Make of everything you can a sacrifice

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Sacrifice isn’t a word that gets used much these days, and yet it was a key element in the message of Our Lady of Fatima. Reading ‘Fatima in Lucia’s own words’, edited by Fr Louis Kondor SVD, published in 1976, I am struck by how diligently the three children put the request of Our Lady, ‘Make of everything you can a sacrifice’, into practice. We might often pray for the conversion of a soul, but how often to we take the example of Blessed Jacinta and her companions to heart and add sacrifices to those prayers?

Of course, sacrifice is never easy. Perhaps that is why we shy away from it so much. The heroism of the sacrifices that Blessed Jacinta offered up at the tender age of 7 or 8 leaves me in awe. Here is a short excerpt:

“When some time later, we were put in prison, what made Jacinta suffer most, was to feel that their parents had abandoned them. With tears streaming down her cheeks, she would say: ‘neither your parents nor mine have come to see us. They don’t bother about us any more!’ ‘Don’t cry,’ said Francisco, ‘we can offer this to Jesus for sinners’. Then, raising his eyes and hands to heaven, he made the offering: ‘O my Jesus, this is for love of You, and for the conversion of sinners.’ Jacinta added: ‘And also for the Holy Father, and in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.” Some time later Jacinta was again crying, and Lucia asked her why. ‘Because we are going to die,’ she replied, ‘without ever seeing our parents again, not even our mothers!’ With tears running down her cheeks, she added: ‘I would like at least to see my mother.’ ‘Don’t you want, then, to offer this sacrifice for the conversion of sinners?’ ‘I do want to, I do!’ With her face bathed in tears, she joined her hands, raised her eyes to heaven and made her offering.”  

Many of us tend to equate sacrifice with self denial, and the three children of Fatima certainly did that by often giving up their lunch in favour of poor children they met on their way out to shepherd their families’ sheep. Such acts fall under the heading of things we choose to do to show our love for God. Looking at what happened in the prison scenes, we can see that sacrifice also means accepting with love our disappointments and the death of our cherished dreams. Such acts fall under the heading of things that God chooses for us to show our love for Him. This other aspect of sacrifice is something we have largely forgotten the value of.

Whereas we tend to pray first and, once in a blue moon, tack on a sacrifice when praying for the conversion of a loved one, Jacinta, Francisco and Lucia sought sacrifices first and prayer second. Through Our Lady and by experience these children learned that to obtain a conversion sacrifices are essential. They were also willing to pray and sacrfice for long periods of time so as to obtain from God the graces desired for souls. What fueled their zeal was the thought that the horrors and tortures of hell go on and on for ever, never ever finishing, and so in compassion for sinners they were willing to sacrrifice and pray until they saw genuine change in the lives for which they offered those sacrifices and prayers.

In her ‘Story of a Soul’, St Therese of Lisieux also talks about this second kind of sacrifice:

“Another time I was working in the laundry, and the Sister opposite, while washing handkerchiefs, repeatedly splashed me with dirty water. My first impulse was to draw back and wipe my face, to show the offender I should be glad if she would behave more quietly; but the next minute I thought how foolish it was to refuse the treasures God offered me so generously, and I refrained from betraying my annoyance. On the contrary, I made such efforts to welcome the shower of dirty water, that at the end of half an hour I had taken quite a fancy to this novel kind of aspersion, and I resolved to come as often as I could to the happy spot where such treasures were freely bestowed.”

St Therese obviously saw these kinds of sacrifices as the legal tender of the Kingdom of God, and exceedingly valuable in the exchange rate for the conversion of souls.

These truths we tend to hear and then act on for a short while, before forgetting them again. Therefore we need to be reminded of them on a regular basis, lest we forget them completely and so forfeit such treasures for souls. Reading details about the lives of the Saints often provides the reminders we need, as does reflecting upon the messages of Our Lady of Fatima.

May Blessed Jacinta Marto, Blessed Francisco Marto, Sr Lucia of Fatima and St Thererse of Lisieux pray for us and help us to gather the graces of sacrifices frequently and regularly.

Welcoming penitents with the Heart and smile of Jesus

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Today, 7 May 2012, is the first feast day of Blessed Francesco Paleari, an Italian priest of the Society of Priests of St Joseph Benedict Cottolengo. He was beatified last year on 17 September 2011 by Pope Benedixt XVI. Of all the good he accomplished with God’s grace throughout his lifetime, his ministry in the confessional was the greatest.

