Building the City of God

On August 28 of each year, the Church celebrates the Memorial of St. Augustine of Hippo, a theologian and bishop from the 5th century.  In the midst of a personal celebration of the memorial (it's almost like a birthday celebration because he's my patron), it was quite easy to lose track of time.  However, I must take the opportunity to write about the saint who has interceded for and passed on much of God's grace to a recalcitrant sinner, even if it is a day late.

Because of my deep devotion and connection to St. Augustine, it is most proper to read his ancient words on a regular basis, and to meditate on how they are applicable to my life.  As my eyes traversed the pages of Confessions yesterday, there appeared a passage on the relationship between humility and conversion.  The great saint clearly identified the importance of a virtue whose importance has diminished throughout history.

"Therefore, by humble devotion return is made to you, and you cleanse us from our evil ways, and are merciful to the sins of those who confess to you, and graciously hear the groans of those shackled by sin, and you free them from the chains that we have made for ourselves.  This you do, if we do not raise up against you…[by] putting more love upon our own personal good than upon you, the good of all that is" (Book III, Chapter VIII).

Quite simply, God helps those who wish to find conversion.   By His grace, and by growth in the virtues (which also comes from grace), people can be "free from the chains" that bind them.  Indeed, God wants to be merciful, but He only pours out that mercy on those who acknowledge the need for it.

This cycle of grace is true in my own life.  During my last years of high school and through college, there a number of chains around my soul that I freely (even if ignorantly) placed there and even wore with pride.  Yes, my love of academic knowledge and personal pleasure (read "more love upon [my] own personal good") were the standards by which I measured "happiness" and blessings.  How ignorant and errant was this line of thought! 

It was not until God moved and spoke to me in the silence of my heart, that I began to understand that the chains were not a fashion statement for my soul.  It was then that I understood how much they were weighing upon me; how much they restricted my freedom.  At that point, the point where I surrendered my pride, God was able to reach down and begin to deconstruct the intricate system of bondage around my soul.

That sequence of events began over four years ago under the patronage of St. Augustine, who wore chains similar to my own.  And, it is a trend that continues today.  I make no pretensions of being rid of pride; of having perfectly cultivated humility in my life.  However, I know that St. Augustine's intercession and God's amazing grace will allow me to achieve a greater degree of freedom than I have ever known.  Then, I will be able to recognize fully "the good of all that is."

Pray for an increase of God's grace and our assent to that grace through humility and surrender.

God bless! 

Today, the Church celebrates the Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  It is a memorial during which all the faithful are reminded that Mary, the Mother of Our Lord, has been made queen of all the heavens and the earth (the Fifth Glorious Mystery of the Rosary).  Because we are creatures of this earth and disciples of Christ, we, too, must honor the Blessed Mother as queen.

Let us remember that giving honor to Mary in no way takes focus off of Christ, Our King.  In fact, the glory, honor, and blessing given to the Queen will only be reflected by her toward the King, her Son.  Thus, we may faithfully conclude that an intimate relationship with the Queen of Heaven will lead us into a more intimate relationship with Christ the King.

Personal experience proves, however, that such an intimate relationship with Mary is easier to write and speak about than it is to achieve.  I have committed and re-committed myself to a Marian devotion on numerous occasions.  Yet there always seems to be an excuse to become lax in that devotion.  Fortunately, the proverbial tide seems to be turning!

In recent weeks, the addition of the Memorarae to my daily prayer regimen seems to have provided additional peace and grace in my life.  Further, occasional (not daily at this point) recitation of the Rosary brings about joy, comfort, and peace; wonderful substitutes for the stress, anxiety, and turmoil wrought by Satan on a daily basis.

I pray that my devotion to Mary, Queen of Heaven and Earth may continue to increase throughout my adult life.  I pray that her intercession will bring innumerable graces for my family and ministry.  I pray that she will guide me toward her Son, even until the moment of my judgment.

Also, click here for a fabulous article on Our Lady of America, and the history of some lesser-known apparitions.

God bless!

In recent days, this author has encountered much difficulty in trying to find the "perfect" opportunity to write about Pope Benedict XVI's messages during the World Youth Day celebration.  Alas, the Holy Spirit has moved, and the hours of this day are passing more slowly than usual.  Thus, there is ample time and motivation to opine about the pontiff's clairvoyance.

