Art, Creation, and Godliness

Saint John Vianney and the year of the Priest!

2009-08-04T06:58:00.000-07:00

On the 19 of June 2009 the year of the priesthood began. To commemorate this year of the priesthood Pope Benedict has made the patron saint of Pastors, Saint John Marie Vianney, as Patron of all Priests. He was a true Spiritual Father who took care of his People so well that in a difficult time of faithlessness, his whole village came back to the practice of the Catholic faith. His renown then spread all over France. He would sometimes spend up to 12 hours in the confessional for all the many pilgrims who came to see him for Spiritual healing.

Here is an abridged Part of an article from the Magazine Homiletic & Pastoral Review written by John Cihak on the Curé's pastoral plan.

Reform Thyself

St. John Vianney’s plan did not begin with the parishioners in what they needed to do, nor did it begin with what he needed to implement for them. He began with what he needed to do within his own life.

St. John Vianney did not come down from Mount Olympus to reform and save the poor parishioners of Ars. He first of all set out to save his own soul, and by example drew others into this path of holiness. In this he followed the spiritual maxim from the Desert Fathers and from the Lord himself: If you want to sanctify others, begin with yourself. Vianney’s conversion of the parish started with his own, and his deepened along with theirs. One deacon in the group observed that early on, the Curé of Ars made the conscious decision to become a saint. Yet he did not arrive in Ars already a saint. He became one at Ars by being a priest for his flock, and gained sanctity over time through much grace and struggle.

The matter and form of his path to holiness came from his vocation as a priest. He did not go looking for “his spirituality.” All he needed was found within the priesthood Christ had given him. He practiced chastity, obedience and simplicity of life,

Approachable, Available and Real

This indispensable foundation in his own conversion as a man and priest blossomed into action. He soon established the habit of making rounds in his parish at the time he knew most people would be in. Even though his presence was not universally welcomed, the villagers judged their new Curé “to be full of kindness, cheerfulness, and affability” (p. 117). The Curé of Ars was an approachable and likeable man. In his approachability, Father Vianney exemplifies what Pope John Paul II has written in our time: “It is important that the priest should mold his human personality in such a way that it becomes a bridge and not an obstacle for others in their meeting with Jesus Christ the Redeemer of man” (Pastores Dabo Vobis, n. 43). The Curé of Ars did not wait for people to come to him; he was to be found mingling with his people. He exhibited a spirit of joy and energy in what he did. He loved being a priest. People generally knew where to find him, and he made it a point to be seen walking, often praying his breviary or his rosary. Though he loved solitude and quiet, he had no trouble exchanging words with the workers he passed.

Prayer and Penance

Coming upon the boundary of his new parish for the first time, Father Vianney knelt down and prayed. He was acutely aware that the mission given him was completely beyond his ability. If his priestly ministry was to be fruitful, it would come from Jesus working through him. For this reason we find him face down on the floor of his church early in the morning and late at night begging, even crying, for the grace of conversion for his parish. “My God,” he was heard to pray before the tabernacle, “grant me the conversion of my parish; I am willing to suffer all my life whatsoever it may please thee to lay upon me; yes, even for a hundred years am I prepared to endure the sharpest pains, only let my people be converted” (p. 118). Only a priest who understood himself as a true father, and not a hireling could utter such a prayer. A hireling easily finds a way to avoid responsibility while a father takes responsibility. If the people were not holy, it was his responsibility to do something about it.

To Build a Fire, Fan the Coal

The Curé first focused on the families that were already strong in their faith and had resisted the waves of worldliness and indifference. This approach may seem counter intuitive. Why expend energy on people he already had? His answer is that they would become the fiery coals, which would dry out the damp the wood of the rest of the parish and help set it ablaze. His work had a ripple effect expanding outward from these initial families to more and more of the village and surrounding area.

Back to Basics: Liturgy, Preaching and Catechesis

In the face of religious ignorance and lukewarm faith, Father Vianney dedicated himself to “the source and summit of the Christian life” (Lumen gentium, n. 11), and began enhancing the worship of God on Sundays. He identified the lack of a God ward orientation in the people as the primary problem. Thus he set about to sanctify the Lord’s Day to help the people reorder their priorities. Since people were not coming to Mass on Sundays, he began to beautify the parish church, making it attractive to people. The place of the Eucharist was to be a place of the beautiful. He even used his own money to purchase a new altar and statuary. He spared no expense in acquiring sumptuous vestments for the liturgy though he himself wore a threadbare cassock.

