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Click below to hear this week’s edition of “Word to Life.”

Joining me on the show today to discuss the readings for the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time were Fr. Joseph Johnson, the rector of the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul, MN, and Fr. Paul Keller, O.P., the president of the Society for Catholic Liturgy and a professor of theology at the Franciscan University of Steubenville.

“Word to Life” airs live every Friday afternoon at 1:00 PM EST on The Catholic Channel, Sirius 159 and XM 117.

Word to Life - July 31, 2009 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Of what use is it to a man to gain the whole world,
if he pays for it by losing his soul?

Today the Church celebrates the feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus, an intellectual and missionary congregation of men better known as the Jesuits.

There is no question that the Society bears in its structure and apostolate the marks of early modernity, the period in which it was founded, but this should not hinder us from appreciating the deep roots St. Ignatius himself had planted in the late Middle Ages.  Born a year before the discovery of America, the soldier-saint from Spain manifested in his life and writings the spiritual instincts of his medieval forebears.  For example, famous is the story of Ignatius’ conversion, which took place while he was convalescing from crippling battle wounds.  As Luis Gonzalez tells the story, whose account we read in today’s Office of Readings, Ignatius was convicted by the spiritual reading he was given, a collection of the lives of the saints written in Spanish.  Stirred by a new interior spirit, he began to ask himself, “What if I should do what Saint Francis or Saint Dominic did?”  Taking his inspiration from these two medieval giants of religious life, Ignatius allowed them to guide his own religious instincts and the spiritual exercises he developed from them.

To be sure, Ignatius did not draw strength solely from the spiritual tradition of the Middle Ages.  He also appropriated its intellectual heritage, specifically as it was articulated by St. Thomas Aquinas.  When founding the Society of Jesus, Ignatius directed his young disciples to study the doctrines of the Common Doctor, and the Society’s 1599 Ratio Studiorum (plan of studies) repeated this instruction for all of the Society’s teachers. For instance, this direction was given to provincials:

“The provincial is to be especially careful that no one be appointed to teach theology who is not well disposed to the teaching of St. Thomas. Those who do not approve of his doctrine or take little interest in it, should not be allowed to teach theology.”

These directives certainly bore fruit for the Society and for the Church.  After their foundation the Jesuits immersed themselves in the Thomistic tradition of philosophy and theology that gained magisterial sanction during the Council of Trent, and they imbued the Tridentine Church, often better than Dominicans did, with the spirit and wisdom of St. Thomas.

Much has been made of the centuries-old intellectual rivalry between the Dominicans and the Jesuits.  As is well known, disagreements arose between them over the authentic interpretation of St. Thomas, and Dominicans and Jesuits today continue the friendly intellectual contest that has shaped their shared history.  One might argue that Ignatius himself helped to set up this competition by rooting the Society’s intellectual life in the medieval tradition.  Without getting into specific disputes, it suffices to say that the Jesuits should be remembered well today.  Through the beginning of the twentieth century, Jesuit intellectuals were on the ecclesial and cultural front lines promoting and defending the principles of Thomism.  For that, we Dominicans can gratefully tip our capuces to our Jesuit brothers.

For more on the life of St. Ignatius, including details of his conversion and his founding of the Jesuits, click here.  For the homepage of the Society of Jesus in the United States, click here.

Father,
you gave Saint Ignatius of Loyola to your Church
to bring greater glory to your name.
May we follow his example on earth
and share the crown of life in heaven.

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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The man who not only teaches but does what is right
will be counted in great in the Kingdom of God.

We commemorate today the life and wisdom of St. Peter Chrysologus, a Father and Doctor of the Church.  As the Archbishop of Ravenna in the early fifth century, Peter gained great fame as a theologian and preacher, earning for himself the title “Chrysologus,” or “golden worded,” from his admirers.

