Spy Wednesday

The tradition of the liturgical year of the Church assigns Wednesday of Holy Week as the day that Judas betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver.

Dom Gueranger, the great Benedictine liturgical scholar, offers this hymn from the Greek liturgy that describes the whole incident and is a moving account of this horrible treachery.

On this day, Judas leaves his Master, and takes the devil for his guide. The love of money blinds him. He fell from the light, he became darkened: for how could he be said to see, who sold the Light for thirty pieces of silver? But to us he that suffered for the world has risen: let us thus cry out unto him: Glory be to thee, who didst endure thy Passion, and hadst compassion on mankind.

What was it, O Judas! that lead thee to betray Jesus? Had he cut thee off from the number of his apostles? Had he deprived thee of the gift of healing the sick? When he supped with his apostles did he drive thee from table? When he washed their feet, did he pass thee by? And yet thou wast unmindful of these great favours! Thy ungrateful plot has branded thee with infamy: but his incomparable patience and great mercy are everywhere praised.

Say, O ye unjust ones! what is it ye have heard from our Saviour? Did he not expound unto you the Law and the Prophets? Why therefore, have ye plotted how to deliver up to Pilate the Word that is from God, and that came to redeem our souls?

They that enjoyed thy unceasing gifts cried out: 'Let him be crucified!'These murderers of such as were innocent, sought thee, that they might treat thee, their benefactor, as an evil-doer. But thou, O Christ! didst bear their wickedness with silence; for thou, being the lover of mankind, didst desire to suffer for and save us.

We are prevented from speaking by the multitude of our sins: do thou, O Virgin-Mother of God! pray for us to him that was born of thee, for the Mother's prayer avails much with the mercy of our Lord.
Despise not O most pure Virgin! the prayers of sinners, for he that refused not even to suffer for us, is merciful, and is able to save us.

Today, as always, we have Judas' in our midst; those who, for whatever reason, betray our Lord anew. In these days of false accusations, distortions, and contempt of our dear Holy Father, Pope Benedict, let us pray that the evil one will be prevented from further harm to him, the Vicar of Christ and Successor of Saint Peter, and to Holy Church. The enemies of God, the Truth, and the Church are busy; let's get even busier by our prayer, penance and love.

Image: http://blog.adw.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/spywednesdaypainting.jpg
Text of the Greek hymn: from Dom Gueranger, "The Liturgical Year", vol. 6, Passiontide and Holy Week, Loreto Publications.

Second Passion (Palm) Sunday at "Cor Jesu Oratory"

Our Palm Sunday blessing and procession was very beautiful today. We had sun and a nice congregation who joined us for the commemoration of Jesus' Triumphal Entrance into Jerusalem.

Here are some images of our Oratory for this beginning of Holy Week at Cor Jesu Oratory.

Our prayers and best wishes for a blessed and holy week with Jesus, our Crucified and Risen Lord!

Yesterday, the Saturday of the Fifth Week of Lent, we heard these words of St. Gregory Nazianzen, in the Office of Readings in the Liturgy of the Hours:

We are soon going to share in the Passover

We are soon going to share in the Passover, and although we still do so only in a symbolic way, the symbolism already has more clarity than it possessed in former times because, under the law, the Passover was, if I may dare to say so, only a symbol of a symbol. Before long, however, when the Word drinks the new wine with us in the kingdom of his Father, we shall be keeping the Passover in a yet more perfect way, and with deeper understanding. He will then reveal to us and make clear what he has so far only partially disclosed. For this wine, so familiar to us now, is eternally new.
It is for us to learn what this drinking is, and for him to teach us. He has to communicate this knowledge to his disciples, because teaching is food, even for the teacher.
So let us take our part in the Passover prescribed by the law, not in a literal way, but according to the teaching of the Gospel; not in an imperfect way, but perfectly; not only for a time, but eternally. Let us regard as our home the heavenly Jerusalem, not the earthly one; the city glorified by angels, not the one laid waste by armies. We are not required to sacrifice young bulls or rams, beasts with horns and hoofs that are more dead than alive and devoid of feeling; but instead, let us join the choirs of angels in offering God upon his heavenly altar a sacrifice of praise. We must now pass through the first veil and approach the second, turning our eyes toward the Holy of Holies. I will say more: we must sacrifice ourselves to God, each day and in everything we do, accepting all that happens to us for the sake of the Word, imitating his passion by our sufferings, and honouring his blood by shedding our own. We must be ready to be crucified.
If you are a Simon of Cyrene, take up your cross and follow Christ. If you are crucified beside him like one of the thieves, now, like the good thief, acknowledge your God. For your sake, and because of your sin, Christ himself was regarded as a sinner; for his sake, therefore, you must cease to sin. Worship him who was hung on the cross because of you, even if you are hanging there yourself. Derive some benefit from the very shame; purchase salvation with your death. Enter paradise with Jesus, and discover how far you have fallen. Contemplate the glories there, and leave the other scoffing thief to die outside in his blasphemy.
If you are a Joseph of Arimathea, go to the one who ordered his crucifixion, and ask for Christ’s body. Make your own the expiation for the sins of the whole world. If you are a Nicodemus, like the man who worshipped God by night, bring spices and prepare Christ’s body for burial. If you are one of the Marys, or Salome, or Joanna, weep in the early morning. Be the first to see the stone rolled back, and even the angels perhaps, and Jesus himself.

Today, Passion (Palm) Sunday, we celebrated the Triumphant Entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem and then heard the Gospel account of His Passion. It is the beginning of Holy Week, the most blessed and glorious week of the liturgical year. Our honoring of Jesus as the King of Glory is not merely an historical remembrance, but a present and future manifestation of His Kingship over us. The palms, blessed and taken home to be placed in honor of the Lord, the King of Kings, are signs of His Kingdom among us. And, a sign of the future glory that we are called to as His followers, a future that will be the entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven, where He is Lord, He is worshipped and glorified for all eternity. Our palms are signs of the palms we will carry into the New Jerusalem, where there will be no death, no suffering, no tears, no separations.

The palms are also a sacramental that give the prayer of the Church a "place" wherever they are displayed with love and devotion. The Extraordinary Form prayer for the blessing of palms says that the power of the evil one is overcome by the presence of these signs of Jesus' victory over sin and death and wherever they are treated with love and devotion, the reign of Jesus is brought to reality.

Powerful words. May the graces of this day, of this week, come to you all. Make this time a very special remembrance of the Passion of the Lord; go to confession, go to Mass and Holy Communion, if you are able. If you cannot attend Mass, make a spiritual communion and ask Jesus to come to you. Try to attend the Sacred Triduum, the Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday, the Celebration of the Lord's Passion on Good Friday, the Easter Vigil and Mass on the night of Holy Saturday.

And pray for our dear Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, who is being harassed each day and calumniated by the secular press. He is, as Saint Catherine of Siena called the Pope, "our Sweet Christ on earth," the Vicar of Christ and Successor of Saint Peter.
Pray for his strength, his health, his perseverance in these dark times.

Jesus Drives Out Demons

The Gospel for yesterday's Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, the Third Sunday of Lent, was about the driving out of a demon from a mute man. In this passage, some very important teaching is given to us about the nature of evil, the power of Christ over evil spirits, and the necessity of believing that demons, do, in fact, exist.

Today so much materialism and secularism has made many people believe that what was formerly understood as demonic activity, is rather, psychological or psychiatric problems. While these are definitely an aspect of human life, and thanks be to God, we understand these illnesses to be just that, illness, which can be helped by medical intervention; still, the fact remains that evil is very much alive and active in the lives of so many. This is a spiritual reality that has many ramifications into the psychological, mental, emotional and physical realm.

