Do you know the covenants of the Bible? (and How Christ fulfills the Covenants)

Mastery of the Holy Bible can be very difficult to achieve. It takes prayer, study, and constant reading and re-reading - not to mention an intimate familiarity the teachings of the Church Fathers. However, one can quickly acquire an "outline" of salvation by history by learning the basic covenants of Scripture. The covenants provide the structure for the unfolding of God's plan. Ultimately all things are fulfilled in Christ in the New Covenant. Here is how it works:

1. Adamic Covenant: God created Adam and Eve as his children and as masters of his creation. He gave them marriage and the Sabbath of signs of His love. Unfortunately, this covenant was transgress through original sin and so God promised to them the "Seed" (i.e. a divine child, Christ) of the "Woman" (i.e. Mary) that would destroy Satan (see Genesis 3:15).
2. Noahic Covenant: As sin increased on earth, God focused his covenant with humanity by choosing the family of Noah. He destroyed the earth with water and gave the rainbow as a promise of his Divine Mercy. The promised "Seed" will come through the descendants of Noah.
3. Abrahamic Covenant: God again focuses on the "Seed" who shall be a Savior and promises that it will come through the genetic line of Abraham. The covenant is not "sealed" on the procreative member of Abraham since the "Seed" comes from this body part. This is the promise of circumcision. All of Abraham's descendants bear this mark in expectation of the coming "Seed" promised to Adam and Eve.
4. Mosaic Covenant: God reorganizes the descendants of Abraham through Moses. The idolatry of the Israelite reveals that their hearts are prone to sin and infidelity. So God establishes the Law of Moses as a way of preventing Israel from sin. It also prepares Israel for the coming birth of the Messiah - the Seed who shall save them.
5. Davidic Covenant: God then establishes the people of Israel as a royal kingdom with King David as its righteous monarch. David's conquests and the expansion of Israel under his son Solomon reveal that the Salvation of humanity is not reserved for Israel alone, but for all mankind. The Psalm of David and the Proverbs of Solomon indicate a universal application of God's law to all men.
6. New Covenant: At last, Christ the Seed of the Woman is born in Bethelehem. He fulfills the Adamic Covenant by being the "New Adam" by being without original sin and the true Son of God by His nature. His fulfills the promise of Noah, but establishing the sacrament of baptism, which fulfills the universal flood which removed sin from the world. He fulfills the Abrahamic Covenant because he is a genetic heir of Abraham and he receives circumcision as an infant. He fulfills the Mosaic Covenant because He obeys and fulfills all the precepts of Moses as a dutiful Jew. His death on the cross is the liturgical, sacrificial, and sacramental fulfillment of the Jewish Passover and all the blood sacrifices of the Old Law. This is why He said: "This is the blood of the new and everlasting covenant." It is the Eucharist that ratifies the New Covenant and fulfills all that came before.

I hope that's not too long. If you memorize this structure than reading the Bible will make more sense. The covenants are like mile markers along the journey. They help you know where you are and how long you have to go.

Godspeed,

Taylor

PS: Much more could be said (e.g. of Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac) but this is meant to be a brief introduction.

How to show that Catholicism is the genuine form of Christianity (Hint: Miracles)

How do you show your family and friends that Catholicism is the authentic version of Christianity? Obviously you don't want to beat them over the head or get into a argument over doctrines. A debate over the ins-and-outs of transubstantiation usually doesn't go very far at a cocktail party.

So what is a quick and simple way to discuss the merits of Catholicism?

Perhaps the most effective argument for Catholicism (in casual conversation) is the fact that Catholicism has been validated by public miracles for 2,000 years whereas the other denominations have not. The only way to account for this difference is to look to God who is the author of all miracles.

Did Mohammad or Buddha rise from the dead? No. So that settles the debate about world religions pretty quickly. Christ's message is validated by his resurrection from the dead.

What about the 36,000 denominations that conflict in both Christian beliefs and morality? Can they all be correct? No.

So next ask, which has a history of public verifiable miracles?

You can start with Martin Luther. Did Luther perform any miracles? Did he make prophecies that came to pass. No, not at all. Yet at the same time period, the miracle of Our Lady of Guadalupe (a public miracle) did occur to St Juan Diego and millions of Aztecs. Also during this time period,  the Catholic missionary Saint Francis Xavier was miraculously preaching to the people of India, Indonesia, etc. in their native tongues without study.

Bring it into the focus: What about the last one hundred years? Do any of the  Protestantd enominations have public miracles in the last 100 years? Not that I know of.

Yet look at Catholicism. There have been many public miracles in Catholicism:

• Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal: Three Catholic children were told by Mary that there would be a public miracle on October 13 of 1917. On that very day, over 50,000 people assembled to see if it would happen - include thousands of skeptics. Sure enough, the actual miracle of the dancing sun was seen on October 13 by 50,000 people - by journalists, believers, atheists, children, and old people. Even people in neighboring regions saw the miracle.
• Lourdes Water: The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared at Lourdes, France and promised that the waters from that spring would heal people in the name of Christ. Hundreds of people have experienced medically verified miracles through holy water of Lourdes. Recently a young paralyzed man was healed in the waters of Lourdes and walked 1000 miles to prove that the miracle was valid.
• Saint Pio: Padre Pio bore the five wounds of Christ (stigmata) in his hands, side, and feet for decades and these miraculous wounds were repeatedly verified by medical professionals (Catholic and non-Catholic). Moreover, Pio made several prophecies that came to pass. He died in 1968 and there are many photos and videos showing his stigmata. Just go to Youtube and watch some videos. (I included a video at the top of this page.)

