…And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4: 12

Posted on April 29, 2012 by John Brian Schuettler

El Greco‘s depiction of Pentecost, with tongues of fire and a dove representing the Holy Spirit’s descent.

4th SUNDAY OF EASTER

FIRST READING: Acts 4:8-12.

Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a cripple, by what means this man has been healed, be it known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by him this man is standing before you well. This is the stone which was rejected by you builders, but which has become the head of the corner. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

This excerpt from Acts is a sequence of what was described in last Sunday’s first reading. Peter had cured a cripple-from-birth. He told the people that it was not by his own power that he did this, but through the power of Jesus of Nazareth, whom the Jews had, in ignorance, crucified. But the God of the Jews had raised Jesus from the dead. While the ordinary Jews were very impressed, and many of them accepted the faith of the Apostles, the leaders, the priests and Pharisees of the Sanhedrin, were anything but pleased. They had Peter and John arrested and kept in prison overnight. Next day they were interrogated and Peter answered for them both.

filled…Spirit: This was as Christ had promised his Apostles while he was still with them: “they will hand you over to the Sanhedrin . . . do not worry . . . the Spirit of your Father will be speaking in you” (Mt. 10:17-20). Before the highest authorities and in the highest courtroom of the Jews in Jerusalem Peter, who only a short while before had locked himself, together with the other Apostles, in the upper room “for fear of the Jews,” now fearlessly proclaims his belief in the Risen Christ.

done…cripple: This was the miracle that started it all. The healed cripple is evidently produced in court—”this man is standing before you healed.”

name…crucified: It was through the power of Jesus that this miracle was worked—through the power of one whom this Sanhedrin had thought was silenced forever when they forced Pilate to crucify him. Peter courageously tells this to the archenemies of Christ and of his followers, and he wants all the Jews of Palestine to hear of it.

whom God raised: Their plan to put an end to Christ was in vain, for God had raised him from the dead.

stone…builders: Peter says that by rejecting Christ as the true Messiah they had fulfilled the messianic prophecy of Psalm 108, verse 22. This stone, rejected by the builders, the leaders of the Jews, has become the cornerstone which would unite firmly the two walls of the house, the Gentiles and the Jews.

salvation…else: There is only one Savior, one Messiah, sent by God.

no other name: “Name” stands for person, and also the name Jesus, or Joshua in Hebrew, means “God saves.” There is no salvation for those who will not accept and follow Jesus.

As clear and logical as was this discourse of Peter, and moved as he was by the Holy Spirit to deliver it, it fell on deaf ears as far as the vast majority in that Jewish high court was concerned. They had long since desired a political Messiah who would set up a worldwide kingdom for them. Not only did they want to be free from the hated Romans, but they were ambitious to govern all the Gentile nations. Their ambitions and desires were of this world—worldly. Christ’s talk of repentance, mortification, and preparation for the world to come found no responsive chord in their hearts. He was not the Messiah they wanted; hence he was an impostor, a perverter of the people, and so they called on the hated Romans to nail him to a cross.

Now his followers were claiming that God had proved that he was the Messiah and, what was more, that he was divine, by raising him from the dead. They were working miracles to back up this claim, and surely it is well known that God does not work miracles for impostors and sinners (see Jn. 9:31). The reasonable attitude for them to take, even at this late hour, would surely have been to check the evidence. But no, they had already made up their minds and would not change them. No evidence could shift the wall of personal pride which they themselves had built. “There is none so blind as he who will not see,” was surely verified in the case of the leaders of the Jews.

Let us leave their judgement to God and turn our scrutiny on ourselves and on our acceptance of Christ. Do we ever allow temporal interests and worldly ambitions to come between us and our Savior? Are all our dealings with our neighbor strictly according to the commandments of God? Do we ever succumb to the temptation to make an easy dollar to the detriment of our neighbor, forgetting our Christian obligations? If we are employers, do we pay our workers a just wage and respect their rights as fellow men? If we are workers, do we work honestly and fairly, giving a right return for the wages paid us? Do we accept all men as our brothers, as sons of God, who like ourselves are on the road to heaven, and are we always ready to give them a helping hand when and if they need it? Finally, are we, by our faithful observance of the Christian life, a lamp shining brightly, helping the many unfortunate ex-Christians who have left the path of Christ to return to their Savior and to the true road to heaven?

“There is no other name under heaven by which we can be saved.” We Christians are dedicated to the sacred name of Jesus Christ by baptism, but it is only those who live up to the obligations of their Christian baptism who are worthy to bear that name and to share in the eternal salvation which it guarantees.

SECOND READING: 1 John 3:1-2.

See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now; it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

St. John here sets out in a couple of sentences the basic effect of the incarnation. Already in this life men are made children of God. Because we are God’s children here below we shall see him as he is in the future life.love…given us: The infinite love of God is beyond the comprehension of our finite minds. Why should God love us since he does not need us? Our love has always something of the selfish in it; that is, even we find it difficult to recognize absolutely unselfish love.

called children of God: “Called,” because we are. God decided, before creating us, to share his own eternal home with us—to adopt us. To do this he decreed the Incarnation of his Son: “Yes, God loved the world (mankind) so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not be lost but have eternal life” (Jn. 3:16). By joining our human nature to his divine person Christ united us all in a special relationship to God the Father. We are the adopted children of God, as John emphatically says.

would…know us: Christians need not be surprised that the world, that is, the forces of evil in the world, does not recognize them nor show any inclination to imitate or respect them, for this world (of evil) treats God in the same manner.

God’s…now: Already on this earth we are numbered among God’s adopted children. This we realize only through faith. When this life is over we shall have a more direct and intimate knowledge of our good fortune.

when he appears: John is referring to this perfect stage of our sonship here. When the Parousia, or the second coming of Christ, takes place, we too shall be glorified like Christ. We shall be raised to a higher supernatural state.

we shall…he is: Referring to God the Father, John says that in our glorified state we shall see God “as he is.” St. Paul expresses the same truth thus: “For our knowledge (of God) now is imperfect . . . once perfection comes all imperfect things will disappear . . . Now we are seeing a dim reflection in a mirror (the bronze mirrors used in those days) but then we shall be seeing face to face. The knowledge that I have now is imperfect, but then I shall know as fully as I am known” (1 Cor. 13:12). After our resurrection we shall see God as he is, face to face.

During this holy season of Easter, while our thoughts center on the glorious Christ who rose from the dead and returned to heaven, our thoughts should follow him there, and dwell for a while on that happy place for which we were prepared by God and elevated by the Incarnation of his divine Son. St. John gives us a little glimpse of that future home of ours in today’s reading: we shall be glorified like the Risen Christ, he tells us, and we shall see God as he is, not through the veil of faith as we now see him, but in reality. In another book, “Revelation,” John gives us a further glimpse into the heaven which awaits us: “Behold the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them and they shall be his people and God himself will be with them” as a Father among his children, “he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying, nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away” (Rev. 21:3-4).

Heaven, therefore, as St. John describes it, is a state wherein every happiness a man can desire will be attainable, the vision of the infinitely perfect God is the guarantee of this, and every sadness and cause of sadness will be forever removed. In heaven man will have no sorrow, no pain, no regrets; instead he will have everything that is pleasing, beautiful, and good. We all have experienced some moments of happiness in our lives, moments when everything was going smoothly and happily for us, when we had no pain or sorrow or fear. We knew, however, that these were but fleeting moments, they could not, and they did not, last, for that is of the very nature of our temporary life on earth. In heaven, however, these happy moments will be turned into an eternal state, a state that will have no end.

It is hard for us, in fact it is impossible, to form any complete concept of the joys of heaven. All our ideas, all our images are derived from our earthly surroundings. St. Paul, who was given a vision of heaven, tells us that he could not describe to his converts in Corinth what he had seen, because human language had no words or images to describe it. “I knew a man in Christ,” he says, “who fourteen years ago, was caught up into paradise and heard things which must not and cannot be put into human language” (2 Cor. 12:2-3). That vision of St. Paul, that glimpse of what awaited him, made him willing to sacrifice everything on earth, even his very life, in order to reach the heaven God had prepared for him. “For Christ I have accepted the loss of everything and I look on everything as so much refuse if only I can have Christ and be given a place in him . . . I have not yet won but I am still running, trying to capture the prize for which Christ Jesus captured me” (Phil. 3:8-12).

Without having the privileges which St. John and St. Paul had we have a sufficient idea of heaven to make us all desire it. But, like these Apostles, and all the other millions of saintly men and women, we know that we must “work our passage” to reach that abode of God. We must stay on the path of the Christian commandments, ever ready to count as nothing any earthly thing that would lure us off their path. During our earthly life we must keep God and Christ daily before our eyes if we hope to live in perfect happiness with them in the hereafter.

GOSPEL: John 10:11-18.

Jesus said to his disciples: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hireling and not a shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hireling and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd; I know my own and my own know me, as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep, that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will heed my voice. So there shall be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life, that I may take it again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again; this charge I have received from my Father.”

The Jews were a pastoral people, and it was only natural that their literature, the Old Testament books, should have many references to pastoral life. Our Lord and his Apostles continued this tradition and used pastoral images familiar to the people to illustrate for their hearers the spiritual truths of Christianity. In today’s reading, St. John gives us Our Lord’s description of himself under the well-known image of the good shepherd who not only cares for his flock but is willing to die to protect the life of that flock.

