CSVF Blog

Last evening at St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Benedict opened the Church’s new liturgical year with a solemn celebration of Vespers.  You can find stunning pictures of the evening service here and here.

In his homily, the Holy Father reflected on how Advent is the season of hope par excellence.  In these few short weeks before Christmas, we intensify our longing eastward gaze toward Christ’s second coming, sustained and nourished by the saving mysteries of his first coming.  Hence, fixed as we are between Christ and Christ, between the two comings of Christ, for what more could we hope?

A happy and holy Advent to you and yours!

CELEBRATION OF FIRST VESPERS FOR THE FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT
November 29, 2008

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

With these vespers we begin the itinerary of a new liturgical year, entering into the first of the seasons that constitute that year: Advent. In the biblical reading that we just heard, taken from the First Letter to the Thessalonians, the Apostle Paul uses precisely this word: “coming,” which in Greek is “parousia” and in Latin, “adventus” (1 Thessalonians 5:23). According to the common translation of this text, Paul exhorts the Christians of Thessalonica to keep themselves irreprehensible “for” the coming of the Lord. But in the original text we read “in” the coming (“en te parousia”), as if the coming of the Lord were, more than a future event, a spiritual place in which we already walk in the present, during the wait, and in which we are perfectly vigilant in every personal dimension. In effect, this is exactly what we live in the liturgy: celebrating the liturgical seasons, we actualize the mystery — in this case the coming of the Lord — in such a way as to be able, so to speak, to “walk in it” toward its full realization, at the end of time, but already drawing sanctifying virtue from it from the moment that the last times have already begun with the death and resurrection of Christ.

Continue Reading »

No Comments »

As the Church enters a new liturgical year, we’re beginning a new service here on CSVF Blog.  

Starting today, the parish’s weekend homilies will be posted online.  

Bookmark the blog, share the link with friends, and tune in to all of the Sunday preaching here at St. Vincent Ferrer.

First up, the homilies delivered earlier today, the First Sunday of Advent.

Fr. Jones's Homily - Advent I Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Fr. Guilbeau's Homily - Advent I Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Fr. Keitz's Homily - Advent I Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

No Comments »

From Sr. Lucy at the archdiocesan Family Life-Respect Life Office:

“A new generation of Christians is being called to help build a world in which God’s gift of life is welcomed, respected and cherished-not rejected, feared as a threat and destroyed. A new age in which love is not greedy or self-seeking, but pure, faithful and genuinely free, open to others, respectful of their dignity, seeking their good, radiating joy and beauty. A new age in which hope liberates us from shallowness, apathy and self-absorption which deaden our souls and poison our relationships. … The Lord is asking you to be prophets of this new age, messengers of his love, drawing people to the Father and building a future of hope for all humanity.”  — Pope Benedict XVI, Homily at World Youth Day, July 20, 2008

Join with the Sisters of Life – be prophets of this new age.

Witness for Life

Sat, Dec 6th / 8am Mass at Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral, NYC – Fr. Richard Baker will be the main celebrant. Come to all or part of the morning.

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.

Sr. Lucy Marie
Respect Life Coordinator
Archdiocese of New York
1011 First Ave., 7th Floor
New York, NY 10022
212-371-1011 X3192
Mon-Thurs 9:30am-4:30pm

No Comments »

No Comments »

Fr. Thomas Joseph White, OP, a professor of theology at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, preached the following homily there this past Thursday, Thanksgiving Day.  In reflecting on the gratitude we as a country owe to God, he offered an excellent meditation on our nation’s place not simply in world history but in salvation history.  Only from this perspective, Fr. Thomas Joseph reminds us, can we Americans give our best and most fervent thanks.  And what’s more, God provides us the food to do so.

In 1630, standing on the deck of a small wooden ship called the Arbella, John Winthrop, a student of Reformed divinity, uttered words now famous to his confreres with whom he was about to embark in the new world of North America: “For we must consider, he said, that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us. So that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken… we shall be made a story and a by-word throughout the world. We shall open the mouths of enemies to speak evil of the ways of God… We shall shame the faces of many of God’s worthy servants, and cause their prayers to be turned into curses upon us until we be consumed out of the good land whither we are a-going.” A good land, a city on the hill, a place of new covenant with God on a new continent, and a land for which we should give thanks. The puritan’s remarks are in one sense too theologically exaggerated, both in their optimism and pessimism concerning the importance of the fledgling colony. But they are also a great word that we turn back to repeatedly in American self-definition and idealization. A city built on a hill.

