Happy Feast Day

Today, for the first time, the Universal Church celebrates the feast of St John Paul II. May he bless us all from the House of the Father, hear our prayers and encourage us to live the Gospel faithfully.

Special greetings to all in the Fraternity on the feast of our Co-Patron.

The Last Emperor, The Lord's Servant

In these years of commemoration of the First World War, the figure of Blessed Charles of Austria, may be studied in greater depth by historians. He was an important figure, one who sought peace in the midst of war and was willing to take chances to achieve that peace. That he failed to do so is no fault of his, the hearts of all parties in the war had been hardened, as feared by US president Woodrow Wilson. 

Some historians regard Charles as naive, even incompetent, a man ill-suited to his role. I do not agree with this, he was a man, perhaps not well versed in the ways of political intrigue - he had too much integrity for that, but he was a realist, a realist in that he saw what war was, how ugly it was, and he did not care about a victory, he was not prepared to pay any price for victory, he sought peace. He alone of all the combatants listened to the pleas of Pope Benedict XV and did what he could to respond to them.

It is also interesting to note that of all the leaders in that war he fared the worst. As the Kaiser settled into a life of comfort in Switzerland, Charles, refusing to renounce what he saw as his duty of service to his people, would not abdicate, and so faced exile, separation from his children for a time, and then an early death.

In these years of commemorations, as we remember the dead of World War I, as we lament over the uselessness of war, and of this war in particular, as we remember peacemakers, let us promote one of the greatest of them all: Charles of Austria. Today is his feast day, he was one of the last Beati declared by St John Paul II, and he may well be canonised soon as a strong miracle is making its way through the Congregation of Causes of Saints. How wonderful it would be if he were to be canonised during these years of remembrance.

May Blessed Charles intercede for us all; may he pray for peace, for peacemakers and for the hearts of those torn apart by anger, violence and despair. 

Blessed Charles moments after his death 

Prophet Of Life Is Beatified

In Rome we celebrate the beatification of Blessed Paul VI. I am remembering you all in prayer at the ceremony and later as I get to the tomb of the new Beatus (all going well!). Let us remember today the Pro-Life cause throughout the world. We commend to the prayers and the protection of our new Blessed those whose lives are in danger through abortion, euthanasia and those technologies which destroy and manipulate human life.

Almighty ever-living God
who chose Blessed Paul VI to preside over your whole people
and benefit them by word and example,
keep safe, we pray, by his intercession,
the shepherds of your Church
along with the flocks entrusted to their care,
and direct them in the way of eternal salvation.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Heavenly Father,
you glorify your servant, Blessed Paul VI,
Universal Pastor, Prophet of Life, Servant of your people;
as we entrust ourselves to his intercession
may we may be faithful servants of your Gospel,
zealous witnesses to Christ,
courageous prophets of life,
so that one day we may come to share in the life
you have given to your faithful servant.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen

Paul VI Novena: Day 9

"Venerable brothers, beloved sons, all men of good will, great indeed is the work of education, of progress and of charity to which We now summon all of you. And this We do relying on the unshakable teaching of the Church, which teaching Peter's successor together with his brothers in the Catholic episcopate faithfully guards and interprets. And We are convinced that this truly great work will bring blessings both on the world and on the Church. For man cannot attain that true happiness for which he yearns with all the strength of his spirit, unless he keeps the laws which the Most High God has engraved in his very nature. These laws must be wisely and lovingly observed. On this great work, on all of you and especially on married couples, We implore from the God of all holiness and pity an abundance of heavenly grace as a pledge of which We gladly bestow Our apostolic blessing."

Humanae Vitae, 31

Novena Prayer

Heavenly Father,
We thank you for the witness of your Servant, the Venerable Paul VI, who served you and the Church as Universal Pastor in difficult times.  

As a pilgrim among pilgrims he sought to reveal the beauty and joy of the Gospel to the men and women of his time, choosing the way of gentleness and forbearance.
As Shepherd of the flock he sought to proclaim the truth in a time of great confusion in imitation of his patron the Apostle to the Gentiles.
As Servant he proclaimed the Gospel of Life and in doing so bore the cross of suffering and isolation in union with your Crucified Son becoming a Prophet in the midst of the growing culture of death.

As we prepare for the glorification of your Servant, may his example of faith, courage and patient endurance inspire us in our daily living of the Gospel and in our witness to Jesus Christ.
May we too be Prophets of life, respecting, protecting and cherishing the gift of life, most especially in its most vulnerable moments.
May we too be your missionaries at this time, seeking to transform the hearts of all men and women through the joy we find in Christ.

Hear our prayers, most Merciful Father, and grant us through the intercession of Venerable Paul the graces we now ask………………………

Through Christ our Lord.
Amen

Paul VI Novena: Day 8

Venerable Paul reminds the Bishops to be faithful to the teachings of Christ and his Church. Let us pray for our bishops, particularly in these days of the Synod, that they may stay true to the Gospel.

