Articles by Joe Tremblay
Peter & Paul: Founders of the New Rome
Mar 15, 2013 / 00:00 amEvery June 29 the Catholic Church celebrates the feast day of St. Peter and St. Paul. Some early Christian witnesses claim that these two illustrious Apostles were martyred under the Roman emperor Nero on the same day: St. Peter being crucified upside down and St. Paul being beheaded. Interestingly, their calling to martyrdom seemed to have been traced out by the crucifixion of our Lord and the beheading of St. John the Baptist. Also noteworthy is the pagan legend that two twin brothers, Romulus and Remus, founded the city of Rome between 758 and 728 B.C. And it would seem providential that two brothers in Christ, Peter and Paul, would help bring about a new Rome through the shedding of their blood.One early Christian account, Liberianus (354 A.D.), records that St. Peter had presided in Rome as bishop for 25 years, 1 month and 9 days. As for St. Paul, he eventually made his way to Rome after having preached the Gospel to the Mediterranean world. These two pillars of the Church, the former an icon of authority and the latter representing the prophetic voice of Christ, would serve as the epicenter of Christianity. St. Ireneaus (180 A.D.), bishop and Father of the Church, attested to this “by indicating that tradition derived from the apostles, of the very great, the very ancient, and universally known Church founded and organized at Rome by the two most glorious apostles, Peter and Paul; as also (by pointing out) the faith preached to men, which comes down to our time by means of the successions of the bishops.”Yet the sacred authority of St. Peter and St. Paul would not go uncontested. In fact, it was the Roman emperor Nero, a mad man to be sure, who inaugurated the era of Christian martyrdom by using Christians as a scapegoat for setting fire to a district of Rome. Having sensed a political backlash to his arson, he immediately blamed the Christians. Tacitus, a non-Christian historian in the first century, had this to say about one of the first great persecutions of the Church: “Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus…” Indeed, the tortures consisted of wrapping the Christians in animal skins and setting them on fire for all to see.It was during this wave of persecutions that St. Peter and St. Paul were put to death in 64 A.D. About forty years earlier, Christ foretold the kind of death St. Peter would “glorify God.” He said, “Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” This wouldn’t be the last time a Roman emperor would see the pope as a rival to his throne and seek to have him eliminated. One source has it that out of the first 30 popes, 29 died a martyr’s death. As you can see, the first several popes had to be willing to suffer a martyr’s death in order to sit on Peter’s chair. Indeed, for a successor of St. Peter, dying a natural death wasn’t likely in those early years.During the first centuries, being a Christian in Rome was a health hazard. As such, it begs the question: Why did the Spirit of the Lord lead St. Peter and St. Paul to Rome, the very center of moral and spiritual darkness? Gladiator games, infanticide, and slavery were just a few vices on display there. In fact, St. Peter concluded his first epistle by saying, “Babylon sends you greetings…” First century Jews and Christians referred to Rome as Babylon for two reasons: First, Babylon was a place of exile for the Old Testament Jews when Temple and Jerusalem was destroyed (586 B.C.). Rome was a dwelling place for Jews and Christians away from Jerusalem. Second, as with the construction of the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11, Rome was an epicenter of godlessness. Yet, St. Peter and St. Paul threw themselves right in the middle of this darkness so as to emit the Light of Christ. They were set apart from the world but ministered in the world. The Catholic Church took it for granted that if Rome could be transformed through the preaching of the Gospel, the light of Christ would be diffused throughout the world.Retreating from ungodly cities, therefore, was not on the early Christian agenda. In fact, the Apostles and the Church Fathers – most of whom were bishops – took to the streets, exposing themselves to ridicule and persecution. This is a missionary tactic that ought to be revived in our cities. As Fulton Sheen said (and here I am paraphrasing), “Christ did not get crucified between two candles in a cathedral. Rather, died out there in the jungle; that’s where we need to take our message.”The strength to carry this daunting task out was none other than the grace that came from Christ-crucified. Having the Passion of our Lord burned in their hearts, these two great Apostles saw that God was glorified through setbacks, humiliations, persecutions and martyrdom itself. As such, they did not wince from bearing witness in those places most hostile to the Gospel of Christ. From Rome, St. Peter encouraged those Christians undergoing trials to adopt the same attitude: “In this you rejoice, although now for a little while you may have to suffer through various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that is perishable even though tested by fire, may prove to be for praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (I Peter 1:6-7) For St. Peter, suffering was an opportunity to break with sin. He said, “Therefore, since Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same attitude (for whoever suffers in the flesh has broken with sin), so as not to spend what remains of one's life in the flesh on human desires, but on the will of God.” (I Peter 4:1-2)The foundation these two Apostles laid bore much fruit. In the year 313 A.D. Christianity was legalized. Nearly 80 years later, in 392 A.D., it was made the official religion of the Roman Empire. When the Church’s mission was allowed to flourish, gladiator games were banned, infanticide and abortion were declared illegal and the institution of slavery collapsed. Indeed, the world was introduced to the Culture of Life all because the Gospel of Life was preached on enemy territory by men who were willing to endure its hazards.St. Peter and St. Paul, founders of the New Rome, pray for us.
