May 20
PRAYERS IN LATIN
B. ROBERT JOHNSON, Pr., 1582
BORN in Shropshire, he became a gentleman’s servant, but went abroad, was ordained priest at Douay, and was sent on the English Mission in 1576. In December 1580, after being arrested, he was sent to the Tower, was three times most cruelly racked, and in November 1581 was sentenced, but his execution was postponed till May 28, 1582. On the scaffold he answered the Sheriff that Elizabeth was as much Head of the Church as Mary had been. The Sheriff replied: "Thou art a traitor most obstinate." "If I be a traitor for holding the faith, then all our kings and queens and all our ancestors were traitors, for they maintained the same." Hereupon the rope was put about his neck, and he was willed to pray, which he did in Latin. They willed him to pray in English that they might witness with him: he said, "I pray that prayer which Christ taught, in a tongue I well understand." A minister cried out, "Pray as Christ taught." To whom Mr. Johnson replied, "What! do you think Christ taught in English?" And so won his crown with the Church’s words on his lips.
"And their children spoke half in the speech of Azotus, and could not speak the Jews language, and they spoke according to the language of this and that people, and I chid them and laid my curse upon them." 2 ESDRAS xiii. 24, 25.
From a sermon by Blessed Isaac of Stella, abbotThis body in which we participate is characterized by many things; one of which is that the ordinary members of the body do not speak for the head; that task is reserved for those parts of the body to whom the task has been entrusted. It was once common to refer to the "Church Teaching" and the "Church Taught." This distinction has been all but done away with in the common understanding, to eternal peril.
Just as the head and body of a man form one single man, so the Son of the Virgin and those he has chosen to be his members form a single man and the one Son of Man. Christ is whole and entire, head and body, say the Scriptures, since all the members form one body, which with its head is one Son of Man, and he with the Son of God is one Son of God, who himself with God is one God. Therefore the whole body with its head is Son of Man, Son of God, and God. This is the explanation of the Lord’s words: Father, I desire that as you and I are one, so they may be one with us.
And so, according to this well-known reading of Scripture, neither the body without the head, nor the head without the body, nor the head and body without God make the whole Christ. When all are united with God they become one God. The Son of God is one with God by nature; the Son of Man is one with him in his person; we, his body, are one with him sacramentally. Consequently those who by faith are spiritual members of Christ can truly say that they are what he is: the Son of God and God himself. But what Christ is by his nature we are as his partners; what he is of himself in all fullness, we are as participants. Finally, what the Son of God is by generation, his members are by adoption, according to the text: As sons you have received the Spirit of adoption, enabling you to cry, Abba, Father.
The thesis of Benedict XVI is that Christianity is so divided both because of a mutual rivalry expressed in "prophetic actions" that tend to distinguish and divide the communities from "communion with the Church in every age," and because of "a relativistic approach to Christian doctrine similar to that found in secular ideologies."
So instead of preaching Jesus Christ "and him crucified" (1 Cor. 2:2) – meaning the "objective truth" of the apostolic faith – many Christians of the various denominations prefer to urge each one to follow his own conscience and choose the community that best meets his personal tastes.
In the judgment of Benedict XVI, this reluctance to assert the centrality of doctrine "for fear that it would only exacerbate rather than heal the wounds of division" is also present within the ecumenical movement.
On the contrary, this is the appeal of the pope:
"Only by 'holding fast' to sound teaching (2 Thess 2:15; cf. Rev 2:12-29) will we be able to respond to the challenges that confront us in an evolving world. Only in this way will we give unambiguous testimony to the truth of the Gospel and its moral teaching. This is the message which the world is waiting to hear from us."
This appeal is all the more relevant "just at the time when the world is losing its bearings and needs a persuasive common witness to the saving power of the Gospel (cf. Rom 1:18-23)."
Provided by: Jeff Mirus |
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Gospel for Sunday, April 27
Jn 14:15-21
Jesus said to his disciples:
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
And I will ask the Father,
and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always,
the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept,
because it neither sees nor knows him.
