CSVF Blog

Holy Mother and Immaculate Virgin, you are the glorious Queen of the world; may all who celebrate your feast know the help of your prayers.

We owe the origins of today’s Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary to the two saints depicted above.

St. Dominic, seen receiving the Rosary from Mary, images the generations of Dominican friars who have preached devotion to Our Lady and her Rosary.  Early on in its history, the Order of Preachers was charged with promoting this particular form of prayer, teaching the faithful to contemplate the face of Christ through the attentive eyes of his mother.  In response to this mandate, Dominicans established Confraternities of the Holy Rosary all over the world. As an outward sign of its devotion and mission to Mary, the Rosary eventually became a part of the Dominican habit.  It is worn on the left side of the body, where soldiers once carried their swords.

Pope St. Pius V brought this Dominican mission to the apostolic palace.  In 1571, St. Pius implored all of Europe to pray the Rosary for its delivery from invading Turkish armies.  At the Battle of Lepanto, the Christian navy miraculously defeated a larger Islamic fleet.  In thanksgiving, Pius established the Feast of Our Lady of Victory.  It later became the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, and Pope Clement XI extended its celebration to the entire Church in 1716.

In 1757, Fr. Augustine Ricchini composed the following hymn to be sung on today’s feast.  It praises Our Lady by summarizing the mysteries of the Rosary.  The following translation of the Te gestientem gaudiis was prepared by Abbot Oswald Hunter-Blair of Fort Augustus Abbey in Scotland.  It can be sung to any long meter tune.

The gladness of thy motherhood,
     The anguish of they suffering,
The glory now that crowns thy brow,
     O virgin mother, we would sing.

Hail, blessed mother, full of joy
     In thy consent, thy visit too;
Joy in the birth of Christ on earth,
     Joy in him lost and found anew.

Hail, sorrowing in his agony–
     The blows, the thorns that pierced his brow;
The heavy wood, the shameful Rood–
     True queen and chief of martyrs thou!

Hail in the triumph of thy Son,
     The quick’ning flames of Pentecost;
Shining a queen in light serene,
     When all the world is tempest-tossed.

O come, you nations, roses bring
     Culled from these myst’ries all divine,
And for the mother of your King
     with loving hearts your chaplets twine.

We lay our homage at thy feet,
     Lord Jesus, thou the virgin’s Son,
With Father and with Paraclete
     Reigning while endless ages run.

Below you’ll find video of the homily I gave this past weekend at Mother of God Monastery in West Springfield, MA.  The Dominican nuns invited me to preach their annual Rosary Sunday celebration.  Recalling several points made by Pope John Paul II in his 2002 Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae, I spoke of the Rosary as our means of imitating Mary’s perfect prayer.

O God, whose only-begotten Son, by his life, death, and resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life, grant, we beseech you, that in meditating on these mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.  Amen.

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From Sr. Therese Marie, SV, at the Visitation Mission (E. 66th Street):

I would like to invite you to become a coworker of life - to learn more click here: http://www.sistersoflife.org/vm.html 

Please consider coming to our next Co-worker training, Saturday, November 8th.  It will take place in Stamford, CT at our retreat center Villa Maria Guadalupe. Please invite those you know who would like to be involved in our mission to serve pregnant women with the heart of Christ. The training begins at 9am and ends at 6pm, followed by an optional dinner (there is an optional 7:15am Mass Saturday morning followed by 8am registration and breakfast.) Overnight rooms are available at no charge. There is no charge for anything this weekend. This is a day of training for those who will be working with us to serve pregnant women doing anything from going out for cup of tea to opening up your house to a woman (or all the things in the middle - driving her to appointments, helping to fill out forms, or just talking on the phone - all of this makes an incredible difference.)

The day of training will include:

• the morning is spent learning how to enter into the Sister’s of Life charism: the gift that the Holy Spirit has given us on how to serve pregnant women.                                                                   
• lunch is provided
• the afternoon is spent in learning communication skills and practicing those skills - so that you will feel more confident in what to say to a pregnant woman.

If you are interested in helping the Sisters of Life, please email visitation.mission (at) archny (dot) com.