His manner of celebrating the Divine Mysteries was radiant. His love of the Mass could be read on his face. He was authentic, allowing himself to smile or weep however the mysteries moved him. He was reverent and precise. He did not strive after relevant liturgies; he strove for beautiful ones. Following the teaching of the Council of Trent, he strove to instill in his congregation a love and understanding of the liturgy and other sacred rites through his manner of celebrating and his preaching. His preaching was clear and focused on the central mysteries of the faith.

Strike Problems at Their Root Causes

At first glance, the social problems in Ars were obvious: destitution, indifference, lack of charity, everyday life consumed by work, etc. The Curé of Ars, whether consciously or intuitively, understood these as symptoms of a much deeper cause. Social woes had their roots in a spiritual problem: the Lord was not the center of their lives.

St. John Vianney seemed to have a good grasp of the prophetic aspect of the priest’s ministry. When he went about challenging the status quo of the village, he had the courage and fortitude to see it through because his life was first immersed in Christ through his own conversion, prayer and asceticism. As a result, the initial criticism and resistance that met him, though discouraging, did not sway him. Here one can see how his pastoral plan builds on itself: effective renewal in the parish is built upon the priest’s inner life with Christ.

Plant the Good: Prayer and the Works of Mercy

The Curé of Ars complemented his efforts at prayer with the spiritual and corporal works of mercy. When St. John Vianney arrived in Ars, there was no real school. He recruited two young women of the parish and sent them, at his own expense, to be trained as schoolmistresses. He raised money himself to purchase a house, which would serve as a free school for girls. Vianney then turned his attention to the orphans and street children of the area who were usually reduced to begging, and opened an orphanage in the same home. The house soon needed to be expanded to keep up with demand. A true pastor, he bought some adjacent land, drew up construction plans himself, and even assisted the masons and carpenters. By 1841, this home accommodated between fifty to sixty girls.

Always a Priest

In the span of eight years, by the grace of God and his efforts, the Curé of Ars had instilled in the people the primacy of God in their lives, and cultivated in them dedication to prayer and the care of the poor. It is important to remember that in this pastoral plan, St. John Vianney was not unaffected. A true saint, he was not above it all. He suffered much in this plan, not only the physical suffering of his penances and sicknesses, the spiritual agony of temptations and preternatural harassment by the Devil, but also the anguish of heart and the weight of burden that only a pastor can feel. He also suffered much from the criticisms, denunciations and sometimes outright calumny of his brother priests.

To convert the people of Ars, Vianney did not have to become a psychologist, a bureaucrat, or a social worker. The effectiveness of his plan also did not come from his charisma or “cult of personality.” He was simply their priest, the Curé of Ars. All that was required was that he strive to become the man and priest Jesus had made him to be.

Thank you John Cihak

Annunciation of the Lord

2009-03-25T08:40:00.000-07:00

The mystery of the Annunciation is the beginning of Mary's Journey with Her Divine Son. She, a faithful daughter of of God, chosen by the Father, now receives the invitation to allow the salvation of the world to come through her into our world.
John Paul II, in his Apostolic Letter : Rosarium Virginis Mariae, reflects on Mary's help to us in our devotion and love for Jesus.

Mary's memories

11. Mary lived with her eyes fixed on Christ, treasuring his every word: “She kept all these things, pondering them in her heart” (Lk 2:19; cf. 2:51). The memories of Jesus, impressed upon her heart, were always with her, leading her to reflect on the various moments of her life at her Son's side. In a way those memories were to be the “rosary” which she recited uninterruptedly throughout her earthly life.

Even now, amid the joyful songs of the heavenly Jerusalem, the reasons for her thanksgiving and praise remain unchanged. They inspire her maternal concern for the pilgrim Church, in which she continues to relate her personal account of the Gospel. Mary constantly sets before the faithful the “mysteries” of her Son, with the desire that the contemplation of those mysteries will release all their saving power. In the recitation of the Rosary, the Christian community enters into contact with the memories and the contemplative gaze of Mary.

Rouault's Christ

2009-03-04T13:48:00.001-08:00

In this time of Lent we are called to look deeply in our soul. To examine those areas of darkness in which we often lose ourselves. Areas which takes us away from the abundant life to which we are called; areas which hurt the life we are called to give to others. Only in facing the sometimes harsh reality of our lives, allowing the sinful self to come to light, can one then allow Christ to take that suffering and let be nailed to the cross with him. This is the Path of redemption, this is the path of Healing.
Looking at the face of the suffering Christ we see the love of God staring back at us. In Christ's humanity, in his willingness to be one with us even in suffering, we are able to face life with a new hope.

