29 August 2009

Feast of Beheading of St. John the Baptist

BEHEADING OF ST. JOHN BAPTIST. AUGUST XXIX.
[SOURCE: BUTLER'S LIVES OF THE SAINTS]

ST. JOHN the BAPTIST was called by God to be the forerunner of his Divine Son, to usher him into the world, and to prepare mankind by penance to receive their great Redeemer, whom the prophets had foretold at a distance through every age from the beginning of the world; never ceasing to excite the people of God to faith and hope in him, by whom alone they were to be saved.
(1) Inst. Hist. Philos., p. 468. (2) St. Aug. Ep. 118 I. 56, ad l)ioscorum.
The more the sublime function of this saint surpassed that of the Jewish legislator and of all the patriarchs and ancient prophets, the greater were the graces by which he was fitted for the same. Some of the prophets had been sanctified from their birth; but neither in so wonderful nor in so abundant a manner as the Baptist. In order to preserve his innocence spotless, and to improve the extraordinary graces which he had received, he was directed by the Holy Ghost to lead an austere and contemplative life in the wilderness, in the continual exercises of devout prayer and penance, from his infancy till he was thirty years of age. How much does this precaution of a saint, who was strengthened by such uncommon privileges and graces, condemn the rashness of parents who expose children in their slippery time of youth to the contagious air of wicked worldly company, and to every danger ! or, who, instead of training them up in suitable habits of self-denial, humility, devotion, and reasonable application to serious duties, are themselves by example and pernicious maxims the corruptors of their tender minds, and the flatterers of their passions, which they ought to teach them to subdue.

St. John cannot be commonly imitated by youth in his total retreat from the world; but he teaches what are the means by which they must study, according to their circumstances, to sanctify that most precious age of life; what they must shun, in what maxims they ought to ground themselves, and how they are to form and strengthen in themselves the most perfect habits of all virtues. Let them consider him as a special pattern, and the model of innocence and of that fervour with which they must labour continually to improve in wisdom, piety, and every virtue. He is particularly the pattern which those ought always to have before their eyes, who are called by God to the ministry of his altar, or of his word. Let no one be so rash as to intrude himself into the sanctuary before he has laboured a long time to qualify himself for so high an office by retirement, humility, holy contemplation, and penance, and before the spirit of those virtues has taken deep root in his soul. St. John led a most austere life in the wilderness, conversing only with God, till, in the thirtieth year of his age, he was perfectly qualified to enter upon the administration of his office; that being also the age at which the priests and Levites were permitted by the Jewish law to begin the exercise of their functions.¹
God, by a revelation, intimated to John his commission of precursor in the wilderness, and the faithful minister began to discharge it in the desert of Judaea itself, near the borders, where it was thinly inhabited, upon the banks of the Jordan towards Jericho. Clothed with the weeds of penance, he announced to all men the obligation they lay under of washing away their iniquities with the tears of sincere compunction; and proclaimed the Messiah, who was then coming to make his appearance among them.² He was received by the people as the true herald of the most high God, and his voice was, as it were, a trumpet sounding from heaven to summon all men to avert the divine judgments, and to prepare themselves to reap the benefit of the mercy that was offered them. He exhorted all to works of charity and to a reformation of their lives, and those who addressed themselves to him in these dispositions he baptized in the river. The Jews practised several religious washings of the body as legal purifications; but no baptism before this of John had so great and mystical a signification. It chiefly represented the manner in which the souls of men must be cleansed from all sin and vicious habits, to be made partakers of Christ's spiritual kingdom, and it was an emblem of the interior effects of sincere
(1) Nam. iv.3. '(2) Luke iii. 1.
repentance but it differed entirely from the great sacrament of baptism which Christ soon after instituted, to which it was much inferior in virtue and efficacy, and of which it was a kind of type.¹

St. John's baptism was a temporary rite, by which men who were under the law were admitted to some new spiritual privileges, which they had not before, by him who was the messenger of Christ, and of his new covenant. Whence it is called by the fathers a partition between the law and the gospel.² This baptism of John prepared men to become Christians, but did not make them so. It was not even conferred in the name of Christ, or in that of the Holy Ghost, who had not been as yet given.³ When St. John had already preached and baptized about six months, our Redeemer went from Nazareth, and presented himself, among others, to be baptized by him. The Baptist knew him by a divine revelation, and, full of awe and respect for his sacred person, at first excused himself, but at length acquiesced out of obedience. The Saviour of sinners was pleased to be baptized among sinners, not to be cleansed himself, but to sanctify the waters, says St. Ambrose,4 that is, to give them the virtue to cleanse away the sins of men. St. Austin and St. Thomas Aquinas think he then instituted the holy sacrament of baptism, which he soon after administered by his disciples,5 whom doubt-less, he had first baptized himself.6

The solemn admonitions of the Baptist, attended with the most extraordinary innocence and sanctity, and the marks of his divine commission, procured him a mighty veneration and authority among the Jews, and several began to look upon
(1) Matt. iii. 11 ; Acts xix. 5; St. Arnbr. lib. ii. in Luc. t. iii. p. 45 ; St. Aug. Enehir. c. 48, 49, t. vi. p. 214, &c. See Coon. Trid. Sess. 7, Can. 2, Bellarmin, 'Sat. Alexander, Tournely, Tr. de Bapt. (2) Luke xvi. 16 ; St. Aug. lib. v. de Bapt. c. 9, t. ix. p. 147. (3) John vii. 39. (4) Lib. ii. in Luc. t. iii. p. 46. (5) John iii. 26 ; iv. 2. (6) St. Aug. 44, ol. 163, c. 5, Ep. 265, ol. 105, et Tr. 5, 13, 15 et 16 in Joan.
him as the Messiah, who, from the ancient prophecies, was expected by all the nations of the East to appear about that time in Judaea, as Suetonius, Tacitus, and Josephus testify.¹ To remove all thoughts of this kind, he freely declared that he, only baptized sinners with water in order to repentance and a new life ; but that there was one ready to appear among them, who would baptize them with the effusion of the Holy Ghost, and who so far exceeded him in power and excellency, that he was not worthy to do for him the meanest servile office. Nevertheless, so strong were the impressions which the preaching and deportment of John made upon the minds of the Jews, that they sent to him a solemn embassy of priests and Levites from Jerusalem to inquire of him if he was not the Christ.² True humility shudders at the very mention of undue honour; and, the higher applause it meets with among men, the lower it sinks in a deep sense and sincere acknowledgment of its own baseness and unworthiness, and in the abyss of its nothingness; and in this disposition it is inflamed with a most ardent desire to give all praise and glory to the pure gratuitous goodness and mercy of God alone. In these sentiments St. John "confessed„and did not deny ; and he confessed, I am not the Christ." He also told the deputies that he was " neither Elias nor a prophet."
Being pressed to give some account who he was, he calls himself "the voice of one crying in the desert;" he will not have men have the least regard for him, but turns their attention entirely from himself, as unworthy to be named or thought of, and only bids them listen to the summons which God sent them by his mouth. A voice is no more than an empty sound ; it is a mere nothing. How eloquent does sincere humility render the saints to express the sentiments of their own nothingness ! Like the Baptist, every preacher of God's word must be penetrated with the most feeling sense of his own baseness ; must study always to be nothing himself and in his own eyes, whilst yet he exerts all his powers that God, the great All, may be known, served, and glorified by all, and in all: he must be himself merely a voice, but a voice of thunder to awake in all hearts a profound sense of their spiritual miseries, and of the duties which they owe to God.
(1) Sueton. in Vespas. c. 4 ; Tacitus, Hist. lib. v. c. 4 ; Joseph. De Bello Judaic. lib. vii. c. 12, p. 961. (2) John i. 20. 310
The Baptist proclaimed Jesus to be the Messias at his baptism ; he did the same when the Jews consulted him from Jerusalem whether he was not the Messias : again, when seeing him come towards him the day following, he called him, " The Lamb of God;" also when his disciples consulted him about the baptism of Jesus, and on other occasions. He baptized first in the Jordan, on the borders of the desert of Judaea ; afterwards on the other side of that river, at a place called Bethania, or rather Bethabara, which word signifies House of the Passage or common ford : lastly at Elation, near Salim, a place abounding in waters, situated in Judaea near the Jordan. In the discharge of his commission he was a perfect model to be imitated by ill true ministers of the divine word. Like an angel of the Lord "he was neither moved by benedictions nor by maledictions,"' having only God and his holy will in view. Entirely free from vanity or love of popular applause, he preached not himself, but Christ. His tenderness and charity won the hearts, and his zeal gave him a commanding influence over the minds of his hearers. He reproved the vices of all orders of men with impartial freedom, and an undaunted authority ; the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, the profaneness of the Sadducees, the extortion of the publicans, the rapine and licentiousness of the soldiers, and the incest of Herod himself.
The tetrarch Herod Antipas going to Rome in the sixteenth year of Tiberius, the thirty-third of Christ, lodged in his way at the house of his brother Herod Philip, and was smitten with love for his wife Herodias, who was niece to them both.
(1) 2 Kings, xiv. 17.