"We turn Our mind to you, reverently and lovingly, beloved and venerable brothers in the episcopate, with whom We share more closely the care of the spiritual good of the People of God. For We invite all of you, We implore you, to give a lead to your priests who assist you in the sacred ministry, and to the faithful of your dioceses, and to devote yourselves with all zeal and without delay to safeguarding the holiness of marriage, in order to guide married life to its full human and Christian perfection. Consider this mission as one of your most urgent responsibilities at the present time. As you well know, it calls for concerted pastoral action in every field of human diligence, economic, cultural and social. If simultaneous progress is made in these various fields, then the intimate life of parents and children in the family will be rendered not only more tolerable, but easier and more joyful. And life together in human society will be enriched with fraternal charity and made more stable with true peace when God's design which He conceived for the world is faithfully followed."

Humanae Vitae, 30

Novena Prayer

Heavenly Father,
We thank you for the witness of your Servant, the Venerable Paul VI, who served you and the Church as Universal Pastor in difficult times.  

As a pilgrim among pilgrims he sought to reveal the beauty and joy of the Gospel to the men and women of his time, choosing the way of gentleness and forbearance.
As Shepherd of the flock he sought to proclaim the truth in a time of great confusion in imitation of his patron the Apostle to the Gentiles.
As Servant he proclaimed the Gospel of Life and in doing so bore the cross of suffering and isolation in union with your Crucified Son becoming a Prophet in the midst of the growing culture of death.

As we prepare for the glorification of your Servant, may his example of faith, courage and patient endurance inspire us in our daily living of the Gospel and in our witness to Jesus Christ.
May we too be Prophets of life, respecting, protecting and cherishing the gift of life, most especially in its most vulnerable moments.
May we too be your missionaries at this time, seeking to transform the hearts of all men and women through the joy we find in Christ.

Hear our prayers, most Merciful Father, and grant us through the intercession of Venerable Paul the graces we now ask………………………

Through Christ our Lord.

Amen

Can We Criticize A Pope?

St Catherine of Siena rebukes the Pope

There is a debate going on between Fr Dwight Longenecker and Sean Fitzpatrick over at Crisis Magazine over whether a pope can be legitimately criticized. Fr Longenecker says yes; Mr Fitzpatrick says no. Here is the link to the debate, it is worth reading. 

Some believe that one can criticize a pope, in charity and with respect of course. The first to do it was St Paul who publicly rebuked St Peter (Galatians 2:11-14). Among others was St Catherine of Siena who didn't spare her words and did not hesitate to publicly rebuke the pope whenever she saw it needed to be done. And in the last pontificate the Cardinal Archbishop of Buenos Aires publicly criticized Pope Benedict following the Regensburg speech in 2006.

An interesting debate. But let us never forget we are Christians, committed to truth and to charity. 

The "Robber Synod"?

Believe it or not, that is what some are now calling the Synod on the family. Following my post this morning, there has been a major upheaval, the Synod Fathers have revolted against Cardinal Baldisseri, the Secretary of the Synod who has been controlling proceedings and press releases, when he announced that the reports from the subcommittees, the Circuli Minores, would not be made public. 

According to accounts, Cardinal George Pell stood up, condemned the decision and demanded that the reports be made public. He then announced that the Synod Fathers were tired of the manipulation which has been taking place since the beginning of the Synod. Apparently Cardinal Baldisseri stood his ground and reiterated the reports would not be made public, and this provoked angry protests from the bishops who rose up against him. He was shouted down, it seems, and, if I may use the metaphor, all hell broke loose in the chamber. Cardinal Baldisseri had to turn to the Pope who remained silent but seemed furious with the bishops. The Pope had to relent, nodded to the Cardinal and so permitted the publicizing of the reports. For more see Fr Z's blog, he has a few posts on it.

The proceedings have been published on the Vatican website, go and consult them, because at last we may well have an accurate account of what is actually going on in the Synod chamber, unfiltered. At last, it seems, the Synod Fathers, who for the most part are orthodox and faithful, are standing up. 

Reflecting on all this, I wonder, are these protests the voice of the Holy Spirit, using the faithful bishops to ensure that the Pope and Church will not fall into error? These last few months I have come to see the reaction of the Cardinals to Cardinal Kasper's talk last February as a movement of the Spirit. If these events are such, Pope Francis would do well to pay close attention to them.

*

PS: I see a comment on another blog and it just sums things up, it's very good: "If the bishops go crazy, the pope puts down the foot. If the pope goes crazy, the bishops put down the foot. And if both go crazy, the Holy Ghost puts down the foot."

The Smoke Of Satan?

I have been tempted many times to post on the developments at the Synod, but I held back to allow prudence and charity sift me. What days! In my life I have not seen anything like this. I was not around for the fiasco of 1968 when those who rejected the Church's teaching on sexual morality turned on the Pope and crucified him. We have been celebrating the memory of that Pope in our online novena here and on Sunday I will be in St Peter's Square to see him beatified.