Without seeking to efface this image altogether, we ought also to note that the Scriptures we are given today (Rev. 18:1-2, 21-23; 191-3, 9a; Lk. 21:20-28) in this eschatological season also speak of a city, of two cities in fact. Of Jerusalem, the holy city, which has refused the time of her visitation, turning her back on Christ, and who will be trampled underfoot by the pagans. And the city of Babylon, the great city of the end times, of a humanity that has become godless in its soot and commerce, a city that will evaporate before the judgment of God, to be thrown down, and never found again.

Continue Reading »

No Comments »

Father Carleton Jones, OP, and the Church of St. Vincent Ferrer
cordially invite you to attend

INCARNATE
An Exhibition of Contemporary Paintings, Drawings, and Works on Paper of Traditional Religious Subjects

by
CHARLOTTE LICHTBLAU

Curated by Bruce Payne

November 29, 2008 — January 5, 2009

Church of St. Vincent Ferrer
869 Lexington Avenue
New York City

Opening Reception
Saturday, December 6
2:00 PM to 4:30 PM

Born in Vienna in 1925, Charlotte Lichtblau came to the United States in 1940 with her parents and sister.  She has lived and worked in New York City since 1953. For the artist, the discipline of painting is a way of exploring, expressing and communicating the passion of human existence.  A significant portion of her work is focused on biblical themes, most notably the Passion of Christ.  Here, the visual transformation into imagery addresses familiar religious themes internally and directly.  While her paintings of religious subjects are boldly contemporary, they honor both the history of ecclesiastical imagery and the artistic traditions of German Expressionist painting.

Charlotte Lichtblau’s work is represented in museums and private collections across the United States and Europe.  She has had two major career retrospective exhibitions in Austria in the past 15 years, one at the Palais Palffy in Vienna and the second in the mountain art center, Bad Aussee, in Austria’s Salzkammergut region.

Father Carleton Jones, OP, the pastor of St. Vincent Ferrer, invited painter Charlotte LIchtblau and her curator for this exhibit, Bruce Payne, to showcase works spanning six decades of her artistic career.  The exhibition will include large-scale works on canvas along with smaller works on paper, both paintings and drawings.

The exhibition is on the south side of the main sanctuary and its larger paintings can be seen whenever the church is open.  The church is open to the public every day from 7:30 AM to 6:30 PM.  The smaller works are exhibited in the cloister just beyond the south wall of the sanctuary, which will be open for viewing Wednesdays through Sundays, 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM.

For inquiries, please contact Jack Thomas at 212-730-9500 (office).

No Comments »

As you prepare to brave the adventures of this year’s holiday shopping season, tuck into your purse or pocket this wish list prepared by the Sisters of Life.

Each day as Sisters and Co-Workers of Life, we have the privilege of encountering anew the Holy Family in the women and families we serve. Just as Mary and Joseph sought a welcome in Bethlehem 2000 years ago, many mothers come to us in need as they prepare for the birth of their babies. This year we have served about 500 women. We are inviting as many as possible to stop by this Christmas to get reacquainted and share the joy of Christmas.

As you track down the perfect gift for your friends and loved ones, we invite those of you who are considering picking up something extra to support our mission to vulnerable pregnant women to see below.

We would find the following items most helpful. Thank you for your generosity! Each new mother is always so grateful for the smallest kindnesses.

Maternity clothes - Maternity Tops (Small, Medium and Large); Maternity Pants – stretchy panel pants (Small, Medium, and Large); Maternity night wear (Small, Medium, and Large); Maternity Dresses (Small, Medium, and Large); we accept lightly used items.

Metro Cards – purchased at Subway stations

Gift cards – for clothing or food stores, like Old Navy, Target, or Pathmark

Fetal development models – Often the women keep them in their purse to remind themselves about their perfectly formed child.  Click here.

Books or Tapes
Women, God’s Masterpiece by Christopher West
Books by John Eldredge – Captivating; The Sacred Romance; The Journey of Desire

Scented Soaps, lotions, bubble baths for our expectant mothers

Journals or nice notebooks

Newborn baby clothes for boys and girls

New toys for children 10 yrs and under

Save your extra shopping bags! We always need big bags with handles to give to the women when they stop by.

For shipping purposes this is our address:
Sisters of Life
Visitation Mission
320 E. 66th St
NY, NY 10065

We are so grateful to you for all your sacrifices, big and small, for our mission of building a culture of life.