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Saint Bruno is the founder of the Carthusian Order, a medieval congregation that caught the public eye recently through the acclaimed documentary Into Great Silence.

Born to a noble family of Cologne in 1030, Bruno excelled in his classical and religious studies at schools both at home and in Rheims.  After completing his education, Bruno taught in Rheims, was ordained to the priesthood, and over time was granted various responsibilities in the diocesan administration of Rheims.  At some point, ecclesiastical politics drove Bruno to seek refuge in the countryside, where he and a few companions happened upon a way of life that combined the solitary observance of hermits with the communal prayer and fraternity of monks. The result was a type of return of western Benedictine monasticism to its eremitical roots in the near eastern deserts of Palestine and Egypt.

After regularizing this way of life in southeast France, at what is today called the Grand Chartreuse, Bruno was called to Rome and reentered the world of church governance.  His learning and erudition were well known, and the pope needed his counsel.  Bruno fulfilled his tasks in the papal court well, but he kept his distance from intrigue and worked quietly out of the spotlight.  While in Rome, Bruno befriended the clergy of Reggio Calabria in southern Italy.  There he helped them to establish a rule of life similar to what he lived in southeast France.  It was among his new disciples in Reggio Calabria that Bruno died in 1101.  

St. Bruno’s two foundations in Italy and France were the first seeds of what would eventually become the Carthusian Order.

For more on the life and spirit of St. Bruno, click here.

Only one Carthusian monastery exists here in the United States.  The Charterhouse of the Transfiguration is located in southern Vermont.

Below you’ll find two rare glimpses of Carthusian life taken from Into Great Silence.  The first shows the monks of the Grand Chartreuse celebrating the Feast of Corpus Christi.  In the second an elderly Carthusian shares what he has discovered to be the secret of happiness.

Father, you called Saint Bruno to serve you in solitude.  In answer to his prayers help us to remain faithful to you amid the changes of this world.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.  Amen.

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Many Dominican parishes and monasteries still observe the first Sunday of October as “Rosary Sunday,” a feast of the old calendar not carried over into the new.  By maintaining this feast the sons and daughters of St. Dominic continue their centuries-long tradition of promoting devotion to Christ through the daily recitation of the Rosary.  

Six years ago, Pope John Paul II reminded the Church of the privileged place the Rosary enjoys in Western spirituality.  He wrote in Rosarium Virginis Mariae that the Rosary’s uniqueness is rooted in Mary’s singular relationship with Christ. Modeled on the perfect contemplative gaze she maintained on the mysteries of her Son, the Rosary perpetuates Mary’s prayer and enables our participation in it, thus making the Rosary, when prayed well, one of the quickest and surest ways to union with God.  

From paragraph 10 of Rosarium Virginis Mariae:

The contemplation of Christ has an incomparable model in Mary. In a unique way the face of the Son belongs to Mary. It was in her womb that Christ was formed, receiving from her a human resemblance which points to an even greater spiritual closeness. No one has ever devoted himself to the contemplation of the face of Christ as faithfully as Mary. The eyes of her heart already turned to him at the Annunciation, when she conceived him by the power of the Holy Spirit. In the months that followed she began to sense his presence and to picture his features. When at last she gave birth to him in Bethlehem, her eyes were able to gaze tenderly on the face of her Son, as she “wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger” (Lk2:7).

Thereafter Mary’s gaze, ever filled with adoration and wonder, would never leave him. At times it would be a questioning look, as in the episode of the finding in the Temple: “Son, why have you treated us so?” (Lk 2:48); it would always be a penetrating gaze, one capable of deeply understanding Jesus, even to the point of perceiving his hidden feelings and anticipating his decisions, as at Cana (cf. Jn 2:5). At other times it would be a look of sorrow, especially beneath the Cross, where her vision would still be that of a mother giving birth, for Mary not only shared the passion and death of her Son, she also received the new son given to her in the beloved disciple (cf. Jn 19:26-27). On the morning of Easter hers would be a gaze radiant with the joy of the Resurrection, and finally, on the day of Pentecost, a gaze afire with the outpouring of the Spirit (cf. Acts 1:14).