The Church teaches that evil is not merely human; there are spiritual beings, fallen angels, if you will, that are active and attempt to draw men and women into the web of evil, which separates them from God and leads to destruction, beginning in this life and if not repented, into the next.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that "[t]he revelation of divine love in Christ manifested at the same time the extent of evil and the superabundance of grace.We must therefore approach the question of the origin of evil by fixing the eyes of our faith on him who alone is its conqueror"(385). The devil and the evil spirits want nothing more than for us to be frightened of their power or even to think they are stronger than God. We must have a true "fear", in the sense that we avoid evil and any kind of relationship with the evil spirits (the occult, Ouija boards, seances, etc.). But the real fear is the "fear of the Lord"; a true respect for God, an abhorrence of offending Him, acknowledgment of His power which exceeds anything the devil or the evil spirits have. They make a lot of noise; they try to influence, manipulate and scare us. But they are created spirits. Their power is limited and is really only as much as we allow them to have over us.

When Jesus is accused of driving out demons by the "power of Beelzebub", He answers back that if is by the 'finger of God' (an important image here) that He drives out demons, "the kingdom of God is already here among you." The 'finger of God' refers to the "tablets of stone 'by the finger of God' (i.e., the Ten Commandments) so "then the 'letter from Christ' entrusted to the care of the apostles, is written 'with the Spirits of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on the tablets of human hearts'(2 Cor 3:3). The hymn Veni Creator Spiritus invokes the Holy Spirit as the 'finger of the Father's right hand'"(CCC 700). Jesus' Divine authority is ever-greater than any evil, any sin. He is the Lord of all!

During these weeks before the great celebration of the Lord's Suffering, Death and Resurrection, a good confession is in order so that we may avail ourselves to the graces of this blessed season, as well as an "exorcistic" release from the bonds of evil and sin. It is through the Sacraments, most especially the absolution of a priest in confession, that Jesus looses the bonds of evil. In fact, a famous exorcist has written that absolution in the Sacrament of Penance is even more powerful that the Rite of Exorcism; it is the power of Christ Jesus..."I absolve you from your sins"...it is not the priest speaking on his own; it is Jesus speaking through the mediation of the priest, just as he spoke to mute man and released him from his bondage.

What a wonderful grace to know that Jesus frees us from evil by His Word and Sacraments. Don't miss out on the encounter with Jesus in the Sacrament of Penance during these days of repentance and conversion!











https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnjzeZXAp8DXWVkyXCUZP2JLiu-v3UA0BxZxRn1BOs40Qk2mVS1qykT9bf7n-IZXEWzabjNPaqz9q3GDH02k0CSE-rB63EiXnXw0ScplJW4wH3QFon_qvYevFCcvUzMZHa9TqOfg84RFs/s400/Demon5.jpg

First Sunday of Lent: Jesus' Temptations in the Desert

Homily 1st Sunday of Lent
21 February 2009

Today is the first Solemn celebration of Lent. We began our Lenten journey on Ash Wednesday by fasting and abstinence. The Church, as our Mother, entrusts her children to God’s grace and mercy during this most blessed Season of repentance, conversion, penance, prayer and almsgiving. Our Gospel for this Sunday’s Mass sets the tone for our Lenten observances: Jesus is drawn into the desert after His Baptism by John in the Jordan for forty days to be tempted by the devil.

The Forty Days of Lent are rooted in the symbolism of the biblical meaning of ‘40’, which is a time of God’s special care and help for those who are preparing for some special mission or great event. We see this in the story of the flood. Moses was in the desert for forty days in receiving the Ten Commandments. The Israelites wandered in the desert for forty years until they were able to enter the Promised Land. We see the number forty in Elia’s journey to Horeb, of Jonah at Ninive. Most of these accounts are read to us during lent to encourage us. Forty has significance for us today as we keep this time of preparation for the Paschal Mysteries, the suffering, death, resurrection and glorification of the Lord Jesus Christ.

