Being a graphic designer myself and lover of creative things, I found this letter very inspiring and it definitely takes more than one read to really grasp some of the points Pope John Paul II wanted to address and to pick up on some amazing quotations. The letter I feel changes the view of an artist and definitely for me when I chose to want to delve deeper into my Catholic faith, the contemporary art world or “more specifically” the contemporary design world, can have quite a large detachment from anything related to Holiness, religion or Catholicism not in just the works themselves but also in general – the working environment and overall creative industry. It is inspiring to know that something Catholic and artists today can both be put on the same line. Artes Christi is a great example of this! 
http://www.arteschristi.org.au

The letter itself is broken up into sections of different subcategories and I do urge anybody, not only artists but specifically for anybody in the arts industry to have a read, because you will find worth in it!

The letter can be found online here:

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/letters/documents/hf_jp-ii_let_23041999_artists_en.html

Some excerpts:

To all who are passionately dedicated 
to the search for new “epiphanies” of beauty 
so that through their creative work as artists 
they may offer these as gifts to the world.

1. None can sense more deeply than you artists, ingenious creators of beauty that you are, something of the pathos with which God at the dawn of creation looked upon the work of his hands.

2. Not all are called to be artists in the specific sense of the term. Yet, as Genesis has it, all men and women are entrusted with the task of crafting their own life: in a certain sense, they are to make of it a work of art, a masterpiece.

3. A noted Polish poet, Cyprian Norwid, wrote that “beauty is to enthuse us for work, and work is to raise us up”.

12. In order to communicate the message entrusted to her by Christ, the Church needs art. Art must make perceptible, and as far as possible attractive, the world of the spirit, of the invisible, of God.

16. On the threshold of the Third Millennium, my hope for all of you who are artists is that you will have an especially intense experience of creative inspiration. May the beauty which you pass on to generations still to come be such that it will stir them to wonder! Faced with the sacredness of life and of the human person, and before the marvels of the universe, wonder is the only appropriate attitude.

We do not know if he was blind from birth.  We do not know if he had family.  We do not know his age.  We do know that he is blind.  And if blind, cursed and in poverty. The name “Bartimaeus” literally means “son of poverty,” or, “son of the unclean.”  He is an outcast and sits exactly where he is supposed to sit…at the city gate begging.  And he calls out the name of Jesus.  OOPS!

One theologian says that when a character’s name is retained in the Gospel, then there is factual density.  In other words, Bartimaeus is a real person and maybe is even alive when Mark’s community retells this story.  If we accept this premise then there are some very real lessons for us to learn today.  Today we learn something about Jesus and we learn something about our own blindness.

First, Jesus is a boundary breaker.  Jesus is the One who brings back the remnant.  He gathers them from the ends of the Earth.  He stops for the blind.  He speaks with the blind.  He touches us.  He heals us.  And he calls us to follow him on the Way.  So, who are the real blind people? Bartimaeus, or, those who tell him to shut up and leave Jesus alone?  OOPS!

Second, we learn something today about our own blindness.  OOPS!  When Jesus asks Bartimaeus what he can do for him, Bartimaeus actually says, “Rabbi, I want to recover my sight!”  There is a hint that he was not blind before.  There is a hint that he was whole and entire, maybe with a family and a job.  His last resort therefore was to fall upon the mercy of the Son of David.  Bartimaeus refused to shut up.  And he was brave enough to jump up and approach the Lord.

Let us talk about how you and I might recover our sight.  We Americans vote in one week.  While there are tons of issues in this election, there is one issue that we will not go away:  campaign financing.  Just last week we learn that the two main political parties will spend a total of two billions dollars!  That is right- two billion dollars.  According to a UNICEF USA report, our campaign money could have provided enough vaccines for 99 countries; enough pharmaceuticals to treat malaria and HIV in 44 countries; and, enough nutrition with vitamins and peanut butter food therapy for 41 countries.  According to Jim Wallis, founder of Sojourners magazine, [Our political] system is still as broken as ever, with the power of money even more dominant since the disastrous 2010 Supreme Court decision which ruled that corporate expenditures in political campaigns couldn’t be limited. The power of money and the partisan chokehold on political discourse now prevent our elected officials and legislative bodies from even seriously addressing, let alone solving, the root problems of our public life. The checks have replaced all the balances in American politics. And until we remove the excessive power of money from politics, we will never put values back into it.  OOPS!  Who are the real blind people now? It is not the poor.  It is the corporate system in politics.  In the words of Blessed John Paul II: The motivating concern for the poor – who are, in the very meaningful term, “the Lord’s poor”must be translated at all levels into concrete actions, until it decisively attains a series of necessary reforms [SOLLICITUDO REI SOCIALIS, #43].[1]

Christians, we must recover our sight! St. Bartimaeus, pray for us!  At the Eucharist, may you inspire us to stop silencing the blind, the lame, the hungry and the homeless.  At the Eucharist, encourage us to stop blaming the poor for you were poor.  Jesus was poor! OOPS! Jesus was beset with weakness and is our best representative before God.  I wonder what the Lord thinks about our campaign finances this year!

The Rev. Fr. Dr. T. Becket A. Franks, O.S.B.

The 30^th Sunday

Cycle B

“Bill Nye the Science guy”- I remember watching his program as a kid.  Well, Bill Nye is making news after claiming that Creationism is not good for kids.

He says:

“I say to the grownups, ‘If you want to deny evolution and live in your world that’s completely inconsistent with everything we’ve observed in the universe that’s fine. But don’t make your kids do it,’”

Nye adds that teaching kids Creationism will make the the United States of America fall behind in science.  To a certain degree he is right.  We cannot read the accounts of Creation in Genesis literally.  This will bring about many problems.  

The Catholic Church does not have an official position on creation only that God created us.  However, Evolution seems to be the side the Church takes.  The recent pontificates of Blessed John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI have publicly voiced approval of the theory of Evolution.

The first mention of evolution was in the encyclical Humanis Generis. Pope Pius XII states:

“The Teaching Authority of the Church does not forbid that, in conformity with the present state of human sciences and sacred theology, research and discussions, on the part of men experiences in both fields, take place with regard to the doctrine of evolution, in as far as it inquires into the origin of the human body as coming from pre-existent and living matter—for the Catholic faith obliges us to hold that souls are immediately created by God.”

Pope Pius XII basically says that evolution can be accepted as long as the teaching that souls are immediately created by God is held alongside it.  

Blessed John Paul II had this to say to the Pontifical Academy for the Sciencesin 1996:

“In his encyclical Humani Generis (1950), my predecessor Pius XII has already affirmed that there is no conflict between evolution and the doctrine of the faith regarding man and his vocation, provided that we do not lose sight of certain fixed points…. Today, more than a half-century after the appearance of that encyclical, some new findings lead us toward the recognition of evolution as more than a hypothesis. In fact it is remarkable that this theory has had progressively greater influence on the spirit of researchers, following a series of discoveries in different scholarly disciplines. The convergence in the results of these independent studies—which was neither planned nor sought—constitutes in itself a significant argument in favor of the theory.”

Here the late Pontiff states that evolution and faith are not in disagreement.  He even goes as far as giving merit to the theory of evolution as being supported by evidence.

Pope Benedict XVI as Cardinal Ratizinger wrote:

“We cannot say: creation or evolution, inasmuch as these two things respond to two different realities. The story of the dust of the earth and the breath of God, which we just heard, does not in fact explain how human persons come to be but rather what they are. It explains their inmost origin and casts light on the project that they are. And, vice versa, the theory of evolution seeks to understand and describe biological developments. But in so doing it cannot explain where the ‘project’ of human persons comes from, nor their inner origin, nor their particular nature. To that extent we are faced here with two complementary—rather than mutually exclusive—realities.” -In the Beginning: A Catholic Understanding of the Story of Creation and the Fall

Evolution is an important theory to teach our children.  The story of Creation is also important to teach.  However, this story must be taught in a way that children can understand it in relation to what we know today via evolution.  Who cares if we came from slime, fish, apes or a rock.  The important thing is that God created us and we are here now.  

In 1987, the United States Supreme Court ruled the teaching of Creationism unconstitutional.  In light of this, I think Bill Nye is a bit paranoid and going down a slippery slope.  Our children will learn evolution regardless of their faith.

Evolution does not disqualify God as Creator.  If anything, it shows the genius of God and how He uses natural processes in order to bring about life.

Source:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/28/bill-nye-science-guy-creationism-evolution_n_1835208.html

http://news.yahoo.com/bill-nye-science-guy-says-creationism-not-good-101837975.html

However, to call yourself a Catholic and say you are Pro-Choice…

Talk about OxyMORON!!

The issue of life and its defense and promotion is not a concern of Christians alone. Although faith provides special light and strength,this question arises in every human conscience which seeks the truth and which cares about the future of humanity. Life certainly has a sacred and religious value, but in no way is that value a concern only of believers. The value at stake is one which every human being can grasp by the light of reason; thus it necessarily concerns everyone….

“…When the Church declares that unconditional respect for the right to life of every innocent person—from conception to natural death—is one of the pillars on which every civil society stands, she ‘wants simply to promote a human state. A state which recognizes the defense of the fundamental rights of the human person, especially of the weakest, as its primary duty.’ [136]

To be actively pro-life is to contribute to the renewal of society through the promotion of the common good. It is impossible to further the common good without acknowledging and defending the right to life, upon which all the other inalienable rights of individuals are founded and from which they develop. A society lacks solid foundations when, on the one hand, it asserts values such as the dignity of the person, justice and peace, but then, on the other hand, radically acts to the contrary by allowing or tolerating a variety of ways in which human life is devalued and violated, especially where it is weak or marginalized. Only respect for life can be the foundation and guarantee of the most precious and essential goods of society, such as democracy and peace.

