Photos: Best Catholic Church Renovation in Texas (St Theresa's Sugarland)

Novus Ordo Mass ad orientem in Texas

in the Renovated St Theresa's Sugarland

I recently had the pleasure and honor of delivering two presentations at St Theresa's Catholic Sugarland (outside Houston) on topics relating to my book The Crucified Rabbi, specifically on how the liturgical and sacrificial customs of the Old Testament find their fulfillment in the Catholic Mass, liturgy, architecture, and vestments.

St Theresa's, under the leadership of Father Stephen Reynolds, renovated their sanctuary which was previously lacking in what we might call the "beauty of holiness."

Here are the "before photos"...

Behold the green lights!!! 

Father Reynolds tells us that the lights changed colors to match the liturgical seasons. Yikes.

And now for the renovation "after photos." Drumroll, please...

 

Breathtaking, isn't it? It's difficult to believe that it's truly the same church. The renovation is one thousand times better than the original.

But wait. There's more. Here's the daily Mass chapel before:

And here's the daily Mass chapel after:

Do you want to renovate your church and return it to the "beauty of holiness"? Why not go with the same architect: Duncan G. Stroik. 

http://www.stroik.com/

By the looks of his work, it's all good.

A special thank you to Father Reynolds and Alan Phipps for having me down to Saint Theresa's and for sharing the photos. Here's the website for St Theresa's Catholic Church in Sugarland Texas.

Immaculate Mary and Personified Wisdom in the Old Testament

Immaculate Mary - Seat of Wisdom

The Old Testament frequently personifies "Wisdom" as an allegorical female who leads righteous men to God. In Hebrew, the word for wisdom is "Chakmah," in Greek it is "Sophia," and in Latin it is "Sapientia." All three words, incidentally, are feminine nouns.

Who, then, is Lady Wisdom? Here are a few options:

1) Lady Wisdom is the pre-incarnate Christ.
2) Lady Wisdom is a type of Mary, the Mother of Christ.
3) Lady Wisdom is an ancient Near Eastern goddess or a feminine Gnostic demigod.
4) Lady Wisdom is purely an allegory of the virtue of wisdom.

Now the Catholic in good faith must reject the third option, since there is no such thing as a goddess in Mosaic Judaism. Nor is the Greek notion of a Sophia goddess permitted to the faithful Catholic. The fourth option cannot be completely correct because the Fathers and the liturgy of the Catholic Church find these "Lady Wisdom" passages to have application to Christ and/or Mary.

So that brings us to options one and two...Wisdom as Christ or Mary.

Saint Paul states the Christ was made for us "the wisdom of God" (1 Cor 1:30). This is true, however, it doesn't satisfy all the biblical data. Christ is certainly the divine and eternal Wisdom or Word of God. No doubt. However, the Lady Wisdom in Proverbs, Wisdom, and Sirach seems to be somewhat different - most importantly, she is created.

Here are four reasons why the Old Testament's Lady Wisdom is not a perfect type of Christ:

1. In Sirach 24, it specifically states that Lady Wisdom was "created in the beginning" (Sir 24:14). Now we know that our Lord Jesus Christ certainly was not created. To say that Christ is created is to utter the blasphemy of the heresiarch Arius.
2. Secondly, Lady Wisdom is always feminine and the Incarnate Christ is male. (By the way, when the heterodox neo-Gnostics speak of Christ as "neuter" or as "Christa" simply remind them of our Lord's sacred circumcision and that should be the end of it.)
3. Third, Lady Wisdom is fulfilled in Proverbs by the closing chapter of the book (Prov 31) in which a true historical virtuous woman fulfills the role of "Wisdom." This also relates to her status as "mother and mistress."
4. In Sirach 24:14, we learn that God Himself dwelled within this Lady Wisdom: "Then the Creator of all things commanded, and said to me: and he that made me, rested in my tabernacle." Hence, Lady Wisdom, even in the Old Testament, was the Theotokos or Mother of God.

Okay, so if you have followed me this far, you're coming to see that the created maternal Lady Wisdom of the Old Testament is a type of the Immaculate Virgin Mary. This has been the unbroken conviction of the Catholic Church, and especially the teaching of the Doctors of the Church such as St Bernard of Clairvaux and St Alphonsus Liguori.

I'd like to emphasize that Lady Wisdom is not Mary per se, but merely the type of the historical Mary. In other words, Mary hasn't physically existed from all time. Rather she came to be at the Immaculate Conception about 14 years prior to the Incarnation of Christ.

Since Mary is the Immaculate Conception she is the greatest person of God's creation (recall that Christ is not a created person, but a divine Person). As such, the divine thought of Mary stands above all of creation. When God created ex nihilo, His most perfect intention was to create the Immaculate Mary as the Mother of God without stain or fault. Within creation, Mary is the greatest created person - higher than the angels and more holy than all the saints combined.

For over one thousand years, the Catholic Church has chosen to include liturgical readings that personify "Wisdom as a woman" (from Proverbs, Wisdom, and Sirach) for feasts of our Blessed Virgin Mary. Moreover, the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary places the whole of Sirach 24 as the voice of Lady Wisdom into the mouth of the Immaculate Mary.

Here is one of the passages from Sirach 24 which the Church applies to the Blessed Virgin:

24 I am the mother of fair love, and of fear, and of knowledge, and of holy hope.{*} 25 In me is all grace of the way and of the truth, in me is all hope of life and of virtue. 26 Come over to me, all you that desire me, and be filled with my fruits. 27 For my spirit is sweet above honey, and my inheritance above honey and the honeycomb. 28 My memory is unto everlasting generations.

Obviously, Mary is the "Mother of Fair Love." Moreover, her memory "is unto everlasting generations" as Mary herself sang in her Magnificat in Luke's Gospel.

One of my favorite devotional exercises is to pray and read both Sirach 24 and the Magnificat. For this reason, I love the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary - I love it almost as much as I love the Holy Rosary - so that's really saying something.

If you want to have a rich Lent, I'd encourage you to get the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary - the version below is the best one and it has the Latin and English side by side on the page. I carry it with me every day wherever I go. Stop me on the street, and you'll find me with a Rosary, the Little Office, and a pocket knife.