Perpetua's witness
Mar 8, 2013 / 00:00 amMarch 7, the feast day for St. Perpetua, is behind us. But, her inspirational testimony still lives on. St. Perpetua was an incredible young African woman, mother and martyr of the Catholic Church. She bore witness to her Savior with her very life; this, around the year 203 A.D. She was one of those Catholics who were martyred shortly after her baptism.The new convert was arrested and imprisoned for being a Christian. Summoned before the court in northern Africa, she was given the opportunity to renounce her faith in Christ. St. Perpetua’s father, who was standing by, first pleaded with her in anger and then in tears for her to deny her Christian identity. But neither the judge nor her own father could prevail on her. As pagans, they could not understand why this young mother would not renounce her faith in order to live. Incensed by St. Perpetua’s “stubbornness,” he sentenced her to the wild beasts in the amphitheater (a kind of mini-coliseum).With resolve and joy in her heart, she returned to her cell. But the conditions of the prison were oppressive. With an infant to nurse and care for, it was all the more difficult to remain joyful. During the days leading up to her death she had time to write an account of those dark days in the dungeon."A few days later we were lodged in the prison, and I was much frightened, because I had never known such darkness. What a day of horror! Terrible heat, owing to the crowds! Rough treatment by the soldiers! To crown all I was tormented with anxiety for my baby. But Tertius and Pomponius, those blessed deacons who ministered to us, paid for us to be moved for a few hours to a better part of the prison and we obtained some relief. All went out of the prison and we were left to ourselves. My baby was brought and I nursed him, for already he was faint for want of food. I spoke anxiously to my mother on his behalf and encouraged my brother and commended my son to their care. For I was concerned when I saw their concern for me. For many days I suffered such anxieties, but I obtained leave for my child to remain in the prison with me, and when relieved of my trouble and distress for him, I quickly recovered my health. My prison suddenly became a palace to me and I would rather have been there than anywhere else.”“My prison became a palace to me!” Ah! What an insight. It is life’s best kept secret: to taste the joy of knowing Christ even in the greatest of difficulties. When the charms of this earthly life loses its sparkle and its promise seems to fade, it is then that the Good Lord often communicates the joys of heaven; so much so that people who feel close to God amid great trials develop a nostalgia for it when life prospers again.It was reported that during St. Perpetua’s last meal (with other Christians such as St. Felicity) there were many conversions. She, as with her companions, was ready to lay down her life for Christ. This inspired many onlookers, to be sure. In fact, as she was led to the amphitheater, St. Perpetua was singing hymns. Indeed, a kind of spiritual levity came over her. And she was heard saying to her brother: “Stand fast in the faith and love one another! Do not let suffering be a stumbling block for you.”To make a long story short, St. Perpetua provided the kind of entertainment the blood-thirsty pagans were looking for. After she entered the arena, a mad bull (or cow) tossed her about. Refusing to be disheveled, the young disciple of Christ picked herself up, straightened out her robe and proceeded to fix her hair. Apparently, she wanted to look good for Christ on her wedding day, the day that she was to be walked down that isle in Heaven.In any case, St. Felicity, her companion, had also been attacked and wounded in the amphitheater during the same show. St. Perpetua approached her saintly companion and gave her the kiss of peace. It just so happened that the wild animals were no longer in the mood for killing. They had retreated into the cages. Nevertheless, the show had to go on. A few novice gladiators came out to finish the job. One gladiator in particular – nervous as can be – attempted to apply the sword to St. Perpetua’s neck but he was shaking too hard. The young Saint helped guide the sword to her own throat. The rest is history.
Dr. Keith Ablow: On the raising of deluded narcissists
Mar 1, 2013 / 00:00 amDr. Keith Ablow, a frequent guest on Fox News, asserted just a few weeks ago that “we are raising a generation of deluded narcissist.” He cited an interesting study from the American Freshmen Survey which found that “college students are more likely than ever to call themselves gifted and driven to succeed, even though their test scores and time spent studying are decreasing.” In fact, this inflated self-esteem among the younger generations, a kind of narcissistic drive to stardom, is up 30 percent over the last three decades.The iPod and Xbox generation, as I like to call them, is facing a whole new set of challenges than that of the television generation of the 1950s and beyond. It took a while, but the television phenomenon eventually had an impact on neighborhoods and local communities. As late as the 1970s, many, if not most, neighborhoods were filled children. Everyone knew each other and the whole town was a child’s playground.Today, households are more isolated from each other. Families that live down the street are but strangers to us. This, in part, is why “play dates” became a widespread practice among parents. Instead of children playing on the other side of the neighborhood on their own initiative, the children of today have to schedule their play time scheduled by their parents. What is more, they have to be driven to the play site with the understanding that there is parental supervision.In short, it can be argued that over the last three decades or so people experienced less of a need to go outside because their television entertained them indoors. With this, our neighbors became strangers. Neighborhoods, places where communities were once fostered, are becoming a thing of the past. And households of today are arguably more like islands than a part belonging to a greater whole. What the television was to neighborhoods, iPods, iPhones and computers are to individuals; especially the youth. Just as houses became a world unto themselves in recent years, the same is bound to happen to individuals. Text messaging via cell phone, iPod usage and the computer are good in themselves. However, with every strength there is a corresponding weakness.And the weakness that is beginning to show more readily today with modern social communication is that people no longer feel the need to talk to people who are in the same room. That’s right. Isolation from the people who are sitting next to you or in the same room is so much easier nowadays.More specifically to Dr. Keith Ablow’s point: With the use of computer games, “our sons and daughters can pretend they are Olympians, Formula 1 drivers, rock stars or sharpshooters … being something they are not.” This virtual world- a world we can manipulate- a world where the illusion of reality is more appealing than the demands of real life -is but fertile soil for narcissism.Play, fantasy and dreams are good, to be sure. But we have to remember that the modern technology of gadgets does all of the work for our children. Most of the fun is downloaded and programmed for them; leaving them little room for initiative, creativity and effort. Furthermore, they can more easily live in a world that is created by others; one in which the illusion of stardom, grandeur and artificial success are reinforced. In fact, sports for youth mirrors this need for self-esteem at all costs. As Dr. Ablow said, “(T)own sports leagues across the country hand out ribbons and trophies to losing teams.”I fear that legacy of the iPod and Xbox generation will, if unchecked, be a disappointing one. The luxury of an iPod or Xbox is that the world it creates can be manipulated. As such, success can be simulated and the lessons that were historically garnered from real failure and hardships are minimized. Far from advantageous, this can lead to a life of artificiality and emptiness. The question is: Will the world of gadgets prepare the youth for the demands of life? Dr. Keith Ablow seems to think not. He said, “False pride can never be sustained … That’s why young people are higher on drugs than ever, drunker than ever, smoking more, tattooed more, pierced more and having more and more and more sex, earlier and earlier and earlier, raising babies before they can do it well, because it makes them feel special, for a while. They’re doing anything to distract themselves from the fact that they feel empty inside and unworthy.”In the end, narcissism, social isolation, and emptiness leads to a kind of despair and a disillusionment of life. “Distractions,” Ablow said, “are temporary, and the truth is eternal.” Then he goes to caution us of the following: “Watch for an epidemic of depression and suicidality, not to mention homicidality, as the real self-loathing and hatred of others that lies beneath all this narcissism rises to the surface. I see it happening and, no doubt, many of you do, too.”Dr. Keith Ablow does not give us the cure, but only the diagnosis.Nevertheless, a public discussion on the cure is every bit as necessary.I will venture to say that the only force that can arrest the rise of “deluded narcissists,” as he puts it, is a Christianity that is not only a life to be lived seven days a week, but a social influence that will once again penetrate into our public institutions. In other words, Christianity has to permeate the fabric of society so that the virtues of simplicity and moderation can become common again. This, in part, will save us from living in a downloaded and surreal world of our own making.
