Your List of Lenten Bible Verses on Penance

If you're like me, the commitments of Lent are becoming a bit more difficult. To keep your eyes on the prize, here are the Top Ten Bible verses on Penance. In Greek, we often find in Scripture the Greek term "metanoia" which is a deep "transformation of mind" of conformity to God. In Latin, we find "agite paenitentiam" or "do penance." Protestant commentators beginning with Martin Luther criticized this translation because they felt that it emphasized outward acts and not an inward transformation. The Church responded by arguing that "agite paenitentiam" or "do penance" is a perfectly sound interpretation because inward repentance always leads to an outward expression. Moreover, in secular texts "agere paenitentiam" often refers to simple inward remorse. Nevertheless, just as faith without works is dead, so also repentance without penance is dead.

So here are the "top ten" penance passages in Sacred Scripture. I'm leading off with Luke 13:3 because, for me, that is the most powerful passage regarding penance.

Luke 13:3

No, I say to you: but unless you shall do penance, you shall all likewise perish.

{This is a solemn promise of Christ to all of us. Unless we do penance, we will "perish."}

Job 42:6

Therefore I reprehend myself, and do penance in dust and ashes.

Ecclesiasticus 2:22

If we do not penance, we shall fall into the hands of the Lord, and not into the hands of men.

{If we don't experience discipline in this life, we shall experience it in the next.}

Jeremiah 31:19

For after thou didst convert me, I did penance: and after thou didst shew unto me, I struck my thigh: I am confounded and ashamed, because I have borne the reproach of my youth.

{Notice here, that penance comes after conversion.}

Lamentations 2:14

Thy prophets have seen false and foolish things for thee: and they have not laid open thy iniquity, to excite thee to penance: but they have seen for thee false revelations and banishments.

{Here the spiritual leaders of Israel have wrongly induced the people to follow after false revelations or apparitions. Instead, they should have led the people to penance. Incidentally, Saint Francis is the perfect example of the right leader. He doesn't appeal to apparitions or even to his stigmata. He appeals to the power of prayer, fasting, and penance.}

Ezekiel 18:21

But if the wicked do penance for all his sins which he hath committed, and keep all my commandments, and do judgment, and justice, living he shall live, and shall not die.

{This is the great promise for Lent. If we humble ourselves and live sacrificially, we will have life. God is merciful and loving and He desires our transformation into the image of Christ His Son.}

Matthew 3:8

Bring forth therefore fruit worthy of penance.

{Here we find that true repentance requires fruit - it requires outward acts that conform to the inward reality.}

Matthew 11:20

Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein were done the most of his miracles, for that they had not done penance.

{This is a sobering verse. Christ doesn't work miracles where the people don't repent. Divine power is restricted by human pride.}

Romans 2:4

Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness, and patience, and longsuffering? Knowest thou not, that the benignity of God leadeth thee to penance?

{The love, mercy, and benignity of God brings us to a true repentance. Notice that being mean and hateful does not bring others to penance.}

Apocalypse 2:5

Be mindful therefore from whence thou art fallen: and do penance, and do the first works. Or else I come to thee, and will move thy candlestick out of its place, except thou do penance.

{Here "do penance" and "do the first works" are paired together. Penance has an outward dimension, because sin also has an outward dimension. The horrifying truth is that Christ will snuff out the Church of any region if they don't live a life of penitence.}

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How to Recognize 7 Diversion Tactics in Philosophy and Theology

Be the man on the right, not the man on the left...

Have you ever been involved in a discussion on theology or philosophy that constantly gets off track? What about heated exchanges that go nowhere? 

The problem is likely related to fallacies of diversion. In a previous post, we sought "How to Recognize Logical Problems in Philosophy and Theology."

Today we examine seven "Diversion Tactics." Like last time, we depend on Dr Kreeft's book Socratic Logic 3.

1) Ad Hominem Argument. ad hominem is Latin for "toward the man." These are arguments directed toward the character or failings of a person. They usually come in two varieties. The first is to undermine the general reliability of a person so as to dismiss his argument.

"Borgia Popes were sinful, therefore their teachings are unreliable."

"Aristotle was a pagan, therefore his philosophy is dangerous."

The other kind of ad hominem argument is called "tu quoque," which means "you also." For example when Karl Marx attempted to reply to the objection that communism destroys families, his reply was, "Capitalism also destroys families." This diversion is merely an escape. It does not demonstrate sound thinking.

2. Ad Verecundam Diversion. ad verecundiam means "toward reverence or venerable authority." This diversion appeals to illegitimate authorities or so-called experts.

"I trust the Bible alone, because my pastor told me so."

"You should vote for Barack Obama because Oprah endorses him."

"He's my soul-mate because the horoscope in the newspaper said that I would meet my soul-mate today."

3. Ad Baculum Diversion. ad baculum means "to the stick." It is a diversion that appeals to punishment, as in being beat with a rod. This line of argument simply threatens a punishment if agreement cannot be made.

"If you don't agree with me, then I won't be your friend anymore."

"Chairman of the Board: All in favor, say Aye, all opposed say I resign."

"If you become Catholic, I will disown you."

4. Ad Misericordiam Diversion. ad misericordiam means "unto mercy or pity." This diversion appeals not to reason or justice, but to mercy or pity.

"How dare you say that Protestant ministers aren't validly ordained, I've been slaving as a Lutheran minister for 35 years!"

"If you become Catholic, you'll break your mother's heart."

"If you don't marry me, I'll kill myself."

5. Ad Populum Diversion. ad populum means "to the people." This diversion appeals to the masses or what everybody does.

"Contraception cannot be sinful. Everybody does it. Even Catholics."

"How can Catholicism be the true religion? There are billions on earth who aren't Catholic."

"Abortion isn't wrong. The UN sanctions it." (This is also an ad verecundiam diversion)

6. Ad Ignorantiam Diversion. ad ignorantiam means "unto ignorance." This ridiculous diversion holds that a statement must be true because we do not know that it is false.

"I've never heard of Saint Alphonsus Liguori's Moral Theology. It must not be important."