Those are just three recent miracles. If we went back in time we would find hundreds more. Eucharistic miracles, Marian miracles, amazing miracles by saints, even miracles in times of war and battle.

When faced with these miracles, a person can only conclude with one of two positions. Either God is actively providing public signs and wonders in favor of the Catholic Church that goes all the way back to Christ and the Apostles, OR the Catholic Church is a master magician in creating false signs for 2000 years. Perhaps a third option is that the Catholic Church is just "lucky" in that natural forces somehow seem to regularly produce events that appear miraculous, and that these events do not randomly occur in Protestant bodies.

So then, what's the easiest way to make a quick case for Catholicism? Share what you know about Catholic miracles. Perhaps this information might lead someone to investigate the Catholic Faith in a deeper way.

ad Jesum per Mariam,

Taylor

Why is Sunday the Christian Sabbath? (John Paul II)

The Jews by divine mandate rested and worshipped on the seventh day of the week since this is the day on which God "rested" and ceased creating the universe.

When Christ, the King of Creation died and rose on Sunday, He instituted a "new creation." By rising on the day after the seventh day Sabbath, He fulfilled the promise of the eighth day which had been mystically represented in the Old Testament sacrament of circumcision (Jewish boys were circumcised on the eighth day). So then, this eighth day mystically stands outside the weekly cycle. Moreover, the Holy Spirit descended upon the Church on a Sunday and this gave even more significance to Sunday worship.

The Apostles and early Christians celebrated the Holy Eucharist daily, but the obligation of attending the Eucharistic liturgy on Sunday was required since the moral precepts of Ten Commandments were not abrogated by Christ. Christians continued to worship and rest one day out of seven days - but Sunday was the now the "Sabbath day" of the New Testament.

Take for example the words of Saint Ignatius (died ca. AD 108) to the Magnesians:

We have seen how former adherents of the ancient customs have since attained to a new hope; so that they have given up keeping the sabbath, and now order their lives by the Lord's Day instead, the day when life first dawned for us, thanks to Him and His death.

I could cite literally hundreds of passages from the Church Fathers on this topic. Let it suffice that Sunday was universally the day of obligatory worship and rest.

Regrettably, Catholics have forgotten the obligation to rest from labor on Sundays. Rest on Sunday is still taught by the Catholic magisterium. For example, Blessed John Paul II's apostolic letter Dies Domini (On keeping the Lord's day holy) teaches Catholics the moral obligation of keeping Sunday holy through rest, recreation, and attendance at Holy Mass. He also urges Catholics to resist the "weekend mentality" in which Sunday becomes blended into a time of either labor or frivolous amusements.

Many of the great saints and many of Our Lady's messages have stressed the necessity of resting on Sunday and attending Mass on Sunday. As has always been taught, to purposefully miss Holy Mass is a mortal sin because it is very grave. Why is it grave? It is grave because we need grace more than we need food, water, and even air. Sanctifying grace is needed if we are to attain to our divinely ordered end - beatific communion with God forever.

ad Jesum per Mariam,

Taylor Marshall

Did you know the 7 Sorrows of Mary conform to the 7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit?

The Seven Sorrows of Mary are one of the most fruitful topics of mental prayer. On Fridays especially, the Seven Sorrows are a way to better contemplate the Divine Mercy of God.

It is a tradition for Catholics to say daily one Our Father and seven Hail Mary for each.

1. The Prophecy of Simeon. (Luke 2:34-35)
2. The Flight into Egypt. (Matthew 2:13)
3. The Loss of the Child Jesus in the Temple. (Luke 2:43-45)
4. Mary Meets Jesus on the Way to Calvary. (Luke 23:26)
5. Jesus Dies on the Cross. (John 19:25)
6. Mary Receives the Body of Jesus in Her Arms. (Matthew 27:57-59)
7. The Body of Jesus is Placed in the Tomb. (John 19:40-42)

The Seven Sorrows of Mary also correspond to the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit:

1. The Prophecy of Simeon - Fear of the Lord (Mary is explicitly reminded of her sorrowful vocation: "a sword shall pierced thy soul")
2. The Flight into Egypt - Piety (Mary fulfills her duties toward Joseph and Jesus in a foreign land)
3. The Loss of the Child Jesus in the Temple - Knowledge (Mary's knowledge of Christ's identity as the Son of God)
4. Mary Meets Jesus on the Way to Calvary - Fortitude (Mary's strength in seeing Christ in His Passion)
5. Jesus Dies on the Cross - Counsel (Mary is the spiritual guide and counselor for all who seek her crucified Son)
6. Mary Receives the Body of Jesus in Her Arms - Understanding (As Mary holds the dead body of her Son, she perceives His coming resurrection)
7. The Body of Jesus is Placed in the Tomb - Wisdom (Christ is hidden but Mary's soul continues to see Christ and communicate with Him)

Since Mary is the Spouse of the Holy Spirit, this should come as no surprise to us.

I'll be on EWTN Radio tomorrow at 7:50am Central time

Tomorrow (Friday, Aug 26) I'll be on the Son Rise Morning Show with Brian Patrick syndicated through EWTN Radio at 7:50am Central time. 

We'll be talking about devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

I hope you'll tune in.

Godspeed,

Taylor

Why do we reverence during the Nicene Creed? (Saint Louis of France)

Saint Louis IX of France by El Greco

During the Nicene Creed on Sundays and Holy Days, we Catholics make a reverence at the words:

"He became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man."

Those using the the current Roman missal make a profound bow when reciting these words. In the Latin Mass, Catholics genuflect when they recite these words in order to show reverence to the mystery of the incarnation. 