Organ-donation euthanasia: a growing epidemic
Feb 22, 2013 / 00:00 amEuthanasia is not such a bad word anymore. In fact, the medical practice of prematurely declaring a person as clinically dead is widespread in the West; especially when the patient is an organ-donor. Although the practice of organ donation is morally permissible and is inspired by honorable intentions, nevertheless, what should be borne in mind is that not a few hospitals, hospices and other medical institutions are heavily influenced by the culture of death.Take Dominic Wilkinson, a physician specializing in newborn intensive care and medical ethics in the UK. In May of 2010 he wrote about organ donation euthanasia without batting an eye. As for those patients who are arbitrarily deemed “hopeless,” he wrote the following:“We can give them the option in advance to donate their organs if they are ever going to have their treatment limited because their prognosis is deemed hopeless. If the person agreed in advance to be such an organ donor, and an independent committee confirmed that the patient’s prognosis was hopeless and treatment should be stopped, the patient could be taken to an operating theatre in controlled circumstances, given a general anesthetic and have their organs removed. The surgical procedure would be a form of euthanasia. We could call it ‘organ-donation euthanasia’.”The doctor is quite unapologetic about calling this procedure “euthanasia.” And it seems that it is gaining currency in the United States. I had a conversation with a doctor at my local parish and she confirmed for me that harvesting organs from patients who are supposedly dying is carried out even when there are signs of viability. In such cases, time is the enemy. In order for a patient’s organs to remain viable for a successful transplant there is a great deal of pressure to harvest them while there is still life.Julie Grimstad, writer and editor of Euthanasia: Imposed Death and the executive director of Life is Worth Living, Inc., had issued the warning about the growing temptation of the medical community to prematurely declare a person dead. She said, “Today, death is often hastily declared, not for the patients welfare, but in order to ensure that the desired organs are alive.” Grimstad speaks to the graphic reality of current medical practices when the patient is still alive:“In the past, a physician pronounced death when there was no breathing, no heartbeat, and no response to stimulation. Today, a person can be judged ‘brain dead’ while his heart is still beating, and his circulation and respiration are normal. In fact, a ‘brain dead’ organ donor may react violently to the stimulation of being cut into to remove his organs. Surgeons have come to rely on a paralyzing drug to keep the donor's body from squirming and grimacing. However, even though movement is suppressed, the donor's blood pressure and heart rate increase, and his heart continues beating until the surgeon stops it just before removing it.”The truth is that there is no rigid and uniform criterion for determining when a patient is dead. On this point, Julie Grimstad adds the following:“There are many different sets of criteria for determining ‘brain death.’ A physician is free to use any set of criteria. Thus, a patient could be pronounced dead by one set, when use of another set would determine that he is still alive. It is also important to know that the medical community is divided about whether ‘brain death’ is actual death.”Keep in mind that when natural death is not respected as that criterion which determines when life ends then medical intervention can fall into arbitrariness. Also, when there is an incentive, perhaps a financial one, to harvest the organs from a patient who is on the threshold of death, then the premature declaration of death will be (and is) a temptation that is difficult to resist.I would argue that euthanasia has reached epidemic proportions in America. Once this line has been crossed – and it has – it is difficult to reverse course. Indeed, we do not have to go back too far to see where euthanasia will lead. Germany in the 1930s is one such model. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum website does us a favor by reminding us that just as abortion leads to infanticide, euthanasia leads to the murder of other people who are deemed unfavorable:“The so-called ‘Euthanasia’ program was National Socialist Germany's first program of mass murder, predating the genocide of European Jewry, which we call the Holocaust, by approximately two years…At first, medical professionals and clinic administrators incorporated only infants and toddlers in the operation, but as the scope of the measure widened, they included juveniles up to 17 years of age. Conservative estimates suggest that at least 5,000 physically and mentally disabled German children perished as a result of the child ‘euthanasia’ program during the war years.”America is growing old. The Baby-Boom generation is now entering the elderly age bracket. As such, when they reach the upper level of the social pyramid, the younger generations will find it difficult to support them; not just economically, but also with providing them medical care in hospitals and other medical facilities. Older patients will far outnumber the younger doctors and nurses. In fact, in many parts of the country, there is a shortage of doctors and nurses already. Because the immensity of the demand, there will be and already is considerable pressure to discharge elderly patients in order to make room for other patients. And are we naive enough to think this demographic trend will not translate into a greater use of euthanasia programs?Catholics need to be vigilant. Again, like the legalization of abortion, it will be difficult to reverse if the light of the Gospel is not shown in this dark corner of America. Undoubtedly, the problem of euthanasia will be a prolife cause that is bound to equal that of abortion.
Temptation in the desert and its twentieth century parallel
Feb 15, 2013 / 00:00 amPolitical and Spiritual Slavery:In 1994, Pope Benedict XVI wrote a book called “Turning Point for Europe?” In it he maintains that immediately following the liberation of the Hebrews from Egypt, after spending years in slavery, God gave Moses and the Israelites the Ten Commandments on Mt. Sinai. It was no accident, he said, that liberation from slavery under Pharaoh and the keeping God’s law were to be closely linked to one another. But sadly, as we find out in the books of Exodus and Numbers, Israel proved to be unfaithful to God during their forty year journey in the desert. And in the centuries that followed, to the extent that they were unfaithful to the Lord’s commands – to that extent – were they dominated by foreign nations. It is a sobering reminder that political slavery is but the result of the spiritual slavery to sin.In redeeming us from that slavery, therefore, Jesus Christ retraced the steps of his ancestors by spending forty days in the desert. St. Jerome said it wasn’t so much that Satan took the initiative to seek out Jesus; it is more accurate to say that Jesus went out into the desert to confront Satan. Indeed, before he would redeem the human race from sin, our Lord deemed it necessary to conquer the Architect of Sin by allowing himself to be tested through three progressive temptations.Three TemptationsThe first temptation: Satan approached Jesus and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread." (Matt. 4:3) Here, Satan is tempting Jesus on the presumption that he is God. After all, only God can change stones into bread. Yet, if Jesus were to acquiesce to the temptation by converting stones into bread in order to eat them, worst case scenario, he would be breaking his fast with the possibility of sinning against God.With the second temptation, Satan approached Jesus as if he were a mere holy man. For if a man could summon angels to his side he would undoubtedly be holy but he would not be God. After all, the Almighty would need no such assistance. With the second temptation the tempter said, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: 'He will command his angels concerning you and 'with their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.'" (Matt. 4:6) But in the absence of such angelic assistance, the cost of succumbing to Satan’s proposal is one of physical death. A pattern begins to emerge: As the devil downgrades the status Jesus from God to a holy man, the consequences of consenting to the second temptation- in contrast to the first temptation -becomes more perilous. With the first temptation, Satan approaches Jesus as if he were God (this one, he got right). The second temptation our Lord is presumed to be a holy man, but only a man. And with the third temptation, Satan assumes the worst: “Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence, and