But what is happening now? All I can think of is Ven Paul's words that the smoke of Satan had entered the Church, and now it seems those who seek to be faithful to Christ's teaching are being suffocated. What an awful turn of events. 

People are coming to me and asking me what is happening. Good, devout souls who pray are wondering why this is happening, why are Cardinals and bishops fighting, what was that relatio, what is the Pope up to?  And now: why did Cardinal Kasper say such racist things about the Church in Africa? Is the Church in crisis, I was asked?  I can answer that: the Church is always in crisis, she is always living with tension, not only with the values of the world, but also within with the effects of sin and other dimensions of fallen humanity, and then there is Church politics. She is always the focus for those who reject the Gospel because, despite her many failures and the sins of her members, she hangs on to Christ's teaching and it remains the ideal, and she strives to live it, successfully for the most part, and encourages her children to do the same, and many of them do, and they are the Saints/saints.

But now, listening to the cacophony coming out of the Synod, those in charge - the minority, seem to be abandoning those teachings for the sake of what they call "mercy", seeking to repress/oppress those who hold to those teachings. The Pope's own actions are strange and ambiguous, particularly his appointment of six liberals to oversee the work of the three orthodox moderators elected by the Synod. With all due respect to the Holy Father, but this Synod has all the hallmarks of a very South American coup, only this time it is not a dictator or a democratically elected leader that is being shafted, but, it seems, the very teaching of Jesus Christ and the magisterium of his Church.

Now let us remember this is only a Synod, it is not binding and it is not proposing new doctrine, and it is only a preparation for what is going to happen next year. But, God help us, what lies ahead?  For one, I believe the Holy Spirit will prevent the Church from falling into heresy - her members  may, but there will always be a number, sometimes a small minority, who stay true - a faithful remnant, and the Popes are always among them, so we must have confidence and we must pray. The Church is being sifted, there is no doubt about that, the values of a godless, permissive world are rampaging within the Body of Christ, dressed up as compassionate pastoral ideas which will ultimately end up spreading despair among those they claim they want to help. 

The Lord is allowing this, perhaps to remind us, correctly, that we must reach out to those in irregular situations, not break God's law to make them feel accepted, but to remind them of God's love and the reality of his grace to help them strive to embrace the way of holiness. I hope in their attempts to resist the attack on the Church's moral teachings, its defenders do not cast aside those who do not live up to them, but rather will try to bring them on board to help them rise to the way of life Jesus has laid out for us, as we strive to live it ourselves. That said, no one is served by ignoring the truth and canonizing the lie. The truth with love and patience.

Let us continue to pray. This is a difficult time. But the Church has been through worse - the Arian crisis was hell! But we got through it, we were stronger for it, and we will get through this. Who knows what God will do to sort this out, there may be a few surprises before next year's Ordinary Synod, who knows. We must trust in the Lord, defend our faith with charity, love our enemies, pray for them. We must not forget that we are Christians! And we must, genuinely, seek real solutions to real problems, solutions firmly grounded in the teaching and discipline of the Church which are themselves grounded in Christ's own teaching, and that teaching cannot be abandoned. 

Is the smoke of Satan whirling around the Church? Probably, it is usually lurking somewhere within it. So, get the gas masks on, keep calm, and carry on. 

Paul VI Novena: Day 7

Venerable Paul speaks to priests. Let us commend to his intercession our priests so they may proclaim the Gospel with fidelity, gentleness, conviction and compassion.

"And now, beloved sons, you who are priests, you who in virtue of your sacred office act as counselors and spiritual leaders both of individual men and women and of families—We turn to you filled with great confidence. For it is your principal duty—We are speaking especially to you who teach moral theology—to spell out clearly and completely the Church's teaching on marriage. In the performance of your ministry you must be the first to give an example of that sincere obedience, inward as well as outward, which is due to the magisterium of the Church. For, as you know, the pastors of the Church enjoy a special light of the Holy Spirit in teaching the truth...

Husbands and wives, therefore, when deeply distressed by reason of the difficulties of their life, must find stamped in the heart and voice of their priest the likeness of the voice and the love of our Redeemer.

So speak with full confidence, beloved sons, convinced that while the Holy Spirit of God is present to the magisterium proclaiming sound doctrine, He also illumines from within the hearts of the faithful and invites their assent. Teach married couples the necessary way of prayer and prepare them to approach more often with great faith the Sacraments of the Eucharist and of Penance. Let them never lose heart because of their weakness."

Humanae Vitae, 28, 29

Novena Prayer

Heavenly Father,
We thank you for the witness of your Servant, the Venerable Paul VI, who served you and the Church as Universal Pastor in difficult times.  

As a pilgrim among pilgrims he sought to reveal the beauty and joy of the Gospel to the men and women of his time, choosing the way of gentleness and forbearance.
As Shepherd of the flock he sought to proclaim the truth in a time of great confusion in imitation of his patron the Apostle to the Gentiles.
As Servant he proclaimed the Gospel of Life and in doing so bore the cross of suffering and isolation in union with your Crucified Son becoming a Prophet in the midst of the growing culture of death.