O Mary conceived without sin, how I love thee. Thou art all fair and there is no stain in thee. "They that explain thee shall have life everlasting." Dear Mother, do not forget me in the hour of my death.

If you benefited from this post, please say a Hail Mary for me.

{*} If you visit the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington DC, you'll see this verse engraved over one of the altars there dedicated to Mary.

Penances and Mathematics: the Life and Death of Blaise Pascal

The Death Mask of Blaise Pascal

My wife is pregnant with baby number six and we are currently debating the name "Blaise" after Saint Blaise of Armenia - the patron saint of throat health. My wife likes the name "Blaise," but I'm not entirely persuaded.

In doing research, I started reading more about Blaise Pascal (June 19, 1623 – August 19, 1662). Blaise Paschal was a Catholic mathematician, physicist, inventor, writer and philosopher. He is sometimes credited as a "pre-inventor" of the computer (I have no idea as to how to verify this - anybody want to help me out?).

In 1654, Pascal had a mystical experience and abandoned his scientific pursuits. He recounts his encounter with God in this way: "Fire. God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob, not of the philosophers and the scholars. I will not forget thy word. Amen."

Subsequently, he became a Jansenist - a form of Catholicism later condemned as heretical. Jansenism was extremely rigorous, emphasizing penance and predestination. It held that only a very few were worthy to receive Holy Communion, and that only a very few were saved. Jansenism emphasized God's justice and de-emphasized God's mercy. Jansenists also seem to have been mildly opposed to devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. They are sometimes called "Calvinistic Catholics." (I would add that Paschal was said to pray the Holy Rosary every day which means that he didn't fall under the Jansenist error of opposition to Marian devotions.)

Toward the end of his life, Pascal increased his mortifications. He would not eat fruit, because its taste was too sensuous. He wore a cincture of nails which he drove into his flesh at the slightest thought of vanity. At this time he is reputed to have said, "Sickness is the natural state of Christians."

He died at the age of thirty-nine, after having received the Holy Eucharist in a state of ecstasy, crying out as he sat up in bed: "May God never abandon me!" He likely died of stomach cancer. He was a brilliant and tormented man who died young.

To be honest, I don't really know what to make of Blaise Pascal. I'm all for penance and devotion, but Jansenism is just plain creepy. T. S. Eliot called him "a man of the world among ascetics, and an ascetic among men of the world."

Marcel LeJeune's Lenten Mega-Post

It's up folks. Marcel LeJeune of Aggie Catholics just put up his "Lenten Megapost." This post has lists, videos, and suggestions for Lent 2011. There are a lot of good resources and ideas over there. Go check it out and make a game plan for Lent...now. Don't wait till Ash Wednesday.

Marcel LeJeune's Lenten Mega-Post

Here are some suggestions that I liked:

LENTEN SUGGESTIONS
Increased Prayer:
*Wake up 20 minutes early and start the day in prayer.
*Daily Mass 1-2 times a week.
*An hr. in Adoration a week.
*Go to Confession.
*Read Scripture daily.
*Go to a Lenten Bible study.
*Read a spiritual book.
*Start to pray a daily Rosary.
*Pray the Liturgy of the hours.
*Pray a Divine Mercy Chaplet.
*Stations of the Cross on Fridays.
*Pray for your enemies.
*Watch The Passion of the Christ and then meditate on Christ’s life.
*Read about the life of a saint.
*Do an extra spiritual activity at Church
*Get involved in your parish if you aren’t already.
*Memorize Scripture verses.
*Check out a book on spirituality from the parish library.

Increased Almsgiving:
*When you fast from a meal, give the money you would spend to the poor.
*Use a coin box from and put all change into it for the poor.
*Volunteer with St. Vincent de Paul or another charitable organization.
*Spend more time with your parents.
*Visit a nursing home.
*Start tithing.
*Make a pledge to a worthy charity.
*Forgive an old grudge.
*Invite someone to Church.
*Share your faith with someone.
*Give someone a Catholic tract or CD.
*Exercise patience and love.
*Speak in a pleasant tone to everyone.
*Look for extra ways to help others.
*Go out of your way to talk to someone who is shy or difficult.
*Offer to watch a mother’s child(ren).
*Drive with love.
*Write a letter to a relative you haven’t seen in a while.

Increased fasting:
The following are good things we can fast from and have back at a later time:
*Fast on bread and water on Fridays.
*Fast from TV.
*Fast from snacking or candy.
*Fast from the radio in your car.
*Fast from ‘facebook’ / internet.
*Fast from caffeine.
*Do not use seasoning on your food.

Scoreboard for the Doctors of the Church

 The Doctors of the Church are Christ's special gifts to the Catholic Church. These men and women are regarded as the most holy and illumined teachers of the Catholic Faith. Notably, none were martyrs. I once heard a friar jokingly say, "If you want to avoid martyrdom, become a Doctor of the Church." I guess that you could also say, "If you want to become a martyr, don't become a Doctor of the Church!"

Anyway here is how the Doctors of the Church break down by category. There are likely other ways to slice and dice the list, but I went with Eastern and Western Fathers, and then the later Doctors categorized by religious orders. If I made any mistakes, please let me know.

Doctors of the Church Scoreboard

Eastern Fathers: 8

Western Fathers: 8
Benedictines/Cistercians: 4

Franciscans: 4

Dominicans: 3

Carmelites: 3

Jesuits: 2

Redemptorists: 1

All I have to say is that I'm glad there's a tie between the Eastern Fathers and Western Fathers or we'd never hear the end of it from our Eastern brethren.

I once mentioned the Franciscan vs. Dominican rivalry to my friend Dr. Jared Staudt at the Augustine Institute. I said, "I hate to say it, but the Franciscans have 4 doctors, whereas the Dominicans have 3 doctors." Without missing a beat, Jared replied, "It's about quality, not quantity! The Dominicans have Saint Thomas - the Universal Doctor of the Church." 

Touché. Put that in your thurible and smoke it.

(By the way, Jared has subsequently side-stepped Franciscan/Dominican rivalry and has become a Benedictine Oblate via Clear Creek - a commitment that I greatly admire.)

In response, a Franciscan Friar of the Renewal friend of mine, Father Pio Maria Hoffman, once said to some Domicians: "Look we love Saint Thomas Aquinas, too. However, we just don't believe that he should be revered with the cult of hyperdulia..."

