Let my prayer be counted as incense…

Let my prayer be counted as incense before thee, and the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice! (Psalms 141:2)

Friends, I am going to take a brief hiatus from the internet. With school winding down, and my application process with the Augustinians intensifying, I want time both to concentrate on those things, but also in a special way to focus on prayer. Right now I am as close as I've ever been to entering the Order, and in the past each time I've gotten close I've suffered great spiritual attacks, and I've frequently been defeated in those battles. Thus at this time I wish to remain especially close to the Sacraments and to prayer. I hope to stay offline (except to check my e-mail, which is necessary for school) for about two weeks or so. During that time, I ask that you all please keep me in prayer. But also, I would like very much to pray for all of you. While I will not be receiving comments from the blog during this time, if anyone has anything for which they would like me to pray, or by all means if anyone just has something they would like to discuss, I encourage anyone to e-mail me at augustinianheart@gmail.com.

Finally, I would like to begin my hiatus with a passage from Thomas Merton's New Seeds of Contemplation:

"The saints are what they are, not because their sanctity makes them admirable to others, but because the gift of sainthood makes it possible for them to admire everyone else. It gives them a clarity of compassion that can find good in the most terrible criminals. It delivers them from the burden of judging others, condemning other men. It teaches them to bring the good out of others by compassion, mercy, and pardon. A man becomes a saint not by conviction that he is better than sinners but by the realization that he is one of them, and that all together need the mercy of God!"

May the grace and peace of Christ be with us all.

Child Suicide Blamed on Antigay Bullying

Another Child Suicide Blamed on Antigay Bullying

By Julie Bolcer

Family members of an 11-year-old boy who committed suicide in DeKalb County, Ga., on Thursday afternoon say that relentless bullying is to blame for their son's death, according to the Atlanta-Journal Constitution .

Jaheem Herrera, a fifth-grader at Dunaire Elementary School in the Atlanta area, hanged himself in his room after enduring extreme daily bullying that included antigay taunts. His 10-year-old sister discovered his body.

Herrera's mother and stepfather say they were aware of the consistent bullying, although their son tried to hide the extent of it. His mother, Masika Bermudez, complained to the school, reports WSB-TV, and she talked with his best friend about the situation.

"He said, 'Yes, ma'am. He told me that he's tired of everybody always messing with him in school. He is tired of telling the teachers and the staff, and they never do anything about the problems. So the only way out is by killing himself,'" Bermudez told WSB-TV.

Jaheem was an excellent student who moved with his family to the Atlanta area last year from St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, said stepfather Norman Keene.

The suicide of Jaheem follows the death earlier this month of 11-year-old Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover, a sixth-grader in Springfield, Mass., who hanged himself after reportedly enduring relentless antigay bullying.

In March, the parents of Eric Mohat -- a Mentor, Ohio, 17-year-old who shot and killed himself in 2007 following what his parents characterize as months of merciless antigay harassment -- filed a lawsuit against Mentor High School with the U.S. district court in the northern Ohio district; they're not seeking compensation for themselves, but rather an admission that Eric's death was a "bullycide," and they're asking that the school put in place an anti-bullying program to prevent future such tragedies. 

 

Story taken from Advocate.com

Vatican Going Green

The Vatican is going green in a big way. From the Bloomberg article: "The world's smallest state now intends to build the biggest solar plant in Europe for 500 million euros ($660 million)."

Personally, I think this is fantastic. We are called to be stewards of the planet, and the Catholic Church, as the world's largest religious body, in a special way should be leading the world in this endeavor. And while the Vatican as a city-state is very tiny, nonetheless this is still much more macroscopic than any solar effort to date, and if successful this could encourage other nations to do the same. I say kudos to the Vatican.

Happy Pascha

A Blessed Pascha to all my Orthodox friends. May the joy of Christ's resurrection continue to fill you with hope, and may we all be raised to new life in Him.

More from Susan Boyle

So The Daily Record in London has discovered a song released by the now famous Susan Boyle (the woman who sang I Dreamed a Dream from Les Miserables on Britain's Got Talent). It was for a charity CD released in 1999, and it only sold 1,000 copies. She sang Cry Me a River, and holy moly, it's fantastic. It sounds funny saying this, given her appearance, but her voice is damn sexy in this song. Here's the link.

A sad, sad day…

I have been the same pants size for the past 15 years or so, 34 x 34. I've never even had to try pants on, I just go to the store and get that size. Now I know I've put on weight lately, and I've been prepared to go up to a 36 next time I buy jeans. Well, I went to buy a suit today, and the guy measured me at a waist size of 38 ½!!!!! That's so depressing!!! To be honest, though, they were a little baggy, and I still wear my 34 waists without too much of a problem (well, it's a problem in my suits, and some of my jeans, but a few fit ok). So when I get jeans I'll still probably get a 36. But just to be measured at a 38 ½ is so sad!

Ah well. I've been saying for a while that I need to start working out. My actual weight I love, I'm about 215 right now. It's the heaviest I've ever been, but I'm 6'4 so I think it's a fantastic weight, if I'm in shape. So I'm going to start working out and really work on my stomach, and see what happens. Of course, the reality is that as much as I joke, I really don't care all that much. I kind of like having a belly to play with J But still, it feels like the end of an era…

Harry Kalas, we love you

 

For me, childhood and baseball always went hand in hand. I watched the Phillies all the time, went to games, dreamed of being Mike Schmidt at third base. For me, hearing Harry Kalas call Mike Schmidt's 500^th home run is one of the greatest memories of my youth. For some reason, baseball just seemed more real when Harry called the game. When I watched it on TV, during the middle innings when Harry would go to the radio, I would lower the volume on the TV and listen to him on the radio. If it was baseball, it just had to be Harry Kalas. Hearing him call a homerun was like nothing else. "Swing and a LONG DRIVE, DEEP LEFT FIELD, THIS BALL IS OUTTA HEEERREE! HOME RUN, MICHAEL JACK SCHMIDT!!!" How many times I tried to imitate that voice. Some people just seem larger than life, but Harry Kalas was different. He wasn't larger than life, but rather he was simply an integral part of life, for me and for so many millions of Philadelphians.

How beautiful this most recent World Series win now is, that in his last year he got to call the Phillies winning it all. He died just days after throwing out the first pitch of the game when the championship trophy was awarded. He died in the broadcast booth, which for many of us seems so fitting. My prayers are with his family, to be sure. Harry Kalas, we miss you already, and we love you. You have affected so many of our lives. You gave so many of us something to really look forward to every single night. During the off season, for so many of us just waiting to hear your voice again was such a beautiful anticipation. It's never going to be the same. God rest your soul, Harry.

Pope Benedict XVI’s Easter Urbi et Orbi Message

It is a tradition in the Catholic Church every Easter Sunday for the Pope to deliver an Urbi et Orbi message, to the City of Rome and to the world. The Holy Father this year began with a quote from my beloved St. Augustine, so you know that made me happy (Ratzinger did his doctoral dissertation on St. Augustine and has a true Augustinian heart, which is why he references him so frequently). I've said in the past that this pope is at his best when he speaks on the virtue of hope. In particular the Holy Father here speaks profoundly to the emptiness that would exist if Christ had not risen, and how the despair of nihilism and materialism would prevail were it not for the hope that Christ provides through this Easter proclamation. We live in a world so starved for hope, and that hope is only truly ever realized in a life in Christ. So once again, I share with you all the beautiful words of the Holy Father. I pray all had a joyous and blessed Easter!

 

Papal Message for Easter

"The Resurrection Is Not a Theory, but a Historical Reality"

VATICAN CITY, APRIL 12, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is a Vatican translation of Benedict XVI's Easter message delivered today at midday before he imparted his blessing "urbi et orbi" (to the city of Rome and the world).

* * *

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Rome and throughout the world,

From the depths of my heart, I wish all of you a blessed Easter. To quote Saint Augustine, "Resurrectio Domini, spes nostra – the resurrection of the Lord is our hope" (Sermon 261:1). With these words, the great Bishop explained to the faithful that Jesus rose again so that we, though destined to die, should not despair, worrying that with death life is completely finished; Christ is risen to give us hope (cf. ibid.).

Indeed, one of the questions that most preoccupies men and women is this: what is there after death? To this mystery today's solemnity allows us to respond that death does not have the last word, because Life will be victorious at the end. This certainty of ours is based not on simple human reasoning, but on a historical fact of faith: Jesus Christ, crucified and buried, is risen with his glorified body. Jesus is risen so that we too, believing in him, may have eternal life. This proclamation is at the heart of the Gospel message. As Saint Paul vigorously declares: "If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain." He goes on to say: "If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all men most to be pitied" (1 Cor 15:14,19). Ever since the dawn of Easter a new Spring of hope has filled the world; from that day forward our resurrection has begun, because Easter does not simply signal a moment in history, but the beginning of a new condition: Jesus is risen not because his memory remains alive in the hearts of his disciples, but because he himself lives in us, and in him we can already savour the joy of eternal life.