In Christ Our Life,
The Sisters of Life 

No Comments »

A friend sent me this satirical commentary lamenting how things like the car and the fast-food restaurant, symbols of America’s consumer culture, have changed our nation’s spiritual tastes and expectations.  At the same time, the video also ribs churches by highlighting their deficient response to such change, which by and large has been to present grace and truth to consumers as Burger King does a hamburger and fries.  

No Comments »

The Church of St. Vincent Ferrer wishes you and yours a Happy and Holy Thanksgiving.

This meditation from the Sisters of Life reminds us that God always remains deserving of our first expressions of gratitude.

“In all things, give thanks to God.” – (1 Thes 5:18)

As our nation approaches the great secular holiday of Thanksgiving, let us recall the words of Abraham Lincoln when he instated Thanksgiving as a national holiday in 1863, “as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.” It is to our Heavenly Father that we owe our thanks for the most precious gift of His Son, Jesus Christ, which He continually gives us in the Eucharist. It is in the Eucharist, which means “thanksgiving,” that Jesus gives us His whole self. He makes Himself completely vulnerable by placing Himself entirely in our hands during the Mass. Here He makes His loving command, to “do this in memory of Me.” He desires us to receive Him intimately and to bring Him to mind, to remember the work by which He redeemed us on the Cross-His greatest gift of love. The more we marvel at His goodness and let it resonate in our hearts, the more the gift of gratitude will naturally spring forth and be a healing balm for us, one that continually nourishes.

The further we enter into the work of praise and thanksgiving, it will be for us a twofold grace: it will lighten our daily struggles and make them more bearable and we will receive a taste of the joy of heaven, where Our Heavenly Father is continuously praised. Even in our thanksgiving, God gives back to us a gift! It is then that we experience the truth of the Prophets’ words: “Make the Lord your joy, and He will give you what your hearts desires.” – (Ps 36:4)

Click here for a great summary of St. Thomas’ teaching on gratitude.

No Comments »

After treating last week the centrality of faith in Christian justification, Pope Benedict today completed the picture by explaining the inherent connection between faith and works, or to use the Holy Father’s language, “faith and charity.”

In this Year of St. Paul, the Pope is working overtime to reinsert the Preacher to the Gentiles into the popular Catholic imagination.  There are several reasons for his disappearance from public devotion, but the Holy Father’s recent catechesis reveals the one that concerns him most.  By showing how the Church’s teaching regarding faith, justification, and salvation emerges from her deep reading of St. Paul, Pope Benedict is demonstrating that traditional Protestantism does not hold a monopoly on Pauline interpretation.  In fact, it never has.  The Church was reading St. Paul long before Luther, and unlike the Reformer she has always done so within the context provided by the other apostles, including Peter (and his successors!).  If during the Reformation Luther and Calvin separated Paul from Peter, Pope Benedict sees the need to finally reunite them as the two “Princes of the Apostles.”

GENERAL AUDIENCE
November 26, 2008

Dear brothers and sisters,

In last Wednesday’s catechesis, I spoke of the question of how man is justified before God. Following St. Paul, we have seen that man is not capable of making himself “just” with his own actions, but rather that he can truly become “just” before God only because God confers on him his “justice,” uniting him to Christ, his Son. And man obtains this union with Christ through faith.

In this sense, St. Paul tells us: It is not our works, but our faith that makes us “just.” This faith, nevertheless, is not a thought, opinion or idea. This faith is communion with Christ, which the Lord entrusts to us and that because of this, becomes life in conformity with him. Or in other words, faith, if it is true and real, becomes love, charity — is expressed in charity. Faith without charity, without this fruit, would not be true faith. It would be a dead faith.

We have therefore discovered two levels in the last catechesis: that of the insufficiency of our works for achieving salvation, and that of “justification” through faith that produces the fruit of the Spirit. The confusion between these two levels down through the centuries has caused not a few misunderstandings in Christianity.

Continue Reading »

No Comments »

1 Comment »

From the Sisters of Life:

Check out the retreats being offered by the Sisters of Life at Villa Maria Guadalupe http://www.sistersoflife.org/vmg.html#schedule and treat yourself to a retreat and some time away!