he said to him, ‘All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me.’” (Matt. 4:9) In assuming the worst, Satan’s approached Jesus as if he were a sinner; because only a sinner would worship the Devil. However, the cost of consenting to such a temptation, in the absence of repentance, would forfeit the salvation of one’s soul. And to be sure, there is no greater loss than to be forever banished from God’s presence.Notice that the more sinful Satan believes you to be, the more gullible you are in his mind; gullible because consenting to his proposal would only spell disaster for the sinner. Indeed, sin darkens the mind. As Jesus said, whoever sins is a slave to sin. Hence, the darkness of sin leads to slavery. No one knows this better than the Satan himself.Twentieth Century Parallels:Interestingly, these three temptations and the design behind them, have a twentieth century parallels. With each temptation, Jesus countered with the words of God; specifically from the book of Deuteronomy. The book of Deuteronomy, as you might know, is a series of speeches given by Moses to the Hebrews at the end of their forty year journey in the desert. This took place just before they went into the Promised Land. Moses reviewed all that happened, both good and bad, and what would happen if they would obey or disobey God. The choice was clear. He said, “I have today set before you life and prosperity, death and doom.” (Deuteronomy 30:15) Fidelity to God’s law would merit the former; infidelity would bring about the latter.When we look at the twentieth century, as with previous centuries, we find that the choice between life or death is influenced by two inseparably related causes: spirituality and sexuality. That is to say, belief in God and attitudes about sex determine if one is fulfilled in life; if marriages last; if families happily stay together; if nations prosper; and most importantly, if souls are saved. From the French Revolution to the Russian Revolution, Satan effectively undermined man’s belief in God. But if he could not completely eliminate belief in God, he would at least try to distort human sexuality! God and sex have one very important thing in common: the ability to create life. Sex furnishes the material while God infuses the soul. When these two principles of life are misunderstood or misused, a whole series of repercussions are set in motion.To understand how Satan tempted Jesus in the desert is to understand how he tempted humanity during twentieth century. He understood that vice, as well as virtue, rarely exist in isolation. To instigate one sin or one vice with “seemingly little consequence” is to set off a sequence of other vices and sins which are of greater consequence. A chain reaction, if you will. For instance, the use of contraception spiked considerably from 1930 to 1970. In a nutshell, the idea behind contraception is to have sex without the possibility of begetting life. In short, a couple could have sex without conceiving a child. Seemingly harmless, right? Taking it one step further, however, the Sexual Revolution gave us sex without love at the end of the 1960’s. Marriage was thought to be no longer necessary for sexual intimacy. With contraception, this was a lot easier But without the support of two married parents, when conception did occur, babies became more undesirable…more of a burden. This brings us to legalized abortion, which is life without love. The mother has a child in her womb but without the love to see him or her to full term. Fidelity or Gullibility:Let’s sum up the series of progressive temptations we find in twentieth century. Keep in mind that with each temptation the consequences get more ruinous: Sex without life (contraception) leads to sex without love (fornication/adultery); this in turn, leads to life without love (abortion). The final product is the culture of death. Indeed, with each consent or nod of approval to contraception, extra-marital sex or abortion, the human mind is darkened and is made more gullible. In fact, Satan exploited this human weakness to great effect during the 20th century. However, his efforts fell short in the desert. If anything, our Lord Jesus demonstrated – not only in the desert, but throughout 33 years on earth – that fidelity to God is the surest way of preserving our freedom and happiness. But he also reveals to us that the more we consent to sin, the more gullible we become. And the more gullible we become, the more inclined we are to believe the false promises of the devil. It is only a matter of time therefore, that slavery to sin ushers in political slavery.
The Papal Letter of 1917
Feb 8, 2013 / 00:00 amIn 1917 Pope Benedict XV couldn’t help but notice that the world was growing cold to Christ. The observation of these developments begged an important question: Why the change? Why was had Western Civilization grown tired of its native religion? Instead of blaming the world, Pope Benedict XV did some serious soul searching on behalf of the Church. He asked, “Has the Word of God then ceased to be what it was described by the Apostle, living and effectual and more piercing than any two-edged sword? Has long-continued use blunted the edge of that sword?” The answer, of course, is a resounding “No!” Then what was the underlying cause of a world that had gone secular? As uncomfortable as it is, the Holy Father points to the answer: “If that weapon does not everywhere produce its effect, the blame certainly must be laid on those ministers of the Gospel who do not handle it as they should. For no one can maintain that the Apostles were living in better times than ours, that they found minds more readily disposed towards the Gospel or that they met with less opposition to the law of God.” Yet, the brutal fact remained: The Church possessed the same Gospel and the same Sacraments as the Apostles did, but the results in 1917 were not encouraging. And as Pope Benedict XV suggested, Catholics in the 20th century were not using the Gospel as they should. This, he said, was “a matter of the greatest and most momentous concern.” Although the problem of mishandling the Gospel and easy access to the Sacraments were not visibly pronounced in Pope Benedict XV time, they would be in decades to come. With an uncanny eye, the Holy Father saw the beginning of what would be a real crisis. In his 1917 encyclical, On Preaching the Word, he chose to focus on the Sacrament of Holy Orders and the diligence bishops had to exercise in selecting, not only learned men, but holy men for the priesthood. Indeed, he echoed the admonition given by the Lateran Council centuries earlier: "If it should ever be impossible to maintain the present number, it is better to have a few good priests than a multitude of bad ones." In fact, Pope Benedict XV cautioned his brother bishops of the following: If men find easy access to the pulpits of our churches…it is your duty to see that such a grave abuse should disappear, and since you will have to render to God and to His Church an account of the manner in which you feed your flock, allow no one to creep unbidden into the sheepfold and to feed the sheep of Christ according to his fancy.” The Holy Father was candid enough to say that if an unworthy priest leads souls astray through error or scandal, then the bishop who ordained him would share in his sins. To this, he said, “If anyone acts carelessly and negligently in this duty, he clearly offends in a grievous matter, and on him will fall the responsibility of the errors which the untrained preacher may spread or of the scandal and the bad example which the unworthy one may give. The Fathers of the Church were known to issue to very same warning to their priests. But what if a good priest turned bad? There are countless examples throughout sacred history that show that a man of the cloth can begin his ministry on solid footing only to slip and fall from grace at a later time. Perhaps a gifted preacher may let human applause go to his head. In any event, if a member of the clergy was found to abuse his office, the pontiff counseled his brother bishops to act! For the good of souls, false compassion for the unworthy minister had to be set aside. He said, “If you detect any one for his own glory or for gain, abusing the office of preaching, you should at once remove him from that function.” And elsewhere he said that if a priest was to be found wanting in virtue or learning, he was to be “debarred.”The criterions for choosing worthy men for the priesthood, according to Pope Benedict XV, were three-fold. First, the candidate was a man “who always fully conformed himself to God's will.” In other words, he had to be a man of virtue and zeal, putting God’s glory about his own profit. Secondly, “he will not avoid labor or trouble of any kind.” The Holy Father went on to say that such a