Resources for Men

H/T to A Knights Walk in the Kingdom for links to some good resources. Both are iniatives of he Knights of Columbus. The first is more for husbands and fathers called, Fathers for Good, the second is the Catholic Information Service which offers online courses and podcasts on the Catechism and Faith Formation as well as other resources for men in general. The Luke E. Hart Catechism series was written by Peter Kreeft.

Argument of the Month October Speaker - Fr. Z

The guest speaker for the October, Argument of the Month Club, at St. Augustine's will be Fr. Zuhlsdorf, aka. Fr. Z, of the award winning blog, What Does the Prayer Really Say. Visit the new AOTM website for the menu and more on the topic of his talk.

Our Lady of the Rosary - Victory at Lepanto

Today we celebrate the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary whose intercession was so important to the victory of the Christian fleet against a superior Turkish naval force. The victory was so amazing and decisive it is still studied in naval warfare to this day.

Being that it is the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary I thought it would be a good reminder to encourage everyone to join The Rosary Confraternity, entrusted to the Dominican Order by the Holy See more than 500 years ago.

As Pope Leo XIII said in an encyclical, "whenever a person fulfills his obligation of reciting the Rosary according to the rule of the Confraternity, he includes in his intentions all its members, and they in turn render him the same service many times over."

Mass at St. Augustine's Today

Here is a picture of Mass in the Extraordinary Form at St. Augustine's in So. St. Paul today with our Archbishop Nienstedt. Please visit Fr. Z's blog WDTPRS for more pictures and go vote for his blog in the blogger's choice awards so hopefully he won't mind that I used one of his pictures.

The Sacred Character of Jesus Christ

I mentioned in the previous post the recent attempt to characterize Jesus as a community organizer. Again from the encyclical against the French Sillon, Pius X states:

We wish to draw attention to the distortion of the Gospel and to the sacred character of Our Lord Jesus Christ, God and Man, prevailing within the Sillon and elsewhere."

As soon as the social question is being approached, it is a fashion in some quarters to first put aside the divinity of Jesus Christ, and then to mention only His unlimited clemency, His companion of all human miseries, and His pressing exhortations to the love of our neighbour and to the brotherhood of men.

True, Jesus has loved us with an immense, infinite love, and He came on earth to suffer and die so that, gathered around Him in justice and love, motivated by the same sentiments of mutual charity, all men might live in peace and happiness. But for the realisation of this temporal and eternal happiness, He has laid down with supreme authority the condition that we must belong to His Flock, that we must accept his doctrine, that we must practice virtue, and that we must accept the teaching and guidance of Peter and his successors.

Further while Jesus was kind to sinners and to those who went astray, He did not respect their false ideas, however sincere they might have appeared. He loved them all, but he instructed them in order to convert them and save them. While He called to Himself in order to comfort the, those who toiled and suffered, it was not to preach to them the jealousy of a chimerical equality. While He lifted up the lowly, it was not to instill in them the sentiment of a dignity independent from and rebellious against, the duty of obedience. He was as strong as He was gentle. He reproved, threatened, chastised; knowing and teaching us that fear is the beginning of wisdom . . .

Finally, He did not announce for future society the reign of an ideal happiness from which suffering would be banished; but, by His lessons and by His example, He traced the path of the happiness which is possible on earth and of perfect happiness in heaven: the royal way of the Cross. These are teachings that it would be wrong to apply only to one's personal life in order to win eternal salvation; these are eminently social teachings, and the show in Our Lord Jesus Christ something quite different from an inconsistent and impotent humanitarianism.

Fraternity v. Charity

After the speech by Sarah Palin at the Republican convention much was made of her comment about community organizers/organizing. This comment was picked up by the media, liberal bloggers and assorted commenters and twisted into the catch-phrase, "Jesus was a community organizer, Pilate was a goveror."

It is this corrupted interpretation of Jesus as a community organizer that I would like to address by looking at the similarities between the current idea of community organizing/activism and the French Sillon movement of the early 20th century. In 1910Pope Pius X wrote his encyclical letter to the French Bishops and Archbishops on the condemnation of the errors of the Sillon, originally a movement grouping early Christian Democrats of the 20th century which in time became simply a Democratic movement. (This term Democratic is not to be understood as akin to the Democratic political party in the U.S.)

The Sillonists were more 'progressive' than the Liberal Catholics of a generation earlier. In contrast to them the Sillonists made their own the political concepts condemned by Popes Pius IX and Leo XIII. Eventually the leaders of the Sillon movement began denying teachings of the Church and it was this error that got them into trouble and merited the encyclical from Pius X.

There are some who claim that the Vatican II encyclical Gaudium et Spes exhonorates the Sillon and that the Church now accepts the errors for which they were condemned. At first study I would disagree with that claim but have not sufficiently been able to study each of the documents to defend that position. Nor have I found any other studies comparing and contrasting the two that I can link to.

