Keep
your eyes open!...
January 31, 2018
(Mat 18:1-5) At
that hour the disciples came to Jesus, saying: Who, thinkest thou, is
the greater in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus, calling unto him a
little child, set him in the midst of them. And said: amen I say to
you, unless you be converted, and become as little children, you shall
not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble
himself as this little child, he is the greater in the kingdom of
heaven. And he that shall receive one such little child in my name,
receiveth me.
FRANCISCAN MEDIA: Saint John Bosco’s Story
BLOG: The Prophecies of St. John Bosco
VIDEO: Two Pillars - Dream of St. John Bosco
EXCERPT UNVEILING THE APOCALYPSE: The above encyclical of Pope St. Pius X
cites an allegory of Pope St. Gregory the Great comparing the Church to
the Barque of St. Peter in the midst of a great tempest. This was a
deliberate allusion to the accounts of Christ's calming of the storm in
the Gospels. Alongside the symbolism of the Battle of Lepanto, this
very same theme predominates St. John Bosco's famous prophetic Dream of
the Two Pillars. A prophecy which seems to be of especial significance
this year, considering the fact that we have a very rare occurrence of
a "blue and blood moon" on 31st January this year - which is the feast
day of St. John Bosco himself. This is the first occurrence of a "blue
and blood moon" in over 150 years, and will also appear during yet
another "super-moon" phase (the last of three consecutive such
appearances), when the moon is at its closest point to earth.
The last time a "blue and blood moon" lit up the night skies was on
31st March, 1866, while St. John Bosco was still overseeing the
construction of the Basilica of Our Lady of Help of Christians in
Turin, which wasn't completed until 1868. During its construction, St.
John Bosco insisted on incorporating several prophetic elements into
the architecture of the Basilica itself, based on the various prophetic
dreams and visions he had experienced over the years. The most notable
of aspect of these curious additions to the architecture of the
Basilica was an allusion to a prophetic date pointing to some time in
the 20th century as the moment of another great Marian victory:
...additional work on the Church of Mary Help of Christians was in
progress. Each of the two belfries flanking the facade was to be
surmounted by an angel, nearly eight feet tall, fashioned from gilded
wrought copper, according to Don Bosco’s own plan. The angel on the
right held a banner…bearing the word “LEPANTO” drilled in large letters
through the metal, while the one on the left offered…a laurel wreath to
the Blessed Virgin standing atop the dome. In a previous design,
the second angel too held a banner on which the figure “19” was drilled
through the metal followed by two dots. It stood for another date,
“nineteen hundred,” without the final two numbers to indicate the
specific year. Though ultimately, as we have said, a laurel wreath was
put into the angel’s hand, we have never forgotten the mysterious date
which, in our opinion, pointed to a new triumph of the Madonna. May
this come soon and bring all nations under Mary’s mantle.
(Lemoyne, Biographical Memoirs IX, p276)
LINK: Virtual Tour fo Basilica
UNIVERSALIS: From a letter by Saint John Bosco, priest I have always laboured out of love
First of all, if we wish to appear concerned about the true happiness
of our foster children and if we would move them to fulfil their
duties, you must never forget that you are taking the place of the
parents of these beloved young people. I have always laboured lovingly
for them, and carried out my priestly duties with zeal. And the whole
Salesian society has done this with me.
My sons, in my long experience very often I had to be convinced of this
great truth. It is easier to become angry than to restrain oneself, and
to threaten a boy than to persuade him. Yes, indeed, it is more fitting
to be persistent in punishing our own impatience and pride than to
correct the boys. We must be firm but kind, and be patient with them.
I give you as a model the charity of Paul which he showed to his new
converts. They often reduced him to tears and entreaties when he found
them lacking docility and even opposing his loving efforts.
See that no one finds you motivated by impetuosity or wilfulness. It is
difficult to keep calm when administering punishment, but this must be
done if we are to keep ourselves from showing off our authority or
spilling out our anger.
Let us regard those boys over whom we have some authority as our own
sons. Let us place ourselves in their service. Let us be ashamed to
assume an attitude of superiority. Let us not rule over them except for
the purpose of serving them better.
This was the method that Jesus used with the apostles. He put up with
their ignorance and roughness and even their infidelity. He treated
sinners with a kindness and affection that caused some to be shocked,
others to be scandalised, and still others to hope for God’s mercy. And
so he bade us to be gentle and humble of heart.
They are our sons, and so in correcting their mistakes we must lay
aside all anger and restrain it so firmly that it is extinguished
entirely.
There must be no hostility in our minds, no contempt in our eyes, no
insult on our lips. We must use mercy for the present and have hope for
the future, as is fitting for true fathers who are eager for real
correction and improvement.
In serious matters it is better to beg God humbly than to send forth a
flood of words that will only offend the listeners and have no effect
on those who are guilty.
Ladder of Divine
Ascent excerpt: Step 22- "On the many forms of vainglory"
4. Observe and you will find unholy vainglory abounding
till the very grave in clothes, oils, servants, perfumes and the like.
January 29, 2018
(1Co 6:19-20) Or
know you not that your members are the temple of the Holy Ghost, who is
in you, whom you have from God: and you are not your own? For you are
bought with a great price. Glorify and bear God in your body.
POPE FRANCIS:
"Pain, suffering, and the meaning of life and death are all problems
the contemporary mind does not know how to face with hope, and
therefore this is one of the duties that the Church is called to render
to contemporary man. It is clear that where life is valid not for its
dignity, but for its efficiency and productivity, [euthanasia] becomes
possible. In this scenario it must be reiterated that human life, from
conception to its natural end, has a dignity that renders it
inviolable."