But you know him, because he remains with you,
and will be in you.
I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
In a little while the world will no longer see me,
but you will see me, because I live and you will live.
On that day you will realize that I am in my Father
and you are in me and I in you.
Whoever has my commandments and observes them
is the one who loves me.
And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father,
and I will love him and reveal myself to him.”
How will we keep His commandments, if we do not know what they are that we must keep? Where will we turn? To Jesus, of course, because he teaches what the Father has told Him:
So Jesus said (to them), "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I AM, and that I do nothing on my own, but I say only what the Father taught me. Jn 8:28
from the cloud came a voice that said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him. Mt 17:5
That worked then, when Jesus walked among men, but what of now? There are those who say that the only infallible source is the bible. Yet, to whom did the first Christians turn, when there was no bible? They turned to the ones whom Jesus gave the authority to speak in His name. How? He first sent them as He was sent.
(Jesus) said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." Jn 20:21
And most importantly, gave them the authority he possessed to speak in His name.
Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me." Lk 10:16
This authority was not given to all, only a restricted group. The Holy Spirit is sent to confirm it:
But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. Jn 16:13
And Jesus guarantees it till the end of time.
Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age." Mt 28:19-20
So the mission is documented as given to a select group, to be carried on to the end of time. This mission and authority is documented as being passed on to the successors of the original group of Apostles, but t is not documented as being transferred from the group it was given to, to anyone else, or simply to a book of collected writings. For the authority to so there reside, that clear transference would have to be documented.
Who be the "
When the Holy Father preaches to the world, he speaks not for himself, but for Him who Is, in the Father’s name, with the authority of God. Too big a pill to swallow? The Pharisees thought so too, and crucified Him for the blasphemy they perceived. Their children still reject the Church which is His body, for the same reason. The stumbling block of faith.
April 17
PRAYER FOR ENGLAND
Ven. HENRY HEATH, O.S.F., 1643
ON his trial he said, "I came to this country to free souls from the servitude of the devil and to convert them from heresy." "Which heresy?" they asked. "Protestant, Puritan, Brownist, Anabaptist," I replied, "and many others, for whoever professes these are rightly called heretics." Again, "I was a Protestant myself up to my twenty-fourth year, and professed the same heresy that you do now. But, as Job says, Perish the day in which I was born, so I heap up curses and execrations on the day on which I began to imbibe the Protestant superstition." As he was being dragged to the hurdle he prayed God to remove the darkness and blindness of the Protestants, and on the scaffold, with the rope round his neck, he protested that his return to England was for no other design but to spend his life and labours in the conversion of his country, and that for this alone was he condemned to die. After he had recited the hymn and prayer of St. Anicetus, Pope and Martyr, whose day it was, he finished his course praying, "Jesus, Mary Jesus, for give my sins; Jesus, convert England ; Jesus, have mercy on this country. O England, turn thyself to the Lord thy God." Tyburn, April 17, 1643.
"Convert us, O Lord, to Thee and we shall be converted; renew our days as from the beginning." LAM. v. 21.
April 15
A CRY FOR RELIEF
W. BLUNDELL, 1600
WE Catholics, tormented sore
With heresy's foul railing tongue,
With prisons, tortures, loss of goods,
Of land, yea, lives, even thieves among,
Do crave, with heart surcharged with grief,
Of Thee, sweet Jesu, some relief.
We crave relief in this distress,
We seek some ease of this annoy ;
Yet are we well content with all,
So Thee in end we may enjoy ;
Ourselves to Thee we do resign
Relieve us, Lord, our cause is Thine.
Our cause is Thine, and Thine are we,
Who from Thy truth refuse to slide :
Our faith Thy truth, true faith the cause
For which these garboyles we abide ;
True faith, I say, as plain appears
To all who shut not eyes and ears.