I'm a Thomist at heart. Nevertheless, I love all this playful "scoreboarding." If you want to have some fun, get some good-natured Franciscans Friars of the Renewal and some witty Dominicans together in the same room.

Also, of notable mention, there are three women Doctors of the Church.

Here are the Doctors by name and category:
St. Albert 11/15 (Dominican)
St. Alphonsus Liguori 8/1 (Redemptorist)
St. Ambrose 12/7 (Western Father)
St. Anselm 4/21 (Benedictine)
St. Anthony of Padua 6/13 (Franciscan)
St. Athanasius 5/2 (Eastern Father)
St. Augustine 8/28 (Western Father)
St. Basil 1/2 (Eastern Father)
St. Bede, the Venerable 5/25 (Benedictine)
St. Bernard of Clairvaux 8/20 (Cistercian)
St. Bonaventure 7/15 (Franciscan)
St. Catherine of Siena 4/29 (Dominican Tertiary)
St. Cyril of Alexandria 6/27 (Eastern Father)
St. Cyril of Jerusalem 3/18 (Eastern Father)
St. Ephraem of Syria 6/9 (Eastern Father)
St. Francis de Sales 1/24 (Franciscan Tertiary)
St. Gregory Nazianzus 1/2 (Eastern Father)
St. Gregory the Great 9/3 (Western Father)
St. Hilary of Poitiers 1/13 (Western Father)
St. Isidore 4/4 (Western Father)
St. Jerome 9/30 (Western Father)
St. John Chrysostom 9/13 (Eastern Father)
St. John Damascene 12/4 (Eastern Father)
St. John of the Cross 12/14 (Carmelite)
St. Lawrence of Brindisi 7/21 (Franciscan)
St. Leo the Great 11/10 (Western Father)
St. Peter Canisius 12/21 (Jesuit)
St. Peter Chrysologus 7/30 (Western Father)
St. Peter Damian 2/21 (Benedictine)
St. Robert Bellarmine 9/17 (Jesuit)
St. Teresa of Avila 10/15 (Carmelite)
St. Therese of Lisieux 10/1 (Carmelite)
St. Thomas Aquinas 1/28 (Dominican)

Where is the Chair of Saint Peter? A History

Today (Feb 22) is the Feast of the Saint Peter's Chair. The "chair" is an Old Testament sign of magisterial authority, as Christ Himself gave witness:

"The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat; so practice and observe whatever they tell you, but not what they do; for they preach, but do not practice" (Mt 23:2-3).

Today's commemoration honors the preeminent magisterial authority of Saint Peter to whom was given the Keys of the Kingdom. Peter's office as the Vicar of Christ recalls the promise of God to the "royal steward" or "vicar" in the royal household of the Davidic king. This prophecy promises that the king's steward will "become a throne of honor":

"And I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David; he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open. And I will fasten him like a peg in a sure place, and he will become a throne of honor to his father's house" (Isa 22:22-23).

Yet did Saint Peter as the first Vicar of Christ have his own physical cathedra (Greek: "chair")? There is a third century anti-Marcionite poem that seems to testify to this historicity of Peter's cathedra:

Hac cathedra, Petrus qua sederat ipse, locatum
Maxima Roma Linum primum considere iussit.

- "Adversus Marcionem" (Patrologia Latina II, 1099)

The Latin translates:

"On this chair whereupon Peter himself sat
The great Rome placed Linus and commanded him to sit."

Saint Linus is of course the successor of Saint Peter, that is the second pope of Rome. Is this "cathedra, Petrus qua sederat ipse," a literally chair or is it merely a poetic illusion to Peter's authority? I suppose that there is no way to know for sure - but Tertullian (cf. De præscriptione hæreticorum, 36) and others seem to suggest or assume that a true chair existed in Rome and had been employed by Peter at some point.

Regardless, the chair depicted above is the alleged "Chair of Saint Peter". It is enshrined in the apse of Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome. I don't know whether carbon dating has been performed on it. If you're aware of any studies or archeological investigations, please send them my way.

St Joan of Arc's Heresy Trial and Death: The Details

I just love this painting: Jeanne d'Arc malade est interrogée dans sa prison par le cardinal de Winchester  by Hippolyte Delaroche, 1824

Here's the details of the trial and death of Joan of Arc in easy bullet points:

1. Joan claimed that Saint Margaret, Saint Catherine, and Saint Michael spoke to her.
2. Joan's trial for heresy was politically motivated in the midst of the Hundred Years war between England and France (think Shakespeare's Henry V in order to get a picture of the political climate).
3. England resented Joan's support of the French crown. Joan's reputation as a French prophetess and saint needed to be destroyed if England were to have a "divine claim" on northern France. The person and success of Joan of Arc symbolized that God was on the side of the French.
4. Under ecclesiastical law, Bishop Cauchon lacked jurisdiction over the case against Joan of Arc.
5. Clerical notary Nicolas Bailly, commissioned to collect testimony against Joan, could find no adverse evidence. Without evidence the court lacked grounds to initiate a trial. They opened a trial anyway.
6. Contrary to canon law, Joan was denied a legal adviser.
7. Joan asked for French churchean to be present at her trial. Her request was denied.
8. Asked if she knew she was in God's grace, she answered: 'If I am not, may God put me there; and if I am, may God so keep me.'" Notary Boisguillaume later testified that at the moment the court heard this reply, "Those who were interrogating her were stupefied."
9. Several court functionaries later testified that the official transcript was altered in her disfavor. Many clerics served under compulsion, including the inquisitor, Jean LeMaitre, and a few even received death threats from the English.
10. According to church law, a woman under trial should have been placed in an ecclesiastical prison under the supervision of nuns. Instead, the English kept Joan in a secular prison guarded by male soldiers. Joan complained "a great English lord had entered her prison and tried to take her by force."
11. Bishop Cauchon denied Joan's appeals to the Council of Basel and the pope, which should have stopped his proceeding.
12. The twelve articles of accusation that summarize the court's finding contradict the already doctored court record.
13. Joan, being illiterate, signed an abjuration that she could not read. The court later substituted a different abjuration for the official record.
14. Joan claimed that she wore male clothing and armor so that she would not be molested or raped by males on the battle field and in camp. Joan was intent on preserving her virginity.
15. She was condemned and sentenced to burning at the stake on 30 May 1431.
16. She begged two priests, Father Martin Ladvenu and Father Isambart de la Pierre, to hold a crucifix before her as she burned so that she could see Jesus Christ.
17. The English burned her body twice to reduce her remains thoroughly to ashes. They cast all her ashes into the Seine River in order to prevent any collection of relics. Their action reveals that there was already a strong belief among the populace that Joan was a saint.
18. Her executioner, Geoffroy Therage, later stated that he "greatly feared to be damned" on account of his part in the death of Joan of Arc.