man should not immoderately desire the comforts of life or seek his own ease rather than the good of souls. Like Christ and the Apostles, the man of the cloth should possess the spirit of sacrifice. As such, short-term sacrifices will deter him from long-term gains. In the third place, every priest and preacher of the Word should be a man of prayer. As St. Bernard counseled a fellow preacher: "If you are wise, be a reservoir, not a conduit, be full yourself of what you preach and do not think it enough to pour it out for others." The Doctor then adds: "Today we have in the Church a profusion of conduits, but how few are the reservoirs!" These priestly qualities are “a matter of the greatest and most momentous concern” because from the mouths of unworthy ministers comes a distorted or watered down version of the Gospel. To be sure, such an abridged version which leaves out supernatural principles and counter-cultural doctrines is incapable of saving souls. It produces that useless salt the Lord warned about in his Sermon on the Mount. As Pope Benedict XV warned, “But since among the truths revealed by God there are some which frighten the weakness of our corrupt nature, and which therefore are not calculated to attract the multitude, they carefully avoid them, and treat themes, in which, the place accepted, there is nothing sacred.” Then he has us reflect on a special quality of St. Paul’s; one that would prove difficult to exercise but one that is of paramount importance for the preacher if he is to win souls for Christ. He said,“(A)ll Christ's doctrines and commands, even the sterner ones, were so proclaimed by St. Paul that he did not restrict, gloss over or tone down what Christ taught regarding humility, self-denial, chastity, contempt of the world, obedience, forgiveness of enemies, and the like, nor was he afraid to tell his hearers that they had to make a choice between the service of God and the service of Belial, for they could not serve both, that when they leave this world, a dread judgment awaits them; that they cannot bargain with God; they may hope for life everlasting if they keep His entire law, but if they neglect their duty and indulge their passions, they will have nothing to expect but eternal fire. For our ‘Preacher of truth’ never imagined that he should avoid such subjects, because, owing to the corruption of the age, they appeared too stern to his hearers. Therefore it is clear how unworthy of commendation are those preachers who are afraid to touch upon certain points of Christian doctrine lest they should give their hearers offense.” Then he asked a question which is so important for all Catholics who seek to advance the Faith in the twenty-first century: “Does a physician prescribe useless remedies to his patient, merely because the sick man rejects effective ones? The test of the orator's power and skill is his success in making his hearers accept the stern truth he is preaching.” This will be a key factor in not only determining the success of the New Evangelization but for the renewal of the Church.
The 100 year test
Feb 1, 2013 / 00:00 amOn October 13, 1884 Pope Leo XIII, just after celebrating Mass, turned pale and collapsed as though dead. Those standing nearby rushed to his side. They found him alive but the pontiff looked frightened. He then recounted having a vision of Satan approaching the throne of God, boasting that he could destroy the Church. According to Pope Leo XIII the Lord reminded him that his Church was imperishable. Satan then replied, “Grant me one century and more power of those who will serve me, and I will destroy it.” Our Lord granted him 100 years. The Lord then revealed the events of the 20th century to Leo XIII. He saw wars, immorality, genocide and apostasy on a large scale. Immediately following this disturbing vision, he sat down and wrote the prayer to St. Michael. For decades it was prayed at Mass until the 1960’s. Like many of the Church’s spiritual defenses, it was discontinued in the second half of the 20th century. Some have speculated that the century of testing the Catholic Church began in 1914. Regardless of when the time of testing officially began, it is important to note that three years into World War I in 1917, the same year the Communist Revolution in Russia was unleashed, Pope Benedict XV penned an encyclical entitled, On Preaching the Word. It would prove to be prophetic. In it he addressed an issue that had to be “looked upon as a matter of the greatest and most momentous concern.” More on this “momentous concern” in the next post.Up until 1917, Western Civilization had begun to drift away from the light of Gospel. The Reformation, the French Revolution and, as mentioned, the Russian Revolution, were highly instrumental in ushering in the era of secularism. Pope Benedict XV could not escape the conclusion that the world was changing. He wrote the following in the same encyclical: “If on the other hand We examine the state of public and private morals, the constitutions and laws of nations, We shall find that there is a general disregard and forgetfulness of the supernatural, a gradual falling away from the strict standard of Christian virtue, and that men are slipping back more and more into the shameful practices of paganism.” With the return of paganism, comes an intolerance of Christianity. Indeed, the Church would produce more martyrs during the 20th century than in any other century. But as bad as things were in the world, the real test for the Church would come fifty years later during the Sexual Revolution of the 1960s. Similar to that of the Reformation in 1517, scores of Catholics would leave the Church. Priestly and religious vocations would dry up. Mass attendance would sharply decline. Catholic clergy and laity would no longer be on the same page in terms of belief and behavior. And as for many church-goers that would remain, their morals and lifestyle would prove to be comparable to non-Catholics. Perhaps, this is the apostasy Pope Leo XIII saw in his vision. Did not our Lord ask in the Gospel of Luke, “But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” What was foreseen by Pope Leo XIII on October 13, 1884 – exactly 33 years before the miracle of the sun at Fatima – has been confirmed, not only by subsequent events, but by other credible sources. The work of iniquity which had gained much momentum outside the Church in the late 19th century and early 20th century, was about to make its way in the institutions of the Church.In fact, on June 29, 1972 Pope Paul VI confirmed just that when he addressed his audience. He said, “It is as if from some mysterious crack, no, it is not mysterious, from some crack the smoke of Satan has entered the temple of God.”About a year later, on October 13, 1973, Our Lady of Akita, in an approved apparition in Japan, took this point further and gave us some idea how this “smoke” would take effect. She said, "The work of the devil will infiltrate even into the Church in such a way that one will see cardinals opposing cardinals, bishops against bishops...the Church will be full of those who accept compromises and the demon will press many priests and consecrated souls to leave the service of the Lord.”This is exactly what happened. As for the consecrated women in the religious life, their numbers plummeted dramatically in the 1970s. One consecrated woman, Sister Lucia, was the only surviving seer of Fatima who witnessed all of this. Her nephew, Father Valinho, wrote her a letter in 1971 inquiring about the convulsions the Church was experiencing. In response to the letter she said, “It is indeed sad that so many are allowing themselves to be dominated by the diabolical wave that is enveloping the world, and they are so blind that they cannot see their error.” “I am convinced,” Lucia continued, “that the principal cause of evil in the world and the falling away of so many consecrated souls is the lack of union with God in prayer. The devil is very smart and watches for our weak points so he can attack us. If we are not careful and attentive in obtaining the strength from God we will fall, because our times are very bad and we are weak.”Lack of prayer and compromises among priests and the religious led to a more general problem of relaxed standards in the Church! These were the manifestations of a deeper and more sinister force at work in the Church. But the Catholic practitioner, be it cleric, evangelist or teacher, has to mindful of both natural and supernatural causes if a remedy is to be applied for the problems that exist in and outside of the Church.In 1944, Father Paul Furfey, former professor and head of the Department of Sociology at the Catholic University of America, published a book called, The Mystery of Iniquity. In it, he provides wonderful insights into the necessary task of dealing with the symptoms as they