Isaiah 53, the suffering servant come to my mind:
Surely he has born our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions,
he was bruised for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that made us whole,
and with his stripes we are healed.

Immaculate Conception

2008-12-08T10:14:00.000-08:00

From a sermon from Saint Anselm A.D. 955-956

Blessed Lady, sky and stars, earth and rivers, day and night - everything that is subject to the power or use of Man - rejoice that through you they are in some sense restored to their lost beauty and are endowed with inexpressible new grace.

The universe rejoices with new and indefinable loveliness. Not only does it feel the unseen presence of God himself, its Creator, it sees him openly, working and making it holy. These great blessings spring from the blessed fruit of Mary's womb.

Lady, full and overflowing with grace, all creation receives new life from your abundance. Virgin, blessed above all creatures, through your blessing all creation is blessed, not only creation from its Creator, but the Creator himself has been blessed by creation.

To Mary God gave his only-begotten Son, whom he loved as himself. Through Mary God made himself a Son, not different but the same by nature Son of God and Son of Mary. The whole universe was created by God, and God was born of Mary. The God who made all things gave himself form through Mary, and thus he made his own creation. He who could create all things from nothing would not remake his ruined creation without Mary.

God, then, is the Father of the created world and Mary the mother of the re-created world. God is the Father by whom all things were given life, and Mary the mother through whom all things were given new life. For God begot the Son, through whom all things were made, and Mary gave birth to him as the Saviour of the world. Without God's Son, nothing could exist; without Mary's Son, nothing could be redeemed.

Emily Carr

2008-05-27T06:47:00.000-07:00

In her Autobiogaraphy "Growing pains" Emily describes her experience of what real happiness is. It was during an easter celebration in her Church, the hymns and chants, the flowers and colours of the hats worn by the women, the celebration of the risen Christ, all gave Emily a sense of tremendous happiness which she described in the words, "It seemed as if all the great outdoors had entered our little Church!

Edward Coley Jones' resurection

2008-05-05T15:27:00.000-07:00

A Pre-Raphaelite painter, Sir Jones' depiction of the encounter between Mary Magdalene and the Risen Christ is both beautiful and transcendent. He seems even to capture a Giotto-esque feel to each character with their formless drapery for clothes this giving each an otherworldly feel to the painting. But unlike Giotto, Jones' raealism in the faces of the angels, Mary and Jesus, gives as well a very human, tender closeness to this encounter between the divine and human. Mary weeps in her search for her Lord and responds only to Jesus who utters her name.

The Glorious Christ

2008-04-12T08:35:00.000-07:00

"Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living." Christ's Ascension into heaven signifies his participation, in his humanity, in God's power and authority. Jesus Christ is Lord: he possesses all power in heaven and on earth. He is "far above all rule and authority and power and dominion," for the Father "has put all things under his feet." Christ is Lord of the cosmos and of history. In him human history and indeed all creation are "set forth" and transcendently fulfilled.
(CCC#668)

In the book "How the Irish saved civilization" by Thomas Cahill, one understands better how, through the monastic tradition established by St Patrick, the monks were able to preserve the great manuscripts and classical writings by their works as scribes and copyists. Through their long hours of work in the scriptoriums of their monasteries, the monk not only copied great and important works but as well embellished their newer volumes through works of art and calligraphy. The one shown here, from the Hunterian collection in Glasgow Scotland, is of Christ in Glory, and was written in during the 12 century.

2008-04-01T08:08:00.000-07:00

Christ is Risen, Alleluia Alleluia!

2008-03-24T07:24:00.001-07:00

Easter may seem early this year, but we have still journeyed through lent to get to this most important Christian Feast. As st Paul says, If Christ is not risen our faith is in vain. For two thousand years now we have been celebrating Christ's triumph over death. He has appeared to countless disciples! Yesterday and earlier this morning we heard the Gospels witness the encounter of the risen Lord with Mary Magdalene, now we have heard another encounter with the risen Lord with the Two disciple walking to Emmaus. Christ is alive! Christ is Risen, but the question remains 'Have we encountered the Lord?'

Doesn't being A Christian mean some how that we have met the risen Christ, that we live now not just for him but With Him?

In todays Gospel we see two disciples on a journey, a man joins them, they do not recognize him but they welcome him. The stranger inquires of them why they seem so sad. And they ask 'have you not heard what they did to Jesus the Nazarene? A prophet mighty in in deeds and word!'

And then this stranger explains the Scriptures to them starting with Moses and all the prophets.

He asks: "Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his Glory?"

So well did this man interpret the scriptures for them that their hearts were burning within them, yet they still did not recognize Jesus who was speaking to them.

