Deacons, Chalices, and the Mystery of Faith

Saint Stephen, the First Deacon

There has been lots of talk lately about deacons and celibacy based on the recent conclusions made by canon lawyer Ed Peters.

Somewhat related to this is the liturgical function and symbolism of deacons - especially their roles as holders and guardians of the sacred chalice. The Catholic Church has traditionally seen deacons as necessarily chaste and continent because they touch the sacred chalice. I would like to argue that the sacred chalice is itself "the mystery of faith" and this has become forgotten in modern liturgics.

One difficulty in the post-Vatican 2 liturgy, now recognized by many liturgists, was the divorce of the "mysterium fidei" from the words of consecration in the missal of His Holiness Pope Paul VI. Prior to 1970, the consecration of the chalice was as such:

Hic est enim calix sanguinis mei,

novi et aeterni testamenti:

mysterium fidei:

qui pro vobis et pro multis effundetur

in remissionem peccatorum.

This is the chalice of my Blood
of the New and Eternal Testament
the Mystery of Faith
which is poured out for you and for many
for the remission of sins.

The place of "mysterium fidei" in the consecration of the chalice goes back to the 600s at least. Saint Thomas Aquinas taught that the words "mysterium fidei" should be preserved in the consecration of the chalice, just after the word "testimenti" (cf. STh III, q. 78, a. 3; Super I Cor, c. 11, v. 25).

By the way, nobody here (especially not I) claims that the consecration is invalid without "mysterium fidei." Of course, all Novus Ordo Masses are valid. Eastern Eucharists are also valid, even though they also lack what the words "mystery of faith" or τὸ μυστήριον τῆς πίστεως. We're just talking about liturgy and tradition here, not sacramental validity.

The phrase "mystery of faith" was not supposed to be an opportunity to recite an affirmation of the Faith (e.g. "Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.")

Previously, the "mystery of faith" is the chalice of the Precious Blood itself which is the New and Everlasting Covenant of Christ. It's the Blood of Christ in particular that is our "mystery of faith" - not words that we recite.

Notably, the only time the phrase "mystery of faith" (Vulgate: mysterium fidei, Greek: τὸ μυστήριον τῆς πίστεως) appears in the pages of Sacred Scripture is at 1 Timothy 3:8-9:

"Deacons in like manner: chaste, not double tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre: Holding the Mystery of Faith in a pure conscience."

Deacons in all rites and traditions, East and West, are associated with the chalice in the liturgy. Deacons literally "hold the Mystery of Faith" at the minor elevation of the Holy Mass. Whether or not Saint Paul intended to denote the Eucharistic chalice by the words "mystery of faith" in 1 Tim 3:8-9, I suspect that the subsequent tradition had a gut feeling that deacons, the mystery of faith, and the chalice go together as an intact unity.

I would also add that the idea of "mystery and chalice" is again reaffirmed in the Apocalypse where we discover that the "false church," that scarlet harlot, also holds a chalice and she is herself a blasphemous "mystery."

"And the woman was clothed round about with purple and scarlet, and gilt with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden chalice in her hand, full of the abomination and filthiness of her fornication. And on her forehead a name was written: A Mystery: Babylon the Great, the mother of the fornications and the abominations of the earth. ” (Revelation 17:4–5, D-R)

So there seems to be something mysterious about chalices and "mystery" in Scripture.

There is ancient wisdom here.

Thomas Aquinas: Should we spank children?

In the last few years, there have been several spoof versions of scholastic arguments in the manner of Saint Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologiae. Here's another spoof that I came up with - What Saint Thomas would have said regarding "Whether we should spank children." Happy feast of Saint Thomas Aquinas. For those not in the know, this is Thomist nerd humor:

Summa theologiae, Supplementum Supplementi q. 54

Article. 1 Whether spanking children is lawful.

Objection 1. It seems that spanking children is not lawful because the Apostle states, “Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged” (Col 3:21) and again, “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Eph 6:4). Now physical injury is a provocation. Hence spanking children is not lawful.

Objection 2. Besides, the Psalmist sings, “thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me” (Ps 23:4). Now striking a child with the rod is not comforting. Hence, it is not lawful to spank a child.

Objection 3. Furthermore, God prevented Moses from entering the Promised Land because he angrily struck the rock of salvation with a rod (cf. Num 20:11). By this signification we learn that the rod denotes the species of anger that forfeits the divine promises on account of malice. Hence, it is not lawful to use the rod on children about which Christ spoke: “For to such belongs the kingdom of Heaven” (Mt 19:14) for in these words Christ speaks of a promise.

On the contrary, It is written: “He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him” (Prov 12:24) and again, “Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him” (Prov 22:15). Now the dutiful parent disciplines his child and drives away folly. Therefore, it is lawful to spank a child with the rod.

I answer that, striking a child may be accomplished in two ways. A parent may spank a child in wrath so as to injure the child, or a parent may spank a child in a spirit of charity and patience so as to fulfill the words: “he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.” Consequently, spankings administered in charity are virtuous and meritorious.

Reply to the First Objection. Here the Apostle speaks of wrathful provocation whereby the child is wounded. Now the correction of vice in a child is not a wound, but a cure. Hence, the Apostle does not denounce corporeal punishments.

