I am normally ruled by reason. Of course, this is the eminently Christian way of life, understood in the venerable and ancient tradition of the masters of philosophy: reason, being the highest faculty and that which distinguishes man from other creatures, is inherently superior to emotion, and indeed should direct it.
It is commonly considered a “fault” (by those who live “unexamined lives”) when one is not always and entirely emotional, guiding himself by how he feels and, of course, how others may feel about what he does. What a mess this unfortunate misdirection has made of our world. I need not give examples.
However, on this most holy day, as I find also true on many of the Church’s finest Holy Days, I am also directed by my passions. Not often can it truly be considered manly to weep; yet I would find a man who cannot weep upon meditation on the Passion of our Lord to be incomplete, as a man and as a Christian. This is not to say that he must let forth the dew from the heavens every time he thinks of our Lord suffering for his sins – only that he should be able to.
I do not weep because I feel sorrow for Him – He is sufficiently able to bear that burden, even though it be so great as to contain the weight of all of the sins of mankind. My passion is rather because His Passion makes patent the marvel of His love for us – for me, wretched and abominable sinner that I am. But still, I weep not in loathing for myself; by God’s grace I am not capable of this sort of self hatred. Rather, I weep with that rare mixture of sorrow and joy at the magnificent beauty of His mercy, which caused Him to take my place of suffering for all of my ingratitude and selfishness.
The Scholastic view of sentiment is that it should never direct action alone; but when one has the habit of action according to reason, sentiment will be more fully integrated into man’s thought and action. According to the Catechism,
(1769) In the Christian life, the Holy Spirit himself accomplishes his work by mobilizing the whole being, with all its sorrows, fears and sadness, as is visible in the Lord’s agony and passion. In Christ human feelings are able to reach their consummation in charity and divine beatitude.
(1767) Moral perfection consists in man’s being moved to the good not by his will alone, but also by his sensitive appetite, as in the words of the psalm: “My heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.”
The integrated Christian, therefore, does not fear such sentiment as proceeds from and leads to the good. May all of our thoughts and feelings during this Triduum and the following solemnities lead us to the perfection of grace in this life and the Life of eternity.
Anima Christi, sanctifica me.
Corpus Christi, salva me.
Sanguis Christi, inebria me.
Aqua lateris Christi, lava me.
Passio Christi, conforta me.
O Bone Iesu, exaudi me.
Intra Tua vulnera, absconda me.
Ne permittas me separari ad Te.
Ab hoste maligno defende me.
In hora mortis meae voca ma
et iube me venire ad Te
ut cum Sanctis Tuis laudem Te
in saecula saeculorum. Amen.
Soul of Christ, sanctify me.
Body of Christ, save me.
Blood of Christ, inebriate me.
Water from the side of Christ, wash me.
Passion of Christ, strengthen me.
O Good Jesus, hear me.
Within Thy wounds hide me.
Never permit me to be separated from Thee.
From the evil enemy defend me.
In the hour of my death call me
and bid me come unto Thee
that with Thy Saints I may praise Thee
forever and ever. Amen.
It is unfortunate that, during this holy season of penance and conversion, the faithful would find occasion to feel more out of place than normal during the Holy Sacrifice due to poor liturgical practice. Sadly, I can say that I have felt this way myself already multiple times since the beginning of Lent, due in large part to the lackluster quality (musically and in content) of the songs which are performed for our “entertainment”. Take, for example, exhibit “A” – “Change Our Hearts” by Rory Cooney:
Change our hearts this time,
your word says it can be.
Change our minds this time,
your life could make us free.
We are the people your call set apart,
Lord, this time change our hearts.
(I could not handle typing more than the refrain.)
If I were as poorly catechized as many of the people in the pews of our church appear to be, I would think that this song is telling God that His work “last time” just wasn’t enough to change our hearts. Maybe “this time”, God, you’ll do better. As they say, if at first You don’t succeed…
Also, I would be tempted by this song to think that it is God’s responsibility to change my mind. Maybe I don’t really have control over my thoughts…maybe the things I do are really not my fault. Good, I can continue blaming Someone Else for my failures (I won’t say “sins” through fear that I may offend myself).