…There can be no true democracy without a recognition of every person’s dignity and without respect for his or her rights. Nor can there be true peace unless life is defended and promoted.
“…To claim the right to abortion, infanticide and euthanasia, and to recognize that right in law, means to attribute to human freedom a perverse and evil significance: that of an absolute power over others and against others.”

This unqualified and clear truth concerning the inviolable dignity of every human life is a part of the ordinary magisterium of our Church. It is infallibly taught and cannot be discarded by any faithful Catholic. To do so not only puts their own soul at risk, but when they encourage others to adopt such a position they commit an egregious sin called scandal.

 

~ EVANGELIUM VITAE.  The Gospel of Life.  Blessed John Paul II

If you need a bit more, try the CCC, Catechism of the Catholic Church.  Specifically Article 5.  In other words, The Fifth Commandment.  Remember that one?

You shall not kill

You have heard that it was said to the men of old, “You shall not kill: and whoever kills shall be liable to judgment.” But I say to you that every one who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment.

2258 “Human life is sacred because from its beginning it involves the creative action of God and it remains for ever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end. God alone is the Lord of life from its beginning until its end: no one can under any circumstance claim for himself the right directly to destroy an innocent human being.”56

I. RESPECT FOR HUMAN LIFE

The witness of sacred history

2259 In the account of Abel’s murder by his brother Cain, Scripture reveals the presence of anger and envy in man, consequences of original sin, from the beginning of human history. Man has become the enemy of his fellow man. God declares the wickedness of this fratricide: “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground. And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.”

2260 The covenant between God and mankind is interwoven with reminders of God’s gift of human life and man’s murderous violence:

For your lifeblood I will surely require a reckoning. . . . Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for God made man in his own image.

The Old Testament always considered blood a sacred sign of life. This teaching remains necessary for all time.

Now as for the title of today’s post – On a Mission from God is really in reference to the picture you see at the left. It is a picture of then, Karol Wojtyla, just before he was ordained a priest in 1946 (November 1 was his ordination day). It is also the title of the book by Mary Beth Bonacci.

The reason I chose this as today’s blog post title is because not only did he fulfill the mission set out before him, he took it up another 10 notches and brought the Vatican II Council to the forefront of the Catholic Church through his many writings, speeches, and visits to countries around the globe. When speaking about Blessed John Paul, the Mission is not Impossible, but the Mission is – All Things are Possible with God – Be Not Afraid!

Below are some of the many great “missions” Blessed John Paul II gave the Catholic Church:

He made 104 pastoral visits outside Italy and 146 within Italy.

As Bishop of Rome, he visited 317 of the city’s 333 parishes.

The 19 World Youth Days celebrated during his pontificate brought together millions of young people from all over the world.

He celebrated 147 beatification ceremonies during which he proclaimed 1,338 individuals “Blessed” and 51 Canonizations for a total of 482 Saints.

He made Thérèse of the Child Jesus a Doctor of the Church.

Magisterial documents, he wrote… 14 Encyclicals, 15 Apostolic Exhortations, 11 Apostolic Constitutions and 45 Apostolic Letters.

As a private Doctor, he also published five books of his own.

His greatest work of all could be considered – Theology of the Body. The 129 Wednesday Audiences explaining the importance of the human person and human sexuality.

Blessed John Paul II…Pray For Us!

bangalorearchdiocese.com

Today is the feast day of Blessed Pope John Paul II, as I remember Him when he was here in the Philippines, I feel so lucky that I was able to saw to Him in person year 1995.  O Blessed Pope John Paul II, bless our country and thank you for all the blessings.  Pray for us…

Prayer for the intercession of Pope John Paul II

O Holy Trinity, we thank you for having given to the Church Pope John Paul II, and for having made him shine with your fatherly tenderness, the glory of the Cross of Christ and the splendor of the Spirit of love He, trusting completely in your infinite mercy and in the maternal intercession of Mary, has shown himself in the likeness of Jesus the Good Shepherd and has pointed out to us holiness as the path to reach eternal communion with You. Grant us, through his intercession, according to your will, the grace that we implore, in the hope that he will soon be numbered among your saints. Amen. .. Read More At…

http://www.ewtn.com/devotionals/prayers/intercessionJP2.htm

RT @lovlikejesus: The future starts today, not tomorrow. -Pope John Paul II
— Yanne Joshel Pasion (@Jshyyy) October 22, 2012

“Artistic talent is a gift from God and whoever discovers it in himself has a certain obligation to develop it.” ― Pope John Paul II
— KRICH ENTERTAINMENT (@KRICHENT) October 22, 2012

Monday 22

07:00

• Live from Rome, Italy. Holy Mass on the Feast of Blessed John Paul II, Patron of Telepace, from the Chapel of Blessed John Paul II.

Channels Broadcasting Live: Telepace

Steaming Online Live: Here via Telepace WebTV

08:00

• Live from Rome, Italy. Holy Mass of Thanksgiving for the Canonisation of St. Catherine Tekakwitha, the first Native American Saint, from the Papal Archbasilica of St. John Lateran. Presided by Archbishop Richard William Smith, Archbishop of Edmonton, Canada.

Channels Broadcasting Live: Telepace

16:00

• Live from Krosno, Poland. Radio Maryja Family Meeting and Holy Mass for Mission Week, on Feast of Blessed John Paul II, from the Parish Church of the Most Holy Trinity. Presided by Bishop Adam Szal, Titular Bishop of Lavellum, Auxiliary Bishop of Przemyśl, and member of the Polish Episcopate Commision for Missions.

Channels Broadcasting Live: TV TRWAM

Wednesday 24

08:30

• Papal General Audience

Channels Broadcasting Live: EWTN, Telepace, TV2000, TRSP, K-TV, TV TRWAM, KTO

Streaming Online Live: Here via Vatican Player

Channels Broadcasting Delayed: EWTN (20:00), Canção Nova International (20:00), KTO (13:00, and again at 22:10)

Thursday 25

12:30

• Live from Riva del Garda, Trentino, Italy. Coverage of the first ‘Festival della Famiglia’ (Festival of the Family), with the opening address, and talk on family policies and the economic crisis, from the Cortile della Rocca. Speakers include Adalberto Mosaner, Mayor of Riva del Garda; Ugo Rossi, Deputy Major of Health and Social Policy of the Province of Trentino; Lorenzo Dellai, President of the Province of Trentino; Archbishop Luigi Bressan, Archbishop of Trento; and Andrea Riccardi, Government Minister for International Cooperation and Integration.

Channels Broadcasting Live: Telepace

Steaming Online Live: Here via Telepace WebTV

Saturday 27

10:00

• Live from Riva del Garda, Trentino, Italy. Coverage of the Closing of the first ‘Festival della Famiglia’ (Festival of the Family), from the Centro Congressi. Speakers include Lorenzo Dellai, President of the Province of Trentino; Andrea Riccardi, Government Minister for International Cooperation and Integration; and Mario Monti, Prime Minisiter of the Republic of Italy.

Channels Broadcasting Live: Telepace

Steaming Online Live: Here via Telepace WebTV

Sunday 28

08:30

• Live from St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City. Papal Mass for the closing of the Synod of Bishops, for the New Evangilisation. Presided by Pope Benedict XVI.

Channels Broadcasting Live: Telepace, EWTN, TV2000, KTO, K-TV, TV TRWAM, TRSP, Noursat

Streaming Online Live: Here via Vatican Player

11:00

• Papal Angelus

Channels Broadcasting Live: Telepace, TV2000, K-TV, TV TRWAM, KTO, EWTN, TRSP, Noursat

Streaming Online Live: Here via Vatican Player

Channels Broadcasting Delayed: Padre Pio TV (11:40), KTO (11:50), Canção Nova (14:30)

Information on how to receive these channels can be found on our Channel Information Page. A list of links where the Channels can be viewed online can be found on our Live TV Links Page.

Look what fame he had, what a worldwide following gathered around him! But why? Perhaps because he was a philosopher? Because he was wise? Because he had resources at his disposal? Because he said Mass humbly, heard confessions from dawn to dusk and was-it is not easy to say it-one who bore the wounds of our Lord. He was a man of prayer and suffering.  – Pope Paul VI (21 Feb. 1971) commenting on the life of Padre Pio 
http://origin.ewtn.com/devotionals/inspiration.asp#22

First Reading:    Ephesians 2:1-10
Psalm 100:2-5:  The Lord made us, we belong to him.
Gospel:  Luke 12:13-21

Someone in the crowd said to Jesus,
“Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.”
He replied to him,
“Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?”
Then he said to the crowd,
“Take care to guard against all greed,
for though one may be rich,
one’s life does not consist of possessions.”

Then he told them a parable.
“There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest.
He asked himself, ‘What shall I do,
for I do not have space to store my harvest?’
And he said, ‘This is what I shall do:
I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones.
There I shall store all my grain and other goods
and I shall say to myself, ‘Now as for you,
you have so many good things stored up for many years,
rest, eat, drink, be merry!’”
But God said to him,
‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you;
and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’
Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself
but is not rich in what matters to God.” 
http://usccb.org/bible/readings/102212.cfm

Video Reflection: 
http://www.usccb.org/bible/reflections/
   

Reflection:   Have you ever tried to settle a money dispute or an inheritance issue? Inheritance disputes are rarely ever easy to resolve, especially when the relatives or close associates of the deceased benefactor cannot agree on who should get what and who should get the most. Why did Jesus refuse to settle an inheritance dispute between two brothers? He saw that the heart of the issue was not justice or fairness but rather greed and possessiveness.