Reply to the Second Objection. The rod comforts the Psalmist spiritually. As stated above, the removal of vice is comforting. Hence, corporeal punishment that seeks to mitigate vice is licit since it leads to spiritual comfort.

Reply to the Third Objection. Moses forfeited his right to the Promise Land by angrily bearing the rod of the Lord. Previously, the Lord also said to Moses: “And you shall take in your hand this rod, with which you shall do the signs” (Ex 4:17). Now rods can be used in two ways. Relatively speaking, rods are neutral in that they can be used for a good or a bad purpose. The rod of discipline, simply speaking, drives away folly, as stated above, and for this reason the Lord says, “with which you shall do the signs.” Hence the term “rod” need not denote wrathful indignation on the part of the one who bears the rod.

Look for me in the New Oxford Review

If you get the New Oxford Review or you academic institution receives it, please check out my contribution in the latest issue (Jan-Feb 2011).

You can read the first part of it here:

"The Rhone to the Thames to the Tiber" 
By Taylor Marshall 

Photo: Best Pro-Life Sign at March for Life 2011

In my opinion, this was the best home-made sign of the 2011 March for Life.

Hat tip to Brent Stubbs for finding the photo and also to the blog A Slice of Smith Life for hosting it.

The Miraculous Cord of Saint Thomas Aquinas and the Angelic Warfare

 

While in Washington, D.C. our high school students visited the Dominican House of Studies on the campus of the Catholic University of America. The Dominican priest Father James Brent told us about the Confraternity of Angelic Warfare (Militia Angelica), which is based on the miraculous cord of Saint Thomas Aquinas.Those who belong to the Confraternity wear a blessed cord of Saint Thomas Aquinas (or medal) and pray daily for the gift of holy purity and chastity.

After Thomas Aquinas chased the harlot from his room in his family's prison with a burning log, he inscribed a cross on the wall and fell into a mystical ecstasy. Two angels came and girded him with a miraculous cord and said, "Behold, we grid thee by the command of God with the girdle of chastity, which henceforth will never be imperiled. What human strength can not obtain, is now bestowed upon thee as a celestial gift.

From that time forward, Thomas received the gift of perfect chastity so that he never again experienced sexual temptations. This account is included in the official records of his canonization. It is depicted in the image above.

Saint Thomas wore that girdle till the end of his life, at which time he discovered to his friend, Reginald of Piperno, the grace he had received. The heavenly girdle was presented to the ancient monastery of Vercelli in Piedmont, St. Thomas' mother-house, by John of Vercelli, who entered upon the Office of General of the Order in 1274, the year of the saints' death. The holy girdle is now at Chieri, near Turin.

It is formed of many fine threads, but of what material the sharpest eye in unable to decide. One end has a double loop through which the cord is drawn in girding. The part that goes around the waist is flat, somewhat wider than a flattened straw, the other part consists of two fine, four corned cords, which are tied into fifteen knots all alike and of peculiar make. The whole length of the girdle is not quite one and a half meters (a meter= 39.37 inches). The color, originally white is, through age and the repeated touching of other girdles, somewhat brown or rather pearl-color.

Pilgrims began to touch homemade cinctures to this original miraculous girdle and wear them for the sake of holy purity. Soon, this practice became well-known and widespread.

The Dominican Father Francis Deurwerders suggested uniting all that wore these girdles of St. Thomas into a Confraternity under the title "Militia Angelica" or "Angelic Warfare." From the 1600s, this confraternity has continued the tradition.

Our young people went through the liturgy of being enrolled and registered in the Confraternity of Angelic Warfare and were give the girdle (bearing 15 knots for the 15 decades of the Holy Rosary) and the prayers to be recited every day for the gift of purity. I joined and I'm wearing the holy cored as I write this post.

Here are the 2 daily prayers to also be said with 15 Hail Mary's:

The Prayer to St. Thomas for Purity
Chosen lily of innocence, pure St. Thomas,
who kept chaste the robe of baptism
and became an angel in the flesh after being girded by two angels,
I implore you to commend me to Jesus, the Spotless Lamb,
and to Mary, the Queen of Virgins.
Gentle protector of my purity, ask them that I,
who wear the holy sign of your victory over the flesh,
may also share your purity,
and after imitating you on earth
may at last come to be crowned with you among the angels. Amen.

The Prayer of St. Thomas for Purity
(St. Thomas wrote this one)
Dear Jesus,
I know that every perfect gift,
and especially that of chastity,
depends on the power of Your providence.
Without You a mere creature can do nothing.
Therefore, I beg You to defend by Your grace
the chastity and purity of my body and soul.
And if I have ever sensed or imagined anything
that could stain my chastity and purity,
blot it out, Supreme Lord of my powers,
that I may advance with a pure heart in Your love and service,
offering myself on the most pure altar of Your divinity
all the days of my life. Amen.

For more information on the Confraternity of Angelic Warfare, please visit their website.

Anglicanorum Coetibus at the March for Life

Margaret Pichon of Our Lady of Walsingham (Anglican Use) Catholic Church in Houston sent me this great photo from the March for Life.