He discovered to her his criminal passion, and she consented to leave her husband and marry him, upon condition that he first divorced his wife, who was daughter, of Aretas, King of the Arabs. To this he readily agreed, and being returned from Rome in the following autumn, he considered how to rid himself of his wife. The princess having got intelligence of his resolution, made her escape, and fled to her father. By her voluntary retreat Herod Antipas saw himself at liberty, and, by a notorious infringement of all laws divine and human, married Herodias, his sister-in-law, though she had children by her own husband, Philip, his brother, who was yet living.¹ St. John Baptist boldly reprehended the tetrarch and his accomplice for so scandalous an incest and adultery, and said to that prince: " It is not lawful for thee to take thy brother's wife." Herod feared and reverenced John, knowing him to be a holy man ; and he did many things by his advice ; but, on the other hand, he could not bear that his main sore should be touched, and was highly offended at the liberty which the preacher took in that particular. Thus, whilst he respected him as a saint, he hated him as a censor, and felt a violent struggle in his own breast, between his veneration for the sanctity of the prophet, and the reproach of his own conduct. His passion still got the better, and held him captive, and his flame was nourished by the flatteries of courtiers, and the clamours and artifices of Herodias, who, like an enraged infernal fury, left nothing unattempted to take away the life of him who durst impeach her conduct, and disturb her criminal pleasures and ambition. Herod, to content her, cast the saint into prison. Josephus says the servant of God was confined in the castle of Macherus, two leagues beyond the lake Asphaltites, upon the borders of Arabia Petrma.
(1) Matt. xiv. 3 ; Mark vi. 17; Luke iii. 19 ; Joseph. lib. xviii. c. 7.
St. John, hearing in prison of Christ's wonderful works and preaching, sent two of his disciples to him for their information, not doubting but that Christ would satisfy them that he was the Messiah ;¹ and that by his answers they would lay aside their prejudices, and join themselves to him.
Herod continued still to respect the man of God, frequently sent for him, and heard him discourse with much pleasure, though he was troubled when he was admonished by him of his faults. Herodias, on the other hand, never ceased by her instigations to endeavour to exasperate him against the holy man, and to seek an opportunity to compass his destruction. An occasion at length fell out favourable to her designs. It was about a year since John the Baptist had been committed close prisoner, when Herod, upon the return of his birthday, made a splendid entertainment for - the principal nobility of Galilee, in the castle of Macherus. The dancing of Salome, and other circumstances of this banquet, are sensible proofs to what an infamous pitch of impudence debauchery was carried in this impious court. Salome, a daughter of Herodias by her lawful husband, pleased Herod by her dancing, insomuch that he promised her, with the sacred bond of an oath, to grant her whatever she asked, though it amounted to half of his dominions. From this instance St. Ambrose and other fathers take occasion to show the dangerous consequences of a passion for dancing, and the depravity from which it often takes its rise. Salome having received the above-said ample promise made her by Herod, consulted with her mother what to ask. Herodias was so entirely devoured by lust and ambition, as willingly to forego every other consideration, that she might be at liberty to gratify her passions, and remove him who stood in her way in the pursuit of her criminal inclinations.
(1) Matt, xi. 1, 2, &r,. ; Luke vii. 18.
She therefore instructed her daughter to demand the death of John the Baptist, and her jealousy was so impatient of the least delay, for fear the tyrant might relent if he had time to enter into himself, that she persuaded the young damsel to make it part of her petition that the head of the prisoner should be forth-with brought to her in a dish. This strange request startled the tyrant himself, and caused a damp upon his spirits. He, however, assented, though with reluctance, as men often feel a cruel sting of remorse, and suffer the qualms of a disturbed conscience flying in their face and condemning them, whilst they are drawn into sin by the tyranny of a vicious habit, or some violent passion. We cannot be surprised that Herod should be concerned at so extravagant a petition. The very mention of such a thing by a lady in the midst of a feast and solemn rejoicing, was enough to shock even a man of uncommon barbarity.

The evangelist also informs us, that Herod had conceived a good opinion of the Baptist as a just and holy man ; also, that he feared the resentment of the people, who held the man of God in the highest veneration and esteem. More-over, it was a constant rule or custom, that neither the prince's birthday, nor the mirth of a public assembly and banquet, were to be stained with the condemnation or execution of any criminal what-ever ; only favours and pardons were to be granted on such occasions. Nevertheless, the weak tyrant, overcome by his passion, and by a fond complaisance, was deaf to the voice of his own conscience., and to every other consideration ; and studied, by foolish pretences, to excuse a crime which they could only serve to exaggerate. The tyrant also urged his respect for the company, and his fear of giving them scandal by a perjury. But how easy would true virtue and courage have justified the innocent man to the satisfaction of all persons whom passion did not blind, and have shown the inhumanity of an execution which could not fail to damp the joy of the meeting, and give offence to all who were not interested in the plot! But the tyrant, without giving the saint a hearing, or allowing him so much as the formality of a trial, sent a soldier of his guard to behead him in prison, with an order to bring his head in a charger, and present it to Salome. This being executed, the damsel was not afraid to take that present into her hands, and deliver it to her mother. St. Jerom relates,¹ that the furious Herodias made it her inhuman pastime to prick the sacred tongue with a bodkin, as Fulvia had done Cicero's. Thus died the great forerunner of our blessed Saviour, about two years and three months after his entrance upon his public ministry, about the time of the Paschal solemnity, a year before the death of our blessed Redeemer.
The Baptist's disciples came and took away his body, which they honourably interred. Ruffians and Theodoret inform us, that in, the reign of Julian the Apostate, the pagans broke open the tomb of St. John the Baptist, which was at Sebaste or Samaria, and burnt part of the sacred bones, some part being saved by the Christians. These were sent to St. Athanasius at Alexandria. Some time after, in 396, Theodosius built a great church in that city, in honour of the Baptist, upon the spot where the temple of Serapis had formerly--stood, and these holy relics were deposited in it, as Theophanes testifies. But a distribution of some portions was made to certain other churches ; and the great Theodoret obtained a share for his church at Cyrus, and relates, that he and his diocess had received from God several miraculous favours through the intercession of this glorious saint.² The Baptist's head was discovered at Emisa, in Syria, in the year 453,. and was kept with honour in the great church of that city ; till, about the year 800, this precious relic was conveyed to Constantinople, that it might not be sacrilegiously insulted by the Saracens
(1) St. Hier. lib. in. contra Ruda. c. 11. (2) Via. Path c. 21.
When that city was taken by the French in 1204, Wane de Sarton, a canon of Amiens, brought part of this head, that is, all the face, except the lower jaw, into France, and bestowed it on his own church, where it is preserved to this day. Part of the head of the Baptist is said to be kept in St. Sylvester's church, in Campo Marzo, at Rome, though Sirmond thinks this to be the head of St. John the martyr of Rome. Pope Clement VIII., to remove all reasonable doubt about the relic of this saint, procured a small part of the head that is kept at Amiens, for St. Sylvester's church.¹
This glorious saint was a martyr, a virgin, a doctor, a prophet, and more than a prophet. He was declared by Christ him-self to be greater than all the saints of the old law, the greatest of all that had been born of women. All the high graces with which he was favoured, sprang from his humility ; in this all his other virtues were founded. If we desire to form ourselves upon so great a model, we must, above all things, labour to lay the same deep foundation. We must never cease to purge our souls more and more perfectly from all leaven of pride, by earnestly begging this grace of God, by studying with this saint, truly to know ourselves, and by exercising continual acts of sincere humility. The meditation of our own nothingness and wretchedness will help to inspire us with this saving knowledge; and repeated humiliations will ground and improve our souls in a feeling sense of our miseries, and a sincere contempt` of ourselves.

