to Damascus when “the Lord spoke to him,” and about his great work for the spread of the Christian faith in Damascus. Barnabas could have had contacts with Damascus and heard of the conversion and work of Saul there, and could even have had confirmation of this from Saul himself.

went…them: The result of Barnabas’ intervention was that Saul was fully accepted by the Christians in Jerusalem.

against the Hellenists: Jerusalem had many Jews who had been born outside of Palestine and spoke only Greek. These were called Hellenists. Paul was a native speaker of Greek, and was well qualified to argue about Christ with them, which he did.

seeking…him: Not all of these Hellenists were willing to accept Christ. Some, unable to answer his arguments, were planning to put him to death. They probably knew his past history and looked on him as a traitor, and traitors, they thought, deserved death. The other Apostles had not been Pharisees or rabbis, and so were not as guilty, in their eyes, as Saul.

Caesarea…Tarsus: To save him from death by stoning, the death Stephen suffered a few years previously (Acts 6 and 7), the Christians of Jerusalem saw him safely to the port of Caesarea in Palestine, from whence he went by ship to Tarsus, his native town.

church…built up: The open persecution of the Christians during the first years seems to have ceased. The leaders of the Jews may have grown tired of arrests and trials, or perhaps they had paid heed to the wise words of one of their members, Gamaliel, who said at one of their trial sessions: “If this enterprise (Christianity) is of human origin it will break up of its own accord; but if it does in fact come from God you will not only be unable to destroy them (the Christians) but you might find yourself fighting against God” (Acts 5:39). Whatever the reason, the Christians in Jerusalem were allowed to live in peace. Their numbers increased daily, not only in Jerusalem but throughout Judea, Samaria and Galilee, that is, in all of Palestine.

walking…Lord: This is living the full Christian life, giving offense to neither God nor man.

comfort…Spirit: The visible effects of the descent of the Holy Spirit in baptism on the converted were there to strengthen and encourage the Christians and to attract other converts. Hence the great growth of the Church.
Although the verses of today’s reading, taken from the Acts of the Apostles, begin with Saul and his first visit to Jerusalem, the point of interest for us is the growth and marvelous spread of the Christian faith among the Jews of Palestine. “The Church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was built up.” If we were dealing with human achievement and human endeavor only, we would have an incredible story in those few words. During his public life of over two years Christ had traveled around Palestine. He had worked many miracles, but evidently these were soon forgotten. He had stated that he was the promised Messiah, but very few, if any, believed him. On many occasions he had referred to his sonship with the Father, but even his disciples did not grasp that. The leaders of the Jews were against him from the very beginning, and the people followed their leaders. Like their leaders, the Jews of that day were looking not for a spiritual kingdom after death, but a prosperous, wealthy kingdom here on earth in their own lifetime. So, with the few exceptions, all his calls to repentance and to love of God and neighbor fell on deaf ears. His death at the hands of his enemies was the last straw—that proved the absurdity of his claims to be the Messiah and the Son of God.

Yet what do we find a few years later, after the apparent failure of Calvary? Thousands of those same Jews who ignored or derided Jesus while he was amongst them were becoming his fervent followers and ardent admirers. They were spreading his teaching among their neighbors. There is no natural explanation for such a change of attitude in a whole people. There is, of course, a supernatural explanation for this change of mind: the Resurrection. This fact alone explains the change of outlook on the part of thousands of Jews: this alone explains the fearless courage of the Apostles—the one-time timid group who huddled in an upper room behind locked doors “for fear of the Jews.” Now they were confronting the very Sanhedrin in their stronghold, preaching the Risen Christ in the streets of Jerusalem and throughout the land of Palestine. Their power of working miracles, and the visible assistance of the Holy Spirit was moving not only the ordinary laity but many of the priests and leaders in Jerusalem itself to accept Christ and Christianity (see Acts 6:7).

This fact, the resurrection of Christ, is the very foundation stone of our Christian religion. If it had not happened, no Jew would have been converted in Palestine, no Apostle would have the foolhardiness to preach of one who had failed. The Church which Christ promised would have been stillborn and would never have survived. But it did exist and it spread. It is still in existence and will be, as long as men are on earth who must be directed to heaven.