Within the second reading of today's Mass (the Feast of the Transfiguration), two sentences provided the important link that had been missing from this over-exerted mind.  "Moreover, we possess the prophetic message that is altogether reliable.  You will do well to be attentive to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts."  The connection became so clear: Pope Benedict, who is the successor of the man who first articulated this truth (St. Peter), proclaimed a prophetic message to the world's young people; a message that was meant to shine light into the the pitch-black, secular culture found throughout the modern world.

In his welcome address, the pope extolled the "innate goodness" of God's human creatures, who are "crowned with glory and honor" (Psalm 8:5).  Listeners were reminded of the vast potential found within the human race: "advances in medical sciences and the wise application of technology," creative arts, recreational activities, etc.  Such achievements, precisely because they are good, create "profound joy and gratitude."  Why should they not be praised?  None of them are inherently opposed to God's will for human life, so they should be celebrated.

The pope went on to remind young people, however, that there is much evil to be found among those positive goods; a certain "poison which threatens to corrode what is good."  The primary avenue by which such poison has infiltrated our culture is disunity or, worse, false unity.  Moreover, the agent which seems to have bred false unity most quickly is relativism, the proverbial thorn in Benedict's side.  Indeed, relativism is an underlying cause of division, tension, and so much of the social sin that infects modern culture.  Relativism, Benedict asserted, is contrary to the "very principles which enable us to live and flourish in unity" (Vigil Message).

Although there were points at which this Successor of Peter decried abuses to human dignity, he was not content to focus on the negative things of this world.  Rather, his most ardent desire was to teach young people how to be witnesses in their own communities; how to be conduits of the Holy Spirit in broken, scarred societies.  Thus, his words were keyed to the themes of reconciliation, unity, and hope in the future.

He questioned the audience at Randwick Racecourse: "How can we offer the hope of peace, healing and harmony to…'stations' of conflict, suffering, and tension…" (Vigil Message)?  The simple answer was God and His Church on earth, the Catholic Church.  "Unity is of the essence of the Church; it is a gift we must recognize and cherish," he proclaimed.  Further, it is by the Holy Spirit, "Who satisfies that essential human yearning to be one, to be immersed in communion," that the Church is endowed with her oneness.  Because the Holy Spirit is necessary for unity, we must pray that He come into our lives and invigorate us!

In his homily during the Closing Mass, His Holiness continued to instill in the worshipers the belief that Christ is the ultimate answer to life's most serious and perplexing problems.  "The outpouring of Christ's Spirit upon humanity is a pledge of hope and deliverance from everything that impoverishes us," he taught.  Yes, that is the same Spirit Who moved over the formless, dark void at the beginning of time (Genesis 1:1-2); the same Spirit Who descended upon Christ after He was baptized in the Jordan River (John 1:32); the same Spirit received by those baptized throughout Christian history.  The Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ are of one essence.  There is no separation of the two.  Therefore, we know and believe that it is by Christ and the Holy Spirit that this world will be resurrected from its current dregs.

In the face of ridicule, isolation, and envy by the Enemy, believers must unceasingly proclaim Christ as "the 'way' who satisfies all human yearning, and the 'life' to which we are called to bear witness, walking always in his light" (Rite of Baptism 100).  Although there is much evil in our time (and for generations into the future), the light of Christ will never be overcome by the darkness of Satan and the world.  On that day when the "morning star" rises in the heart of all humanity, it will be because Christ poured out His Spirit upon faithful believers, and because they have been faithful to their calling.

Let us applaud Pope Benedict XVI for identifying the most pressing problems of our modern age.  Let us also applaud him for his effort to point humans toward the One who is capable of providing joyful remedies to such problems.  Let us give thanks that God, through the power of the Holy Spirit, has given Pope Benedict XVI to His Holy Catholic Church as its servant!  Thanks be to God!

Another fine article from an Illinois priest who has begun teaching…gasp!…TRUTH!

 http://www.humanaevitaepriests.org/

Enjoy!

“Why doesn’t God answer my prayers?”

Everyone who reads this post has probably heard that question at least once.  Some of us have even asked that question (to ourselves or to others explicitly), perhaps on multiple occassions.  Well, the answer is clear!

We’ve all heard the cliche: God does answer prayers; sometimes He answers with ”No.”  Indeed, He does, and such is His divine, omniscient prerogative!  However, in this author’s own prayers and meditations, it seems necessary to seek a deeper explanation.