Feast of Beheading of St. John the Baptist

BEHEADING OF ST. JOHN BAPTIST. AUGUST XXIX.
[SOURCE: BUTLER'S LIVES OF THE SAINTS]

ST. JOHN the BAPTIST was called by God to be the forerunner of his Divine Son, to usher him into the world, and to prepare mankind by penance to receive their great Redeemer, whom the prophets had foretold at a distance through every age from the beginning of the world; never ceasing to excite the people of God to faith and hope in him, by whom alone they were to be saved.
(1) Inst. Hist. Philos., p. 468. (2) St. Aug. Ep. 118 I. 56, ad l)ioscorum.
The more the sublime function of this saint surpassed that of the Jewish legislator and of all the patriarchs and ancient prophets, the greater were the graces by which he was fitted for the same. Some of the prophets had been sanctified from their birth; but neither in so wonderful nor in so abundant a manner as the Baptist. In order to preserve his innocence spotless, and to improve the extraordinary graces which he had received, he was directed by the Holy Ghost to lead an austere and contemplative life in the wilderness, in the continual exercises of devout prayer and penance, from his infancy till he was thirty years of age. How much does this precaution of a saint, who was strengthened by such uncommon privileges and graces, condemn the rashness of parents who expose children in their slippery time of youth to the contagious air of wicked worldly company, and to every danger ! or, who, instead of training them up in suitable habits of self-denial, humility, devotion, and reasonable application to serious duties, are themselves by example and pernicious maxims the corruptors of their tender minds, and the flatterers of their passions, which they ought to teach them to subdue.

St. John cannot be commonly imitated by youth in his total retreat from the world; but he teaches what are the means by which they must study, according to their circumstances, to sanctify that most precious age of life; what they must shun, in what maxims they ought to ground themselves, and how they are to form and strengthen in themselves the most perfect habits of all virtues. Let them consider him as a special pattern, and the model of innocence and of that fervour with which they must labour continually to improve in wisdom, piety, and every virtue. He is particularly the pattern which those ought always to have before their eyes, who are called by God to the ministry of his altar, or of his word. Let no one be so rash as to intrude himself into the sanctuary before he has laboured a long time to qualify himself for so high an office by retirement, humility, holy contemplation, and penance, and before the spirit of those virtues has taken deep root in his soul. St. John led a most austere life in the wilderness, conversing only with God, till, in the thirtieth year of his age, he was perfectly qualified to enter upon the administration of his office; that being also the age at which the priests and Levites were permitted by the Jewish law to begin the exercise of their functions.¹
God, by a revelation, intimated to John his commission of precursor in the wilderness, and the faithful minister began to discharge it in the desert of Judaea itself, near the borders, where it was thinly inhabited, upon the banks of the Jordan towards Jericho. Clothed with the weeds of penance, he announced to all men the obligation they lay under of washing away their iniquities with the tears of sincere compunction; and proclaimed the Messiah, who was then coming to make his appearance among them.² He was received by the people as the true herald of the most high God, and his voice was, as it were, a trumpet sounding from heaven to summon all men to avert the divine judgments, and to prepare themselves to reap the benefit of the mercy that was offered them. He exhorted all to works of charity and to a reformation of their lives, and those who addressed themselves to him in these dispositions he baptized in the river. The Jews practised several religious washings of the body as legal purifications; but no baptism before this of John had so great and mystical a signification. It chiefly represented the manner in which the souls of men must be cleansed from all sin and vicious habits, to be made partakers of Christ's spiritual kingdom, and it was an emblem of the interior effects of sincere
(1) Nam. iv.3. '(2) Luke iii. 1.
repentance but it differed entirely from the great sacrament of baptism which Christ soon after instituted, to which it was much inferior in virtue and efficacy, and of which it was a kind of type.¹

St. John's baptism was a temporary rite, by which men who were under the law were admitted to some new spiritual privileges, which they had not before, by him who was the messenger of Christ, and of his new covenant. Whence it is called by the fathers a partition between the law and the gospel.² This baptism of John prepared men to become Christians, but did not make them so. It was not even conferred in the name of Christ, or in that of the Holy Ghost, who had not been as yet given.³ When St. John had already preached and baptized about six months, our Redeemer went from Nazareth, and presented himself, among others, to be baptized by him. The Baptist knew him by a divine revelation, and, full of awe and respect for his sacred person, at first excused himself, but at length acquiesced out of obedience. The Saviour of sinners was pleased to be baptized among sinners, not to be cleansed himself, but to sanctify the waters, says St. Ambrose,4 that is, to give them the virtue to cleanse away the sins of men. St. Austin and St. Thomas Aquinas think he then instituted the holy sacrament of baptism, which he soon after administered by his disciples,5 whom doubt-less, he had first baptized himself.6

The solemn admonitions of the Baptist, attended with the most extraordinary innocence and sanctity, and the marks of his divine commission, procured him a mighty veneration and authority among the Jews, and several began to look upon
(1) Matt. iii. 11 ; Acts xix. 5; St. Arnbr. lib. ii. in Luc. t. iii. p. 45 ; St. Aug. Enehir. c. 48, 49, t. vi. p. 214, &c. See Coon. Trid. Sess. 7, Can. 2, Bellarmin, 'Sat. Alexander, Tournely, Tr. de Bapt. (2) Luke xvi. 16 ; St. Aug. lib. v. de Bapt. c. 9, t. ix. p. 147. (3) John vii. 39. (4) Lib. ii. in Luc. t. iii. p. 46. (5) John iii. 26 ; iv. 2. (6) St. Aug. 44, ol. 163, c. 5, Ep. 265, ol. 105, et Tr. 5, 13, 15 et 16 in Joan.
him as the Messiah, who, from the ancient prophecies, was expected by all the nations of the East to appear about that time in Judaea, as Suetonius, Tacitus, and Josephus testify.¹ To remove all thoughts of this kind, he freely declared that he, only baptized sinners with water in order to repentance and a new life ; but that there was one ready to appear among them, who would baptize them with the effusion of the Holy Ghost, and who so far exceeded him in power and excellency, that he was not worthy to do for him the meanest servile office. Nevertheless, so strong were the impressions which the preaching and deportment of John made upon the minds of the Jews, that they sent to him a solemn embassy of priests and Levites from Jerusalem to inquire of him if he was not the Christ.² True humility shudders at the very mention of undue honour; and, the higher applause it meets with among men, the lower it sinks in a deep sense and sincere acknowledgment of its own baseness and unworthiness, and in the abyss of its nothingness; and in this disposition it is inflamed with a most ardent desire to give all praise and glory to the pure gratuitous goodness and mercy of God alone. In these sentiments St. John "confessed„and did not deny ; and he confessed, I am not the Christ." He also told the deputies that he was " neither Elias nor a prophet."
Being pressed to give some account who he was, he calls himself "the voice of one crying in the desert;" he will not have men have the least regard for him, but turns their attention entirely from himself, as unworthy to be named or thought of, and only bids them listen to the summons which God sent them by his mouth. A voice is no more than an empty sound ; it is a mere nothing. How eloquent does sincere humility render the saints to express the sentiments of their own nothingness ! Like the Baptist, every preacher of God's word must be penetrated with the most feeling sense of his own baseness ; must study always to be nothing himself and in his own eyes, whilst yet he exerts all his powers that God, the great All, may be known, served, and glorified by all, and in all: he must be himself merely a voice, but a voice of thunder to awake in all hearts a profound sense of their spiritual miseries, and of the duties which they owe to God.
(1) Sueton. in Vespas. c. 4 ; Tacitus, Hist. lib. v. c. 4 ; Joseph. De Bello Judaic. lib. vii. c. 12, p. 961. (2) John i. 20. 310
The Baptist proclaimed Jesus to be the Messias at his baptism ; he did the same when the Jews consulted him from Jerusalem whether he was not the Messias : again, when seeing him come towards him the day following, he called him, " The Lamb of God;" also when his disciples consulted him about the baptism of Jesus, and on other occasions. He baptized first in the Jordan, on the borders of the desert of Judaea ; afterwards on the other side of that river, at a place called Bethania, or rather Bethabara, which word signifies House of the Passage or common ford : lastly at Elation, near Salim, a place abounding in waters, situated in Judaea near the Jordan. In the discharge of his commission he was a perfect model to be imitated by ill true ministers of the divine word. Like an angel of the Lord "he was neither moved by benedictions nor by maledictions,"' having only God and his holy will in view. Entirely free from vanity or love of popular applause, he preached not himself, but Christ. His tenderness and charity won the hearts, and his zeal gave him a commanding influence over the minds of his hearers. He reproved the vices of all orders of men with impartial freedom, and an undaunted authority ; the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, the profaneness of the Sadducees, the extortion of the publicans, the rapine and licentiousness of the soldiers, and the incest of Herod himself.
The tetrarch Herod Antipas going to Rome in the sixteenth year of Tiberius, the thirty-third of Christ, lodged in his way at the house of his brother Herod Philip, and was smitten with love for his wife Herodias, who was niece to them both.
(1) 2 Kings, xiv. 17.