The resurrection, then, is not a theory, but a historical reality revealed by the man Jesus Christ by means of his "Passover", his "passage", that has opened a "new way" between heaven and earth (cf. Heb 10:20). It is neither a myth nor a dream, it is not a vision or a utopia, it is not a fairy tale, but it is a singular and unrepeatable event: Jesus of Nazareth, son of Mary, who at dusk on Friday was taken down from the Cross and buried, has victoriously left the tomb. In fact, at dawn on the first day after the Sabbath, Peter and John found the tomb empty. Mary Magdalene and the other women encountered the risen Jesus. On the way to Emmaus the two disciples recognized him at the breaking of the bread. The Risen One appeared to the Apostles that evening in the Upper Room and then to many other disciples in Galilee.

The proclamation of the Lord's Resurrection lightens up the dark regions of the world in which we live. I am referring particularly to materialism and nihilism, to a vision of the world that is unable to move beyond what is scientifically verifiable, and retreats cheerlessly into a sense of emptiness which is thought to be the definitive destiny of human life. It is a fact that if Christ had not risen, the "emptiness" would be set to prevail. If we take away Christ and his resurrection, there is no escape for man, and every one of his hopes remains an illusion. Yet today is the day when the proclamation of the Lord's resurrection vigorously bursts forth, and it is the answer to the recurring question of the sceptics, that we also find in the book of Ecclesiastes: "Is there a thing of which it is said, 'See, this is new'?" (Ec 1:10). We answer, yes: on Easter morning, everything was renewed. "Mors et vita, duello conflixere mirando: dux vitae mortuus, regnat vivus – Death and life have come face to face in a tremendous duel: the Lord of life was dead, but now he lives triumphant." This is what is new! A newness that changes the lives of those who accept it, as in the case of the saints. This, for example, is what happened to Saint Paul.

Many times, in the context of the Pauline year, we have had occasion to meditate on the experience of the great Apostle. Saul of Tarsus, the relentless persecutor of Christians, encountered the risen Christ on the road to Damascus, and was "conquered" by him. The rest we know. In Paul there occurred what he would later write about to the Christians of Corinth: "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come" (2 Cor 5:17). Let us look at this great evangelizer, who with bold enthusiasm and apostolic zeal brought the Gospel to many different peoples in the world of that time. Let his teaching and example inspire us to go in search of the Lord Jesus. Let them encourage us to trust him, because that sense of emptiness, which tends to intoxicate humanity, has been overcome by the light and the hope that emanate from the resurrection. The words of the Psalm have truly been fulfilled: "Darkness is not darkness for you, and the night is as clear as the day" (Ps 139 [138]:12). It is no longer emptiness that envelops all things, but the loving presence of God. The very reign of death has been set free, because the Word of life has even reached the "underworld", carried by the breath of the Spirit (v. 8).

If it is true that death no longer has power over man and over the world, there still remain very many, in fact too many signs of its former dominion. Even if through Easter, Christ has destroyed the root of evil, he still wants the assistance of men and women in every time and place who help him to affirm his victory using his own weapons: the weapons of justice and truth, mercy, forgiveness and love. This is the message which, during my recent Apostolic Visit to Cameroon and Angola, I wanted to convey to the entire African continent, where I was welcomed with such great enthusiasm and readiness to listen. Africa suffers disproportionately from the cruel and unending conflicts, often forgotten, that are causing so much bloodshed and destruction in several of her nations, and from the growing number of her sons and daughters who fall prey to hunger, poverty and disease. I shall repeat the same message emphatically in the Holy Land, to which I shall have the joy of travelling in a few weeks from now. Reconciliation – difficult, but indispensable – is a precondition for a future of overall security and peaceful coexistence, and it can only be achieved through renewed, persevering and sincere efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. My thoughts move outwards from the Holy Land to neighbouring countries, to the Middle East, to the whole world. At a time of world food shortage, of financial turmoil, of old and new forms of poverty, of disturbing climate change, of violence and deprivation which force many to leave their homelands in search of a less precarious form of existence, of the ever-present threat of terrorism, of growing fears over the future, it is urgent to rediscover grounds for hope. Let no one draw back from this peaceful battle that has been launched by Christ's Resurrection. For as I said earlier, Christ is looking for men and women who will help him to affirm his victory using his own weapons: the weapons of justice and truth, mercy, forgiveness and love.

Resurrectio Domini, spes nostra! The resurrection of Christ is our hope! This the Church proclaims today with joy. She announces the hope that is now firm and invincible because God has raised Jesus Christ from the dead. She communicates the hope that she carries in her heart and wishes to share with all people in every place, especially where Christians suffer persecution because of their faith and their commitment to justice and peace. She invokes the hope that can call forth the courage to do good, even when it costs, especially when it costs. Today the Church sings "the day that the Lord has made", and she summons people to joy. Today the Church calls in prayer upon Mary, Star of Hope, asking her to guide humanity towards the safe haven of salvation which is the heart of Christ, the paschal Victim, the Lamb who has "redeemed the world", the Innocent one who has "reconciled us sinners with the Father". To him, our victorious King, to him who is crucified and risen, we sing out with joy our Alleluia!

© Copyright 2009 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Pope Benedict XVI’s Easter Vigil Homily

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Saint Mark tells us in his Gospel that as the disciples came down from the Mount of the Transfiguration, they were discussing among themselves what "rising from the dead" could mean (cf. Mk 9:10). A little earlier, the Lord had foretold his passion and his resurrection after three days. Peter had protested against this prediction of death. But now, they were wondering what could be meant by the word "resurrection". Could it be that we find ourselves in a similar situation? Christmas, the birth of the divine Infant, we can somehow immediately comprehend. We can love the child, we can imagine that night in Bethlehem, Mary's joy, the joy of Saint Joseph and the shepherds, the exultation of the angels. But what is resurrection? It does not form part of our experience, and so the message often remains to some degree beyond our understanding, a thing of the past. The Church tries to help us understand it, by expressing this mysterious event in the language of symbols in which we can somehow contemplate this astonishing event. During the Easter Vigil, the Church points out the significance of this day principally through three symbols: light, water, and the new song – the Alleluia.

First of all, there is light. God's creation – which has just been proclaimed to us in the Biblical narrative – begins with the command: "Let there be light!" (Gen 1:3). Where there is light, life is born, chaos can be transformed into cosmos. In the Biblical message, light is the most immediate image of God: He is total Radiance, Life, Truth, Light. During the Easter Vigil, the Church reads the account of creation as a prophecy. In the resurrection, we see the most sublime fulfilment of what this text describes as the beginning of all things. God says once again: "Let there be light!" The resurrection of Jesus is an eruption of light. Death is conquered, the tomb is thrown open. The Risen One himself is Light, the Light of the world. With the resurrection, the Lord's day enters the nights of history. Beginning with the resurrection, God's light spreads throughout the world and throughout history. Day dawns. This Light alone – Jesus Christ – is the true light, something more than the physical phenomenon of light. He is pure Light: God himself, who causes a new creation to be born in the midst of the old, transforming chaos into cosmos.

Let us try to understand this a little better. Why is Christ Light? In the Old Testament, the Torah was considered to be like the light coming from God for the world and for humanity. The Torah separates light from darkness within creation, that is to say, good from evil. It points out to humanity the right path to true life. It points out the good, it demonstrates the truth and it leads us towards love, which is the deepest meaning contained in the Torah. It is a "lamp" for our steps and a "light" for our path (cf. Ps 119:105). Christians, then, knew that in Christ, the Torah is present, the Word of God is present in him as Person. The Word of God is the true light that humanity needs. This Word is present in him, in the Son. Psalm 19 had compared the Torah to the sun which manifests God's glory as it rises, for all the world to see. Christians understand: yes indeed, in the resurrection, the Son of God has emerged as the Light of the world. Christ is the great Light from which all life originates. He enables us to recognize the glory of God from one end of the earth to the other. He points out our path. He is the Lord's day which, as it grows, is gradually spreading throughout the earth. Now, living with him and for him, we can live in the light.

At the Easter Vigil, the Church represents the mystery of the light of Christ in the sign of the Paschal candle, whose flame is both light and heat. The symbolism of light is connected with that of fire: radiance and heat, radiance and the transforming energy contained in the fire – truth and love go together. The Paschal candle burns, and is thereby consumed: Cross and resurrection are inseparable. From the Cross, from the Son's self-giving, light is born, true radiance comes into the world. From the Paschal candle we all light our own candles, especially the newly baptized, for whom the light of Christ enters deeply into their hearts in this Sacrament. The early Church described Baptism as fotismos, as the Sacrament of illumination, as a communication of light, and linked it inseparably with the resurrection of Christ. In Baptism, God says to the candidate: "Let there be light!" The candidate is brought into the light of Christ. Christ now divides the light from the darkness. In him we recognize what is true and what is false, what is radiance and what is darkness. With him, there wells up within us the light of truth, and we begin to understand. On one occasion when Christ looked upon the people who had come to listen to him, seeking some guidance from him, he felt compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd (cf. Mk 6:34). Amid the contradictory messages of that time, they did not know which way to turn. What great compassion he must feel in our own time too – on account of all the endless talk that people hide behind, while in reality they are totally confused. Where must we go? What are the values by which we can order our lives? The values by which we can educate our young, without giving them norms they may be unable to resist, or demanding of them things that perhaps should not be imposed upon them? He is the Light. The baptismal candle is the symbol of enlightenment that is given to us in Baptism. Thus at this hour, Saint Paul speaks to us with great immediacy. In the Letter to the Philippians, he says that, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, Christians should shine as lights in the world (cf. Phil 2:15). Let us pray to the Lord that the fragile flame of the candle he has lit in us, the delicate light of his word and his love amid the confusions of this age, will not be extinguished in us, but will become ever stronger and brighter, so that we, with him, can be people of the day, bright stars lighting up our time.