The ten commandments were summarized into two prohibitions – do not worship false idols and do not covet what belongs to another. It’s the flip side of the two great commandments – love God and love your neighbor. Jesus warned the man who wanted  half of his brother’s inheritance to “beware of all covetousness.”  To covet is to wish to get wrongfully what another possesses or to begrudge what God has given to another. Jesus restates the commandment “do not covet”, but he also states that a person’s life does not consist in the abundance of his or her possessions.

August of Hippo (354-430 AD) comments on Jesus’ words to the brother who wanted more:

Greed wants to divide, just as love desires to gather. What is the significance of “guard against all greed,” unless it is “fill yourselves with love”? We, possessing love for our portion, inconvenience the Lord because of our brother just as that man did against his brother, but we do not use the same plea. He said, “Master, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” We say, “Master, tell my brother that he may have my inheritance.” [Sermon 265.9]

Jesus reinforces his point with a parable about a foolish rich man. Why does Jesus call this wealthy landowner a fool? Jesus does not fault the rich man for his industriousness and skill in acquiring wealth, but rather for his egoism and selfishness – it’s mine, all mine, and no one else’s. This parable is similar to the parable of the rich man who refused to give any help to the beggar Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31). The rich fool had lost the capacity to be concerned for others. His life was consumed with his possessions and his only interests were in himself. His death was the final loss of his soul!

In the parable of the rich fool Jesus gives a lesson on using material possessions. It is in giving that we receive. Those who are rich towards God receive ample reward – not only in this life – but in eternity as well.

Cyril of Alexandria, a fifth century church father, comments on Jesus’ word to be rich toward God:

It is true that a person’s life is not from one’s possessions or because of having an overabundance. He who is rich toward God is very blessed and has glorious hope. Who is he? Evidently, one who does not love wealth but rather loves virtue, and to whom few things are sufficient. It is one whose hand is open to the needs of the poor, comforting the sorrows of those in poverty according to his means and the utmost of his power. He gathers in the storehouses that are above and lays up treasures in heaven. Such a one shall find the interest of his virtue and the reward of his right and blameless life. [Commentary on Luke, Homily 89]

In this little parable Jesus probes our heart – where is your treasure? Treasure has a special connection to the heart, the place of desire and longing, the place of will and focus. The thing we most set our heart on is our highest treasure. What do you treasure above all else?

“Lord Jesus, free my heart from all possessivness and from coveting what belongs to another. May I desire you alone as the one true treasure worth possessing above all else. Help me to make good use of the material blessings you give me that I may use them generously for your glory and for the good of others.” 
http://www.rc.net/wcc/readings/oct22.htm

Saints  of the Day:  Blessed Pope John Paul II, Patron of World Youth Day (Co- Patron)( 1920-2005)

“Open wide the doors to Christ,” urged John Paul II during the homily at the Mass when he was installed as pope in 1978.

Born in Wadowice, Poland, Karol Jozef Wojtyla had lost his mother, father and older brother before his 21st birthday. Karol’s promising academic career at Krakow’s Jagiellonian University was cut short by the outbreak of World War II. While working in a quarry and a chemical factory, he enrolled in an “underground” seminary in Kraków. Ordained in 1946, he was immediately sent to Rome where he earned a doctorate in theology.

Back in Poland, a short assignment as assistant pastor in a rural parish preceded his very fruitful chaplaincy for university students. Soon he earned a doctorate in philosophy and began teaching that subject at Poland’s University of Lublin.

Communist officials allowed him to be appointed auxiliary bishop of Krakow in 1958, considering him a relatively harmless intellectual. They could not have been more wrong!

He attended all four sessions of Vatican II and contributed especially to itsPastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World. Appointed as archbishop of Krakow in 1964, he was named a cardinal three years later.

Elected pope in October 1978, he took the name of his short-lived, immediate predecessor. Pope John Paul II was the first non-Italian pope in 455 years. In time, he made pastoral visits to 124 countries, including several with small Christian populations.

He promoted ecumenical and interfaith initiatives, especially the 1986 Day of Prayer for World Peace in Assisi. He visited Rome’s Main Synagogue and the Western Wall in Jerusalem; he also established diplomatic relations between the Holy See and Israel. He improved Catholic-Muslim relations and in 2001 visited a mosque in Damascus, Syria.

The Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, a key event in John Paul’s ministry, was marked by special celebrations in Rome and elsewhere for Catholics and other Christians. Relations with the Orthodox Churches improved considerably during his ministry as pope.

“Christ is the center of the universe and of human history” was the opening line of his 1979 encyclical, Redeemer of the Human Race. In 1995, he described himself to the United Nations General Assembly as “a witness to hope.”

His 1979 visit to Poland encouraged the growth of the Solidarity movement there and the collapse of communism in central and eastern Europe 10 years later. He began World Youth Day and traveled to several countries for those celebrations. He very much wanted to visit China and the Soviet Union but the governments in those countries prevented that.

One of the most well-remembered photos of his pontificate was his one-on-one conversation in 1983 with Mehmet Ali Agca, who had attempted to assassinate him two years earlier.

In his 27 years of papal ministry, John Paul wrote 14 encyclicals and five books, canonized 482 saints and beatified 1,338 people.

In the last years of his life, he suffered from Parkinson’s disease and was forced to cut back on some of his activities.

Pope Benedict XVI beatified John Paul II on May 1, 2011, Divine Mercy Sunday. 
http://www.americancatholic.org/features/saints/saint.aspx?id=1949

More Saints of the Day

• St. Abercius Marcellus
• Sts. Alexander, Heraclins, and Companions
• Bl. Alix Le Clercq
• St. Alodia
• St. Benedict of Macerac
• St. Bertharius
• St. Donatus of Fiesole
• St. Mark
• St. Mary Salome
• St. Mellon
• St. Moderan
• St. Nepotian
• St. Nunctus
• St. Philip
• St. Philip of Heraclea
• St. Verecundus

 Let me be the change I want to be. Even if I am not the light, I can be the spark.

In the Encyclical Letter Ecclesia de Eucharistia, Pope John Paul expressed profound grief that a confused and incorrect doctrine had obscured the great mystery of the Eucharist and reduced it to something like a community meal.  The Pontiff stated that the Catholic understanding of the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist is too great a gift to tolerate ambiguity and depreciation.   He recalled the words of Paul VI regarding the special presence as “real” not in the sense that the Lord’s other presences are “not real” but the presence under the appearance of bread and wine is a substantial presence whereby Christ is wholly and entirely present as fully God and fully Man.  This doctrine had been defined for all time by the Council of Trent:

The consecration of the bread and wine effects the change of the whole substance of the bread into the substance of the body of Christ our Lord, and of the whole substance of the wine into the substance of his blood. And the holy Catholic Church has fittingly and properly called this change transubstantiation.

It is quite amazing that some otherwise orthodox Catholics will decline to comment on this doctrine or even in some cases venture the belief that the Second Vatican Council re-defined the concept of “Real Presence.”   It is not uncommon to hear that the doctrine of the Real Presence is now open to individual interpretation.

However, more frequently, the doctrine of the Real Presence is eclipsed by an over-emphasis on the other presences of Jesus in the liturgy.  We are told that the Lord is present in the assembly, in the Word, in the priest and of course in the “elements.”  It is often claimed that we give each other Eucharist. While none of these claims are untrue, they have served to draw attention away from the belief that our Lord Jesus Christ is fully present in the bread and wine when they have been consecrated in the Mass.

It is possible to identify many diverse strands which emerged in the post-conciliar years that have contributed to the blurring and eclipsing of the doctrine of the Real Presence. In trying to discover where the faulty thinking on the Blessed Eucharist originated we can find some clues by looking at just one of these strands, which can perhaps explain some of the reasoning behind this blurring of the truth in the doctrine of the Real Presence.

In September l971, a group of theologians representing the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican community came together with the purpose of reaching an agreement on the doctrine of the Eucharist. It was hoped that by dialogue and open-mindedness a measure of concord could be attained in understanding the great Christian mystery of this central sacrament. The group met under the joint chairmanship of Anglican Bishop H.R. McAdoo of Ossory, Ferns and Leighlin, and the Catholic Auxillary Bishop Alan Clark, of Northampton.

The document which resulted from this Commission is known as “The Windsor Statement.”  Although it represents only the views of its signatories and has not been given official sanction by their respective churches, its effect on the Catholic worshipping community has been widespread. The substitution of the word “Eucharist” which was the only mutually acceptable word for the Catholic Mass, had the unfortunate consequence of hiding the fact that there is a world of difference between the Catholic belief in the holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the Anglican or Protestant understanding of a Holy Communion service.

In his detailed study of the Windsor Statement, Fr. Edward Holloway commented that the good intentions and earnest desires of the churchmen who made up the Commission could not be a substitute for honest theology and spiritual integrity. He asserted that in the interest of achieving agreement, the essential distinction between the Eucharist as Sacrifice and the table of the Memorial of the Lord is deliberately not defined.