CATHOLIC REGISTER: 'Call for Conscience' calls for action against assisted suicide
CNA: Indiana latest state to consider assisted suicide
CATHOLIC SPIRIT: To be or not to be — parsing the implications of suicide
In recent years we have witnessed a growing tendency to promote suicide
as a way of resolving end-stage suffering. Physician-assisted suicide
is now legal in a handful of states and a number of other jurisdictions
are considering laws to legalize the practice. A few years ago on
Nightline, Barbara Walters interviewed an assisted suicide advocate who
summed it up this way: “We’re talking about what people want. There are
people who, even suffering horribly, want to live out every second of
their lives, and that’s their right, of course, and they should do it.
Others don’t want that. Others want out!” Those favoring
physician-assisted suicide argue that getting out of our final agony
means essentially redeeming a “get out of jail free” card through
committing suicide. At first glance, taking this step would indeed
appear to end our troubles definitively. But what if this view of
things is dead wrong, and we don’t actually end up escaping our
sufferings? What if we, instead, end up in a new situation where our
trials are still present, and maybe even more intense, on account of
the willful decision we made to end our own life?
I was recently reminded of this serious flaw in the “suicide solution”
after watching a remarkable video adaptation of Shakespeare’s tragedy
Hamlet, with Campbell Scott co-directing and starring in the title
role. Listening once again to Hamlet’s timeless soliloquy “to be or not
to be,” I was struck by how carefully Shakespeare addresses the vexing
question of intense human suffering and the perennial temptation to
commit suicide.
Hamlet muses about whether it is better to put up with the bad things
we know about in this life than to step into the strange new land of
death’s “undiscovered country,” a country about which we know very
little, and from which no one returns. This leaves us, in Hamlet’s
words, “puzzled” and in “dread of something after death.” He wonders
aloud about the hidden purposes of suffering when he asks himself,
“Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of
outrageous fortune” than to “take arms against a sea of troubles, and
by opposing, end them.” He concludes by asking whether we shouldn’t
rather “bear those ills we have than fly to others that we know not
of?” Among those who end up committing suicide, whether
physician-assisted or otherwise, many will face extenuating
circumstances including severe depression or other forms of extreme
mental pain. In such cases, it is clear that their moral responsibility
will be greatly diminished, as fear and anguish constrict their ability
to think and reason clearly. But this is not always the case, and some
people, with clear mind and directed intention, do choose to end their
lives, as appears to have been the case for Britney Maynard. She was
the young woman in California who in the early stages of her brain
cancer carefully arranged and orchestrated her own physician-assisted
suicide, establishing months in advance the date and setting, who would
be present in the room, what music would be playing as she did it, etc.
Such a decision is always a tragedy, and every life, even when
compromised by disease or suffering, remains a great gift to be cared
for. When freely chosen, suicide is a form of serious wrongdoing and
is, in the words of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “Gravely
contrary to the just love of self. It likewise offends love of neighbor
because it unjustly breaks the ties of solidarity with family, nation,
and other human societies to which we continue to have obligations.” It
leaves behind loved ones to contend with unresolved guilt, shame, and
pain.
While ending our life may seem to offer an “escape valve” for the
serious pressures and sufferings we face, we do well to consider the
real effects of this choice both in this life, and in the life to come.
In the next life, a preceding act of suicide may deny us the very
relief we were seeking, and may, in fact, lead to harsher purification
in a new situation of our own making, or, heaven forbid, lead to a fate
far worse than purgatory.
Our Lord and his Church care profoundly for those who commit suicide,
and even though this act clearly involves grave matter, the Catechism
reminds us that, “We should not despair of the eternal salvation of
persons who have taken their own lives. By ways known to him alone, God
can provide the opportunity for salutary repentance. The Church prays
for persons who have taken their own lives.” Suicide affects us not
only in the here and now, but has significant, even eternal,
implications for the journey to that “undiscovered country” that awaits
us.
FR. WILLIAM SAUNDERS:
Only God can read the depths of our soul. Only He knows how much we
love Him and how responsible we are for our actions. We leave the
judgment then to Him alone. The Catechism offers words of great hope:
"We should not despair of the eternal salvation of persons who have
taken their own lives. By ways known to Him alone, God can provide the
opportunity for salutary repentance. The Church prays for persons who
have taken their own lives" (#2283). Therefore, we do offer the Mass
for the repose of the soul of a suicide victim, invoking God's tender
love and mercy, and His healing grace for the grieving loved ones.
Ladder of Divine
Ascent excerpt: Step 22- "On the many forms of vainglory"
3. The spirit of despair rejoices at the sight of
increasing vice, and the spirit of vainglory at the sight of increasing virtue.
The door for the first is a multitude of wounds, and the door for the second
is a wealth of labours.
January 26, 2018
(1Co 1:10-13) Now
I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you
all speak the same thing and that there be no schisms among you: but
that you be perfect in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it
hath been signified unto me, my brethren, of you, by them that are of
the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. Now this I
say, that every one of you saith: I indeed am of Paul; and I am of
Apollo; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? Was Paul
then crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
MARK MALLET BLOG: Striking God's Anointed One
CTBI: Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
VATICAN NEWS: Pope presides at ecumenical Vespers service
As is traditional, Pope Francis presided over an ecumenical Vespers
service at the Basilica of Saint Paul’s Outside the Walls for the
conclusion of the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. The end of
the Week coincides with the Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul.
The Song of Moses and Miriam
During the liturgical service, a cantor proclaimed a reading from the
Book of Exodus, the “Song of Moses and Miriam,” which Pope Francis took
as the starting point for his homily. The hymn was sung by the
Israelites after they had been saved from the Egyptians by God, an
event that many of the Church Fathers saw as an image of Baptism. “All
of us Christians,” the Pope said, have passed through the waters of
Baptism; and the grace of the Sacrament has destroyed our enemies, sin
and death.” Precisely for this reason, he continued, together we are
able to sing God’s praise.
Called to community
But, the Pope said, as with Moses, “our individual experiences bind us
to an even greater story, that of the salvation of the people of God.”