Advent Vespers with the Sisters of Life!
Nov. 30, Dec. 14, Dec. 21
4 p.m. Eucharistic exposition, talk, meditation, vespers

Private or directed retreats for Women Religious and for lay women
Jan. 2-11
April 15-24
May 26-June 4
July 27-Aug. 4
Aug. 22-31

Good News for Medical Professionals
Jan. 17

Theology of the Body retreat
Feb. 13-15
You may have learned it intellectually, but this retreat is designed to assist in moving that knowledge from the mind to the heart. Directed by: Father Walter Schu, LC, author of The Splendor of Love

Praying the Scriptures with St. Ignatius
March 6-8
This retreat is for all who desire to pray with Scripture, those who have never prayed with Scripture and wish to begin, and those who have prayed with Scripture but wish to grow in this prayer. Directed by: Father Tim Gallagher, OMV. Click here for the flyer.

Gazing on the Face of Christ
March 13-15
Directed by: Father Joe Koterski, SJ

Sr. Lucy Marie
Respect Life Coordinator
Archdiocese of New York
1011 First Ave., 7th Floor
New York, NY 10022
212-371-1011 X3192
Mon-Thurs 9:30am-4:30pm

No Comments »

All authority on heaven and on earth has been given to me,
says the Lord.

The Church closes the liturgical year with the celebration of Our Lord Jesus Christ the King.  Today’s feast points the eyes of our hearts forward to the future, to the last of the Christian mysteries—the Second Coming of Christ as King and Judge.  

Customarily, thoughts of death and judgment provoke fear in us, not hope.  But as Pope Benedict has explained in his recent encyclical Spe salvi, Christ’s second coming is good news for us trudging through this “valley of tears.”  This life with its sorrows and injustices will come to a definitive end.  It will pass away, though not into nothingness.  This old and dying creation will make way for the new, where the risen dead will reign with the Risen Christ in the Kingdom of God, in which the communion of saints will enjoy the Communion of the Trinity.  Among the delights of the Kingdom will be this divine consolation: “He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall their be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4).  The Christian, therefore, looks forward not in fear but in hope.  In fact, that the Christian even has a future is cause enough for his gratitude and rejoicing.

Still, we live in the present.  From our perspective, the future glory promised the righteous seems far off.  But it is in this situation that hope is born, and not without some experience of the Kingdom already.  Today’s Office of Readings includes this passage from Origen’s On Prayer:

The kingdom of God, in the words of our Lord and Savior, does not come for all to see; nor shall they say: Behold, here it is, or behold, there it is; but the kingdom of God is within us, for the word of God is very near, in our mouth and in our heart.  Thus it is clear that he who prays for the coming of God’s kingdom prays rightly to have it within himself, that there it may grow and bear fruit and become perfect.  For God reigns in each of his holy ones. Anyone who is holy obeys the spiritual laws of God, who dwells in him as in a well-ordered city.  The Father is present in the perfect soul, and with him Christ reigns, according to the word: We shall come to him and make our home with him.

And through our experience of the Kingdom’s first fruits now, we seek to establish its effects in the world around us.  

May the just and holy sovereignty of Christ the King reign in our minds and hearts, now and forever.

Almighty and merciful God,
you break the power of evil
and make all things new
in your Son Jesus Christ, the King of the universe.
May all in heaven and earth proclaim your glory
and never cease to praise you.

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.

No Comments »

Saint Cecilia kept the Gospel of Christ ever near her heart; day or night she never ceased praying and speaking with God.

Perhaps the most beloved the Roman virgin martyrs, St. Cecilia successfully preserved the purity of her body and her faith despite the contrary designs of both her family and the state.  

Cecilia, a Roman noblewoman determined to live in perpetual chastity, escaped the marriage arranged for her by her family when she converted her new husband, Valerianus, on their wedding night.  Through her gentle pleading, Valerianus joined his wife in embracing a life of perpetual chastity.  So too did Valerianus’ brother, Tibertius.  Together, the three of them grew in grace and prayer until the moment arrived for the offering of their final witness.  Discovered by the authorities to be Christians, these young members of the nobility were sentenced to death.  Valerianus and Tibertius were beheaded, and Cecilia finally died days after her executioners succeeded in only wounding her.

Click here for more on the life and legend of St. Cecilia.

Lord of mercy,
be close to those who cal upon you.
With Saint Cecilia to help us
hear and answer our prayers.

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.

No Comments »

The topic of today’s show was this weekend’s celebration of the Solemnity of Christ the King.  Listen in as I discuss the history and lessons of Sunday’s feast with Fr. James Cuddy, OP, from the Church of St. Louis Bertrand in Louisville, KY, and Fr. Dominic Legge, OP, from Providence College in Rhode Island.