I am…shepherd: He was the owner of the flock; they belonged to him, and he would prove himself a worthy leader and defender of his flock.

lay…life: In those days, wolves, lions and robbers often raided the sheepfolds. The true shepherd should and would defend them with his life. Jesus laid down his life for his flock.

hireling…flees: The hired hand who does not own the sheep will flee when danger threatens. He thinks only of his own safety; he leaves the helpless flock to its fate. It was in Jerusalem, the stronghold of the scribes and Pharisees, that Our Lord preached this sermon. His cure of the man born blind (mentioned in the previous chapter of John) had caused an uproar among the Pharisees. When they could not deny the miracle, they said that Jesus worked it by some demonic power. The blind man, now healed, answered this very tellingly: “We know that God does not hear sinners . . . if this man (Jesus) were not from God he could do nothing” (Jn. 9:31-33). The scribes and Pharisees were the legal shepherds of the Jews, but actually they were far more interested in their own gain and glory than in the spiritual welfare of their flock. The mass of the people were being attracted to Jesus; there was a danger that these leaders would lose their position and the substantial profit it entailed. Hence one of the reasons for their fierce opposition to Jesus. In this sermon, quoted by St. John, Jesus contrasts himself, the true, good shepherd, with these hirelings who were working only for personal gain.

I know my own: As the true shepherd knows every sheep in his flock, and every sheep knows him, Jesus knows each of his followers with a knowledge arising from love, and his followers likewise know him. Unless they do, they are not true followers.

Father…the Father: The mutual knowledge of the Father and Son is infinite, since each is a divine Person. The Christian’s knowledge of Christ can never be infinite, but it can and should be as great as possible. Based on true love, it will be as complete a knowledge as the finite mind is capable of reaching. On the other hand, Christ’s knowledge and love for his followers is infinite because of his divine nature.

I lay…sheep: He said the good shepherd would defend his flock with his life. Now to prove that he is such a shepherd, he states that he is about to do just that.

I have…sheep: Most of the Jews had the erroneous idea that they alone would be God’s flock always, that the messianic kingdom would be for them only. The universality of the promised messianic kingdom was frequently foretold in the Old Testament. Abraham was called to bring a blessing not only on his descendants but on all nations (Gen. 12:3). The Gentiles, therefore, were also to be part of the good shepherd’s flock.

will…voice: This prophecy of Christ began to be fulfilled within a short time after his resurrection. St. Peter received the first Gentile, Cornelius of Caesarea, into the Church within a year of the resurrection. Before the last of the Apostles died, the Church had been firmly established in the principal cities and towns of the Roman Empire.

one flock…shepherd: Allthe followers of Christ form one fold, one Christian Church. As St. Paul puts it to the Colossians: “here (that is, in the Christian Church) there is no Gentile and Jew, no circumcised and uncircumcised, no barbarian and Scythian, no slave and free man; but Christ is all things and in all” (Col. 3:11).

reason…loves me: The Father’s love is poured out upon the Son because, in obedient love, he lays down his life for mankind in fulfillment of the Father’s design.

I may…again: By his death he nailed our sins to the cross; by his resurrection he opened the door from death to heaven for us and proved that he was the Son of God and the Messiah.

no one…from me: He chose death freely, his enemies did not take his life from him (as they thought they were doing) against his will. This freedom is frequently emphasized by Jesus during his public life (17:4, 18:4, 19:30).

this…Father: His voluntary death followed by his glorification in his resurrection was the Father’s purpose in sending him on earth. He freely and willingly accomplished this mission.

The image of Christ as our Good Shepherd has always appealed to human nature. One of the earliest paintings of Christ in the Roman catacombs represents him as carrying an injured sheep on his shoulders. This is a manifestation of love which touches our innermost feelings. We do not mind being likened to sheep in this context. There is something innocent about a sheep, and at the same time a lot of foolishness. Does not this describe the vast majority of men, even many of those who openly oppose Christ? Is there not something very sheep-like about the man who, because God gave him a limited intellect, thinks he knows all things and needs no further help from God? The sheep who thinks it knows as much, and even more, than the shepherd and sets out to fend for itself is no more foolish than the man who thinks he can do without God’s revelation and God’s Church.

Indeed we all act like sheep on many occasions, when it comes to the things that concern our spiritual welfare. We often ramble off from the flock to nibble at little bits of forbidden pasture. However, we have a Shepherd who understands us, one whose patience and love are infinite. He is always ready to go after us when we stray too far; his voice is constantly reaching out to us—in missions, retreats, sicknesses, crosses, and other various ways. How many times have we already felt his loving grace calling and helping us back to the safety of his fold?

There are many who are not so fortunate as we, who either through no fault of their own or through their own fault do not hear his voice and do not know or follow him. This is an opportunity he gives us to show how we appreciate all he has done for us. He died on the cross for all men. He wills all men to profit by his death, and his statement “them also I must bring” is a direct appeal to us to cooperate with him in this work. Every Christian is a missionary. The very fact of living the Christian life in its entirety, in the midst of our fellow man, is of itself a powerful example to outsiders. It influences for good the lax Christian and the non-Christian. It makes them stop and think and look into their consciences. This is generally the first step on the road back to God.

The devout Christian will not stop at good example only. If he truly loves God, he must truly love his neighbor and must want him to have a share in his own good fortune. He knows there is welcome and room in heaven for all men, and he knows that the greater the number there the greater will be God’s eternal glory. He will strive then by every available means to help his neighbor into Christ’s fold.

After good example, prayer will be his most potent weapon. Day in and day out, the devout Christian must pray for the conversion of his fellow men who are wandering aimlessly in the barren desert of this life far from God. He must also learn all he can about the truths of his faith in order to be able to help honest enquirer’s. He must also cooperate with any parochial or diocesan societies for the propagation of the Faith, insofar as his family and financial state allow him.

The sermon preached by our Savior nearly two thousand years ago is still echoing and re-echoing around the world, calling on his faithful flock to do all in their power to help those other children of God who are still outside the fold. Do not shut your ears to this call of Christ today. Give him a helping hand by helping your fellow man to see the light of the true faith.-b182

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Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year B

Citazioni di
Ac 4,8-12: www.clerus.org/bibliaclerusonline/en/9ammlod.htm
1Io 3,1-2: www.clerus.org/bibliaclerusonline/en/9abrwoc.htm
Io 10,11-18: www.clerus.org/bibliaclerusonline/en/9arb00j.htm

Today we celebrate the fourth Sunday of Easter, commonly called Good Shepherd Sunday. The Risen Lord is presented in the liturgy as the Shepherd of our souls, who “lays down his life for his sheep” (John 10:11). As we look at Christ the Good Shepherd we are called to pray especially for those who Jesus has placed as shepherds in His Church and also for young people who are called to this mission.

The verb ‘to know’ appears repeatedly in today’s readings. When the Holy Scriptures talk about knowledge – especially knowledge between people – it means something much deeper than our how we use the verb in everyday language.

This biblical ‘knowledge’ isn’t limited to the external or superficial information that we can know about another person. Instead, it refers to an intimate communion and mutual possession that engages the whole of our intelligence, freedom and will.

In the Gospel reading the Lord says “I know my sheep and my sheep know me” (John 10:14), and in the second reading St John says “the world refused to acknowledge him,therefore it does not acknowledge us” (1 John 3:1).

These verses written by St John speak of two different types of knowledge. There is the knowledge that is given to us and there is a knowledge that is not possible, and therefore fruitless, to search for or to pursue directly.

Let’s firstly consider that knowledge of Christ that was given to us by grace as Christians. That knowledge of Christ which is an intimate communion and reciprocal possession of Him is a gift that was granted to us and that inspired St John the Apostle to exclaim: “think of the love that the Father has lavished on us, by letting us be called God’s children; and that is what we are” (1 John 3:1). Knowing Christ cannot be reduced to a simple acquaintance with what the four Gospels narrate about Him, or even with the truth that the Church teaches. Although these things are necessary and also urgent especially in our epoch that is so marked by religious illiteracy. (c.f Pope Benedict XVI Homily Chrism Mass 2012)

The knowledge that Christ gives us is an intimate communion with His own life. It is a communion which transforms us and lifts us up to the reality of being the children of God, through the work of the Holy Spirit who we receive at Baptism. We are truly “called God’s children and that is what we are”. This knowledge, moreover, engages the whole of our person – but it doesn’t depend on us. In fact, it comes as a gift which is rooted in the sovereign initiative of God that takes flesh in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the true Good Shepherd who gives His life for us, His sheep (cf. John 10:17-18).

Christ laid down his life for us, and he took it up again. What does this mean that He ‘takes up’ his life again? There is the obvious meaning: Jesus offered Himself up voluntarily to death on the cross for us, and then He rose from death to live forever. But we can also see a further meaning. By rising, Christ take up the life He gave for us on the cross, bringing us to heaven with Him, and inviting us into His relationship of love with the Father. We become sons just as Christ is the Son, and participants in the same love that Christ has for the Father and for humanity.

This has a special significance for those called to the priesthood. Those who receive the gift of a Vocation are taken up into the life of Christ and made a partaker in His own saving work. The priest becomes a sharer in Christ’s love and mercy who is able to make present in his own person Jesus, the Good Shepherd.

As to that other knowledge, that of the world, St John tells us that it isn’t for us because the world “does not acknowledge us”. Those who have met Christ and possess knowledge of Him should know that this treasure is fundamentally incompatible with the acknowledgement of the world. The Lord himself taught us that we cannot serve two masters (cf. Luke 16:13). The only way to ensure that the world can acknowledge us is for us to attract it once more to the knowledge of Christ so opening itself to God.