Saint Paul, he said, whose conversion is celebrated in this liturgical
feast, likewise had a “powerful experience of grace,” and this
experience led him “to seek out communion with other Christians.” This,
the Pope said, is also our experience as believers: “As soon as we grow
in the spiritual life, we understand ever better that grace reaches us
together with others, and is to be shared with others.” The Pope
explained that in recognizing the Baptisms of Christians of other
traditions, we acknowledge that they too have received forgiveness, and
that God’s grace is at work in them too. “And even when divergences
separate us,” he said, “we recognize that we pertain to the same people
of the redeemed, to the same family of brothers and sisters loved by
the only Father.”
United in suffering
Our growth in the spiritual life, however, is often a difficult one,
the Pope said, and pointed to the suffering of Christians endured for
the Name of Jesus. The Holy Father argued that “when their blood is
shed, even if they belong to different [Christian] Confessions,
together they become witnesses of the faith, martyrs, united in the
bond of baptismal grace.” Even with other religious traditions, the
Pope said, “Christians today confront the challenges that demean human
dignity: flying from situations of conflict and misery they are victims
of human trafficking and other forms of modern slavery; they suffer
hardships and hunger, in a world that is ever more rich in means and
poor in love, where inequality continues to grow.” But, he said,
Christians are called to remember the history of what God has done for
us, and to help and support one another, and “to face every challenge
with courage and hope, armed only with Jesus and the sweet power of His
Gospel.”
MORE: Progress in Catholic relations with Russian Orthodox world
POPE FRANCIS:
“In light of the Word of God which we have been listening to, and which
has guided us during this Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, we can
truly affirm that all of us, believers in Christ, have been called to
proclaim the might works of God. Beyond the differences, which still
separate us, we recognize with joy that at the origin of our Christian
life there is always a call from God Himself. We can make progress on
the path to full visible communion between us Christians not only when
we come closer to each other, but above all as we convert ourselves to
the Lord, who through His grace, chooses and calls us to be His
disciples.”
Ladder of Divine
Ascent excerpt: Step 22- "On the many forms of vainglory"
2. With regard to its form, vainglory is a change
of nature, a perversion of character, a note of blame. And with regard to
its quality, it is a dissipation of labours, a waste of sweat, a betrayal
of treasure, a child of unbelief, the precursor of pride, shipwreck in harbour,
an ant on the threshing-floor which, though small, has designs upon all one's
labour and fruit. The ant waits for the gathering of the wheat, and vainglory
for the gathering of the riches of virtue; for the one loves to steal and
the other to squander.
January 24, 2018
(1Co 11:23-26) For
I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that
the Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread,
And giving thanks, broke and said: Take ye and eat: This is my body,
which shall be delivered for you. This do for the commemoration of me.
In like manner also the chalice, after he had supped, saying: This
chalice is the new testament in my blood. This do ye, as often as you
shall drink, for the commemoration of me. For as often as you shall eat
this bread and drink the chalice, you shall shew the death of the Lord,
until he come.
CATHOLIC CUSTOMS: The Thirty Gregorian Masses by Fr. Stephen Somerville
NCR: How to Help the Holy Souls in Purgatory
RELATED LINK: Purgatory Project
FROM THE MAILBAG: GREGORIAN MASSES - Power of Perseverance for us all!
Never Give Up On Prayer
In 1992 my mother-in-law committed suicide. Two years later her husband
also committed suicide. Neither of them were Catholic and on account of
the circumstances of their deaths our family was greatly concerned
about their salvation. The catechism tells us: "God in His almighty
Providence can bring good from the consequences of evil" (cc312)
As a result of these tragedies I began to pray the rosary and to go to
daily Mass. Three years later I made a pilgrimage and on my return,
while attending a novena the priest said we could receive a plenary
indulgence if we attended the whole novena. That summer I offered
plenary indulgences for both deceased in-laws. I continued to pray for
them because I realised no prayer is every wasted. Also I had learned
from Fr Corapi about anticipatory prayers. God is outside of time and
He knows what we will do before we do it. This meant that the prayers
and Masses I offered for my in-laws could have been applied to them at
the time of their deaths, and helped to save them.
On reading more I realised that a Plenary Indulgence is not easily
obtained. To obtain such indulgence one must have no attachment at all
to sin, however small the sin may be. This is not an easy thing. I then
suggested to my husband we have a series of Gregorian Masses said for
his parents in case they were still in Purgatory. The Masses were
schedule to begin on October 1 (Feast of St Therese) and finish on 30
October. I asked for a sign of their salvation to be given to me once
the Masses were completed. October 30 came and I waited for the sign.
It did not come. October 31 came and no sign. I was then sure I would
get the sign on All Saints Day (November 1). It never came. The next
day - All Souls Day - would be perfect. No sign again. Now I started to
really get worried. Could they be in Hell? I was distressed. I had so
hoped that God would apply all the prayers and Masses ahead of time to
help them at their last moments. I continued to pray but it took one
more month.
A Month Later - Sign
On the First Saturday of December I woke up at 3.30am and felt I needed
to go to Adoration. I could not get out of bed. I woke up again at
4.30am. This time I got up and went to Adoration. I had this really
strong urge - hard to explain - to pray for in laws at Mass that
morning. After Mass I was supposed to pray at an abortion clinic, but
something told me I had to go home instead. On the way home I stopped
to put Holy Water on the graves of my in-laws, as I knew this helped
the Holy Souls. This was not easy as the cemetery was covered in snow.
But I did, and wiped all the snow off, sprinkled Holy Water on the
graves and prayed some more for them.
On arriving at home there was a package on the doorstep. I gave it to
my son because I could see a stuffed animal toy in the bag and assumed
it was from his girlfriend. He looked and said: "This is for you. It's
flowers."
When I opened it up I began to sob. There in the package were a dozen
white roses! I had asked to two white roses for my sign, but our God is
a truly generous God and He gives us more than we ever ask for! The
card with the flowers said: "I am just the messenger", and it was
signed "John R." Also in the package was a rose pin attached to a St
Therese prayer and a stuffed doggy toy.