The Two Marian Maxims of St Bonaventure

According to Father Stefano Manelli, Saint Bonaventure held two Marian maxims:

First Maxim: "One should carefully beware of decreasing, even in the slightest, the honor that is due to Mary."

Second Maxim: "One should be ready to defend the privileges of Mary even at the risk of his life."

The Incorruptible Tongue of St Anthony of Padua

Many people don't know that Saint Anthony of Padua was not really from Padua, Italy. He was actually from Portugal. He is called Saint Anthony "of Padua" because his body was buried in Padua.

When St. Anthony died on June 13, 1231, his body was buried in the little Franciscan Church of St. Mary in Padua. By 1263 (only 32 years after his death!), a great basilica had been constructed so that his relics could be placed below the high altar.

St Anthony's Tongue

When the crypt was opened, they found that the saint's body had been reduced to dust and bones, but his tongue was intact and life-like. This was taken a sign from God confirming the ardent gifts of preaching and teaching that Saint Anthony had enjoyed on earth. St. Bonaventure, who was present as minister general of the Friars Minor, took the tongue reverently into his hands and exclaimed,

"O blessed tongue, which has always blessed God and caused others to bless Him, now it appears evident how great were your merits before God!" 

The tongue of St. Anthony was placed in a special reliquary, and can still be seen today in a separate chapel on the epistle side of the basilica. In 1310 the basilica was almost finished, and the remains of St. Anthony were transferred to a tomb in the middle of the nave. The final transfer of the relics of St. Anthony to their present chapel on the Gospel side of the basilica took place in 1350. It is the latter transfer that is commemorated on February 15 in the Franciscan calendar.

St Anthony's Skeleton

The Servite Order in Nine Easy Points

As a relatively new Catholic, I continue to discover hidden jewels and treasures within the Catholic Church. One of these is the Servite Order, the founders of which we commemorate on this day (February 17, Novus Ordo).

Most people have not heard of this order so here are the basics in nine easy points:

1. Their official name is Ordo Servorum Beatae Mariae Virginis {Order of the Servants of the Blessed Virgin Mary}.
2. The Servite Order is one of the five "great" mendicant orders recognized by the Second Council of Lyons (1274): Carmelites, Franciscans, Dominicans, Augustinians, and Servites.
3. Seven young rich men in Florence, Italy formed the order: Buonfiglio dei Monaldi, Giovanni di Buonagiunta, Amadeus of the Amidei, Ricovero dei Lippi-Ugguccioni, Benedetto dell' Antella, Gherardino di Sostegno, and Alessio de' Falconieri. They are also known as the "Seven Holy Founders."
4. The Servites make solemn vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience and foster particular devotion to the Mother of God in her her desolation during the Passion of her Divine Son.
5. On the feast of the Assumption (August 15 1233), the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to the seven founders and asked them to live a monastic life. They obeyed and established themselves near the Franciscan monastery at La Camarzia outside Florence.
6. Exactly seven years later (April 15, 1240), the Immaculate Virgin told them to wear a black habit and to follow the Rule of St. Augustine.
7. The Servite Felicianus Capitoni (1577) wrote an explanation of all the passages misinterpreted by Martin Luther.
8. The body of the Servite Saint Peregrine Laziosi remains incorrupt.  
9. In 1910 the order numbered 700 members in 62 monasteries.

Nietzsche vs. Maximilian Kolbe on the Uber-man

All of you philosophy college majors will remember how Friedrich Nietzsche described the Übermensch or Superman as the goal for humanity in his 1883 book Thus Spoke Zarathustra. For who didn't study philosophy, just remember Stanley Kubrick's film 2001: Space Odyssey where it begins with apes, moves to humans, and then climaxes in the "super star baby" floating in space.

2001: Space Odyssey is sort of a symbolic account of Nietzsche's philosophy in that it traces the progress of man moving toward the ideal new humanity.

Nietzsche sought to inshrine aristocratic values by positing the uber-man or superman as our goal. In the first chapter of his book Ecce Homo, Nietzsche explains, "The word 'uber-man' denotes a type of supreme achievement, as opposed to 'modern' men, 'good' men, Christians, and other nihilists."

Now compare this to Saint Maximilian Maria Kolbe who transforms the meaning of uber-man or superman in a Catholic way:

"He who advances according to the will of God is really a superman, a supernatural being who rises infinitely higher than all geniuses. Such a soul acts according to infinite goodness and power." - St Maximilian Maria Kolbe, Aim Higher 4.24.

For Nietzsche, the superman is not the Christian. For Kolbe, the superman is simply the Christian saint who becomes like God - one who perfectly conformed to Christ through love.

How the Hail Mary Prayer Came to Be...

The Hail Mary prayer derives from two verses in Saint Luke's Gospel: "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee" (Luke 1 28: Χαῖρε, κεχαριτωμένη, ὁ Κύριος μετὰ σοῦ), and "Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb" (Luke 1:42: Εὐλογημένη σὺ ἐν γυναιξὶν καὶ εὐλογημένος ὁ καρπὸς τῆς κοιλίας σου).

These two verses come into Latin as:

Ave, gratia plena, Dominus tecum (Lk 1:28).
Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui (Lk 1:42).

We know that in the West the names of "Maria" and "Jesus" were added by the thirteenth century as St Thomas Aquinas attests to their inclusion. So by the 1200s, the Hail Mary looked like this:

Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum.
Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui Jesus. Amen.

Hail Mary full of grace the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus. Amen.

The last part that we pray, "Holy Mary Mother of God pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death," is not in Scripture.

Who added this last sentence to the prayer?

Girolamo Savonarola

Well the Dominicans and Jesuits have to fight this one out. On the Dominican side, Girolamo Savonarola that ascetic Florentine Dominican priest who was burned at the stake is sometimes credited as including the words, "Holy Mary Mother of God pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death."