From the Catholic Encyclopedia:

Peter’s biography, first written by Agnellus (Liber pontificalis ecclesiæ Ravennatis) in the ninth century, gives but scanty information about him. He was baptised, educated, and ordained deacon by Cornelius, Bishop of Imola, and was elevated to the Bishopric of Ravenna in 433. There are indications that Ravenna held the rank of metropolitan before this time. His piety and zeal won for him universal admiration, and his oratory merited for him the name Chrysologus. He shared the confidence of Leo the Great and enjoyed the patronage of the Empress Galla Placidia. After his condemnation by the Synod of Constantinople (448), the Monophysite Eutyches endeavoured to win the support of Peter, but without success.

A collection of his homilies, numbering 176, was made by Felix, Bishop of Ravenna (707-17). Some are interpolations, and several other homilies known to be written by the saint are included in other collections under different names. They are in a great measure explanatory of Biblical texts and are brief and concise. He has explained beautifully the mystery of the Incarnation, the heresies of Arius and Eutyches, and the Apostles’ Creed, and he dedicated a series of homilies to the Blessed Virgin and St. John the Baptist.

A new edition of St. Peter’s homilies has recently appeared in the Fathers of the Church Series published by the Catholic University of America Press.  The translation was prepared by my seminary patristics professor, Fr. William Palardy. The publisher’s product description offers a deeper glimpse into Peter’s historical importance:

Chrysologus preached and served as bishop at a time when the seat of the western Roman Empire was located in Ravenna. His career as bishop bridged the closing years of Augustine’s episcopate in North Africa and the early years of Pope Leo the Great’s pontificate in Rome. His sermons attest to his relations with the ruler of the state, the Empress Galla Placidia, as well as his familiarity with some of the significant theological controversies of the day. His chief importance, however, was not as an outstanding theologian, but as a shepherd who ruled his flock and preached well to its members. Loyally orthodox, he urged them to practice Christian virtues. He was concerned with their moral rectitude and spiritual growth, their understanding of the basic tenets of the Christian faith, their reverence and love for God, and their immersion in the Scriptures.

Chrysologus’s sermons are relatively brief in length, at least according to patristic standards, and he combines colloquial speech with a highly rhetorical flourish. The imagery that he employs indicates how attuned he was to the experiences of his congregation, how enamored he was of the beauty of the countryside or seashore, and how thoroughly imbued he was with the letter and the spirit of the Scriptures.

Click here for ordering information.  For more on St. Peter Chrysologus, click here.

Father,
you made Peter Chrysologus
an outstanding preacher of your incarnate Word.
May the prayers of Saint Peter help us to cherish
the mystery of our salvation
and make its meaning clear in our love for others.

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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Martha said to Jesus:
You are the Christ, the Son of the living God:
he who is to come into the world.

A week after remembering St. Mary Magdalen, the Church honors her reputed sister, Saint Martha.  Though exegetes today argue that Mary, the sister of Martha, and Mary Magdalen were not the same person, the patristic and medieval exegetical tradition understood them to be so, and this tradition continues to shape the Church’s liturgy, at least in the planned proximity of their feasts.

At holy Mass today, the Church offers two options for the Gospel reading, which in fact are the only two places in Scripture where Martha is mentioned: Luke 10 and John 11.  Many of you will probably hear the familiar “Martha, Martha . . .” story from Luke, in which Christ seems to delegate Martha as the patron saint of those tied to active life, who are diligent in their duties but always too busy to pray, which Our Lord mentions as the better activity.  Understood popularly, Christ’s correction of Martha leads to a shared sense that the active life can be good, but it always lies in the shadow of the contemplative.

The Church’s preference for the contemplative life is rooted somewhat in this passage, but preference for one life need not lead to denigration of the other. Martha’s appearance in John’s Gospel, at the raising of her brother Lazarus, helps the Christian to balance his opinion of the active life and thus to see it as a place where a transformative encounter with Christ is indeed possible.  Martha is just as active in John’s Gospel as she is in Luke’s, but in John 11 we see that it is Martha and not Mary who receives special attention from the Lord.  Christ engages Martha during her diligent care for her grieving guests and elicits from her a strong confession of faith: “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he who is coming into the world” (11:27).  It may happen, unfortunately, that many today who are active in the world do not feel called to faith until faced with some difficulty, like the death of a loved one.  Still, Martha’s encounter with Christ at the death of her brother reveals Our Lord’s solicitude for those too busy to sit at his feet.  He will use any break in their routine to insert himself into their lives and call them to something higher.