Let us ask the Blessed Virgin Mary, Gate of Heaven and Queen of Apostles, that, like her, we will fully open ourselves to the true knowledge of Christ – the Shepherd who leads us to the pastures of heaven. Amen.

A prayer for the Church and for Priests

Posted on April 28, 2012 by John Brian Schuettler

A prayer for the Church and for priests, and a special examination of conscience for priests. This priceless letter for you here: Letter to Priests.

Alasdair McIntyre’s recent book, God, Philosophy, Universities

Posted on April 28, 2012 by John Brian Schuettler

Moving more deeply into Catholic thought, this week Jeff reviews Alasdair McIntyre’s recent book, God, Philosophy, Universities. It deserves a major review, which I hope you’ll find instructive. See Dr. Jeff Mirus
President
Trinity Communications latest In Depth Analysis: Why Philosophy Matters.

HOW DO I RECOGNIZE GRACE?

Posted on April 28, 2012 by John Brian Schuettler

III. HOW DO I RECOGNIZE GRACE?

If grace is, as St. Peter says, a participation in the Divine nature, then it follows that the existence of grace can be recognized in us by coming to appreciate our relationship with the Divine. How do we do that? We start with faith. If we have faith in Our Lord already then we can proceed from there. If we do not as yet have faith then we must PRAY FOR FAITH! Ask Our Lord to come into your heart and dwell there. Ask Him to listen to your concerns and fears, your sorrows and anxieties and then surrender yourself to a sense of peace and let Our Lord speak to your heart. Remember, the Holy Spirit speaks in a whisper and so, in order to hear Him, you must be very still and quiet and open to His voice. You will know it is the Spirit because you will obtain peace and joy, two of the many “fruits” of the Spirit. I have included in the Appendix a prayer to the Holy Spirit that may be helpful for you to meditate upon.

“It is always God who makes the first step towards us, in that initial good will which is the beginning of salvation. For this purpose, by His grace and by the trials to which He subjects the soul, He, as it were, ’tills’ the ground of the soul before sowing the divine seed within it; He drives a first furrow therein, a furrow upon which He will later return, to dig more deeply still and to eradicate the weeds which remain; much as the vine-tender cares for the vine when it has already grown , to free it from all that may retard its development.” THE THREE WAYS OF THE SPIRITUAL LIFE (Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange –Chapter 1 “The Importance of True Conversion”)

“In the case of the very young, Original sin , within which they are born, is transmitted to them by way of generation, without any personal culpability on their part. Consequently, God does not require of them any personal act for justification. Their parents, through no act of their own will, give them natural life; baptism, without any act of will of theirs, gives them the life of grace” (THE MEANING OF GRACE – Cardinal Charles Journet – Part I, Section IV).

Remember, if we have received a “Trinitarian” baptism,10 then we have also received promises that confer the supernatural gifts of Faith, Hope, and Love, the three Theological Virtues. By Trinitarian Baptism it is meant that you were baptized using the formula “I baptize thee in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). This is biblical teaching and comes from Matthew 28:19 wherein Jesus Himself declared to the Apostles that they must go into the world and proclaim the Good News (Gospel means Good News). “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” All true followers of Christ have this formulaic Baptism in common. If you are then baptized, even if you are an infant, you already have a participation in the Divine life and are worthy of eternal salvation regardless of whether you are conscious of it or not. However, we must remain a “worthy” participant in the Divine nature by being in a “state of grace.” This means that we make a conscious effort to get to know what God expects of us and how we are in relationship with Him. He expects us to be faithful to His commandments and His teachings as expressed in the Bible and in His Church and he also expects that we live a life in accordance with that teaching. If we make the effort to do these things, then we will be corresponding with grace and it will be abundantly available to us so that we have the strength to persevere. Always remember, without grace we can do nothing. With grace all things are possible!

“God’s grace always comes beforehand to prompt me. How does he knock at the door of my heart? If I am in a state of sin, he starts by trying to move me to an act of faith: I begin to grasp the extent of the gulf between the misery of my state and the holiness of God. That is why we say that faith is the root of justification. Then comes the fear of God: if I were to die now, I would be separated from him forever. This is not mere servile fear, for there is already in it a beginning of hope. Further, in this hope, there is not yet charity, but already a beginning of love. If I do not disrupt these successive movements of God—as the hail destroys the fruit in the flower—one grace calls up another, then another, and so on” (THE MEANING OF GRACE – Cardinal Charles Journet).

This gets into the Christian doctrine of what the Church calls Actual Grace, in which we choose of our own free will to participate in the Divine action in our soul. Saint Augustine referred to Actual Grace as a “light that enlightens and moves the sinner.” Actual graces may be obtained by our willing cooperation with Our Lord’s Will by performance of good works such as praying, fasting, and by giving to the poor our time and money. For a Christian the attendance at Sunday worship and for a Jew at Sabbath services is a sure sign of gracious cooperation. It is evidenced by a change of heart, a metanoia, as we start to change our attitudes toward life and death and on meditating upon our relationship with God and the end of things. It is very dangerous to begin thinking that we can “earn” graces! That is impossible, because otherwise it would not be grace. As Saint Paul says in his letter to Titus in chapter 3 verse 5, God saves us not out of the works we have done but out of His Divine Mercy. Yet the performance of good works is necessary.

The Letter of Saint James, an inspired Book of the New Testament, speaks so powerfully about the importance, and indeed the necessity of, our “work” as cooperation with grace.

“What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no works? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
But someone will say, “You have faith; I have works.”
Show me your faith without works, and I will show you my faith by what I do.
You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that–and shudder.

You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without works is useless? Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.

In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead.” (Letter of Saint James 2:14-25).

In fact, the Letter of Saint James was so antithetical to Martin Luther’s “new interpretation” of the meaning of grace that Luther even attempted to go so far as to remove the Letter of James from the Canon of the Bible! Imagine the arrogance of a man who makes himself such an authority that he thinks he has the power to add or remove Biblical Books from a Canon (meaning Collection) that was definitively established and codified since 397 at the Council of Carthage. From the time of the Ascension of Jesus into Heaven until the Councils of Hippo and Carthage at the very end of the fourth century there was no such thing as what we now call the Bible. There were individual books that were in circulation independently of each other, but it wasn’t until the Church Fathers came together in North Africa in 394 and again in 397 that the authentic and 73 truly inspired Books were bound together into one volume. These were the 46 Old Testament Books of the Septuagint and the 27 New Testament Books agreed to as being inspired by the greatest scholars of the Post Apostolic Age. Regardless of what Christian denomination that you belong to, this is why you should thank the Roman Catholic Church for giving you the Bible. One of the great sorrows of the Protestant Reformation is that it cut off so many followers of Christ from the great teachers of the early centuries of the Church and their authentic and inspiring writings. These writers give living witness to the true teaching of the Apostles as given to them from Jesus Himself. For instance, one of the early martyrs, Saint Ignatius of Antioch, who was executed by the Romans in 110 A.D. was taught by Saint Polycarp, who in turn was taught by Saint John the Apostle, who in turn was one of the original twelve Apostles taught by Jesus Christ. Aren’t you interested in hearing what someone with such an authentic knowledge of Our Lord’s teaching has to say to us today?

As Saint Augustine, one of the great Fathers of the Church said, “God, who created us without our cooperation will not save us without our cooperation.” We must always remember that grace is always a gift from God and we cannot earn it. However, having said that, I also must insist that we never forget that we have our part to play in this drama of individual salvation. We must respond with our mind, our heart, indeed with our very being to this grace and truly make it our own by acting upon it. This is an exercise of our free will and just as we have on the natural level our rational, thinking nature, on the supernatural level we have the supreme gift to human beings: the gift of free will. Why is this the supreme gift? It is the treasure of our being because free will separates us from all other creatures that dwell upon the Earth. This is the purest evidence of our spiritual nature; it is indeed the crown jewel of human existence. Never forget, ONLY HUMAN BEINGS ARE CREATED IN THE IMAGE OF GOD! His greatest gift to us is the ability to transcend our genetic nature and to will things and circumstances into being. Such power is indeed an act of God and therefore the clearest indication that we share His nature. He is so pleased with our nature, being an image of His, that He actually became a human being! He chose by His Divine Will to share completely in our nature and became a man and dwelt in the physical universe that He created. God became the SON OF MAN and entered into space and time. He was not content to simply communicate through other men who live and die in time, but His desire to communicate Himself was so profound, profound beyond understanding, that He chose to do it Himself. He wanted so much that we get it right. How gracious is Our Lord! If we therefore do the Will of God, as He personally taught it to us, as it is communicated to us through faith, then we will be transformed spiritually and we will be fulfilling our true destiny! When we cooperate with “actual grace,” then we allow the Holy Spirit to work in our soul as evidence of our living relationship and indeed friendship with God.

The indwelling in the soul of the Spirit is called “sanctifying grace” because we have now entered upon the road to sanctity, the road to holiness. It is also very important to realize and meditate upon the fact that when the Holy Spirit dwells within us, then there is present also the Father and the Son. Why? This is the Trinity and the three Divine Persons of the Trinity are always substantially present in unity. That is why Saint Paul could say in his Letter to the Galatians 2:20: “I live, now not I; but Christ lives in me.”