All these tremendous realities of difference between the Roman Catholic interpretation of the Faith, and of the Eucharist of Christ, and the many varying nuances of interpretation acceptable to the official Anglican Church, are glossed over, and ignored, in this deliberate failure to distinguish between a ministry of the word of Christ and a ministry, ever living, of the Personal Word of God, who is Jesus the Christ. (The Eucharist, Unity or Truth?)

True ecumenism is not possible if there is dilution of truth.  What results from some of the thinking of The Windsor Statement serves no sincere ecumenical purpose and is actually contrary to the desires expressed by the Council.

Nothing is so foreign to ecumenism as the false attitude of appeasement which is damaging to the purity of Catholic doctrine and obscures its genuine established meaning. (Decree on Ecumenism 11).

While it is true that not many Catholics will have heard of the Windsor Statement we have all been affected to some extent. As a result of the attempt to achieve unity at the cost of truth, much of the current Eucharistic theology of many leading Catholic theologians and ecumenists is difficult to reconcile with defined Catholic doctrine. The so-called understanding arrived at by the group of theologians has percolated down to parish level. It has caused a weakening of faith in the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist, and considerable confusion and uncertainty on the fundamental doctrine of the Catholic Church. It is a sad fact that in many lectures on theology this is the doctrine that is now being taught.  As Catholics we are now in the lamentable position of being unsure who to trust when it comes to doctrine.  Yet the Holy Spirit has provided for this time in the history of the Church and as always if in doubt, we should turn to the Catechism which gives no room for ambiguity:

 In the most Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ and therefore, the whole Christ, is truly, really and substantially contained.  The substantial presence of Christ is therefore different to other ways in which Christ is present, as in the Scripture readings, in the priest and in the people. (CCC 1373-1375, 1413).

We cannot help but wonder why so much attention is given to dissident theologians and false doctrine and so little attention to the great papal writings on the mystery of the Eucharist. We must try to remember that human reason, while totally compatible with faith, cannot by itself reach understanding of the great mysteries of God.  Blessed John Paul shows us how through the mystery of transubstantiation of bread and wine into his own Body and Blood, Christ walks beside us and that it is through him we become witnesses of hope.

If, in the presence of this mystery, reason experiences its limits, the heart, enlightened by the grace of the Holy Spirit, clearly sees the response that is demanded, and bows low in adoration and unbounded love. (Ecclesia de Eucharistia.)

My next post will consist of the many events and activities that we have planned at the parish that I work at in Scottsdale, Arizona – Our Lady of Perpetual Help. It is my hope that many of your parishes already have events planned, but if you don’t or are looking for more ideas, we are here to assist you in those potential activities.

Before I end this, I wanted to share a quick story about Our Lady of Perpetual Help that was recently share with me. One of the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of Eucharist told me that Blessed John Paul II had a great devotion to Our Lady of Perpetual Help when he was a child growing up in the town of Wadowice, Poland. Everyday before school, the young Karol Wojtyla would enter the church in his town and pray to Our Lady of Perpetual Help at her side altar. I found this story to be profound in my own life since I am a big fan of Blessed John Paul II and I now work at a parish that is named for Our Lady under this title.

Here we go Catholics…Start your spiritual engines…It’s GO TIME!

THE YEAR OF FAITH IS HERE…

The reason I begin talking about Reconciliation was because while I was in line for Confession, there was an elderly couple in front of me (70-80 years old) who were praying the Holy Rosary as they waited in line. I remember I pulled out my Rosary and they both looked at me at the same time and nodded as to say – good job young man, the Rosary is important for our lives as Catholics. From my standpoint, I felt as if the three of us were united in our Catholicity praying the Holy Rosary together. As I stood there praying the Sorrowful Mysteries, it was great to know that others pray this great Marian prayer and that we were united in faith, even though we were generations apart in age. The Catholic Church and her prayers truly unite the faithful from age to age. (Paragraph #43 below will solidify my argument for you).

For this “Mondays with Mary”, I wanted to share with you the two paragraphs from above, but also wanted to provide some great excerpts from Blessed John Paul II and his Apostolic Letter – Rosarium Virginis Mariae (On the Most Holy Rosary). Blessed John Paul II said a few weeks after his Pontificate began in 1978 and in his document that the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary (official name) was his favorite prayer to pray. He prayed it daily. Below are some of his great words on the Most Holy Rosary. I hope you enjoy them, contemplate on them, and share them with your family and friends. I would also encourage you to read the document as well.

Paragraph #1 – “The Rosary, though clearly Marian in character, is at heart a Christocentric prayer. In the sobriety of its elements, it has all the depth of the Gospel message in its entirety, of which it can be said to be a contemplation.”

Paragraph #3 – “The Rosary, reclaimed in its full meaning, goes to the very heart of the Christian life; it offers a familiar yet fruitful spiritual meaning and educational opportunity for personal contemplation, the formation of the People of God, and the new evangelization.”

Paragraph #14 – “Contemplating the scenes of the Rosary in union with Mary is a means of learning from her to “read” Christ, to discover his secrets and to understand his message.

Paragraph #16 – “In support of the prayer which Christ and the Spirit cause to rise in our hearts, Mary intervenes with her maternal intercession, “The prayer of the Church is sustained by the prayer of Mary.”…The Rosary is both meditation and supplication.”

Paragraph #21 – “In proposing to the Christian community five significant moments – “luminous” mysteries – during this phase of Christ’s life…each of these mysteries is a revelation of the Kingdom now present in the very person of Jesus.”

Paragraph #25 – “…the Rosary does indeed “mark the rhythm of life,” bringing it into harmony with the “rhythm” of God’s own life, in the joyful communion of the Holy Trinity, our life’s destiny and deepest longing.”

Paragraph #30 – In order to supply a Biblical foundation and greater depth to our meditation, it is helpful to follow the announcement of the mystery with the proclamation of a related Biblical passage, long or short, depending on the circumstances.”

For my fellow teachers – paragraph #42 – “To pray the Rosary for children, and even more, with children, training them from their earliest years to experience this daily “pause for prayer” with the family, is admittedly not the solution to every problem, but it is a spiritual aid which should not be underestimated.”

Paragraph #43 – “I look to you, brothers and sisters of every state of life, to you, Christian families, to you, the sick and elderly, and to you, young people: confidently take up the Rosary once again. Rediscover the Rosary in the light of Scripture, in harmony with the liturgy, and in the context of your daily lives.”

During this month of the Holy Rosary, let us pray for Our Lady’s maternal and queenly intercession to our King and Lord, Jesus Christ. Let us also pray that we may find more time in our daily lives to offer up the Rosary and to ask for the intercession of Blessed John Paul II and the communion of saints and the divisions of angels to be with us always.

I appreciate your post. It seems very much in line with a quote of Thomas Merton that changed my view of living with same sex attraction. I think it resonates with what you wrote above, when you wrote about St. Paul, saying that “he gives his suffering a Christian shape. It becomes his sharing in the passion of Christ. Living out the condition of death is itself for Paul also a sharing in the risen life of Jesus. He dies not because he is “in Adam,” but because he is “in Christ.””

This quote from Thomas Merton says much the same thing:

“Suffering, therefore, must make sense to us not as a vague universal necessity, but as something demanded by our own personal destiny. When I see my trials not as the collision of my life with a blind machine called fate, but as the sacramental gift of Christ’s love, given to me by God the Father along with my identity and my very name, then I can consecrate them and myself with them to God. For then I realize that my suffering is not my own. It is the Passion of Christ, stretching out its tendrils into my life in order to bear rich clusters of grapes, making my soul dizzy with the wine of Christ’s love, and pouring that wine as strong as fire upon the whole world.”

I have found great comfort in Colossians 1:24 as well, in which St. Paul says, “I complete what is lacking in Christ’s affliction.” Of course, that’s not to say that in the Catholic view of suffering that Christ’s death on the Cross was somehow incomplete, but rather that God allows us to participate in his death on the Cross–in a very real sense–in which we actually participate with his redemption of the world (only possible because Christ is in us). For me, it gives a deeper meaning and purpose to suffering than merely being the means by which God strengthens our character.

Something St. Ireneaus wrote long ago has helped me think about this aspect of “joining in Christ’s suffering.” He wrote that in heaven, there “dwell powers and angels and angels and archangels, doing service to God, the Almighty and Maker of all things: not as though He was in need, but that they may not be idle and unprofitable and ineffectual.” Christ’s death certainly is sufficient–but I think, like the angels, God does not need us to join our suffering to His, but He allows that in our loves, out of love for our good. God wants us to willingly choose to join our sufferings with his, which I’m convinced is what it means to become literal “living sacrifices.”

C. S. Lewis’s thoughts on prayer from his poem “Sonnet” also have helped me think about how living with the pain associated with SSA can be joined with Christ’s suffering.

“…if His action lingers
Till men have prayer, and suffers their weak prayers indeed
To move as very muscles His delaying fingers,
Who, in His longanimity and love for our
Small dignities, enfeebles, for a time, His power.”

I have reflected often over the years on what Lewis wrote here, thinking that out of His love for our “small dignities” God might “enfeeble” His power, to allow us to participate in His Will. It seems to be, in some sense, what St. Paul is saying in Colossians 1:24.

Thanks for this post. I think you’ve hit the nail on the head. Great post!

By the way, I gave a talk on that Merton quote, and how I view it as related to homosexuality, for what it’s worth. If you’re curious, you can view it here:

Also, you may find this letter on suffering by John Paul II fascinating, in light of what you wrote in this post. This too has shaped my view of the redemption of homosexuality in our lives.