He discovered to her his criminal passion, and she consented to leave her husband and marry him, upon condition that he first divorced his wife, who was daughter, of Aretas, King of the Arabs. To this he readily agreed, and being returned from Rome in the following autumn, he considered how to rid himself of his wife. The princess having got intelligence of his resolution, made her escape, and fled to her father. By her voluntary retreat Herod Antipas saw himself at liberty, and, by a notorious infringement of all laws divine and human, married Herodias, his sister-in-law, though she had children by her own husband, Philip, his brother, who was yet living.¹ St. John Baptist boldly reprehended the tetrarch and his accomplice for so scandalous an incest and adultery, and said to that prince: " It is not lawful for thee to take thy brother's wife." Herod feared and reverenced John, knowing him to be a holy man ; and he did many things by his advice ; but, on the other hand, he could not bear that his main sore should be touched, and was highly offended at the liberty which the preacher took in that particular. Thus, whilst he respected him as a saint, he hated him as a censor, and felt a violent struggle in his own breast, between his veneration for the sanctity of the prophet, and the reproach of his own conduct. His passion still got the better, and held him captive, and his flame was nourished by the flatteries of courtiers, and the clamours and artifices of Herodias, who, like an enraged infernal fury, left nothing unattempted to take away the life of him who durst impeach her conduct, and disturb her criminal pleasures and ambition. Herod, to content her, cast the saint into prison. Josephus says the servant of God was confined in the castle of Macherus, two leagues beyond the lake Asphaltites, upon the borders of Arabia Petrma.
(1) Matt. xiv. 3 ; Mark vi. 17; Luke iii. 19 ; Joseph. lib. xviii. c. 7.
St. John, hearing in prison of Christ's wonderful works and preaching, sent two of his disciples to him for their information, not doubting but that Christ would satisfy them that he was the Messiah ;¹ and that by his answers they would lay aside their prejudices, and join themselves to him.
Herod continued still to respect the man of God, frequently sent for him, and heard him discourse with much pleasure, though he was troubled when he was admonished by him of his faults. Herodias, on the other hand, never ceased by her instigations to endeavour to exasperate him against the holy man, and to seek an opportunity to compass his destruction. An occasion at length fell out favourable to her designs. It was about a year since John the Baptist had been committed close prisoner, when Herod, upon the return of his birthday, made a splendid entertainment for - the principal nobility of Galilee, in the castle of Macherus. The dancing of Salome, and other circumstances of this banquet, are sensible proofs to what an infamous pitch of impudence debauchery was carried in this impious court. Salome, a daughter of Herodias by her lawful husband, pleased Herod by her dancing, insomuch that he promised her, with the sacred bond of an oath, to grant her whatever she asked, though it amounted to half of his dominions. From this instance St. Ambrose and other fathers take occasion to show the dangerous consequences of a passion for dancing, and the depravity from which it often takes its rise. Salome having received the above-said ample promise made her by Herod, consulted with her mother what to ask. Herodias was so entirely devoured by lust and ambition, as willingly to forego every other consideration, that she might be at liberty to gratify her passions, and remove him who stood in her way in the pursuit of her criminal inclinations.
(1) Matt, xi. 1, 2, &r,. ; Luke vii. 18.
She therefore instructed her daughter to demand the death of John the Baptist, and her jealousy was so impatient of the least delay, for fear the tyrant might relent if he had time to enter into himself, that she persuaded the young damsel to make it part of her petition that the head of the prisoner should be forth-with brought to her in a dish. This strange request startled the tyrant himself, and caused a damp upon his spirits. He, however, assented, though with reluctance, as men often feel a cruel sting of remorse, and suffer the qualms of a disturbed conscience flying in their face and condemning them, whilst they are drawn into sin by the tyranny of a vicious habit, or some violent passion. We cannot be surprised that Herod should be concerned at so extravagant a petition. The very mention of such a thing by a lady in the midst of a feast and solemn rejoicing, was enough to shock even a man of uncommon barbarity.

The evangelist also informs us, that Herod had conceived a good opinion of the Baptist as a just and holy man ; also, that he feared the resentment of the people, who held the man of God in the highest veneration and esteem. More-over, it was a constant rule or custom, that neither the prince's birthday, nor the mirth of a public assembly and banquet, were to be stained with the condemnation or execution of any criminal what-ever ; only favours and pardons were to be granted on such occasions. Nevertheless, the weak tyrant, overcome by his passion, and by a fond complaisance, was deaf to the voice of his own conscience., and to every other consideration ; and studied, by foolish pretences, to excuse a crime which they could only serve to exaggerate. The tyrant also urged his respect for the company, and his fear of giving them scandal by a perjury. But how easy would true virtue and courage have justified the innocent man to the satisfaction of all persons whom passion did not blind, and have shown the inhumanity of an execution which could not fail to damp the joy of the meeting, and give offence to all who were not interested in the plot! But the tyrant, without giving the saint a hearing, or allowing him so much as the formality of a trial, sent a soldier of his guard to behead him in prison, with an order to bring his head in a charger, and present it to Salome. This being executed, the damsel was not afraid to take that present into her hands, and deliver it to her mother. St. Jerom relates,¹ that the furious Herodias made it her inhuman pastime to prick the sacred tongue with a bodkin, as Fulvia had done Cicero's. Thus died the great forerunner of our blessed Saviour, about two years and three months after his entrance upon his public ministry, about the time of the Paschal solemnity, a year before the death of our blessed Redeemer.
The Baptist's disciples came and took away his body, which they honourably interred. Ruffians and Theodoret inform us, that in, the reign of Julian the Apostate, the pagans broke open the tomb of St. John the Baptist, which was at Sebaste or Samaria, and burnt part of the sacred bones, some part being saved by the Christians. These were sent to St. Athanasius at Alexandria. Some time after, in 396, Theodosius built a great church in that city, in honour of the Baptist, upon the spot where the temple of Serapis had formerly--stood, and these holy relics were deposited in it, as Theophanes testifies. But a distribution of some portions was made to certain other churches ; and the great Theodoret obtained a share for his church at Cyrus, and relates, that he and his diocess had received from God several miraculous favours through the intercession of this glorious saint.² The Baptist's head was discovered at Emisa, in Syria, in the year 453,. and was kept with honour in the great church of that city ; till, about the year 800, this precious relic was conveyed to Constantinople, that it might not be sacrilegiously insulted by the Saracens
(1) St. Hier. lib. in. contra Ruda. c. 11. (2) Via. Path c. 21.
When that city was taken by the French in 1204, Wane de Sarton, a canon of Amiens, brought part of this head, that is, all the face, except the lower jaw, into France, and bestowed it on his own church, where it is preserved to this day. Part of the head of the Baptist is said to be kept in St. Sylvester's church, in Campo Marzo, at Rome, though Sirmond thinks this to be the head of St. John the martyr of Rome. Pope Clement VIII., to remove all reasonable doubt about the relic of this saint, procured a small part of the head that is kept at Amiens, for St. Sylvester's church.¹
This glorious saint was a martyr, a virgin, a doctor, a prophet, and more than a prophet. He was declared by Christ him-self to be greater than all the saints of the old law, the greatest of all that had been born of women. All the high graces with which he was favoured, sprang from his humility ; in this all his other virtues were founded. If we desire to form ourselves upon so great a model, we must, above all things, labour to lay the same deep foundation. We must never cease to purge our souls more and more perfectly from all leaven of pride, by earnestly begging this grace of God, by studying with this saint, truly to know ourselves, and by exercising continual acts of sincere humility. The meditation of our own nothingness and wretchedness will help to inspire us with this saving knowledge; and repeated humiliations will ground and improve our souls in a feeling sense of our miseries, and a sincere contempt` of ourselves.