“This beginning of eternal life, as we have called it, is a complete spiritual organism, which has to grow and develop until we enter heaven. The root principle of this undying organism is sanctifying grace, received in the very essence of the soul; and this grace would last forever, were it not that sin, a radical disorder in the soul, sometimes destroys it. From sanctifying grace, which is the germ of glory, proceed the infused virtues. First, the theological virtues, the greatest of which, love, is destined to last for ever- ‘Love never falls away,’ says St. Paul, … ‘Now there remain faith, hope and love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.’ Love will remain for ever, after faith has disappeared to make room for the everlasting possession of God, seen face to face. ‘ Then,’ says the Lord, ‘having recognized the grievousness of its sin and repented of it, the soul begins to weep, for fear of punishment; then it rises to the consideration of my mercy, in which it finds satisfaction and comfort. But it is, I say, still imperfect, and in order to draw it on to perfection… I withdraw from it, not in grace but in feeling. This I do in order to humiliate that soul, and cause it to seek Me in truth… without thought of self and with lively faith and with hatred of its own sensuality.’ And just as Peter compensated for his threefold denial by three acts of pure and devoted love, so the enlightened soul must do in like manner. If we saw the Church as she is in the most generous souls who live most truly the life of the Church, she would appear most beautiful in our sight, despite the human imperfections that are mingled with the activity of her children. We rightly lament certain blots, but let us not forget that if there is sometimes mud in the valley at the foot of the mountains, on the summits there is always snow of dazzling whiteness, air of great purity, and a wonderful view that ever leads the eye to God.”

THE THREE WAYS OF THE SPIRITUAL LIFE (Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange –Chapter 1 “The Importance of True Conversion”)

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What are the effects of Sanctifying Grace?

First, the most profound effect of the Spirit’s gift of sanctifying grace is to cleanse us of our sins and help us fight against our natural tendency toward sin. Just as metal is melted and molded into a desired image, so are we purified by the fire and molded into the image of God by the Holy Spirit. Our natural tendency toward sin will remain with us until we die, and we must therefore wage “spiritual combat” with the world, the flesh, and the Devil (Satan). As Saint Paul says in his Letter to the Romans 7:18: “I know that there dwells not in me, that is to say, in my flesh, that which is good.”

Second, the Spirit unites us with Christ and we become temples of God. We become the branches of the vine, the true “Vine,” Jesus Christ (John 15:5).11 I like very much the quote from Saint Augustine: “The Holy Spirit dwells primarily in the soul, and gives it true life; and since the soul is in the body, the Holy Spirit dwells therefore in our bodies.” Again, Augustine states a beautiful truth: “Our Father who art in Heaven; the heaven is the just man on earth, because God dwells in him.”

Thirdly, the Spirit illuminates our mind and strengthens our will. The “light of faith and strength of a good will” mentioned by Paul in 2 Corinthians 4:6. We therefore receive the effect of the three theological virtues of Faith, Hope, and Love which we were given rights to when we were baptized. The Spirit gives us at this stage the willingness and indeed the ability to cooperate with His gracious virtues.

Let us pause now for a moment and get a sense of what we are talking about. Let us meditate for a bit on what is happening to us when we reach the point in our lives where we begin to “surrender” to the Spirit of God, and we start allowing Him to act within us as our counselor or advocate. Just as a very good lawyer advises his client in regard to a host of legal issues with which he may be confronted during his earthly natural existence, so the Holy Spirit can become, if we allow Him to be, our lawyer, our counselor “par excellence!” Here is what the Spirit can give you in your daily life:

True Peace

Saint Paul in his letter to the Philippians 4:7 says that through the power of God’s Spirit man acquires the peace “which surpasses all understanding.” Each day this peace allows you to face whatever may come with an inner light and sense of harmony but most especially a confidence and trust that God is with you throughout the day and night. He is guiding you in His ways and advising you in your actions and decisions. There is nothing and there is no one in the entire world who can give you this peace, only God.

Instructor and Guide Along the Way

Remember, you are no longer alone. Now you will receive the teaching, true teaching, which is different from all other knowledge. Instead of some New Age Gnostic heresy composed of so much mumbo jumbo, which can only lead to despair and confusion, this teaching will give you a joy and an exuberance that is beyond understanding. If you live in the grace of God then, as Paul says, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives within me.”

We Live a Better Life and Want to Do Good Things

The Holy Spirit is ever active and elevates our human actions from the natural to the supernatural, and consequently we begin to bear fruit on that supernatural level. Everything we do takes on a new meaning, for now we endow our actions with an elemental power that they didn’t have before. Suffering and weakness especially now take on meaning because for the first time suffering and weakness have power, the power of the Cross of Christ. As Saint Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” Again, in Colossians 1:24 Paul writes, “Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the Church.” Of course, there was nothing lacking or wanting in Jesus Christ’s suffering because we know that He Himself said from the Cross, “It is accomplished”(John 19:30). So what does Paul mean by this mysterious and very misunderstood verse? Paul was referring to the fact that the Church which Jesus founded is His Body on earth and the members of this Body, all true followers of Christ, are called upon to participate in the suffering of Jesus, the Head of the Body. This verse is the foundation stone for the beautiful doctrine of redemptive suffering. We, as human beings, are so loved by God that He became a human being and now has transformed human suffering into a positive manifestation of Himself. Before His coming into the world, suffering was considered to be the plague of existence and the bad fruit of the fall of our original parents. To suffer was to be cursed, and disease was considered to be a judgment of sinfulness. Jesus changed all that, and after His death and Resurrection, the sting of suffering and death would have value; instead of being a curse, it was now an opportunity to participate in the Divine Nature.

We Become the “Children of God”

The Holy Spirit leads us by grace to be the adopted sons and daughters of the Father and we therefore get to call Him “Daddy” (Abba). “Because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory” (Romans 8:14-17). Isn’t it wonderful to think that we can wake up in the morning and know with certainty that God is at the center of our existence, at the very core of our being? So close is He, in fact, that he dwells within us and considers us to be His own relation. What more could we ask for?

“If God wants you to be as weak and powerless as a child then resign yourself to stumbling at every step. To falling even. Love your powerlessness and your soul will benefit more from it than if, aided by grace, you were to behave with enthusiastic heroism and fill your soul with self satisfaction and pride” (Collected Letters of St. Therese of Lisieux – F.J. Sheed – page 253).

In this state of sanctifying grace, we now are guided by the Spirit to live more and more for God and less for ourselves. We become less ego-driven, selfish, and materialistic, the great evil of our time, and we now want to love God and please Him.

So we begin to grow spiritually, and just as children surrender their toys and games, we as spiritually maturing new “children of God” surrender our ego-driven toys and games and move forward, guided by the Holy Spirit toward our new authentic life of love.

Now that we recognize ourselves as being the “children of grace,” the sons and daughters of Our Father in Heaven, how do we communicate this grace to the people we meet and deal with each day of our lives? Let’s take a look!

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Healthy discussion on what “subsidiarity” means in practical terms

Posted on April 28, 2012 by John Brian Schuettler

Paul Ryan is the leader of the Republican effort to trim the Federal budget in the United States, to get the country out of its debilitating debt. Ryan is a committed and articulate Catholic who is frequently criticized by some Catholic leaders—especially among bishops and university professors—who tend to have a liberal preference for government intervention as the best solution to most problems. The result is a very healthy public debate over the proper understanding and implementation of Catholic social teaching, a debate that has been long overdue in the United States.

Rep. Paul Ryan spars with US bishops over criticism of budget cuts

Full text of Paul Ryan’s remarks at Georgetown University (The Daily Caller)

The debate is important, though Phil Lawler has noticed that Ryan’s critics have been “careless”, which is not surprising, as their views have been uncontested for a very long time: No, Paul Ryan does not admire Ayn Rand.

Third Sunday of Easter-God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, protect your beloved people Israel from all hurt, in your love

Posted on April 22, 2012 by John Brian Schuettler

The image “http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ec/Tissot_Abraham_and_the_Three_Angels.jpg” cannot be displayed, because it contains errors.

Abraham and the Three Angels (watercolor circa 1896–1902 by James Tissot

God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, protect your beloved people Israel from all hurt, in your love. As the beloved holy Sabbath goes away, that the week, and the month, and the year, should come to us with perfect faith, with faith in the sages, with love and attachment to good friends, to attachment to the blessed Creator, with belief in your thirteen principles of faith, and in the ultimate redemption, may it be soon, and the Resurrection of the dead, and in the prophecy of Moses, our teacher, may he rest in peace.

Lord of the world! You are the one who gives strength to the weak! Give your beloved Israelites more health and strength so we can love you and serve you, only you, and no other, Heaven forfend. And the week, and the month, and the year, should come to us with mercy, and health, and auspiciousness, and blessing, and success, and riches and glory, and to children, and long life, and abundant food, and Divine providence, for us and all Israel, and let us say, Amen.

Transliteration of the most common version:

Got fin avrum in fin yitskhok in fin yankev, bahit dayn libe folk yisruel fin ale bayzn in daynem loyb az di libe shabes koydesh gayt avek. az di vokh in di khoydesh, in di yor zol inz tsi kimen tsi emine shlayme, tsi emines khakhomim, tsi ahaves khavayrim. tsi dvaykes haboyre burikh hi, ma’amin tsi zayn bishloys esre ikrim shelokh ivigilo shlayme vekroyve bimhayre veyumayni. Iviskhiyas hamaysim. Ivinvies moyshe rabayni olov hashulem.

Riboyne shel oylem! di bist dokh dem noysayn layo’eyf koyekh. Gib dayne libe yidishe kinderlakh oykh koyekh dikh tsi loybn. In nor dikh tsi dinen in kayn andern kholile nisht. In az di vokh in der khoydesh in der yor zol inz kimen tsi gezint in tsi mazl in tsi brukhe vehatslukhe. In tsi kheysed in tsi bonay khayhe arikhay imzoyne revikhay vesiyato dishmayo luni ilkhol yisroayl vene’emar, Umayn.