The Anglicans and Anglican Use Catholics marched together - and showed their gratitude to the Holy Father for Anglicanorum Coetibus.

March for Life and the Power of Penance

This was my third March for Life and, by far, the best one yet. I saw more young people, and certainly more priests than every before. It is also the first time that I didn't see any countering "pro-choice" protesters anywhere. In the past I've seen a few here and there. Maybe they were there, but I didn't see any.

I haven't seen an official number yet, but the rumor was 400,000 people! I was especially happy to see Texas Cardinal DiNardo as a prominent voice. It's encouraging to have a Texas Cardinal, and it's especially encouraging to see him taking leadership.

Another encouraging sign was this year's new attention to other life life issues - especially that of euthanasia as it regards the elderly and those with mental handicaps (the so-called "clinically brain dead").

Personally, I was encouraged about the cause, but discouraged concerning the state of our nation. While in DC, we visited our nation's monuments and celebrated our great history. However, I had this sense that our country has moved further down the path of destruction. Maybe I'm just older and less idealistic. Maybe it's the leadership of President Obama. Maybe it's growing distrust of the political order in general. It feels like America is losing herself.

Whatever happens in the years to come, it is encouraging to see so many young people and young clergy and religious fighting the fight. Nations come and go. The Kingdom of Christ endures. King David said, "Trust not in princes." That's true even if they are "pro-life political princes." Even if our nation is weaker, the Church appears a little bit stronger. Perhaps this is just where we need to be.

During the speeches, my eyes fell on a Carmelite brother in a very rough and worn brown habit. He bore a beard and appeared recollected the entire time. I looked down and saw that he wore simple thong sandals and no socks. It was below freezing outside and there were his toes. Let me tell you, my toes were cold and I was wearing two pairs of socks. He had to have been suffering.

I understood in that moment that we can't win this fight with just speeches, t-shirts, and banners. That thin, bearded Carmelite brother was secretly and quietly overcoming the demonic principalities in our nation's capital. He was doing it through recollected silence and penance. He was the the true sign of contradiction against the culture of sex, the culture of excess, and the culture of death.

May God richly reward him, hear our prayers, and bring this national scourge to and end.

Our Lady, Mother of the All the Living, pray for us.

Godspeed,
Taylor Marshall

PS: If you were at the March, please feel free to share your thoughts and what you saw.

I'm back from the March for Life!

We had a great time in Washington DC at the March for Life. I'm home now. I'll post something on the March for Life and include some photos in an hour or so.

Godspeed,
Taylor

I'm at March for Life

Sorry for lack of posts. I'm in DC for March for Life. I'll write up something soon on it.

Pray for our unborn!

Godspeed
Taylor Marshall

Do Catholics still zealously praise Virginity?

Saint Agnes, the Virgin Martyr

Today is the feast day of Saint Agnes, the thirteen year old virgin martyr. This morning I told her story to my students, and then I asked them (they are all Catholics), "Have you ever heard a sermon or heard a priest talk about virginity?"

They each answered, "No, I've never heard anything about virginity in Church."

If we simply thumb through the sermons of the Church Fathers, or read the lives of the saints we immediately discern that virginity was once something very important to the Catholics. The great saints and Fathers were preoccupied with promoting virginity in both young men and women. They preached about it and the encouraged it. Other than our traveling Catholic "chastity speakers," I don't know that this message is currently being proclaimed by the Church with the same intensity as in previous ages.

Saint Augustine, as did many of the Fathers, wrote a treatise On Virginity, in which he states that consecrated virgins receive "a unique and transcendent glory" (De Virginitate, 25).

Saint Thomas Aquinas taught that a special halo, the aureole, shall be given to consecrated virgins of both sexes in heaven. He writes:

I answer that, Where there is a notable kind of victory, a special crown is due. Wherefore since by virginity a person wins a signal victory over the flesh, against which a continuous battle is waged: "The flesh lusteth against the spirit," etc. (Galatians 5:17), a special crown called the aureole is due to virginity. (Summa theologiae, III-Supp. q. 96, a. 5)

Why then do we not presently hear the historic Catholic praise for virginity? The Mohammedans hold forth the false promise for their men gaining seventy-two virgins in heaven, but the Catholics no longer seem to hold forth the true promise that virgins gain a special place in Heaven.

Turning to the book of the Apocalypse, we find an army of virgins who are especially dedicated to Christ. These virginal saints have a special degree of sanctity:

And they sung as it were a new canticle, before the throne and before the four living creatures and the ancients: and no man could say the canticle, but those hundred forty-four thousand who were purchased from the earth. These are they who were not defiled with women: for they are virgins. These follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These were purchased from among men, the firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth there was found no lie: for they are without spot before the throne of God. (Apocalypse 14:3-5)

Here we see that virginity is outward sign of interior purity and a denotes an undivided devotion to Christ.

I think there are two reasons for our contemporary forgetfulness of sacred virginity. The first is that it is politically incorrect. That is, if you speak highly virginity you're going to hurt the feelings of those who are not virgins. While those have have abandoned their virginity through sin can receive forgiveness and grace, their mistake is no reason to not praise the ideal set forth in Sacred Scripture.