To all who shut not eyes and ears
Gainst fathers, scriptures, Church, and Thee,
Who built Thy Church, as doctors all
With scriptures plainly do agree,
Not, soon to fall, upon the sand,
But on a Rock still sure to stand.
Still sure to stand, yea, on a hill,
For all her friends and foes to see,
Her friends to foster and defend,
Her foes to vanquish gloriously ;
From age to age this hath she done,
Thus shall she do in time to come.
In time to come, as heretofore,
Most certainly she shall prevail
Gainst all the force and sleighty wiles,
Wherewith hell-gates may her assail ;
Who shoot against this brazen wall
With their fond bolts themselves will gall.
Themselves to gall they will be sure,
Who strive to ruinate Thy house,
And to withdraw Thy children dear
From soft lap of Thy dearest spouse,
Thy children whom, with streams of blood,
Thou bought, sweet Lord, upon the Rood.
Upon the Rood Thou bought our souls
With price more worth then all Thou bought,
Yet doth the fiend our foes so blind,
Both souls and price they set at naught ;
They reckon not enough their ill,
Except with theirs our souls they spill.
Our souls to spill they think full soon
Or else our bodies to enthrall ;
Or, at the least, to wantful state,
Through hard pursuits, to bring us all ;
Come quickly, therefore, Lord Jesus,
And judge this cause twixt them and us.
Give judgment, Lord, twixt them and us,
The balance yet let pity hold :
Let mercy measure their offence,
And grace reduce them to Thy fold,
That we, all children of Thy spouse,
May live as brethren in Thy house.
He has started wonderfully with two epistles, one on Love and one on Hope. Well done, well written, and so timely for our age lacking in hope, discipline, and perseverence. This Pope gives me hope and he is particularly kind and gentle but with the discipline of a good mind and heart. We pray you well dear Holy Father on your visit to the United States of America--a land full of hope and opportunity. We will also listen in the coming hours and days as you unfold your teaching and hopes for the Church here in America, to bind up its wounds, to tear down barriers, and to care for those who cannot care for themselves. Oh dear God, bless this dear servant of the Servants of God. And, in doing so, please bless the land of our birth. 
TITLE 18
CRIMES AND PUNISHMENTS
CHAPTER 40
HOMICIDE
18-4016. DEFINITION OF HUMAN EMBRYO AND FETUS -- PROHIBITING THE PROSECUTION OF CERTAIN PERSONS.
(1) For purposes of this chapter "embryo" or "fetus" shall mean any human in utero.
(2) Nothing in this chapter, arising from the killing of an embryo or fetus, shall be construed to permit the prosecution:
(a) Of any person for conduct relating to an abortion for which the consent of the pregnant woman, or a person authorized by law to act on her behalf, has been obtained or for which such consent is implied by law;
(b) Of any person for any medical treatment of the pregnant woman or her embryo or fetus; or
(c) Of any woman with respect to her embryo or fetus.
(3) Nothing in this chapter is intended to amend or nullify the provisions of chapter 6, title 18, Idaho Code.
TITLE 18
CRIMES AND PUNISHMENTS
CHAPTER 6
ABORTION AND CONTRACEPTIVES
18-612. REFUSAL TO PERFORM ABORTIONS -- PHYSICIANS AND HOSPITALS NOT LIABLE.
Nothing in this act shall be deemed to require any hospital to furnish facilities or admit any patient for any abortion if, upon determination by its governing board, it elects not to do so. Neither shall any physician be required to perform or assist in any abortion, nor shall any nurse, technician or other employee of any physician or hospital be required by law or otherwise to assist or participate in the performance or provision of any abortion if he or she, for personal, moral or religious reasons, objects thereto. Any such person in the employ or under the control of a hospital shall be deemed to have sufficiently objected to participation in such procedures only if he or she has advised such hospital in writing that he or she generally or specifically objects to assisting or otherwise participating in such procedures. Such notice will suffice without specification of the reason therefor. No refusal to accept a patient for abortion or to perform, assist or participate in any such abortion as herein provided shall form the basis of any claim for damages or recriminatory action against the declining person, agency or institution.