Also, welcome to all of our new XM listeners!  Since the merger with Sirius, you can now tune in to The Catholic Channel on XM 117.  

Word to Life - November 21, 2008 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

No Comments »

Holy Mother of God, Mary ever-Virgin, you are the temple of the Lord and the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit.  Beyond all others you were pleasing to our Lord Jesus Christ.

From the Protoevangelium of James (c. 2nd century AD):

And the child was two years old, and Joachim said: Let us take her up to the temple of the Lord, that we may pay the vow that we have vowed, lest perchance the Lord send to us, and our offering be not received. And Anna said: Let us wait for the third year, in order that the child may not seek for father or mother. And Joachim said: So let us wait. And the child was three years old, and Joachim said: Invite the daughters of the Hebrews that are undefiled, and let them take each a lamp, and let them stand with the lamps burning, that the child may not turn back, and her heart be captivated from the temple of the Lord. And they did so until they went up into the temple of the Lord. And the priest received her, and kissed her, and blessed her, saying: The Lord has magnified your name in all generations. In you, on the last of the days, the Lord will manifest His redemption to the sons of Israel. And he set her down upon the third step of the altar, and the Lord God sent grace upon her; and she danced with her feet, and all the house of Israel loved her. And her parents went down marvelling, and praising the Lord God, because the child had not turned back. And Mary was in the temple of the Lord as if she were a dove that dwelt there, and she received food from the hand of an angel.

Eternal Father,
we honor the holiness and glory of the Virgin Mary.
May her prayers bring us
the fullness of your life and love.

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.

No Comments »

Perhaps you remember Br. Jerome Zeiler, OP.  He was assigned here to St. Vincent’s this past summer.  

On October 31, Br. Jerome offered the reflection at the Dominican House of Studies’ annual All Saints Vigil.  It was excellent.  Br. Jerome focused on the story of the love each of the saints has for Christ, a love story for which we were made to be not simply bystanders, but participants.

Watch Br. Jerome below, or click here for the full text of his reflection.

No Comments »

On Saturday, November 8, four of the province’s student brothers professed their solemn vows, making permanent their consecration to God in the Order of Preachers.  The four brothers were: Br. James Brent, OP; Br. Hyacinth Cordell, OP; Br. John Chrysostom Kozlowski, OP; and Br. Ignatius Schweitzer, OP.  All four will be ordained to the diaconate and priesthood in the near future.  Please continue to keep them and their studies in your prayers.

Click below to view the Profession Mass, which took place at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, DC.

No Comments »

A Spanish daily recently published the conversion story of Communist Serbia’s chief abortionist, Stojan Adasevic.  Since its appearance last week, the report has caught the attention of pro-lifers, and the Dominicans.  Why?  It seems that St. Thomas Aquinas played a prominent role—literally—in Dr. Adasevic’s conversion. The Catholic News Agency covers the incredible story.

Madrid, Nov 12, 2008 (CNA) - Spanish daily “La Razon” has published an article on the pro-life conversion of a former “champion of abortion.” Stojan Adasevic, who performed 48,000 abortions, sometimes up to 35 per day, is now the most important pro-life leader in Serbia, after 26 years as the most renowned abortion doctor in the country.“The medical textbooks of the Communist regime said abortion was simply the removal of a blob of tissue,” the newspaper reported.  “Ultrasounds allowing the fetus to be seen did not arrive until the 80s, but they did not change his opinion. Nevertheless, he began to have nightmares.”

In describing his conversion, Adasevic “dreamed about a beautiful field full of children and young people who were playing and laughing, from 4 to 24 years of age, but who ran away from him in fear. A man dressed in a black and white habit stared at him in silence.  The dream was repeated each night and he would wake up in a cold sweat. One night he asked the man in black and white who he was. ‘My name is Thomas Aquinas,’ the man in his dream responded. Adasevic, educated in communist schools, had never heard of the Dominican genius saint.  He didn’t recognize the name.”

“Why don’t you ask me who these children are?” St. Thomas asked Adasevic in his dream.

“They are the ones you killed with your abortions,’ St. Thomas told him. 

“Adasevic awoke in amazement and decided not to perform any more abortions,” the article stated.

Now I have to go back and read what Aquinas taught about the apparitions of saints . . .

Click here for the entire story.

No Comments »

Still troubled by Luther’s doctrine of justification?  Does sola fide keep you up at night?  Fear not.  Pope Benedict isn’t worried. Read below to see why.