Isn't our faith sometimes like this? We try living with Christian values, with Christian ideals, and yet we still often do not recognize Christ who is among us.

Unfortunately we as Christians often do not know our sacred Story, and so we do not know who we are.

Questions of who am I, where do I come from, why am I the way I am are Fundamental and existential questions!
We need to ask this about our Christian identity too. We can not be cut off from our sacred past. Cardinal Ouellete of Quebec has often spoken to the youth telling them you must know your heritage to know who you are, and who you are called to be.

During the Easter Vigil after reading many passages of sacred scripture, our story of salvation, we welcomed 11 people into the faith of the church, baptizing four of them, confirming nine of them and welcoming two by profession of faith. It was a beautiful celebration of our Faith, it was a celebration of the light of the risen Christ we had come to encounter.

Like the disciples on the Road to Emmaus we journeyed with Christ, and he enlightened our hearts which were burning because we new who we were before our God. Christ has conquered death and like the Disciples at Emmaus we invited him to stay with us; and we welcomed him in the breaking of the Bread.

Jesus gives us complete freedom to invite him into our lives, to be Children in the Risen Son. Like the disciple at Emmaus we must not miss our chance to invite him to stay with us. Lucky for us Jesus, as he seemed to take leave of the two disciples, he hesitates long enough for them to call out to him. Jesus is always waiting for us to call out to him.

We have the name if Christian, but what does this mean? It means that our hearts should be burning within at our encounter with the risen Lord. But this can only happen if we come to recognize him. Like the disciples of Emmaus we will recognize him at the breaking of the bread.

Christ is risen and he is among us. Our sacred story, the history that gives us our identity, is celebrated and given full significance at the breaking of the bread, at the Eucharistic Table, where we know that Christ is manifesting himself. Christ is coming to our encounter.

The whole episode of this Gospel passage on Emmaus is a forshadowing of our Eucharistic liturgy, of the way we are called to allow Christ to assure us of his continued work of grace in our lives. We celebrate his word and then we renew ourselves at his divine supper. Only then can we too go out and proclaim 'the Lord is risen indeed, and has shown himself to us; we have encountered him, we have celebrated him together. We know who we are, we are his brothers and sisters, disciples and Children of God.

Good Friday

2008-03-19T11:16:00.001-07:00

One of the most disturbing paintings of the crucifixion scene is by Mathias Grunewald, Jesus is depicted in terrible pain which is expressed in the twisted mangled body of Christ nailed to the cross. The figure of Christ towers over the other figures of Mary and John on his right, Mary of Magdala on her knees, and John the Baptist on his left. Christ seams heavy, his body weighted down by the plethora of wounds covering him head to toe. Grunewald used the medieval tradition of painting varying the size of the characters depending on their importance, and thus Christ is shown larger than the others. Grunewald's vivid and horrific look at the crucifixion reveals a meditation on just how much Christ took upon himself for our redemption. As Isaiah said: “Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases... Wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed.”

For thousands of years the Church has used images and paintings, icons and statues to depict the life of Christ. It has been one of the great teaching tools She used to proclaim the faith over the centuries. But the crucifix, it seams to me, while central to the redemption story, is the hardest image to look upon, but look upon it we must! The church even gives us this day to commemorate this most brutal act. Fulton Sheen states that the reason it is hard is because people today want Christ without the cross, we want heaven with out the effort to get there, with out sacrifice. We want the happy Jesus he says, while other ideologies claiming to build heaven on earth without God claim the cross without Christ. Marxism, communism, and any human ideology ends up leaving us only in the burden of the Cross without receiving the sought after good: redemption. Only Christ on the cross does God’s sacrifice make sense.

“They shall look upon him, whom they have pierced.” States the evangilist. It is God's love for us that we see when we look upon Christ on the cross. This is another reason why it is so difficult to keep our eyes on Him. In our desensitized violent culture another dead human form seams like nothing much to behold. But Christ is different because in his raised body on the Cross, it is his raised over abundant love for humanity that we see. This is why we have a hard time to keep our eyes fixed on him. Because before the cross we are small, we do not love like he does, we do not give as he does. Pope Benedict states: “It is in the mystery of the Cross that the overwhelming power of the heavenly Father’s mercy is revealed in all its fullness. In order to win back the love of His creature, He accepted to pay a very high price: the blood of his only begotten Son... on the Cross, it is God Himself who begs the love of his creature: He is thirsty for the love of every one of us.