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Let us all rejoice in the Lord, and keep festival in honor of our Holy Father Francis. Let us join with the angels in joyful praise to the Son of God.

Gentle God, you granted our seraphic Father Francis the grace of conformity to Christ in poverty and humility.  By walking in the paths he trod may we follow your Son and be joined to you in love and joy.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.  Amen.

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On today’s “Word to Life” I discussed this Sunday’s readings with Fr. James Cuddy, OP, and Fr. Sean Connor.  Fr. Cuddy, a Dominican priest at the Church of St. Louis Bertrand in Louisville, KY, focused on how Isaiah’s “Song of the Vineyard” in the First Reading foreshadows Christ’s “Parable of the Wicked Tenants” in the Gospel. God’s tenacious love for his creation, explains Fr. Cuddy, is the key to understanding both readings.

Fr. Connor, pastor of St. Ann’s Church in Neponset, MA, highlighted the unflappable courage of the landlord’s son.  In obedience, he willingly entered the vineyard fully aware of his impending death.  Christ meant the chief priests and elders to see his own predicament in this parable.  It worked.  Centuries later, the parable still strikes to the heart.

Click below for the audio of today’s show.

 

 Word to Life - October 3, 2008: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (20)

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Great art can tell more than one story at a time.  For example, take the image above.  While pondering it, we are taught a whole lesson on the solicitude of the guardian angels.  Given the expression on the angel’s face, we are to conclude only one thing–it loves the soul it embraces.  At the same time, we are reminded of St. Francis’ humble and gentle surrender to grace.  The expression on his face tells us of his complete trust in the one embracing him.  And there is a third story told here.  On both faces, God is glorified.

Today the Church celebrates the feast of the Guardian Angels.  Click here for a short essay summarizing the Church’s doctrine regarding these invisible friends of ours.  Study also the Gospel for today’s Mass.  It is key in defining our doctrine and shaping our devotion.

On Saturday, we turn our attention, like the angel above, to Holy Father Francis.

For a great article on St. Thomas Aquinas’ doctrine of the guardian angels, click here.  Written by Marguerite Kussmaul, this brief essay appeared in the October 1, 1999, edition of Catholic Insight.

For something high on rhetoric but low on substance, click below and watch a brief clip of Biography’s treatment of Aquinas and the angels.  (FWIW - Yes, I do believe that Aquinas’ was the greatest mind of the thirteenth century, but the clip barrels downhill from there.  It’s odd that while trying to honor St. Thomas one would run roughshod over the precision of his thought.)

God our Father, in your loving providence you send your angels to watch over us. Hear our prayers, defend us always by their protection and let us share your life with them forever.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.  Amen.

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Yesterday the Catholic Bishops of New York issued a statement entitled “Our Cherished Right, Our Solemn Duty.”  In it the bishops reflect on the duties and responsibilities Catholics have in democratic societies.

Discipleship should shape our public life, the bishops argue, for faith in Jesus Christ adds clarity to our moral reasoning.  As believers in the one who shows us perfect humanity, we Christians enjoy a privileged vantage point from which to promote and defend the common good.  Faith aids reason to establish the right “hierarchy of values” according to which prudential political decisions should be made.

Every four years, 12 months prior to the presidential election, the Bishops of the United States issue a statement calling Catholics to faithful citizenship. Simply put, faithful citizenship refers to our duty as Catholics to be full participants in the public square in order to make our nation and the world a better and more just place. With this duty comes the responsibility to exercise our right to vote and to be engaged in the political process. This right did not come easily, having been bought with the blood of our forebears and protected through the centuries by our Constitution and the men and women in uniform who defend it.

We Catholics are called to look at politics as we are called to look at everything – through the lens of our faith. While we are free to join any political party that we choose or none at all, we must be cautious when we vote not to be guided solely by party loyalty nor by self interest. Rather, we should be guided in evaluating the important issues facing our state and nation by the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the teachings of His Church. 

[. . .]

It is the rare candidate who will agree with the Church on every issue. But as the U.S. Bishops’ recent document Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship makes clear, not every issue is of equal moral gravity. The inalienable right to life of every innocent human person outweighs other concerns where Catholics may use prudential judgment, such as how best to meet the needs of the poor or to increase access to health care for all. 