Who the heck is Rory Cooney, anyways? Apparently anybody can write liturgical music these days. Of course, being published by OCP or GIA or some such music brand ensures that Rory and other profound song writers will be preferred to those holy men and women who actually wrote inspired and sacred hymns. Like St. Gregory the Great, for example. Oh, you didn’t know that he wrote hymns? How could you, since we never sing them!
I realize that you may have serious doubts that the likes of St. Gregory the Great could write such inspiring, meaningful and popular hymn as Rory & Co. However, I assure you, you will be pleasantly surprised. Take, then, exhibit “B” – “Ex more docti mystico”, written by the aforementioned holy Pontiff and generously and beautifully translated by J. M. Neale (1818-1866):
The fast, as taught by holy lore,
we keep in solemn course once more:
the fast to all men known, and bound
in forty days of yearly round.
The law and seers that were of old
in divers ways this Lent foretold,
which Christ, all seasons’ King and guide,
in after ages sanctified.
More sparing therefore let us make
the words we speak, the food we take,
our sleep and mirth, and closer barred
be every sense in holy guard:
Avoid the evil thoughts that roll
like waters o’er the heedless soul;
nor let the foe occasion find
our souls in slavery to bind.
In prayer together let us fall,
and cry for mercy, one and all,
and weep before the Judge’s feet,
and His avenging wrath entreat.
Thy grace have we offended sore,
by sins, O God, which we deplore;
but pour upon us from on high,
O pardoning One, Thy clemency.
Remember Thou, though frail we be,
that yet Thine handiwork are we;
nor let the honor of Thy Name
be by another put to shame.
Forgive the sin that we have wrought;
increase the good that we have sought:
that we at length, our wanderings o’er,
may please Thee here and evermore.
Blest Three in One, and One in Three,
Almighty God, we pray to Thee,
that this our fast of forty days
may work our profit and Thy praise. Amen.
The Holy Name of Jesus doesn’t seem to be all that holy anymore. Not one day passes without hearing someone abuse the Name of Jesus. Believers and non-believers, they all shamelessly abuse His Name. What’s worse is that those who profess to be Christians also treat the Name of Jesus as if it was “just another name”! But, is the Name of Jesus just an ordinary name? Is there anything special in it? Is the Name of Jesus meaningless?
The holy writers of the New Testament attest to the fact that the Name of Jesus is no ordinary name. All throughout their sacred writings we are constantly told of the greatness, holiness and power of the Name of Jesus. St. Paul tells us: “In the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth” (Philippians 2:10). St. Luke the Evangelist tells us that “there is no other name [other than Jesus'] under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Jesus Himself assures us: “Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father, he will give it to you in my name” (John 16:23). The very meaning of the Name “Jesus” proclaims its glory and power: God saves (cf. Matthew 1:21). Jesus: God saves. What a beautiful name! Let us always love that blessed Name.
Rather than keep abusing the divine name, I exhort everyone–especially Christians–to follow the example set forth in the Holy Scriptures and in the Church’s history in regard to the name of the Savior God. Whenever and wherever we hear the Name “Jesus,” let us devoutly bow our heads. Whenever and wherever we hear the Name of the Lord taken in vain, let us resolutely pray “Sit nomen Dómini benedíctum!” (English: Blessed be the Name of the Lord). Whenever and wherever we ourselves utter the Name “Jesus,” let us do so with devotion, keeping in mind that “Jesus” is the Name by which we are saved. Let us not be like the “unclean spirit” who dared to utter Jesus’ Holy Name without any love or any devotion, lest we be harshly rebuked by Jesus as he rebuked the unclean spirit: “Be silent” (cf. Mark 1:21-28)!
“Those who assemble in church should extol with an act of special reverence that Name which is above every Name, than which no other under Heaven has been given to people, in which believers must be saved, the Name, that is, of Jesus Christ, Who will save His people from their sins. Each should fulfil in himself that which is written for all, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow; whenever that glorious Name is recalled, especially during the sacred Mysteries of the Mass, everyone should bow the knees of his heart, which he can do even by a bow of his head.” –Second Council of Lyons, A.D. 1274, convened by Pope Gregory X.