The resurrection of Christ is not only the solid basis of our faith, it is also the guarantee for us that we too shall rise, in glorified bodies like his, one day. That day will be our real birthday, the day we are born to unending life. Let us thank God for his love and mercy; he could have ignored us and left us to our fate, but his infinite love did not let him do so. His goodness moved him to share his eternal happiness. That we shall do, if we do what is asked of us while we are here below. When the crosses of life come our way (and who can avoid them?), let us grasp them firmly. We want, and we hope, to be like the Risen Christ hereafter; we shall if we, like him, carry our cross cheerfully whenever he asks us to do so.

Second ReadingSECOND READING: 1 John 3:18-24.

Little children, let us not love in word or speech but in deed and in truth. By this we shall know that we are of the truth, and reassure our hearts before him whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. And this is his commandment that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as be has commanded us. All who keep his commandments abide in him, and he in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit which he had given us.

See Second Sunday of Easter for an explanation of the First Epistle of John. In today’s seven verses, the Beloved Disciple is urging his readers, and all Christians, to believe firmly in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and to love their neighbor with a practical love, a love which will help him in his corporal and spiritual needs.

not…in deed: Our love of God and neighbor must prove itself by good deeds. Actions, not declarations, are needed.

we…truth: Our charity—love of God and neighbor—alone will prove to us that we have the true faith of Christ, that we are children of God.

reassure our hearts: “hearts” stands for conscience here. If a Christian has doubts about the sincerity of his faith, his practice of true charity should reassure him. He may have some defects but:

God…hearts: God’s mercy and love are infinite; where one has true charity, his smaller offenses will be generously forgiven—”charity covers a multitude of sins.”

he knows everything: Because of his infinite knowledge God is certainly better able to examine our consciences than we ourselves are.

confidence before God: The Christian whose conscience tells him that he is living in true faith and charity can feel assured that God will answer all his lawful requests for divine grace and help.

keep his commandments: To keep God’s commandments is to please God, and when God is pleased with us he will, like a kind Father, help us on our way to heaven.

believe…name: This means to accept Jesus for what he is, not the Messiah only, but the true Son of God himself. This has been the foundation-stone of the Christian religion from its very beginning.

love one another: Fraternal charity for all our fellow men was the command of Christ and the proof of the sincerity of Christians: “By this will all men know that you are my disciples if you have love one for another” (Jn. 13:35).

abide in him: All who keep Christ’s commandments are assured of continued communion with God.

by the Spirit: The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Blessed Trinity, dwells in the Christian who is loyal and true to God. The effects of the presence of the Holy Spirit were especially noticeable in the early Church. Wherever the Holy Spirit is, there also are the Father and the Son.

The sincere, active faith and charity which St. John demanded of the first and second generation of Christians in Asia Minor is still demanded of all of us today. Nineteen centuries have elapsed since John wrote that letter, but the essence of the Christian faith has not changed in all those years. If anything, the need today for a living faith, that is, a faith lived daily, and an active charity, is greater than it was in the first century after Christ. The opponents of the Christian faith (the unbelievers, the Agnostics and the humanists) are more numerous in our world today than they were then in Asia Minor. What these opponents of our faith need is not rhetoric or apologetics or logical argument but the living example of sincere Christians. There is far too much counterfeit Christianity—a nominal adherence to Christ—while he and everything he taught are denied in practice. Perhaps, therefore, unbelievers and others have some excuse today for despising the Christian religion.

But what they are despising is the counterfeit, the false currency, which is being passed around as Christianity. Some of them, it is true, may not accept the real faith if it is put before them in the lives of true Christians, but many will, and we have, therefore, a grave obligation to put it before them. Instead of denouncing atheistic communism, humanism, and all the other substitutes for the truth which men have invented, let us show them the truth by living it to the full. Let us convince them that the future life which God has planned for us, and made available to us through his divine Son Jesus, is a fact of which we are certain and for which we are ready to sacrifice every earthly power, pleasure and gain. If we are true Christians we must desire and hope that all our fellow men will become obedient to God, for this is God’s desire. That is why his divine Son became man. But, as St. John tells us today, it is not enough to desire and hope for this blessing for all our neighbors, we must show our true desire “in deed and in truth.”

This we shall do if we ourselves live up to the teaching of our Christian faith. There are many historical explanations for the loss of the true faith in many of the once Christian nations of the Western world, but the basic cause is the lack of a living, active faith and charity in those who by their position, education and influence were the leaders of the people. The “isms” of today, the substitutes for true religion, would never take root in a truly Christian soil; they took root and they spread where Christianity was but a name, or worse still a veneer which covered injustice and corruption.

