Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Introit for today's Mass in the Extraordinary Form:
Surely we ought to glory in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ; in Him is our salvation, our life and resurrection; through Him we are saved and set free.

St. Monica: More than a Mother

On Sunday, August 30, the Holy Father gave this talk as a part of the praying of the Angelus.

In [The Confessions of Saint Augustine] we learn that St Augustine drank in the name of Jesus with his mother's milk, and that his mother brought him up in the Christian religion whose principles remained impressed upon him even in his years of spiritual and moral dissipation.

Monica never ceased to pray for him...St. Augustine not only converted but decided to embrace the monastic life and, having returned to Africa, founded a community of monks.

...St. Monica had become for this son of hers, 'more than a mother, the source of his Christianity.'

...The history of Christianity is spangled with innumerable examples of holy parents and authentic Christian families who accompanied the life of generous priests and pastors of the Church...Let us think of Luigi Beltrame Quattrocchi and Maria Corsini, a husband a wife, very close to us, who lived at the end of the 19th century until the middle of the 20th and whose beatification by my Venerable Predecessor, John Paul II in October 2001 coincided with the 20th anniversary of the Apostolic Exhortation 'Familiaris consortio.'

In addition to illustrating the value of marriage and the tasks of the family, this Document urged spouses to be especially committed to the path of sanctity which, drawing grace and strength from the Sacrament of Marriage, accompanies them throughout their life (cf. n. 56). When married couples devote themselves generously to the education of children, guiding them and orienting them to the discovery of God's plan of love, they are preparing that fertile spiritual ground from which vocations to the priesthood and to the consecrated life spring up and develop. This reveals how closely connected they are, marriage and virginity illumine each other on the basis of their common roots in spousal love of Christ.

Dear brothers and sisters, in the Year for Priests, let us pray 'through the intercession of the Holy Cure of Ars, [that] Christian families become churches in miniature in which all vocations and all charisms, given by the Holy Spirit, are welcomed and appreciated' [from the Prayer for the Year for Priests]. May the Blessed Virgin, whom we shall all now invoke together, obtain this grace for us. (from L'Osservatore Romano, n. 35 (2009), 2 September 2009).

One of the central emphases of our Association is the need for holy families, in the imitation of the Holy Family of Nazareth, in order to promote and nurture holiness and the "preparing that fertile spiritual ground from which vocations to the priesthood and to the consecrated life spring up and develop" in order to build up the Body of Christ, the Church, the Bride of the Lamb.

Pray for Priests

The last entry about the unfortunate "musings" of a certain priest, who by the way, has been causing dissent and confusion for many years, has given me an incentive to call all those who are reading this blog to make sacrifices and to pray for priests.

The priesthood is attacked daily, not by mere humans, but by the powers of hell.
"Strike the shepherd, and the flock will be scattered(Matt. 26,31)." As the Apostle Paul reminds us, our real struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities and powers.

The Holy Rosary is a powerful weapon against the forces of darkness. Pray the rosary for your priests.

These times require us to be vigilant and prepared. The best way to strengthen our spiritual lives and to beg for others, especially our priests, is to offer our Holy Communions, Holy Masses, and times of Adoration for these intentions.

We have not been abandoned or left without the necessary assistance. But we cannot depend upon our own stength, intellect, or will power. God's grace must come to our aid.

The opening words of the Divine Office,"O God, come to my assistance. O Lord, make haste to help me," are the prayers we must raise in faith, hope and love.

O Sacrament most holy, O Sacrament divine, all praise and all thanksgiving be every moment Thine!

Our monastic community devotes at least four hours, sometimes more, each day to prayer before the Most Blessed Sacrament. We begin our day with Exposition at 5:15 A.M., pray the Office of Readings and Morning Prayer and have about an hour of silent adoration before Holy Mass at 7 A.M. We pray Mid-Morning Prayer after Mass as a Thanksgiving, have Mid-Day Prayer at 11:45 A.M. before dinner and then have another 45 minutes of prayer, the Rosary, Litany of the BVM, and Evening Prayer at 5 P.M.