The second reason is that parents no longer stress and expect their children to be virgins. Fathers especially need to speak about virginity and encourage their children to be virgins, either until their wedding day or for all eternity. Virginity is perhaps the greatest gift that one can give to God, and it is certainly the most valuable gift that one can give to one's spouse on the day in which you receive the sacrament of Matrimony.

So tell you friends, tell your children, proclaim it from the housetops: Praise virginity. And may Saint Agnes pray for us.

You can read the full story of Saint Agnes by clicking here.

Would you suffer arrow wounds for Christ? The full story on Saint Sebastian

Would you suffer arrow wounds for Christ like Saint Sebastian?

That would be a difficult death, but the thing about Sebastian is that he didn't actually die from the arrow wounds. He survived the arrows and died later after being beaten to death. For this reason, he is sometimes called "the martyr who died twice."

Here's the fully story. In the late 200s, Sebastian was the a captain of the Roman Praetorian Guard under Diocletian. As a Christian, Sebastian encouraged camptured Catholics facing martyrdom not to deny their faith in Christ. Sebastian not only encouraged these prisoners, but he also converted up to 78 pagans to the Catholic Faith.

The Emperor Diocletian reproached Sebastian for his political betrayal, and he commanded him to be led to the field and there to be shot full of arrows. Miraculously, the arrows did not kill him but only severely wounded him. Nonetheless, the soldiers believed him to be dead. A widow named Irene went to retrieve his body to bury it, but she found that he was still alive. She brought him back to her house and nursed him back to health.

When Sebastian had recovered, he sought the emperor Diocletion and reproached him for fighting against Christ and the Catholic Church. The emperor was startled since he thought that Sebastian was dead (from the arrows). So the emperor had him beaten to death. This time, Sebastian died and went to his heavenly reward.

Saint Ambrose makes an application for us from the life of Saint Sebastian with these words:

Take the example of the martyr Sebastian, whose birthday in glory we celebrate today. He was a native of Milan. At a time when persecution either had ceased or had not yet begun or was of a milder kind, he realized that there was only slight, if any, opportunity for suffering. He set out for Rome, where bitter persecutions were raging because of the fervor of the Christians. There he endured suffering; there he gained his crown. He went to the city as a stranger and there established a home of undying glory. If there had been only one persecutor, he would not have gained a martyr’s crown.

The persecutors who are visible are not the only ones. There are also invisible persecutors, much greater in number. This is more serious. Like a king bent on persecution, sending orders to persecute to his many agents, and establishing different persecutors in each city or province, the devil directs his many servants in their work of persecution, whether in public or in the souls of individuals. Of this kind of persecution Scripture says: All who wish to live a holy life in Christ Jesus suffer persecution. “All” suffer persecution; there is no exception. Who can claim exemption if the Lord himself endured the testing of persecution? How many there are today who are secret martyrs for Christ, giving testimony to Jesus as Lord! The Apostle knew this kind of martyrdom, this faithful witnessing to Christ; he said: This is our boast, the testimony of our conscience.

- From an exposition of Psalm 118 by Saint Ambrose

The days may come when we may have to offer our lives to Christ as martyrs. It has happened in every century. Let us pray for that grace to persevere, and draw near to Christ.

16 Patron Saints for Your Common Problems

As Catholics, we believe that we are all brothers and sisters in Christ with God as our Father and Mary as our Mother. Christ is our eldest brother and we are bound together in the unity of the Holy Spirit.

As family, we also know that there are those who have suffered through various evils, not despairing, but offering their maladies to God for an increase of sanctity. It is natural then to consult those who have suffered in ways similar to us. Thus, we ask these saints to pray for us. Here is a checklist of "common problems" and the saints usually identified with each.

1. Unemployed? - Saint Cajetan
2. Can't find a spouse? - Saint Nicholas or Saint Andrew
3. Can't get pregnant? - Saint Joachim and Saint Anne
4. Difficulties during pregnancy? - Saint Gerard
5. Have the flu? - Blessed Columba Marmion
6. Have ulcers or heartburn? - Saint Charles Borromeo
7. Sleepwalking? - Saint Dymphna
8. Dental problems? - Saint Apollonia
9. Cancer? - Saint Peregrine and Saint Bertha
10. Heart disease? - Saint John of God
11. Have arthritis? - Saint James
12. Headaches and migraines? - Saint Denys of Paris
13. Alcoholism? - Saint Monica
14. Sore throat? - Saint Blaise
15. Snake bite? - Saint Paul and Saint Patrick
16. Lost something? - Saint Anthony

I'm sure that I've missed several saints. Please feel free to add more saints and maladies in the comments below. I look forward to learning of many more.

PS: Look for a future post on the "14 Holy Helpers."

Founders of Neocatechumenal Way

I just saw this photo over at Whispers in the Loggiai of the founders of the Neocatechumenal Way with His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI (from left right: Kiko Arguello, His Holiness, Carmen Hernandez, and Fr Mario Pezzi).

Adidas? Has this been photoshopped or something?

