A Knight's Walk in the Kingdom

theophilus April 30th, 2009

St. Pius V, whose feast day is today, was the lucky pope who had the job of implementing the major reforms of the Council of Trent.

In the 16th Century, Europe was in turmoil; the Church was disintegrating; large segments of laity and clergy were in open rebellion against the Holy See.

By 1545, the Reformation was in full swing; St. Thomas More’s head was off; and the Church was taking its good ole’ time in responding to threats to its very existence.

Finally, Pope Paul III got the long awaited Council of Trent started. Two other popes (Julius III and Pius IV) would preside over the Council before its conclusion in 1563.

The results were as, if not more, transformational than Vatican II. It made major reforms that carved away the abuses in the Church while strengthening the divinely inspired tradition and dogma that were under fierce attack at the time.

To execute the reforms, the Church turned to Pope St. Pius V. He fearlessly implemented these reforms and laid the groundwork for the next four hundred years of the Church.

At a perilous time for the Church and his society, he stepped up and got the job done.

In reading about St. Pius V, I also noticed other names coming up; names well-known to us, who also stepped up during this incredible era in history.  Saints with the names of Ignatius of Loyola, Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, Francis de Sales, Vincent de Paul, Charles Borromeo, Robert Bellarmine, Philip Neri, Peter Alcantara, Francis Xavier. Great saints; great writers; great preachers; great reformers. A collection of larger than life heroes called by God to do great work at this one particular moment.

And I wonder. Did these individuals make their era or did their era make them? If they were collectively born in another quieter and less significant era, would they have been so great? Were they called to greatness because they were needed or could others have done the trick?  Did God place these individuals in the 16th Century precisely because they would be needed?

I believe we live in times that require great people, true heroes who are larger than life. My question is whether God has provided us with this greatness? And have they, will they, step up and answer the call?

I have no doubt that Pope John Paul II did play and Pope Benedict XVI is playing the part of Pius V in our times. But, who are the other saints in our midst?

Is one of these saints, you?

• Catholic Men , Church , God's Call , Pope , Relationships , Saints
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theophilus April 29th, 2009

There are 33 Doctors of the Church – those great saints who left behind such a divinely inspired body of work that they speak to us today and the Church recognizes them as such.  St. Augustine, St. Francis de Sales, the Little Flower, St. Alphonsus Liguori, St. Anthony, St. Teresa of Avila, and so on . . .

and St. Catherine of Siena, whose feast day is today.

She was a Dominican in the 14th Century who provided counsel to popes and kings, and anyone else who would listen.  She preached and wrote widely, including a body of letters and The Dialogues.

An indication of the timelineness of her work can be found in the following passage -

“Eternal Father, you said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image and likeness.’ Thus, you were willing to share with us your own greatness. You gave us the intellect to share your truth. You gave us the wisdom to share your goodness. And you gave us the free will to love that which is true and just. Why did you dignify us? It was because you looked upon us and fell in love with us. It was love which first prompted you to create us; and it was love which caused you to share with us your truth and goodness.

“Yet your heart must break when you see us turn against you. You must weep when you see us abusing our intellect in pursuit of that which is false. You must cry with pain when we distort our wisdom in order to justify evil. (emphasis added)

“But you never desert us. Out of the same love that caused you to create us, you have now sent your only Son to save us. He is your perfect image and likeness, and so through Him we can be restored to your image and likeness.”

So, what do you think?  Look at the headlines and the blogosphere from the past month.  Is St. Catherine speaking to our generation in much the same way that she spoke to her’s?

And a broader question – who are the Doctors of our day?  In times such as these, God has surely provided us with one or many.  Who are they? And how do we get people to listen to them?

• Saints
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theophilus April 28th, 2009

What book did John Paul the Great describe as the turning point of his life?  From what book did he get his motto – totus tuus (”I am all thine”)?

The book that helped lead the Holy Father to greatness was “True Devotion to Mary” written by St. Louis de Montfort (1673-1716), whose feast day is today.

St. Louis had an unbeatable and divinely inspired devotion to Mary.  He preached that the way to Christ was through his Blessed Mother.  That if we truly proved our devotion to her on a daily basis, we would live the lives of saints and find salvation through Christ.

Hopefully, we all have a deep devotion to the mother who bore us or adopted us.  We’ll listen to her when we will listen to no one else; we’ll do what she wants done; we’ll defend her if necessary.  She is our queen; our lady; the first object of our affection; the beholder of all that is good and pure.

The same should go for Mary, our Mother, Queen and Lady.  Are you devoted to her?  Do you talk to her, confide in her, listen to her?  Do you see her hand guiding you throughout your day?

Do you pray the Rosary, her prayer?  Do you give a Morning Offering, offering your day every morning to Jesus through Mary?  Do you ask Mary to pray for us and protect us, especially in her role as patroness of the USA (Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception) and the unborn (Our Lady of Guadalupe)?