"God doesn't exist because I've never heard of a good proof for His existence."

"Transubstantiation? I've never seen that word in the Bible. It must not be true."

7. Ad Ignominiam Diversion. ad ignominiam means "unto shame." Like ad misericordiam, this diversion appeals to the feelings of an interlocutor. 

"Seriously, you still pray the Rosary? That's for old ladies, not real men."

"If you pray before meals in restaurants, people will think that you're a freak."

"You shouldn't talk about your faith in public. People will laugh at you."

I think that you can get a feeling for how these seven diversions work. You likely encounter all seven every single day.

Let me conclude with one piece of advice. The key to persuading your interlocutor is not in being a logic ninja. Don't karate chop them with, "Aha, that is the diversion of ad ignominiam, don't you know. It's a fallacy. You should be ashamed of that." (Get it? This would merely be reverse ad ignominiam).

Instead, think of logical discourse like chess. Dismiss their diversion move as a wasted move and then think forward into the game two or three moves by making quality arguments. By not making similar diversions or fallacies, your argument becomes even stronger and more compelling. Of course, pray, smile, and be kind. Kindness, not mere logic, is the key ingredient for persuasion.

Happy discussions!

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Why are Images Veiled on the Fifth Sunday of Lent?

Why are images veiled beginning on the fifth Sunday in Lent? Traditionally, the two weeks of Passiontide begin on the fifth Sunday of Lent. The first week is Passion Week, and the second week is Holy Week. 

The traditional Gospel reading for this Sunday focuses on the increasing hatred against Christ from the Jewish authorities. They accuse Him of being a Samaritan, sorcery, blasphemy, and as being possessed by Satan. They don't think that Christ is "a good teacher." They think He is a demonic agent.

The old Gospel reading for Passion Sunday (fifth Sunday of Lent) from the eighth chapter of Saint John's Gospel ends with these words:

“They took up stones therefore to cast at him. But Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.” (John 8:59, D-R)

According to Saint Augustine, at this moment when "Jesus hid himself," Christ in fact became invisible by virtue of His divine nature. Saint Augustine writes:

He hides not Himself in a corner of the temple, as if afraid, or running into a cottage, or turning aside behind a wall or column: but by His Divine Power making Himself invisible, He passed through their midst. 

To help signify this mystery, Catholic statues and images are veiled with purple cloth beginning at the Vespers on the evening before Passion Sunday. The statues remain covered until the Gloria of Holy Saturday. This is the moment at which the fast of Lent ends and the glory of Easter begins. This unveiling reveals that Christ has revealed himself as risen and victorious.

It's also a pious custom for lay Catholics to cover blessed images and statues at home during Passiontide with purple veils.

Our Catholic Faith is so rich!

HT: Fr Phil Wolfe for the St Augustine reference.

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Which Unknown Marian Shrine Has More Pilgrims than Guadalupe and Lourdes? Answer: Brazil's Our Lady of Aparecida

The Basilica of of Our Lady of Aparecida in Aparecida, Brazil is the greatest Marian pilgrimage site in the world. It receives more pilgrims that the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe or Our Lady of Lourdes.

Our Lady of of the Apparition of the Immaculate Conception (Portuguese: Nossa Senhora da Conceição Aparecida) commemorates the appearance (aparecida) of a statue the Blessed Virgin Mary in October of 1717.

The story behind it is quite interesting. Three Catholic fishermen were discouraged when they were unable to catch any fish for a local feast. The three men prayed to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception for assistance. In their nets, they hauled in the body of a statue. They cast their nets again and found the statue's head. When they cleaned and assembled the statue, it proved to be a statue of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception. They continued to fish and caught a vast amount of fish for the feast.

A tradition claims that the statue had been sculpted by Fra Agostino de Jesus, a friar from São Paulo known for his artistic skills in making sacred images. This would date the statue to about 1650. Somehow between 1650 and 1717, the statue was submerged under water in the Paraíba River. Who knows how or why.

In 1737, a Catholic priest of Guaratinguetá built her a chapel on the Coqueiros hill to house the little statue. In 1904, to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, the statue of Our Lady of Aparecida was crowned by the archbishop of São Paulo, Dom Lino Deodato Rodrigues, at the decree of the Holy See and in the presence of the Apostolic Nuncio. The Coronation was performed in the Name and on behalf of Pope Saint Pius X.

The Pontifical Coronation of the statue of Aparecida was a major social event attended by pilgrims and also by several civil authorities, including the then President of the Republic, Rodrigues Alves, who witnessed the act in spite of the separation of Church and State that had been instituted less than twenty years before, when Brazil became a Republic. 

The golden crown for the statue had been donated by the exiled Brazilian Princess Isabel.

The new Basilica was initiated in 1955. It is the largest Marian shrine in the world and the second largest Basilica in the world, second only to St. Peter's in the Vatican City. As of 2011, it enjoys the status as the greatest Marian pilgrimage in the world, ranking above Our Lady of Guadalupe and Our Lady of Lourdes in the number of pilgrims.

Feast Day: October 12 - the day on which the fishermen found the little clay statue of Our Lady of Aparecida.

Our Lady of Aparecida, pray for us.


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Which Latin Vulgate Should You Purchase?

Which Vulgate should you buy? A reader asks:

Hello Dr. Marshall, 

I am looking into getting a physical copy of the Clementine Vulgate, and was wondering if you had any recommendation, perhaps obtainable on Amazon or a similar place. A facsimile of a historical version would be great, but I haven't found any of those, so a modern edition would suffice. 

Thanks!