The second symbol of the Easter Vigil – the night of Baptism – is water. It appears in Sacred Scripture, and hence also in the inner structure of the Sacrament of Baptism, with two opposed meanings. On the one hand there is the sea, which appears as a force antagonistic to life on earth, continually threatening it; yet God has placed a limit upon it. Hence the book of Revelation says that in God's new world, the sea will be no more (cf. 21:1). It is the element of death. And so it becomes the symbolic representation of Jesus' death on the Cross: Christ descended into the sea, into the waters of death, as Israel did into the Red Sea. Having risen from death, he gives us life. This means that Baptism is not only a cleansing, but a new birth: with Christ we, as it were, descend into the sea of death, so as to rise up again as new creatures.

The other way in which we encounter water is in the form of the fresh spring that gives life, or the great river from which life comes forth. According to the earliest practice of the Church, Baptism had to be administered with water from a fresh spring. Without water there is no life. It is striking how much importance is attached to wells in Sacred Scripture. They are places from which life rises forth. Beside Jacob's well, Christ spoke to the Samaritan woman of the new well, the water of true life. He reveals himself to her as the new, definitive Jacob, who opens up for humanity the well that is awaited: the inexhaustible source of life-giving water (cf. Jn 4:5-15). Saint John tells us that a soldier with a lance struck the side of Jesus, and from his open side – from his pierced heart – there came out blood and water (cf. Jn 19:34). The early Church saw in this a symbol of Baptism and Eucharist flowing from the pierced heart of Jesus. In his death, Jesus himself became the spring. The prophet Ezekiel saw a vision of the new Temple from which a spring issues forth that becomes a great life-giving river (cf. Ezek 47:1-12). In a land which constantly suffered from drought and water shortage, this was a great vision of hope. Nascent Christianity understood: in Christ, this vision was fulfilled. He is the true, living Temple of God. He is the spring of living water. From him, the great river pours forth, which in Baptism renews the world and makes it fruitful; the great river of living water, his Gospel which makes the earth fertile. In a discourse during the Feast of Tabernacles, though, Jesus prophesied something still greater: "Whoever believes in me … out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water" (Jn 7:38). In Baptism, the Lord makes us not only persons of light, but also sources from which living water bursts forth. We all know people like that, who leave us somehow refreshed and renewed; people who are like a fountain of fresh spring water. We do not necessarily have to think of great saints like Augustine, Francis of Assisi, Teresa of Avila, Mother Teresa of Calcutta and so on, people through whom rivers of living water truly entered into human history. Thanks be to God, we find them constantly even in our daily lives: people who are like a spring. Certainly, we also know the opposite: people who spread around themselves an atmosphere like a stagnant pool of stale, or even poisoned water. Let us ask the Lord, who has given us the grace of Baptism, for the gift always to be sources of pure, fresh water, bubbling up from the fountain of his truth and his love!

The third great symbol of the Easter Vigil is something rather different; it has to do with man himself. It is the singing of the new song – the alleluia. When a person experiences great joy, he cannot keep it to himself. He has to express it, to pass it on. But what happens when a person is touched by the light of the resurrection, and thus comes into contact with Life itself, with Truth and Love? He cannot merely speak about it. Speech is no longer adequate. He has to sing. The first reference to singing in the Bible comes after the crossing of the Red Sea. Israel has risen out of slavery. It has climbed up from the threatening depths of the sea. It is as it were reborn. It lives and it is free. The Bible describes the people's reaction to this great event of salvation with the verse: "The people … believed in the Lord and in Moses his servant" (Ex 14:31). Then comes the second reaction which, with a kind of inner necessity, follows from the first one: "Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord …" At the Easter Vigil, year after year, we Christians intone this song after the third reading, we sing it as our song, because we too, through God's power, have been drawn forth from the water and liberated for true life.

There is a surprising parallel to the story of Moses' song after Israel's liberation from Egypt upon emerging from the Red Sea, namely in the Book of Revelation of Saint John. Before the beginning of the seven last plagues imposed upon the earth, the seer has a vision of something "like a sea of glass mingled with fire; and those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands. And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb …" (Rev 15:2f.). This image describes the situation of the disciples of Jesus Christ in every age, the situation of the Church in the history of this world. Humanly speaking, it is self-contradictory. On the one hand, the community is located at the Exodus, in the midst of the Red Sea, in a sea which is paradoxically ice and fire at the same time. And must not the Church, so to speak, always walk on the sea, through the fire and the cold? Humanly speaking, she ought to sink. But while she is still walking in the midst of this Red Sea, she sings – she intones the song of praise of the just: the song of Moses and of the Lamb, in which the Old and New Covenants blend into harmony. While, strictly speaking, she ought to be sinking, the Church sings the song of thanksgiving of the saved. She is standing on history's waters of death and yet she has already risen. Singing, she grasps at the Lord's hand, which holds her above the waters. And she knows that she is thereby raised outside the force of gravity of death and evil – a force from which otherwise there would be no way of escape – raised and drawn into the new gravitational force of God, of truth and of love. At present she is still between the two gravitational fields. But once Christ is risen, the gravitational pull of love is stronger than that of hatred; the force of gravity of life is stronger than that of death. Perhaps this is actually the situation of the Church in every age? It always seems as if she ought to be sinking, and yet she is always already saved. Saint Paul illustrated this situation with the words: "We are as dying, and behold we live" (2 Cor 6:9). The Lord's saving hand holds us up, and thus we can already sing the song of the saved, the new song of the risen ones: alleluia! Amen.

Easter Vigil in the Extraordinary Form

Tonight I attended the Easter Vigil Mass at Mater Ecclesiae in Berlin, NJ. Mater Ecclesiae is a mission church dedicated solely to the Extraordinary Form of the Latin Mass. I tell you now that tonight was the most beautiful Mass I've ever attended in my entire life. I got there around 7:30 and went to Confession. After that I found a seat and spent some time in silent meditation. Around 8:00 the woman behind me began to lead us all in the praying of the Rosary. It felt so great praying the Glorious Mysteries, which begin with a meditation on the Resurrection, on this holiest day of the year, this Easter Vigil.

I'm doing my best to get this from memory, but I may have a few things out of order. I just want to share a few of the highlights of the Mass. At 8:30 the priest, subdeacon, and servers all recessed from the altar out of the Church, and after them the congregation filed out in tow, as we walked out to the great fire burning in a pit in front of the church. Once we were all gathered around the pit, the priest blessed the New Fire, representative of the light of Christ. He then blessed the Paschal candle, lit it, and we processed back in. While processing in the priest chanted thrice in Latin Lumen Christi.

The church was now all dark, and the priest, subdeacon, and servers processed back to the altar. Each of us had small white candles in hand, and a candle was lit from the Paschal Candle, and then from there all of our candles were gradually lit. Thus from complete darkness we now had the light of some 300 candles – the light of Christ was beginning to dawn! While this is going on we hear the glorious chanting by the deacon of the Exsultet, so beautiful, so theologically rich. One of two high points of the Mass (the other being the singing of the Gloria by the choir, with the beautiful organ, as the candles are lit on the altar. I forget exactly when this happens in the Mass, but as it happens, as the choir is singing and the lights brighten, all the statues in the church, covered in purple cloth, are unveiled. It is stunning, and I couldn't help but cry). Then the priest proceeded with the blessing of the Font, the water which would be used for baptism. This was a very elaborate and beautiful ceremony, with pouring of the oil and chrism into the water in the form of the cross, the priest several times tracing the cross in the water, submerging the Paschal candle into the water and tracing the Greek letter psi into the water, then taking some of the water and throwing it towards all four corners of the earth. It was really moving. Since Mater Ecclesiae is a mission church and not a parish church there were no baptisms at the Vigil, and so after the blessing of the Font we renewed our baptismal vows. Something just felt so good about renewing my vows in Latin.

After the blessing of the Font the Lessons were chanted, the Old Testament prophecies giving us the entire history of salvation. There were seven different lectors (though only four Lessons), each dressed in surplice, and they would stand off to the side, and one would come and face the Paschal Candle and chant the Lesson. Each lesson led into a canticle, and so when he was just about done the Scripture reading (the Epistle or Lesson), the other six readers would line up behind him. When he was finished, he would step back in line with them, they bowed to the altar, and then together formed a circle and chanted the Scripture Canticle that accompanied the Lesson. After the canticle the priest would pray the Collect. It was so beautiful! Several times I had chills.

After all those Scripture readings were complete, and this is where I may get a little bit lost in terms of the order of things, but I believe then we went on to the Gospel reading and then homily. The priest, Fr. Robery Pasley, decided for his homily simply to summarize the homily of the Holy Father tonight, and it was excellent.