On the other side, the Jesuits claim that the last part of the Hail Mary was officially added by Saint Peter Canisius, a Doctor of the Church.

Regardless of where and when this last sentence came from, it was officially made a part of the "Hail Mary" in 1566 when it was printed in the form we have it today in the Roman Catechism of the Council of Trent.

If you benefited from this post, please say a Hail Mary for me!

Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us!

The last words of Saint Padre Pio

Saint Pio of Pietreclina, died 1968

The most famous quote of Padre Pio is probably "Pray, hope, and don't worry."

However, what were the last words of Saint Pio? Those present said that he breathed forth his last breath on September 23, 1968 with these two words: "Jesus. Maria."

How beautiful. Saint Pio, pray for us.

What to pray after receiving the Holy Eucharist? (Bl. Contardo Ferrini)

Blessed Contardo Ferrini, Patron of University Professors

When we receive the Holy Eucharist, our Lord Jesus Christ remains in us sacramentally for about 15 minutes. What then do we pray after we receive the Holy Eucharist in order to make the most of this precious time?

I like the advice of Blessed Contardo Ferrini (the man whom I think is the Franciscan layman version of the Dominican layman Pier Giorgio Frassati). Ferrini recited the Magnificat when he received the Holy Eucharist since through Holy Communion he became like Mary by bearing the Body of Christ within his own body. By reciting the Magnificat (Mary's prayerful canticle in Luke 1:46-55), we make ourselves more like Mary. Moreover, we come to appreciate Mary's intimacy with Christ in the Incarnation and Nativity, but also her intimacy with Christ at the Holy Sacrifice of the Cross.

The easiest way to do this is to carry a prayer card with the Magnificat on it or simply print it out and keep it your hand missal or prayerbook. Eventually, you'll memorize the prayer.

Blessed Contardo Ferrini, pray for us.

Below is the Magnificat in the traditional English and Latin forms. It is customary to make the sign of the cross when you begin praying it.

Latin Vulgate
Magnificat anima mea Dominum.
Et exultavit spiritus meus: in Deo salutari meo.
Quia respexit humilitatem ancillae suae:
ecce enim ex hoc beatam me dicent omnes generationes.
Quia fecit mihi magna, qui potens est:
et sanctum nomen eius.
Et misericordia eius, a progenie et progenies:
timentibus eum.
Fecit potentiam in brachio suo:
dispersit superbos mente cordis sui.
Deposuit potentes de sede:
et exaltavit humiles.
Esurientes implevit bonis:
et divites dimisit inanes.
Suscepit Israel puerum suum:
recordatus misericordiae suae.
Sicut locutus est ad patres nostros:
Abraham, et semini eius in saecula.

English (Douay-Rheims):
My soul doth magnify the Lord.
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid;
for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
Because he that is mighty,
hath done great things to me;
and holy is his name.
And his mercy is from generation unto generations,
to them that fear him.
He hath shewed might in his arm:
he hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.
He hath put down the mighty from their seat,
and hath exalted the humble.
He hath filled the hungry with good things;
and the rich he hath sent empty away.
He hath received Israel his servant,
being mindful of his mercy:
As he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his seed for ever.

Who is the enemy of Mary? (by St Maximilian Kolbe)

I must always remind myself that the greatest devotion to Mary is to be more like her Son Jesus Christ - to strive to be this day without sin. Saint Maximilian Kolbe, that Knight of the Immaculata once wrote:

Who is her enemy? Whatever is stained, whatever does not lead to God, whatever is not love, whatever comes from the hellish serpent, he himself is her enemy; hence it includes all our defects, or all our faults. We ask her to give us strength against him. For this one purpose all devotions exist, all prayer, all sacraments; that we receive power to overcome all obstacles in our striving for God in a more and more ardent love, in assimilating ourselves to God, in uniting with God himself.

-Saint Maximilian Maria Kolbe, Explanation of Act of Consecration, Aim Higher, p. 140.

Along this line of thought, the admirable Saint Leonard of Port Maurice also wrote, "Who has true devotion to Mary? It is he who is an enemy of sin."

Let us love Mary by becoming enemies of sin.

Why am I Catholic? The Long Version

When Blessed John Henry Newman was asked at a dinner party why he became a Catholic, he responded not the kind of thing that can be "properly explained between soup and the fish course."

As a convert, people ask me the question and I still don't know how to answer it properly. You can't give the answer in just one sentence. If I'm pressed for time I simply say, "Well, I came to believe that it is the one true religion instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ and so I prayerful sought to enter the Catholic Church." However, this hardly does the question justice.

I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed by Elizabeth Campisi of Immaculate Heart Radio for her show "Why I'm Catholic" which aired today (Friday, Feb 11 at 7AM PST).

It will encore again on Sunday, Feb 13 at 6PM PST.

You can listend to the show or download the mp3 recording of the interview here: "Why I am Catholic" with Taylor Marshall.

We talk about how I became a Christian when I was about nine, how I became an Episcopal clergyman, and how I became a Catholic with all the details. I talk about going to Holy Mass with Pope Benedict while I was still not Catholic, and my illuminating "aha" moment with a Cardinal in Rome. I also explain how I renounced the Episcopal priesthood to become a Catholic. We also talk about Mary, matrimony, priesthood, etc. Here's the full show.

Elizabeth is a great interviewer, and I was honored to be her guest.

If you'd like to listen to her show, please use the guide below to find out the AM station for your area. If you can't get Immaculate Heart Radio, you can still listen online or from the archives by clicking here.

St Bernadette's Description of Our Lady of Lourdes

Below is the exact description that Saint Marie Bernadette Soubirous gave of the times when the Immaculate and Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to her in Lourdes, France in 1858.

There are three details that I especially like. The first that our Blessed Mother had gold or yellow roses on her feet. The second is that as soon as St Bernadette stopped praying the Holy Rosary, Mary disappeared. The third is that Mary called herself "the Immaculate Conception." Mary not only experienced an immaculate conception in the womb of her mother Saint Anne, but Mary is the Immaculate Conception. In other words, it's one of her titles: the Immaculate Conception.