2nd Annual Mike Lee Family Yard Sale to be held May 30 - June 1. Details are on page 3 of the newsletter -- and be sure to think about how you might be able to participate...Last year I was able to donate a trailer load of stuff, and I understand the yard sale was fantastic; gigantimus! this year I'll have to support it by shopping!
March 19
A GLIMPSE OF HEAVEN
Ven. ROGER WRENNO, L., 1616
WRENNO, a weaver, was condemned with Ven. Thulis for assisting priests. After he was turned off the ladder, the rope broke with the weight of his body, and he fell down to the ground. After a short space he came perfectly to him self, and, going upon his knees, began to pray very devoutly, his eyes and hands lifted up to Heaven. Upon this the minister Lee came to him and extolled the mercies of God in his regard and likewise the King s clemency, who would give him his life if he would but take the oath. The good man at this arose, saying, "I am the same man I was, and in the same mind; use your pleasure with me," and with that he ran to the ladder, and went up it as fast as he could. "How now," says the sheriff, "what does the man mean, that he is in such haste ?" "Oh!" says the good man, "if you had seen that which I have just now seen you would be as much in haste to die as I now am." And so the executioner, putting a stronger rope about his neck, turned the ladder, and quickly sent him to see the good things of which before he had had a glimpse. He suffered at Lancaster, March 18, 1616.
"I believe to see the good things of the Lord
the land of the living." Ps. xxvi. 13.
The drive, which by the way is not by far my favorite drive, gave me an opportunity to listen to several more hours of presentations on Deliverance or Healing Ministry. I found the theological presentations to be extremely well balanced and carefully worded. I found the tone of the questions to be genuinely and openly inquisitive. It was, or so it appeared to me, a gathering of folks devoted to combating evil and yet extremely cognizant of the need to do so, not in opposition to the Church, but rather in full cooperation with Her. There appeared to be only a very slight hint of tension when a distinction was drawn between what the laity had been doing in the area of Deliverance Ministry and what the official “Church” had apparently not been doing. It was noted that there were only four bishops at the Conference and, while attendees found this most encouraging, the small number seemed to be indicative of the reluctance, on the part of the official “Church,” to give a full stamp of approval to all that has been taking place. I think the Conference, which was largely educative in nature, very successfully brought a solid theological foundation to the deliverance experiences of priests and laity. At the same time the deliverance experiences of the priests and laity were given significant validation.
The Church officials, who spoke from both a theological and experiential base, were very effective in pointing out the spiritual dangers inherent in engaging in a deliverance ministry without adequate preparation, training and most especially official approbation by the Church. These theologians spoke about the devil with a bit of deference but without fear. In general, the theme was that we do not want to engage the devil in direct battle without the full faith and credit of the Catholic Church behind us. The distinction between what every baptized person can and should do and what the Church does officially is very important. For instance, it is perfectly legitimate and encouraged for everyone to pray for a deliverance from evil. We do this daily in the Lord’s Prayer: “Deliver us from evil. Amen” We do the same when we say that powerful Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel: “St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the Devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host - by the Power of God - thrust into Hell, Satan and all the other evil spirits, who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.” Notice that both of these involve an invocation either to God directly or to the Archangel to intervene on our behalf. This is significantly different from the kind of declaration which implies that the person speaking is the chosen or appointed instrument of God. For example: “I adjure you by the living God to depart from this place or person and never return” or “I bind you in the Name of Jesus” or “I command you in the Name of Jesus.” The Conference presenters spoke repeatedly about the need to be very careful in the use of language. If the person using the language of direct deliverance has not, in fact, been appointed in an official act of the Church then the “appointment” is either presumed to have come directly from God (which then implicitly calls into question the nature of the authority given to the Church) or the person is ‘self appointed” or “self anointed” which can be nothing other than the prelude to anarchy.