appear to the naked eye. But he doesn’t leave it there. He said that permanent cures for the pressing social problems of the day require us to look beyond secondary causes: “(T)he mystery of iniquity is at work. Its activities do not usually appear on the surface of events; rather, it operates through secondary causes. Therefore, when one traces the causes of social problems, one finds that the immediate reasons for these problems are quite natural and understandable by human reason. It is only by following the chain of causation back far enough that one is led to suspect the workings of the Evil One.The Catholic approach on social problems must take both natural and the supernatural factors into account. Catholics must be concerned with natural factors underlying the evils of society and to meet these they must use natural methods suggested by experience. We Catholics have a precious possession in our doctrine of the mystery of iniquity. In it we have the key to the solution of many problems which torture our weary world. Realizing as we do that the mystery of iniquity is the basic cause of these problems, we can attack them at their source by the use of supernatural means. Herein lies the hope of victory.”The hope of victory. Catholics have to be mindful of this hope. They have to live out this hope. But in order for this hope to translate into a real, solid victory, we have to know that evil is communicated through practical and even ordinary means. Through pastoral practices and habits of evangelization and teaching that are defective. Evil doesn’t just happen. And this is where Pope Benedict XV encyclical On Preaching the Word comes in. In his 1917 letter, he prophetically anticipated some of the things through which the Church would be tested…tested within her own institutions.Next week: The Papal Letter of 1917
St. Paul's Theology of the Body: bringing the old with the new
Jan 25, 2013 / 00:00 amTheology of the Body, as it has been taught in recent years, has capitalized on the sexual dimension of the body and its spiritual significance. This, no doubt, has contributed to its widespread popularity. Within this context, the person – both body and soul – is viewed as a gift to God, as a gift to one’s spouse and even as a gift in the communion of persons at large. Also, the very anatomy of the body – in its in male and female form – symbolizes, not only the mystical marriage between Christ and his Church, but in addition, it represents who and what God is. And no doubt, it speaks to who we are in relation to God and each other. For this and so many other reasons, the Theology of the Body is of immense value for Christians.Theology of the Body (TOB), as a field of study, the presentation of its sexual-spiritual significance is a recent development. And to be sure, new developments run the risk of leaving behind well established truths and insights to complement it. From time to time, there have been TOB specialists who have masterfully communicated the beauty of human sexuality, inspiring an appreciation of its God-given purpose and design, but sometimes omitting old cautionary measures that should attend it. Even in the context of its theological truth and even with the aid of grace, the body or the flesh is still strongly inclined towards sin. In fact, the New Testament is clear on the following point: that the flesh continues to wage war on the spirit. While the body still lives, the law of sin “within its members,” to use the words of St. Paul, still lurks. And when spiritual vigilance is relaxed, the law of sin is bound to get the upper hand. Perhaps, in part, this relaxed vigilance is the reason why so many orthodox priests have fallen from grace in recent years. In advancing Blessed John Paul’s TOB, therefore, it is important to reacquaint ourselves with St. Paul’s theology of the body.For St. Paul, the sexual-spiritual meaning of the body is implicit in his writings, to be sure. But what stands out clearly, at least as I see it, is the liturgical-sacrificial meaning of the body. Take, for instance, the use of symbolic language used by St. Paul:The body as a temple (I Corinthians 3:16), the body as a living sacrifice to be offered to God for spiritual worship (Romans 12:1), the body as a libation being poured out for other people’s faith (Philippians 2:17), the body as that which is filled up with the afflictions of Christ for the sake of the Church (Colossians 1:24), the body that must be crucified to the world (Galatians 6:14), the body that carries the dying of Christ so that life may come to others (II Corinthians 4:10; 4:12), the body that must be conquered and trained lest we be disqualified (I Corinthians 9:27), the body’s desires that must be put to death (Romans 8:13; Colossians 3:5); and the body that must be "dead" so that the person may be absolved (Romans 6:7).These themes were picked up by the early Church Fathers like St. Ignatius of Antioch (107 A.D.) and were made to shed light on the relationship between the Eucharistic sacrifice and martyrdom, the ultimate offering of the human body. As a prisoner in chains who was sentenced to be thrown to the lions in the Roman Coliseum, St. Ignatius of Antioch wrote to several churches about his impending sacrifice. He said, "I am the wheat of God, and let me be ground by the teeth of the wild beasts, that I may be found the pure bread of Christ." Interestingly, he alluded to his body as the "wheat of God" and the "pure bread of Christ;" but on the condition that it be sacrificed.By the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the body is associated with God’s house and an offering for the altar. Like the first Jewish Temple which was destined to be destroyed (586 B.C.), the body will die. But like second Jewish Temple which was rebuilt (515 B.C.), it shall be raised up again at the resurrection of the dead. When the body is blessed with God's presence and is conceived as having liturgical value and symbolism, it serves as an instrument of communicating the grace and merit of Christ’s Passion. Infirmity, disability and suffering can be transformed from an incidental misfortune to a liturgical act with a profound meaning for oneself and far reaching consequences for others. And as for the body being the house of God, it can be a place where the peace of a monastery and the beauty of a cathedral can be found.In the book, Confession of St. Patrick and Letter to Coroticus, John Skinner gives one of the reasons behind the Apostle of Ireland’s perseverance in his mission. It is as if he hints at this interior cathedral of beauty that the Holy Spirit builds up within the soul: “Pascal said that in difficult times you should always keep something beautiful in your heart. Patrick is able to survive these harsh and lonely territories of exile precisely because he keeps the beauty of God alive in his heart. The inner beauty of the divine intimacy transfigures outer bleakness. This inner intimacy brings his soul alive. It opens the world of divine imagination to this youth.”What works for suffering and trials, also works when the pleasures of the flesh are provoked by occasions of sin. The liturgical meaning assigned to the body by St. Paul is not just one of positive affirmation – something beautiful and valuable – he also reminds us that the body is something to be sacrificed due to its strong inclinations to sexual sin. And I think this is where some TOB specialists have fallen short (I say, “some”). Indeed, sometimes there has been an unguarded approach to the topic of human sexuality and all of its theological richness; almost forgetting that the law of sin, as St. Paul said in Romans 7, is at enmity with the law of the spirit. Even St. Francis of Assisi called his body “brother ass” so as to remind himself that there is a principle at work; a principle that needs to be continually offered to God through self-denial, discipline and vigilance.As previously mentioned, there have been many fallen priests within the last decade. But priests are not the only ones struggling with their own sexuality; lay men and women are too. A preist, now a bishop, told me that over half of the confessions he hears from men have to do with pornography. It would be commendable, therefore, that teachers and speakers of Theology of the Body, in addition to explaining the God-given beauty and design of sexuality, would retrieve the liturgical-sacrificial meaning of the human body.The body is a gift designed for the purposes of sexual love and communion, no doubt. However, it always bears repeating that it is also a gift of offering that must be prepared for sacrifice through acts of self-denial and charity. As such, the body, having been sanctified by grace, will grow into a house fit for God's dwelling where peace and beauty can be found. But such a house cannot be built without the spirit of sacrifice.