For more on the legend of St. Martha, click here and here.

Father,
your Son honored Saint Martha
by coming to her home as a guest.
By her prayers
may we serve Christ in our brothers and sisters
and be welcomed by you into heaven, our true home.

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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Fr. Guilbeau's Homily - July 26, 2009 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Fr. Mulcahy's Homily - July 26, 2009 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Over the weekend, the USCCB’s Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities released the following essay by its Assistant Director for Education and Outreach, Susan E. Willis. In it, Willis evaluates two pending pieces of federal legislation aimed at reducing the number of abortions in our country, and she helps the Catholic voter discern which of the two bills authentically serves the causes of life and justice.

LET THE TAXPAYERS BEWARE!
by Susan E. Wills
July 24, 2009

It should be called the Planned Parenthood Economic Stimulus Package of 2009.

Instead, co-sponsors Tim Ryan (D-OH) and Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) have given their “new” (though largely recycled) bill the promising title “Preventing Unintended Pregnancies, Reducing the Need for Abortion and Supporting Parents Act.” Sponsors describe the bill as a “common ground” approach to reducing unintended pregnancies and abortions, one that should appeal to opposing sides in the abortion debate.

Sure, the bill is dressed up with some funding for after-school programs, and some (very poorly crafted) efforts to provide support for pregnant students. But make no mistake. The bill is “about access to birth control,” according to Congressman Ryan (MSNBC’s “Hardball,” May 19, 2009). In the same interview, Ryan explained: “We have to have birth control and contraception offered to these poor women who don’t have access to contraception, period, dot. There’s no other way we’re going to be able to reduce [abortions].” About what you’d expect in a bill whose co-sponsors enjoy a 100% pro-choice rating from NARAL.

Accordingly, their bill calls for grants for comprehensive sexuality education (abstinence-only educators need not apply!). It substantially increases funding for the federal Title X Family Planning Program. It denies state choice, making family planning services a mandatory Medicaid entitlement in all states, and greatly expands family planning eligibility under Medicaid to all women who are eligible under state law for prenatal, labor, and delivery care.

Some people might find this approach sensible. But they ignore at least two things. First, since at least 1980, taxpayers have been funding “family planning services” to the tune of over $1 billion per year. In 2006 such public expenditures totaled $1.85 billion. So today, virtually all teenagers who are sexually active and do not want to become pregnant are already using contraception. Only 7% are not using it, according to the Guttmacher Institute.

Second, contraceptives don’t work very well in real life. In the first 12 months of contraceptive use, 16.4% of teens (1 in 6) will become pregnant. Among low-income cohabiting teens, the failure (pregnancy) rate over 12 months is 48.4% for birth control pills and 71.7% for condoms.

Numerous studies in the United States and Europe have found that greater access to contraception fails to reduce unintended pregnancies and abortions. A recent $10 million intervention in England giving at-risk teens comprehensive sex education and contraception is a perfect example. Teens in the program had a pregnancy rate 2.5 times higher than a similar group of at-risk teens (16 vs. 6 percent).

Why does increased access to contraception fail at the population level? Thinking they are protected from pregnancy and disease, more young people become sexually active and have more partners, offsetting any reduction in pregnancy from individual contraceptive use. And the increased level of sexual activity causes STD rates to soar. In the U.S., 1 in 4 teen girls has at least one STD; many of these are incurable and some are fatal.

The sharpest decline in unintended pregnancies and abortions since 1990 has occurred among those under 18, due not to comprehensive sex ed or contraception, but chiefly to the growing number of young people choosing to remain abstinent. Visit the Secretariat’s website for contraception facts and citations at www.usccb.org/prolife/issues/contraception/index.shtml, and let your member of Congress know that the Ryan/DeLauro bill cannot fulfill the promises in its title. The real abortion-reduction bill in Congress now is the Pregnant Women Support Act (S.1032, H.R.2035), which needs our support.