It is most timely to reflect upon the holy life of Blessed Francesco in the light of Pope Benedict’s special audience with clergy in Rome a few weeks ago on the 9th of March. He said, ‘The New Evangelisation…begins in the confessional.’…’Dear priests and dear deacons who are preparing for the priesthood, in the administration of this sacrament you are given, or you will be given, the possibility of being instruments of an ever renewed meeting of people with God. All who turn to you, precisely because of their condition as sinners, will experience within them a profound desire: the desire for change, the desire for mercy and, ultimately, the desire for the encounter with Christ and for Him to embrace them once again. You will therefore be collaborators and protagonists of a great many possible “new beginnings”, as many as the penitents who come to you.’

So let’s see how God worked through Blessed Francesco… He was born at Pogliano Milanese, near Milan in Italy in 1863 into a family poor in temporal things but profoundly rich in spiritual things. Each Sunday when the family went to worship God at Mass, they would live out their gratitude for Holy Communion by inviting a poor person to lunch with them afterwards. With example like this it is not surprising that Francesco developed not only a priestly vocation but also a vocation of service to the poor. The religious order founded by St Joseph Benedict Cottolengo was a perfect fit for him, since they ministered to the poorest of the poor.

Early in his seminary days he had a major struggle with homesickness, but the grace of God overcame that. Despite being short in height and slim in build, Francesco’s heart is big with love. Following his ordination to the priesthood, Francesco began his 53 years of ministry within the Order. Very quickly, Francesco became known as the priest who smiles. Children were the first to sense that he had a very special gift in the confessional. Gradually adults of all ranks learned to seek him out in the Tribunal of Penance and to obtain God’s consolation there. How much easier it is to confess one’s sins if you receive a genuinely warm and gentle welcome from your confessor! As with all Saints, prayer was as important as breathing to him. Joined to this was his ardent love for Jesus in the Eucharist and his deep devotion to Our Lady.

Francesco ministered to the sick, poor, disabled and children with learning difficulties under his care with tenderness and with infinite patience. As more people became aware of the holiness of his life, Francesco was called to take on increasing responsibilities as spiritual director of the local seminary, preacher and confessor to communities of nuns, seminary teacher, and roles of service within the diocese. There are, of course, many who desired someone less peasant-like in these roles, and were rather vocal about it. Francesco wasn’t bothered by this, and kept giving of himself to souls in need in imitation of his divine Master. Despite so many tasks before him, Francesco remained full of the peace that passes human understanding and entrusted himself completely into God’s capable hands. Of all things, what Francesco wanted was a share in God’s wisdom, to have God’s eternal perspective on the value of all things. To this end, his constant prayer was, ‘Lord, teach me to be smart.’

In 1936, three years before his death, the good Lord sent him the most difficult trial for a seeker of souls – a period of inactivity due to heart trouble. This was indeed a martyrdom of the heart for Francesco, yet he increased his trust in the Lord and reminded himself that he was like a ball in the hand of God. The stronger the force with which it hits the ground, the stringer it bounces up again. 

Death came via several days of agony on 7 May 1939. As soon as word reached students, priests, bishops, poor people, businessmen etc of his death, they came out in droves to his funeral, eager to honour this priest through whom they had received the mercy, kindness and direction of Jesus. Many had experienced this smiling priest reading their souls, imparting the healing of Jesus and giving them inspired advice for future decisions within the confessional.

May the good Lord grant that we may soon learn more about this priest who welcomed all comers with the warmth, love and welcome of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. May He grant that we may soon share the joy of the news of his canonisation.

Blessed Francesco Paleari, pray for us.

When God calls…

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Today, 6 May 2012, is the memorial of Blessed Bartholomew of Montepulciano, a man who ended his days as a Italian Franciscan friar and priest in the 14th century. How this came to be is the interesting question, because prior to answering this particular call of God’s he was married and living a comfortable life.

Blessed Bartholomew of Montepulciano started out life as Bartholomew Pucci-Franceschi. Even when and where he was born has not been preserved by history. What we do know is that prior to the major spiritual change in his life Bartholomew was married for many years, had a wife and children, and was a wealthy man.