GENERAL AUDIENCE
November 19, 2008

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

On the journey we have undertaken under the guidance of St. Paul, we now wish to reflect on a topic that is at the center of the controversies of the century of the Reformation: the issue of justification. How is a man just in the eyes of God? When Paul met the Risen One on the road to Damascus he was a fulfilled man: irreproachable in regard to justice derived from the law (cf. Philippians 3:6); he surpassed many of his contemporaries in the observance of the Mosaic prescriptions and was zealous in upholding the traditions of his forefathers (cf. Galatians 1:14).

The illumination of Damascus changed his life radically: He began to regard all his merits, achievements of a most honest religious career, as “loss” in face of the sublimity of knowledge of Jesus Christ (cf. Philippians 3:8). The Letter to the Philippians gives us a moving testimony of Paul’s turning from a justice based on the law and achieved by observance of the prescribed works, to a justice based on faith in Christ: He understood all that up to now had seemed a gain to him was in fact a loss before God, and because of this decided to dedicate his whole life to Jesus Christ (cf. Philippians 3:7). The treasure hidden in the field, and the precious pearl in whose possession he invests everything, were no longer the works of the law, but Jesus Christ, his Lord.

Continue Reading »

No Comments »

Take a look at these recent construction photos.  As you can see, the new copper roof is nearly completed.  And it seems that the masonry is cleaning up nicely. The stone carvings look brand new!

For those of you tired of the scaffolding, take heart.  The end is in sight.

Continue Reading »

No Comments »

No Comments »

No Comments »

No Comments »

You have made them princes over all the earth; they declared your fame to all generations; for ever will the nations declare your praise.

From Butler’s Lives of the Saints:

As the commemorative feast of the dedication of the archbasilica of the Lateran is kept by the whole Western church, so also is that of the other greater patriarchal basilicas at Rome, St Mary Major on August 5, and St Peter’s and St Paul’s together on this day, November 18th. Amongst all the places which the blood of martyrs has rendered illustrious, that part of the Vatican Hill which was consecrated with the blood and enriched with the relics of the Prince of the Apostles has always been the most venerable. “The sepulchres of those who have served Christ crucified,” says St John Chrysostom, “surpass the palaces of kings; not so much in the greatness and beauty of the buildings (though in this also they go beyond them) as in other things of more importance, such as the multitude of those who with devotion and joy repair to them. For the emperor himself, clothed in purple, goes to the tombs of the saints and kisses them; humbly prostrate on the ground he beseeches the same saints to pray to God for him; and he who wears a royal crown looks on it as a great privilege from God that a tentmaker and a fisherman, and these dead, should be his protectors and defenders, and for this he begs with great earnestness.” The martyrdom of St Peter took place according to tradition at the circus of Caligula in Nero ‘s gardens on the Vatican Hill, and he was buried nearby. It is held by some that in the year 258, to avoid desecration during the persecution of Valerian, the relics of St Peter, together with those of St Paul were translated for a time to the obscure catacomb now called St Sebastian’s; but they came back to their original resting-place, and in 323 the Emperor Constantine began the building of the basilica of St Peter over the tomb of the Apostle. For nearly twelve hundred years this magnificent church remained substantially the same, a great papal establishment gradually growing up between it and the Vatican Hill. This was made the permanent residence of the popes on their return from the exile at Avignon, and by the middle of the fifteenth century the old church was found to be inadequate. In 1506 Pope Julius II inaugurated a new building designed by Bramante, whose erection was carried on over a period of a hundred and twenty years, undergoing many alterations, additions and modifications at the hands of various popes and architects, especially Paul V and Michelangelo. The new basilica of St Peter, as we see it today, was consecrated by Pope Urban VIII on November 18, 1626, the day of its original dedication. The high altar was set up over the Apostle’s resting-place, which until 1942 had been inaccessible for many centuries. Though St Peter’s must always yield in dignity to the cathedral of St John Lateran, it has nevertheless for long been the most important church of the world, both in fact and in the hearts of Catholic Christians.