The right to life is the right through which all others flow. To the extent candidates reject this fundamental right by supporting an objective evil, such as legal abortion, euthanasia or embryonic stem cell research, Catholics should consider them less acceptable for public office. As Faithful Citizenship teaches, “Those who knowingly, willingly, and directly support public policies or legislation that undermine fundamental moral principles cooperate with evil.” 

The statement concludes with a list of questions useful for evaluating candidates’ platforms.

To read the entire statement, click here.

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On the occasion of the Feast of St. Therese of the Child Jesus, we invite you to attend the first presentation of “Crossroads on the Road.” The 75-minute theatrical production Maurice & Therese: A Story of a Love will be performed this Sunday, October 5, at 3 pm at St. John the Martyr Church in Manhattan. The performance is free of charge and open to the public. See below for more details.

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A spoiled brat grows up, becomes a nun, and dies at 24.  

This life history is overly simplified, perhaps even a little irreverent.  But it captures both the ordinary and the extraordinary aspects of St. Therese’ short life, which under obedience she chronicled in Story of a Soul.  The Little Flower’s biography has attracted the attention of millions as they find strength and solace in her “little way.”  The compelling drama of Therese’s life, however, is nothing compared to the spiritual wisdom she attained during her brief years in the Carmel of Lisieux.  This wisdom, so uncommon for someone her age, has earned Therese the title “Doctor of the Church.”

What is this wisdom?  From one perspective, it’s this: the modern desires for excellence, individuality, and belonging are satisfied fully through living one’s vocation in the Church, which, St. Therese learned, is a lesson St. Paul taught many years ago.  Therese added to this lesson her discovery of the secret gem hidden in every vocation. Embracing this gem was her vocation.

From today’s Office of Readings, which reprints this passage from Story of a Soul:

Since my longing for martyrdom was powerful and unsettling, I turned to the epistles of Saint Paul in the hope of finally finding an answer.  By chance the twelfth and thirteenth chapters of the first epistle to the Corinthians caught my attention, and in the first section I read that not everyone can be an apostle, prophet or teacher, that the Church is composed of a variety of members, and that the eye cannot be the hand.  Even with such an answer revealed before me, I was not satisfied and did not find peace.

I persevered in the reading and did not let my mind wander until I found this encouraging theme: Set your desires on the greater gifts.  And I will now show you the way which surpasses all others.  For the Apostle insists that the greater gifts are nothing at all without love and that this same love is surely the best path leading directly to God.  At length I had found peace of mind.

When I had looked upon the mystical body of the Church, I recognized myself in none of the members which Saint Paul described, and what is more, I desired to distinguish myself more favorably within the whole body.  Love appeared to me to be the hinge for my vocation.  Indeed I knew that the Church had a body composed of various members, but in this body the necessary and more noble member was not lacking; I know that the Church had a heart and that such a heart appeared to be aflame with love.  I knew that one love drove the members of the Church to action, that if this love were extinguished, the apostles would have proclaimed the Gospel no longer, the martyrs would have shed their blood no more.  I saw and realized that love sets off the bounds of all vocations, that love is everything, that this same love embraces every time and every place.  In one word, that love is everlasting.

Then, nearly ecstatic with the supreme joy in my soul, I proclaimed: O Jesus, my love, at last I have found my calling: my call is love.  Certainly I have found my proper place in the Church, and you gave me that very place, my God.  In the heart of the Church, my mother, I will be love, and thus I will be all things, as my desire finds its direction.

To the modern soul Therese says: “You want it all?  Be love!”

God our Father, you have promised your kingdom to those who are willing to become like little children.  Help us to follow the way of Saint Therese with confidence so that by her prayers we may come to know your eternal glory.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.  Amen.

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In these days of continued financial distress, good news–and good advice–emerges from Wisconsin.

For more, click here.

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It’s appropriate that the feasts of Padre Pio and St. Jerome fall within a week of each other.  Little unites the two, of course.  The lives of the saintly scholar and humble Capuchin hardly intersect, except at the point where their lives can teach us a lesson about passion.