We Christians owe a debt of reparation to all lapsed Christians. We have a grave obligation to bring our brothers who have been led astray by lax and false Christians back on the true road to heaven. Let us begin today to put our own house in order. Let us see to it that our conscience is right with God and resolve to keep it so. Then we can hope to exercise a quiet but effective influence on our neighbors who have wandered off the highway. Christ told his followers to let their light (of faith and good works) shine before men. If we have not been doing so let us begin today. There are millions groping in the darkness of spiritual despair; we can light their way to God. In God’s name let us do so!
GOSPEL: John 15:1-8.

Jesus said to his disciples, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch of mine that bears no fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes that it may bear more fruit. You are already made clean by the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me, I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If a man does not abide in me, he is cast forth as a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples.”

Today’s excerpt from St. John’s Gospel is part of the long discourse Our Lord delivered to the Apostles at the Last Supper. It was in the form of a farewell address delivered on the eve of his death. Its purpose was to console and strengthen them to face the ordeals of the coming days. He told them not to be troubled, but to trust in God. Where he was going they would follow him later. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. He is in the Father and the Father is in him, “if you knew me you would know the Father too.” His death will not be the end; he will still live, and they too shall live. His life is not being taken from him, he is laying it down in obedience to his Father. Keeping his commandments will be the proof that they love him: “and anybody who loves me will be loved by my Father” (Jn. 14).

Christ goes on (in chapter 15) to describe the intimate union that must exist between him and his followers, under the image of a vine and its branches. His Father is the vinedresser who will encourage the good and cut off the useless branches. The fruit produced by the vine and branches, by Christ and his followers, will be to God’s eternal glory.

I am…vine: The image of a vine or a vineyard to represent the Chosen People of God was often used in the Old Testament (Is. 5:1-7; Jer. 2:21; Ez. 15; Ps. 80:9-16). Here Christ says that he and his followers will form the new Chosen People. He is the true vine, the vine that will bear fruit; the Old Testament was only a shadow, a type of what was to come.

Father…vinedresser: Christ frequently stresses that he is only the instrument used by his Father. His success as a vine depends on his Father who planted the good vine and cares for it.

takes away: Useless branches are lopped off, the fruit-bearing branches are pruned so that they will produce more fruit.

clean…spoken: The revelation of God, which he has already given to them, has pruned them, that is, cleansed them from useless growths.

abide in me: As branches, they will wither and die unless they remain attached, that is, united with, the vine.

apart…nothing: No purely human act can have any salutary value, any value for eternal life, but if it is done under the influence of grace, then it can and is effective. Christ, by his Incarnation, death and resurrection, opened the channels of divine grace for man. Because of the foreseen merits of Christ, the effects of the Incarnation were retroactive and grace was obtainable before he came.

cast…withers: If they persevere in this sinful attitude Christ’s followers who fail in their duty will be cut off from the life-giving vine and must of necessity wither and die (spiritually).

ask…will: The follower of Christ, who is in intimate union with him, will have every request he makes in prayer granted. Such a Christian’s prayer will always be according to the will of God.

my Father is glorified: The followers of Christ will add to God’s external glory by the good works they do and the fruit they produce. They will produce such fruits only because they are united to the vine who is Christ. They are his true disciples. Through him they glorify the Father.

The words of consolation and encouragement which Our Lord spoke to his Apostles on Holy Thursday night were intended to console and encourage all his followers for all time. They encourage and console us today, and we need encouragement to persevere on the road to heaven. Living a truly Christian life is never easy. We have always the attraction of the world, and the temptations by the agents of evil, to make that life less easy still. But in our own day these difficulties have increased a hundredfold. The attractions of this world have been multiplied by the increased comforts, pleasures and means of self indulgence which science and technology have put within our reach. Human nature, always inclined to choose the easiest way out, has been given so many means of escape from the strain of self-control that even for a fervent Christian it is frequently very difficult to avoid these worldly allurements.

Having the ordinary comforts of life and the possession of some of this world’s goods is not wrong or anti-Christian, but the natural temptation is to get more and more of these comforts and riches, and the point is soon reached where this becomes the only purpose in life. When this sad stage is arrived at God and our future life are forgotten; this world becomes our idol and our prison. The temptations which the agents of evil put in Christ’s way are also multiplied today. The communications media are now very technically improved and perfected and can be, and sometimes are, a means for good. Unfortunately more frequently they are the channels of bad example. The evil deeds of men have more “news value” than their good deeds. And it is so much easier to follow the bad example! Permissiveness, rejection of authority, glorification of unlawful sexual indulgence, drug addiction, and other such crimes are placed before the minds and the eyes of the youth of today, and are unfortunately copied by far too many.