Do you believe that she has come to us through the appearances at Guadalupe, Fatima, Lourdes, and elsewhere?  Do you accept that she gave the Rosary to St. Dominic, the Brown Scapular to St. Simon Stock and the Miraculous Medal to St. Catherine Laboure?  Do you believe she delivered victory at Lepanto and saved Russia from communism?

More importantly, do you believe that she is the Mother of God?  Do you believe in her Immaculate Heart? Her Holy and Immaculate Conception?  Her eternal virginity and motherhood?  Her Glorious Assumption?  Her Queenship of Heaven?

Do you pray the Ave Maria (Hail Mary)?  The Magnificat?  The Hail, Holy Queen?  The Angelus?  The Memorare?  The Sub Tuum?  The Regina Caeli?  The Alma Redemptoris Mater?

Do you wear the Brown Scapular?  Carry the Rosary?  Wear the Miraculous Medal?  Go to Mass on First Saturdays?  Do you blow her a kiss as you are entering and leaving Mass?  Do you ask for her maternal help throughout the day?  Have you consecrated yourself to Mary either through St. Louis’ Total Consecration or St. Maximilian Kolbe’s Immaculata?

Do you live your life like Mary lived her’s?  Are you as devoted to Christ and our Father as she?  Do you implicitly trust and hope in the Lord?

Do you believe she is our Mother and the Mother of the Church, our intercessor, our mediator, our guide, our protector,  our comforter, our mystical rose and gate to heaven?  Do you believe she is the Queen of the saints, of families, of peace, of all of us, her children?

Are you willing to fight with her against evil?  To fight for her?  To rely on her as Christ did?  To follow Christ as she did, to the very shadow of the Cross?

So many throughout history have tried to impress upon us the truth and the power of a sincere and unwavering devotion to Mary.  And our devotion to her is needed and it is needed now.  Our Mother will lead us through these troubling times and bring us closer to Christ.  But it is imperative that we offer ourselves through her to her Son, each and every day.

In these times, we must have the devotion of St. Louis, St. Maximilian, St. Bernard, St. Juan Diego, St. Bernadette, and so many other saints and holy men and women throughout the ages.  They trusted Mary as their mother; we must do the same.  And like all mothers, she wants to hear from us, especially those words that tell her that we love her.

Totus tuus ego sum, et omnia mea tua sunt, O Virgo, super omnia bendicta. I am all yours, and all that is mine is yours, O Virgin, blessed above all. – St. Louis de Montfort.

• Mary
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theophilus April 13th, 2009

Does a father have a duty to call out their children when they are doing something that is not within their best interests?

Of course, we do.  Fathers are always instructing, guiding, cajoling, pressuring their children to walk the right path.  And sometimes we have to take a rather direct and pointed approach.  It’s how we fulfill our responsibility to help our kids live the lives they are supposed to lead.

But, sometimes it appears to be different when the father is “Father” and the children are parishioners.  It especially appears to be different when the parishioners step inside the church twice a year.

Yesterday, my parish was so crowded that the gym was used as overflow, complete with a closed circuit projection screen.  In other words, the Easter Catholics were out in force.

And Father took the occasion to make it a teaching moment.  He poignantly stated that if the flock who showed up once or twice a year really believed in the Resurrection, they would come to Mass frequently.

Frank, straightforward, honest, to the point.

When I was at dinner, I heard an earful from my family as the story was told.  “We should just be glad they show up at all.”  “How does Father expect to get them back if he attacks them?”  “Our priest simply said that ‘I want to remind everyone that we are open on weekends.’”

So, which is it?  Should we just be happy they are there, or should we get in their heads that it’s not ok if they skip Sunday Mass?

I guess it depends on how you view Sunday Mass and your eternal life.

Is Sunday Mass just a spot on the calendar when your neighbors get together to sing and talk; or is it the center of your week when you are invited into the most intimate and holy communion with Christ our King and Savior?  Can you ensure the quality of your eternal life by thinking of God now and then, or are you supposed to make Christ the very essence of your life, living every moment in perfect tune with him?  And can you live such a life going to Mass once or twice a year?

Mass isn’t an event or appointment.  It’s not like our weekly management meeting, kid’s soccer game, or poker night.  It is the fulfillment of our lives when we gather the divine strength and wisdom needed to live our lives the way God intends for us to live it.  It is when we are renewed and recharged.

So, if we are missing out on something so important, so vital, so essential to our lives here on earth and our eternal life, shouldn’t our Father, who has been charged with not losing us, shouldn’t he call us out if we are missing out on something as important as Mass?

With Easter Catholics, I really doubt that the soft-glove approach works.  I really doubt that the Say-Nothing Approach works either.  True, the Holy Spirit may still spark a flame, but sometimes the Holy Spirit needs to use a knock alongside the head.

Yesterday, Father said what needed to be said.  He was a shephard leading his flock.

Let’s hope, someone took it to heart and will be back this Sunday.  I won’t mind sitting in the gym if they are there.

• Church , Eucharist , Holy Spirit , Liturgy
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