Like Padre Pio, St. Jerome was famous-and remains famous-for the wild shows of passion he would often perform in his service to the Gospel.  Jerome’s letters to St. Augustine chronicle just some of the outbursts of his fiery personality.  When reading these letters, our nineteenth-century Christian sensibilities have a hard time reconciling such passion with “good manners.”  Niceness, however, is not a Christian virtue.  Loving in the truth is.  And in this, St. Jerome excelled.

St. Jerome is just one of the many fourth-century personalities for whom the Gospel appeared new, fresh, and a cause for cultural revolution.  He was among a first generation of young cultural elites to surrender all for the sake of translating the Gospel for his peers, the educated and civic-minded classes of the Roman Empire.  He made many mistakes, especially political ones.  But to read his life is to observe the power of grace shaping and corralling native human talent for the promulgation of Christian truth.  Out of his love for this truth, Jerome traded the comforts of the imperial government in Cologne and the papal household in Rome for a cave in Bethlehem, from which he led the Western world to a deeper understanding of the Christ whose life and grace are conveyed to us through the Scriptures.  

St. Jerome suffered much in his life, occasionally at his own hands.  His rashness led to some of his misunderstanding and persecution.  But Jerome fought real fights against a world hostile to grace.  To a culture loud with sin he bellowed back the call to justice and truth.  Passion is needed for this type of confrontation, graced passion that can touch the fallen passions of the world.  This is not a mystery the human heart can negotiate easily.  But the hot blood of one saint can do more to arrest hearts for truth than the daintiness of a society governed by “Christian manners.”

Father, you gave Saint Jerome delight in his study of holy scripture.  May your people find in your word the food of salvation and the fountain of life.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.  Amen.

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Join young adults for a series of lectures at Metro 53 Bar and Restaurant, 307 East 53rd Street, between 2nd and 1st Avenues. The event is from 7pm-8:30pm.

The second lecture of the Fall 2008 season is on October 6 by Kathryn Lopez, editor of National Review Online. Her topic this night will be “Faith and Politics: What is a Catholic to Do?” For more details, visit www.totnyc.org.

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On Wednesday, October 15, the parish’s Hospitality Committee will lead a daylong excursion through Connecticut’s fall foliage country.  In the beautiful town of Essex (pictured above), participants will enjoy a steam train ride, a riverboat cruise, and lunch at the historic Griswold Inn.

The cost of the day trip is $115 a person.  The deadline for registration is Wednesday, October 1.  Please call the parish office for more information.

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Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael.  

When it comes to the angels, no catechesis has surpassed that given centuries ago by St. Gregory the Great.  Today’s Office of Readings contains this excerpt from St. Gregory’s Sermon 34 on the Gospels:

You should be aware that the word “angel” denotes a function rather than a nature.  Those holy spirits of heaven have indeed always been spirits.  They can only be called angels when they deliver some message.  Moreover, those who deliver messages of lesser importance are called angels; and those who proclaim messages of supreme importance are called archangels.

[. . .]

Some angels are given proper names to denote the service they are empowered to perform.  In that holy city, where perfect knowledge flows from the vision of almighty God, those who have no names may easily be known.  But personal names are assigned to some, not because they could not be known without them, but rather to denote their ministry when they come among us.  Thus, Michael means “Who is like God?”; Gabriel is “The Strength of God”; and Raphael is “God’s Remedy.”

Whenever some act of wondrous power must be performed, Michael is sent, so that his action and his name may make it clear that no one can do what God does by his superior power.  So also our ancient foe desired in his pride to be like God, saying: I will ascend into heaven; I will exalt my throne above the stars of heaven; I will be like the Most High.  H will be allowed to remain in power until the end of the world when he will be destroyed in the final punishment.  Then, he will fight with the archangel Michael, as we are told by John: A battle was fought with Michael the archangel.

So too Gabriel, who is called God’s strength, was sent to Mary.  He came to announce the One who appeared as a humble man to quell the cosmic powers.  Thus God’s strength announced the coming of the Lord of the heavenly powers, mighty in battle.