Third Sunday of Easter, Year B

Citations of
Ac 3,13-15.17-19: www.clerus.org/bibliaclerusonline/en/9asubuc.htm
1Io 2,1-5a: www.clerus.org/bibliaclerusonline/en/9abspcb.htm
Lc 24,35-48: www.clerus.org/bibliaclerusonline/en/9bxwpfx.htm

The God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him. But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses.

FIRST READING: Acts 3:13-15, 17-19.

Peter said to the people: “The God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him. But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses.

“And now, brethren, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ should suffer, he thus fulfilled. Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out.”

Peter and John, on their way to the temple, met a man crippled from birth. He asked them for alms. Peter said he had neither gold nor silver, but he would give him something better. He told the man, “in the name of Jesus of Nazareth,” to “stand up and walk.” The man stood up and followed Peter and John into the temple, “walking and jumping and praising God” (3:8). The people recognized the man as the cripple who used to be at the gate each day begging for alms. The crowd, full of curiosity and excitement, gathered around the Apostles and the man who had been cured. Peter spoke to the crowd and told them that it was not through their own power or holiness that they had cured this man, but through the power of Jesus.

God…our fathers: Peter emphasizes that he also is a son of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and that their God was also his God.

his…Jesus: Second-Isaiah had described the future Messiah as the Suffering Servant (Is. 52:13-53:12), who would be obedient to his Father unto death. The Apostles and the Christians saw in Jesus this suffering servant (see Acts 8:32ff). Peter tells the crowd that God had glorified this servant Jesus in his resurrection.

delivered…Pilate: Peter now reminds them that a short time previously they had handed over this Jesus to the Roman governor to be crucified and had denied that he was their king or Messiah. They had forced Pilate to condemn him even though Pilate “could find no guilt in him.”

Holy…One: The Suffering Servant of Isaiah was holy, righteous, and innocent of any crime. Like an innocent lamb he was led to the slaughter. This was Jesus whom they, the Jews, had been forcing Pilate to condemn and crucify.

murderer…life: This refers to their choice of Barabbas, whom Pilate thought could save Jesus (Mt. 27:20). Barabbas had committed murder and was awaiting trial. Jesus was about to give the true and everlasting life to all men.

whom God raised: God was able to undo all their wickedness. He raised Jesus from the dead. Peter and all the Apostles and disciples were witnesses of the Resurrection. They had seen and spoken with him, and eaten with him after his resurrection.

acted in ignorance: His Master, when nailed to the cross, had begged his Father to forgive them “for they do not know what they are doing” (Lk. 23:34). Following that example Peter says that the mob that howled for the death of Jesus, as well as the leaders who incited it, acted in ignorance. They did not know that Christ was God, nor did they believe him to be the promised Messiah. They had a built-in prejudice against his claims and were unable rightly to judge.

God foretold: The Jews were acting as God’s agents in carrying out what he had foretold concerning Jesus.

repent…blotted out: The Jews must return to God; they had drifted away from him through their pride and prejudices. If they but return to God, abandoning their prejudices and pride, Peter now tells them that they will obtain forgiveness for all of their sins.

In the early days of the Church in Jerusalem the Resurrection was the topic of conversation among the friends and enemies of Jesus. The latter did their best to deny the fact, but in vain; the followers of Jesus kept claiming that it was a fact, and worked miracles in proof of that claim. In today’s reading the cure of the cripple-from-birth is one such miracle. Peter worked this miracle “in the name (that is, the person and power) of Jesus of Nazareth (3:6), whom the God of the Jews had glorified and had raised from the dead.” If Christ had been an impostor, as the Pharisees and scribes had stated (Mt. 27:63), God would not have raised him from the dead and glorified him. Before a large gathering in the temple precincts in Jerusalem, Peter makes this claim only a few weeks after Christ’s death on the cross. The people were impressed. In spite of the opposition of their leaders the number of Jews who became followers of Christ increased daily, “the total number of whom had now risen to something like five thousand” (see 4:4, the same day this miracle took place). This was a large percentage of the inhabitants of Jerusalem at that time.

No true Christian can have the slightest doubt about the fact of the resurrection of Jesus. The growth of the infant Church in Jerusalem and in Gentile lands is sufficient proof of it. Men and women do not attach themselves to one who has failed, nor do they take on a new and demanding form of life without sufficient conviction. Yet, there are men and women who, like the leaders of the Jews, still refuse to open their eyes to the light and who shut their minds against the most convincing evidence. Such people need help. One of the best ways of showing how grateful we are for the true faith is a willingness and eagerness to spread that faith to our fellow man. Christ became man for them too, he died on the cross for their sakes, and God the Father raised him from the dead so that they too may rise in glory one day. As true Christians, and true lovers of Christ, it is our duty to give a helping hand to those brothers of ours who are sorely in need of help.

However, you may say: “What can we do; we are not missionaries nor preachers? We are not theologically equipped to enter into dialog and convince unbelievers.” The fact is that without becoming missionaries, preachers or theologians, every Christian can act as a missionary, or preacher, or theologian without leaving his home and employment and without opening a book. The Christian who prays often and fervently for his fellow man and who lives his Christian life to the full is a preacher and a missionary wherever he lives and works. In his daily actions he is showing forth Christ. His abounding faith and charity, his unshakable hope in the eternal future which awaits him, will do more to enlighten the mind and will of unbelievers than all the skill of preachers and all the theology of great writers.

Are we not grateful to God and Christ? We are convinced that heaven is the pearl of great price compared with which everything this world has to offer is but as a grain of sand to the desert. We know that God wants all his adopted children in heaven. For that purpose we know that Christ humbled himself even to the death of the cross. We know also that Christ is counting on us to help him to bring them to heaven. Would we refuse him this return for all he has done for us? Would we be true Christians who love God above all things if we did not love our neighbor as ourselves? We want heaven for ourselves; we must want it for them too. Through the grace and mercy of God our prayers and the good example of our Christian lives will be the means of converting many sinners and unbelievers to Christ. He in turn will reward them and us with eternal life.

SECOND READING: 1 John 2:1-5.

My little children, I am writing this to you so that you may not sin; but if any one does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, and he is the expiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. And by this we may be sure that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He who says “I know him,” but disobeys his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps his word, in him truly love for God is perfected. By this we may be sure that we are in him.

About this First Epistle of St. John, see the second reading of last Sunday. In today’s extract from this letter, the Apostle is urging his fellow Christians to avoid sin. If they should sin, they are to admit their fault and seek pardon, which will be given in abundance. He has in mind, evidently, the Gnostic heretics of the time who, among other things, did not keep God’s commandments and yet held that they were not sinning by violating them. John exhorts his Christians not to imitate these heretics.

My little children: St. John uses this affectionate term seven times in his first epistle, and six times the term “dearly-beloved,” as a proof of his real affection for all the followers of Christ.

you…sin: In the preceding verses the Apostle says that we are all inclined to sin and are at times guilty of sin. This is a defect of our human nature. The Jerusalem Bible translation is: “to stop you sinning” and may better translate the Greek and fit in with the context.

advocate…Father: We have an advocate in heaven who has pleaded and is always pleading for us, Jesus Christ, the just one. The Father will hear him.

expiation…sins: By his death on the cross Christ has already made atonement, “expiation,” for all our sins and “for the sins of the whole world.” Those only who by repentance ask to participate can receive expiation.

know…commandments: Although they claimed that they had special knowledge of him the Gnostics did not know him, because they did not keep his commandments. True knowledge brings love and obedience with it. Sincere Christians keep God’s commandments. They know God, all he is and all he means to them.

disobeys…liar: He who violates God’s commandments is saying by his actions that he does not know God as a Father who loves him and deserves every reverence man can give.

who…his word: The faithful service of God—the keeping of his laws—will bring each faithful servant of God to the perfection of love which is the essence of true sanctity. The cause of perfect sanctity must be the true love of God, not the false love of God (shown by ignoring and violating his commandments) preached by the Gnostics.

It is a consolation for us to hear the saintly St. John, the beloved disciple, declare that any one of us, even the best of us, can sin. He loved God and fully realized what lengths God has gone to in order to share heaven with us. The very thought of offending God must have been something abhorrent, something detestable. Yet he knew that all Christians had not received as many graces as he had, and he, therefore, understood that their love could grow cold at times and that they could occasionally offend God. Coming from so great a saint as the beloved disciple, this understanding is consoling. He is but reflecting the mind of Christ, his Master, whom he loved so much. John had lived with Jesus for about three years. He saw how kindly he treated sinners.

The Mary Magdalenes of Galilee, the adultress of Jerusalem, the tax collectors all over Palestine, were all treated with kindness and understanding. If they but asked for forgiveness, even if only indirectly, they were forgiven their sins. In the apostolic circle too, Jesus had been merciful and patient with his worldly-minded disciples. Many months after they had joined him, John himself and his brother James were angling for positions of power (and maybe wealth) in the earthly messianic kingdom which they thought he would set up (Mt. 20:20). All the Apostles deserted Jesus when he was arrested in Gethsemane. That night Peter denied that he ever knew him. However, when they later realized their faults and repented they were freely forgiven. Even Judas would have been forgiven his act of betrayal had he but repented.