A Married Priest Ordinary for the Anglican Ordinariate in the UK (Father Keith Newton)

His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI has appointed Father Keith Newton (age 58, being ordained a Catholic priest today - Jan 15, 2010) as the Ordinary for the new Anglican Ordinariate of the Catholic Church in Great Britain. Notably, Father Newton is married with children and a grandchild. This means that the Ordinary will be a priest and not a bishop, since the Holy Father has specifically said that married men will NOT be elevated to the episcopate (a very good thing in my opinion).

Of further interest is the stipulation that the Ordinary will also be allowed to pontificate and wear the mitre, etc. even though he is not a bishop.

For those still wondering what the Anglican Ordinariate is, it is a personal ordinariate providing for corporate reunion in such a way that allows former Anglicans to enter full communion with the Catholic Church while preserving elements of Anglican patrimony. The Holy Father revealed this plan on November 4, 2009 with the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum coetibus.

If you want to learn more about the Anglican Ordinariate, here is a talk that I gave on the subject at the University of Dallas. Please push the triangular "play button" below to hear it.


Click on the triangular “play” button above.

Saint Hilary in Ten Easy Points

Today is feast of Saint Hilary of Poiters (ca. A.D. 300-368). He is is a Doctor of the Universal Church, though not well known. Here's a quick introduction to Saint Hilary in ten easy points:

1. Saint Hilary was the Bishop of Poiters and is one of the Doctors of the the Church.
2. He was called the Malleus Arianorum {"Hammer of the Arians") because he wrote so vigorously against the heresy of Arius. Saint Hilary was a stalward defender of the full divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ. Many have called him the "Athanasius of the West."
3. Hilary was a married man and had one a daughter with his wife. They were a pagan family until they all converted to Catholicism together some time in the first half of the fourth century.
4. Hilary's daughter is a also saint: Saint Abra.
5. In 353, Saint Hilary was elected bishop, even though he was a married man. Once he was consecrated as bishop, he and his wife lived in continence.
6. His two most important books are "Of the Eastern Faith" and "On the Trinity." In these works, Saint Hilary translates the orthodox Eastern terminology into Latin in order to defend the Catholic doctrine of the Trinity.
7. Hilary was a poet and penned a number of Latin hymns.
8. Hilary was a Bible scholar and wrote full commentaries on the Psalms, Matthew, and Job.
9. Pope Pius IX declared Hilary as a Universal Doctor of the Church in 1851.
10. In Medieval universities, the term beginning in January is sometimes call the "Hilary term" since it begins on his feast day - January 13 or 14.

Saint Hilary, Hammer of the Arians, pray for us.

The Holy Nails of Christ - Where did they go?

Iron Crown of Lombardy
formed from the iron of a Holy Nail of the Cross

Previously, we discussed whether Christ was crucified with four or three nails.

This time, we'll ask, where are the Holy Nails now?

Saint Ambrose of Milan reports us that Saint Helen melted one of the holy nails into a bridle for Constantine's horse - a very strange thing if you ask me. Tradition also relates that one of the nails was incorporated in a crown worn by Constantine. Some allege that the "the iron crown of Lombardy" is that very same crown of Constantine. Who knows if it truly is? The idea of a crown made from an iron nail of Christ is pretty impressive. It would be a humbling experience for a monarch to wear such a crown - the metal that pierced the Savior. Wow.

If anyone else has details or proof on this matter, I'd be very interested in learning more.

Godspeed,
Taylor Marshall

What is Sin? Saint Basil gives the answer

This is a short and sweet little reflection from Saint Basil on "What is sin?" It's a handy definition that you may want to share with others.

This is the definition of sin: the misuse of powers given us by God for doing good, a use contrary to God’s commands. On the other hand, the virtue that God asks of us is the use of the same powers based on a good conscience in accordance with God’s command.

  Since this is so, we can say the same about love. Since we received a command to love God, we possess from the first moment of our existence an innate power and ability to love. The proof of this is not to be sought outside ourselves, but each one can learn this from himself and in himself. It is natural for us to want things that are good and pleasing to the eye, even though at first different things seem beautiful and good to different people. In the same way, we love what is related to us or near to us, though we have not been taught to do so, and we spontaneously feel well disposed to our benefactors.

  What, I ask, is more wonderful than the beauty of God? What thought is more pleasing and wonderful than God’s majesty? What desire is as urgent and overpowering as the desire implanted by God in a soul that is completely purified of sin and cries out in its love: I am wounded by love? The radiance of divine beauty is altogether beyond the power of words to describe.

Sanctus Basilius Magnus Regula (Resp. 2, 1: Patrologia Graeca 31, 908-910)

Saint Basil is my one of my favorites!

By the way, if you you bring this up in a conversation, be sure to say "Saint Bay-sul." That's the temptation for Texans. Instead, pronounce it "Saint Bazzel," rhyming with dazzle.


Same goes for "Saint Augustine." Say "Saint Ugus-tin," not "Saint Ohh-gus-teen."

Arizona Shooter Had Satanic Occult Altar

I just read this interesting story over at Women of Grace.