Where did this custom of reverencing during the Creed come from? 

The answer lies with today's saint - Saint Louis IX the King of France. In his private chapel, Saint Louis would genuflect during the Nicene Creed to show reverence to the incarnation of Christ. During the crusades, the king's practice became widespread and eventually part of the rubrics of Holy Mother Church.

An interesting liturgical fact on this feast of Saint Louis IX.

Saint Louis pray for us.

Why Won't the SSPX Submit to Pope Benedict XVI

As you've seen in the recent news, the head of the traditionalist Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX), Bishop Bernard Fellay, is meeting again with His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI.

When the Holy Father granted the universal indult for the Latin Mass, most Catholics assumed that this was a generous olive branch extended to the SSPX and that they would soon be reconciled. Even more, the Holy Father lifted the excommunications against the bishops of the four bishops of the SSPX...but nothing happened. Why?

It is becoming clear the SSPX isn't merely a "liturgical counter-revolution." For the SSPX, it's not just about the Latin Mass per se. As I understand it, the SSPX is becoming more and more anti-Rome and anti-Benedict XVI. Now that there is a universal indult and the excommunications have been lifted, they are emboldened.

I once met a priest who had been involved in the dialogue between the Holy See and the SSPX. He said that theological debates with the SSPX are more difficult and confusing than theological debates with the Russian schismatics. At least with the Greeks and Russians, you know what the differences are. With the SSPX, you talk for three hours and find complete agreement the entire time. Then at the end of the meeting, the SSPX pulls away from the table and still identifies themselves as opposed to the Holy See. It's confusing and leads one to wonder whether the stance of the SSPX is one contrary to filial charity.

I attend the Latin Mass (in communion with Rome, of course). I also agree that the Catholic Church of the last 50 years has not experienced its golden age, but we cannot break from the Catholic Church and disobey the Holy Father. Like Padre Pio, we must always submit to the Holy Father and to our local bishop. 

  

5 Paths to Repentance (by St John Chrysostom)

Here is some great spiritual advice from a doctor of the Catholic Church: it's the five paths to repentance. It succinct and easily applicable. Please take a minute and read what St John Chrysostom has to say about it:

Shall I list the paths of repentance? There are certainly many of them, many and various, and all of them lead to heaven.

The first path is the path of condemnation of sins. As Isaiah says, Tell your sins, and you will be acquitted. And the Psalmist adds: I said “I will bear witness against myself before the Lord,” and you forgave the guilt of my sin. So you, too must condemn the sins you have committed. Condemn them, and that condemnation will excuse you in front of the Lord, since whoever condemns the sins he has committed will be slower to commit them next time. Stir up your own conscience to be your accuser – so that when you come before the judgement-seat of the Lord no-one will rise up to accuse you.

This is the first path of repentance but the second is in no way inferior to it in excellence. It is to forget the harm done to us by our enemies, to master our anger, to forgive the sins of those who are slaves together with us. As much as we do this, so much will our own sins against the Lord be forgiven. So this is the second path to the expiation of our sins. As the Lord says, Yes, if you forgive others their failings, your heavenly Father will forgive you yours.

Would you like to know the third path of repentance? It is prayer: fervent prayer, sincere and focused prayer, prayer coming from the depths of the heart.

If you want to know the fourth path, I will tell you it is the giving of alms. It has great power.

And finally, if someone acts with modesty and humility, that path is no less effective as a way to deprive sin of its substance. Look at the publican, who had no good deeds to speak of. In place of good deeds he offered humility, and the huge burden of his sins fell away.

So now I have shown you the five paths of repentance. First, condemnation of sins. Second, forgiving the sins of those near us. Third, prayer. Fourth, almsgiving. Fifth, humility.

So do not be idle, but every day advance along all these paths at once. They are not hard paths to follow. Poverty is no excuse for not setting out on the journey. Even if you are destitute you can do all these things: put aside anger, carry humility in front of you, pray hard, condemn your sins. Poverty is no obstacle – not even to that path of penitence that demands money: that is, almsgiving. Remember the story of the widow’s mite.

Now we have learnt the right way to heal our wounds, let us apply these remedies. Let us regain true health and confidently receive the blessings of Holy Communion. Thus we may come, filled with glory, to the glory of Christ’s kingdom, and receive its eternal joys through the grace, mercy and kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ.   

St John Chrysostom, Hom. de diabolo tentatore 2, 6 (PG 49, 263-264)

To summarize, the five paths to repentance are:

1. condemnation of sins. 
2. forgiving the sins of those near us. 
3. prayer. 
4. almsgiving. 
5. humility.

The goal of course is that we more readily receive the graces of the Holy Eucharist.

St John Chrysostom, pray for us.

Does Birth Control Make Women Less Happy? (New Study)

Here's an interesting new study regarding birth control:

Based on the notion that the hormone oxytocin plays an important role in the ability of nonhuman mammals to recognize each other and form attachments, the researchers gave 60 men a shot of oxytocin or a placebo, and then showed the subjects photographs of a bunch of people. Some faces were obviously angry, some happy, and others neutral. The next day, the men who were swimming in oxytocin remembered the happy faces but couldn't recall the angry or neutral ones.  

While it's interesting that a shot of oxytocin can put men into la-la-land when it comes to interpersonal relationships, the more interesting point is that women are more often already awash in the stuff.

Read the whole article from Live Science. 

PS: My wife and I have six children (and hopefully more to come) and while our lives are stressful, we are very happy and hopeful. I'd say that we are generally happier than most people. This just shows that having large families is not contrary to happiness.