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_letters/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_11021984_salvifici-doloris_en.html

Today, October 1 is the Feast day of St. Therese of the Child Jesus a.k.a. St. Therese of Lisieux a.k.a. The Little Flower of Jesus. Most people are familiar with St. Therese and her Story of the Soul, so I will not go into any great detail about her life in this post. You can read about her at Catholic Online, EWTN, and on the official website for St. Therese.

For this post, I want to share a story about an experience I had with St. Therese, the Little Flower of Jesus. As many of you know, the flower that is most attributed to her is the Rose. During my first year of teaching at St. Mary’s Catholic High School, I wanted to honor Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12 by organizing a prayer service in my room with my students. I had a satin image of Our Lady under her title of the Virgin of Guadalupe on a bulletin board in my room. The plan was to find roses and place them around the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Remember it was St. Juan Diego who gathered roses in his tilma in the dead of winter on Tepeyac Hill as the Blessed Mother directed him. When he went to the Archbishop of Mexico City to show him the roses in the month of December, the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared on the tilma. The tilma still exists today in Mexico City.

As we all know, roses are usually very expensive, so it was going to cost me quite a bit of money to pull off my plan. I went to the King’s House, a religious bookstore here in Phoenix, since I knew one of the ladies made fake roses for their gifts. In the end, that was too costly as well and would have taken lots of time, which I did not have since this idea came to me only days before December 12. One of the workers behind the counter suggested that I pray to St. Therese of the Little Flower since she loved Our Blessed Mother very much and would probably love to help me with my project. Being a bit of a skeptic (my name is Thomas), I initially did not take that advice. I arrived home to see if I could find roses online instead. After a few hours of frustration, I ended up praying to St. Therese. Hang onto your hats, because this gets good!

As I was praying to St. Therese, my office in my condo began to smell like roses…fresh cut roses!!! I kid you not!! The entire room smelled like roses!!! I did not have any potpourri nor did I have any plug-in scenters. To say the least – I freaked out!! I got up from my chair and started looking around the room. I finally said, okay, St. Therese…you have got me.

The next day I went back to the King’s House since someone (clear my throat) was pushing me back there. When I arrived, I told the workers my story. A young woman who was not there the previous day said that I should go to the Flower Emporium on 7^th Street (very close to St. Mary’s too) since they will have beautiful faux flowers that will honor Our Blessed Mother without breaking my wallet. I walked into the emporium and found exactly the faux roses that I needed for my prayer service with my students. The prayer service went very well and my students reacted to the story I just told you in a positive way, although there were some skeptics. Probably serves me right since I was a skeptic originally. Since that year (2004), I have always asked for St. Therese’s intercession at times in my life.

I would encourage you to learn more about this great saint and Doctor of the Church.

St. Therese of the Child Jesus…Pray for Us!

Our Lady of the Rosary…Pray for Us!

Blessed John Paul II said in his last encyclical, Ecclesia de Eucharistia, “The Eucharist thus appears as the culmination of all the sacraments in perfecting our communion with God the Father by identification with his only-begotten Son through the working of the Holy Spirit. With discerning faith a distinguished writer of the Byzantine tradition voiced this truth: in the Eucharist “unlike any other sacrament, the mystery [of communion] is so perfect that it brings us to the heights of every good thing: here is the ultimate goal of every human desire, because here we attain God and God joins himself to us in the most perfect union”. Precisely for this reason it is good to cultivate in our hearts a constant desire for the sacrament of the Eucharist.”

For us as Catholics, we just don’t have Mass on Sundays, but we have Mass each day of the week. Not only do we receive Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, but at every Mass our venial sins are forgiven when we recite the Confeitor. Woah! What blessings we can receive when going to the Holy and Divine Liturgy.

Are you ready to get fired up about The Catholic Mass? Are you ready to jump into the car or ride your bike to get to Mass? Watch the video below and the two questions above will be answered with an astounding  - YES!!

]]> http://forgettheroads.com/2012/09/20/my-how-things-havent-changed-part-two/ Thu, 20 Sep 2012 22:14:10 +0000 Renee Lin http://forgettheroads.com/2012/09/20/my-how-things-havent-changed-part-two/ In my last post we took a tour through the Middle Ages and saw that the Catholic Church has been teaching from the beginning that we are saved by grace through faith. I’ve decided to go back and examine the commonly held belief that the Church kept the faithful from reading the Bible so that they wouldn’t realize how “unbiblical” Catholic doctrine is. After all, in the words of “prophecy expert” Tim LaHaye, the Catholic Church made sure the Scriptures were “locked up in monasteries and museums” during the Middle Ages. It is simply “common knowledge” among Protestants that the Church has opposed access to the Scriptures down through the ages, something I used to believe – until I went to the trouble of doing a little research….

When I was a Protestant I KNEW that Martin Luther was the first German to translate the Holy Scriptures into the vernacular so that everyone could understand them. After all, he himself said, “”Thirty years ago, no-one read the Bible, and it was unknown to all. The prophets were not spoken of and were considered impossible to understand. And when I was twenty years old, I had never seen a Bible. I thought that the Gospels or Epistles could be found only in the postills [lectionaries] for the Sunday readings.” That’s Herr Luther’s story, and most Protestants buy into it. Let’s take another stroll down through the centuries to see how the situation looked on the ground. In 312 A.D. Constantine saw his “In Hoc Signo Vinces” vision. We’ll start there, looking for signs of devotion to God’s word…. (Don’t be shy about clicking on the links – there’s some good info there.)

St. Ambrose (330-397) “The reading of Holy Scripture is the life of the soul; Christ Himself declares it when He says: ‘The words that I have spoken to you, are spirit and life’.”

St. Gregory of Nyssa (c. 335-c.395) “We are not allowed to affirm what we please. We make Holy Scripture the rule and the measure of every tenet.”

St. John Chrysostom (347- 407) “…each of you take in hand that part of the Gospels which is to be read in your presence on the first day of the week or even on the Sabbath; and before that day comes, sit down at home and read it through; consider often and carefully its content, and examine all its parts well, noting what is clear, what is confusing…. And, in a word, when you have sounded every point, then go to hear it read. From such zeal as this there will be no small benefit both to you and to me.”

St. Jerome (347-420) “I interpret as I should, following the command of Christ: Search the Scriptures, and Seek and you shall find. Christ will not say to me what he said to the Jews: You erred, not knowing the Scriptures and not knowing the power of God. For if, as Paul says, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God, and if the man who does not know Scripture does not know the power and wisdom of God, then ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.”

St. Egeria (4th century) “And as he [the bishop] explained the meaning of all the Scriptures, so does he explain the meaning of the Creed; each article first literally and then spiritually. By this means all the faithful in these parts follow the Scriptures when they are read in church.”

Sounds like Christian leaders in the 4th century not only loved the word of God themselves, but also were committed to teaching it to the faithful. But the Dark Ages began in the 5th century. Perhaps that is when the Scriptures were taken from the people….

St. Mesrop Mashtots (5th century) “To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding” – the first words written by St. Mesrop as he translated the Scriptures into Armenian.

Unknown translators (5th century) translated the Scriptures into the Syriac, Coptic, Old Nubian, Ethiopic and Georgian languages.

St. Gregory the Great (540-604) “Those who are zealous in the work of preaching must never cease the study of the written Word of God.”

St. John Damascene (c. 645-749) “Like a tree planted by streams of water, the soul is irrigated by the Bible and acquires vigor, produces tasty fruit, namely, true faith, and is beautified with a thousand green leaves, namely, actions that please God.”

St. Bede the Venerable (c. 672- 735) “I wholly applied myself to the study of Scripture, and amidst the observance of regular discipline, and the daily care of singing in the church, I always took delight in learning, teaching and writing.” St. Bede translated the Gospel of John into English.

Unknown translator (8th century) translated the Gospel of Matthew into German.

Unknown translator (8th century) translated the Psalms into English (Vespasian Psalter).

Sts. Cyril and Methodius (9th century) translated the Scriptures into Old Church Slavonic.

Unknown translator (9th century) translated the Scriptures into Arabic (Mt. Sinai Arabic Codex 151).

Unknown translator (10th century) translated the four Gospels into Old English (Wessex or West-Saxon Gospels).

Ælfric of Eynsham (11th century) translated the first seven books of the Old Testament into English.

Benedictine missionaries (11th century) translated portions of the Scriptures into Hungarian.

Throughout the “Dark Ages,” the Bible was being read in Latin (the official language of the Church in the West. If you could read, you could read Latin!) I know people who believe that Bible reading in the Middle Ages was strictly forbidden. Certainly if that were the case, no translations would be made of the Scriptures into the vernacular languages of the faithful. What would be the point? Yet we have seen numerous examples of vernacular translations of Scripture before the turn of the first millennium!

St. Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) “He who does not know Scripture, knows absolutely nothing.”

St. Bonaventure (1221-1274) “We must study Holy Scripture carefully, and teach it and listen to it in the same way.”

Jaume de Montjuich (13th century) translated the Scriptures into Catalan.

Guyart des Moulins (13th century) translated the Scriptures into French.

Unknown translator (13th century) translated the Scriptures into Spanish (Biblia Alfonsina).

Unknown translator (13th century) translated the Psalms into Polish.

John Wycliffe (1320-1384) praises Anne of Bohemia (1366–1394) because she possesses copies of the Gospels in three languages, Bohemian, German, and Latin.

King Denis of Portugal (14th century) translated the first 20 chapters of Genesis into Portuguese.