Here is part of the letter against the Sillon illustrating the difference between the ideas of fraternity and charity. Fraternity springing from the false philosophies of the 'Englightenment' with the true Catholic teaching of 'Caritas.'

The same (error) applies to the notion of Fraternity which they found on the love of common interest or, beyond all philosophies and religions, on the mere notion of humanity, thus embracing with an equal love and tolerance all human beings and their miseries, whether these are intellectual, moral or physical and temporal. But Catholic doctrine tells us that the primary duty of charity does not lie in the toleration of false ideas, however sincere they may be, nor in theoretical or practical indifference towards the errors and vices in which we see our brethern plunged, but in zeal for their intellectual and moral improvement as well as for their material well-being. Catholic doctrine further tells us that love for our neighbour flows from our love for God, Who is Father to all, and goal of the human family; and in Jesus Christ whose members we are, to the point that in doing good to others, we are doing good to Jesus Christ Himself. Any other kind of love is sheer illusion, sterile and fleeting.

Indeed, we have the human experience of pagan and secular societies of ages past to show that concern for common interests or affinities of nature weigh very little against the passions and wild desires of the heart. No, Venerable Brethren, there is no genuine fraternity outside Christian charity. Through love of God and His Son Jesus Christ our Saviour, Christian charity embraces all men, comforts all, and leads all to the same faith and same heavenly happiness.

By separating fraternity from Christian charity thus understood, Democracy, far from being a progress, would mean a disastrous step backwards for civilization. If, as We desire with all Our heart, the highest possible peak of well-being for society and its members is is to be attained through fraternity or, as it is also called, universal solidarity, all minds must be united in the knowledge of Truth, all wills united in morality, and all hearts in the love of God and His Son Jesus Christ. But this union is attainable only by Catholic charity, and that is why Catholic charity alone can lead the people in the march of progress towards the ideal civilization.

Obama Opposes Healthcare Funding for Women

We constantly hear from both sides of the political spectrum that we have had 8 years of Republican majority government and that they have done nothing to reduce abortion. Although there is significant evidence to the contrary and considering the slim majority which was never sufficient to override the Democratic obstruction on the issue it is amazing what did get done. Here is another piece of information taken from the NARAL website regarding the Allard Amendment which would have codified recognition of unborn children as actual human beings.

Of course this was opposed by Democrats including Sen.'s Obama and Biden along with the usual pro-abortion groups. Although Sen. Obama claims that Republicans don't care for the health of the mother and proposes with his change mantra that he will provide healthcare to poor pregnant women he voted against this Republican sponsored amendment because it would have recognized the unborn child for what it is, a living human being. Here's the source.

There is also more at Lifenews.com

What's At Stake?
Pro-Choice Victory in the Senate!

Background material on the amendment:
When Sen. Allard explained his amendment to codify the Bush administration's "unborn child" regulation, he said this would not be the first time this definition of an "unborn child" was put into federal law. Don't be misled by that statement. It is true that the so-called "Unborn Victims of Violence Act" and many other anti-choice proposals use this same definition of an "unborn child," but this whole SCHIP regulation has never before been codified in federal law. Sen. Allard's amendment does not simply repeat some existing piece of law; it would have put the controversial SCHIP regulation into statute for the first time ever. Why does that matter?

For years, the right-to-life movement has worked to build a case for its next challenge to Roe v. Wade. As part of that effort, anti-choice legal activists have systematically tried to give legal "personhood" rights to an embryo or fetus everywhere possible in federal and state law. (The "Unborn Victims of Violence Act" is just one example of this strategy; there are many others.) Today's Allard amendment is another attempt to give a pregnancy "personhood" rights in law. The next time a case to reverse Roe is before the Supreme Court, anti-choice lawyers will then point to all these examples in statute, arguing that society, culture, and the law have "evolved" since 1973 and now recognize a pregnancy as a separate legal person in a variety of settings. The more examples to which they can point as "evidence" of this legal "evolution," the greater weight their claim will carry. For this reason,
pro-choice lawmakers must very carefully examine each attempt to give an embryo
or fetus "personhood" rights in law, considering its potential use in the next challenge to legal abortion.

In unguarded moments, anti-choice advocates themselves admit this strategy:
One prominent anti-choice legal advocate, Samuel Casey of the Christian Legal Society, describes the strategy candidly: "In as many areas as we can, we want to put on the books that the embryo is a person. . . . That sets the stage for a jurist to acknowledge that human beings at any stage of development deserve protection – even protection that would trump a woman's interest in terminating a pregnancy."

When Sen. Orrin Hatch was asked about the purpose of the "Unborn Victims of Violence Act," he told a reporter: "They say it undermines abortion rights. It does."
And when the controversial "unborn child" regulation was first unveiled by the Bush administration in 2002, a prominent anti-choice newsletter, the "Pro-Life Infonet," applauded the move, specifically because, under this rule, "unborn children will be recognized by [sic] government as children."