It is easy to forget that the good God has quite a history of asking married people to follow Him in religious life. Several of the Apostles were married. Some of the male relatives of St Bernard of Clairvaux who followed him to the monastic life were married. A good number of the holy founders of the Servite Order were married. St Nicholas of Flue was married before God called him into a hermit-like life. Obviously a similar call must have been placed on Bartholomew’s life, and he answered it with all his heart after his wife gave permission and herself took a vow of chastity. The promise of Jesus definitely includes married people: ‘I tell you solemnly, there is no one who has left house, wife, brothers, parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God who will not be given repayment many times over in this present time and, in the world to come, eternal life.’ (Luke 18:29-30)

We don’t know the actual catalyst for this major change in direction in Bartholomew’s life. For some people that catalyst is serious illness or a near death experience. For others the grace of conversion comes with the grace to live in reparation for the major sins in the past. It would not be uncommon for someone who had badly given into lust, pride and greed to desire to live in reparative chastity, humility and poverty. For a third group their lives had been steadily growing in holiness and this call was a natural next step. For yet a fourth group perhaps this was a chance to follow a vocational call that they had rejected in their earlier days. Others may have been going long their merry way when God sent them a heavenly visitation ( a la St Paul at Damascus, St Mary of Egypt or St Gabriel Possenti) What ever the reason was for Bartholomew, the catalyst was in an abundant outpouring of grace.

We do know that Bartholomew fully embraced the Franciscan spirituality of poverty and humility. He was unafraid to be treated as a fool for the sake of Jesus. Imagining how people and children would have treated a once wealthy man who was now going about in the poor habit of a Franciscan, ridicule and taunts must have been commonplace. We are also told that sometimes Bartholomew experienced visions of Our Lady and of the angels. Franciscans have a particular charism of devotion towards Our Lady (the sheer number of defenders of her Immaculate Conception point to this) and to the angels (the Portincula Indulgence underlines this). Certainly he lived out his Franciscan vocation in a manner that would have made St Francis of Assisi proud.

Bartholmew’s life teaches us another lesson, and one which a great many people need to hear. When God’s call came it asked him to leave his wife. That sacrifice was the way Bartholmew was able to show God how much he loved Him and how much His rule was No.1 in his life. Married clergy, which so many people have the unexamined idea is a good thing, is not in His perfect plan for the Church. Married clergy don’t make that visible statement of love, sacrifice and God’s supremacy in their lives.

Let’s examine the largely unexamined idea. Our Protestant brothers and sisters have used this model, and even they know it doesn’t work. The unhappiest woman in a parish is the pastor’s wife? Why? Because the pastor can never put her first in his life. Even if she is up to her ears in sick children and frail parents, as soon as someone tells the pastor about a dying parishioner, he has to go. To not become bitter, she would have to be a saint. Did you know that Protestant’s have coined a term, PKs, (Pastor’s kids), because it is so well recognised that most of the children of a pastor go through a big rebellious phase because Dad never had enough time for them, he was never there when they needed him, because they always had to share him with the parish? Married clergy is a bad idea for all concerned, for the man himself – split in two directions, for his wife and family, for the parish itself – because they don’t have total access to him in their needs, and many feel guilty about seeking his guidance. The Catholic Church has been around for many centuries more than the Protestant Churches, so you can trust that She has been there, done that, and knows through vast experience what is actually best for priest and parish.

Examining the life of Blessed Bartholomew of Montepulciano raises the question for each of us: if God called me to the religious life, would I be able to follow; if He called my spouse, would I be able to surrender my spouse to Him? What ever the Lord is asking of us at the present time, may Blessed Bartholomew pray that we be enabled to respond as whole-heartedly as he did. 

Blessed Bartholomew Pucci-Franceschi of Montepulciano, pray for us.

 

 

A life hidden in God, yet luminous

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Today, 5 May 2012, is the memorial of St Echa (or Etha) of Crayke, which is in the North Riding area of Yorkshire, England. Since St Echa lived in the eighth century, dying in the year 767, most details about his holy life have been lost, but the important ones have survived almost 1250 years.

Most of what we know about St Echa is contained in a poem written by Alcuin in Latin about the Bishops and Saints of York. Putting it into verse would have made it easier for people to learn and retell to others. The translated segment about St Echa goes like this…

“Then flourished Echa, venerable man, A holy anchorite in wilderness; A secret life he sought, and in chaste zeal Fled from all earthly honours, that, with God His King, be might find honours at heaven’s court; Devoutly led on earth an angel’s life, And seem’d as if with prophetic pow’r inspired.”