Prayer before our Lord Jesus in the most Blessed Sacrament is a central part of our living "the life of Nazareth".

Today, the feast of the Nativity of our Blessed Mother, an article by a priest from Notre Dame University was posted that ridicules and even denigrates prayer before the Blessed Sacrament as "obsolete".
Father McBrien ends his article with this statement: "Eucharistic adoration, perpetual or not, is a doctrinal, theological, and spiritual step backward, not forward."

To which, I, along with our community respond: "Rubbish".

This is an outrage.

If you read this and are also outraged, please log onto http://ncronline.org/blogs/essays-theology/perpetual-eucharistic-adoration
and let them know what you are thinking.

I end with this prayer:
My God, I believe, I adore, I hope, and I love You!
Pardon those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope, and do not love you!

Saint Benedict: "A teacher of civilization"

Continuing our reflection upon the Pope's talk to the assembled Benedictines at Monte Cassino earlier this year, we take up the section that deals with Saint Benedict as one who directed his monks to Christ "as the one great ideal". This is important for all Christians, no matter what state in life, to rededicate themselves to the Son of God, the Incarnate Word made Flesh, the Prince of Peace.

[H]e [Benedict] was a teacher of civilization who, in suggesting a balanced and adequate vision of the divine requirements and ultimate destiny of the human being, always also kept clearly in mind the needs and reasons of the heart, to teach and inspire authentic brotherhood so that in the complex social relations people would not lose sight of a spiritual unity that would always be capable of building and fostering peace. It is not by chance that the word PAX is used to greet pilgrims and visitors at the entrance of this Abbey, rebuilt after the dreadful disaster of the Second World War; it rises like a silent warning to reject every form of violence in order to build peace: in families, in communities, among peoples and throughout humanity. Saint Benedict invites every person who climbs this hill to seek peace and follow Him..."(Ps 33:14-15) [Rule, Prologue, 17].

Saint Benedict offers families, communities, and society in general a path to peace. The monastery is to be a paradigm of love, service, fraternal relations and a sign of the world to come, in the words of Saint Bernard, "a paradise on earth". Lofty ideals, yet something that this age needs so desperately.

"Do not be anxious"

From the homily at Cor Jesu Oratory, 6 September, 2009
14th Sunday after Pentecost, 1962 Missale Romano

Epistle: Gal 5,16-24
Gospel: Matt, 6, 24-33

"Do not be anxious."

How much do we need to hear these words spoken by our Lord in today's Gospel. No matter who we are or what our circumstances, the ever-present anxiety--existential anxiety, if you will--seems to be in the very air we breathe.

The daily news report, the cost of living, the uncertain future of health care, the concerns of financial stability, the divisions within families and communities, and especially the factions within the Church, arguing, accusing one another and acting as though the Church was a political party, rather than Holy Mother Church.

The labels, "liberal," "conservative," even "traditional", really have no place in the Church. One must be CATHOLIC--faithful, obedient, observant. Roman Catholic. The example of our Holy Father in his teaching of the "hermeneutic of continuity", that there is to be no "rupture" between the years before the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council and after, that all is to be interpreted in the light of Sacred Tradition: this the authentically Catholic position. Now this is a great challenge and it will take a great many years to develop what this means in so many areas of Catholic life. But we have Pope Benedict's teaching and example to give is light and direction.

"Do not be anxious."

The root of much of our anxiety is the struggle that goes on within each of us to "serve two masters" (refer to the Gospel). We want to do what is right and good on the one hand; but we also want what we want. The effects of original sin are always a force to be reckoned with. The Apostle Paul exhorts us to "walk in the Spirit," to be "lead by the Spirit." What does this mean?