In addition to the theological discussions there were also very challenging spiritual presentations. One, in particular, captured my attention. The presenter delved into the topic of addictions and “sins of thought.” She specifically mentioned the harboring of angry, jealous, envious, or resentful thoughts. In this regard I thought again of Pope Benedict’s Encyclical. He quotes the Vietnamese martyr Paul Le-Bao-Tinh (d. 1857): “I, Paul, in chains for the name of Christ, wish to relate to you the trials besetting me daily, in order that you may be inflamed with love for God and join with me in his praises, for his mercy is for ever (Ps 136). The prison here is a true image of everlasting Hell: to cruel tortures of every kind - shackles, iron chains, manacles - are added hatred, vengeance, calumnies, obscene speech, quarrels, evil acts, swearing, curses, as well as anguish and grief. But the God who once freed the three children from the fiery furnace is with me always; he has delivered me from these tribulations and made them sweet, for his mercy is for ever. In the midst of these torments, which usually terrify others, I am, by the grace of God, full of joy and gladness, because I am not alone - Christ is with me.” (Spe Salvi, 37) He certainly had reason to complain, to impugn his captors, to deride them and criticize them but he seemed to know that those things would be from the devil and he chose to listen to God instead. I think he has a lot to teach us.
So they said to him, "What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you? What can you do? Jn 6:30.
It is interesting to note that Jesus goes on, not to answer this question, but to explain that he is the Bread of Life. The question He leaves unanswered, He had previously answered:
"Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you." He said to them in reply, "An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. Mt 38-40
It is a normal human foible to wish to have first hand evidence before we accept something. Thomas is our emblematic figure of this, when he said:
"Unless I see…, I will not believe." Jn 20:25
Thomas is granted to see, and he admits to more than he saw:
"My Lord and my God!" Jn 20:28
And Jesus responds with:
"Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed." Jn 20:29
The burning question is, do you believe, or seek signs? Notice that Thomas believed not just what he saw, but affirmed what went beyond sight; that Jesus is God. Stand now before the risen Lord, and either affirm him God, or stand aside (like those in John 6:66). If he is God, then as the omnipotent God, His word is to be trusted; and He has chosen to bring the Logos, the Word, to you in human form. A scandal today as it was 2000 years ago, that God would use fallible human flesh to communicate Himself to us. Place you hands in the wounds, the wounds you have caused in the sacred humanity of Christ. He said to his Apostles
“Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me." Lk 10:16
This my friends is where faith enters, the test of faith in this age; for Christ has not left us orphans, but has made a promise:
And behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world. Mt 28:20.
For would you not listen to Jesus if He were standing next to you, telling you to “sin no more” or that you are an unprofitable servant, or any of the things He told His own when He walked in the flesh? Now, His promise is fulfilled in our sight, but why do we refuse to see? We refuse for the same reason that so many refused 2000 years ago. We wanted the signs, we wanted what we wanted and not what was offered; so when we close off the Church from our lives, we tie Christ to the pillar; when we wag our tongues, offering our own opinions over the timeless wisdom of Christ through His Church, we lash his sacred flesh; and finally, our in our flip rejection of the Church’s Wisdom, we wash our hands with Pilate saying with our deeds (for actions speak louder than words),
“what is truth?” Jn 18:38
Ah, there is more, so much more, why settle for so little?
January 8
THE WEAK MADE STRONG
THE ELEVEN MARIAN BISHOPS
BY permission of Gregory XIII, under the fresco of a prison, on the walls of the English College, Rome, the following sentence was inscribed : "For their Confession of the Roman See and the Catholic Faith, eleven Catholic Bishops died, after wasting away by a long imprisonment." That is, the Catholic Bishops whom Elizabeth found in their Sees on her accession, with the exception of Kitchen of Llandaff, one and all refused to take the oath of supremacy, and were deposed. Those who had been weak before, like Tunstall and Gardiner, and had accepted Henry VIII under the title of Head of the Church, were staunch now, for they had learnt where their error led. They were placed in private confinement or imprisoned, but on the breaking out of the Plague in London they were subjected to the galling custody of their Protestant successors in what had been their own palaces, and there in one or other prison in the end all died. Their end was in obloquy before men, but their sculptured effigies in desecrated cathedrals would never give God the glory of their broken croziers and empty thrones.