In previous posts, we have examined that not everything labeled "Vulgate" is truly the traditional Vulgate. Buyer beware. Essentially there are three Vulgates: the classical Clementine Vulgate used in traditional Gregorian chant (by the way, just say no to the Pian Psalter). Second, there is the common Stuttgart Vulgate which is an academic critical edition with variant readings. Third, there is the "New Vulgate" or Nova Vulgata, which was produced in the 1970s. You don't want that either. So you want to get the Clementine Vulgate which stands as the basis for traditional liturgy and traditional chant. There is an easy test to figure out which edition a Vulgate is. Turn to Genesis 3:20 and look at the name of Adam's wife:

1) If it's spelled Heva: Clementine Vulgate (1592) - the standard printed Vulgate of the Catholic Church for Scripture and Liturgy until the Nova Vulgata (1979)

2) If it's spelled Hava: Stuttgart Vulgate (1969) - a scholarly critical edition of the Vulgate from the German Bible Society, not used in the liturgies of the Catholic Church. This is an academic Vulgate with a critical apparatus - it often includes the Pslater iuxta Hebraeos.

3) If it's spelled Eva: Nova Vulgata (1979) - the official Catholic edition of the Vulgate currently used in the ordinary liturgies of the Catholic Church (i.e. Missale Romanum 1969 & Liturgia Horarum)

I recommend the following two Clementine Vulgates because they have the Douay-Rheims English parallel for reference. It's easier than carrying a dictionary with you. By the way, NewAdvent.org has the Clementine Vulgate and Douay Rheims in parallel with the Greek!

This paper back version is 20 bucks. 

The other is leatherbound and 90 bucks by my favorite publisher Baronius Press:

I'll close by saying that it's NEVER too late to learn Latin. Even if you are 70 years old, go for it. Take an online course or sign up for a local class. It's fun, challenges the mind, and unlocks a wealth of Catholic and historical resources. It's one of the best things that you can do.

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The Husband is the Head, but the Wife is the Heart (from Pope Pius XI)

The Martin Family - Home of St Therese

"For if the man is the head, the woman is the heart, and as he occupies the chief place in ruling, so she may and ought to claim for herself the chief place in love."

Casti Connubii by His Holiness Pope Pius XI

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Saint Wulfran vs. Human Sacrifice in Europe

Saint Wulfran of Sens

March 20 remembers a great saint, Wulfran, who challenged the European practice of human sacrifice - adult sacrifice and infanticide. We of European descent do well to remember that our ancestors were idolators and sacrificed children. It was the Catholic Church that delivered us from this savagery. 

Saint Wulfran baptized great multitudes, with a son of King Radbod, and drew the people from the barbarous custom of sacrificing men to idols. The lot herein decided, on great festivals, who should be the victim; and the person was instantly hanged or cut in pieces. The lot having fallen on one Ovon, St. Wulfran earnestly begged his life of King Radbod; but the people ran tumultuously to the palace, and would not suffer what they called a sacrilege. After many words, they consented that if the God of Wulfran should save Ovon’s life, he should ever serve him, and be Wulfran’s slave. The saint betook himself to prayer, and the man, after hanging on the gibbet two hours, being left for dead, by the cord breaking fell to the ground; and being found alive was given to the saint, and became a monk and priest at Fontenelle. 

Wulfran also miraculously rescued two children from being drowned in the sea, in honor of the idols. Radbod, who had been an eye-witness to this last miracle, promised to become a Christian, and was instructed among the catechumens; but his criminal delays rendered him unworthy such a mercy. As he was going to step into the baptismal font, he asked where the great number of his ancestors and nobles were in the next world? The saint replied, that hell is the portion of all who die guilty of idolatry. At which the prince drew back, and refused to be baptized, saying, he would go with the greater number. 

This tyrant sent afterwards to St. Willebrord to treat with him about his conversion; but before the arrival of the saint was found dead. St. Wulfran retired to Fontenelle, that he might prepare himself for death, and died there on the 20th of April, in 720. 

- From Butler's Lives.

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12 Reasons Why Joseph was Married to Mary (from St Thomas Aquinas)

Saint Joseph and the Blessed Virgin Mary were certainly sacramentally married. To say that Christ was born of an "unwed mother" is incorrect. Christ was born into holy wedlock - the most holy marriage in the history of humanity.

Last week, we examined how Saint Joseph belongs to the Order of the Hypostatic Union. This week, we examine why Joseph belongs to the order of Incarnation and why it was fitting for Mary to be married to Saint Joseph. 

Saint Thomas Aquinas, gives us 12 reasons for the fittingness of their bond in holy matrimony. One of the most important was in order that the pregnant Mother of God would not be stoned under the law of Moses. 

The first four reasons are for Christ's sake. The next three are for the sake of the Mother of God. The last five are for our sake.

It was fitting that Christ should be born of an espoused virgin:

1) First, for His own sake; secondly, for His Mother's sake; thirdly, for our sake. For the sake of Christ Himself, for four reasons. First, lest He should be rejected by unbelievers as illegitimate: wherefore Ambrose says on Luke 1:26-27: "How could we blame Herod or the Jews if they seem to persecute one who was born of adultery?"

2) Secondly, in order that in the customary way His genealogy might be traced through the male line. Thus Ambrose says on Luke 3:23: "He Who came into the world, according to the custom of the world had to be enrolled Now for this purpose, it is the men that are required, because they represent the family in the senate and other courts. The custom of the Scriptures, too, shows that the ancestry of the men is always traced out."

3) Thirdly, for the safety of the new-born Child: lest the devil should plot serious hurt against Him. Hence Ignatius says that she was espoused "that the manner of His Birth might be hidden from the devil."

4) Fourthly, that He might be fostered by Joseph: who is therefore called His "father," as bread-winner.

It was also fitting for the sake of the Virgin:

5) First, because thus she was rendered exempt from punishment; that is, "lest she should be stoned by the Jews as an adulteress," as Jerome says.

6) Secondly, that thus she might be safeguarded from ill fame. Whence Ambrose says on Luke 1:26-27: "She was espoused lest she be wounded by the ill-fame of violated virginity, in whom the pregnant womb would betoken corruption."

7) Thirdly, that, as Jerome says, Joseph might administer to her wants.

This was fitting, again, for our sake:

8) First, because Joseph is thus a witness to Christ's being born of a virgin. Wherefore Ambrose says: "Her husband is the more trustworthy witness of her purity, in that he would deplore the dishonor, and avenge the disgrace, were it not that he acknowledged the mystery."