Why Devotion to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary?

Why do Catholics have devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary? I call this "cordial devotion" (from the Latin cor, cordis meaning "heart"). English words such as "cordially" mean "heartfelt," and our word "core" meaning "center" also comes from this Latin word.

What Does the Heart Signify?

The human heart is considered to be the symbolic center of the person and as such is signifies the will. When we are excited or scared our heartbeat rises. In times of stress or sorrow, we can feel a pain in our chest.

In the Old Testament and in Hebrew idiom, the "heart" (Hebrew: leb) is often used as a synonym for the "soul." For example:

“My heart is troubled, my strength hath left me, and the light of my eyes itself is not with me.” (Psalm 37:11, D-R)

In fact, most languages parallel this usage. Now don't think that ancient people were entirely ignorant of human anatomy. They new full well that the heart was a vital organ responsible for human animation. For example:

“But early in the morning, when Nabal had digested his wine, his wife told him these words, and his heart died within him, and he became as a stone.” (1 Samuel 25:37, D-R)

In Hebrew, the heart also signifies the human conscience. For example, the heart “smites” David (2 Sam 24:5). Likewise in the New Testament, as in 1 Jn 3:20, where the Apostle speaks about “whenever our hearts condemn us." Thus, the heart functions as the seat of the moral life. This is why the Bible is so fond of the phrase "pure of heart" (Hebrew: bar lebab). Moreover, the natural law is "written on our hearts" (Rom 2:15).

Is "Heart Devotion" Biblical?

No doubt, Protestants sometimes take objection to "heart devotion" saying that it is odd to have devotion for a "body part" of Jesus or Mary.

How do we respond?

The Heart of God in the Old and New Testaments

The theme of "God's heart" emerges in First Temple Judaism, particularly with the advent of King David - the royal type of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Although the Jews did not believe that God had a human body, the Scriptures speak as if God had a heart. For example, God seeks holy ones who “seek after his own heart” (1 Sam 13:14).

Likewise, God wants priests who seek the heart of God:

“I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who shall do according to what is in my heart and in my mind” (1 Sam 2:35). Sin wounds the heart of God (Lam. 3:33). God's heart is also depicted in Hosea 11:8 “my heart recoils within me.”

H.W. Wolff explains, “God’s heart, his free resolve of love, turns against his decision of anger. So Hosea promised that decision in the heart of God which has been sealed for all nations in Jesus Christ.”{1}

The fact that God was made man in our Lord Jesus Christ fulfills the Old Testament expectation for that tender heart of God toward mankind. No longer is the "heart of God" an anthropomorphic analogy. In Christ, the heart of God lovingly beats for us.

Thus, devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is truly devotion to the Divine Mercy of God. This is why images of the Divine Mercy reveal blood and water flowing from His Sacred Heart. Likewise, devotion to the Immaculate Heart reveals how Mary the Mother of God is also the Mother of Mercy and that her heart is perfectly united to the merciful mission of her Divine Son. As the New Adam and New Even, the hearts of Jesus and Mary reveal the redemptive love of God for each of us. This is why God is intent in inspire devotion to the Holy Hearts of Jesus and Mary. This is why the message of the Immaculate Heart stands at the center of the messages of Our Lady of Fatima.

When Christ was crucified and the spear pierced his Sacred Heart on the cross, so also a sword pierced Mary's Immaculate Heart. This twin piercing is the hope of all Christians in the last ages. My guess is that this is why there is an increase in devotion and awareness toward the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary. The greatest devotion in this regard is First Friday Mass in honor of the Sacred Heart and First Saturday Mass in honor of the Immaculate Heart.

Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy us.

Immaculate Heart of Mary, pity us.

PS: Canterbury Tales blog is solemnly consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary (scroll down to see it).

{1} H. W. Wolff, Anthropology of the OT (Engtr 1974), p. 58.

Apostle to Prostitutes: Today's Saint John Eudes

Today's saint, St John Eudes, is an excellent example of how true doctrine and devotion leads to charitable work. In 1641, Saint John Eudes founded the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity of the Refuge as an order for prostitutes who wished to do penance and consecrate their lives to Mary.

Saint John Eudes is known primarily for his devotion to the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. Due to his influence, the feast of the Holy Heart of Mary was celebrated for the first time in 1648, and that of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in 1672. In fact, Saint John Eudes composed the Mass and Office proper to these feast days.

When we think of devotion to the Sacred Heart, we often think of St Margaret Mary Alocoque, but it was truly Father John Eudes that tilled the soil and planted the seeds for "cordial devotion" to Jesus and Mary.

In 1903 Pope Leo XIII (who had a great devotion to the Sacred Heart) gave John Eudes the title of "Author of the Liturgical Worship of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Holy Heart of Mary".

Again, this saint's love for the merciful Hearts of Jesus and Mary spilled over in mercy toward prostitutes. It's almost as if Saint John Eudes' love for Mary at the Cross of Christ revealed to him the mystical presence of Mary Magdalene. Love for Jesus and Mary always leads to love for sinners and their salvation.

Saint John Eudes, pray for us sinners.

Highly Recommended Novel about St Helen (Evelyn Waugh's Helena)

Even  if you're not Catholic, the novels by Evelyn Waugh are wonderful and moving. Everybody knows Waugh for his novel Brideshead Revisited, which is one of my personal favorites of all time. 

By the way, the BBC movie version (with Jeremy Irons) of Brideshead Revisited is absolutely wonderful. You and your spouse can enjoy several evenings while watching it. (Warning: Do NOT mistake the evil anti-Catholic Hollywood version of Brideshead!!! Get the BBC version!!!) 