We sinners—and we are all sinners in many ways—are dealing with a forgiving God. What is more, we have the forgiving Christ as our Advocate in heaven. Through his passion and cross he has already earned for us the right of forgiveness. On our part all that is needed is the humility to admit that we are sinners and the resolve to turn away from our sins. God and Christ will do the rest. Our Lord has left to his Church his sacrament of mercy. From a delegate empowered by Christ to do so, we can not only receive forgiveness for our sins but a declaration that they are forgiven us. This mercy of God and his divine Son should arouse in us a desire and urge to try to return a little bit of love for all that had been and is being done for our salvation. “Whoever keeps his word,” St. John says, “in him truly the love of God is perfected.” If we strive to keep the laws of God, if we try to live the Christian life, we will have the true love of God in us, we will be moving towards the state of perfection which will be ours in heaven.

Should some overpowering temptation or some unexpected assault of the enemy make us lapse momentarily, we have the guarantee that God will accept us back, if we but avail ourselves of the means his mercy has placed so easily within our reach—sincere repentance and, where possible and as soon as possible, the placing of our sins at the feet of his representative in the Sacrament of Penance.

What earthly mother was ever so kind, so patient, so tolerant toward the children of her womb as our God in heaven is tolerant, patient, kind and merciful toward us his weak mortal children?

GOSPEL: Luke 24:35-48.

The disciples told what had happened on the road, and how Jesus was known to them in the breaking of the bread.

As they were saying this, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” But they were startled and frightened, and supposed that they saw a spirit. And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do questionings rise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself, handle me, and see; for a spirit has not flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. And while they still disbelieved for joy, and wondered, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate before them.

Then he said to them, “These are my words which I spoke to you, while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses, and the prophets and the psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.”

This is the continuation of the appearance of the Risen Lord to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. When these two disciples eventually recognized that the “stranger” who had explained the messianic prophecies to them on the way to Emmaus was none other than Christ, they hurried back to Jerusalem to inform the Apostles. They discovered that the Apostles were now convinced of the Resurrection, for Simon had seen him. While they were discussing these things Christ appeared in the midst of them.

Peace…you: This is the usual Hebrew salutation. Coming from Christ it was more than a pious wish.

saw a spirit: Even though they had believed Simon and the two disciples they still were startled to see him there in their midst especially as St. John adds that he came through the closed door (Jn. 20:19). Was he a ghost, then, or was he real? They had seen Lazarus raised from the dead, but it was the self-same Lazarus back on earth to continue life where he had left off. The resurrection of Jesus was different. He had risen to a new life, a life of glory which would last forever. A glorified body is not visible to human eyes, but Jesus took on a human form which could be seen. In this appearance the form was the same as the body that was crucified; on other occasions it was a different form, as was the case on the road to Emmaus (Lk. 24:13-35), and at Tiberias (Jn. 21:1-12).

questionings arise: The Apostles did not believe Our Lord’s prophecies regarding his resurrection; they did not believe he could die, so how could he rise again? Now, presented with the fulfillment, they were still slow to admit the fact.

hands…bones: He now asks them to see for themselves that it is Jesus who is there. They can see the marks of the nails on his hands and feet. He is not a mere spirit; a spirit has not flesh and bones as he had.

disbelieved for joy: It was too good to be true; they could not believe their eyes.

anything to eat: A risen, glorified body does not need food, but to convince his Apostles, Jesus appeared in a body similar to that which was crucified and ate some food to prove that he was really alive again—in a new mode of life, yes, but really alive.

Thus…written: Jesus goes on to remind them of the prophecies of his resurrection which he had given them so often. He spoke also of the necessity of his death and resurrection. This was the plan of God as foretold in “the Law, the prophets and the writings” (Psalms), which was the usual Jewish description of the Old Testament.

forgiveness of sin: Beginning in Jerusalem the Apostles were to preach repentance to the world. Christ by his Incarnation, death and resurrection had obtained eternal life (salvation) for all men; this Christian gospel must be preached to all nations. For this he had chosen his Apostles; they had been witnesses of his public life, his teachings, his death and resurrection.

Our Lord’s glorious resurrection is the crowning miracle of his sojourn on earth among men. It is the foundation and cornerstone of our Christian religion. His death on Calvary proved that he was really human; his resurrection proved he was also divine. During his public life he had claimed to be God. Had that claim been untrue, God the Father could not have raised him from the dead. By his death he made atonement for the sins of the world—”he nailed them to the tree of the cross;” by his resurrection he opened the gates of death for all men and made them heirs to the eternal life.

We need hardly delay to prove the fact of the resurrection of Christ, for without it there would have been no Christianity, no Christian Church. In the story of the appearance which precedes today’s Gospel, we are told how two of Christ’s disciples were so depressed and disorientated by his death that they were giving up all interest in the dead Master and were returning home at the first opportunity (the Sabbath, Saturday, had intervened and they could not travel on that day). The Apostles were no better since Good Friday. They had remained behind locked doors for fear of the Jews. They had no hope left. They too would have left Jerusalem that Sunday were it not for the story brought by Mary Magdalene that Christ’s body had been taken from the tomb. When the Risen Christ appeared to the ten Apostles (Thomas was absent) they thought he was a ghost, so far were their thoughts from a possible resurrection.

When the truth sank into their minds, however, they became changed men. After Pentecost day they fearlessly proclaimed to the Jews, of whom they had been frightened, that Christ whom those same Jews had crucified had risen and was now glorified by the Father. Thousands of Jews in Jerusalem had come to believe in Christ, because they were convinced he had risen and was the Messiah and the Son of God, as he claimed to be. The four Evangelists testify to the truth of the Resurrection and we have the exceptional witness of St. Paul whose radical change of life can have only one explanation—he saw the Risen Christ on the road to Damascus.

Of the fact of the Resurrection we can have no doubts; Christianity is inexplicable without it, and Christianity has existed for more than two thousand years. A more important point for consideration today is what this resurrection means to us. “If Christ has not risen,” says St. Paul (1 Cor. 15:17), “vain is your faith, for you are still in your sins.” But “Christ has risen from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.” Our faith then is not in vain, for the founder and foundation of our faith is the Word of God who cannot deceive or be deceived, and his resurrection is the guarantee of our resurrection. He is the “first fruits,” the earnest of the full harvest that was to follow after our earthly death. We shall all rise again in glory if we have been faithful during our time on earth, in a less pleasant state if we have not followed Christ here below.

Human life has always been the great enigma for philosophers down through the ages. The resurrection of Christ, which causes and guarantees our resurrection, is the one and only explanation of that enigma. If death were the end of man, with all his gifts of intellect and will, if the grave were to enclose forever this noble being whom God has raised above all other earthly creatures and has endowed with super-mundane gifts and aspirations, then indeed man’s sojourn on earth would be an inexplicable enigma. But the gifts God gave to man were not simply to help him to make a precarious living and enjoy a fleeting happiness, interspersed with much sadness, for sixty, seventy, or even a hundred years. No, they were intended to last for eternity and to reach their real fruition in eternity.

With St. Paul then, we may well sing out today: “O death where is thy victory, O death where is thy sting? … thanks be to God who has given us the victory through Our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 15:55-57). Yes, Eastertime is a time of rejoicing for every true Christian. It is a time for Alleluias, for praising and thanking God. Our happy future is within our reach. Our eternal happiness has been won for us by Christ and is within our grasp, if only we hold fast to the true faith of Christ, taking the rough with the smooth, going through our lesser Gethsemanes and Calvaries as Christ went through his great ones. If we do this we can hopefully await the angel who will roll back the stone from our grave one day and allow us to enter into the glory of the eternal Easter in heaven.

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On this third Sunday of Eastertide, the Church welcomes us into the Cenacle so that we can experience the visit of the Risen Lord, along with the Apostles. This is a most special and unexpected visit, which reveals a ray of the Divine Mystery and calls us with renewed force to conversion.

This visit reveals to us some of the characteristics of the new Presence of the Risen Lord. We can enumerate three: its realism, its abundance and the divine patience.

Firstly, the presence of the risen Christ is shown to be absolutely ‘real’. In the face of the Apostles’ disbelief, Jesus makes two simple gestures. He shows them His hands and His feet and He invites them to touch them. How simple and yet how marvelous! We see how the Christian is given the gift of immediacy with the divine. God stands before us and invites us to touch Him. God does not set conditions for us; He does not call for a special ‘work’ or a special ‘space’ in order for us to meet Him. Rather God crosses for us the road that separates us from Him. God himself is the ‘sacred space’ where we can meet Him. “Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have.” (Luke 24:39). Then because, as the evangelist tells us, “they were still incredulous for joy and were amazed” (Luke 24:41), Jesus makes a second gesture which is even more disarming and unequivocal than the first – He shares some fish with them and He eats it before them.

Therefore, the presence of Christ is something real. He is truly present, not only spiritually but corporeally too. Just as we are real, with real bodies that take up real space, so Jesus is real and physical too.

But of course, Jesus is real and physical in a new way – an abundant way. This abundance is the second characteristic of his risen presence. He is present in His real body – the crucified body that we adored on Good Friday, but at the same time the body that has been transformed. We say that his body is ‘glorified’; it is totally interpenetrated with the eternity of God, so that He can enter the upper room behind closed doors. He can eat like any other man yet He can appear suddenly and He can be touched. He can speak to those disciples with whom He shared His life two thousand years ago, and yet He is our contemporary and He invites us to share in His life too.

The presence of Christ is therefore both real and abundant, so that, while he stands before us, He also invites us to open ourselves up. We are called to abandon all that limits us and be opened to the greatness and goodness of His Life and Will.