23 August 2009

How We Help In The Conversion of Death Row Inmates

A common criticism aimed at pro-life people is that they are opposed to abortion but not the death penalty, therefore they are hypocrites. Now there are numerous faults with this logic not the least of which is the verity of the statement to begin with. The argument continues that it is necessary to oppose the death penalty because we must allow the guilty person an opportunity to repent and by executing him we are denying him that chance to be reconciled to God. The assumption is that a life sentence in prison will provide the greater opportunity for this person to seek forgiveness. But I read something yesterday that I feel is cause for deeper reflection on the issue and places the responsibility for the conversion of death row inmates, or even all prisoners in general, on our praying and making sacrifices for them.


In the book St. Therese A Treasured Love Story by Archbishop Sheen he tells how St. Therese offered herself as a victim for others in imitation of Jesus. She said:

I had been told about an abandoned wretch who had just been condemned to death for appalling crimes, and there was every reason to think that he would die impenitent. He must be saved from Hell. I tried everything. There was nothing I could do myself, but I could offer to God our Lord's infinite merits and all the treasury of the soul of the Church.

I got my sister Celine to have a Mass said for me. I asked it for myself because I was shy about owning that it was for Pranzini, that wretched criminal. I'd rather not have told Celine, but she questioned me so eagerly and lovingly that I had to tell her. And she didn't make fun of me. On the contrary she wanted to give me her help in converting this sinner. I was only too thankful, and I would have liked all creation to join with me in praying for the grace that was needed. And in my heart I felt certain we would not be disappointed.

I did ask for a sign. I told God I was sure He meant to pardon that unfortunate Pranzini, and I had such confidence in our Lord's mercy that I would cling to my belief even if Pranzini didn't go to confession but only made some gesture of repentance. I would like to see some sign of repentance from him while I offered my sacrifices for him. Pranzini went to the guillotine refusing the ministry of the priest. But the priest accompanied him nevertheless, and just before the knife fell, he said to the priest, "The crucifix! The crucifix!" And he kissed it and went to his death.


"Our Lord died for sinners, the Little Flower took on moral guilt for sinners." (Bishop Sheen) So St. Therese did not write on whether or not the death penalty was right or wrong. She did not argue for sparing his life in hopes that he might live a long time in prison and thereby somehow choose to repent for his crimes. No she offered herself as a victim. She actively worked for Pranzini's conversion. Likewise we must follow the Little Flower's example. If we oppose the death penalty on the grounds that it deny's the individual the opportunity to repent we cannot assume that simply allowing this person to live out a life sentence in prison will be any more likely to effect their conversion. We must take an active role in asking God to soften the hearts of hardened sinners.

How We Help In The Conversion of Death Row Inmates

A common criticism aimed at pro-life people is that they are opposed to abortion but not the death penalty, therefore they are hypocrites. Now there are numerous faults with this logic not the least of which is the verity of the statement to begin with. The argument continues that it is necessary to oppose the death penalty because we must allow the guilty person an opportunity to repent and by executing him we are denying him that chance to be reconciled to God. The assumption is that a life sentence in prison will provide the greater opportunity for this person to seek forgiveness. But I read something yesterday that I feel is cause for deeper reflection on the issue and places the responsibility for the conversion of death row inmates, or even all prisoners in general, on our praying and making sacrifices for them.


In the book St. Therese A Treasured Love Story by Archbishop Sheen he tells how St. Therese offered herself as a victim for others in imitation of Jesus. She said:

I had been told about an abandoned wretch who had just been condemned to death for appalling crimes, and there was every reason to think that he would die impenitent. He must be saved from Hell. I tried everything. There was nothing I could do myself, but I could offer to God our Lord's infinite merits and all the treasury of the soul of the Church.

I got my sister Celine to have a Mass said for me. I asked it for myself because I was shy about owning that it was for Pranzini, that wretched criminal. I'd rather not have told Celine, but she questioned me so eagerly and lovingly that I had to tell her. And she didn't make fun of me. On the contrary she wanted to give me her help in converting this sinner. I was only too thankful, and I would have liked all creation to join with me in praying for the grace that was needed. And in my heart I felt certain we would not be disappointed.

I did ask for a sign. I told God I was sure He meant to pardon that unfortunate Pranzini, and I had such confidence in our Lord's mercy that I would cling to my belief even if Pranzini didn't go to confession but only made some gesture of repentance. I would like to see some sign of repentance from him while I offered my sacrifices for him. Pranzini went to the guillotine refusing the ministry of the priest. But the priest accompanied him nevertheless, and just before the knife fell, he said to the priest, "The crucifix! The crucifix!" And he kissed it and went to his death.


"Our Lord died for sinners, the Little Flower took on moral guilt for sinners." (Bishop Sheen) So St. Therese did not write on whether or not the death penalty was right or wrong. She did not argue for sparing his life in hopes that he might live a long time in prison and thereby somehow choose to repent for his crimes. No she offered herself as a victim. She actively worked for Pranzini's conversion. Likewise we must follow the Little Flower's example. If we oppose the death penalty on the grounds that it deny's the individual the opportunity to repent we cannot assume that simply allowing this person to live out a life sentence in prison will be any more likely to effect their conversion. We must take an active role in asking God to soften the hearts of hardened sinners.

The Evil Trio of Modern Liturgical Music

I've realized that Hell will be an endless loop of Haugen, Haas, Schutte worship music. If that isn't enough to scare a person to reform their sinful ways I don't know what else can.

The Evil Trio of Modern Liturgical Music

I've realized that Hell will be an endless loop of Haugen, Haas, Schutte worship music. If that isn't enough to scare a person to reform their sinful ways I don't know what else can.

21 August 2009

Novena for the Feast of the Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist

August 29th is the feast of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist the patron of the Order of Malta. Here is a short prayer that can be prayed as a novena to him.

O martyr invincible, who, for the honor of God and the salvation of souls, didst with firmness and constancy withstand the impiety of Herod even at the cost of thine own life, and didst rebuke him openly for his wicked and dissolute life; by thy prayers obtain for us a heart, brave and generous, in order that we may overcome all human respect and openly profess our faith in loyal obedience to the teachings of Jesus Christ, our Divine Master.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be,

V. Pray for us, St. John the Baptist
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray,

O God, who hast made this day to be honorable in our eyes by the commemoration of the Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist, grant unto Thy people the grace of spiritual joy, and direct the minds of all Thy faithful into the way of everlasting salvation. Through Christ our Lord.
Amen

Novena for the Feast of the Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist

August 29th is the feast of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist the patron of the Order of Malta. Here is a short prayer that can be prayed as a novena to him.