The Gospel of John offers a wonderful insight: “We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if any one is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him” (John 9:31).  Thus we can explain the lack of “acceptable” answers from the Giver.  Only when we cut sin out of our lives (a difficult task in its own right), worship God properly, and conform our will to His do we begin to receive the answers for which we beg.

There is, however, an underlying truth not immediately recognizable.  We should never be so naive as to think that God will provide the answers that we want simply because we do exactly as He tells us.  On the contrary, once we participate in Reconciliation, Penance, Divine Liturgy, and submission of personal will, we experience profound conversion.  That conversion of heart creates in us a desire not to tell God what He must do for us; but to truly seek God’s answer before we begin to ask any questions.

God has exercised this Divine methodology in this author’s life over the course of four years.  There is no doubt that He wants to do the same in the lives of every other human.  Indeed, it is the methodology by which we will merit Eternal Life.

God bless!

Today is a most blessed day in the liturgical year.  It is the day that all of humanity’s salvation was put on its right path.  Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Annunciation (also known as the celebration of the Incarnation of Our Lord).

It is appropriate, then, to reach for a deeper understanding of how and why the Second Person of the Trinity became fully human while remaining fully divine.  It is necessary for faithful Christians to grasp this concept because perfect humanity could be the only vehicle for the salvation of fallen humanity.

Read and pray the words of St. Cyril of Alexandria:

The only-begotten Son proceeds from the very substance of God the Father, possessing all of His Begetter in His own nature.  He became flesh, according to the Scripture, blending Himself, as it were, with our nature by an inexpressible combination and union with this earthly body.  Thus He who is God by nature became, and is truly, a Man from heaven.  He was not merely “inspired,” as some people imagine, who do not rightly understand the depth of the mystery.  He is, rather, simultaneously God and Man.  He unites in Himself things that are naturally opposed to one another and unable to be fused together.  And thus He enables man to share and partake in God’s nature.

It is Christ who took on our sinful human condition and perfected what had been ruined in our first parents.  Only by that perfection are we able to enter Eternity.

It would be most prudent, then, to take some time during this day to offer fitting praise and adoration to our God who would not leave us in our sinful state, and who continually calls us to be like Christ, the Perfect Man.

God bless!

In recent days, God has granted an abundance of clarity in my mind and heart so that I have been able to notice and understand a key difference in my life.  Specifically, I have been focused on the differences between my experience of Holy Week and Easter as a non-Catholic and, for the last four years, as a Catholic.  The differences are tremendous!

As a non-Catholic for all of my young life (and as a practical agnostic for my latter adolescence and young adulthood), I was never presented with the concept of Holy Week.  I knew what Good Friday was, and I heard the term “Maundy” Thursday.  Never was the term Holy Saturday mentioned.  Moreover, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday were never presented as special days, during which special church services were held.  Every day from Monday after Palm Sunday until Easter Sunday seemed ordinary days to me.

Easter Sunday was celebrated with new, bright-colored clothes, a morning church service, and (sometimes) lunch at a restaurant afterward.  The fact that we had no extended family in the local area prevented a larger family celebration.  Then, on the Monday after Easter, it was back to “business as usual.”  There was absolutely no extended celebration of the most miraculous and substantial event of the Christian faith.

My experience as a Catholic has been much different, and much more complete.  The final week of Lent, Holy Week, is a very special week (hence the name) during which a spirit of penance, prayer, and preparation for the Paschal Triduum pervades.  Only the most significant of extra-liturgical activities are scheduled, thereby reminding the faithful to focus forward to the blessed feast.

Thus, the liturgy Paschal Triduum begins.  Holy Thursday is marked by a single, concelebrated Mass that recalls Christ’s institution of the Eucharist on the night before he suffered and died.  Indeed, we all get to participate as though we were seated in that Upper Room with Him.  The singular act of our salvation continues on Good Friday with a call to fasting and abstinence from meat, to engage in works of mercy, and to recall the sacrifice that is expiation for our sins.  Many Catholics also attend a Good Friday communion service and Veneration of the Cross, which are other reminders of this penultimate act.  Finally, Holy Saturday provides the faithful with a solemn day during which we are supposed to gather our thoughts and prayers from the entire season of Lent; to make them ready for the Easter celebration.

The Resurrection Day is most holy!  It is the first time we hear the word “Alleluia” in six weeks.  It is filled with imagery of light and new life, marked specifically by the liturgical colors of white and gold (in stark contrast to purple during Lent).  It is filled with joy and hope unlike any other time of the liturgical (or calendar) year.  Family celebrations aside, the celebration continues into the evening; the day continues to require a sense of awe, prayer, and Christian witness.