Other gleanings say that he was ordained a priest, and spent most of his life as a hermit. Whether he was attached to a monastic community at Crayke, or whether he only settled with the monks at Crayke when his health deteriorated, is not known.

For certain, St Echa must have been under a powerful call from God to live a life similar to those of the Desert Fathers, and similar to those of St Cuthbert and other early hermits of Lindisfarne. From time to time God continues to call people to this ‘vocation within a vocation’. Normally it is felt by those who have already consecrated their lives to Him in religious life. Sometimes that call to ‘come away and be with Me alone’ is of a short duration for a special intercessory or ‘preparation for ministry’ purpose, and sometimes it is a call to enter into that state of spiritual warrior permanently. St Charbel would be a good modern example of a contemporary hermit. Most long established religious orders have remote places or separate dwellings for those who wish to respond to that particular call of God. 

How St Echa’s prophetic gifts were exercised we no longer know, but it would have taken St Echa courage to respond to them and a degree of engagement with society. Perhaps people sought him out and God gave him a gift similar to St Padre Pio’s of reading souls and giving specific guidance to individuals for their future. Perhaps God directed him to seek out others so as to transmit God’s message person to person.

We can look forward to finding out more about St Echa in heaven, yet in the meantime if you are needing specific guidance from God about a choice you need to make (eg which job offer to take, which subjects to choose, which aged care facility to choose) why not seek St Echa’s intercession?

Dear God, thank you for raising up this holy man, St Echa, to dedicate his entire life solely to you. Thank you for the 1245 years of eternity that he has already experienced in your presence, and for all the prayers you have answered in response to his intercession over those years. May St Echa’s prayers bring us all closer to You.

St Echa of Crayke, pray for us 

 

 

Champion of infant baptism

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Today, 4 May 2012, is the feast day of Blessed Jean-Martin Moye (a.k.a. Blessed John Martin Moye). Even though he died at the age of 63, he crammed into that span of life many years of fruitful priestly life. As a French diocesan priest he founded a religious order of nuns whose purpose was to educate youngsters. Next he served as a missionary in China, before returning to France to complete his days.

Blessed Jean-Martin Moye was born in 1730 at a place called Cutting in the Moselle region of France, near the border with Germany. His parents were not wealthy, and raised 13 sons. From such origins Jean-Martin must have had special aptitude for learning and for the things of God for him to have entered the seminary after studying with the Jesuits. It must have helped to have had an older brother, a seminarian, to learn from. By 1754 he was ordained a priest, and filled with zeal for spreading the Gospel.

As a curate he was sent to various parishes of Metz, and noticed two things: the need for apologetic work among the Protestants and in rural areas the need for Catholic schools. The former Jean-Martin dealt with by writing treatises. The latter Jean-Martin dealt with by founding a religious order of women, the Sisters of Divine Providence. Since one thing Jean-Martin was convinced about was the baptism of newly born infants, this brought him into conflict with Protestants who by and large were against the baptism of new born infants.

To let the controversy die down, 1771 saw Jean-Martin set sail for China as a missionary priest as part of the Paris Foreign Missions, although China wasn’t his first choice of destination. It wasn’t easy learning the new language, customs,and way of life of the area of Chrina entrusted to him. Zealously he worked, and in many respects succeeded. European type schools would not work in a political climate where spreading the Gospel could often get you arrested, so Jean-Martin gathered unmarried women and formed them into the Institute of Christian Virgins. Then these women could go easily into the homes of families and give care to the sick and catechectical instruction to women and children without arousing suspicion. At one point the Institute had several thousand members.

The fire in Jean-Martin’s heart for bringing the very young to baptism had not died out. Again and again he would encourage and promote infant baptism. Not everyone appreciated his methods, so this opposition together with his broken health led to Jean-Martin’s return in 1784 to France and to the Sisters of Divine Providence.