It's truly inspiring to read this and consider that the Blessed Virgin actually appeared to Bernadette in this way. Here are Bernadette's own words:

I had gone down one day with two other girls to the bank of the river Gave when suddenly I heard a kind of rustling sound. I turned my head toward the field by the side of the river but the trees seemed quite still and the noise was evidently not from them. Then I looked up and caught sight of the cave where I saw a lady wearing a lovely white dress with a bright belt. On top of each of her feet was a pale yellow rose, the same colour as her rosary beads.

At this I rubbed my eyes, thinking I was seeing things, and I put my hands into the fold of my dress where my rosary was. I wanted to make the sign of the cross but for the life of me I couldn’t manage it and my hand just fell down. Then the lady made the sign of the cross herself and at the second attempt I managed to do the same, though my hands were trembling. Then I began to say the rosary while the lady let her beads slip through her fingers, without moving her lips. When I stopped saying the Hail Mary, she immediately vanished.

I asked my two companions if they had noticed anything, but they said no. Of course they wanted to know what I was doing and I told them that I had seen a lady wearing a nice white dress, though I didn’t know who she was. I told them not to say anything about it, and they said I was silly to have anything to do with it. I said they were wrong and I came back next Sunday, feeling myself drawn to the place....

The third time I went the lady spoke to me and asked me to come every day for fifteen days. I said I would and then she said that she wanted me to tell the priests to build a chapel there. She also told me to drink from the stream. I went to the Gave, the only stream I could see. Then she made me realise she was not speaking of the Gave and she indicated a little trickle of water close by. When I got to it I could only find a few drops, mostly mud. I cupped my hands to catch some liquid without success and then I started to scrape the ground. I managed to find a few drops of water but only at the fourth attempt was there a sufficient amount for any kind of drink. The lady then vanished and I went back home.

I went back each day for two weeks and each time, except one Monday and one Friday, the lady appeared and told me to look for a stream and wash in it and to see that the priests build a chapel there. I must also pray, she said, for the conversion of sinners. I asked her many times what she meant by that, but she only smiled. Finally with outstretched arms and eyes looking up to heaven she told me she was the Immaculate Conception.

During the two weeks she told me three secrets but I was not to speak about them to anyone and so far I have not.

Saint Marie Bernadette Soubirous, Epistle ad P. Gondrand, 1861, cf. Les ecrits de Sainte Bernadette, Paris, 1961, pp. 53-59.

Another interesting thing about Our Lady is that she reveals secrets.

Does anyone have any other thoughts or observations concerning Bernadette's description?

Bible Study Helps for Catholics

Saint Jerome said "To be ignorant of Scripture is to be ignorant of Christ." Consequently, Catholics must be literate in Sacred Scripture if they are to know their faith and defend their faith.

However, Catholics must be very careful when they study the Scriptures because there are two dangerous pitfalls. The first is the error of reading Sacred Scripture apart from the Fathers and Popes of the Catholic Church. As Catholics, we are not allowed to say, "What this passage means to me is..."

The second problem is that there are many terrible Bible translations out there. Just little shifts in language here and there can produce huge theological errors. For example, the some Protestant "translations" refer to "the flesh" or "concupiscence" in Romans 6-7 as our "sin nature." (If you want to know why a proper understanding of concupiscence is fundamental to Catholic theology, read this: Original Sin and Concupiscence in Romans 6-7).

Below are a few Bible helps for Catholics. Haydock's Bible commentary should be the standby commentary. After that, go to Cornelius a Lapide. I've added these to the Canterbury Tales "sidebar" on the right for your easy access in the future.

Bible Study Helps for Catholics

• New Advent Bible: Greek/English/Latin Parallel
• Which English Translation?
• "Hebrew Text is Corrupted" by Israel Shamir
• "Which Vulgate do you have?"
• 7 Reasons for Douay-Rheims English Translation
• Cornelius a Lapide Bible Commentaries
• Cornelius a Lapide NT Commentaries (English)
• Haydock Catholic Bible Commentary
• Latin Vulgate with English Douay-Rheims
• Septuagint in the New Testament
• Septuagint vs. Masoretic OT

Video: China will soon be the largest English speaking nation

Here's an interesting video. China will soon be the largest English speaking nation (and other things I didn't know). However, I hold my breath about the "human brain" part. See video above.

Priests are clothed in the Perpetual Virginity of Mary

Father Serafino M. Lanzetta of the Franciscans of the Immaculate recently wrote something very beautiful:

Mary is always present in the life of the priest; she guides him in the midst of his trials, of the difficulties and the joys of his ministry. Begetting every priest in the Son, Mary re-clothes them with her perpetual virginity.

- Missio Immaculatae May/June 2010

I just wanted to share that because it reveals the glory of our Blessed Mother and the glory of the priesthood in Chirst. Priests, if they choose, have the honor of wearing the perpetual virginity of Blessed Mary.

Wow.

Are there 5 or 6 Precepts of the Church in the Catechism?

I'm baffled. A friend of mine came to me today and said: "How many are the precepts of the Church?"

I said, "Six."

She said, "Name the sixth precept."

I said, "Observe the marriage laws of the Catholic Church."

Then she fetched a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and opened it to para. 2041 where it discusses the Precepts of the Church. She said, "Read this."

I read it and I found only five precepts of the Church:

Paragraph 2042 reads:
1. "You shall attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation.
2. "Confess your sins at least once a year."
3. "Receive the sacrament of the Eucharist during the Easter season."

Paragraph 2043 reads:
4. "You shall observe the days of fasting and abstinence established by the Church.
5. "You shall help to provide for the needs of the Church."

But I found no sixth precept...

So what happened? I learned six precepts when I became Catholic, and I teach six precepts to my children for First Communion.

Why does the Catechism not mention the sixth precept, namely to "obey the laws of the Church concerning Holy Matrimony." Is it mentioned somewhere else?

Godspeed,
Taylor

PS: I'd appreciate a prudent explanation for this. Vatican 2 bashers and sedevacantists need not apply.

I'll be speaking in Houston-Sugarland this Saturday - Please join us

For those in the Houston-Sugarland area, please join us at St Theresa Catholic Church outside Houston in Sugarland, Texas.

I'll be giving two presentations on how Christ our Lord fulfills the Old Testament Jewish prophecies and expectations through the Catholic Church, the papacy, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the sacraments. By all means please bring your non-Catholic friends and relatives.