As we prepare for the glorification of your Servant, may his example of faith, courage and patient endurance inspire us in our daily living of the Gospel and in our witness to Jesus Christ.
May we too be Prophets of life, respecting, protecting and cherishing the gift of life, most especially in its most vulnerable moments.
May we too be your missionaries at this time, seeking to transform the hearts of all men and women through the joy we find in Christ.

Hear our prayers, most Merciful Father, and grant us through the intercession of Venerable Paul the graces we now ask………………………

Through Christ our Lord.

Amen

Paul VI Novena: Day 6

Pope Paul speaks to married couples:

"And now We turn in a special way to Our own sons and daughters, to those most of all whom God calls to serve Him in the state of marriage. While the Church does indeed hand on to her children the inviolable conditions laid down by God's law, she is also the herald of salvation and through the sacraments she flings wide open the channels of grace through which man is made a new creature responding in charity and true freedom to the design of his Creator and Savior, experiencing too the sweetness of the yoke of Christ.  

In humble obedience then to her voice, let Christian husbands and wives be mindful of their vocation to the Christian life, a vocation which, deriving from their Baptism, has been confirmed anew and made more explicit by the Sacrament of Matrimony. For by this sacrament they are strengthened and, one might almost say, consecrated to the faithful fulfillment of their duties. Thus will they realize to the full their calling and bear witness as becomes them, to Christ before the world.  For the Lord has entrusted to them the task of making visible to men and women the holiness and joy of the law which united inseparably their love for one another and the cooperation they give to God's love, God who is the Author of human life.

We have no wish at all to pass over in silence the difficulties, at times very great, which beset the lives of Christian married couples. For them, as indeed for every one of us, "the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life." Nevertheless it is precisely the hope of that life which, like a brightly burning torch, lights up their journey, as, strong in spirit, they strive to live "sober, upright and godly lives in this world," knowing for sure that "the form of this world is passing away."

Humanae Vitae, 25

Novena Prayer

Heavenly Father,
We thank you for the witness of your Servant, the Venerable Paul VI, who served you and the Church as Universal Pastor in difficult times.  

As a pilgrim among pilgrims he sought to reveal the beauty and joy of the Gospel to the men and women of his time, choosing the way of gentleness and forbearance.
As Shepherd of the flock he sought to proclaim the truth in a time of great confusion in imitation of his patron the Apostle to the Gentiles.
As Servant he proclaimed the Gospel of Life and in doing so bore the cross of suffering and isolation in union with your Crucified Son becoming a Prophet in the midst of the growing culture of death.

As we prepare for the glorification of your Servant, may his example of faith, courage and patient endurance inspire us in our daily living of the Gospel and in our witness to Jesus Christ.
May we too be Prophets of life, respecting, protecting and cherishing the gift of life, most especially in its most vulnerable moments.
May we too be your missionaries at this time, seeking to transform the hearts of all men and women through the joy we find in Christ.

Hear our prayers, most Merciful Father, and grant us through the intercession of Venerable Paul the graces we now ask………………………

Through Christ our Lord.

Amen

Paul VI Novena: Day 5

Venerable Paul defends and promotes chastity, urges those in the fields of communication and the arts to do so also.  We pray for those struggling with chastity and their sexuality.

"We take this opportunity to address those who are engaged in education and all those whose right and duty it is to provide for the common good of human society. We would call their attention to the need to create an atmosphere favorable to the growth of chastity so that true liberty may prevail over license and the norms of the moral law may be fully safeguarded.

Everything therefore in the modern means of social communication which arouses men's baser passions and encourages low moral standards, as well as every obscenity in the written word and every form of indecency on the stage and screen, should be condemned publicly and unanimously by all those who have at heart the advance of civilization and the safeguarding of the outstanding values of the human spirit. It is quite absurd to defend this kind of depravity in the name of art or culture or by pleading the liberty which may be allowed in this field by the public authorities."

Humanae Vitae, 22

Novena Prayer

Heavenly Father,
We thank you for the witness of your Servant, the Venerable Paul VI, who served you and the Church as Universal Pastor in difficult times.  

As a pilgrim among pilgrims he sought to reveal the beauty and joy of the Gospel to the men and women of his time, choosing the way of gentleness and forbearance.
As Shepherd of the flock he sought to proclaim the truth in a time of great confusion in imitation of his patron the Apostle to the Gentiles.
As Servant he proclaimed the Gospel of Life and in doing so bore the cross of suffering and isolation in union with your Crucified Son becoming a Prophet in the midst of the growing culture of death.

As we prepare for the glorification of your Servant, may his example of faith, courage and patient endurance inspire us in our daily living of the Gospel and in our witness to Jesus Christ.
May we too be Prophets of life, respecting, protecting and cherishing the gift of life, most especially in its most vulnerable moments.
May we too be your missionaries at this time, seeking to transform the hearts of all men and women through the joy we find in Christ.

Hear our prayers, most Merciful Father, and grant us through the intercession of Venerable Paul the graces we now ask………………………

Through Christ our Lord.