Turns out that the Jared Loughner, the Arizona shooter, was not under the influence of Tea Party politics - he was under the influence of Satan:

An altar containing articles used in occult ceremonies has been uncovered in the backyard of Jared Loughner, the man accused of shooting 19 people, six of whom died, at a congresswoman’s public event in Tucson on Saturday.

The New York Daily News is reporting that investigators found a shrine hidden in a camouflage tent behind Loughner’s Tucson home. The altar contained a skull sitting on a pot filled with shriveled oranges. A row of ceremonial candles and a bag of potting soil lay nearby. Experts said all the items are elements typically featured in occult ceremonies.

I worry with all the television shows and books on witchcraft, magic, and the occult, young people are more frequently exposing themselves to the demonic forces.

If so, I hate to say it, Jared Loughner won't be the last.

Let us pray and do penance. As Saint Paul wrote:

"For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood; but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places" (Eph 6:12).

Wall Street Journal Quoting G.K. Chesterton Today...

This morning I read an article in which a secular economist (Peter Bernstein in the Wall Street Journal) quoted GK Chesterton in order to highlight the uncertainty of the global markets in 2011. It's not every day that you see Chesterton's name pop up in the Wall Street Journal!

Here's the quote from G.K.C. that the WSJ quoted:

"The real trouble with this world of ours is not that it is an unreasonable world, nor even that it is a reasonable one. The commonest kind of trouble is that it is nearly reasonable, but not quite...It looks just a little more mathematical and regular than it is; its exactitude is obvious, but its inexactitude is hidden; its wildness lies in wait." - G.K. Chesterton

Video: English Anglican Bishops Become Catholic

Exciting news. Here's a video from RomeReports. Deo gratias.

Holy Family = Divine Pattern for Humanity (Pope Leo XIII)

Today's fifth and sixth readings for Matins (1961 Roman Breviary) provide us with a beautiful passage from Pope Leo XIII on how the Holy Family is the perfect pattern for all mankind: fathers, mothers, children, rich, poor...all.

To all fathers of families, Joseph is verily the best model of paternal vigilance and care. In the most holy Virgin Mother of God, mothers may find an excellent example of love, modesty, resignation of spirit, and the perfecting of faith. And in Jesus, who was subject to his parents, the children of the family have a divine pattern of obedience which they can admire, reverence, and imitate. Those who are of noble birth may learn, from this Family of royal blood, how to live simply in times of prosperity, and how to retain their dignity in times of distress. The rich may learn that moral worth is to be more highly esteemed than wealth. Artisans, and all such as are bitterly grieved by the narrow and slender means of their families, if they would but consider the sublime holiness of the members of this domestic fellowship, cannot fail to find some cause for rejoicing in their lot, rather than for being merely dissatisfied with it. In common with the Holy Family, they have to work, and to provide for the daily wants of life. Joseph had to engage in trade, in order to live ; even the divine hands laboured at an artisan's calling. It is not to be wondered at, that the wealthiest men, if truly wise, have been willing to cast away their riches, and to embrace a life of poverty with Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.

From the foregoing it is evident how natural and fitting it was that devotion to the Holy Family should in due time have grown up amongst Catholics; and once begun, that it should spread far and wide. Proof of this lieth first in the sodalities instituted under the ínvocation of the Holy Family ; then in the unique honours bestowed upon it; and above all, by the privileges and favours granted to this devotion by our predecessors to stimulate fervour and piety in its regard. This devotion was already held in great esteem in the seventeenth century. Widely propagated in Italy, France, and Belgium, it spread over almost the whole of Europe ; thence, crossing the wide ocean, through Canada it made is way in the Americas, and finding favour there, became very flourishing. Indeed, among Christian families, nothing more salutary nor efficacious can be imagined than the example of the Holy Family, where are to be found all domestic virtues in perfection and completeness. When Jesus, Mary, and Joseph are invoked in the home, charity is likely to be maintained in the family through their example and heavenly entreaty ; a good influence is thus exerted over conduct ; the practice of virtue is thus incited ; and thus the hardships which are everywhere wont to harass mankind, are both mitigated and made easier to bear.

De Litteris Apostolicis Leonis Papae XIII
Breve Neminem fugit 14 Junii 1892

A happy feast of the Holy Family to you all. Let's keep our eyes on the Holy Family as we seek to sanctify our own families.

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, save souls!

Did the Church Fathers Practice Communion in the Hand? (Not Exactly)

The recent post entitled "Five Tips for Receiving the Communion on the Tongue" received a over 9,000 visits in it's first day up and many more after that. I never imagined that this single topic would generate so much interest on the internet.

Within the comments to the post, it was noted that there is evidence for "Holy Communion in the hand" in the writings of the early Church. Whenever I hear this argument, it bothers me because it does not provide the context for this situation in the early Church. It is true that Holy Communion in the hand did in fact happen. However, when we read the Patristic passages in context we discover the reason for why Holy Communion in the hand was tolerated. It was only allowed during times of Church persecution.