John of Montecorvino, Franciscan missionary to China (14th century) translated the New Testament into Uyghur, the language of the Mongols.

Unknown translator (14th century) translated the books of Genesis through II Kings into Norwegian (Stjorn).

Unknown translator (14th century) translated the Scriptures into the Czech language.

Unknown translator (14th century) translated the book of Revelation into English.

Matthias von Beheim (14th century) commissioned the translation of the Gospels into German.

Unknown translators (14th century) translated the Psalms into Polish and German (St. Florian Psalter).

Unknown translator (14th century) translated the Old Testament into German (Wenzel Bibel).

King John I of Portugal (15th century) translated the Psalms and parts of the New Testament into Portuguese.

Andrzej z Jaszowic (15th century) translated parts of Scripture into Polish (Biblia królowej Zofii).

Unknown translator (15th century) – translated parts of Scripture into Croatian.

Unknown translator (15th century) – translated the New Testament into English.

Johannes Mentelin (1460-Strasburg) printed the first German language Bible.

Heinrich Eggestein (1466 -Strasburg) printed the Bible in German.

Jodocus Planzmann (c. 1470-Augsburg) printed the Bible in German.

Wendelin von Speyer (1471-Venice) printed the Bible in Italian.

Guenter Zainer printed two Bible editions in German, in c. 1475 and 1477 (Augsburger Bibel).

Johann Senseschmidt and Andreas Frisner (c. 1470-Nuremburg) printed the Bible in German.

Anton Sorg (1477-Augsburg) printed the Bible in German.

Barthélemy Buyer (1477-Lyons) printed the Bible in French.

Jacob Zoen and Mauritius Temants Zoem (1477-Delft) printed the Bible in Dutch (De Delfste Bijbel).

Niccolò Malermi (1477) printed the Bible in Italian.

Bonifacio Ferrera (1478-Valencia) printed the Bible in Spanish.

Heinrich Quentel (1480-Cologne) printed the Bible in German.

Anton Koburger (1483-Nuremburg) printed the Bible in German (Koburger Bibel).

Martin Luther is born (1483).

Johann Gruninger (1485-Strasburg) printed the Bible in German.

Hans Schoensperger printed two Bible editions in German, in 1487 and in 1490, in Strasburg.

Joan Ross Vercellese (1487) printed the Bible in Italian.

The Bible is printed in Bohemian (1488-Prague).

Stephan Arndes (1494-Luebeck) printed the Bible in German.

Hans Otmar (1507-Augsburg) printed the Bible in German.

Silvan Otmar (1518-Augsburg) printed the Bible in German.

When Martin Luther broke away from the Catholic Church, he began the task of translating the Scriptures into German. This was quite obviously not the ground-breaking, cutting-edge undertaking that many Protestants would like to believe. I had always thought of it as something hitherto unheard of – but look at all those German editions of Holy Scripture that came before Luther’s!

Catholics after Luther’s time continued doing what they had been doing….

St. John of the Cross (1542-1591) ” Taking Scripture as our guide we do not err, since the Holy Spirit speaks to us through it.”

St. Lawrence of Brindisi (1559-1619) “God’s word is so rich that it is a treasury of every good. From it flow faith, hope, love, and all the virtues, the many gifts of the Spirit.”

St. John Baptiste de la Salle (1651-1719) “Let your chief study be the Bible, that it may be the guiding rule of your life.”

Ignazio Arcamone (17th century) translated parts of Scripture into Konkani, a language spoken in India.

Jesuit missionaries (17th century) translated parts of the New Testament into Japanese.

Pope Leo XIII (1810-1903) “…it is well to recall how, from the beginning of Christianity, all who have been renowned for holiness of life and sacred learning have given their deep and constant attention to Holy Scripture.

Pope Benedict XV (1854- 1922) “Our one desire for all the Church’s children is that, being saturated with the Bible, they may arrive at the all-surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ.”

Blessed Titus Brandsma (1881-1942) Particularly the reading of Holy Scripture, which is the law of God, should fill us with great joy from the fact that God lives in us by his grace, and we are able to progress like giants, carried away beyond our strict obligations by the pure love and joy which is the cause of our election.

Blessed John Paul II (1920-2005) “Theology must take its point of departure from a continual and updated return to the Scriptures read in the Church.”

Enough?

The above list of translations of Holy Scripture into various vernacular languages down through the centuries is not complete; I simply couldn’t include them all. Bear in mind that these vernacular translations are the ones that we know about. Not all translations, especially those from the first millennium, are extant.

The writings of the saints are full to bursting of quotes from Scripture. Sit down one afternoon and read St. Bernard (12th century), St. John of the Cross (15th century), or St. Alphonsus Liguori (18th century). According to the Carmelites, St. Teresa of Avila quoted from Scripture over 600 times in her writings. So many of the saints wrote commentaries on the Scriptures. You can’t seriously investigate the writings of the saints down through the ages, and then try to claim that the Church didn’t want anyone to know what the Bible said!

I’d like to re-emphasize that in the Middle Ages to be educated meant to know Latin. In other words, the Latin Scriptures were not the mystery to the educated layperson of the Middle Ages that they would be to 21st-century North Americans. IF YOU COULD READ, YOU COULD READ LATIN! On that point alone, the entire “vernacular argument” falls apart….

On the memorial of Sts. Andrew Kim Taegon and Paul Chong Hasang and companions

Deo omnis gloria!

When we turn to the Sacred Scriptures, we clearly see the suffering of Mary in the Gospel account of St. John. It is the only Gospel account that records Mary at the foot of the cross. Mary, like any mother would, suffered greatly with her Son on the cross. However, she suffers even more so, for she knows who her Son truly is – He is the Christ, the Word Made Flesh. It is here in John 19:25-27 that Our Lord entrusts his mother to the disciple whom he loved, St. John. She now becomes his mother and our Mother. It is here where Mary’s universal motherhood becomes concrete. From this point forward, she would be the mother of every believer. This is not a new theological concept, but derives from the Early Church Father, Origen.

This derives at the Wedding Feast of Cana in John 2. Jesus asks the question at the Wedding Feast (what does this have to do with me?) for the mere fact that once he performs this miracle, the road to Calvary, the road to the Cross – begins! As Co-Redemptrix (sacrificial motherhood), she walks with Jesus to the cross suffering as he would suffer. The Vatican II document, Lumen Gentium, states, with Mary at the foot of the Cross, “profoundly suffering with her Only-begotten, with a maternal heart associating herself in his sacrifice, lovingly consenting to the immolation of the victim who she had begotten” (n. 58).

Furthermore, in the March 11, 1985 edition of L’Osservatore Romano, Blessed John Paul II said in regards to Mary as Co-Redemptrix, “…Mary is the dawn of redemption…Crucified spiritually with her crucified Son (cf. Gal. 2:20), she contemplated with heroic love the death of her God…In fact, at Calvary she united herself with the sacrifice of her Son that led to the foundation of the Church; her maternal heart shared to the very depths the will of Christ “to gather into all the dispersed children of God” (Jn 11:52). Having suffered for the Church, Mary deserved to become the Mother of all the disciples of her Son, the Mother of their unity…” I would encourage you to also read my recent post on the Queenship of Mary that speaks of Mary’s suffering and her roles of Co-Redemptrix and Mediatrix.

During Mass on this feast day, the Stabat Mater (Sorrows of Mary) can be recited or sang as the Sequence. It is a beautiful hymn that we should all read and pray. The above link will provide you with the prayer in both English and Latin. I leave you with the beginning words of this prayer – At the Cross her station keeping – Stood the mournful Mother weeping, Close to Jesus to the last. Through her heart, his sorrow sharing, All his bitter anguish bearing, Now at length the sword had passed.

On September 14, 1987, I had the privilege to attend the Papal Mass of Pope John Paul II at Sun Devil Stadium along with my Mom and cousin. It was a glorious celebration and one that I remember to this day. I was 13 years old and really didn’t know much about the life of the Holy Father at the time. It wouldn’t be until six years later that I finally began to learn about Pope John Paul II. Since that time, I have studied, read, and written about Blessed John Paul II. While on this side of heaven, he became one of my heroes. I was able to see him at World Youth Day 1993 in Denver, Colorado and then seven years later at World Youth Day 2000 in Rome, Italy. He has made such an influence in my life and I enjoy talking about him often with friends and people that I meet.

This past Friday, September 14, 2012, was the 25^th Anniversary of his Papal Visit to Phoenix, Arizona. Come hell or high water, there was no way I was going to miss this Mass! I went first for myself since Blessed John Paul II still is a major impact in my life as a Catholic, and as someone who studies the faith academically and teaches it to others, he is an important figure in the Church today. His writings will impact the Catholic Church for centuries to come. I also went as a representative for my parish, Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Scottsdale. If you don’t know, I am now the Director of Stewardship and Advancement. It’s a fairly new position (only two weeks) that I have attained and so far, it’s been very rewarding, challenging, and fun. The two priests I work for are very orthodox and faithful to the teachings of the Catholic Church. It will be a real pleasure giving my loyalty and obedience to such men of God.

The Mass this past Friday was at St. Mary’s Basilica in Phoenix, Arizona. Twenty-five years ago, Blessed John Paul II knelt in this Basilica before going out to speak to the thousands of people gathered outside on the streets. The Holy Mass on Friday was celebrated by Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted of the Diocese of Phoenix along with his Auxiliary Bishop Eduardo A. Nevares, and former Bishop of Phoenix, Thomas J. O’Brien. There were many priests and deacons from around the diocese that came and joined the Bishop in celebrating this Jubilee Mass. After Mass, there was a reception in the Diocesan Pastoral Center where many pictures and now relics were on display. It was a great day to be a Catholic in Phoenix and I was happy to attend.