Circumstances of the Sign
I called John to thank him. He said he was truly just the messenger. He
explained to me that he had been woken up at 3am that morning and felt
he was floating. He kept getting the message: "Get June white roses".
He tried to pray but he could not. He said the Holy Spirit would not
let up on him about the roses until he finally got them. When I told
him the whole story about the white roses being a sign, he could not
contain himself and had to hang up the phone.
My father-in-law loved dogs and a few days later I discovered a photo
in which he had a dog that looked exactly like the stuffed toy, spots
and all. As for the St Therese card the Gregorian Masses started on her
Feast Day and my mother-in-law loved red roses. In my heart I believe
the roses, the dog, the card and pin were all part of the message from
Heaven that my two in-laws were now in that wonderful place.
The Lesson
Never, never give up on praying for your loved one, even after their
deaths! Please pray every day for the Souls in Purgatory. My in-laws
were not Catholic. Maybe we were the only ones praying for them. How
many non-Catholics there must be in Purgatory because they have no one
to pray for them! How many non-Catholics must be lost because they have
no one to pray for them, either before or after their deaths!
LINK: Request a Series of Gregorian Masses
Ladder of Divine
Ascent excerpt: Step 21- "On unmanly and puerile cowardice"
6. Although all cowardly people are vainglorious,
yet not all who are unafraid are humble, since even robbers and grave-plunderers
may be without fear.
January 22, 2018
(Mat 19:14-15) But
Jesus said to them: Suffer the little children, and forbid them not to
come to me: for the kingdom of heaven is for such. And when he had
imposed hands upon them, he departed from thence.
POPE FRANCIS:
“Mary is a Mother who does not abandon her children. Mary
continues to defend us and point out the gate that opens for us the way
to authentic life, to the Life that does not pass away.”
VIDEO: President Trump addresses 2018 March for Life
ARCHBISHOP CHAPUT: Abortion Is ‘Violence with Bitter Public Consequences’
CATHOLICCULTURE.ORG: Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children
January 22 is the anniversary of Roe v. Wade and the day established by
the Church of penance for abortion, has been formally named as the “Day
of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children.” On this day (or
January 23rd when January 22nd falls on a Sunday) your parish, school
or religious formation program may celebrate the Mass for Giving Thanks
to God for the Gift of Human Life. This Mass, found in our
newly-translated Missal, may now be used on occasions to celebrate the
dignity of human life.
The relevant change reads: “The liturgical celebrations for this day
may be the Mass “For Giving Thanks to God for the Gift of Human Life?
(no. 48/1 of the Masses and Prayers for Various Needs and Occasions),
celebrated with white vestments, or the Mass “For the Preservation of
Peace and Justice? (no. 30 of the Masses and Prayers for Various Needs
and Occasions), celebrated with violet vestments.”
In addition to this special Mass on this day, perhaps your parish,
school or religious formation program could encourage traditional forms
of penance, host pro-life and chastity speakers, lead informative
projects that will directly build up the culture of life, show a
pro-life film, raise funds for local crisis pregnancy centers or offer
additional prayer services.
According to the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form
of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of Sts. Vincent and Anastasius.
During the early years of the fourth century, Vincent, a young deacon,
was inhumanly tortured by Dacian, Roman governor of Valencia in Spain.
Vincent rejoiced in his sufferings until he drew his last breath. More
than three hundred years later, Anastasius the Persian, a convert from
the priestly caste of Magi, endured a similar martyrdom in distant
Assyria. Through all the Christian sacrifices to that of Calvary for
the salvation of every man born into the world.
COLLECT PRAYER:
God our Creator, we give thanks to you, who alone have the power to
impart the breath of life as you form each of us in our mother's womb;
grant, we pray, that we, whom you have made stewards of creation, may
remain faithful to this sacred trust and constant in safeguarding the
dignity of every human life. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God,
for ever and ever.
EXCERPT COMMENTARY:
Before we can advocate about any other life issues, we must have life
itself. The first and fundamental right that must be argued and
defended, therefore, is the beginning of life.
And so, we must oppose abortion without confusion or uncertainty. It
stands as the primary and perennial issue for the person who cherishes
and respects life.
While not a single issue, since it’s the first of many life issues, our
opposition to abortion calls us to a solidarity with life. Such a
solidarity compels us to care for the poor, the migrant and refugee,
the person with special needs, and others who are helped by our
attention and service. Such a solidarity urges us to work for peace,
champion the rights of minorities, oppose capital punishment, and seek
social harmony however we’re able.
None of these issues, however, are equal to abortion but all of them
are connected to the dignity that abortion offends and they call for
our intervention and action. They call us to solidarity. Our opposition
to abortion, therefore, leads us into a solidarity with life and guides
us in our fight against other social ills.
The above explanation can help the Christian who wants to be true
brother or sister to all people, without falling into moral ambiguity,
or who wants to accompany and serve those who suffer, without being
entrapped in only one issue. Each of us, as believers or as people of
good will, are called to welcome life - defending it at its beginning -
and cherish it by living peacefully with all men and women and
advocating for all those who suffer.
And so, we are called to solidarity and subsidiarity. We are called to
be a people of life from the womb to the tomb, and everywhere in
between.
ARCHBISHOP JOSE H. GOMEZ:
There is no question that #abortion is the fundamental injustice in
American society. If a child has no right to develop in the womb and be
brought into this world — then there is no foundation for any human
rights in society.
Ladder of Divine
Ascent excerpt: Step 21- "On unmanly and puerile cowardice"
5. Those who mourn and those who are insensitive are
not subject to fear, but the cowardly often have become deranged. And this
is natural. For the Lord rightly forsakes the proud that the resut of us
may learn not to be puffed up.