Why we can’t leave it alone
Jan 18, 2013 / 00:00 amOn Jan. 9, Episcopalian leaders of the National Cathedral in Washington D.C. announced that it will honor same-sex weddings. In fact, the Voice of America website reported that the “church recently approved a special marriage rite that specifically blesses same-sex marriage.”
The power of life emerges from the River Jordan
Jan 11, 2013 / 00:00 amUp to the time of St. John the Baptist's first appearance, the sons and daughters of Abraham were the chosen people of God by virtue of their ethnic heritage and religious affiliation. But all that would change with the New Covenant Church.
The blessings of uncertainty
Dec 14, 2012 / 00:00 amIf the Holy Family is prototype of what every family should be like under God’s guidance, then the trials and the arduous circumstances in which they worked out their salvation ought to be content for our mediation. And what we find with the events surrounding the birth of Christ – before and after – is a series of gut-wrenching trials that rendered the next day – and even the next moment – ever so uncertain for that young holy couple.
Why conservatives can’t save America
Nov 30, 2012 / 00:00 amOn a daily basis Rush Limbaugh talks about the decline of America and how conservatives are losing the country. On both counts he happens to be right. As a conservative commentator, Rush provides some good insight into political issues. But he, like many conservative media commentators and political operatives, suffers from a certain disadvantage due to current blind spots. Because of this disadvantage, I would argue that conservatives cannot save America. There are three reasons why:The first reason why conservatives can’t save America is this: Patrons of secular-liberalism, whether they are in the media or the political world, are a united front. In fact, not only do they use the same talking points but they often use the same words to communicate those talking points. They have no problem with belonging to a group or appearing on the same stage together or consorting with one another in order to advance one agenda.On the other hand, when is the last time you saw Rush Limbaugh on the same stage with, let’s say, Sean Hannity, Mark Levin or Glenn Beck? These high profile conservatives rarely, if at all, come together to promote conservative causes. Sure, they attend, as featured speakers, conservative conventions like C-PAC and the Heritage Foundation conferences. But by and large, the most influential conservatives are like islands; they do their own thing without any sense of collaboration or community. They lack unity!Even Rush admitted on his November 19th, 2012 radio program that there is no single conservative leader or movement. From all appearances, it seems to be fragmented without any real principle of unity. And to make matters worse, the Republican Party – courtesy of the Republican establishment – seems to be moving away from conservative principles.For instance, the Republican presidential nominee for the last two presidential elections in 2008 and 2012 were not to the liking of many conservatives. If it was up to Rush Limbaugh, McCain (2008) and Romney (2012) would not have been the candidates representing the Republican Party. As Rush himself admits, he is an outsider as it pertains to the Republican Party. But so is the Tea Party as is conservatism at large. If conservatism really does exist as a single movement, it is like a bird in flight without a nest. It doesn’t have a home because there is no principle of authority and unity to give it structure and form.The second reason why conservatives can’t save America is this: Conservative think-tanks, as good as they are, cannot compete with a secular media and a State-run education system. Secular-liberalism currently enjoys a monopoly on public education. Its effectiveness lies not only with its universal reach; its propaganda also has been adapted to children in elementary school, middle school and high school.Quite often, conservatives do not get to the average American citizen until after he or she has undergone a lifelong training in secular and liberal ways of thinking. Think-tanks and conservative talk radio do not have near the reach with younger generations as do public schools, the media or the entertainment industry. More often than not, if sound principles are not absorbed during the childhood years, it is too late. Catholic historian, Hilaire Belloc, points out the obvious disadvantage of late arrivals. He said, "For the most part what is not emphasized is not believed to exist. Often, from its unfamiliarity, that which is a stranger to education in childhood, is thought to lack credibility by the grown man."Secular-liberalism is not only taught in schools, but it is expressed in songs, in movies, and in news reporting. It has become a cultural phenomenon precisely because it is not only an idea but a way of life. This ideology does not confine itself to fiscal and national security policies like conservatism does. Rather, it seeks to appeal to our sexuality, relationships, entertainment, the environment, to our diet and how we parent. It is, in every sense of the word, totalitarian; that is, secular-liberalism is comprehensive in its scope much like religion is. On the other hand, conservatism has a hard time translating itself into the realm of sexuality, relationships etc. And because it is not a way of life, it has a hard time sticking.This leads us to the third reason why conservatives can’t save America: One of the reasons why conservatism is not a way of life is because it is becoming more and more disengaged from its roots; that is, from its social and religious values! Rush Limbaugh used to talk about the virtue of chastity, the sanctity of marriage and other Christian values on his radio program. With regard to abstinence, he used to say. “It works every time you try it.” But in recent years he has been using this phrase when speaking of cutting taxes. If truth be told, conservatism has become materialistic in nature. Indeed, conservatism has been reduced to a philosophy about jobs and the economy. These are good things but there is more to life than this.It just so happens that the stern discipline of liberty and the sacrifices that a free market requires are becoming less palatable to the American public because they were never meant to exist in isolation. They need to be planted in an environment with other principles supporting it, aided by outside sources of strength and other incentives which transcend conservatism itself. For instance, the family is the institution where self-governance is best taught. But with the breakdown of the family, self-governance is less viable in other institutions. To put it another way: to the degree that discipline, virtue and self-governance are not fostered in the home, the State picks up the slack with its multiple regulations, bureaucracy and overall control.Yet, more and more conservatives are supporting values and lifestyles that undermine the nuclear family such as same-sex marriage, extramarital sex and abortion rights. They are distancing themselves from Christian social values and even Christianity itself; you know – "the religious right." Ever so slowly they are wandering from the path that made America great. Worse yet, they are gradually becoming what they profess to oppose.Therefore, the answer to America's decline is not to be found within the narrow confines of conservatism. The answer is much bigger; it runs much deeper; its reach is much broader; and it is much older than today's conservatism. In fact, it gave birth to Western Civilization. Lord Acton alluded to it when he wrote the following:"When Christ said, 'Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s,' whose words, spoken on His last visit to the Temple, three days before His Death, gave to the civil power, under the protection of conscience, a sacredness it had never enjoyed, and bounds it had never acknowledged; and they were the repudiation of absolutism and the inauguration of freedom. For our Lord not only delivered the precept, but created the force to execute it."This force was not conservatism. Conservatism, at least those principles that are praiseworthy and consistent with the Gospel, was but the outgrowth of that force. But as to the force itself, it is none other than the Catholic Church. She is the Mother of those institutions that made Western Civilization great.Currently, the force that Christ delivered does not seem all that impressive. In fact, it even seems to be on the retreat in the face of aggressive secularism. But these words from Dr. Phil Jenkins are worth recalling: “Mark Twain remarked on how often the world had turned out for the burial of Roman Catholicism, only to find it postponed yet again..."Secularism-liberalism is not an option but conservatism is not enough. For that reason, Catholicism will have to be summoned out into the public square to save what has been lost, and to be sure, there are many things that have been lost in American politics.