What is temptation? This is very important for us to understand. Temptation is the “attraction, either from outside oneself or from within, to act contrary to right reason the commandments of God (CCC, p.901). It is always important for us to distinguish temptation from sin; the mere attraction, due to concupiscence, or the disordered desires that are the consequence of original sin, is not personal sin. Sin involves choosing to do what is wrong with deliberation and consent. We also distinguish sin into the categories of venial and mortal. Venial sin is the violation of God’s Law in a small matter or committing a sin that is grave objectively but without one or the other conditions of a mortal sin, deliberation and consent. Mortal sin is a freely chosen act that seriously violates God’s Law with proper deliberation.

Saint Thomas Aquinas in the book “Meditations in Lent” cites four reasons for Jesus’ temptation by the devil. First, He willed to be tempted in order to help us in our temptations. Second, to warn us that no matter how holy we may be, we are never outside of the grasp of temptation. Third, to give us an example of how we should overcome temptation. And finally, in order to show His mercy and fill our minds and hearts with confidence.

Jesus willed to be tempted in order to help us fight against our temptations. Just as He freely accepted death, a fate we shall all encounter, we are given the promise of His assistance to battle against the lure of evil. Jesus cites Scripture to the suggestions of the devil; He, as the Word of God, uses the divinely inspired texts to combat the evil that He does not experience from within Himself, since He is True God and humanly perfect. This is to be our example when we are tempted: to reflect upon the will of God, as given to us in Scripture and the teachings of the Church, and call upon His help. Frequent reflection upon SS is important for us that our minds and hearts may be made in the image of Christ. The Apostle Paul in our Epistle today lists the kinds of temptations and sufferings a follower of Christ must be ready to endure: “in much patience, in affliction, in hardship, in calamity, in beating, in jail, in revolt, in labor, in sleeplessness, in fasting, in purity, in knowledge, in forbearance, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit , in charity without pretense, in speaking the truth, in the power of God, with the weapons of righteousness….through dishonor and honor, through infamy and esteem…”

Jesus’ temptations also reveal that no one, no matter how advanced in holiness, is exempt from being tempted. Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta’s letters, recently published, show us how someone who is totally given over to God and His mission can be horribly tempted against faith, hope and even charity. Although hidden from the eyes of others, the interior struggles, especially within the darkness of faith, can be very difficult, even for a holy soul. This keeps us from being presumptuous, overly confident or self-righteous. When we experience temptation in all its allure, we can be compassionate to others, more dependant upon the Lord and learn to be willing to suffer anything rather than offend God and our neighbor.

St. Augustine, as quoted by Saint Thomas, said that “Christ gave himself to the devil to be tempted, that in the matter of our overcoming those same temptations He might be of service not only by his help but by his example too.” And what were these temptations?
Materialism; tempting God and idolatry. The temptation to see everything in the light of what we experience with our senses is the materialistic temptation. “Bread” here signifies what our disordered appetites crave: security, love of money, self-reliance apart from God, obsessions with food and drink. Tempting God is a temptation where we place ourselves outside of the reasonable order of things and expect God to rescue us or to change our circumstances. The CCC states: “Tempting God consists in putting his goodness and almighty power to the test by word or deed”. This is a violation of the first commandment. Idolatry comes in many forms. The CCC defines this as “the substitution of some one or thing for God; worshiping a creature…instead of the Creator (p. 883). We can even worship ourselves, our own opinions, prejudices, likes and dislikes to the point where we replace God’s standards with our own. Jesus combats these temptations with the Word of God; the power of truth is ever greater than evil.

Jesus’ victory over these satanic temptations gives us confidence in His mercy. Saint Thomas quotes Saint Paul with this verse from the Epistle to the Hebrews: “For we have not a high priest who cannot have compassion on our infirmities, but one tempted in all things, like as we are, without sin (iv. 15). This is the great message of Divine Mercy; Jesus never abandons us even in the most difficult temptations. He is there with us, helping us, showing us the way.

The beautiful Psalm 90 which is the Tract for this Sunday echoing the words of the Lord Himself in our Gospel should bring us much consolation and hope. “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High shall abide in the shadow of the Almighty. “Say to the Lord: “My refuge, my stronghold, my God in whom I trust.” It is he who will free you from the snare of the fowler who seeks to destroy you…His faithfulness is a buckler and a shield; you will not fear the terror of the night….His love he set on me, so I will rescue him, protect him, for he know my name. When he calls I shall answer: “I am with you.” I will save him in distress and give him glory….I shall let him see my saving power.”