"They recovered strength from weakness, and became valiant in war; they had trials of mockeries and stripes, moreover also of bands and prisons, being approved by the testimony of their faith." HEB. xi. 34, 36, 39.
The jury returned with the inevitable verdict. The Lord Chief Justice demanded whether there was any cause why he should not pass sentence of death upon the prisoners.
It was then that Campion’s voice rose in triumph. He was no longer haggling with perjurers; he spoke now, not merely for the handful of doomed men behind him, nor to that sordid court, but for the whole gallant company of the English counter-Reformation; to all his contemporaries and all the posterity of his race: -
“It was not our death that ever we feared. But we knew that we were not lords of our own lives, and therefore for want of answer would not be guilty of our deaths. The only thing that we have now to say is, that if our religion do make us traitors, we are worthy to be condemned; but otherwise are, and have been, as good subjects as ever the Queen had.
“In condemning us you condemn all your own ancestors – all the ancient priests, bishops and kings – all that was once the glory of England, the island of saints, and the most devoted child of the See of Peter.
“For what have we taught, however you may qualify it with the odious name of treason, that they did not uniformly teach? To be condemned with these lights – not of England only, but of the world – by their degenerate descendants, is both gladness and glory to us.
“God lives; posterity will live; their judgment is not so liable to corruption as that of those who are now going to sentence us to death.”
The Lord Chief Justice answered: “You must go to the place from whence you came, there to remain until ye shall be drawn through the open City of London upon hurdles to the palace of execution, and there be hanged and let down alive, and your privy parts cot off, and your entrails taken out and burnt in your sight; then your heads to be cut off and your bodies divided into four parts, to be disposed of at her Majesty’s pleasure. And God have mercy on your souls.”
As the Lord Chief Justice’s final commendation sounded, with peculiar irony, through Westminster Hall, the condemned men broke into the words of the Te Deum and were led back in triumph to their several prisons.
“If I had thought that you would have had to suffer aught but imprisonment through my accusing of you, I would never have done it,” he said, “however I might have lost by it.”
“If that is the case,” replied Campion, “I beseech you, in God’s name, to do penance, and confess your crime, to God’s glory and your own salvation.”
But it was fear for his life rather than for his soul that had brought the informer to the Tower; ever since the journey from Lydford, when the people had called him “Judas,” he had been haunted by the spectre of Catholic reprisal.
“You are much deceived,” said Campion, “if you thing the Catholics push their detestation and wrath as far as revenge; yet to make you quite safe, I will, if you please, recommend you to a Catholic duke in Germany, where you may live in perfect security.
But it was another man who was saved by the offer. Elliot went back to his trade of spy; Delahays, Campion’s gaoler, who was present at the interview, was so moved by Campion’s generosity that he became a Catholic.
My dear brethren, there is no doubt that the Son of God took our human nature into so close a union with himself that one and the same Christ is present, not only in the firstborn of all creation, but in all his saints as well. The head cannot be separated from the members, nor the members separated from the head. Not in this life, it is true, but only in eternity will God be all in all, yet even now he dwells, whole and undivided, in his temple the Church. Such was his promise to us when he said; See, I am with you always, even to the end of the world.
And so all that the Son of God did and taught for the world’s reconciliation is not for us simply a matter of past history. Here and now we experience his power at work among us. Born of a virgin mother by the action of the Holy Spirit, Christ keeps his Church spotless and makes her fruitful by the inspiration of the same Spirit. In baptismal regeneration she brings forth children for God beyond all numbering. These are the sons of whom is its written: They are born not of blood, nor of the desire of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