Amen

Synod Developments

The Synod continues. Today the Relatio post disceptationem was issued. Here is a link to the document (unofficial translation) and here is John Thavis's reflections on it - he describes it as an earthquake, but Fr Alexander Lucie-Smith disagrees with him. 

Some of the stuff in it is a reiteration of pastoral initiatives the Church employs in ministering to people in irregular situations, although there are some points which are problematic. Again I am reminded that this particular Synod is fraught with dangers, although we are told that there is no intention to overturn Church teaching. 

Cardinal Burke in his recent interview on ETWN reminded us (and the Synod Fathers I'm sure) of the principle of non contradiction - we cannot uphold Church teaching by implementing solutions to pastoral problems which distinctly contradict those teachings. Among certain people in the Church such contradictions are "erased" by invoking the word "pastoral". That of course is nonsense, true pastoral ministry emerges from and compliments Church teaching. 

We need to pray, and pray hard. Many want this Synod to become the Catholic Church's Lambeth, that must not happen. We must not wander away from Christ's teaching convincing ourselves that infidelity is mercy.

UPDATE: Fr Longenecker has something to say about one of the problematic points in the relatio. It's blunt.

The best reaction to the relatio has to be Pat Archbold's over at Creative Minority Report: "In my mind", he writes, "the Relatio...is the equivalent of standing out in a field during a thunderstorm holding a 50ft lightening rod, daring God to hit it!" 

Paul VI Novena: Day 4

Paul reminds us of the  limits of human power, there is a line in the sand which we, as creatures, may not pass. To God alone lies the authority over life. He is Lord, we are servants, stewards.

"Consequently, unless we are willing that the responsibility of procreating life should be left to the arbitrary decision of men, we must accept that there are certain limits, beyond which it is wrong to go, to the power of man over his own body and its natural functions—limits, let it be said, which no one, whether as a private individual or as a public authority, can lawfully exceed. These limits are expressly imposed because of the reverence due to the whole human organism and its natural functions, in the light of the principles We stated earlier, and in accordance with a correct understanding of the "principle of totality" enunciated by Our predecessor Pope Pius XII."

 Humanae Vitae, 19

Novena Prayer

Heavenly Father,
We thank you for the witness of your Servant, the Venerable Paul VI, who served you and the Church as Universal Pastor in difficult times.  

As a pilgrim among pilgrims he sought to reveal the beauty and joy of the Gospel to the men and women of his time, choosing the way of gentleness and forbearance.
As Shepherd of the flock he sought to proclaim the truth in a time of great confusion in imitation of his patron the Apostle to the Gentiles.
As Servant he proclaimed the Gospel of Life and in doing so bore the cross of suffering and isolation in union with your Crucified Son becoming a Prophet in the midst of the growing culture of death.

As we prepare for the glorification of your Servant, may his example of faith, courage and patient endurance inspire us in our daily living of the Gospel and in our witness to Jesus Christ.
May we too be Prophets of life, respecting, protecting and cherishing the gift of life, most especially in its most vulnerable moments.
May we too be your missionaries at this time, seeking to transform the hearts of all men and women through the joy we find in Christ.

Hear our prayers, most Merciful Father, and grant us through the intercession of Venerable Paul the graces we now ask………………………

Through Christ our Lord.
Amen

Paul VI Novena: Day 3

Venerable Paul reflects on responsible parenthood, the love of husband and wife manifested in their openness to life and their love for their children, a love which also must include God.

"Married love, therefore, requires of husband and wife the full awareness of their obligations in the matter of responsible parenthood, which today, rightly enough, is much insisted upon, but which at the same time should be rightly understood. Thus, we do well to consider responsible parenthood in the light of its varied legitimate and interrelated aspects.

With regard to the biological processes, responsible parenthood means an awareness of, and respect for, their proper functions. In the procreative faculty the human mind discerns biological laws that apply to the human person.

With regard to man's innate drives and emotions, responsible parenthood means that man's reason and will must exert control over them.

With regard to physical, economic, psychological and social conditions, responsible parenthood is exercised by those who prudently and generously decide to have more children, and by those who, for serious reasons and with due respect to moral precepts, decide not to have additional children for either a certain or an indefinite period of time.

Responsible parenthood, as we use the term here, has one further essential aspect of paramount importance. It concerns the objective moral order which was established by God, and of which a right conscience is the true interpreter. In a word, the exercise of responsible parenthood requires that husband and wife, keeping a right order of priorities, recognize their own duties toward God, themselves, their families and human society.

From this it follows that they are not free to act as they choose in the service of transmitting life, as if it were wholly up to them to decide what is the right course to follow. On the contrary, they are bound to ensure that what they do corresponds to the will of God the Creator. The very nature of marriage and its use makes His will clear, while the constant teaching of the Church spells it out."

Humanae Vitae, 10

Novena Prayer

Heavenly Father,
We thank you for the witness of your Servant, the Venerable Paul VI, who served you and the Church as Universal Pastor in difficult times.  