My favorite Waugh novel, however, is not Brideshead Revisited, but rather it is his lesser-known historical fiction account of the life of Saint Helen - the mother of the first Christian Emperor Constantine. Helena is short and entertaining...and educational. Since today is St Helen's feast day, please get this novel about her. You won't be disappointed:

Rare Video: Election of Pope John XXIII in 1958

Here is a black and white video of the papal election of Pope Blessed John XXIII. I find these old videos fascinating. I never grow tired of watching them.

BTW: Around 2:34 is a video shot of the future Pope Paul VI.

Relic Photo: Sacred Crown of Saint Stephen of Hungary

Sacred Crown of St Stephen of Hungary with "crooked cross"

The Holy Crown of Saint Stephen of Hungary is one of the greatest second-class relics of the world. It symbolizes King Saint Stephen's desire for the Blessed Virgin Mary to rule over Hungary. It also forms the basis for the Hungarian "doctrine of the crown."

In the year A.D. 1000 Saint Stephen held up the crown during the coronation Mass to offer it to "Nagyboldogasszony" ("Our Lady") in order to seal a divine covenant between the Blessed Virgin Mary and the physical crown. This is the origin of the Hungarian "doctrine of the crown." Jesus and Mary are the true monarchs of Hungary and the one wearing the physical crown becomes their deputy. No king of Hungary was regarded as having been truly legitimate without being crowned with the Sacred Crown. In the history of Hungary, more than fifty kings were crowned with the Sacred Crown of Our Lady.

The last monarch to wear the Sacred Crown was a Blessed of the Catholic Church - Blessed Charles of Austria and Hungary.

Blessed Charles wearing the Sacra Corona of Hungary

The crown is well-known and identified by the "crooked cross" on its top. This cross became crooked in the seventeenth century when the crown was damaged, possibly by the top of the iron chest housing the insignia being hastily closed without the crown having been placed in it properly. The cross has since been left in this slanted position. The crooked cross has become its most famous feature.

Saint Stephen, Apostolic King of Hungary, pray for us.

In what year was Mary assumed into Heaven?

The Falling Asleep of Mary

Christ holds the soul of Mary in the form of an infant

Today is the feast of the Assumption.

For Catholics, the bodily assumption of the Blessed Mother of Christ is a historical event. The falling asleep of Blessed Mary and her assumption are just as historical as, say, the fact that Abraham Lincoln was assassinated or the fact that the St. Louis Cardinals won the 2006 World Series. One day Mary's body lay in a tomb. The next day it did not. When did this happen? Which year?

In the fifth century, St Juvenal, Patriarch of Jerusalem, told the holy Byzantine Empress Pulcheria: "Although there is no account of the circumstances of Her death in Holy Scripture, we know about them from the most ancient and credible tradition." He sent to the empress the grave wrappings of the Theotokos from her tomb. St Pulcheria then placed these grave-wrappings within the Blachernae church.

What is the Assumption of Mary?

The "ancient and credible tradition" of the dormition and assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is that when she came to the end of her life, she was translated body and soul to Heaven. In this way she received the eschatological promise of the resurrection of the body. This is fitting because she is an icon of the Church and Christ's redemption of his mother prefigures the hope of all Christians. That Mary was honored in this was is proper to love of Christ who fulfilled the commandment "Honor thy father and thy mother."

The Eastern Orthodox refer to this day as the Dormition or the "Falling Asleep" of the Blessed Mother. Some have wrongly concluded that this means that the Orthodox Church does not teach the bodily assumption of Mary. However, the Kontakion for the feast of the Blessed Mother's Dormtion reads:

Neither the tomb, nor death could hold the Theotokos,

Who is constant in prayer and our firm hope in her intercessions.

For being the Mother of Life,

She was translated to life by the One who dwelt in her virginal womb.

Note that the Eastern Church confesses that "neither the tomb, nor death" could hold the Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ.

If Eastern and Western Church agree on the historical event of her assumption, has there been an attempt to discover the date at which it happened?

The Date of the Assumption

There is no record of the exact day or year in which our Lady was assumed. This should not bother us too much. After all, we are not sure of the day and year of Christ's birth, baptism, or death and resurrection. However, we can get close. Let's look a few clues pertaining to the life and death of Mary.

We know that she was alive at the death of Christ, because she stood at the foot of the cross. At this point she was placed under the care of St. John, when Christ said, "Behold your mother." She was also present at Pentecost. After that, there is no mention of her (unless you count St. John's description of the "woman" in Rev 12 - more on this later).

Why is there little mention of Mary in Acts or the Epistles? I believe that the New Testament speaks of the mysteries of the faith in clouded language on account of the fierce persecution that Christians received from both the Jews and the Romans. Cases have been made that Galatians and 1 Peter are basically tracts on baptism, despite the fact that baptism is only alluded to in the most minimal way. The Gospel of John in particular is reluctant to spell out baptismal theology (John 3) or Eucharistic theology (John 6), although it does so in a way that only an insider would "get it". Think also of John's language about the "blood and the water". He's making points for "insiders". Mary would have been revered, but to speak of her openly would have placed her danger.

The martyrdom of St. James the Greater is recorded in Acts 12:1-2 and the date of this event is safely placed at A.D. 43 or 44. This was a Jewish persecution of the Christians. It seems that this martyrdom further widened the growing separation between the incipient Jewish community of Christians within the synagogues of Palestine and the establishment of a separate "Way" that began to gain Gentile adherents. The unique nature of the Church as distinct from Judaism would finally be ecclesiastically recognized at the Council Jerusalem in A.D. 49 or 50 (Acts 15). Acts 12 shows the Jews in a fierce attempt to destroy those closest to Christ. They kill James and imprison Peter (apparently with the intent to kill Peter).