January 19, 2018
(Deu 30:19) I
call heaven and earth to witness this day, that I have set before you
life and death, blessing and cursing. Choose therefore life, that both
thou and thy seed may live:
LIFENEWS.COM: Trump to Be First Sitting President to Address March for Life
OFFICIAL MARCH FOR LIFE WEBSITE: http://marchforlife.org/
CNA: March for Life events planned across the US
ANGELUSNEWS: Abortion clinic ‘help’ vs. pro-life center love
FROM THE MAILBAG
VIA Reverend George William Rutler, S.T.D.:
The romantic soul of William Wordsworth thrilled over the French
Revolution: “Oh! Pleasant exercise of hope and joy! . . . Bliss was it
in the dawn to be alive. But to be young was very heaven!” He crossed
the Channel to see it in action, but when the Terror began he fled in
horror. Then there is the story of Beethoven tearing up the first page
of his Sinfonia Eroica, originally dedicated to Napoleon, upon news
that his hero had succumbed to the vanity of a crown. The anarchist
Emma Goldman hailed the Russian Revolution, but when fact obliterated
her fantasy, she acidly described the Bolshevik State “crushing every
constructive revolutionary effort, suppressing, debasing, and
disintegrating everything.” The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact shattered the
illusions of many armchair Communists.
Disillusionment can decay into cynicism, but it can also be a salvific
dose of reality. Eugenicists in the last century envisioned a
demographic utopia, only to find that illusion cruelly mocked by the
Nazi death camps and made macabre by abortion mills today. Arthur and
Elizabeth Rathburn of Grosse Point, Michigan are just the latest of
people on trial for trafficking in the body parts of unborn babies. In
2013 the FBI discovered in their warehouse over one thousand heads,
limbs and organs of infants. Their indictment seems to have been
delayed because of what was previously a political reluctance to
implicate Planned Parenthood. Increasing numbers of our population are
recognizing unpleasant truths.
Recent changes by our Executive Branch mark a shift in
policy—reinstating the pro-life Mexico City Policy, moving to defund
the United Nations Population Fund, expanding the religious exemption
to the Health and Human Services Department’s contraception mandate,
and favoring a Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act—as well as
encouraging the annual March for Life this January 19, marking the 45th
anniversary of the tragic Roe v. Wade decision. One does not want to be
overly optimistic, but illusions are being shattered and, save for
stone hearts, the consciences of many may be recognizing the
consequences of naïvely underestimating the forces of evil cloaked as
social progress.
The Scottish king Robert the Bruce provided a lesson in persistence.
Defeated in battle, he was tempted to give up, but for three months he
took refuge in a cave where he watched a spider persevere in building a
web, after failing numerous times. “If at first you don’t succeed, try,
try, again.” The line has edified schoolchildren, but it also helped
the Bruce secure his kingdom after victory at Bannockburn. Various
places claim the site of the cave—Dumfriesshire, Arran Island, Craigie,
Taitlin Island—but that cave is wherever people learn from their
mistakes and do not succumb to cynicism. “Preach the word; be ready in
season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete
patience and teaching” (2 Timothy 4:2).
ARCHIVES FIRST THINGS: The March for Life in year 44 (2017) by Archbishop Charles J. Chaput
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Ladder of Divine
Ascent excerpt: Step 21- "On unmanly and puerile cowardice"
4. A proud soul is a slave of cowardice; it vainly
trusts in itself, and is afraid of any sound or shadow of creatures.
January 16, 2018
(Rom 1:16-19) For
I am not ashamed of the gospel. For it is the power of God unto
salvation to every one that believeth: to the Jew first and to the
Greek. For the justice of God is revealed therein, from faith unto
faith, as it is written: The just man liveth by faith. For the wrath of
God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and injustice of
those men that detain the truth of God in injustice: Because that which
is known of God is manifest in them. For God hath manifested it unto
them.
EXCERPT NEWS RELEASE: President Donald J. Trump Proclaims January 16, 2018, as Religious Freedom Day
Faith
is embedded in the history, spirit, and soul of our Nation. On
Religious Freedom Day, we celebrate the many faiths that make up our
country, and we commemorate the 232nd anniversary of the passing of a
State law that has shaped and secured our cherished legacy of religious
liberty.
Our forefathers, seeking refuge from religious persecution, believed in
the eternal truth that freedom is not a gift from the government, but a
sacred right from Almighty God. On the coattails of the American
Revolution, on January 16, 1786, the Virginia General Assembly passed
the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom. This seminal bill, penned by
Thomas Jefferson, states that, “all men shall be free to profess, and
by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion, and
that the same shall in no wise diminish, enlarge, or affect their civil
capacities.” Five years later, these principles served as the
inspiration for the First Amendment, which affirms our right to choose
and exercise faith without government coercion or reprisal.
Today, Americans from diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds remain
steadfast in a commitment to the inherent values of faith, honesty,
integrity, and patriotism. Our Constitution and laws guarantee
Americans the right not just to believe as they see fit, but to freely
exercise their religion. Unfortunately, not all have recognized the
importance of religious freedom, whether by threatening tax
consequences for particular forms of religious speech, or forcing
people to comply with laws that violate their core religious beliefs
without sufficient justification. These incursions, little by little,
can destroy the fundamental freedom underlying our democracy.
Therefore, soon after taking office, I addressed these issues in an
Executive Order that helps ensure Americans are able to follow their
consciences without undue Government interference and the Department of
Justice has issued guidance to Federal agencies regarding their
compliance with laws that protect religious freedom. No American —
whether a nun, nurse, baker, or business owner — should be forced to
choose between the tenets of faith or adherence to the law.
The United States is also the paramount champion for religious freedom
around the world, because we do not believe that conscience rights are
only for Americans. We will continue to condemn and combat extremism,
terrorism, and violence against people of faith, including genocide
waged by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria against Yezidis,
Christians, and Shia Muslims. We will be undeterred in our commitment
to monitor religious persecution and implement policies that promote
religious freedom. Through these efforts, we strive for the day when
people of all faiths can follow their hearts and worship according to
their consciences.