Once back in France, it wasn’t long before the first rumblings of the French Revolution began. In this situation Jean-Martin’s experiences in China in how to keep priestly ministry available to the faithful in times of repression would have been extremely valuable. Using these experiences he was able to give advice and counsel to priests and laity. Being no fool, Jean-Martin could see the writing on the wall, so he took the painful yet necessary step of moving the Sisters of Divine Providence into exile in Trier, Germany. This measure worked for a little while before the French army came along in 1792 and disbanded everything.

It must have been a bitter blow to see this happen. Jean-Martin continued to preach and to minister to the sick. While conducting this ministry to the sick he contracted typhoid fever, which led to his death on 4 May 1793. When the French Revolution died down, the Sisters of Divine Providence regrouped in 1816 and flourished. In 1954, Jean-Martin was proclaimed Blessed by Pope Pius XII.

Blessed Jean-Martin Moye has been active in heaven on behalf of souls. In 1901 a member of the Sisters of Divine Providence, St Clarence Pochet, who was suffering a form of paralysis, fervently joined in the novena held in preparation for the anniversary of Jean-Martin’s death. Late on the vigil of this day, the Sister was free of pain and able to walk again. In 1923 a 7 year old boy, Ennio, came down with an inflamation of the brain. The Sisters began a novena seeking Jean-Martin’s intercession, before the novena finished the youngster who was so close to death was returned to full health.

The majority of quotations we have from Blessed Jean-Martin Moye relate to his utter confidence in Divine Providence. Here are a few…  

“God‘s Providence governs all things, provides for everything, arranges everything, and turns everything to good.”

“Remember what Jesus Christ said to St Paul , ‘My grace is enough for you.’”

“Always remember that one of your fundamental virtues is poverty. Love it therefore as your inestimable treasure… Practice it in yourclothing, in your furniture, in your food…in a word, everything… Know how to go without everything, whenever necessity, the needs of the neighbour, and circumstances require it.” (Advice to the Sisters)

“Abandonment to Providence is the virtue that earns you your name. To practice it, remain without preference and without attachment, casting all your cares on the bosom of God.” (Advice to the Sisters)

“Providence never forsakes those who confidently abandon themselves to it. Rely on it alone. Just cast your cares upon the Lord, and He will support you.”

“Remember that to confide oneself in Providence when one has everything in abundance is not a very heroic act. But when one lacks everything and does not know where to turn,  then one must confide in Providence and hope against all hope.”

How much we need to be reminded of these truths, particularly when the going is tough!

May the good Lord grant that more information will become available about Blessed Jean-Martin Moye online and that the process towards his canonization may be hastened.

Blessed Jean-Martin Moye, pray for us.

to be completed later on today…

May is Mary’s month

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Traditionally May has been the month dedicated to renewing and intensifying our relationship with the Mother of Jesus. At any time of the year doing this is a good idea because one of the things that the Saints all have in common is deep, sincere and abiding devotion to Our Lady. So the question is how to develop a relationship with Mary, – and if you already have one – how to deepen it.

Before I get to those questions, I’ll mention my own plans. What I’m doing to celebrate this special month of May is reading aloud to my son a couple of pages each night from the book, ‘Fatima in Lucia’s own words’, edited by Fr Louis Kondor SVD. My copy was published in 1976 and most probably came into my hands from one of the many holy people I have met in parish life who are now in eternity. Choosing this particular book wasn’t hard because I wanted something that would show Our Lady in an active relationship with the three children of Fatima. Already, since reading aloud slows down the reading process and enriches the story because the mind has a chance to let mental images of the story emerge, I have been taken by the words to events that I don’t recall reading before. Later in the month when a rather long novena finishes we’ll swap the Litany of St Joseph for the Litany of Our Lady and St Joseph and start the Chaplet of the Flame of Love of Immaculate Heart of Mary (there will be more information about this later).

A relationship with Our Lady tends to start during times of crisis. When an urgent need for prayer comes up we turn naturally to those who can assist us the most, and this frequently needs to dusting off the rosary beads and praying with them. As soon as you have experienced the power and love of Our Lady’s intercession a person can’t help but wish to know her better and seek to please her. Many, many times this heavenly Mother has responded to my pleas, has obtained answers from God, and has been a companion through some very dark moments, so any chance to honour her is a pleasant one. So step 1 is seeking Mary’s intercession when trouble strikes. She is trustworthy.