The few weeks I have been on a bit of a vacation, I say “bit” because I have been visiting family, friends, and just doing things I like to do, like playing golf, running outside, and walking around catching up with old friends at the county fair. Basically, ordinary things, done by ordinary people. Yet, I find that it is in the midst of these supposedly ordinary things and engagements that I find the most meaning. I have done many “exciting” things in my life, and lived in places that are supposedly more hip and exciting than where I was the last few weeks, yet, when all is said and done, I am happiest in life when I am near friends and family.
But this is the beauty of the Incarnation (which we commemorate weekly in the Nicene Creed). When God the Word became human, he sanctified creation, transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary. God didn’t become man as a temporal king in a glitzy castle on the coast of some resort town. Rather, God was born as a little baby in a small-town in the backwaters of the Roman Empire. I am not condemning those who live in resort towns! If you live there, I would love to visit sometime soon. I am just pointing out that we worship a God that has transformed the ordinary. God uses the simplest and ordinary to accomplish his purposes. Take, for example, the sacraments. Through water, we are born again in baptism. Ordinary bread and wine are, by God’s power, transformed into the body and blood of Christ.
Thus, eventually, if we conform our wills to the will of Christ, we start to realize that the ordinary is, in fact, not really that ordinary after all. And what is a proper response to this realization? I would say it is gratitude, which is exactly how I feel after getting a chance to see my family and friends for a few weeks.
American Catholics are no longer bound by pain of sin to abstain from meat every Friday of the year, but we are exhorted to some type of penitential act on Fridays (see this article for a discussion of the issue). One of the things I do in the classroom is to say extra prayers on Fridays. For example, during Easter we recited the Regina Caeli together, which is not a part of our normal prayers. Besides introducing the students to an important element of Catholic culture, Marian antiphons, the practice provides a good chance to discuss, and participate in, Friday penance.
I find that most students eventually understand why we are penitential on Friday. It is because that is the day Jesus was crucified and died. He made a sacrifice for us, so we make some sort of sacrifice to participate in his sacrifice. However, we live in a culture that doesn’t value sacrifice, but instead, values satisfying every material, financial, emotional, sexual, etc, desire that comes along. Yet, such a mentality seems to not be making people any happier. While I am sure most Americans don’t make the connection, but a little sacrifice may have prevented this recent financial meltdown, and understanding true sacrifice may help alleviate the meaninglessness that seems to pervade society these days. At first, many students, especially the non-Catholics, find Friday penance foreign, but eventually they are the ones reminding me that it is Friday and thus we need to do our penance. This could be a function of habit, but it could be that we all know deep down that sacrifice provides meaning, and acts as a counter to the “do what you feel” culture around us.
Today is the optional Memorial of St. Frances of Rome.
Prayer:
Saint Frances of Rome, help us to see the difference between what we want to do and what God wants us to do. Help us to discern what comes from our will and what comes from God’s desire. Amen
Iesu, Dulcis Memoria (Jesus, Sweet Memory) is a beautiful hymn attributed to Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153). Parts of this hymn were used for the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus. The entire hymn is composed of about 42 to 52 stanzas.
IESU, dulcis memoria,
dans vera cordis gaudia,
sed super mel et omnia,
eius dulcis praesentia.
JESU, the very thought of Thee,
with sweetness fills my breast,
but sweeter far Thy face to see,
and in Thy presence rest.
Nil canitur suavius,
nil auditur iucundius,
nil cogitatur dulcius,
quam Iesus Dei Filius.
Nor voice can sing, nor heart can frame,
nor can the memory find
a sweeter sound than Thy blest Name,
o Savior of mankind!.
Iesu, spes paenitentibus,
quam pius es petentibus!
quam bonus te quaerentibus!
sed quid invenientibus?
O hope of every contrite heart
o joy of all the meek,
to those who fall, how kind Thou art!
how good to those who seek!
Nec lingua valet dicere,
nec littera exprimere:
expertus potest credere,
quid sit Iesum diligere.
But what to those who find? Ah this
nor tongue nor pen can show:
the love of Jesus, what it is
none but His loved ones know.