REVIEW: Religious freedom has won some key battles recently
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CHURCH TEACHING ON RELIGIOUS FREEDOM: Redemptor Hominis Excerpts from the Encyclical Letter of Pope St. John Paul II
"The requirement of an honest
relationship with regard to truth as a condition for authentic freedom,
and the warning to avoid every kind of illusory freedom, every
superficial unilateral freedom, every freedom that fails to enter into
the whole truth about man and the world." (No. 12)
"Certainly the curtailment of the
religious freedom of individuals and communities is not only a painful
experience but it is above all an attack on man's very dignity,
independently of the religion professed or of the concept of the world
which these individuals and communities have. The curtailment and
violation of religious freedom are in contrast with man's dignity and
his objective rights. The Council document mentioned above states
clearly enough what that curtailment or violation of religious freedom
is. In this case we are undoubtedly confronted with a radical injustice
with regard to what is particularly deep within man, what is
authentically human." (No. 17)
"Nowadays it is sometimes held, though
wrongly, that freedom is an end in itself, that each human being is
free when he makes use of freedom as he wishes, and that this must be
our aim in the lives of individuals and societies. In reality, freedom
is a great gift only when we know how to use it consciously for
everything that is our true good. Christ teaches us that the best use
of freedom is charity, which takes concrete form in self-giving and in
service. For this "freedom Christ has set us free" and ever continues
to set us free. The Church draws from this source the unceasing
inspiration, the call and the drive for her mission and her service
among all mankind. The full truth about human freedom is indelibly
inscribed on the mystery of the Redemption." (No. 21)
Ladder of Divine
Ascent excerpt: Step 21- "On unmanly and puerile cowardice"
3. Fear is a rehearsing of danger beforehand; or again,
fear is a trembling sensation of the heart, alarmed and troubled by unknown
misfortunes. Fear is a loss of assurance.
January 15, 2018
(Mat 28:19-20) Going
therefore, teach ye all nations: baptizing them in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe
all things whatsoever I have commanded you. And behold I am with you
all days, even to the consummation of the world.
MULTIMEDIA COVERAGE: Pope Francis’ Apostolic Journey to Chile and Peru | Salt and Light Catholic Media Foundation
VIDEO: Pope Francis sends video message to Chile and Peru: “The Church sees you”
NEWS REPORT: 'The next firebomb is for the Pope': Churches in Chile are attacked days before the Pontiff is due in the country
THE TABLET: Tensions Ahead of Papal Visit to Chile
Pope Francis departs on Monday for a trip to Chile and Peru for what
will be his sixth visit to Latin America, where issues of clerical
sexual abuse and church renewal are likely to feature. The question of
abuse is likely to loom largest in Chile where the Pope has faced
criticism for appointing Osorno’s Bishop Juan Barros, accused of
covering up abuse by a prominent priest, Fr Fernando Karadima in the
1980s and 90s. Peter Saunders, a British abuse survivor who recently
resigned as a member of the Pope’s child protection commission, says he
plans to be in Chile to try and highlight the case. Bishop Barros’
appointment has been a divisive one with 650 people turning up in
protest during his ordination ceremony that saw the new bishop needing
protection from ushers in order to enter the cathedral.
In impromptu remarks to a group of Chilean pilgrims following a
Wednesday General Audience, the Pope criticised Osorno’s protesters
saying leftist politicians were leading them “by the nose” and had been
allowed to “fill people’s heads, judging a bishop without any
evidence.” The Vatican judged Karadima to have abused children and
sentenced him to a life of prayer and penitence. Bishop Barros, who was
accused of protecting Karadima, has denied covering up. Meanwhile,
opinion polls say that just 36 per cent of the Catholic majority
population are looking forward to the papal visit with the surveys
citing indifference, irritation with the Chilean hierarchy and
scepticism about the cost (officially 10 million Chilean pesos or
£122,000).
The Pope’s trips to the two countries will follow a similar format to
his others: he will meet with the country’s presidents, bishops and say
Masses in front of large crowds. While in Chile he will make time for
lunch with indigenous Mapuche people from the Araucania region and in
Peru have a meeting with people of the Amazon. The Mapuche meeting
could prove controversial given they lived in Chile before Spanish
colonisers arrived in the sixteenth century, and there are ongoing land
disputes between the Government and the indigenous people.
RELATED: Why Pope Francis will visit Chile's Araucania region
VATICAN NEWS: The indigenous peoples of the Amazon await Pope Francis
IN FULL: Pope Francis’s schedule for Chile and Peru trip
Ladder of Divine
Ascent excerpt: Step 21- "On unmanly and puerile cowardice"
2. Cowardice is a childish disposition in an old,
vainglorious soul. Cowardice is a falling away from the faith that comes of
expecting the unexpected.
January 12, 2018
(Jer 1:5) Before
I formed thee in the bowels of thy mother, I knew thee: and before thou
camest forth out of the womb, I sanctified thee, and made thee a
prophet unto the nations.
POPE FRANCIS:
The Pope noted after 70 years have passed, he is pained to see how many
fundamental rights continue to be violated today, especially the right
of every human person to life, liberty and personal security. He noted
that not only war or violence infringe these rights. “In our day, there
are more subtle means: I think primarily of innocent children discarded
even before they are born, unwanted at times simply because they are
ill or malformed, or as a result of the selfishness of adults".
IRISH ARCHBISHOP ÉAMON MARTIN: Abortion is “Always Evil and Can Never be Justified”
PRIESTS FOR LIFE ACTION ALERT: Sign on to letters urging Democratic Senators to vote for the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act!
NC REGISTER: Connected for Life in 2018: March for Life’s Digital Media Seeks to Empower Activism
Preview of the the 45th-annual march and how people committed to standing up for the unborn are reaching out to one another.
COURAGEOUS PRIEST: When Being Pro-life Means Being Attacked by Christians and the Culture by Fr. Stephen Imbarrato
There is a trend going on in the pro-life collective that I find quite
concerning and even dangerous. There is growing criticism of certain
aspects (tactics) of the collective that others from within are
referencing as unloving and lacking compassion. There are more so those
inside the collective who believe that some people or groups in the
collective are anti gay and anti transgender, haters and intolerant.