Again, in sum, the Allard amendment has two true purposes: (1) to entangle the SCHIP legislation in anti-abortion politics; and (2) to continue the strategy of undermining the legal foundation of Roe v. Wade

Feast of the Archangels - The Virgin of the Rocks

Today is the feast of the 3 known of 7 Archangels, Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. Today at Mass the priest reminded me of a 4th, Uriel, who he was unfamiliar with other than he was next to Michael in one of the stained glass windows in the Church. While he is not mentioned in the Bible specifically he is mentioned in Catholic tradition by among others, St. Gregory the Great. He was also one of the key angels in the children's story The Day the Angels Fell, which recounts the battle in Heaven between the good and bad angels.

In that account Uriel is rewarded for his faithfulness by becoming Jesus's guardian angel when he becomes Man. Another apochryphal account holds that it was Uriel who rescued St. John from Herod's massacre of the Innocents and brings him with his mother St. Elizabeth to be reunited with the Holy Family in Egypt. That story is the basis for the painting at left known as the Virgin of the Rocks by Da Vinci. From Wikipedia,

According to the standard interpretation of the paintings, they depict the Madonna in the centre ushering John towards Jesus, who is seated with the angel Uriel. Jesus is blessing John, who holds out his hands in a gesture of prayer. In the Louvre version, Uriel points towards John while looking out at the viewer.

This picture was used in the film The Da Vinci Code for its supposed hidden symbolism. There is no need to remind everyone of that scandalous film and even the Louvre roundly denounced the theory of Dan Brown as "far fetched" and a travesty of art history."

Because of the avid angel worship taking place in the early centuries of the Church,

Pope Zachary, at the Council of Rome of 745, intending to clarify the Church's teaching on the subject of angels and curb a tendency toward angel worship, condemned obsession with angelic intervention and angelolatry, but reaffirmed the approval of the practice of the reverence of angels. This synod struck many angels' names from the list of those eligible for veneration in the Church of Rome, including Uriel. Only the reverence of the archangels mentioned in the recognized Catholic canon of scriptures, Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, remained licit.

Despite the uncertain historical accuracy of the existence of an archangel Uriel it is still a beautiful painting of Mary, Jesus, and St. John.

Archbishop Nienstedt - Mass in the Extraordinary Form

Archbishop Nienstedt who this past June officially assumed the role of Archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis will be celebrating Mass in the Extraordinary Form, aka Tridentine Mass, on Sunday October 5th at St. Augustines in South Saint Paul at 11:30. I encourage everyone who is available to attend this Mass.

Union with God, The Goal of All Our Actions

"Seek ye first the kingdom and the rest shall be added unto you." Matt. 6:33

As we are bombarded daily with pessimistic news stories on the economy, society, the election, war, etc. it is easy to succumb to despair unless we are grounded in our faith. While it is important to be informed it should not overwhelm us nor cause us to neglect our primary duties. We can remain in the world but not of the world if we remember first a life of prayer and detachment.

Fr. Gerald Vann O.P. wrote in his book "Heart of Compassion" that it is possible to become saints in the middle of a busy world but to accomplish this "we must commit ourselves to daily prayer." We should try and set aside a half hour a day, but as a bare minimum 15 minutes, in silence and solitude for the purpose of prayer. "You can find God in the midst of a busy life, but not if you never for moment withdraw your mind from its business and wait upon Him."

Those who are filled with zeal for activity for the world, but are tempted to dismiss the need for daily prayer as a luxury in such times of crisis as these, may learn a lesson from the story of Elijah. He brought down fire from Heaven upon his offering and slew the idolaters of Baal, and he was jubilant, thinking he had served God well. But then he saw his triumph turn to ashes and was forced to flee for his life. And in his humiliation and self-contempt, he threw himself down under a juniper tree and begged God that he might die, because he was no better than his fathers. And God vouchsafed him a vision, and showed him why his success had turned to failure.

First there came a great wind, which overthrew the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces, but the Lord was not in the wind; and then there came an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and then there came a fire, but still the Lord was not there. But after all these symbols of wrath and might and terror, there came the whisper of a gentle wind, or, in another version, the sound of a still small voice; and when the prophet heard it, he covered his head with his mantle for he knew that this was the Lord. 3 Kings 18:36-40

The vision was to teach Elijah, first, that you cannot fight for a merciful, gentle God without the weapons of a merciful , gentle God; but perhaps we may see in it a further symbolism. For this zeal without wisdom, this determination to fight for God without understanding the nature of God, is the very thing we shall do unless we set out to seek Him before we attempt to serve Him. And if we seek Him, we must seek, not in sound and fury, but in the deep silence in which alone His voice can be heard.