After the Preface we kneeled and chanted the first part of the Litany of the Saints, and the priest proceeded with the consecration. I had with me my Augustinian prayer book, which includes beautiful prayers to pray as the priest is consecrating the Eucharist. Finally I received the Lord in the Eucharist, at the altar rail on the tongue, and the choir sang sacred and beautiful songs all the while, songs that did not intrude upon my prayer and meditation before and after receiving the Eucharist, but rather enhanced my prayer significantly.

After Mass was over I remained and prayed the Rosary again, and then left. During all of the Mass incense was used constantly, and it was all just so perfect. I know I did not do the Mass justice with my descriptions here, but honestly it was the most sublime Mass I've ever attended. It was a truly beautiful experience.

Anyway, that was my evening. In a separate post I am going to provide the text of the Holy Father's Easter Vigil homily, and I promise it is worth the read. A Blessed and Holy Easter to all! Christ is Risen! Alleluia!

An Ancient Homily for Holy Saturday

Something strange is happening – there is a great silence on earth today, a great silence and stillness. The whole earth keeps silence because the King is asleep. The earth trembled and is still because God has fallen asleep in the flesh and he has raised up all who have slept ever since the world began. God has died in the flesh and hell trembles with fear. 

He has gone to search for our first parent, as for a lost sheep. Greatly desiring to visit those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, he has gone to free from sorrow the captives Adam and Eve, he who is both God and the son of Eve. The Lord approached them bearing the cross, the weapon that had won him the victory. At the sight of him Adam, the first man he had created, struck his breast in terror and cried out to everyone: "My Lord be with you all." Christ answered him: "And with your spirit." He took him by the hand and raised him up, saying: "Awake, O sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will give you light." 

I am your God, who for your sake have become your son. Out of love for you and for your descendants I now by my own authority command all who are held in bondage to come forth, all who are in darkness to be enlightened, all who are sleeping to arise. I order you, O sleeper, to awake. I did not create you to be held a prisoner in hell. 

Rise from the dead, for I am the life of the dead. Rise up, work of my hands, you who were created in my image. Rise, let us leave this place, for you are in me and I am in you; together we form only one person and we cannot be separated. For your sake I, your God, became your son; I, the Lord, took the form of a slave; I, whose home is above the heavens, descended to the earth and beneath the earth. For your sake, for the sake of man, I became like a man without help, free among the dead. For the sake of you, who left a garden, I was betrayed to the Jews in a garden, and I was crucified in a garden. 

See on my face the spittle I received in order to restore to you the life I once breathed into you. See there the marks of the blows I received in order to refashion your warped nature in my image. On my back see the marks of the scourging I endured to remove the burden of sin that weighs upon your back. See my hands, nailed firmly to a tree, for you who once wickedly stretched out your hand to a tree. 

I slept on the cross and a sword pierced my side for you who slept in paradise and brought forth Eve from your side. My side has healed the pain in yours. My sleep will rouse you from your sleep in hell. The sword that pierced me has sheathed the sword that was turned against you. 

Rise, let us leave this place. The enemy led you out of the earthly paradise. I will not restore you to that paradise, but I will enthrone you in heaven. I forbade you the tree that was only a symbol of life, but see, I who am life itself am now one with you. I appointed cherubim to guard you as slaves are guarded, but now I make them worship you as God. The throne formed by cherubim awaits you, its bearers swift and eager. The bridal chamber is adorned, the banquet is ready, the eternal dwelling places are prepared, the treasure houses of all good things lie open. The kingdom of heaven has been prepared for you from all eternity. 

Pope Benedict XVI’s Address at the Way of the Cross

Papal Address at End of Way of the Cross

"Gaze on the Lifeless Face of the Crucified One"

ROME, APRIL 10, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is a transcription and translation of the reflection Benedict XVI offered today at the end of the Way of the Cross in the Roman Colosseum.

* * *

At the end of his dramatic Passion narrative, the Evangelist Saint Mark tells us: "The centurion, who stood facing him, saw that he thus breathed his last, and said: 'Truly this man was the Son of God!'" (Mk 15:39). We cannot fail to be surprised by the profession of faith of this Roman soldier, who had been present throughout the various phases of the Crucifixion. When the darkness of night was falling on that Friday so unlike any other in history, when the sacrifice of the Cross was already consummated and the bystanders were making haste to celebrate the Jewish Passover in the usual way, these few words, wrung from the lips of a nameless commander in the Roman army, resounded through the silence that surrounded that most singular death. This Roman army officer, having witnessed the execution of one of countless condemned prisoners, was able to recognize in this crucified man the Son of God, who had perished in the most humiliating abandonment. His shameful end ought to have marked the definitive triumph of hatred and death over love and life. But it was not so! Hanging from the Cross on Golgotha was a man who was already dead, but that man was acknowledged to be the "Son of God" by the centurion, "on seeing that he thus breathed his last", as the Evangelist specifies.

We are reminded of this soldier's profession of faith every time we listen anew to Saint Mark's Passion account. This evening, like the centurion, we pause to gaze on the lifeless face of the Crucified One at the conclusion of this traditional Via Crucis which, through radio and television coverage, has brought many people together from every part of the world. We have re-lived the tragic event of a man unique in the history of all times, who changed the world not by killing others but by letting himself be killed as he hung from a cross. This man, seemingly one of us, who while he was being killed forgave his executioners, is the "Son of God", who, as the Apostle Paul reminds us, "did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant … he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross" (Phil 2:7-8).

The anguish of the Passion of the Lord Jesus cannot fail to move to pity even the most hardened hearts, as it constitutes the climax of the revelation of God's love for each of us. Saint John observes: "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life" (Jn 3:16). It is for love of us that Christ dies on the cross! Throughout the course of the millennia, a great multitude of men and women have been drawn deeply into this mystery and they have followed him, making in their turn, like him and with his help, a gift to others of their own lives. They are the saints and the martyrs, many of whom remain unknown to us. Even in our own time, how many people, in the silence of their daily lives, unite their sufferings with those of the Crucified One and become apostles of a true spiritual and social renewal! What would man be without Christ? Saint Augustine observes: "You would still be in a state of wretchedness, had He not shown you mercy. You would not have returned to life, had He not shared your death. You would have passed away had He not come to your aid. You would be lost, had He not come" (Discourse 185:1). So why not welcome him into our lives?

Let us pause this evening to contemplate his disfigured face: it is the face of the Man of sorrows, who took upon himself the burden of all our mortal anguish. His face is reflected in that of every person who is humiliated and offended, sick and suffering, alone, abandoned and despised. Pouring out his blood, he has rescued us from the slavery of death, he has broken the solitude of our tears, he has entered into our every grief and our every anxiety.

Brothers and Sisters! As the Cross rises up on Golgotha, the eyes of our faith are already turned towards the dawning of the new Day, and we begin to taste the joy and splendour of Easter. "If we have died with Christ", writes Saint Paul, "we believe that we shall also live with Him" (Rom 6:8). In this certainty, let us continue our journey. Tomorrow, on Holy Saturday, we will watch and pray together with Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows, and we will pray with all who are suffering; we will pray above all with those who suffer in L'Aquila, hit by the earthquake. We will pray so that in this dark night, the star of hope will appear to them, the light of the Risen Lord.

I wish all of you, even now, a Happy Easter in the light of the Risen Lord!

© Copyright 2009 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Prayers for Spiritual Warfare

This is a post I've repeated several times in the past, but because I know it is so important I just want to keep making these prayers freshly available. I think especially as we contemplate the victory of Christ over Satan and over sin, this post is quite appropriate:

Prayer to St. Michael

Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle,
be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,
and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Hosts,
by the power of God,
cast into hell Satan, and all the evil spirits
who prowl about the world
seeking the ruin and destruction of souls. Amen.

Anima Christi

Soul of Christ, sanctify me
Body of Christ, save me
Blood of Christ, inebriate me
Water from Christ's side, wash me
Passion of Christ, strengthen me
O good Jesus, hear me
Within Thy wounds hide me
Suffer me not to be separated from Thee
From the malicious enemy defend me
In the hour of my death call me
And bid me come unto Thee
That I may praise Thee with Thy saints
and with Thy angels
Forever and ever
Amen

Prayer for Deliverance

My Lord, you are all powerful, you are God, you are Father. We beg you through the intercession and help of the archangels Michael, Raphael, and Gabriel for the deliverance of our brothers and sisters who are enslaved by the evil one. All saints of Heaven, come to our aid.

From anxiety, sadness and obsessions, we beg you,

Free us O Lord.

From hatred, fornication, envy, we beg you,

Free us O Lord.

From thoughts of jealousy, rage and death, we beg you,

Free us O Lord.

From every thought of suicide or abortion, we beg you,

Free us O Lord.

From every form of sinful sexuality, we beg you

Free us O Lord.

From every division in our family, and every harmful friendship, we beg you

Free us O Lord.

From every sort of spell, malefice, witchcraft, and every form of the occult, we beg you,

Free us O Lord.

Lord, you who said, "I leave you peace, my peace I give you", grant that, through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, we may be liberated from every evil spell and enjoy your peace always. In the name of Christ, Our Lord. Amen.