Here is where we turn to Tradition. St. John had seen his brother St. James martyred, and St. Peter imprisoned. Everyone knew that Christ's inner circle consisted of Peter, James, and John. They had killed James and captured Peter. Obviously John was next on the hit list. Tradition also indicates that the Jews sought to kill or disgrace the Mother of Christ. So John took Mary and relocated to Ephesus sometime shortly after the martyrdom of his brother James (A.D. 43 or 44).

Assumption in the AD 40s?

Thus Mary was still alive in AD 43 and so the falling asleep and assumption of Mary occurred sometime after this date. The tradition is almost universal that her death and resurrection occurred in Jerusalem. An alternate version has arisen from the visions of Ven. Anne Catherine Emmerich that her death, funeral, and assumption occurred in Ephesus. Interestingly enough, Emmerich places the date of the assumption at A.D. 43 or 44. One argument against dating the Assumption to the AD 40s is that St Luke interviewed Mary for his Gospel and it does not seem that St Luke was active within the Church in the early 40s.

Assumption in the AD 50s or 60s?

One tradition places the falling asleep of Mary after the conversion of St. Dionysius the Areopagite which occurred in Acts 17:34. This kicks the date back into the 50s. All the traditions place her Dormition sometime after the other Apostles have gone out into the world, but before the death of the other Apostles (ca. A.D. 63).

I think Mary fell asleep at this time. It fits the historical setting of most of the apocryphal legends retelling the Dormition of Mary with the eleven living Apostles present and Peter celebrating her funeral. Here is my list of reasons for placing the Dormition at AD 63:

• The Apostles (but not James "the Greater" Zebedee) are all still alive.
• The great miracle of the Dormition and Assumption are not mentioned in Acts, something we might expect if it happened before the composition of Acts (A.D. 63).
• The Book of Revelation seems to describe some sort of miraculous intervention of God meant to preserve the "the woman". I believe Revelation explains the seven year Jerusalem-tribulation leading up to the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. Thus, A.D. 63 fits perfectly.
• Her dormition in AD 63 also allows for St Luke to interview her for his Gospel. That is, Luke was able to gain the details of the Magnificat, etc. directly from the Blessed Virgin.

So I'm suggesting that Mary was assumed about A.D. 63 when Herod's temple was finally finished. This temple did not have the true Ark of the Covenant - because Mary was the true Ark of the Covenant enshrined not in the Herodian Temple, but in the Temple of the Catholic Church. So Mary's Assumption is a sort of "pre-tribulation rapture" occurring before the seven years of Roman-Jerusalem gridlock culminating in the end of the Mosaic age - the destruction of the Temple in A.D. 70. I'd love any comments from anyone aware of any published studies on this topic.

Are you an Enemy of Mary? Ask 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.

The Apostles Sprinkled Salt upon the Nations (St John Chrysostom)

Saint John Chrysostom (AD 349–407)

Doctor of the Catholic Church

Saint John Chrysostom, that great doctor of the Church and preacher explains Our Lord's words "You are the salt of the earth":

"You are the salt of the earth. It is not for your own sake, he says, but for the world’s sake that the word is entrusted to you. I am not sending you only into two cities only or ten to twenty, not to a single nation, as I sent the prophets of old, but across land and sea, to the whole world. And that world is in a miserable state.

For when he says: You are the salt of the earth, he is indicating that all mankind had lost its savour and had been corrupted by sin. Therefore, he requires of these men those virtues which are especially useful and even necessary if they are to bear the burdens of many. For the man who is kindly, modest, merciful and just will not keep his good works to himself but will see to it that these admirable fountains send out their streams for the good of others. Again, the man who is clean of heart, a peacemaker and ardent for truth will order his life so as to contribute to the common good.

Do not think, he says, that you are destined for easy struggles or unimportant tasks. You are the salt of the earth. What do these words imply? Did the disciples restore what had already turned rotten? Not at all. Salt cannot help what is already corrupted. That is not what they did. But what had first been renewed and freed from corruption and then turned over to them, they salted and preserved in the newness the Lord had bestowed. It took the power of Christ to free men from the corruption caused by sin; it was the task of the apostles through strenuous labour to keep that corruption from returning.

Have you noticed how, bit by bit, Christ shows them to be superior to the prophets? He says they are to be teachers not simply for Palestine but for the whole world. Do not be surprised, then, he says, that I address you apart from the others and involve you in such a dangerous enterprise. Consider the numerous and extensive cities, peoples and nations I will be sending you to govern. For this reason I would have you make others prudent, as well as being prudent yourselves. For unless you can do that, you will not be able to sustain even yourselves.
If others lose their savour, then your ministry will help them regain it. But if you yourselves suffer that loss, you will drag others down with you.

Therefore, the greater the undertakings put into your hands, the more zealous you must be. For this reason he says: But if the salt becomes tasteless, how can its flavour be restored? It is good for nothing now, but to be thrown out and trampled by men’s feet.

When they hear the words: When they curse you and persecute you and accuse you of every evil, They may be afraid to come forward. Therefore he says: “Unless you are prepared for that sort of thing, it is in vain that I have chosen you. Curses shall necessarily be your lot but they shall not harm you and will simply be a testimony to your constancy. If through fear, however, you fail to show the forcefulness your mission demands, your lot will be much worse, for all will speak evil of you and despise you. That is what being trampled by men’s feet means.”