As a pilgrim among pilgrims he sought to reveal the beauty and joy of the Gospel to the men and women of his time, choosing the way of gentleness and forbearance.
As Shepherd of the flock he sought to proclaim the truth in a time of great confusion in imitation of his patron the Apostle to the Gentiles.
As Servant he proclaimed the Gospel of Life and in doing so bore the cross of suffering and isolation in union with your Crucified Son becoming a Prophet in the midst of the growing culture of death.

As we prepare for the glorification of your Servant, may his example of faith, courage and patient endurance inspire us in our daily living of the Gospel and in our witness to Jesus Christ.
May we too be Prophets of life, respecting, protecting and cherishing the gift of life, most especially in its most vulnerable moments.
May we too be your missionaries at this time, seeking to transform the hearts of all men and women through the joy we find in Christ.

Hear our prayers, most Merciful Father, and grant us through the intercession of Venerable Paul the graces we now ask………………………

Through Christ our Lord.

Amen

Paul VI Novena: Day 2

Venerable Pope Paul reflects on married love:

"This love is above all fully human, a compound of sense and spirit. It is not, then, merely a question of natural instinct or emotional drive. It is also, and above all, an act of the free will, whose trust is such that it is meant not only to survive the joys and sorrows of daily life, but also to grow, so that husband and wife become in a way one heart and one soul, and together attain their human fulfillment.

It is a love which is total—that very special form of personal friendship in which husband and wife generously share everything, allowing no unreasonable exceptions and not thinking solely of their own convenience. Whoever really loves his partner loves not only for what he receives, but loves that partner for the partner's own sake, content to be able to enrich the other with the gift of himself.

Married love is also faithful and exclusive of all other, and this until death. This is how husband and wife understood it on the day on which, fully aware of what they were doing, they freely vowed themselves to one another in marriage. Though this fidelity of husband and wife sometimes presents difficulties, no one has the right to assert that it is impossible; it is, on the contrary, always honorable and meritorious. The example of countless married couples proves not only that fidelity is in accord with the nature of marriage, but also that it is the source of profound and enduring happiness.

Finally, this love is fecund. It is not confined wholly to the loving interchange of husband and wife; it also contrives to go beyond this to bring new life into being. "Marriage and conjugal love are by their nature ordained toward the procreation and education of children. Children are really the supreme gift of marriage and contribute in the highest degree to their parents' welfare." "

Humanae Vitae, 9

Novena Prayer

Heavenly Father,
We thank you for the witness of your Servant, the Venerable Paul VI, who served you and the Church as Universal Pastor in difficult times.  

As a pilgrim among pilgrims he sought to reveal the beauty and joy of the Gospel to the men and women of his time, choosing the way of gentleness and forbearance.
As Shepherd of the flock he sought to proclaim the truth in a time of great confusion in imitation of his patron the Apostle to the Gentiles.
As Servant he proclaimed the Gospel of Life and in doing so bore the cross of suffering and isolation in union with your Crucified Son becoming a Prophet in the midst of the growing culture of death.

As we prepare for the glorification of your Servant, may his example of faith, courage and patient endurance inspire us in our daily living of the Gospel and in our witness to Jesus Christ.
May we too be Prophets of life, respecting, protecting and cherishing the gift of life, most especially in its most vulnerable moments.
May we too be your missionaries at this time, seeking to transform the hearts of all men and women through the joy we find in Christ.

Hear our prayers, most Merciful Father, and grant us through the intercession of Venerable Paul the graces we now ask………………………

Through Christ our Lord.

Amen

Paul VI Novena: Day 1

Beginning our Novena to Venerable Paul VI in preparation for his beatification, we reflect on some aspects of his prophetic encylical, Humane Vitae. Today, the holy Pontiff reminds us that marriage and married love is  part of God's design, of his plan for us and the world. Hence the veneration with which it is held in the Church, its importance and the necessity to protect and support it. No longer a mere natural relationship, it is in Christ a supernatural union, a Sacrament through which God pours out his graces.

"Married love particularly reveals its true nature and nobility when we realize that it takes its origin from God, who "is love," the Father "from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named."  

Marriage, then, is far from being the effect of chance or the result of the blind evolution of natural forces. It is in reality the wise and provident institution of God the Creator, whose purpose was to effect in man His loving design. As a consequence, husband and wife, through that mutual gift of themselves, which is specific and exclusive to them alone, develop that union of two persons in which they perfect one another, cooperating with God in the generation and rearing of new lives.

The marriage of those who have been baptized is, in addition, invested with the dignity of a sacramental sign of grace, for it represents the union of Christ and His Church."

Humanae Vitae, 8

Novena Prayer

Heavenly Father,
We thank you for the witness of your Servant, the Venerable Paul VI, who served you and the Church as Universal Pastor in difficult times.  