The martyrdom of St Paul took place some seven miles from that of St Peter at Aquae Salviae (now called Tre Fontane) on the Ostian Way. He was buried about two miles therefrom, on the property of a lady named Lucina, in a small vault. Early in the third century, according to Eusebius (Hist. eccl., ii, 25, 7), a Roman priest, Caius, refers to the tombs of SS. Peter and Paul: ” I can show you the trophies [tombs] of the apostles. If you go to the Vatican or on the road to Ostia you will see the trophies of those who founded this church.” Constantine is said to have begun a basilica here too, but the great church of St Paul Outside-the-Walls was principally the work of the Emperor Theodosius I and Pope St Leo the Great. It remained in its primitive beauty and simplicity till the year 1823, when it was consumed by fire. The whole world contributed to its restoration, non-Christians as well as non-Catholics sending gifts and contributions. During the course of the work the fourth-century tomb was found, with the inscription PAULO APOST MART: To Paul, apostle and martyr; it was not opened. The new basilica, on the lines of the old one, was consecrated by Pope Pius IX on December 10, 1854, but the annual commemoration was appointed for this day, as the Roman Martyrology records. “We do not”, says St Augustine, “build churches or appoint priesthoods, sacred rites and sacrifices to the martyrs, because, not the martyrs, but the God of the martyrs, is our God. Who among the faithful ever heard a priest, standing at the altar set up over the body of a martyr to the honour and worship of God, say in praying: We offer up sacrifices to thee, Peter, or Paul, or Cyprian? We do not build churches to martyrs as to gods, but as memorials to men departed this life, whose souls live with God. Nor do we make altars to sacrifice on them to the martyrs, but to their God and our God.”

Lord,
you give your Church the protection of the apostles.
From them it first received the faith of Christ.
May they help your Church to grow in your grace
until the end of time.

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.

No Comments »

No Comments »

All the world will recognize you as my disciples
when they see the love you have for one another.

From Catholic Online:

St. Elizabeth was born in Hungary in 1207, the daughter of Alexander II, King of Hungary. At the age of four she was sent for education to the court of the Landgrave of Thuringia, to whose infant son she was betrothed. As she grew in age, her piety also increased by leaps and bounds. In 1221, she married Louis of Thuringia and in spite of her position at court began to lead an austerely simple life, practiced penance, and devoted herself to works of charity.

Her husband was himself much inclined to religion and highly esteemed her virtue, encouraging her in her exemplary life. They had three children when tragedy struck – Louis was killed while fighting with the Crusaders. After his death, Elizabeth left the court, made arrangements for the care of her children, and in 1228, renounced the world, becoming a tertiary of St. Francis. She built the Franciscan hospital at Marburg and devoted herself to the care of the sick until her death at the age of 24 in 1231.

St. Elizabeth is the patron saint of bakers, countesses, death of children, falsely accused, the homeless, nursing services, tertiaries, widows, and young brides. Her symbols are alms, flowers, bread, the poor, and a pitcher.

For more on St. Elizabeth’s short but remarkable life, click here.

Father,
you helped Elizabeth of Hungary
to recognize and honor Christ
in the poor of this world.
Let her prayers help us to serve our brothers and sisters
in time of trouble and need.

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.

No Comments »

On Thursday, November 13, over 100 people gathered at St. Vincent Ferrer to hear Professor Stephen Barr deliver the parish’s second annual St. Albert’s Day Lecture.  His topic was “Modern Physics and Ancient Faith.”  The lecture was excellent in both content and delivery.  Prof. Barr argued, among other things, that 20th-century discoveries in physics have overturned, seemingly definitively, the materialist assumptions that shaped scientific thinking throughout the bulk of the modern period.  It is this materialist understanding of science, and not science itself, that is often at odds with religion. In his talk, Prof. Barr identified the figures and topics instrumental to this recent change of fortune for materialism.

Prof. Barr’s conclusions suggest that the 20th century has actually opened the door, not closed it, to a more sympathetic reading among scientists of the medieval claim made famous by St. Albert and his student St. Thomas, that there can exist no contradiction between the truth of science and the truth of revelation. To be sure, at any given time it may not be clear as to how all of the points of faith and science intersect, but both the scientist and the theologian can proceed with confidence knowing that what is genuinely true in one realm of study is equally true for the other.

Copies of Prof. Barr’s book, Modern Physics and Ancient Faith, may be purchased here.  It’s an excellent read.

In addition to his book, Prof. Barr has written numerous articles on faith and science, many of which have been published in First Things.  Click here for a listing of these articles.

Below you can listen to Prof. Barr’s address in full.  The first clip contains the audio of the lecture itself, and the second includes the Q & A session held afterwards.

2008 St. Albert's Day Lecture Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Questions at St. Albert's Day Lecture Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

2 Comments »

O God, the Lord of the sciences, we praise and bless you with all our hearts and voices, for you have raised up a great teacher from among our fathers.