Recommended book by St John Chrysostom on Marriage:

Origen's Father is a Catholic Saint (Saint Leonides)

The famous theologian Origen (AD 185–254) is not a saint of the Catholic Church: he had some whacky ideas about our souls pre-existing, Adam's creation as incorporeal, and a fuzzy doctrine of apokatastasis (the teaching everyone will be finally saved and Hell is only a form of purgatory). It is also alleged that Origen castrated himself in order to obey the Words of Christ quite literally:

“For there are eunuchs, who were born so from their mothers womb: and there are eunuchs, who were made so by men: and there are eunuchs, who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven. He that can take, let him take it.” (Matthew 19:12, D-R)

So needless to say, Origen had some odd ideas.

However, the father of Origen, Saint Leonides is a canonized saint of the Catholic Church. Saint Leonides and his wife had nine children - one of which was Origen. 

One tradition records that during the persecutions, the early Christians were deprived of the Holy Eucharist. So Saint Leonides and his family would gather around the newly baptized infant Origen, believing that the Holy Trinity was so preeminently present in the soul of the newly baptized. In this way they experienced the presence of God in their midst. A touching story and a reminder of the glories of infant baptism.

Saint Leonides catechized his children well, and finally suffered the glory of martyrdom in AD 202 in the persecution of Emperor Septimus Severus. Origen attempted to follow his father in martyrdom, but he was detained by his mother (she hid his clothes so that Origen couldn't leave the house).

Saint Leonides feast day is April 22 and the Roman Martyrology lists him on this day:

Alexandríæ natális sancti Leónidæ Mártyris, qui sub Sevéro passus est.

At Alexandria, the birthday of the Saint Leonides the martyr, who suffered under Severus.

Saint Leonides, pray for us.

Why is St Clare the Patron Saint of Television? (Seriously, she had a flatscreen back in the 1200s!)

Saint Clare of Assisi

(July 16, 1194 – August 11, 1253)

The Venerable Pope Pius XII declared Saint Clare of Assisi as patroness of television in 1958 when televisions were becoming universally common.

Why did the pope choose this thirteenth century Franciscan foundress who was dedicated to evangelical poverty and would not have owned a television?

The reason is that Saint Clare, way back in the 1200s, was the first to experience "televised" Masses.

When Saint Clare was too ill to attend the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the Holy Spirit would project the Holy Mass on the wall of her room so that she could watch it from her bed.

This just goes to show that our Lord takes care of his faithful brides.

PS: Please say a Hail Mary for my daughter's vocation (whatever it might be). Today's her saints day.

Social Sin: Casting our Children into Debt

We all know that abortion, euthanasia, contraception, and homosexual "marriage" are intrinsic evils contrary to the natural law. Our Holy Father and our bishops speak out regularly against this social sins. Thanks be to God. Certain bishops also regularly speak out against other social injustices, for example, those sins associated with the ins-and-outs of immigration and human trafficking.

But there is another great evil and that nobody in the Church is talking about - it effects not only Americans, but Europeans, Africans, Asians, etc. It's "national debt" and the disastrous effect it will have on our children.*

"The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender." (Proverbs 22:7)

If every single American child is de facto indebted $47,000 (I don't know the stats for other nations), thanks to our lawmakers, are we not making children into "debt slaves"? This generation is robbing and enslaving the next generation. It's wrong...and it's only getting worse.

On a similar note, I suspect that college debt and personal debt among 20-year-olds is likely the chief occasion of sin for contraception. Newly married couples with large amounts of debt do not feel free to have children, so they contracept...and abort.

If we're serious about social justice, we need to be serious and vocal about debt. To be frank, our governments are committing usury against the next generation.

Turning children into debtors? Debtors are slaves.

"But he that shall scandalize one of these little ones that believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone should be hanged about his neck, and that he should be drowned in the depth of the sea." (Matthew 18:6)

* Please know that I'm not suggesting that indebtedness is as equally sinful as such sins as abortion, contraception, etc. It's not. However, it doesn't mean it's not important.

Photo: Holy Mass ad orientem World War 2 style

New Advent featured some great photos the other day from World War 2, one of which is the photo above of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass celebrated for soldiers in France.

This picture is worth a thousand words. It illustrates in spades why ad orientem (versus Deum) celebration of the Holy Mass is necessary and needed.

The priest is praying with the soldiers. He's on the same side of the altar. He's not speaking to the soldiers - he is suffering with the soldiers.

They are facing Christ together. We here a lot of talk about solidarity. The ancient liturgical forms visible demonstrated solidarity in a powerful way.

We should heed the words of our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI (see his Spirit of the Liturgy) and return to the ancient rubrics enshrining ad orientem celebrations of the Holy Sacrifice.

All holy priests, pray for us.

Catholic Response to London Riots?

We're Catholics. What if an urban riot broke out in your city? What would you do? Flee? Fight? Lock the doors and stay hidden? Citizen patrols? Defend? Certainly pray.

Please leave a comment. What would you do?

Pope Paul VI's BLACK Popemobile is up for auction!

We've grown accustomed to white Popemobiles. That wasn't always the case. The Popemobiles were once black.

The photo above is of the black Popemobile for Pope Paul VI’s first visit to the United States. The vehicle is a customized 1964 Lincoln Continental. This same ’64 Continental Popemobile is now up for auction at Bonhams on August 19 in California, where it’s expected to sell for up to $350,000. I rather like it.