Prayer against Malefice (From the Greek Ritual)

Kyrie Eleison. God, our Lord, King of ages, All-powerful and All-mighty. You who made everything and who transformed everything simply by your will. You who in Babylon changed into dew the flames of the 'seven-times hotter' furnace and protected and saved the three holy children. You are the doctor and the physician of our soul. You are the salvation of those who turn to you.

We beseech you to make powerless, banish, and drive out every diabolical power, presence, and machination; every evil influence, malefice, or evil eye and all evil actions aimed against your servant...where there is envy and malice, give us an abundance of goodness, endurance, victory, and charity.

O Lord, you who love man, we beg you to reach out your powerful hands and your most high and mighty arms and come to our aid. Help us, who are made in your image; send the angel of peace over us, to protect us body and soul. May he keep at bay and vanquish every evil power, every poison or malice invoked against us by corrupt and envious people. Then under the protection of your authority may we sing, in gratitude, "The Lord is my salvation; whom should I fear? I will not fear evil because you are with me, my God, my strength, my powerful Lord, Lord of peace, Father of all ages.

Yes, Lord our God, be merciful to us, your image, and save your servant (name the person), from every threat or harm from the evil one, and protect him by raising him above all evil.

We ask you this through the intercession of our Most Blessed, Glorious Lady, Mary ever Virgin, Mother of God, of the most splendid archangels and all your saints. Amen!

Prayer against Every Evil

Spirit of our God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Most Holy Trinity, Immaculate Virgin Mary, angels, archangels, and saints of Heaven, descend upon me.

Please purify me, Lord, mold me, fill me with yourself, use me.

Banish all forces of evil from me, destroy them, vanquish them, so that I can be healthy and do good deeds.

Banish from me all spells, witchcraft, black magic, malefice, ties, maledictions, and the evil eye; diabolical infestations, oppressions, possessions; all that is evil and sinful, jealousy, perfidy, envy; physical, psychological, moral, spiritual, diabolical ailments.

Burn all these evils in hell , that they may never again touch me or any other creature in the entire world.

I command and bid all the powers who molest me - by the power of God all powerful, in the name of Jesus Christ our Savior, through the intercession of the Immaculate Virgin Mary - to leave me forever, and to be consigned into the everlasting hell, where they will be bound by Saint Michael the Archangel, Saint Gabriel, Saint Raphael, our guardian angels, and where they will be crushed under the heel of the Immaculate Virgin Mary.

Amen.

Prayer for Inner Healing:

Lord Jesus, you came to heal our wounded hearts. I beg you to heal the torments that cause anxiety in my heart. I beg you, in a particular way, to heal all who are the cause of sin. I beg you to come into my life and heal me of the psychological harms that struck me in my early years and from the injuries that they caused throughout my life.

Lord Jesus, you know my burdens. I lay them all on your Good Shepherd's Heart. I beseech you - by the merits of the great, open wound in your heart - to heal the small wounds that are mine. Heal the pain of my memories, so that nothing that has happened to me will cause me to remain in pain and anguish, filled with anxiety.

Heal, O Lord, all those wounds that have been the cause of all the evil that is rooted in my life. I want to forgive all those who have offended me. Look to those inner sores that make me unable to forgive. You who came to forgive the afflicted of heart, please, heal my own heart.

Heal, my Lord Jesus, those intimate wounds that cause me physical illness. I offer you my heart. Accept it, Lord, purify it and give me the sentiments of Your Divine Heart. Help me to be meek and humble.

Heal me, O Lord, from the pain caused by the death of my loved ones, which is oppressing me. grant me to regain peace and joy in the knowledge that you are the Resurrection and the life. Make me an authentic witness to your resurrection, your victory over sin and death, your living presence among us. Amen.

Stephen Colbert the Apologist

Once again, sorry to my non-American friends who I'm pretty sure can't see the embedded video, but I have to share this. So most of us know that in real life Stephen Colbert is a committed Catholic, a CCD teacher. Often times he jokes about religion on his show, but occasionally he uses his humor to actually make rather profound defenses of his faith. I truly believe this is one of those instances. His guest on last night's (Thursday) show wrote a book supposedly revealing all these contradictions in the Bible and how they discredit Christianity. Take a look at the interview:

Pie Jesu - Andrew Lloyd Webber, performed by Sissel

I mentioned in a previous post how at our Palm Sunday Mass our beautiful soprano, Erin Carr, sang this as an interlude to the Passion Narrative after the death of Christ. Following is one of the more beautiful versions I've found of it, although to be honest, I think Erin sings it nearly as well. Anyway, appropriate for this holy time:

Good Friday, the Defeat of Satan and of Sin

As usual for a Good Friday, today was beautiful. I woke up a little later than I had wanted, around 9:30 or so, and prayed the Office of the Readings. The Psalms were such great Passion Psalms, Psalms 2, 22, and 38. The Scripture reading was from Hebrews 9:11-28, talking about the new covenant established in His blood. And the Patristic reading was from Saint John Chrysostum, discussing the blessing of the water and blood poured forth from the side of Christ, the waters of baptism and the blood of the Holy Eucharist – from the side of Christ flowed the very life of the Church. I then made my way to the church and prayed morning prayer there. From noon till three the toll bells rang. It was somber and still, silencing my spirit and awakening me to this mystery of the crucifixion. Finally at 3:00 our Good Friday Liturgy began. The readings for the day were Is 52:13-53:12, Ps 31:2,6,12-13,15-16,17,25, Heb 4:14-16, 5:7-9, and the Passion Narrative from John 18:1-19:42. We had our full choir with our beautiful pipe organ, and the singing of the Psalm was particularly beautiful. During the first reading I was surprised at how new this reading always remains to me no matter how many times I hear it proclaimed. So many centuries before Christ and the Gospel of Christ's suffering is already being proclaimed. It is easy for me to understand how Jews today continue to be converted to the Gospel because of their own familiarity with the prophets. Readings like this one from Isaiah make it very difficult not to see Christ in them.

The Passion narrative, like it is done on Palm Sunday, is performed rather than simply proclaimed by a priest or deacon, and entails participation by the congregation as well as the priests, deacons, and lectors. I have to be honest, when reading aloud the parts, "We have no king but Ceasar," I was really struggling not to bust out into Jesus Christ Superstar. And when they read Pilate's line, "What is truth?" I was really waiting for him to follow with, "Is mine the same as yours?" But I digress.

We have a new pastor at our church and he is such a tremendous blessing. It is so refreshing to hear a priest truly speak about the reality of sin, about the reality of Satan, and thus truly proclaim the reality of Christ's victory. I was recently re-reading Fr. Gabriel Amorth's excellent book, An Exorcist Tells His Story, and in it he makes the great point that when we deny the reality of Satan and the demonic, when we just pretend that Satan is really just a metaphor for evil, and all sorts of other similar heresies, we are really denying the magnitude of Christ's death and resurrection – in other words, we are denying the true magnitude of salvation. Our new pastor gets this, and so he talked about sin, he talked about Satan, and he preached the victory that was won over them today on the Cross. It was also nice to hear a priest preach about indulgences from the pulpit, because indulgences simply highlight the reality of sin. Anyway, the homily was excellent.

After the homily we have the traditional Good Friday prayers of the faithful, which I always love. These General Intercessions of Good Friday are an ancient tradition of the Church, where we pray 10 special petitions, for the Church, for the Pope, for the clergy and the laity, for those preparing for baptism, for the unity of Christians, for the Jewish people, for those who do not believe in Christ, for those who do not believe in God, for those in public office, and for those in special need. The congregation is invited to kneel in silent prayer after each petition, and then upon rising again the priest prays a special prayer.

Next is the veneration of the Cross, where the faithful are invited up to a beautiful crucifix and invited to venerate the Cross in some way, usually by kissing Christ's feet or sometimes the wound in his side. This is the most moving part of the Liturgy, and it is not uncommon to see people moved to tears. My father was serving at Mass tonight (he is in the deaconate formation), and he told me that he himself filled up when I came up to venerate, my mother, and a few other people did. I was one of the first to go up as I was sitting near the front, and so I had a long time in silent meditation and prayer, and during this time I could not help but cry. To think about how great a sinner I am, and how I continue to betray Christ and crucify Him anew daily, and to know that He keeps loving me and continues to forgive me, this reality is very heavy indeed.

The heaviness is immediately lifted, of course, directly after the veneration, when we together pray the Lord's Prayer, and then receive His very Body in the Holy Eucharist. Thus the reality of the liberation of the Cross is made manifest, and the righteousness of Christ is indeed imparted to me. May he always be praised. Lord, we venerate your Cross and we give praise and glory to your holy resurrection. Through the wood of the cross joy has come to the whole world.

Thus concluded my Good Friday. I had planned on going to the Stations of the Cross at seven with my father, but I fell asleep. So I've spent the rest of the evening in prayer and doing some reading. Tomorrow I will be attending my favorite Mass of the year, the Easter Vigil, this time in the Extraordinary Form at Mater Ecclesiae in Berlin, New Jersey. I hope all are having a blessed and holy Triduum so far. May the abundant blessings and graces of this time fill us all with the liberation and joy of Christ. He has died for us, and with Him so too has sin been put to death, and Satan defeated once and for all. The time of great rejoicing is indeed at hand.