It is indeed hard to swim against the current; it is so much more pleasant to allow oneself to be carried along without effort by the rushing tide. But when there are rocks and shoals ahead, the thoughtless and ease-seeking swimmer will end in grief. Our Lord has warned us today, as he warned his first followers, to abide in him, to remain closely united with him, as is the branch to the vine, if we hope to bear fruit worthy of heaven. He promises us that if we remain closely united to him, that is, if we strive daily to keep his commandments, he will be ever ready to answer our requests, and to heed all our prayers. The sincere prayer today of every man who is trying to lead a Christian life is for the grace to overcome the allurements of the world, the flesh and the devil. Let us take courage, then. Christ has promised to remain beside us during life if only we stay close to him. While we remain healthy branches of the vine, Christ, we will be on the road to heaven. Our daily tasks, our work as well as our prayer, our recreations as well as our rest, our joys as well as our sorrows, will give glory to God and prove that we are worthy to be called disciples of Christ.-b189
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Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year B

Citations of
Ac 9,26-31: www.clerus.org/bibliaclerusonline/en/9bdsyni.htm
1Io 3,18-24: www.clerus.org/bibliaclerusonline/en/9a3mn2c.htm
Io 15,1-8: www.clerus.org/bibliaclerusonline/en/9abtnio.htm

The readings we hear today penetrate us and draw us more closely into the new reality inaugurated by the incarnation, death and resurrection of Christ.

“I am the true vine” (Jn 15: 1-8). By describing Himself with the biblical image of the vine, Jesus recalls the true identity of Israel as the people chosen and elected by God from among the nations. He is also describing the relationship between Himself and the disciples. Like the branches of the vine, so the disciples belong to Christ in an almost ‘organic’ way, as Pope Benedict said in Berlin in 2011. This belonging expresses our dependence on the Lord and His emotional identification with us. The vine is one with each of its branches, and each branch extends the presence of the vine in the world.

Why is Christ the ‘true vine’ and why are we his ‘branches’? It is because God is waiting on humanity to bear fruit, even though our sin means we are unable to offer anything other than inedible stones. The Son of God, however, was made flesh to present to the Father the fruit long awaited – the good wine of love and obedience, and to include each of us in that true love.

The words of Jesus in the readings suggest another reflection. In order to “bear much fruit” and to obtain whatever we ask him, the Lord makes a condition: He asks that we remain in Him and that “my words remain in you”. What does it mean to remain in the Lord? In what sense can His words remain in us?

St John answers the first question in the second reading. “Whoever keeps his commandments lives in God and God lives in him. We know that he lives in us by the Spirit that he has given us,” (1 Jn 3:24) We can dwell in God, abiding in Christ, because Christ has already included us in His relationship with the Father. This link does not depend on us, but is a gift freely given once and for all in Baptism and deepened in the Eucharist. “We know that he lives in us by the Spirit that he has given us.” Encouraged by this relationship with Christ, we are able to keep the commandments, not as the price we must pay in order to be loved, but as the fruit, which because He loves us, we are now able to offer.

In what sense must his words remain in us? It certainly isn’t in an intellectual sense. It is not enough that His words remain in us as simply a series of concepts. The words of Christ are not reducible to concepts nor are they simple words written down so that they may be memorised.

Christ’s words are much more than this. They are reality! They are what Jesus, risen and living, communicates to us daily in the Church, in those sometimes unexpected encounters in which he makes the truth and beauty of His presence noticeable. These are the words through which He reaches us and indicates to us the way forward. These words become companions to us on our journey and witness to our belonging to Christ because we have been called by Him and loved by Him.

It is this understanding of Christ’s words which St Paul encountered when He met the Risen Lord on the road to Damascus. He encountered them also with Ananias and in his Baptism, and in his friendship with Barnabas, who spoke for him and calmed the fears of the Christian community towards him. Paul encountered them ultimately in the love of the same community, which in the face of the attacks by the Greek-speaking Jews sent him to safety in Tarsus.

In each of these experiences of the words of Christ, we hear again Jesus’s love for us and we are strengthened in this love. Let us ask Mary who recalled all these things and who pondered them in her heart that we might be granted the gift of remembering, because every word of the Lord can change us into what He wants us to be, so that He can present us to the Father at the end of time as “holy and blameless before Him in love” (Eph. 1.4). Amen!