9) Secondly, because thereby the very words of the Virgin are rendered more credible by which she asserted her virginity. Thus Ambrose says: "Belief in Mary's words is strengthened, the motive for a lie is removed. If she had not been espoused when pregnant, she would seem to have wished to hide her sin by a lie: being espoused, she had no motive for lying, since a woman's pregnancy is the reward of marriage and gives grace to the nuptial bond." These two reasons add strength to our faith.

10) Thirdly, that all excuse be removed from those virgins who, through want of caution, fall into dishonor. Hence Ambrose says: "It was not becoming that virgins should expose themselves to evil report, and cover themselves with the excuse that the Mother of the Lord had also been oppressed by ill-fame."

11) Fourthly, because by this the universal Church is typified, which is a virgin and yet is espoused to one Man, Christ, as Augustine says (De Sanct. Virg. xii).

12) A fifth reason may be added: since the Mother of the Lord being both espoused and a virgin, both virginity and wedlock are honored in her person, in contradiction to those heretics who disparaged one or the other.

This evening (March 19 2012) at 7pm, I'll be giving a talk about how authentic fatherhood flows from Saint Joseph's status as the Head of the Holy Family. We will examine Saint Joseph's purity and virtues. Please join us at the College of Saint Thomas More at 7pm. It's open to the public.

Saint Joseph, pray for us.

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Today is Medieval Mothers' Day

Today is Laetare Sunday, the Fourth Sunday of Lent. It was once called "Mothering Sunday" since the faithful returned to their "mother church" or Cathedral for a service to be held on the fourth Sunday of Lent. Anyone who took this "mini-pilgrimage" was said to have gone 'a-mothering.'

Since people each returned to a central location, families that had been separated (remember there were no cars or trains) were reunited. This custom existed into the 19th century in a more secular form: servants were allowed on this weekend to go home and visit their family in their home town or "mother town."

Also associated with this Sunday are the traditional Simnel Cakes baked to celebrate the reunification of families and a refreshing break from Lent.

In some places, this Sunday is the only time during Lent in which Christian marriage may be solemnized. And let's not forget the rose vestments. Rose colored vestments apparently have two different explanations. The first is the that the color of rose comes from the floral gifts given to mothers on account of sons being able to see the mothers once again upon reunification with their families. The other more likely origin comes from the tradition of the Golden Rose. On this fourth Sunday of Lent, the Pope would bless the "Golden Rose" to be sent to Catholic kings and queens. This Sunday became known as "Dominca de Rosa," and eventually rose colored vestments were introduced to compliment the theme.

All that being said, have a happy, refreshing, and holy Laetare, Mothering, Refreshment, Rose Sunday.

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Relic Photo: Saint Patrick's Bell of the Testament

Relic: Saint Patrick's Bell with Viking Influenced Reliquary

This is one of the most interesting relics of which I have heard: Saint Patrick's Bell of the Testament.

Saint Patrick died in AD 493. According to the "Book of Cuanu" dating to AD 552, Saint Columcille acquired three relics from Saint Patrick's tomb:

1. Saint Patrick's Chalice

2. Saint Patrick's Gospel book (called the Angels Gospel)

3. Saint Patrick's Bell of the Testament

These three items were signs of Saint Patrick's office as a Catholic bishop. The bell in particular became an important Irish relic.

The bell itself is simple in design, hammered into shape with a small handle fixed to the top with rivets. The bell was forged from iron and plated in bronze. 

King Domnall Ua Lochlainn placed the bell in a reliquary sometime between 1091 and 1105. The reliquary is an example of Viking-influenced Celtic art as you can see in the photo above.

Saint Patrick, pray for us.

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Google (and Everybody Else) Becomes Catholic for a Day

Today the Google landing page has a well executed Irish version of their landing page for Saint Patrick's Day. See the photo above. I like the human head swirling into the second "o."

I rejoice. I'm half Irish - a quarter orange Irish and a quarter green Irish.

Down here in Texas, it's great to see so many people wearing green - especially all the Baptists. They say that every American becomes Irish on Saint Patrick's day.

Here's a lesser known fact - Saint Patrick was not Irish. He was British - his dad was British and his mother was a Frank and also a relative of Saint Martin of Tours.

Saint Patrick, pray for us.

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The History of the Stations of the Cross

No doubt, the Blessed Mother and the Apostles held the sites of our Lord's sorrowful passion in esteem. We might even think of the Blessed Virgin going to visit the places where she met Christ on the way to Calvary and even praying at the very hill of our redemption.

Early Christians in the Holy Land remained devoted to these various stations. The stairs and praetorium where Christ was tried by Pontius Pilate was well known as was the place of our Lord's Crucifixion and Resurrection. Pilgrims coming from the West desired to see these places and desired to know how Christ traveled from the place of His unjust condemnation to His Crucifixion - the Via Dolorosa or Via Sacra. The Stations of the Cross, then, have their origin in the actual locations in Jerusalem.

Pilgrims wishing to bring this moving devotion home with them. In the 400s, Saint Petronius erected a series of chapels dedicated to the important shrines of Jerusalem in Bologna, Italy. During the Crusades, when pilgrimages and travels to the Holy Land resumed, there was a renewed interest among Europeans in the Via Sacra. By the 11th century, pilgrims had popularized the devotion. The Franciscans, who were granted administration of the Christian holy places in Jerusalem in 1342, increased its popularity.

In the 1400s, the Stations of the Cross became extremely popular in Europe; however, they were usually an series of outdoor shrines.

In 1686, Pope Innocent XI granted to the Franciscans the right to erect Stations of the Cross within their churches. It was only as late as 1862 that the right erect the Stations of the Cross without a Franciscan was extended to bishops throughout the Catholic Church.

Today, the faithful receive a plenary indulgence (with the usual conditions) for making the Stations of the Cross. You can find the exact details from the official Enchiridion below.

63. Exercise of the Way of the Cross (Viae Crucis exercitium)

A plenary indulgence is granted to the faithful, who make the pious exercise of the Way of the Cross.