The event is open to the public and best of all: free.

• The first talk is at 10:30am.
• The second talk is at 1:00pm.

Address:
St. Theresa Catholic Church
705 St. Theresa Boulevard Sugar Land, Texas 77498
Here are the directions via Google Maps (click here)

I look forward to meeting you in person!

Godspeed,
Taylor

St Bonaventure tells us how to read Scripture

Saint Bonaventure (1221-1274) the Seraphic Doctor of the Catholic Church explains that reading Sacred Scripture is not enough. One can only properly understand the Scriptures if he already has the truth Faith. Bonaventure explains that the Scriptures are gift for the ultimate purpose of leading us to Heaven. Thus if we do not already know and love Christ, then the Scriptures are in vain. The Scriptures are a guide if only we know the destination, which is eternal beatitude with the Holy Trinity and all the Saints.

From all this it follows that it is impossible for anyone to start to recognize Scripture for what it is if he does not already have faith in Christ infused into him. Christ is the lamp that illuminates the whole of Scripture: he is its gateway and its foundation. For this faith is behind all the supernatural enlightenments that we receive while we are still separated from the Lord and on our pilgrimage. It makes our foundation firm, it directs the light of the lamp, it leads us in through the gateway. It is the standard against which the wisdom that God has given us should be measured, so that no-one should exaggerate his real importance, but everyone must judge himself soberly by the standard of the faith God has given him.

The substance and fruit of holy Scripture is very specific: the fullness of eternal happiness. For this is what Scripture is – its words are words of eternal life, and it is written not just so that we should believe, but specially so that we should possess eternal life in which we may see, and love, and have all our desires fulfilled. When they are fulfilled, then we shall know the superabundant love that comes from knowledge, and so we shall be filled with all the fullness of God. God’s Scripture tries to lead us to this fullness, and to the truth of the preaching of the apostles. It is to this end, with this intention, that we should study holy Scripture, and teach it, and hear it.

If we are to follow the direct path of Scripture and come straight to the final destination, then right from the beginning – when simple faith starts to draw us towards the light of the Father – our hearts should kneel down and ask the Father to give us, through his Son and the Holy Spirit, true knowledge of Jesus and of his love. Once we know him and love him like this, we shall be made firm in faith and deeply rooted in love, and we can know the breadth, length, depth and height of holy Scripture. That news can then lead us to the full knowledge and overwhelming love of the most holy Trinity. The desires of the saints draw them towards the Trinity, in which all that is good and true is and finds its completion.

Breviloquium St Bonaventure

What is the Muslim Brotherhood Anyway?

So Egypt is in trouble and the "Muslim Brotherhood" wants to be involved in the future political re-organization. So what is this Muslim Brotherhood? Is it the Mohammedan version of the Knights of Columbus?

Not quite. Here's a quick Q&A on the "MB":

What is the Muslim Brotherhood?
The Society of the Muslim Brothers or "The Brotherhood" (الإخوان Al-Ikhwān) is an Islamic international movement and the largest political opposition organization in many Arab states. The group is the world's oldest and most influential Islamic political group.

When and where was if founded?
It was founded in 1928 in Egypt by the Islamic scholar and Sufi schoolteacher Hassan al-Banna.

What is the goal of the Muslim Brotherhood?
The Brotherhood's stated goal is to instill the Koran and Sunnah as the "sole reference point for...ordering the life of the Muslim family, individual, community...and state".

Are they "peaceful Muslims"?
Since its beginning in 1928 the movement has officially opposed violent means to achieve its goals. It is often called "conservative but non-violent." The Brotherhood did publicly condemn the 9-11 attacks on the USA. However, they are not consistent about non-violence. They supported violence in the Palestinian conflict and again in Syria where secularism made inroads.

What's the story in Egypt with the Muslim Brotherhood?
The Muslim Brotherhood was officially banned in Egypt, and members have been arrested for their participation in it. In order to avoid the ban, supporters run for office as independents. With current upheaval, the MB is now pushing for recognition.

What is the current agenda of the Muslim Brotherhood?
One of the movement's intellectual leaders is Sayyid Qutb. Qutb was the author of the book Milestones, which called for the restoration of Islam by re-establishing the Sharia and by using "physical power and Jihad for abolishing the organizations and authorities of the Jahili system, which he believed to include the entire Muslim world.

The book also reveals that Qutb no longer held the Brotherhood's ideas and that he was closer to the ideas of Hizb ut-Tahrir, which is concluded in the introduction and dedication of the book".

Is the MB connected to any terrorist activity?
Not directly. While studying at university, Osama bin Laden claimed to have been influenced by the religious and political ideas of several professors with strong ties to the Muslim Brotherhood including both Sayyid Qutb and his brother Muhammad Qutb.

That being said, Al Qaeda has formally denounced the Muslim Brotherhood's avowed "non-violent" position.

So the Muslim Brotherhood is certainly friendlier than Al-Qaeda, but what does that mean?

I think we need a Catholic Brotherhood. We're losing our identity in the West. What can we do? How can we influence?

Catholic Brotherhood anyone? Who's in? 

Hannah Montana vs. Saint Agatha

If your daughter knows more about Hannah Montana than she does about Saint Agatha, it's time to take some action.

The feast days of Saints Agatha, Agnes, Cecilia, Philomena, Lucy, Anastasia, Dorothy, and Maria Goretti should be Catholic "International Daddies take their Daughters to Mass days".

One of the most powerful tactics in battling our culture of promiscuity and sexual license is a greater reverence for virginity. Fathers and mothers need to be strategic in how they instill this love for purity in their children.

Saint Agatha and these heroic young women demonstrate that virginity is more valuable than earthly life itself. It's difficult to communicate this to our sons and daughters, but the stories of the virgin martyrs bring it into full focus.

So take them to Holy Mass today to honor Saint Agatha and tell them her story.

See also: Do we still praise virginity?

The Sufferings of Saint Agatha the Virgin Martyr

The holy martyr and virgin Saint Agatha is among the Catholic Church's greatest heroines of holy purity. Her name was inserted in the canon of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass as early as AD 530 in Carthage.