O martyr invincible, who, for the honor of God and the salvation of souls, didst with firmness and constancy withstand the impiety of Herod even at the cost of thine own life, and didst rebuke him openly for his wicked and dissolute life; by thy prayers obtain for us a heart, brave and generous, in order that we may overcome all human respect and openly profess our faith in loyal obedience to the teachings of Jesus Christ, our Divine Master.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be,

V. Pray for us, St. John the Baptist
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray,

O God, who hast made this day to be honorable in our eyes by the commemoration of the Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist, grant unto Thy people the grace of spiritual joy, and direct the minds of all Thy faithful into the way of everlasting salvation. Through Christ our Lord.
Amen

18 August 2009

Sisters ask, What Are We Doing Wrong?

An association of U.S. Roman Catholic sisters raised questions Monday about why they are the target of, and who is paying for, a Vatican investigation that is shaping up to be a tough review of whether sisters have strayed from church teaching.

The Leadership Conference of Women Religious, representing about 800 heads of religious orders, said there was a "lack of full disclosure about the motivation and funding sources" for the inquiry. The group also said it objects to the Vatican plan to keep private the reports that will be submitted to the Holy See.

"There's no transparency there," said Sister Annmarie Sanders, a conference spokeswoman.

At the conference's assembly last week in New Orleans, the outgoing president of the group, Sister J. Lora Dambroski, described the investigation as a challenge to creatively live out the Gospel and said it could be "another definining moment" for Catholic sisters.

While I don't know that there is anything wrong per se with trying to be creative in spreading the message of the Gosepel it does become problematic when "creatively living out the Gospel" becomes your ultimate goal.

In the publication U.S. Catholic, which isn't even worthy of being called "fishwrap," one of their bloggers writes,
I wonder how that would jive with previous generations of religious. I still think the desire to wear a habit has more to do with the individual than with the essence of religious life--you don't see judges wearing their robes as a "witness" to the judicial system, though their robes were originally daily garments. And it strikes me that joining religious life to develop one's own spiritual life, instead of a desire for ministry, is a little self-focused. At the same time, perhaps the many options available to young people now means that what is unique about religious life will bubble up.
It would seem that the writer has fallen prey to the modernist "heresy of good works." described so well by Dom Chautard in The Soul of the Apostolate. Or perhaps like many Catholics today he has confused things that are primary with those that are secondary. The First Commandment is "To love God above all things," the second is "To love your neighbor." Another wonderful English Dominican writer from last century, Fr. Gerald Vann wrote this in The Divine Pity, A Study in the Social Implications of the Beatitudes,

What is the purpose of the grace of God, the sacramental system, the whole dynamism of the supernatural life, but to enable us to know God, to love God, to serve God? That is the "one thing necessary"; that is the only complete fulfillment of the heart's desire; and the fact that if we achieve it we shall find much else included in it, must not for a moment lead us into a confusion between the relative importance of finite and Infinite.

In all that follows, then, these primary truths must be all the time presupposed and kept in mind. To be poor in spirit, to be meek, to be clean of heart; all these things denote an attitude of soul towards the world; but primarily they denote an attitude of sould towards God. The beatitudes mean, first of all, that the man who is poor in spirit and meek and clean of heart is succeeding in the essential Christian struggle and so is blessed: is succeeding in the struggle to kill the false self by the daily ascetism of accepting and welcoming God's will, the struggle to find God by that daily searching and listening which is the life of prayer, and the struggle with the mind's waywardness to gain, after immense difficulty and constant failure, that abiding sense of the presence of God which is the condition of our ability to see and will all things in union with Him. Yes, we must long, and pray, and work, to be filled with the love of our neighbor; but first of all, above all, we must long and pray and work to possess the one thing necessary, the substance of life everlasting, the thing whereof this other, when it is strongest and deepest, is the expression and derivative: we must seek till we are given to find and possess, as [St.] Catherine did, the heart of Christ.

Surely any of us could be faulted for being "self-focused" in our spiritual life if we are seeking our will instead of God's will but that is why the renunciation of self is so important. But to follow a religious vocation to draw nearer to God is not "self-focused" rather "properly focused. As Fr. Vann and Dom Chautard wrote so well, is that the deeper our intimacy with Jesus; the greater will be our ability to carry out our ministry in His name.

Sisters ask, What Are We Doing Wrong?

An association of U.S. Roman Catholic sisters raised questions Monday about why they are the target of, and who is paying for, a Vatican investigation that is shaping up to be a tough review of whether sisters have strayed from church teaching.

The Leadership Conference of Women Religious, representing about 800 heads of religious orders, said there was a "lack of full disclosure about the motivation and funding sources" for the inquiry. The group also said it objects to the Vatican plan to keep private the reports that will be submitted to the Holy See.

"There's no transparency there," said Sister Annmarie Sanders, a conference spokeswoman.

At the conference's assembly last week in New Orleans, the outgoing president of the group, Sister J. Lora Dambroski, described the investigation as a challenge to creatively live out the Gospel and said it could be "another definining moment" for Catholic sisters.

While I don't know that there is anything wrong per se with trying to be creative in spreading the message of the Gosepel it does become problematic when "creatively living out the Gospel" becomes your ultimate goal.

In the publication U.S. Catholic, which isn't even worthy of being called "fishwrap," one of their bloggers writes,
I wonder how that would jive with previous generations of religious. I still think the desire to wear a habit has more to do with the individual than with the essence of religious life--you don't see judges wearing their robes as a "witness" to the judicial system, though their robes were originally daily garments. And it strikes me that joining religious life to develop one's own spiritual life, instead of a desire for ministry, is a little self-focused. At the same time, perhaps the many options available to young people now means that what is unique about religious life will bubble up.
It would seem that the writer has fallen prey to the modernist "heresy of good works." described so well by Dom Chautard in The Soul of the Apostolate. Or perhaps like many Catholics today he has confused things that are primary with those that are secondary. The First Commandment is "To love God above all things," the second is "To love your neighbor." Another wonderful English Dominican writer from last century, Fr. Gerald Vann wrote this in The Divine Pity, A Study in the Social Implications of the Beatitudes,

What is the purpose of the grace of God, the sacramental system, the whole dynamism of the supernatural life, but to enable us to know God, to love God, to serve God? That is the "one thing necessary"; that is the only complete fulfillment of the heart's desire; and the fact that if we achieve it we shall find much else included in it, must not for a moment lead us into a confusion between the relative importance of finite and Infinite.

In all that follows, then, these primary truths must be all the time presupposed and kept in mind. To be poor in spirit, to be meek, to be clean of heart; all these things denote an attitude of soul towards the world; but primarily they denote an attitude of sould towards God. The beatitudes mean, first of all, that the man who is poor in spirit and meek and clean of heart is succeeding in the essential Christian struggle and so is blessed: is succeeding in the struggle to kill the false self by the daily ascetism of accepting and welcoming God's will, the struggle to find God by that daily searching and listening which is the life of prayer, and the struggle with the mind's waywardness to gain, after immense difficulty and constant failure, that abiding sense of the presence of God which is the condition of our ability to see and will all things in union with Him. Yes, we must long, and pray, and work, to be filled with the love of our neighbor; but first of all, above all, we must long and pray and work to possess the one thing necessary, the substance of life everlasting, the thing whereof this other, when it is strongest and deepest, is the expression and derivative: we must seek till we are given to find and possess, as [St.] Catherine did, the heart of Christ.

Surely any of us could be faulted for being "self-focused" in our spiritual life if we are seeking our will instead of God's will but that is why the renunciation of self is so important. But to follow a religious vocation to draw nearer to God is not "self-focused" rather "properly focused. As Fr. Vann and Dom Chautard wrote so well, is that the deeper our intimacy with Jesus; the greater will be our ability to carry out our ministry in His name.