What marks us as Christians though, is the fact that we too are configured to Christ crucified by our common baptism. We are called to bear the cross within us, and say with St Paul: "if I boast of anything, I boast in Christ and him crucified" that one day we too can say with him,"it is no longer I that live but Christ who lives in me." Only through the cross can we learn the humility necessary to hand our life over to Jesus, who was able to conquer death. As st John says: "if we have died with him we shall also live with him."

Transfiguration of Christ!

2008-02-19T07:23:00.000-08:00

Fra Angelico's work captures so well the mystical dimension of scripture and prayer, knowledge of the word and knowledge of the person of Christ. Here in his painting of the Transfiguration he depicts Christ surrounded by the glow of his hidden divinity. Moses and Elijah appear beside him although Fra Angelico depicts only their heads, thus illustrating this vision as a spiritual encounter. The three apostles, Peter, John and James are fully present at the feet of Christ. They are depicted as in fear and in awe of this vision of their master. From the Gospels we know that Jesus speaks with Moses and Elijah on his mission in Jerusalem, that he will suffer there and die for the salvation of the world. This conversation happens as Christ is revealing his divinity to his three closest disciples. Traditionally this is understood that these three would be strengthen then through Christ's passion. Fra Angelico's work is not intended to depict the Gospels as accurate as possible but to elicit a prayerful meditation on the life of Christ. In his simple and unique way of painting he depicts the sacredness of Christ in all his Glory and splendour.

Posts from another blog I had to shut down!

2008-02-04T08:07:00.000-08:00

Getting more out of the Eucharist!

A practical guide

First communion is coming up for many of our children here at St. Patrick’s and it is a good time to examine our practice of receiving our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. Have you ever wondered how you can experience God’s love and blessings more fully? As parents and adults in faith we are called to set an example for our children and others so they may learn the proper behaviour in church and learn to give proper reverence to the Lord. Sometimes when we are so used to doing something it becomes ritualistic and we show less enthusiasm in our actions. Here are a few suggestions on how we can experience our communion more profoundly:

While in communion line take consciousness that you are about to meet Jesus in the most powerful way. In receiving communion you are receiving the body and blood, soul and divinity of Christ, His full presence. An ancient prayer that comes to us from Thomas the Apostle is to say right before communion: “My Lord and My God.” The way we receive communion is important as well. It is suggested that we do a slight bow before coming up to the priest. After the priest says “The Body of Christ,” we say “Amen.” This does two things, first it is a statement that you believe that the Eucharist is the true body of Christ, for “Amen” means “so be it, or I believe.” Secondly it is a way for you to let the priest know that you are Catholic and that you have the right to receive. Once in front of the priest, the traditional way to receive Holy Communion is on the tongue. If this is your usual way to receive, make sure you stick your tongue out just enough to receive well the host from the priest. Priest do not enjoy sticking their fingers in peoples mouth, and want to avoid as far as possible dropping the host on the floor. Receiving on the tongue can be very reverential, but it can be difficult and unhygienic as well. If you have a cold it is preferable to receive in the hand. Don't bite the priests finger.

Receiving Holy Communion in the hand can be just as reverential as on the tongue. It all depends on how we approach this sacred moment. If we do not leave our things in our pews and our hands are filled with things we brought to church, such as our coats, purses, bags, books, etc... even when carrying up small children it is preferable to receive on the tongue. There is a danger that the host may be dropped or crushed while trying to manoeuvre everything we brought with us to put the host in ones mouth. The best and most reverent way to receive Holy Communion in the hand is to make sure both hands are free. We never “take” communion, we always “receive” communion, for this is Christ’s body “given” for you. One never takes what is given but receives what is given. To receive well then, one hand should be presented to the priest or Eucharistic minister palm face up, and the other hand underneath it, palm also face up. As you present your hands thus you are called to see your hands as a throne or altar for God who is to be placed there. Allow the priest to deposit the Eucharist in the hand. With your free hand from underneath then you take the host that was given to you and gently put it in your mouth. This shows great reverence and love for the Eucharist one is receiving. Presenting one hand and then throwing the host in your mouth with the same hand does not show proper etiquette, nor does trying to snatch the host out of the priest’s hand. Most priest find this rude.

Understanding what we are doing of course helps us to know how we should behave and allows us to get the most out of what we are called to experiencing at mass. Realizing that God is fully present as we come to hear his word and celebrate his sacrifice of the mass we can open our hearts and lives to the loving relationship God wants to have with us. Just as in every relationship we are called to learn how to treat each other with proper social etiquette, we too are called to learn how put ourselves in God’s presence and how to receive our Lord with dignity, love and devotion.

Yours in Christ

Fr. Stephen Otvos

P.s. for another good post on a blog about receiving Communion go to: Adam's Ale

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Suffering is a part of life.