Blessed John Paul II…Pray for Us!

St. John Chrysostom was given the name, “Golden Mouth” because of his eloquence as an orator, but also because he gave such stirring and thought provoking homilies as a priest and Bishop. Even when you read this writings, it’s as if gold is streaming from his mind into his pen and onto the parchment.

As my love and appreciation of the Eastern Rites of the Catholic Church has increased, St. John Chrysostom is one saint that I have come to learn more about recently. I encourage my Roman Catholic brothers and sisters (the Orthodox already have it) to learn more about him as well. We must not forget the early Christian Church was first established by St. Peter in Antioch, before he made his way to Rome with St. Mark, who was his translator. The words of Blessed John Paul II should also give us the desire to know the Eastern Rites of the Church, when he said in Ut Unum Sint, “the Church must breathe with her two lungs!”

Now I give you three “golden” excerpts from the writings of “Golden Mouth” himself – St. John Chrysostom:

The Church is a Hierarchy: 

“ ‘To the fellow-Bishops and Deacons’ (Phil. 7:1). What is this? Were there several Bishops one city? Certainly not; but he called the Presbyters [priests] so. For then they will interchanged the titles, and the Bishop was called a Deacon. For this cause in writing to Timothy, he said, ‘Fulfill your ministry’ (2 Tim. 4:5), when he was a Bishop. For that he was a Bishop appears by his saying to him, ‘Lay hands hastily on no man’ (1 Tim. 5:22). And again, ‘Which was given you with the laying on of the hands of the Presbytery’ (1 Tim 4:14). Yet Presbyters would not have laid hands on a Bishop.” (Homilies on Philippians, I:I)

The Mass is a true sacrifice:

“Reverence, now, oh reverence, this Table whereof we all are partakers! Christ, Who was slain for us, the Victim that is placed thereon.” (Epistle to the Romans, 8)

Christ is the victim that is offered in the sacrifice of the Mass:

“For when you see the Lord sacrificed, and laid upon the altar, and the priest standing and praying over the victim, and all the worshippers empurpled with that precious blood, can you then think that you are still among men, and standing upon earth?” (Catecheses, 23:10)

St. John Chrysostom…Pray for all our Bishops and pray for us.

For my last blog post of August 2012, I give you one excerpt from both of these men on the Assumption of Mary. Both of these excerpts are from The Angelus. It’s been my hope that you have enjoyed these “Monday’s with Mary” on the Assumption and Queenship of our Blessed Virgin Mary. In the months ahead, I will continue to focus on her relationship with the Church. In October, “Monday’s with Mary” will focus on the Rosary. In the month of the December, each “Monday’s with Mary” will explain the Immaculate Conception.

In the comment section below, please tell me if you have enjoyed these posts and offer suggestions of topics that you want to know more about regarding Our Lady.

Blessed John Paul II – The Angelus on August 15, 1999

“Today the liturgy invites us to contemplate Mary, taken up body and soul into heaven. By a special privilege, she was enriched by divine grace from the moment of her conception, and Christ, who ascended to the right hand of the Father, opened the doors of his kingdom to her, first among human creatures. Now from heaven, where the Queen of the angels and saints is crowned, the Mother of God and of the Church is close to the Christian people before whom she shines as the “new and immaculate woman (who) mediated for the guilt of the first woman” (Sacramentarium Gregorianum, Praefatio in Assumpt., n. 1688).

Let us turn trustingly to her who “shines among the saints like the sun among the stars”. Mary, like a bright star, shows us, pilgrims on earth on our way to heavenly glory, the homeland for which we are bound. She reassures us that we will reach our goal if we do not tire of constantly seeking the “things of above” with living faith, certain hope and fervent love. Not only does she show us the way, but she herself accompanies us and is the “happy Gate of heaven”.

In various parts of the world, this ancient Marian feast occurs at the height of the summer season, a time when many people are on holiday, which is sometimes a mere escape and release. But if one’s physical constitution properly gains new strength, freedom from work enables one to make more room for the interior life and contemplation of eternal realities. In many tourist localities there are wonderful shrines and welcoming places of Marian devotion. So as to make the most of these days of rest, why not visit them and pause there in prayer, possibly together with the family? The encounter with Mary, in these spiritual oases, will be a comfort and encouragement for a more serene life and a Christian witness that adheres ever more closely to the Gospel.

May the Solemnity of the Assumption therefore be an opportunity to experience Mary’s loving presence more deeply. As a sign of sure and comforting hope she is a support and an incentive for believers to be true disciples of Christ. May everyone feel her closeness; may the suffering, the sick and all who turn to her in their difficulties and trials, especially experience her efficacious intercession.

Mary, sweet Queen of heaven, show yourself a Mother to us all! “Give us days of peace, watch over our journey, make us see your Son, full of the joy of heaven” (Hymn for Second Vespers).”

Pope Benedict XVI – The Angelus on August 15, 2012 

“To understand the Assumption we must look to Easter, the great mystery of our salvation, which marks the passage of Jesus to the glory of the Father through the passion, death, and resurrection. Mary, who gave birth to the Son of God in the flesh, is the creature who is most deeply inserted in this mystery, redeemed from the first moment of her life, and associated in a special way with the passion and glory of her Son. Thus, Mary’s Assumption into heaven is the mystery of the Passover (Pasqua) of Christ fully realized in her. She is intimately united to her risen Son, victor over sin and death, fully conformed to him. But the Assumption is a reality that touches us too because it points to our destiny in a luminous way, the destiny of humanity in history. In Mary, in fact, that reality of glory to which each of us and the whole Church is called.

The passage of the Gospel of St. Luke that we read in the liturgy of this solemnity shows us the journey that the Virgin of Nazareth took to be in the glory of God. It is the account of Mary’s visit to Elizabeth (cf. Luke 1:39-56), in which Our Lady is proclaimed blessed among all women and blessed because she believed in the fulfillment of the words of the Lord that were spoken to her. And in the song of the “Magnificat,” which elevates her to God in joy, the depth of her faith shines through. She places herself among the “poor” and the “lowly,” who do not trust in their own strength, but give themselves over to God, who make room for his action, which is capable of doing great things precisely in weakness. If the Assumption opens us up to the bright future that awaits us, it also powerfully invites us to entrust ourselves to God, to follow his Word, to seek and do his will every day: this is the path that makes us “blessed” on our earthly pilgrimage and opens the gates of heaven to us.”

Blessed Mother, Assumed Into Heaven and now Queen of the Kingdom of God…Pray For Us!

“Taken up to heaven she did not lay aside this salvific duty, but by her constant intercession continued to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation. By her maternal charity, she cares for the brethren of her Son, who still journey on earth surrounded by dangers and cultics, until they are led into the happiness of their true home. Therefore the Blessed Virgin is invoked by the Church under the titles of Advocate, Helper, Benefactress, and Mediatrix. This, however, is to be so understood that it neither takes away from nor adds anything to the dignity and efficaciousness of Christ the one Mediator” (#62).

On August 22, one week after the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we celebrate the memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Blessed Virgin in heavenly glory, body and soul, participates in her special role in the universal Kingdom of God. Our Queen Mother is not the source of grace, but is a channel where graces flow; therefore she is seen as the Mediatrix.

When Jesus gives Our Lady to John on Calvary at the foot of the Cross, Mary becomes from that point forward the spiritual mother of all humanity (Jn 19:26-27). John, the “beloved disciple”, takes Mary into his own home and cares for her as if she is his own mother. (Important point here: If Jesus had brothers and sisters as modern biblical scholarship claims, then they would have taken care of Mary after Jesus’ death on the cross. However, that does not happen because Our Lord did not have biological brothers and sisters). Our Lady as our spiritual mother is not a new theological concept, but derives from the Early Church Fathers. Mary as our spiritual mother coincides with her role as the New Eve. As our spiritual mother, Our Lady also participates in the role of maternal mediation (a term coined by Blessed John Paul II). Through her roles as spiritual mother and maternal mediator, Our Lady is Co-redemptrix, Advocate, and Mediatrix of All Graces.

As our Spiritual Mother, Our Lady is Queen, maternal mediator and Mediatrix. For this post, I want to simply explain Mary in these roles. For those of you who are inclined to read an academic paper on the subject, I would suggest reading my article – The Gebirah: Our Advocating Queen Mother.

First, let us take a look at her Queenship. As in this case of Mary, Queenship is defined as the mother of the King – Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the King of the Mystical Body of Christ that dwells within the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God consists of the saints on Earth, in Purgatory, and in Heaven. Mary is the Queen of the Kingdom of God. As the Queen Mother, she intercedes for the members of the Kingdom just as Bathsheba did for Adonijah and the people of Israel to her son, King Solomon (1 Kings 2:19-21). For more on Mary as Queen Mother see my blog posts  – The Visitation of the Blessed Mother and The Magnificat. We also see Mary’s Queenship portrayed in Revelation 12:1. Our Lady has the moon under her feet and she is wearing a crown with twelve stars. Her son happens to be the King who will rule all nations and she will take her thrown next to him (cf. Rev 12:5).