Sis, Iesu, nostrum gaudium,
qui es futurus praemium:
sit nostra in te gloria,
per cuncta semper saecula.
Amen.
Jesu, our only joy be Thou,
As Thou our prize wilt be:
Jesu, be Thou our glory now,
And through eternity.
Amen.
Christ’s passion is the remedy for sin (John 1:29). Christ’s passion, however, is at the same time the prime example of how Christians should live in this world. Christ’s passion, in other words, powerfully tells us the “secret” or the key to living a virtuous, successful life. “How so”, one might understandably ask. How does Christ’s Cross reveal to us the way by which we can live a successful life?
St. Thomas Aquinas tells us in his Catechism: “Whoever wishes to live perfectly need do nothing other than despise what Christ despised on the cross, and desire what Christ desired.” What did Christ despise on the cross? WEALTH, WORLDLY HONOR, PLEASURE, BEING PHYSICALLY ATTRACTIVE, PRIVILEGE, ETC. What did Jesus Christ love on cross? DOING THE WILL OF THE HEAVENLY FATHER!
Of course, given our fallen natures, it is not always exactly easy to do the Father’s will. It is not easy to die to oneself so that Christ will live in us. For this reason, then, it is absolutely necessary that we ask God, who is love (1 Jn 4:16), to help us live for Him alone, to grant us the necessary graces to accept and do His holy will in love. Surely, God will never reject our petition if we ask Him in faith and humility.
Most High, glorious God,
enlighten the darkness of my heart.
Give me true faith, certain hope
and perfect charity, sense and
knowledge that I may carry out
Your Holy and true command.
- Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi to discern God’s will
Today, Holy Mother Church remembers Saint Casimir of Poland (1458-1484).
According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, this king of Poland would spend some of his nights praying outside the churches, regardless of how “good” or “bad” the weather was! We ask ourselves: When was the last time I visited the Lord at a perpetual adoration church or chapel? Does bad weather stop me from visiting my Lord and Saviour? Are there any other superfluous things that stop me from going to Eucharistic adoration?
———————————————
From The Catholic Encyclopedia:
St. Casimir was possessed of great charms of person and character, and was noted particularly for his justice and chastity. Often at night he would kneel for hours before the locked doors of churches, regardless of the hour or the inclemency of the weather. He had a special devotion to the Blessed Virgin, and the hymn of St. Bernard of Clairvaux, “Omni die dic Marix mea laudes anima”, was long attributed to him. After his death he was venerated as a saint, because of the miracles wrought by him. Sigismund I, King of Poland, petitioned the pope for Casimir’s canonization, and Pope Leo X appointed the papal legate Zaccaria Ferreri, Bishop of Guardalfiera, the Archbishop of Gnesen, and the Bishop of Przemysl to investigate the life and miracles of Casimir. This inquiry was completed at Turn in 1520, and in 1522 Casimir was canonized by Adrian VI. Pope Clement VIII named 4 March as his feast.
Lent encourages us to let the Word of God penetrate our life and thus to know the fundamental truth: who we are, where we come from, where we must go, what road to take in life. And thus, the Season of Lent offers us an ascetic and liturgical route which, while helping us to open our eyes to our weakness, opens our hearts to the merciful love of Christ. BENEDICT XVI, GENERAL AUDIENCE, 1st March 2006.
Dear Brothers and Sisters:
The liturgical season of Lent is fast approaching. The Lord is giving us yet one more opportunity to work on ourselves, on our souls. For this, I thank Him!
As you are well aware we are living in a very tumultuous time; a time of financial distress, war, and a time in which radical politicians –and presidents–boldly undermine the sanctity of life. This time in which we live demands conversion, a radical turning away from sin to God. But unless we ourselves begin this conversion process, the world will continue getting worse and worse by the minute.
I warmly encourage each and everyone reading this post to take advantage of Lent, to make it the best Lent you ever had, the most spiritually fruitful. Let us enter into this holy season with a deep desire “to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge,” so that we “may be filled with all the fullnes of God” (Ephesians 3:19).