The Eucharistic Mystery is the power of love that vanquishes evil. Our Holy Communion today, whether it is sacramental or spiritual, gives us the very ability to combat evil.
The frequent reception of the Sacrament of Penance is a sure means of purification from sin and protection from evil. The chief exorcist of Rome, Fr. Gabriele Amorth, has written that the Sacrament of Penance is more powerful than even the rite of exorcism; the absolution given by the priest is not only a means of forgiveness of sins and an infusion of grace, but a sure protection against evil and the Evil One.

May the holy Mother of God, Mary our Mother, and Her beloved Spouse, terror of demons, assist us in our Lenten journey to Easter. May we know the protection of the Lord’s angels and His mercy and constant help in our time of need.

The Memorial Of Ss. Timothy and Titus

Today in the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite, we celebrate the Memorial of Ss. Timothy and Titus, close collaborators of Saint Paul, the Apostle.

The Epistles to Timothy and Titus are such important directives to bishops and priests. It would be good to read through them and meditate upon them; both for those who are ordained (bishops and priests) and the lay faithful.

The importance of "spiritual fatherhood" and being a "good shepherd" of the People of God is a central theme. We need spiritual fathers today, more than ever, in the persons of our bishops (who share apostolic succession with the first Apostles) and priests, who are their co-workers and representatives in the parishes, institutions and religious communities of the Holy Church throughout the world.

Pray for bishops, priests and deacons today. And please pray for a holy bishop for our Diocese of La Crosse, WI. We are presently without a bishop. Today is a very opportune moment for us to raise our minds, hearts and hands in imploring the Lord that he send us a bishop in the example of the Saints we celebrate today.

Ss. Timothy and Titus, pray for us!

Icon: from http://godzdogz.op.org/uploaded_images/tim-and-titus-766406.jpg

Verily, you are a hidden God, the God of Israel, the Savior

Today is the feast of the Holy Family in the Extraordinary form of the Roman Rite.
The "Alleluia verse" for today's Mass is "Verily, you are a hidden God, the God of Israel, the Savior, alleluia".

This is the "masthead" of our community's blog.

The Holy Family is such a rich treasure; so deep, so meaningful.

Jesus, our Lord, lived thirty years in his "hidden life", with his Holy Mother, Mary, and St. Joseph, His Guardian (although the tradition of the Church indicates that St. Joseph died before He began His public ministry).

The awesome reality that God made Man lived in the midst of a family, that He was subject to them as a child and as a young man, is revealed in this feast.

The Epistle from Saint Paul exhorts us: "Whatever you do in word or work, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, while you give thanks to God the Father through Him."

That is the vocation of the members of the Institute of Saint Joseph, our pubic association of the faithful. Family life, religious life, the life of the diocesan priest, the life of consecrated single person must reflect the "thanks" to God the Father, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We are called to live the life of Nazareth: silence, contemplation, poverty, chastity, obedience, prayer, study, work and charity. These are the nine elements of our charism. And it is to strengthen the Church, the lives of families, religious and priests, the lives of single men and women consecrated to His service.

Mary contemplated all these things in Her Heart; this is the contemplative vocation of a member of our Institute.

He is truly a "hidden God": hidden in the Most Holy Eucharist; hidden in the daily duty of our lives; hidden in His presence within our souls.

May we love the home of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph; the home of Nazareth, that gives us the inspiration to "be" for God; to love Him in every instance and circumstance of our lives; to know Him, hidden, yet present, in the struggles, crosses, and tribulations of life.

This is the challenge: to love Jesus even when He is hidden; to know He is present even when our senses tell us otherwise; to see His every Word, His every action in the joys and sorrows of life.

This, then, is to live at Nazareth.
God bless you!