Plotinus and Materiality

This is a paper I have already submitted. It also happens to be complete crap, both in terms of my comprehension of Plotinus and in terms of my style of writing. Now that it has been submitted, I would love any criticism you all can offer. The question asked was simply, "For Plotinus, what does it mean to be a material being?" I'm sorry the paper is so bad, but I really enjoy reading Plotinus and I would appreciate your criticism. Thank you.

 

The Nature of Material Beings

 

    A soul, soaring in the realm of the All-Soul, casts its wings and descends into a material body. "The Soul has lost the innocency of conducting the higher which it knew when it stood with the All-Soul, that earlier state to which all its interest would bid it hasten back" (Plotinus, IV.8.4, p. 339). So what are the implications of this descent of the soul into a body? What does it mean to be a material being? These are complicated questions, but an examination of a few key passages from Plotinus can provide us with a solid foundation from which to proceed towards a greater understanding of our existence as material beings.

    For Plotinus to be a material being necessarily involves a sort of enslavement. He says of the soul's descent into the body, "It has fallen: it is at the chain: debarred from expressing itself now through its intellectual phase, it operates through sense; it is a captive; this is the burial, the encavernment, of the Soul" (ibid). I think a key aspect of this enslavement is that due to the materiality of the body, the soul now operates through sense. Sense is a lower form of experience than the Intellectual, which is the proper dwelling of the soul. To dwell in the sense-realm necessarily means to experience both "the sweet and the bitter" (V.9.1, p. 425), the experience of both good and evil. Furthermore, because the enticements of the sense-realm can be so strong that the material being will often focus only on the sensible and thus deprive the soul any contact with the higher realm of Intellect. "Forced of necessity to attend first to the material, some of them [human beings] elect to abide by that order and, their life throughout, make its concerns their first and their last" (ibid). What began as a necessity, the dwelling in the realm of the material, has such a powerful effect that it becomes a matter of volition. The sense-realm draws the will into its more superficial world, and thus deprives the soul of what is more noble.

    This is not to say that the enchainment of the body is such that the soul is incapable of rising above the senses and into the higher realm of the Intellect. Plotinus writes, "Others do indeed lift themselves a little above the earth; the better in their soul urges them from the pleasant [material] to the nobler [Intellectual]" (ibid). It is clear, however, that the very existence of the soul in the sense-realm of materiality makes this endeavor difficult, and it is very few souls who "have clear vision of the splendour above and rise to it from among the cloud and fog of earth and hold firmly to that other world" (ibid). The power of the sense-realm is such that it easily attaches the human person to the pleasure of the material, thus depriving the soul of its freedom to soar towards the higher realm which is its natural home.

    Plotinus relies heavily on two particular Platonic dialogues, Phaedrus and Timaeus, in his discussions of the soul and what it means for a soul to enter into a body, thus becoming a material being. One section of Phaedrus is especially helpful here. For Plato, what the soul experiences while soaring in the "place beyond heaven" is actually more real than what the soul experiences through the body here in the sense-realm. Plato writes of these souls that they are:

 

…delighted at last to be seeing what is real and watching what is true…it has a view of Justice as it is; it has a view of Self-control; it has a view of Knowledge – not the knowledge that is close to change, that becomes different as it knows different things which we consider real down here. No, it is the knowledge of what really is what it is (Phaedrus, 247 d4-e2).

 

The unembodied soul, unencumbered by materiality, has a pure knowledge of truth, understands reality as it is, and not through the senses of the body, which hinder its knowledge and give the soul a relative understanding of truth. This is a major break from Aristotle, who wrote that all souls are created with a desire to know (Metaphysics I.1), but believed that all knowing came through the senses. For Plotinus, the knowing that came through the senses was less real, or perhaps more accurately, less comprehensive, and this sensible knowledge was an inhibition to that desire intrinsic to the rational being.

Not everything that Plotinus says about being a material being is negative, however. In fact, for Plotinus there is a certain beauty to bodiliness. To be a body means simply that Nature takes "the Matter which it is to work upon and bring under Form" (Plotinus, III.8.1, p.234). To be a body means to be a work of the Creator, and thus to proceed from the Good. While the goodness of being a material being does seem to present a contradiction to the evil he seems to attribute to it elsewhere, this is a contradiction Plotinus certainly seems willing to leave as it is. Not everything can be explained, and Plotinus simply offers some illuminating insights to help us understand our nature and the nature of the world, and where these understandings contradict, so be it.

Plotinus recognizes that whatever the reason for creation existing as it does, whatever the reason for us existing as material beings, it must be understood as being part of Nature's wisdom, even if we cannot comprehend this. He writes, "And Nature, asked why it brings forth its works, might answer if it cared to listen and to speak: …whatsoever comes into being is my vision" (Plotinus III.8.4, p.236). While at first there might not seem to be a connection between this vision of Nature and the description of material being above, the connection is realized when Plotinus speaks of contemplation. He writes that the Essence of Nature "is to be at once an act of contemplation and an object of contemplation" (Plotinus III.8.3, p. 236). This is very close to the understanding of God in the Abrahamic religions. Despite any weakness that might be involved in our existence as material beings, because we are material beings with an intellectual soul, and because we proceed from the creative vision of Nature (as Spinoza would say, "God, that is, Nature"), our natural ordering should still be the contemplation of God, and thus union with the One. Thus, even though this contemplation is inhibited by our materiality, it is not made impossible, and contemplation of the One directs the soul back to its higher resting place, and in the process brings a certain perfection (in the Greek sense of completion) to our material being.

Undoubtedly all of this leads to more questions than it does answers, but such is the nature of Plotinus. There are no easy paths to understanding our existence, and a lifetime of philosophy, a life well spent, is one that ultimately does not provide better answers, but rather teaches us to ask better questions. What does it mean to be a material being? This is an excellent question indeed. The best that I can answer is that it means that I am particular, I am in motion, I am imperfect though am capable of proceeding towards perfection, I am inhibited, I am created, I am part of a greater vision, and I am striving towards the One.

A God Who Washes Our Feet

Last night we celebrated the Mass of the Lord's Supper, commemorating that night when our Lord first instituted the Eucharist, where He initiated the apostolic priesthood, and where he gave to us one of the humblest gestures we could ever dare to imagine from our all-powerful God – the washing of the disciple's feet. While the synoptic Gospels all give the account of the Eucharist as the most memorable moment from that evening, John most remembered this humble gesture, that our Lord and Savior, who will lead us to salvation, would continue his progress of humility, begun with the very Incarnation, and now here with the washing of the feet, and the giving of Himself in bread and wine, and ultimately by dying on a Cross. This tradition of washing of the feet on Holy Thursday has remained an integral part of the Catholic Holy Week for 2,000 years, and each year the successor of Peter brings 12 priests to the Vatican and gets down on his knees and imitates our Lord. Servant leadership, and it is so profound to see this beautiful imitation of Christ.

Following is the sermon of Pope Benedict XVI at the Mass of the Lord's Supper, where he continued this tradition, and like Christ, the Holy Father here humbles himself and washes the feet of the disciples. Have a beautiful, blessed, and sacred Triduum everyone.

 

Pope's Sermon at Mass of Lord's Supper

"Look Upon the World With Eyes of Love"

VATICAN CITY, APRIL 9, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the homily Benedict XVI delivered today at the Mass of the Lord's Supper, which he presided at today at the Basilica of St. John Lateran.

* * *

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

"Qui, pridie quam pro nostra omniumque salute pateretur, hoc est hodie, accepit panem": these words we shall pray today in the Canon of the Mass. "Hoc est hodie" -- the Liturgy of Holy Thursday places the word "today" into the text of the prayer, thereby emphasizing the particular dignity of this day. It was "today" that He did this: he gave himself to us for ever in the Sacrament of his Body and Blood. This "today" is first and foremost the memorial of that first Paschal event. Yet it is something more. With the Canon, we enter into this "today". Our today comes into contact with his today. He does this now. With the word "today", the Church's Liturgy wants us to give great inner attention to the mystery of this day, to the words in which it is expressed. We therefore seek to listen in a new way to the institution narrative, in the form in which the Church has formulated it, on the basis of Scripture and in contemplation of the Lord himself.

The first thing to strike us is that the institution narrative is not an independent phrase, but it starts with a relative pronoun: qui pridie. This "qui" connects the entire narrative to the preceding section of the prayer, "let it become for us the body and blood of Jesus Christ, your only Son, our Lord." In this way, the institution narrative is linked to the preceding prayer, to the entire Canon, and it too becomes a prayer. By no means is it merely an interpolated narrative, nor is it a case of an authoritative self-standing text that actually interrupts the prayer. It is a prayer. And only in the course of the prayer is the priestly act of consecration accomplished, which becomes transformation, transubstantiation of our gifts of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. As she prays at this central moment, the Church is fully in tune with the event that took place in the Upper Room, when Jesus' action is described in the words: "gratias agens benedixit -- he gave you thanks and praise". In this expression, the Roman liturgy has made two words out of the one Hebrew word berakha, which is rendered in Greek with the two terms eucharistía and eulogía. The Lord gives thanks. When we thank, we acknowledge that a certain thing is a gift that has come from another. The Lord gives thanks, and in so doing gives back to God the bread, "fruit of the earth and work of human hands", so as to receive it anew from him. Thanksgiving becomes blessing. The offering that we have placed in God's hands returns from him blessed and transformed. The Roman liturgy rightly interprets our praying at this sacred moment by means of the words: "through him, we ask you to accept and bless these gifts we offer you in sacrifice". All this lies hidden within the word "eucharistia".