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This summer, the Priory of St. Vincent Ferrer has had the privilege of hosting three of the province’s student brothers.  Perhaps you’ve seen them at Mass or around the neighborhood.  Below you’ll find their biographies and brief descriptions of their summer apostolates.

Please keep them and all of the province’s student brothers in your prayers.

Br. Paul Martin Kennedy, O.P.

Br. Paul is originally from Cincinnati, Ohio where he was a member of the province’s parish, St. Gertrude. Br. Paul is currently in simple vows and is the Province of Saint Joseph’s first student studying for the Cooperator Brotherhood in more than 30 years. This summer Br. Paul has been living at St. Vincent Ferrer Priory while working with the friars at St. Catherine of Siena Priory and the pastoral care office at the Hospital for Special Surgery, where he has worked as a Catholic chaplan visiting the patients and their families during their time of need. His responsibilities include not only offering a friendly and sympathetic ear, but also administering Holy Communion. In the fall Br. Paul will return to Washington, DC for his second year of studies at the Dominican House of Studies.

Br. Albert Duggan, O.P.

Br. Albert Duggan entered the Dominican province of St. Joseph in 2007 and will be starting his second year at the Dominican House of Studies in the fall.  He has a particular interest in moral theology, bioethics, and the relationship between theology and the natural sciences.

During his stay at St. Vincent Ferrer, he has been volunteering with the Missionaries of Charity in the Bronx (the first mission established in North America by Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, in 1971).  In June, he worked at the Queen of Peace Home, where the sisters operate a soup kitchen and an emergency shelter for homeless men.  Throughout the month of July, he’ll be working as a counselor for a summer camp run out of St. Rita’s Church, a nearby parish in the South Bronx.  This camp provides a valuable opportunity for local children to grow in the Catholic faith while enjoying many other activities and outings, like trips to the Bronx Zoo and local sporting events.

Br. Peter Martyr Yungwirth, O.P.

Br. Peter Martyr Joseph Yungwirth, O.P. was raised in Hagerstown, MD and attended the University of Maryland, where he graduated with a Bachelor’s in Reformation History.  It was at the university where he first met Dominican priests, who would celebrate Mass and hear confessions, and also Dominican student brothers, who would help out with RCIA classes, lead Bible studies, and preach during Eucharistic Adoration.  Br. Peter Martyr made Simple Profession on August 15, 2008 and finished his first year of philosophy at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, DC this past spring.

This summer, Br. Peter Martyr is working with the Missionaries of Charity in the South Bronx, currently helping out with their annual summer camp. This daily ministry includes leading a group of eight and nine year old boys closer to Christ through various activities throughout the day. Whether it is catechesis, carpentry, or even manners class, Br. Peter Martyr assists the children in their development, both on a spiritual and a human level. “Since these kids come from broken families and are influenced far more by the culture than the Gospel, getting them to apologize to one another and quote the Scriptures from memory,” he says, “is quite an accomplishment.”

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Joining me on the program today to discuss this Sunday’s readings were Br. James Brent, O.P., a deacon assigned for the summer to St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Zanesville, OH, and Fr. Jordan Kelly, O.P. who has recently moved to New York and will soon join the parish staff of the Church of St. Catherine of Siena.

“Word to Life” airs live every Friday afternoon at 1:00 PM Eastern on The Catholic Channel, Sirius 159 and XM 117.

Word to Life - July 24, 2009 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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If anyone wishes to be first,
he must become the last and the servant of all.

From the Dominican Ordo:

Augustine Fangi was born at Biella in Piedmont, Italy, in 1430 and received the habit in his native city.  As prior of several houses he was concerned about restoring and maintaining regular observance.  He was noted for his life of prayer, his preaching, his patient endurance of suffering, and his ministry as a confessor.  He died at Venice on July 22, 1493.

For more on Blessed Augustine, click here and here.

God of all consolation,
you gave Blessed Augustine a wonderful love
for announcing the mysteries of salvation
and comforting those in sorrow.
May we follow in his footsteps
and grow in grace and knowledge of 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.

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When the Bridegroom came,
he found the wise virgin ready to enter the wedding feast with him.