It often seems that we have no control over events that shape the world and that chaos often hits unexpectedly.
It is also assumed by many unfamiliar with the church that we Catholics have an attitude about suffering whereby the faithful should just “suck it up,” or “deal with it”, and that “suffering makes you holy.” This myth sometimes puts people off of the faith and the Church. Logically and humanly speaking it is madness to believe that suffering is a good, and if one would be actively seeking to suffer we would generally get the person some professional help. It is not suffering that makes a person holy, it is a certain kind of attitude of life in the face of suffering that can help one be holy. This attitude is an attitude of faith and trust in God but also and attitude that braves the difficulties and tries to bring justice and God’s peace in the turmoil of life to the best of ones abilities. It is not a passive attitude.
This weeks Gospel deals with the coming tribulations that Christians will undergoes before the second coming of Christ and how we are called to persevere. The message though can have a broader perspective on life and on suffering. Jesus reveals that there are going to be many trial that the faithful must endure: “You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your souls.” This last line however is key to this scripture passage. Our endurance, our faithfulness to God and our perseverance in living the Christian way will be a witness to the world that Christ brings us life in abundance, a foretaste of the life that is to come.
God does not want suffering, but where sin exists, where there is selfishness, greed, unbridled ambition, and disordered Pride, there will be violence, injustice, tyranny and suffering in the world. No, God does not want suffering. Jesus wants to give us life in abundance. Jesus wants us to have an intimate relationship with the Author of life. Through faith in Christ the Christian will pass through the suffering that life dishes out, they will live the pain of life with Christ crucified and will be transformed by it, they will persevere in God’s grace and their witness will be a light in the darkness of suffering. They will show that Christ is compassionate and not indifferent to the misery in the world, they will witness in there lives that Christ has conquered death and that resurrection and fullness of life everlasting await those who remain steadfast. Life here and now then becomes an opportunity to grow and live and choose holiness, and this holiness that comes to us from God leads us to the true temple, the New Jerusalem, God’s everlasting home for the children he so loves. But for now as we live in this world, let us go forth, live the fullness of life in faith and holy deeds.

Monday, October 8, 2007

Real Thanksgiving

Along with our understanding that the Eucharist is the body and blood of Christ, that is: Christ present among us through the veil of the consecrated bread and wine, Eucharist is also the act of praise and thanksgiving. The Catechism of the Catholic Church puts it this way in numbers 1359-1360:
The Eucharist, the sacrament of our Salvation accomplished by Christ on the cross, is also a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving for the work of creation. the Eucharist is a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Father, a blessing by which the Church expresses her gratitude to God for all his benefits, for all that he has accomplished through creation, redemption, and sanctification. Eucharist means forst of all "thanksgiving."

Sunday, September 30, 2007

Week of theTwenty-Sixth Sunday Ordinary Time

October 2 Feast of Gaurdian Angels.

We celebrate on this 2nd day of October the memorial of God's messengers who protect us human beings. We see them throughout the Bible. Angels delivered messages from God, protected people from dangers and rescued them. The New Testament, in the Acts of the Apostles, tells in chapter 12 how St. Peter was led out of prison by an angel. The belief that we each have a guardian angel has been common to Christians for many centuries.
The picture of a guardian angel that we often see is an angel protecting a little child as he or she walks over a small bridge. In 1608, Pope Paul V added today's feast to the calendar of saints and celebrations. It is very encouraging to know and believe that we each have an angel guarding and protecting us. Our guardian angel is a gift from our loving God.

(article by Dino Fontes)
We can say this brief prayer as often as we would like to throughout the day:

Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God's love entrusts me here. Ever this day be at my side, to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen.

What is an angel according to the theological understanding of the Church?

In the Catechism of the Catholic Church #328 it states: "The existence of Spiritual, non corporeal being that Scripture usually calls "angels" is a truth of faith."

An angel then is is basically a spiritual being that has no physical body, thus an angel does not take up space. St Augustine, a theologian of the early church(354-430a.d.) states that the word angel denotes the spirits office not nature. The word "angel" is what they do not what they are. With their whole beings angels are servants and messengers of God.

The CCC states in #330 that "As pure Spiritual creatures angels have intelligence and will: they are personal and immortal creatures, surpassing in perfection all visible creatures, as the splendour of their glory bears witness."

One misconception that many have today is that when a person dies they become angels. This has never been the teaching of the church. So ingrained is this misconception that many cartoons from Dysney to Looney Toons, have depicted caracters such as Wild E Coyote to Goofy as becoming angels with wings, halo and even strumming a harp and sitting on a cloud after their spirits has left their body due to some misfortune or accident.