As a pilgrim among pilgrims he sought to reveal the beauty and joy of the Gospel to the men and women of his time, choosing the way of gentleness and forbearance.
As Shepherd of the flock he sought to proclaim the truth in a time of great confusion in imitation of his patron the Apostle to the Gentiles.
As Servant he proclaimed the Gospel of Life and in doing so bore the cross of suffering and isolation in union with your Crucified Son becoming a Prophet in the midst of the growing culture of death.

As we prepare for the glorification of your Servant, may his example of faith, courage and patient endurance inspire us in our daily living of the Gospel and in our witness to Jesus Christ.
May we too be Prophets of life, respecting, protecting and cherishing the gift of life, most especially in its most vulnerable moments.
May we too be your missionaries at this time, seeking to transform the hearts of all men and women through the joy we find in Christ.

Hear our prayers, most Merciful Father, and grant us through the intercession of Venerable Paul the graces we now ask………………………

Through Christ our Lord.

Amen

Novena To Ven. Paul VI

Tomorrow I will be hosting a novena to the Venerable Paul VI in preparation for his beatification. I will take some reflections from Humanae Vitae for reflection. It will be an opportunity for all of us to familiarize ourselves again with Paul's pro-life legacy and his most outstanding work. We will also ask his prayers in these days of grace.

That Intervention...

At the Synod yesterday, during one of the talks given by married couples, one couple from Australia is reported to have said that the Church should welcome homosexual couples in the same way parents welcome a gay son and his partner at Christmas. The intervention is getting great press. Well, I think Fr Z has a great response to that, which I would recommend you read, and as you do so take note of the current pastoral practice which he describes for couples living together, be they heterosexual or homosexual.

Reform? What About That German Tax?

As the Synod is discussing issues concerning marriage and the family, we will expect the German bishops to push for communion for the divorced and civilly remarried as they have done so far in the months leading up to the meeting. However, I draw your attention to an article by Amy Welborn in which reflects on the German Church tax which has enriched the Church in Germany. She notes that as the German bishops lobby for communion for those in irregular relationships, they refuse the Eucharist, and other sacraments, to those Catholics who do not pay the Church tax. What do you call that?

Given his example and his urging poverty on the Church, I think Pope Francis will have to tackle this issue. Is it not time that the obligatory tax be abolished? The bishops of Germany have been dogged in their refusal to do so, but perhaps Francis should be even more dogged in his efforts to make them toe the line. The Church in Germany is not to have special privileges because of its wealth, yet many in the Church have concluded that the vast donations flowing down from the Rhine into the Tiber have led to expectations among the Germans, particularly those not known for their orthodoxy. Time to dam that flow. 

Having listening to Francis's words on poverty and simplicity, I expect him to deal with this issue sooner rather than later.

Farewell, Dear Father

Reunited again: Fr Benedict with his friend Blessed Teresa of Calcutta

Last Friday night, the feast of the Transitus of St Francis, Fr Benedict Groeschel, founder of the Congregation of the Franciscans of Renewal, writer, speaker and EWTN regular, died at the age of 81. Fr Benedict had been ill for some time, and had recently had a serious fall. His death leaves me with mixed emotions: great sadness at the loss of one whose presence and wisdom were a joy, and yet happiness that this holy man has gone to his eternal reward and, I personally believe, has entered the glory of the Saints. 

As you know Fr Benedict was an extraordinary man. He inspired devotion and awe in those who admired him. I was once asked by a professor in seminary who I would regard as an influence in preaching, I spoke of Fr Benedict to which the professor responded: "He is a most dangerous man!" Indeed he was: he preached the Gospel with such clarity, fidelity and courage he was a consummate evangeliser, and many saw him as a threat. He was. I think he is up there with the Venerable Fulton Sheen, forming minds, hearts and souls in the ways of the Gospel. It is for that reason that I will miss him, but thank the Lord we have so many books, videos and CDs to console us.

Fr Benedict was a great preacher, a comedian, a pragmatic pastoral minister, a devout religious. Those who knew him will also know that he was a man of great humility: he did not take himself seriously. His New Jersey/New York background lent him a personality that complimented his faith, grounding it in reality. He met difficulties with a shrug and reiterated that God was in charge, all would be well. He was not afraid of death, indeed he was ready for it - he used to say that he would often practice a pitiful voice to wail for mercy when he came before the throne of God. I have no doubt that he did not need to do so. I am sure the Lord smiled when this servant came before him, and I believe he heard the words: "Well done, good and faithful servant; come and enter into your Master's happiness".

Fr Benedict had a deep love for those in his care: his spiritual children be they in his order or otherwise, those he ministered to as priest and preacher, and for the poor. He spent a large part of his life working with priests and seminarians, working in the seminary in Dunwoodie and in New York Archdiocese's Trinity Retreat at Larchmont on Long Island Sound. It was in that retreat house that he carried his most sensitive work as priest and psychologist: ministering to broken priests. 