Saint Paul provides us with an examination of conscience. The works of the flesh--unredeemed humanity--will prevent us from entering the kingdom of God(immorality, uncleanness, licentiousness, idolatry, witchcrafts, enmities, contentions, jealousies, angers, quarrels, factions, parties, envies, murders, drunkenness, carousing, and such like). All of these sins are self-centered and disordered. None of these brings about union with God. None of these shapes and forms one in "the image and likeness of God." Because they cause disorder and disfigurement in the soul, they are the root of anxiety: the attempt to follow two masters; wanting heaven and one's selfish choices at the same time. This cannot bring about inner peace. In fact, in serious and extreme cases, it can threaten to destroy the personality, as in certain cases of diabolical obsession or possession.

Instead, what will bring about greater peace is the fruit of virtue, the list Saint Paul gives that is the opposite of the works of the flesh...

In today's Gospel, Jesus is telling us that we cannot be divided in our primary loyalty. We have to make a decision: God or the world (by this I mean a naturalist, materialistic way of thinking and living). We cannot serve two masters...When we decide to live a supernatural life of faith, developing the virtues and experiencing the fruits of the Spirit, we act and think more like God. Our trust in His providential care is strengthened and deepened.

The more we know God and live in His Love, the more our trust in Him will grow. The foundation of our lives will be on firm footing. Jesus uses the examples of the birds of the air, the lilies and grass of the fields in our Gospel to demonstrate that if God cares so much for them, how much more will he care for us. This is why we must "seek first His Kingdom and His justice". We will never be abandoned by the Heavenly Father.

This is why we must heed his Word: "Do not be anxious."...

May we offer our gifts at the altar today and include all of our worries, concerns, anxieties and frustrations, as well as all of those we want to remember, and our very selves...that as our simple gifts of bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ, all our cares and intentions will be transformed by Him to become the means by which we increase in our union with Him, that all may be sanctified by His loving Presence.

We ask the intercession of Blessed Mary and Saint Joseph who lived believing in the Heavenly Father's care and protection.

The Charism of Saint Benedict

This Tuesday, September 8, the Feast of the Birth of Mary, will be the first anniversary of our monastic community taking on the black scapular as a sign of placing ourselves beneath the patronage and teaching of Saint Benedict. We are not Benedictines but have chosen the Rule of Saint Benedict as our guide and spirit in living our monastic consecration.

Pope Benedict XVI recently made a pilgrimage to Monte Cassino, the Benedictine Abbey that is the site of Saint Benedict's tomb. He met with representatives from the Benedictine Order, monks and nuns, from throughout the world. Over the course of the next week, I would like to share some important points and insights of the Holy Father's talk to these assembled monastics.

LET YOURSELF BE CONQUERED BY CHRIST

To live no longer for ourselves but for Christ: this is what gives full meaning to the life of those who let themselves be conquered by Him. This is clearly demonstrated by the human and spiritual life of Saint Benedict who, having abandoned all things, set out to follow Jesus Christ faithfully. Embodying the Gospel in his life, he became the pioneer of a vast movement of spiritual and cultural rebirth in the West...

...[W]e read in the biography [authored by Saint Gregory the Great] that, while leaning out of the window,'his eyes fixed on the stars and wrapt in divine contemplation, the Saint felt that his heart was burning...for him the starry firmament was like the embroidered curtain that veiled the Holy of Holies. At a certain point, his soul felt transported to the other side of the veil, to contemplate the unveiled Face of the One who dwells in inaccessible brightness'(A.I. Schuster. Storia di san Benedetto e dei suoi tempi, Ed. Abazzia di Viboldone, Milan, 1965, p. 11 and ff)..."

Saint Benedict did not of course receive this divine gift to satisfy his intellectual curiosity, but rather so that the charism with which God had endowed him might enable him to reproduce in the monastery the very life of Heaven and to re-estabish the harmony of creation through contemplation and work. Rightly, therefore, the Church venerates him as 'an eminent teacher of monastic life' a 'doctor of spiritual wisdom in his love of prayer and work'; a 'luminous guide of the peoples to the light of the Gospel' who 'lifted up to Heaven on a shining path,' teaches men and women of all epochs to seek GOd and the eternal riches prepared by Him"(Preface of the Saint in the monastic supplement to MR, 1980, 153).

Saint Benedict, Father of Monastic Life, pray for us!