Humans and Angels are different creatures created by God. Angels are unique in that they have what we call the Beatific Vision, that is they are in the presence of God and they see Truth itself face to face. We, as humans, while we do not have the beatific vision in this life, we are none the less created in the image and likeness of God. Not only do we have this dignity of being in the image of God, the word of God took flesh. God the son, second person of the Trinity, incarnated and became man in the person of Jesus. Jesus was fully human and fully God.

In the teaching of the Church, when a person dies their spirit separates from their body and then they are judged by God. Having led a life of faith and good deeds they enter into heaven, thus dwelling in the presence of God and awaiting for the resurrection to come. A person is only truly human unless he has a body and a spirit. The body we will have in the resurrection will be a glorified body, a spiritualized body. You can check out more about our resurrection in the CCC #988-1014.

So as we can see angels and humans are cery different from each other. To illustrate this difference let us use a concrete example. While an angel knows what an apple is and what it tastes like, an angel, because it is a spiritual being can never actually taste an apple. A human being however may not know what an apple is until he actualy sees one and then only knows what it tastes like when he atually bites into it and savours it.

Angels because they are with God, dwelling in his presence, are truly his servants and messengers. God has given some of them the task to aid us in our journey towards salvation. Each of us has a gaurdian angel. the angels keep our world in divine order keeping it from falling into chaos. Let us not neglect to ask for their aid in times of difficulty and especially in times of temptation and sin.

Fr. Stephen Otvos

Advent: A Holy Longing

2007-12-10T14:10:00.000-08:00

This new liturgical season of advent invites us to experience once again the longing for the Messiah, the Christ child. The season calls to mind the hunger of our soul, the desires of our heart, the longing of our Spirit to be lifted and fulfilled and to receive complete meaning. This longing in the human heart reveals a fundamental part of the Nature of being human. Within our being, within each and every person there is a hole in the heart that longs to be filled. Some have expressed that this fundamental hole in the heart of the person manifests itself most sharply when one feels loneliness. We must fill this void or we drown in meaninglessness.

Pope Benedict points out in his new book Jesus of Nazareth that this expectation of the heart, this looking forward to something that may fulfill us, can reveal itself in "hope for a future of Justice, expectation for a future of peace, or a longing for a future in which we live more harmoniously with our environment. But these Utopian ideals can easily remove God from the picture."

We should long fore Peace, for Love, for Justice, for harmony, for all that is right and good. But for the Christian for us who follow Christ, our longing for these things expresses themselves in our longing for the Christ who fulfills all history. Our longing is a Holy Longing. Advent then is to enter a Holy Longing for the Prince of Peace, the King of Justice, the Giver of Love, the Ruler and Creator of the universe. We celebrate this longing then in our Catholic Liturgy by joyful expectation for the birth of Jesus Christ, which parallels our joyful longing for the coming of Christ in the end times.

Our culture, the times we are living in, unfortunately perverts our longings, promising fulfillment of life in disordered desires. We are constantly bombarded with the message that true satisfaction comes when you buy this product or that or when you quench the thirst of personal whims.

We know that there is nothing wrong with buying things that help us to live good right ordered lives, and we know that the next music cd I buy or the next computer program I get doesn’t really fulfill that deep longing of the heart. Even relationships with others don’t fulfill that deep longing in the soul.

The subtle danger that we must be aware of, that we must constantly be vigilant not to fall into is the danger of focusing our lives on the temporal things instead of the transcendent things. That is focusing our lives on the things that do not last wether it material possessions, temporary relationships such as the jobs we have, the positions we hold or the place find ourselves in at this particular moment of our life.

Jesus gives us a warning in the Advent scripture readings: "as the days of Noah, before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and given in marriage until Noah entered the ark.” They were ignoring the signs God was giving them. “They knew nothing until the flood swept them away!”

Jesus also tells a parable “two will be in the field; one will be taken one will be left. Two woman will be grinding meal together; one will be taken one will be left." This parable illustrates the condition and state of two souls. One distracted by the many concerns of life and the world, and one fully focused on the spiritual reality of the coming of the kingdom.

Advent is a time to reflect: are we truly longing for the eternal things? Realizing that only God is the happiness of our soul? Are we longing for him? Are we singing in our heart “O Come Divine Messiah” Are we prepared for the coming of the Lord or will we be caught off guard?