In the pious exercise of the Way of the Cross we recall anew the sufferings, which the divine Redeemer endured, while going from the praetorium of Pilate, where he was condemned to death, to the mount of Calvary, where he died on the cross for our salvation.

The gaining of the plenary indulgence is regulated by the following norms:

1. The pious exercise must be made before stations of the Way of the Cross legitimately erected.
2. For the erection of the Way of the Cross fourteen crosses are required, to which it is customary to add fourteen pictures or images, which represent the stations of Jerusalem.
3. According to the more common practice, the pious exercise consists of fourteen pious readings, to which some vocal prayers are added. However, nothing more is required than a pious meditation on the Passion and Death of the Lord, which need not be a particular consideration of the individual mysteries of the stations.
4. A movement from one station to the next is required.

But if the pious exercise is made publicly and if it is not possible for all taking part to go in an orderly way from station to station, it suffices if at least the one conducting the exercise goes from station to station, the others remaining in their place.

Those who are "impeded" can gain the same indulgence, if they spend at least one half an hour in pious reading and meditation on the Passion and Death of our Lord Jesus Christ.

For those belonging to Oriental rites, amongst whom this pious exercise is not practiced, the respective Patriarchs can determine some other pious exercise in memory of the Passion and Death of our Lord Jesus Christ for the gaining of this indulgence.

The Stations of the Cross

1. Jesus is condemned to death

2. Jesus bears his cross

3. Jesus falls the first time

4. Jesus meets his mother

5. Jesus is helped by Simon

6. Veronica wipes the face of Jesus

7. Jesus falls a second time

8. Jesus speaks to the women

9. Jesus falls a third time

10. Jesus is stripped of his garments

11. Jesus is nailed to the Cross

12. Jesus dies on the Cross

13. Jesus is taken down from the Cross

14. Jesus is placed in the tomb

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What is Saint Torelli Water and How Do You Use It?

When my wife was pregnant with our most recent baby, I mentioned some concerns she was having and he told, "Just have her drink some Saint Torelli water. That's what it's there for." This was my first introduction to Saint Torelli's Water.

Some Catholic parishes offer Saint Torelli's Water as a sacramental help for pregnant women and as a remedy against illness.

The water is named after Blessed Torellus of Poppi. Torellus was born in Poppi, Tuscany, Italy, in 1201 and he died 1281. Public veneration of Torellus was confirmed by Benedict XIV. His feast day is March 16.

Torellus was a dissolute youth. Once, when he was playing a game with friends, a cock flew onto his arm and crowed three times. Seeing this incident as a sign from God, Torellus hastened to a nearby monastery to confess his sins.

After repenting he received the habit of a recluse from the Vallumbrosan abbot of San Fedele. He lived as an austere recluse, walled up in his cell near Poppi, for sixty years.

Once, as a mother was washing clothes, with her three-year-old son beside her, a wolf seized the boy in its jaws and ran off. Screaming, the mother rushed after the animal. The wolf then stumbled into Torellus' cell. Instantly the hermit commanded the beast by the authority of God to put down the boy. The wolf thereupon laid the child at Torellus' feet. Torellus then commanded the wolf never to attack anyone again. The hermit now prayed over the nearly lifeless boy. When the frantic mother reached Torellus' cell, she found her son safe and sound.

On another occasion, a mother with two gravely ill sons threw herself at Torellus' feet, begging him to intercede for them. Torellus prayed: “My omnipotent Lord…succor these boys; mend, O Lord, the sorrow of their afflicted mother, and by reason of her faith, console her grief, and deliver her sons.”

Both boys were healed.

This is a great devotion for pregnant mothers. If your parish doesn't have any Torelli water, ask your priest to make some for you.

BLESSING OF WATER FOR THE SICK

IN HONOR OF THE B.V.M. AND ST. TORELLUS

(By a Brief dated December 16, 1628)

P: Our help is in the name of the Lord.

All: Who made heaven and earth.

P: The Lord be with you.

All: And with your spirit.

Let us pray.

God, who in your heavenly mercy keep harmful things from man, giving him only the things that are for his good; who at the pool of Probatica moved the waters by the hand of your angel, thus destroying sickness and conferring health; pour out the dew of your blessing + on this water, so that all the sick who drink it may, by the merits and prayers of the blessed Virgin Mary and the holy confessor, Torellus, regain their health. May women who are with child be spared every dire misfortune, and have the happiness of bringing their offspring to the grace of holy baptism; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

The water is sprinkled with holy water.

Retarded Souls and Venial Sins - An Analysis by Fr Garrigou-Lagrange

Father Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, OP

In Chapter 37 of Part II in The Three Ages of the Interior Life, Father Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange refers to what he calls retarded souls. We should remember that in Latin retardare means "to delay, hold up." These souls are on the way to perfection but are held up by something. What is that something that holds back souls seeking God?

Father Garrigou-Lagrange on retarded souls:

Some souls, because of their negligence or spiritual sloth, do not pass from the age of beginners to that of proficients. These are retarded souls; in the spiritual life they are like abnormal children, who do not happily pass through the crisis of adolescence and who, though they do not remain children, never reach the full development of maturity. Thus these retarded souls belong neither among beginners nor among proficients. Unfortunately they are numerous.

What is one of the chief impediments? One of them is being tolerant of venial sin as if it were permissible and okay to permit knowingly even one small weed to grow in the garden of the Lord. Father Garrigou-Lagrange explains:

Th soul falls into tepidity, which, with habitual negligence, is affection for venial sin or the disposition of the will to commit certain venial sins deliberately when the occasion presents itself. There is finally, as it were, the firm resolution to remain in this state. In addition to the lack of the spirit of sacrifice, other causes may produce this tepidity of retarded souls: namely, levity of spirit, the thoughtlessness with which one tells, for example, officious lies (i.e., lies of expediency) whenever the occasion offers; spiritual sloth, which leads finally to the abandonment of the spiritual war against our defects, against our predominant fault, which quite frequently tries to pass for a virtue, and gives rise in us to other more or less inordinate passions. 