The next necessary thing is to read about her. St Alphonsus Ligouri and St Louis de Monfort have written wonderful books about her, as have many other Saints. Hearing about recent actions of Our Lady also helps. I find the quarterly magazine ‘Ave Maria’ from PO Box 118, Midland, Western Australia 6936, Australia to be something that reawakens my trust on a regular basis. ($15 AUS per year for locals, $20 AUS per year for international subscriptions. In the current April 2012 issue there is a story about how the lives of two parents were saved at the time of the French Revolution because the daughter prayed the rosary and never gave up; a story about the fruits of a visit to Lourdes; and a story about how God answered a mother’s prayers or the salvation of her son. The more we know her the more we will love her.

The last step is to enter into relationship by praying with Our Lady, as well as to her. The holy Rosary is a privileged means, by which we can ponder the life of Jesus through Mary’s eyes. Delve into some of the other prayers that Christians have treasured over the centuries; the Magnificat, the Memorare, the Hail Holy Queen, the Rosary of Tears, the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows, the Litany of Our Lady, and learn from them how to love her and seek her aid. Prayer is how we connect with her and take on her mind and her values.

And what did Our Lady ask for in May, via Fr Stefano Gobbi in 1988 (message 381)? For prayer, for trust and for love. Which is a good and easy recipe to follow.

Attatched to the Flame of Love Chaplet, mentioned above, is a special promise, ‘While this chaplet is prayed ‘no dying soul in that neighbourood will be damned.’

At the beginning make the Sign of the Cross five times in veneration of Our Saviour’s Five Holy Wounds. On the large beads of the Rosary…Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, Pray for us who seek refuge in you! On the small beads…Holy Mother save us, through your Immaculate Heart’s Flame of Love! At the end, three times Glory Be…

Any small effort we make on Our Lady’s behalf is received with gratitude. Like God, she cannot be outdone in generous rewards for all those who help her bring souls back to God.

May all of us receive a deeper and truer love for the holy Mother of Jesus during the month of May.

Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us.

The Church continues to have need of holy scholars like this one

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Today,2 May 2012, is the memorial of St Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria, Egypt and doctor of the Church, who certainly lived in interesting times. Following the cessation of the persecution of Christians when Constantine came to power in the early 4th century, a period of intense debate began about how to understand the relationship between God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. At the forefront of the debates was St Athanasius, who was the major defender of the divinty of the three persons in the Blessed Trinity.

Born around the year 295 and dying on 2 May 373, St Athanasius lived the kind of life that could have been the inspiration for the Scarlet Pimpernel novel. As the major champion of orthodox teaching in his era, Athanasius often had his life threatened by heretics. Five times he was exiled from his episcopal see and determinedly hunted. ‘We seek him here, we seek him there’. Yet the good Lord preserved his life each time and permitted him to die in peaceful old age. In God’s loving plan, every time Athanasius went into exile he was able to spend his time writing defences of Catholic doctrine. Eleven excerpts from those writings are part of the current Office of Readings. To have believers still regularly reading your writings some 1650 years later says a lot about how much the Church has valued them over the centuries.

Talking today about whether Jesus was truly God or whether the Holy Spirit was truly God might seem purely academic questions, until you realise that the answers to those questions have a huge impact upon how to understand God’s plan for our salvation, and the extent of the price paid to win that salvation for us. Good and holy men came to violent disagreement with each other over this. Largely to sort all this out, the good Lord raised up Athanasius as His champion. We benefit from the fruits of Athanasius’ cooperation with the Holy Spirit each time we pray ‘ begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father’ in the Creed at Mass.

To be an effective instrument for truth in God’s hands, Athanasius was given many natural and spiritual gifts. To be chosen as Bishop of Alexandria, a major ancient centre of learning, at the tender age of 33 implies that Athanasius was an extraordinary scholar, writer, researcher, preacher and devout follower of Jesus from an early age. Even today whenever a priest under the age of 50 is appointed bishop it makes headline news and implies that the individual concerned has exceptional talents.

In honour of his feast day, I’ve started reading St Athanasius’ First Epistle to Bishop Serapion Concerning the Holy Spirit. See http://archive.org/stream/TheLettersOfSaintAthanasiusConcerningTheHolySpirit and then choose how you wish to read it. ‘Read Online’ has worked well for me – just skip the lengthy introduction. The Kindle option results in very messy formatting so that it’s hard to determine where the text stops and the footnotes start.