Raphael means, as I have said, God’s remedy, for when he touched Tobit’s eyes in order to cure him, he banished the darkness of his blindness.  Thus, since he is to heal, he is rightly called God’s remedy.

God our Father, in a wonderful way you guide the work of angels and men.  May those who serve you constantly in heaven keep our lives safe from all harm on earth.

Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.  Amen.

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Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver sat down recently with the Hoover Institution’s Peter Robinson to discuss his new book entitled Render unto Caesar. In the resulting five-part interview posted at National Review Online, the archbishop comments on a number of topics, including the increased clarity with which the Church now treats the responsibilities of Catholics in public life.

All five parts of the interview are posted below.

Part I - Archbishop Chaput comments on the recent statements made by Speaker Pelosi and Senator Biden

Part II - Archbishop Chaput discusses the “decline” of the Church’s vibrancy in the years after the Second Vatican Council

Part III - Archbishop Chaput examines three aspects of Jesus’ relation to Caesar

Part IV - Archbishop Chaput highlights the West’s growing culture of death

Part V - Archbishop Chaput discusses abortion in American political life

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The modern state has assumed much of the responsibility for providing its citizens basic human services.  Education, health care, and relief to the poor used to be the exclusive domain of the Church and other religious organizations.  Now, taxes and government agencies deliver what donations and religious once offered.  To be sure, access to these services has increased under the care of the state.  But as we celebrate the feast of St. Vincent de Paul today, we are reminded that there is one thing government efficiency and access cannot always provide, and that is charity.  Nor can the state’s handling of human services release Christians from the duty to exercise love for our neighbor.

In his encyclical Deus caritas est, Pope Benedict XVI commended the collective efforts of states to provide for their people, but he also emphasized that what man needs most is something the state cannot effectively give.

Love—caritas—will always prove necessary, even in the most just society. There is no ordering of the State so just that it can eliminate the need for a service of love. Whoever wants to eliminate love is preparing to eliminate man as such. There will always be suffering which cries out for consolation and help. There will always be loneliness. There will always be situations of material need where help in the form of concrete love of neighbour is indispensable. The State which would provide everything, absorbing everything into itself, would ultimately become a mere bureaucracy incapable of guaranteeing the very thing which the suffering person—every person—needs: namely, loving personal concern. We do not need a State which regulates and controls everything, but a State which, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, generously acknowledges and supports initiatives arising from the different social forces and combines spontaneity with closeness to those in need. The Church is one of those living forces: she is alive with the love enkindled by the Spirit of Christ. This love does not simply offer people material help, but refreshment and care for their souls, something which often is even more necessary than material support. In the end, the claim that just social structures would make works of charity superfluous masks a materialist conception of man: the mistaken notion that man can live “by bread alone” (Mt 4:4; cf. Dt 8:3)—a conviction that demeans man and ultimately disregards all that is specifically human.

In a letter he once wrote, St. Vincent de Paul explained the Christian’s necessary relationship to the poor.

Even though the poor are often rough and unrefined, we must not judge them from external appearances nor from the mental gifts they seem to have received.  On the contrary, if you consider the poor in the light of faith, then you will observe that they are taking the place of the Son of God who chose to be poor.  Although in his passion he almost lost the appearance of a man and was considered a fool by the Gentiles and a stumbling block by the Jews, he showed them that his mission was to preach to the poor: He sent me to preach the good news to the poor.  We also ought to have this same spirit and imitate Christ’s actions, that is, we must take care of the poor, console them, help them, support their cause.

Since Christ willed to be born poor, he chose for himself disciples who were poor.  He made himself the servant of the poor and shared their poverty.  He went so far as to say that he would consider every deed which either helps or hars the poor as done for or against himself.  Since God surely loves the poor, he also loves those who love the poor.  For when one person holds another dear, he also includes in his affection anyone who loves or serves the one he loves.  That is why we hope that God will love us for the sake of the poor.  So when we visit the poor and needy, we try to be understanding where they are concerned.  We sympathize with them so fully that we can echo Paul’s words: I have become all things to all men.  Therefore, we must try to be stirred by our neighbors’ worries and distress.  We must beg God to pour into our hearts sentiments of pity and compassion and to fill them again and again with these dispositions.