10 August 2009

Be Taught by [Modernist] Nuns, Become a Public Protestor

As I mentioned in the last post there is ample evidence of the Vatican investigation of women religious in the U.S. Here is another gem from the NCAN website. [To be fair the criticism of NCAN and its members should in no way be construed as criticism of the many wonderful and holy women religious serving the Catholic Church.]
Dear Sister, Annually those of us, members of the Board of the National Coalition of American Nuns(NCAN), come together to critique and review the events of the past year that give us hope as we faithfully live out our lives as women religious in the Church. As we gathered in Chicago August 15-17, 2007, we were heartened by your response to the remarks by the superintendent of schools for the Scranton, PA diocese. You were correct in stating that his request for a letter from your pastor, indicating that you or any teacher is a practicing Catholic, is inappropriate. NCAN congratulates you and supports you in your action taken on behalf of justice. We (many of us former teachers) do know that the class content may be rapidly forgotten once a course is passed. However, we feel that the last lesson you taught your students will shape their future lives. As they mature and grow more solidly to be their own persons, we believe they will follow your example of questioning and publicly protesting injustice. Enclosed is a brochure describing the mission of NCAN. We affirm your public voice for justice. Blessings on your future choice in mission. Sincerely, Mary Ann Coyle, SL for the Board of NCAN

So the best we can hope for after years of being educated by these Nuns is their example of questioning and public protest. No mention of being virtuous Catholics living the Faith they profess and believe just be a public protestor. More than likely they have not been taught the true Faith at all, merely the modern evolution of the protestant "social gospel" movement of the 1920's.

Be Taught by [Modernist] Nuns, Become a Public Protestor

As I mentioned in the last post there is ample evidence of the Vatican investigation of women religious in the U.S. Here is another gem from the NCAN website. [To be fair the criticism of NCAN and its members should in no way be construed as criticism of the many wonderful and holy women religious serving the Catholic Church.]
Dear Sister, Annually those of us, members of the Board of the National Coalition of American Nuns(NCAN), come together to critique and review the events of the past year that give us hope as we faithfully live out our lives as women religious in the Church. As we gathered in Chicago August 15-17, 2007, we were heartened by your response to the remarks by the superintendent of schools for the Scranton, PA diocese. You were correct in stating that his request for a letter from your pastor, indicating that you or any teacher is a practicing Catholic, is inappropriate. NCAN congratulates you and supports you in your action taken on behalf of justice. We (many of us former teachers) do know that the class content may be rapidly forgotten once a course is passed. However, we feel that the last lesson you taught your students will shape their future lives. As they mature and grow more solidly to be their own persons, we believe they will follow your example of questioning and publicly protesting injustice. Enclosed is a brochure describing the mission of NCAN. We affirm your public voice for justice. Blessings on your future choice in mission. Sincerely, Mary Ann Coyle, SL for the Board of NCAN

So the best we can hope for after years of being educated by these Nuns is their example of questioning and public protest. No mention of being virtuous Catholics living the Faith they profess and believe just be a public protestor. More than likely they have not been taught the true Faith at all, merely the modern evolution of the protestant "social gospel" movement of the 1920's.

Why The Vatican is Visiting Congregations of Women Religious

Here is a conference announcement for anyone who doubts the reason why the Vatican is investigating congregations of women religious in this country. Or just visit the NCAN website for ample evidence.
40th Anniversary Celebration
National Coalition of American Nuns
Worker Justice in Church and Society
A conference day for women
religious,congregational leaders, and all interested in justice for workers
September 26, 2009, 9:00 a.m.– 3:00 p.m.
Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet St. Joseph Hall
St. Louis, MO

Keynote Speaker: “Worker Justice in the Church”
Theresa Kane, RSM, former LCWR President

Keynote Speaker: “Worker Justice in Society”
Eileen Purcell, a life time organizer for social and economic justice,
most recently with the Service Employees International Union

Margaret Ellen Traxler Award Recipient
Sr.Louise Lears, SC, placed under interdict by Archbishop
Raymond Burke on June 26, 2008 for her support of the priestly ordination of two
women

Why The Vatican is Visiting Congregations of Women Religious

Here is a conference announcement for anyone who doubts the reason why the Vatican is investigating congregations of women religious in this country. Or just visit the NCAN website for ample evidence.
40th Anniversary Celebration
National Coalition of American Nuns
Worker Justice in Church and Society
A conference day for women
religious,congregational leaders, and all interested in justice for workers
September 26, 2009, 9:00 a.m.– 3:00 p.m.
Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet St. Joseph Hall
St. Louis, MO

Keynote Speaker: “Worker Justice in the Church”
Theresa Kane, RSM, former LCWR President

Keynote Speaker: “Worker Justice in Society”
Eileen Purcell, a life time organizer for social and economic justice,
most recently with the Service Employees International Union

Margaret Ellen Traxler Award Recipient
Sr.Louise Lears, SC, placed under interdict by Archbishop
Raymond Burke on June 26, 2008 for her support of the priestly ordination of two
women

09 August 2009

Christianity and "Social Justice"

As if I wasn't already overburdened with things to read I recently discovered another writer to add to the list. His name is Erik von Kuehnelt-Leddihn and among other biographical items of note he was a Knight of Malta. Here is an excerpt from his work The Timeless Christian, dealing with Christianity and Social Justice.

Now, there is a genuine social justice which proceeds not from the principle of equality, but from the principle: Suum cuique — to each his own. It is true that to deprive the workman of his just wage is not only a sin, but a sin that cries to heaven for vengeance. When one hinders social advance by putting barriers in the way of the diligent and the talented, one not only commits a personal injustice, but damages the common good of the whole nation, which always requires a genuine elite of ability and the contribution of extraordinary brainpower in every walk of life. And it would be socially unjust if a few individuals or certain groups had so much material wealth that, in consequence of this concentration of property and income, other classes had to live not only in povery, but in misery. Whoever lives in real abundance has a Christian duty to assist those living in wrechedness. Before we proceed, however, let us affirm that the notion of misery is different from that of poverty. Péguy has already drawn the distinction between pauvreté and misère. To live in misery means to suffer genuine physical privation: to know cold and hunger, to have no proper dwelling, to be dressed in rags, to be unable to secure medical attention. The poor, by contrast, have the necessities of life, but scarcely any more. They can borrow books, no doubt, but cannot buy them; they can hear music on the radio, but cannot afford a ticket to a concert; they cannot indulge in little extras of food and drink, but should, by self-discipline, be able to save a little. The poor have, therefore, the normal material preconditions for happiness — unless plagued by acquisitiveness or even envy, which has become a political force in the same measure as people have lost their faith. The fact that there are happy poor (alongside unhappy rich people) is beside the point. Demagogues know how to stir up terrible and murderous unrest even among the happy poor, as has been demonstrated clearly by the history of the left from Marat to Marx to Lenin to Hitler. (TC, 53-54)

Christianity and "Social Justice"

As if I wasn't already overburdened with things to read I recently discovered another writer to add to the list. His name is Erik von Kuehnelt-Leddihn and among other biographical items of note he was a Knight of Malta. Here is an excerpt from his work The Timeless Christian, dealing with Christianity and Social Justice.

Now, there is a genuine social justice which proceeds not from the principle of equality, but from the principle: Suum cuique — to each his own. It is true that to deprive the workman of his just wage is not only a sin, but a sin that cries to heaven for vengeance. When one hinders social advance by putting barriers in the way of the diligent and the talented, one not only commits a personal injustice, but damages the common good of the whole nation, which always requires a genuine elite of ability and the contribution of extraordinary brainpower in every walk of life. And it would be socially unjust if a few individuals or certain groups had so much material wealth that, in consequence of this concentration of property and income, other classes had to live not only in povery, but in misery. Whoever lives in real abundance has a Christian duty to assist those living in wrechedness. Before we proceed, however, let us affirm that the notion of misery is different from that of poverty. Péguy has already drawn the distinction between pauvreté and misère. To live in misery means to suffer genuine physical privation: to know cold and hunger, to have no proper dwelling, to be dressed in rags, to be unable to secure medical attention. The poor, by contrast, have the necessities of life, but scarcely any more. They can borrow books, no doubt, but cannot buy them; they can hear music on the radio, but cannot afford a ticket to a concert; they cannot indulge in little extras of food and drink, but should, by self-discipline, be able to save a little. The poor have, therefore, the normal material preconditions for happiness — unless plagued by acquisitiveness or even envy, which has become a political force in the same measure as people have lost their faith. The fact that there are happy poor (alongside unhappy rich people) is beside the point. Demagogues know how to stir up terrible and murderous unrest even among the happy poor, as has been demonstrated clearly by the history of the left from Marat to Marx to Lenin to Hitler. (TC, 53-54)

03 August 2009

Second Chances - Michael Vick

In our parish bulletin this week our pastor wrote a column dealing with NFL quarterback Michael Vick and his recent release from prison.