From the Dominican Ordo:

Blessed Jane was born at Carnaiola, near Orvieto, Italy, about the year 1264 and was orphaned at an early age.  She joined the sisters of the Fraternity of St. Dominic and was known for her life of prayer.  She received many extraordinary spiritual favors, including the grace of experiencing physically the passion of Christ.  She died on July 23, 1306.

Click here for more on the life of Blessed Jane.

God of compassion,
you bestowed on Blessed Jane
your divine gifts of purity and love.
May we imitate her innocence of life
and her example of good works.

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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The saints will exult in glory;
they will sing for joy as they bow down before the Lord.

Canonized in 1977 by Pope Paul VI, St. Sharbel (or Charbel) Makhlouf was a monk and hermit of the Maronite Rite.

From Catholic Online:

Youssef Antoun Makhlouf was born in 1828, in Bekaa Kafra (Northern Lebanon). He had a true Christian upbringing, which gave him a passion for prayer. He visited his two hermit uncles in St. Antonious Kozhaya Monastery and was converted to the eremitical life.

In 1851, he left his family village and headed for Our Lady of Maifouk Monastery to spend his first year in monastic life, and then he transferred to St. Maron Monastery in Annaya, where he entered the Maronite Order, taking the name Charbel, a name of one of the Antiochene martyrs of the second century. On November 1, 1853, Charbel took his vows. Later he completed his theological studies in St. Kobrianous and Justina Monastery in Kfifan, Batroun.

Charbel was ordained a priest in Bkerky, the Maronite Patriarchate, on July 23rd, 1859. He lived 16 years in St. Maron Monastery. On February 15th, 1875, he moved to the St. Peter & Paul hermitage, which belonged to the monastery. He was a typical hermit who spent his time praying and worshipping. Rarely did he left the hermitage, where he followed the way of the saintly hermits in prayer, life and practice.

St. Charbel lived in the hermitage for 23 years. On December 16th, 1898, he was struck with an illness while celebrating Holy Mass. He died on Christmas Eve and was buried in the St Maron Monastery cemetery.

A few months later, dazzling lights were seen around the grave. From there, his corpse, which had been secreting sweat and blood, was transferred to a special coffin. Hordes of pilgrims started swarming the place to ask his intercession. Through Charbel’s prayers, God blessed many people with cures and spiritual graces.

In 1925, Charbel’s beatification and canonization were proposed by Pope Pius XI. In 1950, the grave was opened in the presence of an official committee, which included doctors who verified the soundness of the body. After the grave had been opened and inspected, the variety of healing incidents amazingly multiplied. Pilgrims from different religious backgrounds began flocking to the Annaya monastery to obtain the saint’s favor.

Click here and here for more on the life and holiness of St. Sharbel.

For more on the Maronite Rite, click here and here.

There is a monastery of Maronite monks in Petersham, MA, and the cathedral for the Eparchy of St. Maron is in Brooklyn.

Lord God,
you kept St. Sharbel faithful to Christ’s pattern of poverty and humility.
May his prayers help us to live in fidelity to our calling
and bring us to the perfection you have shown us in your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever. Amen.

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The Lord is my inheritance; he is good to those who seek him.

Today the Church honors the medieval Scandinavian mystic, St. Bridget of Sweden.  Born of noble stock, Bridget grew in grace as a wife and mother, a religious foundress, and as one of the Middle Ages’ best known spiritual writers.

From the Catholic Encyclopedia:

She was the daughter of Birger Persson, governor and provincial judge (Lagman) of Uppland, and of Ingeborg Bengtsdotter. Her father was one of the wealthiest landholders of the country, and, like her mother, distinguished by deep piety. St. Ingrid, whose death had occurred about twenty years before Bridget’s birth, was a near relative of the family. Birger’s daughter received a careful religious training, and from her seventh year showed signs of extraordinary religious impressions and illuminations. To her education, and particularly to the influence of an aunt who took the place of Bridget’s mother after the latter’s death (c. 1315), she owed that unswerving strength of will which later distinguished her.