Please realize that God has given us everything we need to experience the conversion of our own hearts and minds, if we but humbly accept His Divine Grace. Let us ask our Blessed Mother, the Virgin Mary, to plead our cause before the Lord, to teach us how to be good sons and daughters of the Most High, to protect us from all harm. Let us also ask our Brothers and Sisters who dedicated their lives to the fulfilment of the Christian vocation, and who now enjoy the Beatific Vision, to come to our aid in times of temptation so that we may be strengthened and may come off unharmed after the battle. Finally, let us be mindful that, through Baptism, we are members of the Mystical Body of Christ, and so we all have the responsibility to look out for one another, especially for the poor (Philipians 2:4; Matthew 25:40). Let us, then, pray for one another during Lent!
For my Topics in the Philosophy of Religion (Philosophy 441) class, we have to write an informal, one page, reaction paper for each of the reading assignments.
Here is my first reaction paper for you to read and critique!
Went to Weekday Mass today for the first time in a while. I went even though I hadn’t kept the fast and just didn’t receive. I’m going to make it a point to go more often. I’d also like to get back into daily rosary and hitting the LOTH more often. Lately I’ve been feeling like I converted to lapsed Catholicism, just doing the minimum and not giving a hoot otherwise…
I know Chad is exaggerating, but I think he touches on something that many of us struggle with. First, that Chad is still attending Mass on Sundays shows that he is far from lapsed. Second, what Chad is going through seems normal enough to me, although we would all benefit from the extra graces of daily Mass and regular recitations of the rosary.
It was hammered into my head for years that there are two types of Christians: those who do the minimum out of habit, and those who get excited about their faith. The former probably weren’t really born again, and the latter probably were. There was an underlying assumption in many churches I attended that you were only truly Christian when you were excited about it, you know, “on fire.” If you didn’t sway or get excited during the worship service, something was wrong. One reason I think I became attracted to liturgical Christianity was because you didn’t have to always be excited, or even worse, fake excitement, to be considered a true Christian. The mother quietly participating in Mass, who is being the best mother she can be for Christ, may very well be living out her calling better than the person with hands stretched out at Mass, “getting into” the service.
Like Chad, I go through some periods when I am more excited about my faith, and more devoted, and other periods, when I just do “the minimum.” However, I have to remind myself of a few things. First, I teach religion 180 days of the year, so I am constantly involved with my faith. I also blog about my faith, and write about it regularly. These daily activities are part of my vocation, and I try to do them, excited or not. Yes, in a sense, this is the minimum. However, we need to recognize that even on days we may not recite the rosary, or wake up “excited” about our faith, we still can be living our our vocations, although as I said above, reciting the rosary is always a good thing! Many Catholics live out their respective callings everyday without giving much thought to it, being good parents, spouses, employees, students, etc, and even though it may just be “the minimum” at times, they are still being faithful. Let’s face it, some days, after teaching the faith all day to semi-receptive teens, I just want to run, play basketball, or read about vitamins or different foods or whatever it may be (you can see that a side interest of mine is health). Thus, I need to remind myself that not feeling excited about reading the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church for a few nights isn’t tantamount to losing my faith, or becoming a lapsed Catholic. I guess sometimes it is hard for me to shake the “excitement=true faith” thing I learned as an evangelical.
I am suspicious of those who judge a person’s fidelity by his level of excitement. Let me give an example. Lately, I have really enjoyed praying the Liturgy of the Hours, and have been really excited about it. However, for a few months I just prayed the minimum, choosing only short Psalms, rather than longer ones (at our house we currently modify Morning Prayer to include one Psalm, because of time). Did I still “mean” those short prayers when I prayed them? Yes. Did I actually “pray” them? I hope so! Was I excited, overjoyed with emotion, to be praying the Liturgy of the Hours every morning, like I was when I first discovered that ancient form of prayer? No. I could lie and say “yes,” but I wasn’t. Nonetheless, and this is my point, I still prayed them. I still carried out my vocation, even if it was just the “minimum” for that period. I am not patting myself on the back, but rather pointing out that we can still be faithful during periods when we do the minimum. After all, with Catholicism, the minimum still involves fidelity and effort.