There is another aspect of the institution narrative cited in the Roman Canon on which we should reflect this evening. The praying Church gazes upon the hands and eyes of the Lord. It is as if she wants to observe him, to perceive the form of his praying and acting in that remarkable hour, she wants to encounter the figure of Jesus even, as it were, through the senses. "He took bread in his sacred hands …" Let us look at those hands with which he healed men and women; the hands with which he blessed babies; the hands that he laid upon men; the hands that were nailed to the Cross and that forever bear the stigmata as signs of his readiness to die for love. Now we are commissioned to do what he did: to take bread in our hands so that through the Eucharistic Prayer it will be transformed. At our priestly ordination, our hands were anointed, so that they could become hands of blessing. Let us pray to the Lord that our hands will serve more and more to bring salvation, to bring blessing, to make his goodness present!

From the introduction to the Priestly Prayer of Jesus (cf. Jn 17:1), the Canon takes these words: "Looking up to heaven, to you his almighty Father …" The Lord teaches us to raise our eyes, and especially our hearts. He teaches us to fix our gaze upwards, detaching it from the things of this world, to direct ourselves in prayer towards God and thus to raise ourselves. In a hymn from the Liturgy of the Hours, we ask the Lord to guard our eyes, so that they do not take in or cause to enter within us "vanitates" -- vanities, nothings, that which is merely appearance. Let us pray that no evil will enter through our eyes, falsifying and tainting our very being. But we want to pray above all for eyes that see whatever is true, radiant and good; so that they become capable of seeing God's presence in the world. Let us pray that we will look upon the world with eyes of love, with the eyes of Jesus, recognizing our brothers and sisters who need our help, who are awaiting our word and our action.

Having given thanks and praise, the Lord then breaks the bread and gives it to the disciples. Breaking the bread is the act of the father of the family who looks after his children and gives them what they need for life. But it is also the act of hospitality with which the stranger, the guest, is received within the family and is given a share in its life. Dividing (dividere), sharing (condividere) brings about unity. Through sharing, communion is created. In the broken bread, the Lord distributes himself. The gesture of breaking also alludes mysteriously to his death, to the love that extends even to death. He distributes himself, the true "bread for the life of the world" (cf. Jn 6:51). The nourishment that man needs in his deepest self is communion with God himself. Giving thanks and praise, Jesus transforms the bread, he no longer gives earthly bread, but communion with himself. This transformation, though, seeks to be the start of the transformation of the world -- into a world of resurrection, a world of God. Yes, it is about transformation -- of the new man and the new world that find their origin in the bread that is consecrated, transformed, transubstantiated.

We said that breaking the bread is an act of communion, an act of uniting through sharing. Thus, in the act itself, the intimate nature of the Eucharist is already indicated: it is agape, it is love made corporeal. In the word "agape", the meanings of Eucharist and love intertwine. In Jesus' act of breaking the bread, the love that is shared has attained its most radical form: Jesus allows himself to be broken as living bread. In the bread that is distributed, we recognize the mystery of the grain of wheat that dies, and so bears fruit. We recognize the new multiplication of the loaves, which derives from the dying of the grain of wheat and will continue until the end of the world. At the same time, we see that the Eucharist can never be just a liturgical action. It is complete only if the liturgical agape then becomes love in daily life. In Christian worship, the two things become one -- experiencing the Lord's love in the act of worship and fostering love for one's neighbour. At this hour, we ask the Lord for the grace to learn to live the mystery of the Eucharist ever more deeply, in such a way that the transformation of the world can begin to take place.

After the bread, Jesus takes the chalice of wine. The Roman Canon describes the chalice which the Lord gives to his disciples as "praeclarus calix" (the glorious cup), thereby alluding to Psalm 23 [22], the Psalm which speaks of God as the Good Shepherd, the strong Shepherd. There we read these words: "You have prepared a banquet for me in the sight of my foes … My cup is overflowing" -- calix praeclarus. The Roman Canon interprets this passage from the Psalm as a prophecy that is fulfilled in the Eucharist: yes, the Lord does indeed prepare a banquet for us in the midst of the threats of this world, and he gives us the glorious chalice -- the chalice of great joy, of the true feast, for which we all long -- the chalice filled with the wine of his love. The chalice signifies the wedding-feast: now the "hour" has come to which the wedding-feast of Cana had mysteriously alluded. Yes indeed, the Eucharist is more than a meal, it is a wedding-feast. And this wedding is rooted in God's gift of himself even to death. In the words of Jesus at the Last Supper and in the Church's Canon, the solemn mystery of the wedding is concealed under the expression "novum Testamentum". This chalice is the new Testament -- "the new Covenant in my blood", as Saint Paul presents the words of Jesus over the chalice in today's second reading (1 Cor 11:25). The Roman Canon adds: "of the new and everlasting covenant", in order to express the indissolubility of God's nuptial bond with humanity. The reason why older translations of the Bible do not say Covenant, but Testament, lies in the fact that this is no mere contract between two parties on the same level, but it brings into play the infinite distance between God and man. What we call the new and the ancient Covenant is not an agreement between two equal parties, but simply the gift of God who bequeaths to us his love -- himself. Certainly, through this gift of his love, he transcends all distance and makes us truly his "partners" -- the nuptial mystery of love is accomplished.

In order to understand profoundly what is taking place here, we must pay even greater attention to the words of the Bible and their original meaning. Scholars tell us that in those ancient times of which the histories of Israel's forefathers speak, to "ratify a Covenant" means "to enter with others into a bond based on blood or to welcome the other into one's own covenant fellowship and thus to enter into a communion of mutual rights and obligations". In this way, a real, if non-material form of consanguinity is established. The partners become in some way "brothers of the same flesh and the same bones". The covenant brings about a fellowship that means peace (cf. ThWNT II, 105-137). Can we now form at least an idea of what happened at the hour of the Last Supper, and what has been renewed ever since, whenever we celebrate the Eucharist? God, the living God, establishes a communion of peace with us, or to put it more strongly, he creates "consanguinity" between himself and us. Through the incarnation of Jesus, through the outpouring of his blood, we have been drawn into an utterly real consanguinity with Jesus and thus with God himself. The blood of Jesus is his love, in which divine life and human life have become one. Let us pray to the Lord, that we may come to understand ever more deeply the greatness of this mystery. Let us pray that in our innermost selves its transforming power will increase, so that we truly acquire consanguinity with Jesus, so that we are filled with his peace and grow in communion with one another.

Now, however, a further question arises. In the Upper Room, Christ gives his Body and Blood to the disciples, that is, he gives himself in the totality of his person. But can he do so? He is still physically present in their midst, he is standing in front of them! The answer is: at that hour, Jesus fulfils what he had previously proclaimed in the Good Shepherd discourse: "No one takes my life from me: I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it again …" (Jn 10:18). No one can take his life from him: he lays it down by his own free decision. At that hour, he anticipates the crucifixion and resurrection. What is later to be fulfilled, as it were, physically in him, he already accomplishes in anticipation, in the freedom of his love. He gives his life and he takes it again in the resurrection, so as to be able to share it for ever.

Lord, today you give us your life, you give us yourself. Enter deeply within us with your love. Make us live in your "today". Make us instruments of your peace! Amen.

© Copyright 2009 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Private Sector versus Government Inefficiency

Case in point of why we're typically better of trusting the private sector over the government to get things done.

 

The highlights of the story are as follows:

• Polihale State Park in Kaui Island, HI has been closed since severe flooding destroyed an access road to the park and damaged facilities in December.
  
• The government estimated the cost of fixing the road to be $4 million
  
• No work had been done on the road since the flood
  
• Businesses were in danger of having to close if the road was not fixed
  
• Tired of waiting for the government, businesses and residents pooled together their own machinery and manpower and began repairs on the road themselves
  
• The road was repaired in eight days
  

I'm sure there are some functions that the government is better at than the private sector, but it seems to me they are few at best. Stories like this are exactly why I consider myself a conservative when it comes to size and scope of government. The government will almost always just be too inefficient, too expensive, too slow, and will very rarely be an effective solution to solving our problems. They have a role to play in terms of regulation and oversight, but in terms of actually doing work and performing these sorts of functions, I am all for supporting the private sector.

The Presidential Bow

 

 

 

Okay, a few things. First of all, it was clearly a bow. There is no reason to deny it, President Obama bowed to the king. My question is: so what??? Why are people making this out to be such a big story? I mean, maybe it isn't protocol for the president to bow to royalty, but it's not the end of the world if he does. I mean, I love Camille Paglia, but even she is making too big a deal out of this. We all know that Obama is inexperienced, and little things like this are going to happen, they aren't a big deal. So why are so many people making a big deal out of it? And for that matter, why is the White House bothering to deny it? Why not just admit that it was a bow, when it so obviously was, and just say that he is still getting used to international protocol. Heck, one of Obama's strengths is that he could have used it as an opportunity for self-deprecating humor. Haven't we had enough already of a president not admitting an obvious mistake? But seriously, why is the press making a story out of this at all? I just don't get it. It's nothing.