A person thus arrives at carelessness and indifference in regard to perfection and no longer truly tends toward it. The fact that he has perhaps promised to tend toward it by the way of the counsels is forgotten, as is also the loftiness of the supreme precept: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart and with thy whole soul and with all thy strength and with all thy mind."

I cite these passages primarily as warnings to myself. Lent would be the ideal time to make war against habitual venial sins.

Blessed John Paul II said that we must "return to a proper sense of sin." All sin, be it venial or mortal sin is an offense against God Who loves us more than we can understand. Envy, grumbling, complaining, fits of agitation, procrastination, undue flattery, the desire to be at the center of attention - these are those little venial sins that we so easily dismiss as unimportant.

In The Soul of the Apostolate, Dom Jean-Baptiste Chautard (1858– 1935) provided the uncomfortable picture of a Christian soul as “swarming like an anthill with venial sins." I believe this depiction of unchecked venial sin comes originally from Saint John Vianney (I'd love to know for sure if anyone out there knows).

Venial sins in themselves won't damn us, but they surely pave the way. But worst of all, venial sins displease God and that alone is reason to battle against them. If our hearts are to be all aflame for love of Christ, venial sin is certainly the fire retardant.

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Why Was Jeremias Sanctified in His Mother's Womb?

The Sinless Jeremias the Prophet by Michaelangelo

Jonathan Prester, a CTales reader, asks a great question concerning Saint Joseph and the Prophet Jeremias:

St. Joseph's "confirmation in grace" makes perfect sense to me in light of the Holy Family's role in the Incarnation, and St. John the Baptist's similar confirmation is, as far as I'm concerned, downright biblical.  I wonder, though, why does tradition single out Jeremiah, of all the prophets, for a similar honor?  His seeming distance from the Incarnation makes that instance seem more peculiar (and thus piques my curiosity).

He is referring to Jeremias 1:5:

“Before I formed thee in the bowels of thy mother, I knew thee: and before thou camest forth out of the womb, I sanctified thee, and made thee a prophet unto the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5, D-R)

So I looked it up in Cornelius a Lapide.

Lapide says that Jeremias was the one prophet of the OT who was sanctified in the womb for the reason that by his holiness he sustained Jerusalem and the assembly of Israel at the most difficult time in Old Testament history - the exile.

Also, Jeremias was a prophet not only to the Jews but also the Gentiles:

      et antequam exires de vulva, sanctificavi te,

      et prophetam in gentibus dedi te. (Jer 1:4)

So in this way, Jeremias belonged to the New Covenant in a mystical sense.

I would also add, though Lapide doesn't say it, that Jeremias appears again in 2 Maccabees as the special advocate of Jerusalem. 

“Then Onias answering, said: This is a lover of his brethren, and of the people of Israel: this is he that prayeth much for the people, and for all the holy city, Jeremias, the prophet of God.” (2 Maccabees 15:14, D-R)

Jeremias is certainly seen as an advocate for the people - the holiest man of all the Old Covenant prophets.

ad Jesum per Mariam,

Taylor

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This Blog Under Attack over at Commonweal

Being mocked and derided by Commonweal is perhaps one of the best compliments that a contemporary Catholic could receive.

The folks over at Commonweal are pretty upset about this blog and my previous post about what a Catholic American might look like. Please check out the Commonweal post and the comments that follow it, and if you would, please leave a friendly comment. 

Beati estis cum maledixerint vobis.

Godspeed,

Taylor Marshall

Saint Joseph as Belonging to the Order of the Hypostatic Union

Saint Joseph is the Patron of the Universal Church. According to Catholic theologians, Saint Joseph's ministry is above all other human and angelic ministries. The reason for this is that Saint Joseph belongs to the Order of the Hypostatic Union predestined by God for the Incarnation of Christ. In Greek, the word for the divine Person of of Christ is hypostasis, and the Order of the Hypostatic Union refers to the way in which the divine Person of the Word assumed human nature. 

The Order of the Hypostatic Union refers to those three person who belong to this ineffable mystery: the Incarnate Christ, Mary the Immaculate Conception, and Saint Joseph the Husband of Mary and Guardian of Christ. The Holy Family is the Order of the Hypostatic Union.

In order for the union of the divine nature and human nature (without mixture or commingling) in the divine person of Christ to occur, the Word was made flesh. God therefore predestined that Christ would be born of a human mother. Hence, Mary is part of the Order of the Hypostatic Union in a special way. However, this was not enough. In order to protect the Holy Mother and Christ Child, and also to glorify the dignity of marriage, God predestined that Christ would be born in wedlock and be the Son within a true human family. God therefore predestined St Joseph to be an intimate part of the hypostatic union. The Incarnate Word ate food because Saint Joseph worked. The Incarnate Word was protected from Herod, because Saint Joseph guarded him. 

Saint Thomas Aquinas teaches that orders of ministries (either angelic or human) excel in proportion to their proximity to God (Summa theologiae I, q. 107, a. 6). Saint Joseph's ministry and order, then, was higher than the ministry of the angels. Saint Joseph's ministry, like that of Mary, is higher even than those of popes, bishops, and priests. This why traditional Catholic Church's have altars to Mary and Joseph as testimonies to this truth. Mary and Joseph, with Christ, stand above all the orders and ministries of the supernatural order.

Francisco Suarez teaches that the ministry of Saint Joseph "surpasses all others because it exists in a superior order." (Suarez, Tom II, disp. 8, sec. 1). Saint Francis de Sales holds to the same teaching. Moreover, all the theologians that compare the Holy Trinity to the order of the Holy Family confirm that the three persons of Holy Family belong to an order and ministry above all others. We receive grace chiefly because Christ was made man and this mystery was facilitated in God's plan through the wills and operations of Joseph and Mary.

The prayers of the great Mother of God and Saint Joseph are the most powerful and efficacious because these two human persons are closest and most beloved by our Lord Jesus Christ - by grace they made His Incarnation possible. Even more, it is fruitful to contemplate that Christ our Lord and the Immaculate Virgin Mary were submitted to Saint Joseph who served as the Head of the Holy Family. Oh the humility of Christ!