Such criticisms or accusations within the collective have been growing
the last couple of years. And the pattern I see is that if there is any
defense or push back against these accusations (which I believe are
largely false and made up) whether the accusations originate in some
instances from perception minded corporate ministries or worse from
people who are either clearly anti marriage and anti family, then those
who stand up for the truth and for what is right and just morally are
being chastised and even marginalized.
This is a microcosm actually of what we are seeing in the culture. The
forces that are undermining life, marriage, and family, label those who
believe in moral absolutes and traditional long held values as haters,
bigots, anti women, and of course, now anti gay and anti transgender.
Some of these attacks are quite serious and blatant and in almost all
instances, false and made up. Yet when some of the moral
traditionalists stand up for the truth in the face of these attacks,
they are chastised within their own ranks for whatever reason.
This is evident within the Church. Good priests standing up for the
faith being chastised and punished because they speak out when they see
pastoral abuses when, in the name of being loving and tolerant, many
ignore or tolerate behaviors that are against the truth, detrimental to
souls, and offensive to God.
I can remember a time before I entered the seminary that by broadening
our pro-life focus beyond anti abortion to a broader chastity message,
we were able to get into venues such as public high schools that
previously would not be inviting toward us st all. Within the chastity
message, we would also talk about the abortion issue. It was an
effective strategy.
I see a similar pattern happening in the pro-life collective but
somewhat in reverse. Anti marriage and anti family influences who have
taken up the pro-life position have gained acceptance and a platform
for their broader agenda. They are now using the same rhetoric that
others within the collective had already deployed for much longer…that
certain aspects of the movement are not loving and compassionate; that
they are harsh and judgmental. Accusations fly at will often in the
form of implications that some groups (tactics) are loving, caring,
compassionate, and embracing of women; the implication always being
that other groups or tactics are not as such. Yet when those attacked
stand up for the truth, whether it be continuing what they do in good
conscience, push back in defending themselves, or even expose a
particular agenda especially in the case of the anti family, anti
marriage influences, these traditionalists (for lack of a better word)
are often chastised and called out as being divisive or again not
loving or embracing.
As I have pointed out, this reality has become a common occurrence on
many levels and I think it needs to be confronted on the broader scale
and particularly within the pro-life collective. Standing up for the
truth is never unloving. Almost without exception those who do so act
in good conscience according to the Holy Spirit. Yes sometimes it gets
messy because it is getting harder and harder today to speak the truth,
show the truth, and in some cases act in truth, but it is never
unloving and those who do this messy, hard stuff within the collective
should never be the ones who are felt marginalized because others want
some false and illusory version of inclusion and unity or are concerned
about perception or image.
We Christians should not be surprised by any of this. Christ spoke
about such divisions within families and He also warned us that for His
sake, we would be persecuted, insulted, and spoken falsely about.
However He also encourages us! “Rejoice and be glad! Your reward will
be great in heaven.” I encourage everyone who stands on the moral
absolutes of life, family, and marriage to continue to do so regardless
of the cultural attacks rendered and especially to stand courageously
when those attacks come from within our own organizational or
institutionalized families.
Ladder of Divine
Ascent excerpt: Step 21- "On unmanly and puerile cowardice"
1. If you pursue virtue in a monastery or coenobium,
you are not likely to be attacked much by cowardice. But the man who spends
his time in more solitary places should make every effort to avoid being overcome
by that offspring of vainglory, that daughter of unbelief, cowardice.
January 10, 2018
(Rev 6:9-11) And
when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of
them that were slain for the word of God and for the testimony which
they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying: How long, O Lord
(Holy and True), dost thou not judge and revenge our blood on them that
dwell on the earth? And white robes were given to every one of them
one; And it was said to them that they should rest for a little time
till their fellow servants and their brethren, who are to be slain even
as they, should be filled up.
CNA: Pope's latest prayer video highlights religious persecution in Asia
CHRISTIAN TIMES: Persecution Trends Report lists China, India as top countries of concern for 2018
ALETEIA: Christians who have given their life for Christ in 2017
VATICAN: Missionaries killed in 2017
In the year 2017, 23 Catholic pastoral care workers were killed
worldwide: 13 priests, 1 religious brother, 1 religious sister, 8 lay
persons. For the eighth consecutive year, the place most affected, with
an extremely elevated number of pastoral care workers killed is
AMERICA, where 11 pastoral care workers were killed (8 priests, 1
religious brother, 2 lay people); in Africa 10 pastoral care workers
were killed (4 priests, 1 religious sister, 5 lay people); in Asia 2
pastoral care workers were killed (1 priest, 1 lay person).
According to information gathered by Agenzia Fides, from 2000 to 2016,
424 pastoral care workers were killed worldwide, including 5 Bishops.
As it has been for some time, Fides’ list does not only include
missionaries ad gentes in the strict sense, but all pastoral care
workers who died violent deaths. We do not propose to use the term
"martyrs", if not in its etymological meaning of "witnesses" since it
is up to the Church to judge their possible merits and also because of
the scarsity of available information in most cases, with regard to
their life and even the circumstances of their death.
Once again the majority of the pastoral care workers were killed in
attempted robbery, and in some cases violently attacked, a sign of the
climate of moral decline, economic and cultural poverty, which
generates violence and disregard for human life.
In these situations, priests, religious and laity share the same daily
life with ordinary people, bringing the specific value of their
evangelical witness as a sign of hope. Those who were killed are only
the tip of the iceberg, as the list of pastoral workers or simple
Catholics, assaulted, beaten, robbed, threatened, as well as Catholic
structures at the service of the entire population, assaulted,
vandalized or looted is certainly long. The provisional list compiled
annually by Agenzia Fides, must therefore be added to the long list of
many of whom there may never be news, who in every corner of the world
suffer and even pay with their lives for their faith in Christ. Hardly
any investigations conducted by the local authorities lead to
identifying and convicting the perpetrators and the instigators of
these killings or the reasons why they were carried out.