/rant

Do Not Be Afraid

We were discussing Augustine's treatment of grief in the Confessions in class today, and the professor brought up the weeping of Peter after Jesus' death, bitter weeping. The professor reflected on the whole scene leading up to that moment, how Jesus had predicted that Peter would thrice deny Him, and how the realization of the fulfillment of that prediction was the primary cause of the bitterness of Peter's weeping. And the question was raised, if Jesus knew this would cause Peter such pain and bitterness, why would He have told Peter about it? Dr. Wetzel then said something rather profound. Though it may have taken some time of reflection for Peter to realize this, but the time would come when Peter would realize that by telling him that he would deny Christ as he did, Jesus was really letting Peter know, "Hey, I know who you are, I know your weakness I know your struggles." Knowing that Jesus recognized this in him, what a confidence that would build in Peter that Jesus still chose Peter as the rock upon which He would build the Church. Peter could then, instead of drowning in the misery of his wretchedness, could even more fully recognize that in Christ, Peter is indeed capable of great things, and that his weaknesses and his faults – in other words, his humanity, will never impede the will of God, and in fact they can be used to further glorify God. Peter could know that Jesus knew exactly who he was and still trusted him to be the rock of the Church. Jesus could have this trust in Peter because He knew that Peter would not be alone, but would have the support of the Holy Spirit, the grace of God, and the communion of the Church.

This is true in each of our lives, as well. God calls us all to work for His will. He knows exactly who we are. As Augustine says, He knows us more intimately than we know ourselves. And so when God calls us to do something for Him, far from shrinking from it or thinking ourselves incapable, we should have confidence that God knows us better than we know ourselves and so He only calls us to that which we are capable of doing, with His grace. Thus when Jesus tells us, "Do not be afraid" (Matt 28:10), we can heed this call, and cast aside our fear, for we know that He will never ask greater things than He is willing to provide us with the grace to accomplish. This of course is the great model of Mary. Of herself she was nothing remarkable. In grace she was perfect, and so too can we be. So do not be afraid, accept God's grace, and "Do whatever He tells you" (John 2:5).

CNN MUST DIE!!!

HOUSE SPOILER ALERT – DO NOT READ BELOW IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE LATEST OF HOUSE:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Okay, so here's the thing. I watch House faithfully, it's one of three shows, along with 24 and Heroes, that I do not miss. So I was just reading CNN's web site, and I saw a link that says, "Actor leaves television show to work for Obama." I had no idea what actor on what show, but it intrigued me so I clicked. And the opening line of the article was, "When Dr. Lawrence Kutner killed himself on the latest episode of "House: MD,"…CRAP!!! The problem is, I watch them online at Fancast, and they are shown eight days after the original airing, so I am actually a week behind. Which means I haven't seen this episode yet, and absolutely NEVER saw it coming! I am so mad right now! News articles should be required to say something about spoiler alerts when they spoil an episode like that. GRRRRRR!!!!

An interesting night…

So I just had a rather interesting 45 minutes or so. As I was sitting here doing some late night reading, I suddenly heard a girl's voice screaming, "Just leave, please just leave." And then I heard a body slammed up against a wall, and a guy's voice yelling something I couldn't understand. It sounded like it was a guy beating up on a girl, so I sprinted out of my room to see what was going on. When I got to the end of the hall, there were two guys locked up in some sort of wrestling grip, and two girls yelling at one of them to leave. So I pulled the two guys apart and told them to break it up, and the one girl yelled at me to make him just leave. Unfortunately I didn't know which guy was "him," so I asked. She indicated which one, and I grabbed him by the shoulder and started guiding him towards the door. At that point the other guy wound up and was about to hit the guy I was escorting out, and just as he was a security guard ran up the stairs and through the door, and the guy held back his punch. All four persons were drunk, by the way. So the guard separated people, asked me to go get an R.A., which I did.

Anyway, as it turns out, apparently a girl was visiting her brother. The brother and his girlfriend walked into his room where they were all partying, and the other guy, who was the brother's best friend, was either kissing or about to kiss the guy's sister. But his sister apparently has been dating someone else for the past two years with whom the brother is also friends. So the brother got pissed off and thus the altercation ensued. And that's about it. But it sure made my night interesting J

More Betrayal of Identity from a “Catholic” University

It seems that Notre Shame is not the only Catholic university honoring pro-abortion advocates. This in from LifeNews:

Fairfield, CT (LifeNews.com) -- Bishop William Lori of the Bridgeport Diocese and the chairman of the Board of Trustees of Sacred Heart University plans to boycott the university's Discovery Awards and Scholarship Dinner on April 22. There, SHU officials will honor abortion advocate Kerry Kennedy.

The bishop also expressed his disapproval of the University of Notre Dame's decision to honor and host pro-abortion President Barack Obama at its commencement.

Kennedy is the author of Being Catholic Now, a book that supports dissent from the pro-life teachings of the Catholic Church.

According to the Connecticut Post¸ she "has disagreed with the Catholic Church's stance on many issues, including abortion, stem cell research" and other issues.

 

Read more at LifeNews.

 

So Kennedy writes a book not only challenging the Church's teaching on abortion and embryonic stem cell research, but actively encouraging Catholics to dissent from the Church on these teachings. And a university that is supposed to be part of the Catholic mission decides to honor her? Truly shameful. It's about time these institutions make a decision, either they are Catholic and act accordingly, or they lose their Catholic identity altogether. This isn't a two-way street. Church teaching is Church teaching and must be accepted by Catholics, and must not be publicly opposed by Catholics and Catholic institutions. It's really that simple.

Cautery

Addictive sword I plunge time and

again into my longing flesh. Longing,

desiring that fresh wound. Pierce me,

penetrate my soul, my being, fill me

with the ecstasy of sin. I am

numb to the pain.

The numbness wears off, of course, and

that salty guilt and the puss of

shame fill my cavernous wound.

Your mystery removes the sword,

but the infection remains. I need the

cautery of your love. Burn me with

that sweet pain, the pain of

poison extracting, exiting

my wretched soul. And may that

sword never pierce me again,

but let me be reserved only

for the consummation of your

love. Yours alone do I wish

to be.

Love the Rebuker, Hate the Sin

I went to my second Gay-Straight Coalition meeting tonight. It's something that feels right for me to do, and it feels sort of like a calling of a ministry, but because I'm often skeptical of listening solely to my own spirit I wanted to consult a priest about it. My spiritual director is not around these days so I spoke with one of the other Augustinians with whom I am close and whom I trust. My concern is simply one of scandal – while it feels right for me to be there and support my friends, I also don't want to give the impression that I actively condone sinful behavior. It's just that I know how much pain gay people have endured from many Christians who either actively promote hate against them, who though Christian in name call them faggots or even physically bully and abuse them, or perhaps from Christians who cloak themselves in the famous cliché adapted from a letter of St. Augustine, love the sinner, hate the sin. With this the Christian often disguises his hatred and prejudice as a form of love. But in reality it is rarely love at all that compels the bigotry against gays. It is simply using religion to condone hate.

This does not mean that a Christian can or even should condone homosexual behavior. I cannot see any way in which a Christian can regard any form of sexual activity that is not between a husband and a wife as anything but sinful. But our job as Christians is not to go around pointing out people's sins. Our job is to bring the salvation of Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and to recognize that in this life living sinless is not the requirement for eternal salvation. Absolutely we must strive to be without sin and to live holy lives, as holiness is the ordinary measure of Christian living, it is the common vocation of man. But some of us are just going to struggle against sin and fall more often than others, and the worst thing we can do with such a person is condemn them and judge them and hate them.

And so I realized today that while I am always going to regard any form of sexual activity outside of that between a husband and a wife as sinful, my ministry among those who are most persecuted, including and perhaps especially my gay sisters and brothers, is simply to listen, to hear their struggles, to share their pain as best I can, to love them unconditionally, and to simply be here as a friend. Very few people are unaware of the Church's teaching, and so I don't need to go shouting it from a soapbox. Rather, I just need to listen and to love.

One last thing about that love the sinner, hate the sin matter. Christians really need to learn what Augustine actually said so that they can stop using it in the context it is so often used. Augustine told us to hate the sin in ourselves, but to love any person who rebukes us in our sin. In other words, if someone rebukes us for something that is truly sinful, instead of being indignant towards him we should love him, and we should hate the sin in ourselves that he has pointed out. This does not mean we should go around pointing out other people's sins all the time, so long as we love them, but rather that we should not let pride get in the way of receiving correction when it is given to us, even if the person is a hypocrite themselves, and especially if they are not. So that famous saying rooted in Augustine is not at all the cloak we often think it is, telling us that as long as we love the person we are rebuking we have a responsibility to hate their sin. It is simply a safeguard against pride for when we ourselves receive correction that points out a true fault in us. In fact, love the sinner, hate the sin isn't even an accurate recounting of what he said. Rather, it's love the rebuker, hate our sin. So let's just stop using the phrase to justify our attitude towards other people's sin, but rather recognize it as an attitude we should have towards our own sin and towards those who point it out.

I've disabled comments for now. I just want to sit with this a while.