Faced with this abundance of Jesus, we can clearly see how foolish the temptation to philosophical rationalism is for us in the same way as it was also foolish for the disciples. This doctrine, which is increasingly widespread, especially in the West, ascribes the divine ‘omnipotence’ to human rationality. It claims that humans are able to not only question and understand the meaning of reality, but even that we can make ourselves the measure of all things. In fact, the presence of the Risen Jesus shows up our inadequacy and inconsistency. God exists, He is close to us, and He is present in a way that is unpredictable and almost unimaginable for us. This means we don’t have to give up in our weakness: instead we can convert to God’s way of loving.

Finally, the Risen Christ shows the Apostles a ‘patience’ which is moving. So often when faced with unrequited love, we withdraw from relationships with those around us. Jesus, however, loves us insistently, waiting with patience for us to surrender to the splendour of his face.

Let us pray that Our Lady will obtain for us the gift of this ‘surrender’ of heart. Most Blessed Mary, who gave us Jesus, the true measure of the universe, and who is now assumed into heaven where you partake in the glory of the resurrection, direct
us to your Son and generate true life for us. Amen.

Saint Anselm

Posted on April 21, 2012 by John Brian Schuettler

Statue of Anselm

His great predecessor, Johannes Scotus Eriugena, was more speculative and mystical in his writings. Anselm’s writings represent a recognition of the relationship of reason to revealed truth, and an attempt to elaborate a rational system of faith.

Foundation

Anselm sought to understand Christian doctrine through reason and develop intelligible truths interwoven with the Christian belief. He believed that the necessary preliminary for this was possession of the Christian faith. He wrote, “Neque enim quaero intelligere ut credam, sed credo ut intelligam. Nam et hoc credo, quia, nisi credidero, non intelligam. ” (“Nor do I seek to understand that I may believe, but I believe that I may understand. For this, too, I believe, that, unless I first believe, I shall not understand.”) This is possibly drawn from Augustine of Hippo‘s Ten Homilies on the First Epistle of John Tractate XXIX on John 7:14-18, §6: Therefore do not seek to understand in order to believe, but believe that thou mayest understand.[2] Anselm held that faith precedes reason, but that reason can expand upon faith.^[52]

The groundwork of Anselm’s theory of knowledge is contained in the tract De Veritate, where he affirms the existence of an absolute truth in which all other truth participates. This absolute truth, he argues, is God, who is the ultimate ground or principle both of things and of thought. The notion of God becomes the foreground of Anselm’s theory, so it is necessary first to make God clear to reason and be demonstrated to have real existence.

Anselm’s world-view was broadly that of Neoplatonism, which he inherited from his primary influence, Augustine of Hippo, as well as from Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite and possibly Scotus.^[53] He also inherited a rationalist way of thinking from Aristotle and Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius.

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Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The Benedictine Abbey of Sant’Anselmo [St Anselm] is located on the Aventine Hill in Rome. As the headquarters of an academic institute of higher studies and of the Abbot Primate of the Confederated Benedictines it is a place that unites within it prayer, study and governance, the same three activities that were a feature of the life of the Saint to whom it is dedicated: Anselm of Aosta, the ninth anniversary of whose death occurs this year. The many initiatives promoted for this happy event, especially by the Diocese of Aosta, have highlighted the interest that this medieval thinker continues to rouse. He is also known as Anselm of Bec and Anselm of Canterbury because of the cities with which he was associated. Who is this figure to whom three places, distant from one another and located in three different nations Italy, France, England feel particularly bound? A monk with an intense spiritual life, an excellent teacher of the young, a theologian with an extraordinary capacity for speculation, a wise man of governance and an intransigent defender of libertas Ecclesiae, of the Church’s freedom, Anselm is one of the eminent figures of the Middle Ages who was able to harmonize all these qualities, thanks to the profound mystical experience that always guided his thought and his action.

St Anselm was born in 1033 (or at the beginning of 1034) in Aosta, the first child of a noble family. His father was a coarse man dedicated to the pleasures of life who squandered his possessions. On the other hand, Anselm’s mother was a profoundly religious woman of high moral standing (cf. Eadmer, Vita Sancti Anselmi, PL 159, col. 49). It was she, his mother, who saw to the first human and religious formation of her son whom she subsequently entrusted to the Benedictines at a priory in Aosta. Anselm, who since childhood as his biographer recounts imagined that the good Lord dwelled among the towering, snow-capped peaks of the Alps, dreamed one night that he had been invited to this splendid kingdom by God himself, who had a long and affable conversation with him and then gave him to eat “a very white bread roll” (ibid., col. 51). This dream left him with the conviction that he was called to carry out a lofty mission. At the age of 15, he asked to be admitted to the Benedictine Order but his father brought the full force of his authority to bear against him and did not even give way when his son, seriously ill and feeling close to death, begged for the religious habit as a supreme comfort. After his recovery and the premature death of his mother, Anselm went through a period of moral dissipation. He neglected his studies and, consumed by earthly passions, grew deaf to God’s call. He left home and began to wander through France in search of new experiences. Three years later, having arrived in Normandy, he went to the Benedictine Abbey of Bec, attracted by the fame of Lanfranc of Pavia, the Prior. For him this was a providential meeting, crucial to the rest of his life. Under Lanfranc’s guidance Anselm energetically resumed his studies and it was not long before he became not only the favourite pupil but also the teacher’s confidante. His monastic vocation was rekindled and, after an attentive evaluation, at the age of 27 he entered the monastic order and was ordained a priest. Ascesis and study unfolded new horizons before him, enabling him to rediscover at a far higher level the same familiarity with God which he had had as a child.

When Lanfranc became Abbot of Caen in 1063, Anselm, after barely three years of monastic life, was named Prior of the Monastery of Bec and teacher of the cloister school, showing his gifts as a refined educator. He was not keen on authoritarian methods; he compared young people to small plants that develop better if they are not enclosed in greenhouses and granted them a “healthy” freedom. He was very demanding with himself and with others in monastic observance, but rather than imposing his discipline he strove to have it followed by persuasion. Upon the death of Abbot Herluin, the founder of the Abbey of Bec, Anselm was unanimously elected to succeed him; it was February 1079. In the meantime numerous monks had been summoned to Canterbury to bring to their brethren on the other side of the Channel the renewal that was being brought about on the continent. Their work was so well received that Lanfranc of Pavia, Abbot of Caen, became the new Archbishop of Canterbury. He asked Anselm to spend a certain period with him in order to instruct the monks and to help him in the difficult plight in which his ecclesiastical community had been left after the Norman conquest. Anselm’s stay turned out to be very fruitful; he won such popularity and esteem that when Lanfranc died he was chosen to succeed him in the archiepiscopal See of Canterbury. He received his solemn episcopal consecration in December 1093.

Anselm immediately became involved in a strenuous struggle for the Church’s freedom, valiantly supporting the independence of the spiritual power from the temporal. Anselm defended the Church from undue interference by political authorities, especially King William Rufus and Henry I, finding encouragement and support in the Roman Pontiff to whom he always showed courageous and cordial adherence. In 1103, this fidelity even cost him the bitterness of exile from his See of Canterbury. Moreover, it was only in 1106, when King Henry I renounced his right to the conferral of ecclesiastical offices, as well as to the collection of taxes and the confiscation of Church properties, that Anselm could return to England, where he was festively welcomed by the clergy and the people. Thus the long battle he had fought with the weapons of perseverance, pride and goodness ended happily. This holy Archbishop, who roused such deep admiration around him wherever he went, dedicated the last years of his life to the moral formation of the clergy and to intellectual research into theological topics. He died on 21 April 1109, accompanied by the words of the Gospel proclaimed in Holy Mass on that day: “You are those who have continued with me in my trials; as my Father appointed a kingdom for me, so do I appoint for you that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom…” (Lk 22: 28-30). So it was that the dream of the mysterious banquet he had had as a small boy, at the very beginning of his spiritual journey, found fulfilment. Jesus, who had invited him to sit at his table, welcomed Anselm upon his death into the eternal Kingdom of the Father.

“I pray, O God, to know you, to love you, that I may rejoice in you. And if I cannot attain to full joy in this life may I at least advance from day to day, until that joy shall come to the full” (Proslogion, chapter 14). This prayer enables us to understand the mystical soul of this great Saint of the Middle Ages, the founder of scholastic theology, to whom Christian tradition has given the title: “Magnificent Doctor”, because he fostered an intense desire to deepen his knowledge of the divine Mysteries but in the full awareness that the quest for God is never ending, at least on this earth. The clarity and logical rigour of his thought always aimed at “raising the mind to contemplation of God” (ibid., Proemium). He states clearly that whoever intends to study theology cannot rely on his intelligence alone but must cultivate at the same time a profound experience of faith. The theologian’s activity, according to St Anselm, thus develops in three stages: faith, a gift God freely offers, to be received with humility; experience, which consists in incarnating God’s word in one’s own daily life; and therefore true knowledge, which is never the fruit of ascetic reasoning but rather of contemplative intuition. In this regard his famous words remain more useful than ever, even today, for healthy theological research and for anyone who wishes to deepen his knowledge of the truths of faith: “I do not endeavour, O Lord, to penetrate your sublimity, for in no wise do I compare my understanding with that; but I long to understand in some degree your truth, which my heart believes and loves. For I do not seek to understand that I may believe, but I believe in order to understand. For this also I believe, that unless I believed, I should not understand” (ibid., 1).