Let it be noted at the outset that St Leo the Great and St Gregory the Great are early witnesses to Communion on the Tongue as the normative. However, Saint Basil admits that Communion on the hand did happen. Saint Basil explicitly explains that Communion in the Hand was only allowed under certain circumstances {my notes are in red - like Fr Z does}:

"If {"if" denotes a conditional clause} one feels he should in times of persecution, in the absence of a priest or deacon, receive Communion by his own hand, there should be no need to point out that this certainly shows no grave immoderation {that's pretty serious}; for long custom allows this in such cases {notices how he writes "in such cases" - that's the key}. In fact, all solitaries in the desert, where there is no priest, reserving Communion in their dwellings, receive It from their own hands."

So then, Saint Basil says that Communion in the hand is allowed:

1) under times of persecution where no priest is present
2) for hermits and ascetics in the wilderness who do not have priests

He says that that Communion in the hand under any other circumstance is "grave immoderation." Thus, the laity were allowed to hold and touch the Holy Eucharist with their hands in exceptional cases. This practice, says St Basil was not, however, the norm.

Let us now turn to the most controversial quote regarding Holy Communion in the hand. It comes from one of the five mystagogical (i.e. post-Easter) lectures ascribed to Saint Cyril of Jerusalem in about the year AD 350. We currently have 18 undoubted lectures from Saint Cyril given to his catechumens in preparation for Holy Baptism at Easter. Now then, there are an additional five mystagogical lectures allegedly given by Cyril to this same group of people - now his audience has been baptized, confirmed, and has received the Holy Eucharist. So the manuscripts preserving Saint Cyril's catechesis go like this:

18 Lectures for Catechumens preparing to become Christians

Easter initiation of this Catechumens

5 Follow-Up Lectures for these Newly Baptized Christians

Now the five follow-up lectures are highly debated and may not be authentic. In other words, they may have may been added by someone other than Saint Cyril. In fact, there exist manuscripts that do not attribute these five lectures to Saint Cyril. Hence, it is not entirely responsible to quote these last five lectures as a valid authority. The five later lectures are questionable.

Anyway, here's the classic "Communion in the Hand" passage from the fifth follow-up mystagogical lecture attributed to Saint Cyril:

"When thou goest to receive communion go not with thy wrists extended, nor with thy fingers separated, but placing thy left hand as a throne for thy right, which is to receive so great a King, and in the hollow of the palm receive the body of Christ, saying, Amen." (Catechesis mystagogica V, xxi-xxii, Migne Patrologia Graeca 33)

This is the passage on which the Patristic argument for Communion in the Hand stands or falls. Whereas there is this ONE alleged quote from St Cyril (the one just above from the disputed Catechesis mystagogica), there are many undoubted quotes by other Fathers that affirm Communion on the tongue (both "great" Popes Saint Leo the Great and Saint Gregory the Great) explicitly witness to Communion on the tongue. So why take the dubious quote when there are others to go by?

I want to add one more argument against the alleged Saint Cyril of Jerusalem passage listed above. The "make your hand a throne" passage goes on to say that the faithful should touch the Holy Body of Christ to their eyes before consuming it. Then it also says that the faithful should touch their lips still moist with the precious Blood of Christ and touch the Blood to their eyes.

Even if this passage is authentic (and I don't think that it is), then Communion in the Hand should also include touching both the Holy Body and the Holy Blood to our eyes. Yet who wants to argue for this custom?!

I think that every Catholic would find this abhorrent. It is an aberration from holy tradition.

So then, it seems that the early Church administered Holy Communion on the tongue with the exception of the absence of a priest in times of persecution. If a priest were absent, then the faithful might not need to receive on the tongue.

Let me just add that I am by no means a Patristic expert and I'm very open to being corrected. I'm even more interested in any passages in the Church Fathers that support Communion in the hand as normative. So far, I've not encountered any such passages. The only evidence given is the quote quote from Saint Cyril about making your hand into a throne - and from what has been argued above, that argument is not convincing.

ad Jesum per Mariam,
Taylor Marshall

An Epiphany Party Cocktail: The Three Wise Men

The "Three Wise Men" is the name of an interesting "stiff" cocktail and might be fun to introduce to friends on the feast of the Holy Epiphany - since the Epiphany recalls the Three Wise Men.

It's blend of three types of whiskey: Scotch, Tennessee, and Kentucky.

Since you're blending the whiskeys, I would not use a high priced single malt Scotch whisky. Instead go for a cheaper Scotch, like Dewers, Chivas, or Johnnie Walker.

Here's my recommended "Three Wise Men" cocktail:

1 part Scotch Whisky (Chivas).
1 part Tennessee Whiskey (Jack Daniels).
1 part Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey (Jim Beam).

You can go neat or on the rocks. Whichever you like. Enjoy and be careful not to drink too many of these. Id so, you could quickly go from being a wise man to a fool.

Happy Epiphany!

PS: A variation is "Three Wise Men and a Baby." Same recipe as above but with a splash of milk or egg nog. This adds "holiday flavor."

Faith and Works in the Wise Men (by Pope St Leo the Great)

Here's a brief passage from Pope Saint Leo the Great (pope from A.D. 440 till 461). He highlights that the Wise Men were obedient because they followed the star. It wasn't enough to recognize the divine significance of the star. It was necessary that they stand up and follow the star to wherever it might lead.