To back up the heretical notion that the Holy Sprit is but a creature, albeit higher than the angels, the heretics quoted from the prophet Amos ‘ I am He that establisheth thunder and createth spirit and declareth unto men His Christ, that maketh dawn and mist, that ascendeth unto the high places of the earth. the Lord God omnipotent is His name.’ Chapter 4, verse 3. Athanasius to refute this goes through the whole of Scripture, Old Testament and New, pointing out that whenever spirit in the sense of Holy Spirit is used there is a clear written qualifier, ‘My, of Christ, of God, etc and the article the‘. Everywhere else when there is no qualifier or article ‘spirit’ refers to wind, breath, the inner life of man etc.

It struck me that in order to write such a long letter, firstly you had to be really passionate about the subect matter and secondly you had to have the perseverance to hand write that much. The research needed to prove this point, and others in the Letters, required painstaking diligence. To provide these extensive lists of Scriptural quotations without a concordance and having to roll and unroll countless scrolls to read and find them speaks of a man of extraordinary patience, perseverance and diligence, possessed of an orderly mind. That’s really impressive, before you even get to the elegance and eloquence of his arguments.

If you have never read one of St Athanasius’ works, have a go. The vast majority of his writings have been translated and made available for free online. Without a doubt you will come away with a greater love for God and deep appreciation for St Athanasius.

May the good Lord always provide His Church with holy scholars like this one, to teach, preserve, explain and defend the deposit of truth that comes to us from the Apostles.

St Athansius of Alexandria, pray for us.

Every job is important

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That’s the slogan my former employer used on t-shirts for a joint family-employee appreciation day some 20 years ago. ‘Every job is important’ could also be the underlying theme for each celebration of the feast day of St Joseph the Worker. Feast days for Apostles, Martyrs, Scholars, Preachers, Founders of Religious orders abound, but their holy lives are usually too far from our lived experience. However this feast day of St Joseph is different, because absolutely everybody can relate to it and be encouraged by it.

I see it as the great feast day of the laity, but sadly the Episcopal Conferences of Australia, England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland do not. Since the last aproved editions of the Divine Office in 1974-76, St Joseph the Worker only ranks as an optional memorial. It is my profound hope that when the next revision of the Divine Office occurs that this celebration will be elevated to at least memorial status. Does it not seem wrong to you that St Athanasius gets a memorial tomorrow and the Apostle Philip and James a feast the day after, but that the man who provided for the Holy Family from the work of his hands and taught the Lord Jesus how to use a carpenter’s tools gets an optional memorial? It does to me.

Because it was an optional memorial today, our priest totally ignored this much loved celebration, despite the facts that we have a statue of St Joseph the Worker within the church walls, a flourishing group of Josephite Associates in the parish (how lay people can connect with the mission of the Sisters of St Joseph founded by St Mary of the Cross MacKillop – Australia’s first Saint) and many others inspired to greater love of St Joseph because of St Mary MacKillop and her nuns. This feast day of the laity and of the immense value of the humble work of St Joseph should not be optional.

As we go about our daily lives shopping, banking, gardening, educating children, fixing things that are broken, doing paperwork, writing letters, paying bills, preparing meals we need to be reminded that every job is important, because then we will remember that in God’s eyes every task done in love has eternal value. I need that encouragement, and that reminder, don’t you?

With St Joseph as our model, we can learn how to sanctifty the activities of each day. A holy garbage man can do untold good. A holy handyman can be the source of untold blessings. A holy commercial traveller can spread the Gospel without words far and wide. A holy check-out operator in a supermarket or store can sprinkle God’s love in every personal interaction. We need holy accountants. We need holy lawyers. We need holy day-care assistants. We need holy nurses. We need holy car mechanics. Following St Joseph’s lead and working to the best of our skills and abilities, offering that work to God, and using the opportunities that our occupations give for showing charity, showing compassion, offering a word of sympathy or encouragement, growing in virtue and accepting the times of monotony,stress and frustration in reparation for sinn, will lead us to true holiness.