In the early church there was great sense of urgency in the longing for the Messiah’ return. Where is this urgency today? We only have this life that we have been given, a life to be lived fully, but a life that can only be lived fully when we give it away and give it to God. “Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and all will be added unto you.” Somewhere along the way its seems that we have separated the notion that it is Christ the Messiah who brings Love, Peace, Justice, fullness of life into the world. Christ radically changed our world. He wants us to live fully in him. He is what our heart are truly longing for! We should all be calling out Maranatha come Lord Jesus!

Let renew the sacred longing of our heart and seek real communion with the Lord, joyfully waiting for the day of his birth at Christmas and the day of his return in glory! Happy Advent!

(Homily given on Dec 3rd 2007 the 1rst Sunday of Advent, by Fr Stephen Otvos)
(Painting by Bouguereau: Song of the Angels, 1881)

The Immaculate Conception

2007-12-08T13:06:00.000-08:00

While this is a painting of the Annunciation by Leonardo daVinci the liturgy of the Catholic Church offers us a reading of the account of the visitation of the angel Gabriel to the young virgin Mary. He comes to her with the greeting "HAIL MARY, FULL OF GRACE." Indeed Mary is full of grace, for the Lord God had preserved her from the stain of Original Sin by the anticipated merits of her divine Son. She, a holy vessel of God, by her great faith, participated with the Divine will and welcomed the Word to be thus incarnated within her womb. Only through this preservation from the sin begun in Adam and Eve could Mary be a worthy dwelling place where the second person of the Trinity can become flesh.
In her humilty then she rightly praises the Father in her Magnificat,
"My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my saviour, for he has look with favour on his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed: the Almighty has done great thing for me, and holy is his name."

Mary most beautiful creature of God, we too are called to receive such faith, we too are called to let Christ reign within us, Pray for us O Mother of God, that we too may leran the Beauty of Holiness!

Personal revelations and Personal Devotions

2007-12-06T11:13:00.000-08:00

The question was asked: "how does the church come to approve of personal revelations as well as devotions?

First, the visions will be approved only if the person really lives the life of a saint and the messages proves trustworthy many years after the visionary’ death. The devotions can be fostered as well outside the realm of visionaries. Such as the sacred heart devotion was developed first by the Jesuit Fathers and then Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque had visions of the sacred heart, as in this devotional painting.

But what is private revelation?

Private revelation is just that “private.” God speaks to the heart of his faithful through scripture, words of the saints, sometimes through motions of the heart and the life experience of the faithful and the church. But private revelation goes further. It is the Lord who reveals divine mysteries to the mind and this happens sometimes through what is called “inner locutions”. This is the direct knowledge that God grants to the person, and/or the Lord’s voice being heard by the person. Even further than inner locutions is the vision of Christ appearing to the person and speaking to the person, such as saint Margaret Mary Alacoque and the visions of the sacred heart.

The church is always skeptical of people who state they have received a message from the Lord, partly because usually they say their message is for the whole world and that everyone is in danger especially the pope etc… Their message is no longer private but for the public, and when things are in the public sphere the church has a responsibility to protect the faithful from error. As you know there are many who say they receive messages and many of these people are psychologically unbalanced. So when someone like Sister Faustina comes around and all of a sudden her messages are being read and are spread, it is because it has gone through a process of church scrutiny.

Here is a simulation of what could happen to bring about public devotion from a private revelation. First she/he/the visionary recorded her messages in a diary, (usually under obedience to a superior) then the superior or spiritual director having read it and knowing the holiness and integrity of the said visionary, gives permission to make the vision public, but usually only to some in the community (some saints their community never knew). Then a bishop may hear of the said visions or messages usually from the mother superior or abbot of the community who directed the bishop to the visionary. Of course the messages of the visions are scrutinized as well to make sure that it is absolutely clear of any heresy and doctrine contrary to the church’s teaching. Once this is established, the pope might hear about it through the bishops or cardinals who have been in contact with the community. With Sister Faustina the Pope being polish and sister Faustina as well, He knew of her and saw that what she wrote was holy and good so the devotion of the Divine Mercy eventually became public in the universal church, although this devotion was already being practiced for many years but only privately. There are many local devotions that never really make it to the universal level of the church.

All this being said, the church is very cautious about making public personal revelation. Is it really for the public? Or is it just for the person receiving the message? This is why places like Medjugorje are never approved while the visions are still happening. The church cannot risk taking a stand in things like this since something could occur that doesn’t coincide with truth and church doctrine. The church is very wise and always takes its time with such things. lastly even when the church declares the messages of a saint approved the faithful are not compelled to believe in it. For example: we do not have to believe in the devotions or revelations that happened to the children of Fatima in Portugal, even though the church has approved of the occurrence and the children were beatified.