Alas, the celebration is not complete on Easter Sunday night.  We celebrate the victory that Christ won for us over a period of eight days!  For eight days, faithful worshipers are encouraged to keep in the front of their minds the triumph of light over darkness, life over death.  Monday is no longer back to “business as usual.”

He is risen!  Please continue to celebrate with me!

God bless!

If my readers have tendencies similar to my own, then they stay engaged in the politics despite disappointment in the overall political culture and especially the methodologies employed.  My stance on politics has not changed (I wish we could find a way to do away with the whole system), but I have been intrigued in recent days by the stories being reported about Reverend Jeremiah Wright, Senator Barack Obama’s pastor (click here or here).  In fact, this latest mega-story has cemented my opinions even further.

My concern for this story, however, has been based less on politics than on historical on logical inaccuracies, as well as the theological downfalls.  After having listened to a few of his tirades, it is clear that his arguments are appeal solely to the emotions of his listeners rather than to solid historical fact, the theological tenets of his professed faith, or simple logic.  Indeed, statements of gross error and misleading “facts” were the norm in such sermons.

This man, now squarely in the public eye, will not serve to bring about the unification of the Body of Christ (expressed clearly in the Gospel of John) if his words and temperament do not change.  Moreover, such words and temperament could do serious damage to a politician’s campaign and general social relations in and around his community.

I pray that this reverend might recognize the error of his ways; that his congregation, such notable politicians, and adherents of history, theology, and logic will use all reasonable methods to prevent him from brokering more hate and intolerance within American society.

God bless!

Indeed, the pinnacle celebration of the Christian faith was foreshadowed for many centuries before Christ came and instituted the Eucharistic celebration!

At the behest of my pastor, I have undertaken a prayerful reading of the book of the prophet Joel during this Lenten season.  In chapter two, there is a very clear type of the Mass.  Verses 15 through 17 read:

Blow the trumpet in Zion; sanctify a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather the people.  Sanctify the congregation; assemble the elders; gather the children, even nursing infants.  Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her chamber.

Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep and say “Spare thy people, O Lord, and make not thy heritage a reproach, a byword among the nations.  Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’”

Let’s compare the above passage to the order of the Mass.  Blowing the trumpet is equivalent to an opening hymn (which sometimes includes a trumpet accompaniment).  Theoretically, all who are attending Mass have engaged in a fast before the celebration.  The celebration is completed in the midst of a solemn gathering of people, including babies, children, youth, and adults.

Further, the priest, who is acting in persona Christi (in the person of Christ), begs the Father audibly and silently to spare us of His wrath; to let His mercy reign on us.  When the celebration continues, everyone in the assembly knows where God is and remains (hint…the tabernacle).  At last, the entire Mass is a feast that celebrates the union of the Bridegroom (Jesus Christ) with His Beloved Bride (the Church…all of us).

Let the glory of God reign, and let us all seek to participate more fully in this most blessed celebration!

God bless!

I have heard many people remark that the Church is “too legalistic,” or that it’s too hard to be Catholic because of “all the rules.”  I have even had such feelings of “constraint” during the few short years that I have been in full communion with the Church.  However, I have realized that while it is “difficult” to be Catholic at those times, it is also very easy because I have an abundance of guidance for making a good moral decision (i.e., clear Church teaching and the examples of the saints).

As I read the following passage of Gaudium et Spes this afternoon, my thoughts were focused differently.  I was able to see the logical transition from the Gospel message taught by Christ to “the rules” established by the Catholic Church.

There is no human law so powerful to safeguard the personal dignity and freedom of man as the Gospel which Christ entrusted to the Church; for the Gospel announces and proclaims the freedom of the sons of God, it rejects all bondage resulting from sin, it scrupulously reswpects the dignity of conscience and its freedom of choice, it never ceases to encourage the employment of human talents in the service of God and man, and, finally, it commends everyone to the charity of all (GS 41).

Aha!  The Catholic Church prescribe all those “constrictive rules” because she is providing vast protection against the violation of individuals’ dignity!  And all that time I thought the Church was just telling me I couldn’t have any fun…he he!

Pray that Truth will reign, and all humanity will realize that the Church provides more freedom (properly understood) to humans than any other group, society, or institution ever has…or ever will.

God bless!