Dear brothers and sisters, may the love of the truth and the constant thirst for God that marked St Anselm’s entire existence be an incentive to every Christian to seek tirelessly an ever more intimate union with Christ, the Way, the Truth and the Life. In addition, may the zeal full of courage that distinguished his pastoral action and occasionally brought him misunderstanding, sorrow and even exile be an encouragement for Pastors, for consecrated people and for all the faithful to love Christ’s Church, to pray, to work and to suffer for her, without ever abandoning or betraying her. May the Virgin Mother of God, for whom St Anselm had a tender, filial devotion, obtain this grace for us. “Mary, it is you whom my heart yearns to love”, St Anselm wrote, “it is you whom my tongue ardently desires to praise”.

PRAYERS TO INSPIRE GRACE

Posted on April 21, 2012 by John Brian Schuettler

PRAYERS TO INSPIRE GRACE

Pope John Paul II has written: “It is a beautiful and salutary thought that, wherever people are praying in the world, there the Holy Spirit is, the living breath of prayer.”

Whether it be done publicly in our liturgy or privately in those quiet moments of intimacy with God, the Holy Spirit helps us to pray and binds us to the Father and the Son in a deep communion of love. Through prayer offered to God in the Spirit, we find that peace which the Risen Lord gave to His Apostles, a peace which satisfies the deepest longings of our hearts. For this reason, the Church has, since ancient times, prayed to the Holy Spirit:

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.

SAINT PATRICK’S BREASTPLATE

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through a belief in the Threeness,
Through confession of the Oneness
Of the Creator of creation.

I arise today
Through the strength of Christ’s birth and His baptism,
Through the strength of His crucifixion and His burial,
Through the strength of His resurrection and His ascension,
Through the strength of His descent for the judgment of doom.

I arise today
Through the strength of the love of cherubim,
In obedience of angels,
In service of archangels,
In the hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In the prayers of patriarchs,
In preachings of the apostles,
In faiths of confessors,
In innocence of virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.

I arise today
Through the strength of heaven;
Light of the sun,
Splendor of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of the wind,
Depth of the sea,
Stability of the earth,
Firmness of the rock.

I arise today
Through God’s strength to pilot me;
God’s might to uphold me,
God’s wisdom to guide me,
God’s eye to look before me,
God’s ear to hear me,
God’s word to speak for me,
God’s hand to guard me,
God’s way to lie before me,
God’s shield to protect me,
God’s hosts to save me
From snares of the devil,
From temptations of vices,
From every one who desires me ill,
Afar and anear,
Alone or in a multitude.

I summon today all these powers between me and evil,
Against every cruel merciless power that opposes my body and soul,
Against incantations of false prophets,
Against black laws of pagandom,
Against false laws of heretics,
Against craft of idolatry,
Against spells of women and smiths and wizards,
Against every knowledge that corrupts man’s body and soul.
Christ shield me today
Against poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against wounding,
So that reward may come to me in abundance.

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me,
Christ in the eye that sees me,
Christ in the ear that hears me.

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through a belief in the Threeness,
Through a confession of the Oneness

PRAYER TO THE HEART OF JESUS

Does our life become from day to day more painful, more oppressive, more replete with sufferings? Blessed be He a thousand times who desires it so. If life be harder, love makes it also stronger, and only this love, grounded on suffering, can carry the Cross of my Lord, Jesus Christ.”

“I believe, O Lord, but strengthen my faith… Heart of Jesus, I love Thee, but increase my love. Heart of Jesus, I trust in Thee, but give greater vigor to my confidence.

Heart of Jesus, I give my heart to Thee, but so enclose it in Thee that it may never be separated from Thee. Heart of Jesus, I am all Thine, but take care of my promise so that I may be able to put it in practice even unto the complete sacrifice of my life.”

Prayer of Blessed Miguel Pro, Jesuit Priest, and Mexican Martyr Executed By Firing Squad

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Blessed Miguel Pro

COME HOLY SPIRIT, CREATOR BLEST

Come, Holy Spirit, Creator blest, and in our souls take up Thy rest.

Come with Thy grace and heavenly aid to fill the hearts which Thou hast made.

O Comforter, to Thee we cry, O heavenly gift of God Most High,

O fount of life and fire of love, and sweet anointing from above.

Thou in Thy sevenfold gifts are known; Thou, finger of God’s hand we own; Thou, promise of the Father, Thou Who dost the tongue with power imbue.

Kindle our sense from above, and make our hearts overflow with love;

with patience firm and virtue high the weakness of our flesh supply.

Far from us drive the foe we dread, and grant us Thy peace instead;

so shall we not, with Thee for guide, turn from the path of life aside.

Oh, may Thy grace on us bestow the Father and the Son to know;

and Thee, through endless times confessed, of both the eternal Spirit blest.

Now to the Father and the Son, Who rose from death, be glory given,

with Thou, O Holy Comforter, henceforth by all in earth and heaven.

Amen.

Federal Budget Choices Must Protect Poor, Vulnerable People, Says U.S. Bishops’ Conference

Posted on April 21, 2012 by John Brian Schuettler

Recent letters echo bishops’ consistent message that federal budget must form

‘circle of protection’ around ‘the least of these’

WASHINGTON—As Congress began working on the FY 2013 budget and spending bills this week, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) wrote several letters that repeated and reinforced the bishops’ ongoing call to create a “circle of protection” around poor and vulnerable people and programs that meet their basic needs and protect their lives and dignity. The bishops’ message calls on Congress and the Administration to protect essential help for poor families and vulnerable children and to put the poor first in budget priorities. The bishops’ letters oppose measures that reduce resources for essential safety net programs.

In the letters, Bishops Stephen E. Blaire of Stockton, California, and Richard E. Pates of Des Moines, Iowa, chairmen of the Committees on Domestic Justice and Human Development and International Justice and Peace, respectively, urged Congress to resist proposed cuts in hunger and nutrition programs at home and abroad saying that “a just spending bill cannot rely on disproportionate cuts in essential services to poor and vulnerable persons.”

On April 4, Bishop Blaire cautioned that “at a time when the need for assistance from [affordable housing] programs is growing, cutting funds for them could cause thousands of individuals and families to lose their housing and worsen the hardship of thousands more in need of affordable housing.” He also reminded Congress that the Catholic community is one of the largest private, nonprofit providers of affordable housing in the country and is deeply involved in meeting the health housing and nutrition needs of families across the nation.

Bishops Blaire and Pates reaffirmed the “moral criteria to guide these difficult budget decisions” outlined in their March 6 budget letter:

1.Every budget decision should be assessed by whether it protects or threatens human life and dignity.

2.A central moral measure of any budget proposal is how it affects “the least of these” (Matthew 25). The needs of those who are hungry and homeless, without work or in poverty should come first.

3.Government and other institutions have a shared responsibility to promote the common good of all, especially ordinary workers and families who struggle to live in dignity in difficult economic times…

Just solutions, however, must require shared sacrifice by all, including raising adequate revenues, eliminating unnecessary military and other spending, and fairly addressing the long-term costs of health insurance and retirement programs.

In April 16 and April 17 letters to the House Agriculture Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee addressing cuts required by the budget resolution, Bishop Blaire said “The House-passed budget resolution fails to meet these moral criteria.” Bishop Blaire also wrote that cuts to nutrition programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP- food stamps) and the Child Tax Credit (CTC) will hurt hungry children, poor families, low-income workers and other vulnerable people. Additionally, he wrote that if cuts to the federal budget need to be made, savings should first be found in programs that target more affluent and powerful interests.

Federal Budget Choices Must Protect Poor, Vulnerable People, Says U.S. Bishops’ Conference (USCCB)

Second Sunday of Easter-THE STARTING POINT: MERCY!

Posted on April 15, 2012 by John Brian Schuettler

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/24/Divine_Mercy_%28Adolf_Hyla_painting%292007-08-16.jpg

The Painting of Divine Mercy by Adolf Hyla. The phrase at the bottom is Polish for “Jesus I trust in you”

AN ACT OF CONTRITION IS THE STARTING POINT FOR ANYONE WHO SINCERELY WANTS TO BEGIN OR RENEW A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD:

FORGIVE ME MY SINS, O LORD, FORGIVE ME MY SINS: THE SINS OF MY YOUTH, THE SINS OF MY AGE, THE SINS OF MY SOUL, THE SINS OF MY BODY, MY IDLE SINS, MY SERIOUS VOLUNTARY SINS, THE SINS I KNOW, THE SINS I DO NOT KNOW, THE SINS I HAVE CONCEALED SO LONG, AND WHICH ARE NOW HIDDEN FROM MY MEMORY.

I AM TRULY SORRY FOR EVERY SIN, MORTAL AND VENIAL, FOR ALL THE SINS OF MY CHILDHOOD UP TO THE PRESENT MOMENT.

I KNOW THAT MY SINS HAVE WOUNDED THY TENDER HEART, O MY SAVIOUR, LET ME BE FREED FROM THE BONDS OF EVIL THROUGH THE MOST BITTER PASSION OF MY REDEEMER, MY SWEET JESUS.

AMEN

O MY JESUS, FORGET AND FORGIVE WHAT I HAVE BEEN, WHAT I HAVE DONE, WHO I AM: THE GREATEST OF SINNERS TOTALLY DEPENDENT UPON YOUR MERCY, FORGIVENESS AND GRACES.

AMEN

THE HONOR OF GOD

Defending the Honor of God in a culture of death by renewing a Judeo-Christian Living Foundation

…And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4: 12

Alasdair McIntyre’s recent book, God, Philosophy, Universities

HOW DO I RECOGNIZE GRACE?

Healthy discussion on what “subsidiarity” means in practical terms

Saint Anselm

PRAYERS TO INSPIRE GRACE

Second Sunday of Easter-THE STARTING POINT: MERCY!