In 1316, at the age of thirteen, she was united in marriage to Ulf Gudmarsson, who was then eighteen. She acquired great influence over her noble and pious husband, and the happy marriage was blessed with eight children, among them St. Catherine of Sweden. The saintly life and the great charity of Bridget soon made her name known far and wide. She was acquainted with several learned and pious theologians, among them Nicolaus Hermanni, later Bishop of Linköping, Matthias, canon of Linköping, her confessor, Peter, Prior of Alvastrâ, and Peter Magister, her confessor after Matthias. She was later at the court of King Magnus Eriksson, over whom she gradually acquired great influence. Early in the forties (1341-43) in company with her husband she made a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostella. On the return journey her husband was stricken with an attack of illness, but recovered sufficiently to finish the journey. Shortly afterwards, however, he died (1344) in the Cistercian monastery of Alvastrâ in East Gothland.

Bridget now devoted herself entirely to practices of religion and asceticism, and to religious undertakings. The visions which she believed herself to have had from her early childhood now became more frequent and definite. She believed that Christ Himself appeared to her, and she wrote down the revelations she then received, which were in great repute during the Middle Ages. They were translated into Latin by Matthias Magister and Prior Peter.

St. Bridget now founded a new religious congregation, the Brigittines, or Order of St. Saviour, whose chief monastery, at Vadstena, was richly endowed by King Magnus and his queen (1346). To obtain confirmation for her institute, and at the same time to seek a larger sphere of activity for her mission, which was the moral uplifting of the period, she journeyed to Rome in 1349, and remained there until her death, except while absent on pilgrimages, among them one to the Holy Land in 1373. In August, 1370, Pope Urban V confirmed the Rule of her congregation. Bridget made earnest representations to Pope Urban, urging the removal of the Holy See from Avignon back to Rome. She accomplished the greatest good in Rome, however, by her pious and charitable life, and her earnest admonitions to others to adopt a better life, following out the excellent precedents she had set in her native land. The year following her death her remains were conveyed to the monastery at Vadstena. She was canonized, 7 October, 1391, by Boniface IX.

In 1999, Pope John Paul II declared St. Bridget of Sweden a Co-Patroness of Europe together with St. Catherine of Siena and St. Theresa Benedicta of the Cross.  Click here for the text of his decree.

For more on the life and virtues of St. Bridget, click here, here, and here.  For an online English translation of her Revelations, click here.

Information on the Bridgettine Sisters can be found here (they have a great habit), and click here for the homepage of the Bridgettine monks in Oregon.

Lord our God,
you revealed the secrets of heaven to Saint Bridget
as she meditated on the suffering and death of your Son.
May your people rejoice in the revelation of your glory.

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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The following letter was released yesterday by Bishop William Murphy of Rockville Centre, who serves as chair of the USCCB’s Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development.

July 17, 2009
Sent to all member of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate
cc: White House and Department of Health and Human Services

Dear Senator/Representative:

On behalf of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), I write to outline our policy priorities and to express hope that the serious efforts of the Congressional committees will bring genuine life-affirming reform to the nation’s health care system. The USCCB looks forward to working with you to reform health care successfully in a manner that offers accessible, affordable and quality health care that protects and respects the life and dignity of all people from conception until natural death.

For decades, the Catholic bishops of the United States have been and continue to be consistent advocates for comprehensive health care reform that leads to health care for all, including the weakest and most vulnerable. The bishops want to support health care reform. We have in the past and we always must insist that health care reform excludes abortion coverage or any other provisions that threaten the sanctity of life.

As Congress begins debate on health care reform the Catholic bishops of the United States offer the following criteria for fair and just health care reform. Health care reform needs to reflect basic ethical principles. We offer these as a guide:

• a truly universal health policy with respect for human life and dignity;
• access for all with a special concern for the poor and inclusion of legal immigrants;
• pursuing the common good and preserving pluralism including freedom of conscience and variety of options; and
• restraining costs and applying them equitably across the spectrum of payers.

Two of these criteria need special attention as Congress moves forward with health care reform.

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O lamp of the world and shining pearl,
you were worthy to become the Apostle to the apostles
by announcing the resurrection of Christ:
O Mary Magdalen, be for us always a holy intercessor with God who chose you.