Saint Agatha stands with Saint Agnes, Saint Lucy, Saint Agnes, Saint Cecilia, Saint Anastasia, Saint Philomena, and Saint Maria Goretti as models for our sons and daughters. As Catholics we should instill a great devotion to these saints, especially in our daughters. Let us praise virginity (click here for details).

In a nutshell, Agnes dedicated her virginity to her Lord Jesus Christ. When she rejected the lustful advances of the low-born Roman prefect Quintianus, she was persecuted by him for her Christian faith. Here is the account of Agatha's glorious sufferings and martyrdom from Butler's:

The judge, offended at her resolute answers, commanded her to be buffeted, and led to prison. She entered it with great joy, recommending her future conflict to God. The next day she was arraigned a second time at the tribunal, and answered with equal constancy that Jesus Christ was her life and her salvation. Quintianus then ordered her to be stretched on the rack, which torment was usually accompanied with stripes, the tearing of the sides with iron hooks, and burning them with torches or matches. The governor, enraged to see her suffer all this with cheerfulness, commanded her breast to be tortured, and afterwards to be cut off. At which she made him this reproach: “Cruel tyrant, do you not blush to torture this part of my body, you that sucked the breasts of a woman yourself?” He remanded her to prison with a severe order, that neither salves nor food should be allowed her. But God would be himself her physician, and the apostle St. Peter in a vision comforted her, healed all her wounds, and filled her dungeon with a heavenly light. Quintianus, four days after, not the least moved at the miraculous cure of her wounds, caused her to be rolled naked over live coals mixed with broken potsherds. Being carried back to prison, she made this prayer; “Lord, my Creator, you have ever protected me from the cradle. You have taken from me the love of the world, and given me patience to suffer: receive now my soul.” After which words she sweetly gave up the ghost.

Saint Agatha pray for us!

NYC Construction Workers Against Ground Zero Mosque

From the mouth of babes...and construction workers. They may wear hard hats, but they are aren't hard headed - they know that Islam is the 1,300 year old enemy of Christendom.

This is an interesting development. A group of New York construction who are vowing not to build the Ground Zero Mosque.

A New York City construction worker who witnessed the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, is skeptical about a recent comment from the Muslim cleric at the center of the controversial "Ground Zero" mosque.

Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf told The Buffalo News recently that if a suitable site was offered, he would consider another location for what is now being called the Park51 project. It was the first time Rauf appeared to back away from building the center two blocks from where the World Trade Center towers fell.

Andy Sullivan is a lifelong New York City construction worker and founder of the 911 Hard Hat Pledge, one of the groups working to prevent the construction of the mosque on the proposed site. He is unconvinced by Rauf's remarks, noting that the imam recently stepped aside from direct involvement in the mosque.

"The new imam, this guy Abdullah Adhami, and the developer Sharif el-Gamal -- both of those people, after Rauf's comments, said 'We're not planning on moving,'" says Sullivan. "Especially the developer Gamal has been completely rigid -- and he's the final word on that project."

In addition, Sullivan says Rauf has been a public-relations blunder for the project. "Rauf has been nothing but a great thing for our side -- because it seems every time he opens his mouth, he sticks his foot in it," he comments. "So I'm actually going to be sad to see Rauf go, because you can always count on him to really say the wrong thing or do the wrong thing."

In the meantime, Sullivan continues to lead a petition drive among construction workers vowing to never build the Ground Zero mosque.

Saint James, pray for us.

A Sword Shall Pierce Mary's Heart (Purification of the Virgin)

In today's (Feb 2) Gospel for the feast of the Presentation of Christ and the Purification of the Virgin (Candlemas), we read:

Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, "Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed." (Luke 2:34-35)

The thoughts of many hearts will be revealed because a "sword" will pierce Mary's soul. I take this to mean that the interior life of the believer is made known as he or she is able to appreciate the sorrows of Mary.

The heart of a president is made known when he visits the sorrowful mother of a dead veteran. The heart of a murderer is made known when he visits the sorrowful mother of his victim.

My suspicion is that hostility toward the Virgin Mary reveals an inability to appreciate the Gospel of Christ. The Blessed Mother's heart was pierced as she watched her Son's sinless body pierced upon the cross. Our response to this reality reveals the thoughts of our hearts.

Video: Time Lapse Video of March for Life 2011

This is a great video as it gives you a feel for how many people were at this year's March for Life. Brought to us by the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate!

Aggie Catholic Feature

I'm a big fan of Marcel LeJune and the Aggie Catholics blog. As you know, Texas A&M University arguably has one of the most vibrant Catholic campus ministries in the United States.

Anyway, the Aggie Catholic regularly features stories on Catholics who attended Texas A&M and this month I'm featured as one who is both an Aggie and a Catholic.

Please take a look and add Aggie Catholics to your blogroll, feeds, and bookmarks.

The Sword of Roland and the Virgin Mary (Durandel)

 I just came across this fact for your next game of Catholic Trivial Pursuit.

As you may know, Roland (as in the epic Song of Roland) was the warrior-nephew of Charlemagne. Dante placed him in the circle of Mars in Heaven. Like King Arthur, Roland possessed a mystical sword by the name of Durandel.

The blade of the sword Durandel once belonged to Hector of Troy and the hilt contained one tooth of Saint Peter, a vial of blood belonging to Saint Basil, hair from Saint Denis, and a piece of the veil or robe of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

According to tradition, this sword can still be seen today near the Marian shrine of Our Lady of Rocamadour in France. In the photo above, you can see an ancient sword thrust into the rock of Rocamadour. This is the alleged sword of Roland. Thus, this is the true "sword in the stone."

Our Lady of Rocamadour, pray for us.

 

Rocamadour, France

Photo: Our Twins' First Communion

Yesterday was one of the most joyous days of my whole life. My daughters were wearing white dresses. They looked so innocent and pretty. They were nervous and excited as they prepared to receive the true Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ for the first time in Holy Communion.

I wept.

More than any other Holy Mass that I have ever attended, I felt as if I were perfectly present at Calvary under the crucified Lord. I felt the sacrifice. I also had a sense that our Immaculate Mother was personally escorting my daughters to the cross to meet their King.

A special thank you to Father Thomas Longua and Father Phil Wolfe of the FSSP for training them, hearing their First Confessions, and for providing their First Communion. God bless and richly reward the FSSP: "Venientes autem venient cum exsultatione, portantes manipulos suos" (Ps 125:7).