St Leo's application for us is that Christians must have both faith and works. That is, we must believe and obey. This is yet another example that demonstrates the early Church taught "faith and works" and not the Protestant formulation of "faith alone."

Here's Saint Leo:

This came to be fulfilled, as we know, from the time when the star beckoned the three wise men out of their distant country and led them to recognise and adore the King of heaven and earth. The obedience of the star calls us to imitate its humble service: to be servants, as best we can, of the grace that invites all men to find Christ.

Dear friends, you must have the same zeal to be of help to one another; then, in the kingdom of God, to which faith and good works are the way, you will shine as children of the light: through our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with God the Father and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever. Amen.

Pope Saint Leo the Great, Sermon 3 in Epiphania Domini, 1-3. 5: PL 54, 240-244.

For more about the Catholic doctrine of justification by faith and works in accord with the teachings of Saint Paul, please see my new book: The Catholic Perspective on Paul.

I'll be on EWTN Radio today at 3:30pm Central Time (Al Kresta)

I'll be on Al Kresta's nationally syndicated radio show today (Monday Jan 3, 2011) talking about my new book The Catholic Perspective on Paul at 3:30 pm Central Time.

If your city doesn't have Catholic radio, you can listen live through the internet by clicking: here.

5 Tips on Receiving the Holy Eucharist on the Tongue

Five tips on receiving the Holy Eucharist on your tongue:

1. Open your mouth wide. Make your mouth into a landing pad, not a quarter slot.
2. Stick out your tongue. Don't be embarrassed.
3. Close your eyes. Why? If you leave your eyes open you'll be tempted to move your head toward the priest. Moving targets are hard to hit. Close your eyes and keep your head still.
4. Don't bite the hand that feeds you. Sticking out your tongue will insure that his hand doesn't come into contact with your teeth (or lips - gross!)
5. Please do not chew the Holy Eucharist. Let it soften in the mouth and then swallow. By doing this, you'll avoid having the smallest particle of Our Lord stuck in your teeth where it might be desecrated later by coming into contact with the profane. 

Some of my Catholic friends complain about priests touching their mouths when they try to receive Holy Communion on the tongue. That never happens to me. I think it's because I stick out my tongue and open wide (or maybe it's because I have a big mouth!).

Hat tip to Father Thomas Longua for these recommendations.

Jesu, the very thought of thee

This is the English from tonight's Vespers Hymn in the old Breviary. It's quite beautiful and I wanted to share it with you.

Is not the name "Jesus" sweetness in our mouth?

Jesu, the very thought of thee
With sweetness fills my breast;
But sweeter far thy face to see,
And in thy presence rest.

Nor voice can sing, nor heart can frame,
Nor can the memory find,
A sweeter sound than thy blest Name,
O Saviour of mankind!

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!

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.

Jesu, our only joy be Thou,
As Thou our prize wilt be;
Jesu, be Thou our glory now,
And through eternity.
Amen.

The Word took our nature from Mary (St Athanasius)

In the passage below, Saint Athanasius describes how even though the Word (Second Person of the Trinity) assumed a human nature from Holy Mary, the Trinity remains a Trinity, with neither increase nor decrease. This is difficult to wrap your mind around, but it is worth a try. Nobody says it better than Athanasius!

From a letter of St Athanasius:

The Word took to himself the sons of Abraham, says the Apostle, and so had to be like his brothers in all things. He had then to take a body like ours. This explains the fact of Mary’s presence: she is to provide him with a body of his own, to be offered for our sake. Scripture records her giving birth, and says: She wrapped him in swaddling clothes. Her breasts, which fed him, were called blessed. Sacrifice was offered because the child was her firstborn. Gabriel used careful and prudent language when he announced his birth. He did not speak of “what will be born in you” to avoid the impression that a body would be introduced into her womb from outside; he spoke of “what will be born from you,” so that we might know by faith that her child originated within her and from her.
  By taking our nature and offering it in sacrifice, the Word was to destroy it completely and then invest it with his own nature, and so prompt the Apostle to say: This corruptible body must put on incorruption; this mortal body must put on immortality.
  This was not done in outward show only, as some have imagined. This is not so. Our Saviour truly became man, and from this has followed the salvation of man as a whole. Our salvation is in no way fictitious, nor does it apply only to the body. The salvation of the whole man, that is, of soul and body, has really been achieved in the Word himself.
  What was born of Mary was therefore human by nature, in accordance with the inspired Scriptures, and the body of the Lord was a true body: It was a true body because it was the same as ours. Mary, you see, is our sister, for we are all born from Adam.
  The words of St John, the Word was made flesh, bear the same meaning, as we may see from a similar turn of phrase in St Paul: Christ was made a curse for our sake. Man’s body has acquired something great through its communion and union with the Word. From being mortal it has been made immortal; though it was a living body it has become a spiritual one; though it was made from the earth it has passed through the gates of heaven.
  Even when the Word takes a body from Mary, the Trinity remains a Trinity, with neither increase nor decrease. It is for ever perfect. In the Trinity we acknowledge one Godhead, and thus one God, the Father of the Word, is proclaimed in the Church.