While I am all for being excited about our faith, I think that connecting faith to emotional excitement is a bad idea, because what kind of faith can you have if, when the going gets boring, you lose your faith? Also, how much faith does it take to be faithful when things are exciting? Perhaps true faith and fortitude show themselves when times get tough, or boring. I have seen many people stop following Christ because their feelings of excitement waned. Unfortunately, this is because their church leaders constantly implied that to be truly Christian they had to be excited, so once the initial excitement passed, they thought there was no way they could remain Christian. So, while I am certainly not saying that doing the minimum is the most ideal course of action, we can still be faithful Catholics during periods when we are not as emotionally excited as we think we should be.
Catholics are often asked why they pray to saints.The generic answer, which is adequate enough, is:“Well, you ask your earthly friends and people you consider ‘strong Christians’ to pray for you.We Catholics ask saints in heaven to pray for us because they are close to God.Also, we’re not praying to “the dead,” because the saints in heaven aren’t dead.They’re more alive than you and I.”
Okay.That’s true.But I believe that something Pope Benedict said, in his encyclical Deus Caritas Est, really helps to expand this idea in a way that gives it more weight.It certainly helped me a lot.It just makes good plain sense.He says:
The lives of the saints are not limited to their earthly biographies but also include their being and working in God after death. In the saints one thing becomes clear: those who draw near to God do not withdraw from men, but rather become truly close to them.
This statement comes near the end of a document where the Pope really gives us a practical explanation of what love really means, and how we are to exercise this virtue.In a nutshell, it goes back to Jesus’ commandment that we are to love God and love our neighbor.Christianity 101.Simple, yes…but hardly easy.So, it would follow, that when we read about holy people, the most striking thing about their lives is precisely the love they showed (or show) other people, right?That, in short, is how we know they’re holy.We can literally SEE their love for God.We admire these people…Saint Francis, Mother Theresa, Corrie Ten Boom, etc….All Christians who didn’t just talk the talk, but they walked the walk.
So far, so good.Nothing controversial there.
Well, then a question comes up.At some point, those Christians die and go to heaven.Then what happens?What do those faithful saints exactly “DO” in heaven?
Looking back to my pre-Catholic days, I guess if I was pressed to describe what was going on in heaven, I would present a picture of a sea of people worshipping God.And by that, I would mean that they were just sort of staring at and bowing before him.I never really stopped to consider any horizontal relationships.And that’s not surprising.This was the way I worshipped God in my non-denominational church.I would close my eyes and do the “me and Jesus” thing.You might be sitting next to me, but you were individually doing your own version of “me and Jesus.”I guess in heaven, I would have said, it was just more intense, while still individualistic, because you could literally see Jesus “face to face.”
In re-examining this belief, I find that it’s inconsistent.Does someone who spent their life loving God by serving others just die and forget about everyone else and just stare at Jesus, leaving the rest of us in the dust?
No!What sense does that make?Their righteousness is perfect in heaven…the righteousness that they cultivated exactly by serving and loving others on earth.NOW they serve and love others even MORE.They’d have to.They can’t help themselves.To love God is to love others.The mission hasn’t changed, because love doesn’t change.Love reaches out…eternally.The saints in heaven continue to love God and love others.They pray.They intercede.It is what MADE them saints in the first place.
Further, if we Christians believe we are the family of God, these people are LITERALLY our loving brothers and sisters.They are not going to be content to rest until all members of their family make it to heaven.They are a “cloud of witnesses” cheering us on, as Hebrews 12 tells us.Jesus’ death and resurrection brought “victory o’er the grave.”Heaven and earth are joined together ( most poignantly and literally in the sacrifice of the mass).We are one big family.Our older, wiser and holier brothers and sisters can help us out a lot.And they do!
Today is the day that we remember that Christ died for our sins. We are going to watch the movie, The Passion of the Christ. It is a good way to visually focus on what Our Lord did for us. I have to also say that I love how as Catholics we have the corpus “body” on our crosses, known as a crucifix. It is yet another visual reminder of what Christ did for all of us. A cross is nice, but a crucifix is even better…in my opinion. Read the rest of this entry »
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