Here is what Blessed Pope John Paul II has to say (or repeat) in Redemptoris Custos, Chapter IV: ‘Work was the daily expression of love in the life of the Family of Nazareth…If the Family of Nazareth is an example and model for human families, in the order of salvation and holiness, so too, by analogy, is Jesus’ work at the side of Joseph the carpenter…At the work bench where he plied his trade together with Jesus, Joseph brought human work closer to the mystery of the Redemption…The importance of work in human life demands that its meaning be known and assimilated in order to ‘help all people to come closer to God, the Creator and Redeemer, to participate in His salvific plan for man and the world, and to deepen… friendship with Christ in their lives”…. “St Joseph is the model of those humble ones that Christianity raises up to great destinies;…he is the proof that in order to be a good and genuine follower of Christ, there is no need of great things – it is enough to have the common, simple and human virtues, but they need to be true and authentic.”"

This prayer to St Joseph the Worker authored by St Pius X says it alll….

O Glorious St Joseph, model of all who are devoted to labour, obtain for me the grace to work in a spirit of penance in expiation of my many sins; to work conscientiously by placing love of duty above my inclinations; to gratefully and joyously deem it an honour to employ and to develop the gifts I have received from God, to work methodically, peacefully and in moderation and patience, without ever shrinking from it through weariness or difficulty; to work, above all, with purity of intention and unselfishness, having before my eyes death and the account I have to render of time lost, talents unused, good not done, and vain complacency in success, so baneful to the work of God. All for Jesus, all for Mary, all to imitate thee, O Patriarch St Joseph! This shall be my motto for all eternity. Amen.

St Joseph the Worker, pray for us.

 

 

He walked in the Truth and blazed a trail for others

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Today, 30 April 2012, is the memorial of St Pius V, Pope of blessed memory, Dominican religious and implementer of the reforms of the Council of Trent. Tomorrow is the 440th anniversary of his death in Rome. During the six years of his pontificate he showed a shepherd’s heart in leading the Church.

It is a special joy to honour this holy pastor of the Church today. Each time his name is mentioned I am reminded that God answers prayers. When the Turks were expanding their sway in the Mediterranean of the 16th century, it was St Pius V who turned to prayer first against this threat to Christianity. Calling upon the baptized he asked them to pray the Rosary to win the victory with. And win the battle of Lepanto they did – despite being badly outnumbered.

Each time his name is mentioned I am reminded that God knows how to reward His Saints. In our year 2000 pilgrimage to Rome for the great Jubilee we were able to go and visit the Basilica of St Mary Major. Contained within one of the ornate chapel within the Basilica is the incorrupt body of St Pius X. Now it is one thing to see one’s first relic (St Peter Chanel) and quite another to see one’s first incorrupt body. His was my first, an unforgettable moment even though the body is placed at a distance up the chapel walls. Yes, St Pius V was indeed real. In this body he served God wholeheartedly and in this body he continues to silently proclaim God’s power and generous rewards.

Anyone whom God selects to serve as the successor of St Peter in our times needs our prayers if he is to fulfill the whole mission that God has for them in this important role. So whenever I pray for the Holy Father I invite saintly Popes of the past to pray with me – and St Pius V is always in my roll call of chosen co-intercessors.

St Pius V entered the world in 1504 as Antonio Ghislieri, the son of poor Italian parents. Considering the poverty of the family, Antonio’s dream of becoming a priest seemed impossibly out of reach. But Antonio prayed, and one day God sent two Dominicans to meet with him. God arranged that they would be the instruments by which Antonio started on the road to the priesthood. As a Dominican monk he took the name of Michael and in due timw received the grace of Ordination.

Wondrously God arranged St Pius V’s life so that it would lead gradually to the papacy. First Michael prayed and studied hard, and then lectured in theology and philosophy. Following this he was chosen as an Inquisitor. For doing such a conscientious job as Inquisitor Michael was appointed Cardinal. In time he was consecrated a bishop and began to reveal what a pastoral heart he had for God’s people. Here he began to take the recommendations of the Council of Trent serious and it put them into practice. At the next conclave Michael was elected Pope at the age of 62, choosing to be called Pius V.

Pius V and his team worked hard to bring the Church into unity, compiling  a catechism, and revising the Breviary and the Roman Missal. Recalling his Cardinals to the duty their high calling required of them was not easy, but he did his best. Seeing the truth clearly he walked in its ways and showed others how to return to God.

There is so much more about St Pius V to learn. Every little bit more I learn about St Pius V’s life makes me even more appreciative of him, so I invite you to learn more about him yourself.

St Pius V, pray for us.