“Sing we now the praise of Mary!”

Today the Church Universal observes the feast of St. Mary Magdalen, and in its own celebrations the Order of Preachers honors one of its patronesses. For centuries, Dominicans have revered the Magdalen as an icon of preaching and a model of penitence.  Accordingly, her feast is described in the Dominican Ordo as follows:

Mary Magdalen, who was healed by the Lord Jesus, followed him with great love and ministered to him (Luke 8:3).  Later when the disciples fled, Mary Madgalen stood at the cross with the Mother of the Lord, John and some of the women (John 19:25).  On Easter morning Jesus appeared to her and sent her to announce the news of his resurrection to the disciples (Mark 16:9; John 20:11-18).

Her cult spread throughout the western Church, especially in the eleventh century, and flourished in the Order of Preachers.  As Humbert of Romans attests: “After Magdalen was converted to penitence the Lord bestowed such great grace upon her tha tafter the Blessed Virgin no woman could be found to whom greater reverence should be shown in this world and greater glory in heaven.”

The Order of Preachers numbers her among its patrons.  Its brothers and sisters of every age have honored her as the “Apostle to the Apostles”—for thus is she celebrated in the Byzantine liturgy—and have compared the mission of the Magdalen in announcing the resurrection to their own mission.

The Church’s musical treasury contains many beautiful hymns to the Magdalen. The following text was written by Philip the Chancellor (+1236) and published in the 14th-century Sarum Breviary.  The English translation below was prepared by Fr. Becket Soule, OP.  It can be sung to the familiar Pange lingua tune (or to any Long Meter melody).

PANGE LINGUA MAGDALENAE

Sing, we now the praise of Mary,
All her tears, her joy, her love;
High in laud we raise our voices,
While our hearts accordant move;
So the nightingale descanteth
Sweetly to the plaintive dove.

Nought the number of the feaster,
Seeking Jesus, did she fear;
She her Master’s feet anointed,
Washed them with her falling tear,
Wiped them with her tresses, gaining
Pardon through her love sincere.

Lo, the cleansed doth wash the Cleanser,
Stream to Fountain floweth fain;
Balm that from the flow’r distilleth,
Fragrance sheds on flower again;
And the dew from earth ascendeth
To the heav’n that gave the rain.

Spikenard in the alabaster
Is her off’ring pure and rare;
She, in pouring of the ointment,
Doth a mystic sign declare;
Sick, anointeth her Physician,
To receive his healing care.

Gazed the Lord with special favor
Down on Mary tenderly;
Much she loves; her sins, though many,
Have forgiveness full and free;
On the Resurrection morning
She shall Jesus’ herald be.

Glory be to God, and honor,
Who the Paschal victim gave,
Lamb in death, in fight a lion,
On the third day from the grave
Carrying the spoils of Hades
Rose again mankind to save.  Amen.

The Dominican friars of the Toulouse Province have custody of the Grotto of St. Mary Magdalen, known as La Sainte Baume, where tradition has it the Magdalen spent the last thirty years of her life.  Click here for the shrine’s homepage.

The old Catholic Encyclopedia has a great article on Mary Magdalen, and the Australian Dominicans’ vocations website includes a page dedicated to explaining her patronage of the Order.

After the break you will find another of Philip’s hymns, and also several depictions of Mary Magdalen in classical art.  Enjoy, and please continue to ask the Magdalen’s intercession for the Order of Preachers!

O God,
your only begotten Son
entrusted the joyful news of his resurrection
to Mary Magdalen before all others;
by her prayers and example,
grant, we beseech you,
that we may proclaim the living Christ
and may see him reigning in 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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O blessed doctor, Saint Lawrence,
light of holy Church and lover of God’s law,
pray to the Son of God for us.

Today the Church remembers St. Lawrence of Brindisi. Baptized “Julius Caesar,” St. Lawrence became a famous Capuchin preacher, scholar, superior, and army chaplain. In recognition of the intellectual and spiritual depth of his writings, the Church has named St. Lawrence a Doctor of the Church.