Today the Dominican Order celebrates with particular solemnity one of its own, St. Albert the Great, the medieval bishop and scholar renowned for his expertise in nearly all the intellectual disciplines, including natural science, philosophy, and theology.  St. Albert was the teacher of another Dominican great, St. Thomas Aquinas.

From the Dominican Ordo:

Albert of Lauingen was born in Swabia (Germany) at the beginning of the thirteenth century.  While a student at the University of Pavia he was attraced to the Order by Blessed Jordan of Saxony.  From 1242 until 1249 he taught at the University of Paris where Thomas Aquinas was one of his students.  Albert helped to introduce Aristotelian physics as interpreted by Jewish and Arabian philosophers into Western thought.  From 1248 he taught at Cologne and served as provincial of Germany (1254-1257).  Together with Saint Bonaventure he defended the right of the Mendicant Orders to teach at in the universtities.

He was named bishop of Ratisbon in 1260, but after two years he resigned because he considered himself unworthy.  He continued his teaching at Wurzburg, Strasbourg and Cologne.  In his attempts to blend the wisdom of the saints with human knowledge he was a distinguished writer and teacher, but he was even more distinguished in his life of holiness and his pastoral charity.  He had a deep devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and to the Virgin Mary, who according to legend led him to the Order of Preachers.  Because of his writings he is called “the Great” and the “universal doctor.”  He died at Cologne on November 15, 1280.  In 1459 Pius II declared him a doctor of the Church; in 1931 Pius XI declared him a saint; and Pius XII named him patron of those involved in the natural sciences.

For more on St. Albert’s life and thought, click here and here.

One of the stained glass windows in the nave of the church is dedicated to St. Albert.  Click here for a view and an explanation of its iconography.  Of particular note are the two figures that flank St. Albert—Aristotle and St. John the Evangelist—who represent the heights of knowledge attainable by the human mind through the distinct but not opposed paths of reason and revelation.  Albert and his student Aquinas remain icons of the Catholic task to reconcile the seeming contradictions between faith and reason.

Besides being a famous scholar, St. Albert was also a saint.  His expertise in prayer and the science of the blessed was the pearl of great price in his crown of intellectual achievement.  Below is a brief instruction he once gave on the proper preparations necessary for fruitful prayer.  He shares with is readers the fruit of his own experience.  This passage is one of the options for the second lesson in today’s Office of Readings.

From the treatise On the Manner of Praying
attributed to Saint Albert the Great

We should prepare ourselves for prayer.  This preparation is of two kinds: remote and immediate.

Similarly remote preparation is of two kinds: interior and exterior.  Interior preparation consists of three things.  First, there is the purification of the conscience: If our hearts do not reprove us, we have this confidence in God: that God hears us whenever we ask for anything.  Secondly, there is the humbling of the mind, for the Lord hears the cry of the humble and does not spurn their petition.  Thirdly, there is the forgiveness of injuries: Whenever you stand to pray, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father in heaven may in turn forgive you your trespasses.

Continue Reading »

1 Comment »

As we approach the end of the liturgical year—there are just two Sundays left before Advent!—this weekend’s readings turn our attention to the last things: life, death, heaven, and hell.  The Church’s meditation at this time of year is not meant to instill fear in our hearts, but rather strength in our souls to prepare and fortify ourselves for judgment.  The King will return in glory, and we will render to him an account of our lives.

As children of the light by baptism, as St. Paul calls us, we live and move in the brightness of day, not the shades of night.  The end, therefore, will not sneak up on us as a thief lurking in the darkness.  Instead, we will know the signs announcing the end of life and the end of the world, and living in the truth and love of Christ is all the preparation we need to endure these mysteries well.  God asks no more.  He provides nothing else.  His divine truth and love, lived freely in the Church, are our anchors in this life and our lifelines into the next—to Him.

Joining me on today’s show were Fr. Gabriel Gillen, OP, from St. Catherine of Siena Church here in New York City, and Fr. James Cuddy, OP, from St. Louis Bertrand Church in Louisville, KY.  Looking ahead to this Sunday’s readings, we focused specifically on the Gospel, in which we hear the “Parable of the Talents,” the last of the Lord’s parables and a preface to his teachings on the final judgment.  Both Fr. Gillen and Fr. Cuddy had excellent insights into the parable’s core meaning.  We extended the parable’s application to everything from the current financial crisis to preaching the Gospel in our families.

Listen and enjoy!

Word to Life - November 14, 2008 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

No Comments »