Obedience And Holiness

If you haven't read this, I would recommend it: John Allen's interview with Cardinal Levada of CDF concerning the ongoing controversy with the American LCWR.   The Cardinal is very direct in his answers and he even goes so far as to suggest what might happen if the leaders of the LCWR do not cooperate. 

I also note that he stresses the need for obedience: these ladies are consecrated religious with a vow of obedience - a vow which is ultimately made to the Pope.  Some sisters might dispute this.  I remember discussing this with an Irish sister who insisted that her vow of obedience was to her community and congregation, not to the Pope - he had no authority over them.  Well, he does. 

Interestingly Cardinal Ouellet said something similar in his homily at the Statio Orbis: he spoke of the Pope as our spiritual father and reminded us that we must be obedient to him.  Obedience is seen as a negative by many in the Church today, and yet when we look to Jesus we see One who was utterly obedient to his Eternal Father - obedient to the point of giving up his life on the cross.  If Jesus was prepared to lay down his life in obedience, then consecrated religious, who are supposed to modelling their lives on Christ's, must be prepared to do the same, although the most they will be asked to do is to die to self.  

And in other news: as we were celebrating the Statio Orbis, in Nepi in Italy a new Beata was being raised to the altars, the young Blessed Cecilia Eusepi, an extraordinary young woman who was a member of Catholic Action and died at the age of 18.   She was a Third Order Servite.

Cecilia was born in Monte Romano on the 17th February 1910: just over a month after her birth her father died.  A paternal uncle assisted her mother Paolina in raising the little girl.  When she was five they moved to Nepi where she began her schooling under Cistercian nuns.   In 1922 she joined Catholic Action and discerned a vocation to the Servite Third Order, being clothed in the Order's scapular on the 14th February 1922 and taking the name Sr Maria Angela. 

In 1923 she entered the Mantellate Sisters Servants of Mary, but due to bad health she had to leave after three years.  In 1926 peritonitis and inflammation of the lungs were diagnosed and Cecilia began her vocation of suffering.  At this time she meta Servite priest, Fr Gabriele Roschini who, recognising her holiness, became her spiritual director and guided her in the last years of her life.  In obedience to him she wrote her autobiography which she titled The Story of a Clown.

Developing intestinal TB, Cecilia succumbed to it on the 1st October 1928.  Her remains were interred in the burial chapel of the Gregori family and her tomb soon became a place of pilgrimage where many graces were granted through her intercession.  She was declared Venerable by Blessed John Paul II on the 1st June 1987 and beatified last Sunday.

Like St Therese, Blessed Cecilia's life was short, hidden and yet extraordinary.  She grew in virtue and impressed all who knew her.  Like Blessed Chiara Luce Badano, Blessed Cecilia prove that holiness can be attained by all, even the young.  May she intercede for all of us and we pray that the Lord will soon grant a miracle through her intercession so she may be enrolled among the Saints soon.

Given the subject of the first part of this post, I would suggest that Blessed Cecilia offers the sisters of LCWR a wonderful example of dedication to God, dying to self, obedience to Christ and his Church, and that humility which opens one's heart to God's grace making one a shining example of holiness for all to see.

Spy Wednesday

Traditionally this is the day when we reflect on Judas and his betrayal of the Lord.  For this he received the grand price of thirty pieces of silver, forever the price of treachery. 

Pope Benedict has something very interesting to say about Judas.  "Judas was neither a master of evil nor the figure of a demoniacal power of darkness but rather a sycophant who bows down before the anonymous power of changing moods and current fashions".

What an insight - Judas wanted to keep up with the crowd.  When Jesus was popular, he was in with him, at the centre of things, an Apostle.  But when the powers that be, the movers and shakers of Jewish society, had turned against Jesus, then Judas was conflicted, that conflict lead to betrayal, but one in which Judas would fill his pockets with ill gotten gains.

This has always been a problem in the Church.  The Judas in our midst is not the one who consorts with evil, but the ones who sell their souls to the prevailing fashions of the age and seek to make a name for themselves.   They may put forward all sorts of noble reasons for doing so, but a lot of the time, they are merely trying to satisfy a hunger to be liked by the world, even to be famous. 

Many Christians fall into this trap, including many clergy and religious who dilute, deny or rebel against Church teaching in order to keep in with the elite.  They may convince themselves that what they do is blessed by God, a worthy dissent for the sake of the people, or the most lame excuse of all: for pastoral reasons.

The example of Judas is a timely one for us.  We must resist the lure of those who want us to go their way in opposition to Christ, those who want people "on the inside" to help them bring the Church down.  Jesus is, and never was, popular with the elite.  He was always an outsider, and those who follow him tend to be outsiders most of the time.  We have to come to accept that and get used to it.

That said, we must continue to engage with the world, proclaim the Gospel, challenge and live in it as so as to be the salt of the earth and light of the world.

Is Judas saved?  I do not know.  The Church has never given an opinon, officially.  We do not know what happened in his heart as the rope tightened around his neck.  We shall not speculate: but rather pray and learn from his mistake.