Second, let us understand Our Lady as maternal mediator. The question that is usually asked is – how does the Mother of God mediate? Now that she resides in Heaven through her Assumption, the Blessed Mother mediates in her unique role with Jesus in Redemption as Co-Redemptrix. The term “Co” is not meant to be equal with God. St. Paul says that we are Co-workers with God in 1 Corinthians 3:9. St. Paul is saying that we along with God assist but subordinate to God. The same happens to be true for Mary. She is always subordinate to God, but works as Co-Redemptrix with Jesus in the Redemption of humanity.

This is not an honorary title, but is a function of the Church. God wills this for the Church. As Christ suffers; so does his Mother suffer (Simeon’s Prophecy – Mary’s soul being pierced with a sword – Lk 2:35 -> points to Calvary). As maternal mediator, she also intercedes and brings the petitions of the faithful to the throne of Christ – she is our Gebirah (Great Lady) and Advocating Queen. My article above explains her role as Great Lady and Advocate in detail. Lastly, as mediator she also dispenses the graces of Redemption as a mother nourishing her children. She is the Mediatrix of All Graces.

Lastly, her role as one who dispenses graces (Mediatrix) flows from her role as Co-redemptrix. She is able to dispense grace because she actively participates in receiving the graces of Redemption with and under Jesus. Because of her Immaculate Conception (which I will write about in December for four weeks), she acquires the grace of Redemption by Jesus Christ and is able to dispense that grace to all of humanity through her role as Spiritual Mother. She feeds the faithful the spiritual gifts through Christ’s body in the order of grace. Her function as Spiritual Mother is fundamental in her ability to distribute the graces of Redemption.

A mother who is true to her vocation as mother not only gives birth to her children, but she cares for them, assists in their growth and is the first teacher when it comes to correct formation. There are a few scriptural references that refer to Mary acting as Mediatrix, however, the one I want to focus on is John 2:1-10 – the Wedding Feast at Cana. Mary is Mediatrix here because she directs and gives a specific mediation to the situation at hand (“they have no wine”). She is willing the grace of Jesus Christ at Cana (“do whatever he tells you”). Our Lady intercedes for the grace and Jesus’ first public miracle.

Even though this doctrine as not been declared dogmatic, many theologians, Popes, and the Second Vatican Council have taught extensively on Mary as Mediatrix of All Graces. In recent years, Blessed John Paul II referred to Mary as Mediatrix of All Graces on eight different occasions and Pope Benedict XVI has stated that she is Mediatrix of All Graces, which includes the Seven Sacraments of the Church.

Blessed John Paul II

Many people know how this great saint gave up his life in the concentration camp of Auschwitz, standing in for a man who had a family. After days of surviving with other prisoners in a starvation hut, his German captives injected Father Maximilian Kolbe with carbolic acid. He died and entered heavenly glory on August 14, 1941. The man, who St. Maximilian Kolbe stood in for, Seargeant Francis Gajowniczek, survived World War II. He spent the rest of his life speaking on the Saint of Auschwitz around the world.

What many people don’t know about this great modern saint is that he had an intense devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. He had such a love for the Blessed Mother that he founded the group – “Militia of Mary Immaculate.” This group began with humble beginnings at the time of his ordination in 1918. It has grown to be a worldwide organization within the boundaries of the Catholic Church. It has received the blessings of many popes over the years.

Saint Maximilian Kolbe founded the Militia Immaculate in response to the growing threat of Free Masonry (Freemasons). While still a student in Rome; he was walking home to the college and witnessed in St. Peter’s Square an unauthorized demonstration of Free Masonry. They were denouncing the Church, the Pope, and had a picture of Satan crushing the head of St. Michael the Archangel. The Freemasons were and still are a great danger to the Catholic Church. Where Communism and Socialism would stand face-to-face with the Church, the Freemasons would sneak around the back of the Church and pick pocket her from behind. The Militia Immaculate has a two-fold purpose – 1. Re-conquer the universe and return it to Jesus Christ through the Immaculate Heart of Mary and 2. Spiritually battle the evils of Free Masonry. [I will soon do a blog post on the dangers of the Freemasons.]

Blessed John Paul II, a fellow Pole, canonized Saint Maximilian Kolbe on October 10, 1982. Blessed John Paul said at his canonization Mass, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” These are the words we have repeated in today’s responsorial psalm. It is truly precious and inestimable! Through the death, which Christ underwent on the Cross, the redemption of the world was achieved, for this death has the value of supreme love. Through the death of Father Maximilian Kolbe, a shining sign of this love was renewed in our century which is do seriously and in so many ways threatened by sin and death… The inspiration of his whole life was the Immaculata. To her he entrusted his love for Christ and his desire for martyrdom. In the mystery of the Immaculate Conception there revealed itself before the eyes of his soul that marvelous and supernatural world of God’s grace offered to man… And so, in virtue of my apostolic authority, I have decreed that Maximilian Maria Kolbe-who after his Beatification was venerated as a Confessor-shall henceforward be venerated also as a Martyr!”

For more information on Saint Maximilian Kolbe here in the United States, please visit the website of Marytown – The National Shrine of Saint Maximilian Kolbe. For more information on the Militia Immaculata and Consecration, please visit their website.

In 1946, Pius XII asked the Bishops of the Catholic Church to gather information for the potential dogmatic declaration of this doctrine. Two questions were asked of the Bishops – 1. Is the Assumption definable? & 2. Do you and your flocks desire a definition? The Bishops gave a unanimous affirmation to both questions proposed to them. Over a 95-year period, there were 8 million petitions sent to Rome requesting that the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary be declared a dogma. It’s also an important fact to note that the Council Fathers of Vatican I also requested to make this a dogma.

The Assumption in the Sacred Scriptures can be clearly seen in Genesis 3:15 and in the writings of the Apostle to the Gentiles, St. Paul. In Genesis 3:15, Mary shares the same victory over sin and death as does Jesus due to their mutual enmity with Satan and sin. St. Paul tells us (Romans 5-8; Heb 2) the effects of the seed of Satan are sin and death (bodily corruption). Mary, who shares in her Son’s victory over sin and death, is victorious and saved from sin and death. She triumphs over sin through her Immaculate Conception (no bodily corruption) and triumphs over death in her Assumption. “It is worthy of note that many bishops from around the world sent to Pius XII the same scriptural support of Genesis 3:15…thus offering episcopal confirmation that Genesis 3:15 is the primary doctrinal seed in Scripture for Mary’s Assumption” (Introduction to Mary).

Other scriptural references for the Assumption are: Luke 1:28 because Mary is “full of grace.” Being that she was “full of grace”; the effects of sin would not taint her, which would be bodily death. Psalm 132:8 prophecies, “Arise, O Lord, out of your resting place: you and the ark which you have sanctified.” 1 Corinthians 15:23 and Matthew 27:52-53 both give support to a potential bodily assumption. In Revelation 11:19 and 12:1, Mary is the Ark of the Heavenly Jerusalem (she is the New Ark of the Covenant) and she is the woman crowned and the woman assumed.

In Sacred Tradition, we see clearly references to the Assumption of Mary in the homilies of St. Gregory of Tours in the 6^th century. It is by this time that there are established liturgies for the Assumption of Mary. The Eastern Catholic Church and Orthodox Church celebrate the “Dormitio” (Dormition – falling asleep) of Mary on August 14. This has been a tradition in the East since the 4^th century. The Dormition of Mary commemorates the death, resurrection, and Assumption of Our Lady. In Egypt and Syria, there were liturgies on our Lady by the 5^th and 6^th centuries. The Church Fathers – St. Germain of Constantinople, St. Andrew of Crete and St. John Damascene all wrote and spoke about the doctrine of the Assumption in the 7^th and 8^th centuries. By the 13^th century, the Assumption of Mary was accepted as a doctrinal teaching.

As you have read in this post, I mention the death of Mary a few times. It has been debated for centuries and is still debated today – Did the Blessed Virgin Mary die? There are two positions on this question – one from the Mortalists and the second from the Immortalists.

First, the Mortalists position is that Mary experienced a temporary separation of soul and body but without bodily corruption. Her soul would have assumed directly into heaven and her body remained on earth for three days [like her Son]. Blessed Pope John Paul II favored this position – “The fact that the Church proclaims Mary free from original sin by a unique divine privilege does not lead to the conclusion that she also received physical immortality. The Mother is not superior to the Son who underwent death, giving it a new meaning and changing it into a means of salvation.” The Eastern Rite of the Church also views this position as the correct one and it coincides with the Dormition of Mary. Personally, I favor this position as well. If Our Lord suffered death, then so did his Mother. Mary suffered death with our Lord as he hung on the cross, but that’s another post for another time.

Second, the Immortalists position is that Mary with body and soul intact was just assumed into heaven. Timothy of Jerusalem does not think Mary died and argues by saying, “Wherefore the Virgin is immortal up to now, because he who dwelt in her, assumed her to the heavenly regions.”

Between the two positions, the position of the Mortalists is the stronger position. Most of the theologians and Doctors of the Church beginning with St. Augustine of Hippo to Venerable John Cardinal Newman conclude that Mary did suffer death, but without bodily corruption. It was not a painful death, as some have claimed that she was martyred (Simeon’s prophecy), but as St. Francis de Sales says, it was a death “due to a transport of love.”

In conclusion, as we celebrate the Assumption of Mary, let us be like our Queen, a disciple for Jesus Christ, always yearning and looking towards the Heavenly Kingdom.

Mary, Mother of God and Ever-Virgin who was Immaculately Conceived, Assumed and now Mediates From Heaven…Pray For Us!