This 1964 Popemoblie was custom built by Lehmann-Peterson for Pope Paul VI’s visit to the New York in 1965 to speak at the United Nations and celebrate Holy Mass at Yankee Stadium. According to RM Auctions, the Lincoln Continental was commissioned by Henry Ford II for the pope’s first visit to the western hemisphere, after Ford determined the Continental was, “more appropriate” than the Ford LTD the Vatican originally requested.

The Vatican asked for this popemobile to be built with a transparent bubble roof, a convertible top, and a throne in the rear to allow the Pontiff to be better seen by crowds. The Continental Popemobile also included running boards for the Swiss Guards, and a public address system.

After the Holy Father's visit, the 1964 Lincoln Continental popemobile was shipped back to Chicago. While in Chicago, it spent some time chauffeuring astronauts from the Apollo 8 and 13 missions (including Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong), during ticker tape parades.

This same Popemobile-Continental was shipped to Bogota, Columbia for Pope Paul VI’s visit there in 1968.

HT: Christopher Stainbrook

PS: Did the Swiss Guards once travel with the Holy Father? If so, this custom should be restored. I also wouldn't be opposed to Swiss Guards wearing secret-service ear pieces and holding AR-15s. I'm just sayin'.

Catholic Courtesy: Who Greets Whom and Holy Matrimony

Swiss Guards (inferior) first salute 

Cardinal O'Malley (superior)

In common courtesy, it is the custom that the lesser first salutes or greets the greater. A private first salutes a general. A citizen first greets the governor. You get the idea.

In Catholic nations, there was historically a notable exception to this courtesy. Whenever a superior meets an inferior in the presence of his wife, the greater salutes the lesser.

Why? This custom showed the sanctity and honor of the sacrament of sacramental marriage. Since the husband and wife in the sacrament of matrimony are icons of Christ and the Church, they receive the greater honor. 

So if a Catholic general saw a private and his wife on the street, he would first greet them rather that the private first greet the general.

At least among ourselves, we Catholics should strive to enshrine common courtesies. The old Catholic courtesies were built around the mysteries of the Sacred Scriptures. These are little things, but they reenforce the dogmas of our Holy Faith in Christ.

“Pass not beyond the ancient bounds which thy fathers have set.” (Proverbs 22:28, D-R)

Blessed Charles of Austria, pray for us.

Recommended book on "Catholic courtesy":

The Metamorphosis of Jesus Christ

The "Metamorphosis" of Christ

by Fra Angelico

When I was a Protestant college student traveling in Greece, I came across an Orthodox Church entitled "Metamorphosis of Christ."

I thought, "What a strange name for a church! The metamorphosis? What?"

Later, I realized that metamorphosis is the Greek word that the New Testament uses to describe the "transfiguration" of Christ on Mount Tabor.

Here's the Greek:

καὶ μετεμορφώθη ἔμπροσθεν αὐτῶν, καὶ ἔλαμψεν τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ὡς ὁ ἥλιος, τὰ δὲ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο λευκὰ ὡς τὸ φῶς.

“And he was transfigured {μετεμορφώθη} before them. And his face did shine as the sun: and his garments became white as snow.” (Matthew 17:2, D-R)

The prefix "meta" usually means "change" and "morphe" means form. So literally, Christ "transformed" before them. His divine glory became manifest. Why? From this point in His sacred ministry, Christ spoke of His impending passion and death. This sneak peek at His divine glory served as a sign to His three closest disciples: Peter, James, and John.

Often God does the same thing for us. Before the Father calls us to an act of suffering or service, He often gives us a moment or time of glory, miracles, or signs. This is meant to embolden us during the difficult times which may come later.

Photo: Mass before the Relics of St John Vianney

Relics of St John Vianney (Curé d'Ars)
Pèlerinage FSSP de rentrée à Ars, 18-19 IX 2010

This photo took my breath away. It's picture of a Holy Mass celebrated before the incorruptible relics of Saint John Marie Vianney (the famous "Curé d'Ars"), patron of Catholic priests.

Saint John Vianney offered himself as priest for the salvation of souls. He spent at least 11 or 12 hours a day in the confessional during winter, and up to 16 to 18 in the summer. By 1855, the number of pilgrims seeking him had reached twenty thousand a year. The also popularized devotion to Saint Philomena (click her for a great intro sermon on St Philomena) who was his special patroness. He died a holy death at the age of 73 in the year 1859.

Saint John Vianney, pray for us and especially for our priests.

Saint John Marie Vianney

(1786 – 1859)

Guinness Record for Catholic Chant: Euouae

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the word "euouae," is the longest "all-vowels" word in the English language.

What is this word? If you sing Gregorian chant, you see it all the time. It is a mnemonic for the final vowels in the last part of the Gloria Patri:

"seculorum Amen"

e-u-o-u-a-e

It tells you which notes land on which syllable. 

No doubt, "euouae" would make for an interesting Scrable word.

True Story: How a Buddhist became Catholic

A friend of mine is an active member of the Legion of Mary. They go door-to-door and invite people to the Catholic Church and teach them how to pray the Holy Rosary.

They came to the home a Laotian man who was a Buddhist. He was very interested in the faith and even visited our parish. My friend led him to our church and prayed for him telling Our Lord and Our Lady that they brought him this far and they should do the rest...

When the Legion of Mary did a follow up visit they discovered he was sick in the hospital and perhaps in danger of death. They visited him there and arranged for a priest to meet him.

The man professed the Catholic and desired to enter the Catholic Church and he was forthwith baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. He is still not well so please pray for him.

Praise God. Look into joining your local Legion of Mary and join in on the work of the Holy Spirit.

Please visit the Legion of Mary website.