Saint Joseph, pray for us.

PS: Are you interested in learning more about how Saint Joseph is the pattern for authentic Catholic fatherhood? On March 19 at 7pm, I'll be presenting a public lecture on Saint Joseph's Purity and Virtue as they relate to the mystery of the Order of the Hypostatic Union at the College of Saint Thomas More in Fort Worth. 

Please feel free to join us if you live in the Dallas/Fort Worth metro area. Here are the directions to the College of Saint Thomas More.

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The Easiest Plenary Indulgence Can Be Obtained During Lent

Father Pio Maria Hoffmann, CFR of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal reminds us the Catholic Church offers an easy plenary indulgence (with the usual conditions) to the faithful who recite the following prayer before a crucifix after having received Communion on any Friday in Lent. A plenary indulgence, you'll remember, remits all the temporal punishment due to personal sins - eternal punishment is remitted in baptism and sacramental confession. 

You may pray the prayer in either Latin or your vernacular:

En ego, o bone et dulcissime Jesu, ante conspectum tuum genibus me provolvo, ac maximo animi ardore te oro atque obtestor, ut meum in cor vividos fidei, spei et caritatis sensus, atque veram peccatorum meorum paenitentiam, eaque emendandi firmissimam voluntatem velis imprimere; dum magno animi affectu et dolore tua quinque vulnera mecum ipse considero, ac mente contemplor, illud prae oculis habens, quod iam in ore ponebat tuo David Propheta de te, o bone Iesu: "Foderunt manus meas et pedes meos; dinumeraverunt omnia ossa mea." (Grant 8 § 1, 2º in the Manual of Indulgences.)

Behold, O kind and most sweet Jesus, I cast myself upon my knees in thy sight, and with the most fervent desire of my soul, pray and beseech thee that thou wouldst impress upon my heart lively sentiments of faith, hope, and charity, with true contrition for my sins and a firm purpose of amendment; while with deep affection and grief of soul I ponder within myself and mentally contemplate thy five wounds, having before my eyes the words which David the prophet put on thy lips concerning thee: “My hands and my feet they have pierced, they have numbered all my bones."

The conditions for gaining the Plenary Indulgence are as follows:

1. The act accomplished

2. Sacramental Communion

3. Sacramental Confession within 20 days

4. Prayer for the intention of the Holy Father

5. Freedom from attachment to sin (Be not afraid! This last condition doesn’t mean that you will no longer be tempted towards sin but that, with this action, you are willing to root out anything in your life which is displeasing to God and to love Him above all things).

Thank you Father Pio Maria for the reminder!

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Iconography: Why Do Christ and Mary Wear Red and Blue Clothing?

Early Greek and Roman iconography depicts Christ wearing a red tunic as His inner garment overlaid by a blue mantle as His outer garment. I have read contradictory accounts regarding the reasons for these colors. For example, one Orthodox author will say that the blue represents the human nature wrapped in the red mantle of divine nature. Another author writes that blue signifies the divine nature (heaven) and the red signifies the human nature (earth or blood). The latter account seems more accurate to me; however, I'd gladly yield to an art historian on this matter.

Unlike depictions of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the depictions of the Mother of God are not as consistent. Eastern icons nearly always have the Mother of God in a blue dress and with a red mantle. This is the case in Greek icons in which she holds the Christ Child, her station at the Crucifixion, and even on her bed at the Dormition. 

However, there are exceptions so that Mary wears red and has a blue mantle. This latter arrangement is more popular in Western depictions. For example, Raphael always pained Mary with a red dress with a blue mantle whether she be depicted in her espousals or in holding the Christ Child. Catholic depictions of Mary Assumed always have her wearing a blue mantle.

Notably, Our Lady of Guadalupe is wearing a red dress with a greenish/blue outer mantle.

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If you have health problems, keep this list of saints nearby...

Sts Cosmas & Damian transplanting a black man's
leg onto a white man (Great story here)

The following list of health ailments and their corresponding patron saints is from fisheaters.com:

Abdominal problems St. Elmo (Erasmus)
Alcoholism St. John of God
Angina St. Swithbert
Appendicitis St. Erasmus
Arthritis St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori
Bacterial infection St. Agrippina
Blindness St. Raphael the Archangel, St. Lucy
Breast disease St. Agatha
Broken bones St. Drogo
Cancer St. Peregrine
Chest problems St. Bernadine of Siena
Childbirth St. Anne, Our Lady ("Madonna del Parto," or "Our Lady of Childbirth"), St. Margaret of Antioch, St. Elmo (Erasmus), St. Raymond Nonnantus
Cramps St. Maurice
Deafness St. Francis de Sales
Death a holy and happy death: St. Joseph, St. Benedict; against temptation at the time of death: St. Cyriacus; against sudden death: St. Barbara, St. Christopher, St. Catherine of Alexandria
Depression St. Dymphna
Drug addiction St. Maximilian Kolbe
Dying St. Joseph
Dysentery St. Lucy, St. Polycarp of Smyrna
Earache St. Cornelius
Epilepsy & fainting St. Vitus, St. Dymphna, St. Christopher, St. Valentine, St. Vibiana
Eye conditions St. Lucy
Feet Conditions St. Peter
Fever St. Barbara, St. Genevieve, St. Peter
Gallstones St. Benedict
Gout St. Maurus
Hangovers St. Vibiana
Headache St. Denis, St. Teresa of Avila, St. Vibiana, St. Stephen the Deacon, St. Thomas a Becket
Head injury St. John Licci, St. Stephen the Deacon, St. Thomas a Becket
Heart problems St. John of God
Hemorrhage St. Lucy
Hernia SS. Cosmas and Damian
Herpes St. George
Infection St. Agrippina
Infertility St. Anthony of Padua, St. Anne, Mary (especially under her title of Maria Bambina)
Inflammatory diseases St. Benedict
Intestinal & stomach diseases St. Charles Borromeo
Invalids St. Roch
Insect bites St. Mark the Apostle
Kidney diseases St. Margaret of Antioch
Kidney stones St. Alban of Mainz
Knee problems St. Roch
Leg problems St. Servatus
Leprosy St. Lazarus
Loss of milk for nursing St. Margaret of Antioch
Lumbago St. Lawrence
Lung problems St. Bernardine of Siena
Mental illness St. Dymphna, St. Vibiana
Neck stiffness St. Ursicinus of Saint-Ursanne
Neuralgia St. Ubaldus Baldassini
Neurological diseases Bartholomew the Apostle, St. Dymphna
Nightmares St. Raphael the Archangel
Open sores St. Peregrine
Pain St. Madron
Paralysis St. Wolfgang
Plagues St. Christopher, St. Giles
Polio St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
Pregnancy, safe St. Anne, St. Margaret of Antioch, St. Elizabeth, St. Gerard Majella, St. Joseph (Patron of expectant mothers)
Rheumatism St. Alphonsus Liguori
Seasickness St. Erasmus
Skin diseases St. Anthony of the Desert (i.e., Anthony the Abbot)
Smallpox St. Matthias
Snakebites St. Patrick, St. Hilary of Poitiers, St. Paul the Apostle, St. Vitus
Sterility St. Anthony of Padua (St. Felicity is invoked to have a male child in particular. Unofficially, Maria Bambina is invoked by couples trying to conceive.)
Stroke St. Andrew Avellino
Sudden death, against St. Barbara
Throat diseases St. Blaise, St. Ignatius of Antioch
Toothache St. Apollonia
Tuberculosis St. Therese of Lisieux
Venereal diseases St. Fiacre
Wounds St. Rita of Cascia
Sickness in general St. Raphael the Archangel, St. John of God, St. Camillus of Lellis, St. Bernadette of Lourdes, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Lydwina of Schiedam, St. Teresa of Avila, St. Maria Mazzarello
Desperate causes St. Jude, St. Rita of Cascia

...and for those who care for the sick:

Nurses St. John of God, St. Agatha, St. Raphael the Archangel, St. Camillus of Lellis
Midwives, obstetricians St. Brigid of Ireland, St. Raymund Nonnatus, St. Margaret of Cortona
Doctors and surgeons St. Luke, SS. Cosmas and Damian, St. Pantaleon, St. Raphael the Archangel
Hospital workers St. John of God, St. Vincent de Paul, St. Camillus
Hospital administrators St. Basil the Great, St. Frances Xavier Cabrini
Pharmacists St. James the Less


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Cardinal Ratzinger Once Explained Why the Church is in Crisis. Do You Know Why?

"I am convinced that the crisis in the Church that we are experiencing is to a large extent due to the disintegration of the Liturgy." 

- Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Milestones, page 148.

"Disintegration..."

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Who were the favorite authors of Saint Thomas Aquinas?

You are what you read, it has been said. Who were the favorite authors of Saint Thomas Aquinas?

My doctoral dissertation was heavily dependent on St Thomas Aquinas' Prima secundae of the Summa theologiae. Here are the number of citations of authorities found in Secunda pars in the Summa theologiae, which generally examines the purpose of man, vice and virtue, passions, law, grace, and the seven virtues. 

Clearly, St. Augustine and Aristotle are the most prevalent - Augustine edged into first place by less than 100 references. Gregory the Great and Dionysius make a happy third and fourth:

Augustine 1,630

Aristotle 1,546

Gregory the Great 439

Dionysius 202

Cicero 187

Jerome 178

John Damascene 168

Ambrose 151

Isidore of Seville 120

Roman Law 102

Gregory of Nyssa (actually Nemesius of Ephesus) 41

Macrobius 33

Boethius 30

Prosper of Aquitaine 19

Benedict 18

Basil 13

Plato 12

Hilary of Poiteiers 12

Bernard 9

Caesar 8

Ptolemy 1

These are based on Busa's concordance and lifted from Servais-Theodore Pinkaers, OP "The Sources of the Ethics of St. Thomas Aquinas" in The Ethics of Aquinas, Stephen J. Pope, ed. (Georgetown University Press: Washington DC, 2002), 17.

Happy feast day of Saint Thomas (in the 1962 Calendar)!

Saint Thomas Aquinas, Angelic Doctor, pray for us.

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Why Did Christ Choose Peter, John, and James for the Transfiguration?

Tony Mangini recently asked a great question in the comments:

I wonder why Jesus on at least three occasions brought Peter, James and John with him but left the other apostles out. Why, in addition to the fact that Jesus loved John, do you think he used only three?

This great questions gives us the opportunity to reflect on how Old Testament Judaism is the origin of New Testament Catholicism.

In the Old Covenant, Moses had seventy(two) elders. Each of the twelve tribes had a chief. Finally, Moses had three close men who went up on the mountain with him: Aaron, Nadab, and Abiu:

“AND he said to Moses: Come up to the Lord, thou, and Aaron, Nadab and Abiu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and you shall adore afar off.” (Exodus 24:1, D-R)

In the New Covenant, Christ is re-establishing Israel. The Catholic Church is the new Israel. Christ appoint seventy(two) elders in Luke 10:1-24. He also appoints twelve Apostles. Then, like Moses, he has three "inside men" who form His inner circle. Just as Aaron was the High Priest for Moses, so Peter serves as the High Priest or Pope. 

James and John are special for three reasons:

1. First, James is the first Apostle to die and John is the last Apostle to die. They are the temporal bookends of the Apostolic ministry.

2. Second, James is the first martyr of the Apostles. John, is the only non-martyr of the Apostles.

3. Third, James was the first to receive an apparition of the Blessed Virgin and John was given the Virgin at the crucifixion and served as her guardian till her holy Dormition.

Essentially, these three apostles were more intimately associated with the suffering of Christ: first Pope (Peter), first Martyr (James), only Apostle at the crucifixion and guardian of Mary (John).

Their intense suffering required them to be present at the Transfiguration and the Agony in the Garden.

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