For those of you who don't know, Michael Vick was just released from prison after serving time for funding a dog fighting operation.

There are a couple of things about this story that I find interesting. First, I am amazed at the amount of hatred that has been directed towards Michael Vick. This is not to say that I am condoning dog fighting. Dog fighting is a terrible thing, but what if people showed the same hatred for other forms of evil that are happening in the world? There are millions of people starving in our world each day. Christians are persecuted and not allowed to practice their faith. Women are still victims of domestic abuse. Millions of babies are aborted each year. The list goes on and on. The challenge for us is that every injustice in our world demands our attention. Part of our mission as Christians is to bring both justice and mercy to a world torn by sin.

Second, his story once again challenges us to forgive as Jesus Christ taught us. Tony Dungy, a former head coach in the NFL, went to visit Michael Vick while he was in prison. Tony is a faithful Christian who has tried his best to live his faith both in his profession and in his family life. This is what he had to say about the situation.

"Michael's future, just like those of thousands of other inmates around the country is worth saving. [ . . . ] I firmly believe Michael deserves a second chance in life. I understand how appalling dogfighting is, and in no way do I condone it. But he was given a punishment that the court deemed appropriate, and now he exits prison having paid for that crime. It's time to let him bounce back after that loss. If we are willing to forgive Michael and take an honest look at the person who is leaving that prison we might be surprised at what we see. We might see a man who says 'I'm sorry' with his actions and not just his words. We might see a man who wants to get back to his three children and stop the cycle of young people growing up without a father to help them. I'm not sure of the Michael we would see on the field, but I believe we would see a very different person off the field. That's what would be exciting to me."

Put yourself in the shoes of Michael Vick. Would you want to be given a second chance? All of us have done things in our life that we would do differently today. We give thanks to God for the many times we have been forgiven.


Second Chances - Michael Vick

In our parish bulletin this week our pastor wrote a column dealing with NFL quarterback Michael Vick and his recent release from prison.

For those of you who don't know, Michael Vick was just released from prison after serving time for funding a dog fighting operation.

There are a couple of things about this story that I find interesting. First, I am amazed at the amount of hatred that has been directed towards Michael Vick. This is not to say that I am condoning dog fighting. Dog fighting is a terrible thing, but what if people showed the same hatred for other forms of evil that are happening in the world? There are millions of people starving in our world each day. Christians are persecuted and not allowed to practice their faith. Women are still victims of domestic abuse. Millions of babies are aborted each year. The list goes on and on. The challenge for us is that every injustice in our world demands our attention. Part of our mission as Christians is to bring both justice and mercy to a world torn by sin.

Second, his story once again challenges us to forgive as Jesus Christ taught us. Tony Dungy, a former head coach in the NFL, went to visit Michael Vick while he was in prison. Tony is a faithful Christian who has tried his best to live his faith both in his profession and in his family life. This is what he had to say about the situation.

"Michael's future, just like those of thousands of other inmates around the country is worth saving. [ . . . ] I firmly believe Michael deserves a second chance in life. I understand how appalling dogfighting is, and in no way do I condone it. But he was given a punishment that the court deemed appropriate, and now he exits prison having paid for that crime. It's time to let him bounce back after that loss. If we are willing to forgive Michael and take an honest look at the person who is leaving that prison we might be surprised at what we see. We might see a man who says 'I'm sorry' with his actions and not just his words. We might see a man who wants to get back to his three children and stop the cycle of young people growing up without a father to help them. I'm not sure of the Michael we would see on the field, but I believe we would see a very different person off the field. That's what would be exciting to me."

Put yourself in the shoes of Michael Vick. Would you want to be given a second chance? All of us have done things in our life that we would do differently today. We give thanks to God for the many times we have been forgiven.


Eaten Alive - Minnesota Chesterton Conference

The Twin Cities Chesterton Society is presenting the 1st Annual Minnesota Chesterton Conference on Saturday, September 19th, 2009 at St. John's University in Collegeville in the MN Science Center Auditorim. The theme of the conference is Eaten Alive: What the Economic Crisis Has Done to Us (And What We Can Do About It)

Here is a description for the event. You can find full details at the American Chesterton Society website.



In just a few short months we have seen unprecedented economic meltdown and business failure on a grand scale. Accompanying it has been gigantic government growth with bailouts that have resulted in the virtual takeover of certain industries. Thousands of people have lost homes and jobs, and the entire country, along with the world, is facing great economic uncertainty.

Everyone is looking for answers. Among the many responses to the crisis has been an encyclical from Pope Benedict XVI, which has been both praised and condemned across the political spectrum. Lost in all the commotion is the fact that G.K. Chesterton saw all of this coming a long time ago. Like any true prophet, he did not just preach doom and destruction, he offered hope.

The Twin Cities Chesterton Society is hosting a one-day conference and inviting everyone to come and consider the real problems that face us as well as the real solutions. Please join us on the beautiful campus of St. John’s University for the first annual Minnesota Chesterton Conference.

Here is the schedule and lineup of speakers:

8:00 AM Registration and coffee and rolls
9:00 AM Robert Hanten -- “Economic Plunder & Pillage: A Public-Private Venture”
10:00 AM Break
10:30 AM Professor Daniel Finn -- “Justice: What’s Government Got to Do with It?” 11:30 AM Lunch in the main dining room
1:00 PM Joseph Pearce -- “Size Matters: Government, Business and Power Envy”
2:00 PM Break
2:30 PM John Medaille -- “Justice: What’s Business Got to Do with It?”
4:00 PM Arthur Hippler -- Caritas in Veritate: The Social Encyclical of Benedict XVI
5:00 PM Reception at the Great Hall
7:00 PM Banquet at the Great Hall
8:00 PM Keynote Address by Dale Ahlquist-- “The Restoration of Sanity”

Eaten Alive - Minnesota Chesterton Conference

The Twin Cities Chesterton Society is presenting the 1st Annual Minnesota Chesterton Conference on Saturday, September 19th, 2009 at St. John's University in Collegeville in the MN Science Center Auditorim. The theme of the conference is Eaten Alive: What the Economic Crisis Has Done to Us (And What We Can Do About It)

Here is a description for the event. You can find full details at the American Chesterton Society website.



In just a few short months we have seen unprecedented economic meltdown and business failure on a grand scale. Accompanying it has been gigantic government growth with bailouts that have resulted in the virtual takeover of certain industries. Thousands of people have lost homes and jobs, and the entire country, along with the world, is facing great economic uncertainty.

Everyone is looking for answers. Among the many responses to the crisis has been an encyclical from Pope Benedict XVI, which has been both praised and condemned across the political spectrum. Lost in all the commotion is the fact that G.K. Chesterton saw all of this coming a long time ago. Like any true prophet, he did not just preach doom and destruction, he offered hope.

The Twin Cities Chesterton Society is hosting a one-day conference and inviting everyone to come and consider the real problems that face us as well as the real solutions. Please join us on the beautiful campus of St. John’s University for the first annual Minnesota Chesterton Conference.

Here is the schedule and lineup of speakers:

8:00 AM Registration and coffee and rolls
9:00 AM Robert Hanten -- “Economic Plunder & Pillage: A Public-Private Venture”
10:00 AM Break
10:30 AM Professor Daniel Finn -- “Justice: What’s Government Got to Do with It?” 11:30 AM Lunch in the main dining room
1:00 PM Joseph Pearce -- “Size Matters: Government, Business and Power Envy”
2:00 PM Break
2:30 PM John Medaille -- “Justice: What’s Business Got to Do with It?”
4:00 PM Arthur Hippler -- Caritas in Veritate: The Social Encyclical of Benedict XVI
5:00 PM Reception at the Great Hall
7:00 PM Banquet at the Great Hall
8:00 PM Keynote Address by Dale Ahlquist-- “The Restoration of Sanity”

Disclaimer

This blog and the opinions are all my own and in no way imply the endorsement from any organization. Nor does a recommendation of another blog or web site imply my agreement or endorsement of everything found on their site.