God our Father, you gave Vincent de Paul the courage and holiness of an apostle for the well-being of the poor and the formation of the clergy.  Help us to be zealous in continuing his work.

Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.  Amen.

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This past week Zenit published an interview with a non-Catholic physician who champions the teachings of Humanae Vitae.  Among other things, he calls the document’s argument “compelling” and “prophetic.”

I first read “Humanae Vitae” in 1991 and several times since then. I think it is an inspired document. I think it captures fundamental aspects of human nature. He [Pope Paul VI] really hits the nail on the head regarding the dark side of contraception, sterilization and abortion and their effects on society.

Although I do not think divorce, promiscuity, teen pregnancy are exclusively the result of contraception, I also think these are not unrelated to contraception. I think contraception is a heavy part of the fuel behind the sexual revolution and many of the problems in society we are facing.

I think “Humanae Vitae” is basically a prophetic statement.

Click here for the full interview.

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Robert Bolt’s award-winning play A Man for All Seasons has returned to Broadway. Frank Langella stars as St. Thomas More.  Performances are scheduled to run through December.  For tickets and information, click here.

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The Diocese of Beaumont (Texas) has begun to assess the overall toll taken by Hurricane Ike.  As you can see from pictures published on the diocesan website, several of its parishes suffered severe damage.  The bishop has adjusted the diocese’s ordinary fundraising goals to meet the immediate needs created by the storm.  As always, the faithful of eastern Texas would be grateful for any support or assistance you could give.

The Diocese of Lake Charles (Louisiana) has posted similar pictures here, here, and here.  They are also requesting help.

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Joining me on today’s show were Angelo Matera, the editor and publisher of Godspy.com, and Fr. Dominic Legge, OP, a professor of theology at Providence College.  

With Angelo the topic of conversation was this weekend’s “Parable of the Two Sons” and the lessons it teaches concerning God’s mercy and Christian conversion. Later in the show Fr. Legge focused on the Second Reading from Philippians 2, which contains that famous hymn to Christ–”Though he was in the form of God . . .”  Fr. Legge explained how proper exegesis of the hymn can uncover facts about early Christian belief much more interesting–and much truer–than anything found in something like The Da Vinci Code.

Click below for the full audio.

 

 Word to Life - September 26, 2008: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (9)

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A message from Sr. Lucy Marie, SV:

Join with the Sisters of Life - be part of a new generation building a culture of life. First Saturday ~~ Witness for Life 

Sat, Oct 4th / 8am Mass at Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral, NYC

Fr. William Elder will be the main celebrant.  Come to all or part of the morning.

Last month kicked off our First Saturday Witness for Life and about 65 people attended - here’s what one man who was there stated:

It was an honor to participate in this morning’s vigil. Most humbling of all was to see the commitment, sincerity, and holy energy of the young people of New York City, who love their Lord and their Church, and the unmistakable effect they have on history, here, today. I remain very moved by the whole experience. More than moved; uplifted, dignified, joyful. Thank you again for prodding me into the privilege of helping out in some small way.

The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass begins our day in Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral (the Sisters of Life will provide a Schola), Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament follows, and people can either remain in the Church to adore our Lord or attend the rosary procession to the local abortion clinic.

Upon return from the clinic (approx 10:15am) we will have a social (complete with coffee and bagels) with a short (15 mins) presentation by the Sisters of Life. You will hear of concrete ways to be of service, as Co-Workers, helping vulnerable pregnant women that are currently being served by the Sisters.

Promote this to your friends and keep the spiritual success of this effort for Life in your daily prayers. God Bless You.

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On September 9, Sr. Marie Pappas, host of “Pathways of Learning,” invited me on her show to discuss the Year of St. Paul.  Over the course of the program we focused on many things, including the Apostle’s life, conversion, travels, and theology.

“Pathways of Learning” airs each Tuesday at 1:00 PM on Sirius 159, The Catholic Channel.

Click below to hear the show.

 

 Pathways of Learning - September 9, 2008: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (11)

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