The condemnation of the instigator of the assassination of Spanish
Jesuit missionary Vicente Canas, who was killed in Brazil in 1987, is
exemplary. In the first trial, celebrated in 2006, the defendants were
acquitted for lack of evidence; the new trial on 29 and 30 November,
led to the condemnation of the instigator, the only survivor out of the
those who were accused.
ACN: Persecuted & Forgotten? – A Report on Christians Oppressed for their Faith 2015-2017
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Ladder of Divine
Ascent excerpt: Step 20- "On bodily vigil"
11. Long sleep is an unjust comrade; it robs the lazy
of half their life, and even more.
January 8, 2018
(Mar 1:9-11) And
it came to pass, in those days, Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and
was baptized by John in Jordan. And forthwith coming up out of the
water, he saw the heavens open and the Spirit as a dove descending and
remaining on him. And there came a voice from heaven: Thou art my
beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.
POPE FRANCIS:
"The Spirit is the artifice of Jesus’ Baptism and also of our Baptism.
It’s the Spirit that opens the eyes of our heart to truth, to the whole
truth. He pushes our life on the path of charity. He is the gift that
the Father gave to each one of us on the day of our Baptism. He, the
Spirit, transmits to us the tenderness of divine forgiveness."
INSTITUTE OF CATHOLIC CULTURE: The Baptism of Our Lord
Today, the Roman Catholic Church continues its festal celebrations by
commemorating the Baptism of the Lord. Therefore, let us reflect upon
the Sacrament of Baptism in order to enter more fully into this mystery
in our own lives.
Let us recall that Baptism is not a uniquely Christian practice, but
one that was prevalent among the Jews of Jesus’ day. In order to gain a
true understanding of baptism, it is necessary to reflect upon what it
meant to the people from whom it originated. It was not uncommon for
the Jews of Jesus’ day and the early Church to see in baptism a
correlation with certain Old Testament events. Saint Peter, in his
second epistle, explains that our baptism corresponds to the flood of
Noah. Just as in those ancient days when all evil men perished under
the waters of the great deluge, so in our baptism, the sinful man is
destroyed (2 Pet 2:5). Further, our baptism can be seen as a new
crossing of the Red Sea. As Saint Paul explains, the Israelites
underwent a baptism when Pharaoh and the Egyptians were buried under
the waters of the sea and the people of God were saved and called to
walk in the new life which God had bestowed upon them (1 Cor 10:2).
Also, we may see our baptism as a type of Israel’s crossing of the
Jordan River after forty years of wandering in the desert. Just as
Joshua led Israel into the Promised Land through the waters of the
Jordan, so each of us who is baptized is led by Jesus into the promised
land of the Church.
These Old Testament prefigurements of Christian Baptism receive their
full meaning, however, at the Baptism of the Lord. What happened when
Jesus was baptized? The Fathers of the Church give three answers.
- First, by entering into the water of the Jordan River, Jesus
sanctified it and made the water of baptism a place for the working of
the Holy Spirit.
- Second, because baptism among the Jews was seen as a ritual act
of death and burial of the old man, Jesus confronted the Ruler of Death
in the baptismal waters of the Jordan, that he might defeat death and
bestow life upon all of creation. It was at the Baptism of Christ that
Our Lord met his adversary of old, the Devil, and struck a decisive
blow against him. By his baptism into death, the giver of life
destroyed the power of death: “death no longer has dominion over him”
(Rom. 6:9).
- Finally, in his baptism, Jesus met all of us who were bound to
death through the sin of our first parents, and taking us by the hand
through the instrumentality of the priest, each one of us was raised
from the dead, out of the baptismal waters. Through the resurrection of
Christ, the tomb of the baptismal font becomes the womb of the Church,
which gives new life to all who approach this Holy Sacrament.
Saint Paul, in his epistle to the Romans, gives the following catechesis,
“Are you not
aware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into
his death? Through baptism into his death we were buried with him, so
that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the
Father, we too might live a new life. If we have been united with him
though likeness to his death, so shall we be through a like
resurrection” (1 Cor. 6: 3-4).
Therefore, as Saint Paul explains, baptism is a sacramental act whereby
we are mystically joined to the death and resurrection of Christ.
In his baptism, Jesus has reversed the curse of the fall. In his
baptism, Christ has opened for the faithful that garden of delight
closed by sin. In his baptism, Christ has restored Adam to all that he
lost through disobedience. Let us who have been baptized into Christ
see the ancient deceiver conquered. Let us who have been baptized into
Christ see the baptismal waters as the place of sanctification for our
souls. Let us who have been baptized into Christ see man once more
enter into Paradise and hear the Father’s words of mercy, “Thou art my
beloved Son; with thee I am well pleased” (Lk 3:22).
FATHER JOHN A HARDON, S.J.: Baptism, the Sacrament of Regeneration and the Supernatural Life
ALETEIA: 12 New Year’s resolutions for 12 months, from Pope Francis
A guide for making the most out of 2018.
- Build bridges, not walls
- Let yourself be moved by suffering … and then do something
- Don’t be afraid to be ashamed of yourself and recognize when you’ve done wrong
- Dream of love
- Avoid attachment to riches
- Pray daily for your health and that of your loved ones
- Be strong in faith so as to overcome division
- Work hard for your dignity and that of your family
- Don’t let yourself be robbed of hope
- Remember that God never abandons us
- Find happiness by creating harmony
- Know that you are loved, so that you can give love and forgiveness
Ladder of Divine
Ascent excerpt: Step 20- "On bodily vigil"
10. The farmer's wealth is gathered on the threshing
floor and in the wine-press, but the wealth and knowledge of monks is gathered
during the evenings and the night hours while standing at prayer and engaged
in spiritual activity.
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