Fr Benedict fostered a paternal love for these priests, men worn out by the ministry, men fallen on hard times, addicted to alcohol or other vices, and then the most despised of all: priests who had abused. In a Church where the ministry of priests is taken for granted and many are forgotten, left to their work, not cared for, Fr Benedict was one who reached out to them to rebuild and restore what had crumbled through years of neglect, fatigue and loneliness. He said that often when burnt-out priests arrived to speak to him, or those who were considering leaving the ministry, the first question he asked them was: "When did you stop praying?" Inevitably all of them had abandoned prayer, and Fr Benedict's first piece of advice was to begin praying again. No priest can live without prayer, no priest can work without prayer, no priest can be a priest without prayer. 

I am convinced that Fr Benedict is a Saint, I believe he is now in heaven: that is my personal opinion and I do not dare to speak for the Church. I do hope that five years from now, when the canonical waiting period is up, his Cause for beatification and canonisation will be opened. I have already started to pray to him. I had met him a number of times, and among those meetings I remember with great fondness spending a day with him at Trinity Retreat - it was a wonderful day. He gave up his time to spend that day with an Irish seminarian, to talk, advise and guide. That he would consider that meeting important in what was a busy life struck me and taught me that a priest must always have time for those who come to him regardless of how important or unimportant we might think such meetings. I can now thank him for this and the many other lessons he taught me in meetings, in talks, in books, on TV and on CDs. 

As we sympathise with the CFRs on the death of their founder and father, and commend him to God, let us also thank the Lord for his life, his ministry and the many hours of preaching in which he opened the Gospel for us, reminding us of the joy and laughter that is to be found in our relationship with Christ.  

Pray for us, Fr Benedict; watch over us. Thank you for your example and your work. May the Lord grant us the joy of one day (soon) of seeing you raised to the altars. Santo Subito!

So It Begins...

The Synod on the Family has begun in Rome. After a vigil on Saturday evening, the Pope celebrated Mass yesterday, and this morning the first plenary session began with an invocation of the Holy Spirit. We must keep the proceedings in our prayers.

As expected there has been a great deal of coverage by the media.  I was watching the Irish media and the BBC to see what they would say. They rehashed the usual commentary on Pope Francis, selectively quoted from his homily and tweaked what he said in order to give viewers/listeners the impression that he is going to use this Synod to change Church teaching on same sex marriage, contraception, divorce etc.  So the narrative has been laid out.  We must be very careful when it comes to media reports. At this stage my attitude to the mainstream media is a hermeneutic of suspicion; not always because journalists are being mischievous or malicious in their reporting, but because a lot of the time they are just ignorant of the Church, her teachings, her systems and her intentions, So take care. Rely on Catholic media, but then again be careful there too.

The Synod is a wonderful opportunity for the Church to look again at her mission to the family, and to iterate the importance of marriage and the family in the Church. There is so much for the Council Fathers to draw upon as they seek to find new ways of proclaiming the Gospel to the family while reflecting on challenges to marriage and family life. This is the first Synod on these themes since St John Paul developed his theology of the body, and that holds many treasures which should really be explored in the deliberations. I know Pope Francis has said that the Synod is not to be the place for rarefied theologising (my phrase), but theology cannot be excluded since its purpose is to understand in a deeper way what our faith is and help us to live it in our time. 

The Pope has said that the Synod must seek to do what God wants, so that means human expectations must be grounded in Christ's teaching, and if the synod wishes to be faithful to Christ then the expected abandoning of Christian teaching on marriage should not be on the agenda. That said, listening to the media and commentators I fear unchristian expectations are growing and being nurtured.

Of course we shouldn't be surprised at this. There is little doubt that marriage and the family is now the front-line in the war between the secular world and Christianity. Marriage and family life are ultimately a threat to the progress of the secularist agenda. As the domestic Church, as the place where values are passed on, ideologues have always tried to demolish the family so to form the next generation themselves. The Church has always resisted this and its main form of opposition was to nurture good Christian marriage - virtuous parents who raised their children in love and virtue. This sticks in the throat of ideologues for whom the exclusive nature of the family not only offends their permissive agenda but serves as a wall, a filter, through which their ideas must fight to penetrate.

I do believe this Synod has become a trophy for the secularists within the Church, for many of them it is their last chance to force through their agenda as old age is catching up with them.  They have managed to create enormous expectations and I fear that we may well be facing a repeat of 1968 with similar results. As with Pope Paul VI on contraception, Francis cannot jettison Christ's teaching to satisfy those who no longer want to live it; even if he wants to do it for mercy's sake, as some maintain, he will be prevented, not by conservative cardinals as some liberals have suggested, but by God himself who made the law and proclaimed it in the Gospel. Like the tenants in the vineyard in yesterday's Gospel - we have no right to usurp what is not ours: it is God's Church, his law, his Gospel, his way not ours. Re-imagining a more liberal, permissive Jesus who renounces his own moral teachings in order to fit in with an unbelieving generation is an exercise in fantasy, one which will ultimately lead to disappointment and, even worse, misleading souls.

I am heartened by the first reading from the Mass this morning, from St Paul's Letter to the Galatians (1:6-12). I wonder if the Synod Fathers took it as a message for how the Synod should proceed. Here it is for your meditation:

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!

Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ. I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.