Mission: solitary confinement & the gulags
Nov 23, 2012 / 00:00 amWhat can a labor camp in Siberia teach us about God’s will? Let me count the ways! Better yet, let Father Walter Ciszek, Servant of God, count the ways.A wonderful read on knowing and accepting God’s will in everyday circumstances can be found in the book “He Leadeth Me,” by Fr. Ciszek. It is a readable two hundred plus page book published by Ignatius Press. Written in 1972, approximately ten years after returning from the Soviet Union, Fr. Ciszek takes the reader through his spiritual journey during the dark days of the Soviet prisons and labor camps of Siberia. As a Jesuit priest, Father Walter had a dream: he wanted to preach and minister to the Russian people. His dream was realized in 1940. With two of his fellow Jesuit companions, he made it into Russia under a pseudo-identity. However, in 1941, he was arrested under charge of being a “Vatican spy.” First, he was sentenced to five years in solitary confinement in a prison in Moscow. After trying to maintain his sanity in absolute solitude, he was then condemned to several years of hard labor in Siberia with barely enough food and clothing to stay alive.In hindsight, Fr. Ciszek viewed his trials in solitary confinement as a time of preparation and purification for his ministry at the labor camp. The time spent alone for so long – praying, rehearsing the Mass over and over again in his mind, meditating on God and waiting on Him – prepared him for the great undertaking of ministering to his prison mates in the labor camps of Siberia. By Divine Providence he received bread and wine to celebrate Mass in secret on a fairly regular basis. He gave retreats to priests and laymen alike. He also provided spiritual direction. This was especially beneficial for prison mates who were on the brink of despair. All of these priestly duties were performed at the risk of endangering his life. The penalty for such "illegal" activity was starvation, extra labor, torture and even death.Like so many Christians, Father Walter Ciszek went into God’s work expecting one thing and getting something totally different; something unexpected. Quite often, the Lord inspires in us a passion or a vision for some mission without communicating every last detail to us; especially those seemingly impossible circumstances we have yet to encounter. We even underestimate the capacity of our ability to suffer. How many times do we say, "Lord I can't take it anymore" or "It can't get any worse!" And yet, it does get worse and it does last longer. Yet, we survive and we eventually make it through the dark valley.So that we can burrow our way through the obstacles, God gives us a kind of basic training; which is to allow circumstances to contradict our mission before it even begins. With the passion to serve and work on God's behalf, the Lord tells us to wait...and wait...and wait as He did with Fr. Walter in the quiet years of solitary confinement. His quest to minister to the needy seemed to be on hold indefinitely; or better yet, it appeared to be a lost cause.One of the greatest contributions this book has to offer for today’s Christian is to see that our daily circumstances are the content of God's will for us. Quite often we search for God's will, always wondering what it implies for the future, when in fact his will is being played out in the very circumstances we want to be delivered from. “Ultimately," Fr. Ciszek says, "we come to expect God to accept our understanding of what his will ought to be and help us to fulfill that, instead of learning to see and accept his will in the real situations in which he places us daily.”Again, it is a common error of Christians to associate God’s will as something yet to occur in the future. The trick is, as Fr. Walter Ciszek said so many times, is to see God’s will for us in the moment and in each day that he gives us. He writes, “To predict what God’s will is going to be, to rationalize about what his will must be, is at once a work of human folly and yet the subtlest of all temptations. The plain and simple truth is that his will is what he actually wills to send us each day, in the way of circumstances, places, people, and problems. The trick is to learn to see that – not just in theory, or not just occasionally in a flash of insight granted by God’s grace, but every day.”God inspired a dream in Fr. Ciszek: to minister to the Russian people. However, what seemed to be an eternity in solitary confinement (close to five years) contradicted that dream...so he thought. There was not a soul to talk to; there were no Russian people to minister to whereby he could use his priestly gifts. Every day in that Moscow prison he had to conquer himself and die to self. The monotony of solitary confinement and the isolation he experienced tested his faith greatly. Was his mission to Russia all in vain? Was the inspiration to preach the Word of God to the Russian people just a product of his imagination? Those thoughts alone could have crushed him if he did not exercise his faith in Christ on a continual basis. Yet, it was this kind of exercise, a determined and deliberate trust in God’s providence that gave him the strength to minister to his prison mates in the Siberian labor camps. The labor camp's frigid and desperate conditions called for a man of God whose hope transcended and even defied those daily circumstances which seemed to be impossible and never ending. Regarding those desperate conditions he endured in both the prison in Moscow and the gulags in Siberia, he learned a simple but profound truth about the will of God: “The temptation is to look beyond these things, precisely because they are so constant, so petty, so humdrum and routine, and to seek to discover instead some other nobler “will of God” in the abstract that better fits our notion of what his will should be…We have to accept God’s will as the will of God and as God envisions it and reveals it to us each day in the created situations with which he presented it to us.”The Saints lived according to this truth and as such, it gave them a profound peace that no one could take away.
Attractive soul
Nov 16, 2012 / 00:00 amThe reason why people wanted to be around the Saints while they were on this earth was due to the joy they exuded. It made for an attractive soul.
Reconciling opposites: God's promises and setbacks
Nov 9, 2012 / 00:00 amAs a way of testing his servants God will sometimes permit setbacks after having guaranteed success. Take for instance, King David of Israel. Through the prophet Nathan, the Lord said, “Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me; your throne shall stand firm forever.”
St. Catherine of Genoa's vision of Purgatory
Nov 2, 2012 / 00:00 amAfter having received a vision of purgatory, St. Catherine of Genoa could not say enough about the happiness which is to be found there. Of course, the Saint did not mince words about the pain souls experience as well. In her treatise on purgatory, she wrote, “I believe no happiness can be found worthy to be compared with that of a soul in Purgatory except that of the saints in Paradise; and day by day this happiness grows as God flows into these souls, more and more as the hindrance to His entrance is consumed. Sin's rust is the hindrance, and the fire burns the rust away so that more and more the soul opens itself up to the divine inflowing.”