From Catholic Online:

Caesare de Rossi was born at Brandisi, kingdom of Naples, on July 22nd. He was educated by the conventual Franciscans there and by his uncle at St. Mark’s in Venice. When sixteen, he joined the Capuchins at Verona, taking the name Lawrence. He pursued his higher studies in theology, philosophy, the bible, Greek, Hebrew, and several other languages at the University of Padua. He was ordained and began to preach with great effect in Northern Italy. He became definitor general of his Order in Rome in 1596, a position he was to hold five times, was assigned to conversion work with Jews, and was sent to Germany, with Blessed Benedict of Urbino, to combat Lutheranism. They founded friaries at Prague, Vienna, and Gorizia, which were to develop into the provinces of Bohemia, Austria, and Styria. At the request of Emperor Rudolf II, Lawrence helped raise an army among the German rulers to fight against the Turks, who were threatening to conquer all of Hungary, became its chaplain, and was among the leaders in the Battle of Szekesfehevar in 1601; many attributed the ensuing victory to him. In 1602, he was elected Vicar General of the Capuchins but refused re-election in 1605. He was sent to Spain by the emperor to persuade Philip III to join the Catholic League, and while there, founded a Capuchin house in Madrid. He was then sent as papal nuncio to the court of Maximillian of Bavaria, served as peacemaker in several royal disputes, and in 1618, retired from worldly affairs to the friary at Caserta. He was recalled at the request of the rulers of Naples to go to Spain to intercede with King Philip for them against the Duke of Osuna, Spanish envoy to Naples, and convinced the King to recall the Duke to avert an uprising. The trip in the sweltering heat of summer exhausted him, and he died a few days after his meeting with the King at Lisbon on July 22nd. Lawrence wrote a commentary on Genesis and several treatises against Luther, but Lawrence’s main writings are in the nine volumes of his sermons. He was canonized in 1881 and proclaimed a Doctor of the Church by Pope John XXIII in 1959.

For more on the life and wisdom of St. Lawrence, click here, here, and here. For one of his Marian sermons, click here.

Lord,
for the glory of your name and the salvation of souls
you gave Lawrence of Brindisi
courage and right judgment.
By his prayers,
help us to know what we should do
and give us the courage to do it.

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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Fr. Keitz's Homily - july 19, 2009 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Fr. Mulcahy's Homily - july 19, 2009 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Martyrs of the Lord, bless the Lord forever.

From the Catholic Encyclopedia:

One of the first great martyrs of the church. He was made Bishop of Ravenna by St. Peter himself. The miracles he wrought there soon attracted official attention, for they and his preaching won many converts to the Faith, while at the same time bringing upon him the fury of the idolaters, who beat him cruelly and drove him from the city. He was found half dead on the seashore, and kept in concealment by the Christians, but was captured again and compelled to walk on burning coals and a second time expelled. But he remained in the vicinity, and continued his work of evangelization. We find him then journeying in the province of Aemilia. A third time he returned to Ravenna. Again he was captured, hacked with knives, had scalding water poured over his wounds, was beaten in the mouth with stones because he persisted in preaching, and then, loaded with chains, was flung into a horrible dungeon to starve to death; but after four days he was put on board ship and sent to Greece. There the same course of preachings, and miracles, and sufferings continued; and when his very presence caused the oracles to be silent, he was, after a cruel beating, sent back to Italy. All this continued for three years, and a fourth time he returned to Ravenna. By this time Vespasian was Emperor, and he, in answer to the complaints of the pagans, issued a decree of banishment against the Christians. Apollinaris was kept concealed for some time, but as he was passing out of the gates of the city, was set upon and savagely beaten, probably at Classis, a suburb, but he lived for seven days, foretelling meantime that the persecutions would increase, but that the Church would ultimately triumph. It is not certain what was his native place, though it was probably Antioch. Nor is it sure that he was one of the seventy-two disciples of Christ, as has been suggested. The precise date of his consecration cannot be ascertained, but he was Bishop of Ravenna for twenty-six years.

Click here and here for more on the life of St. Apollinaris.

All-powerful, ever-living God,
you gave Saint Apollinaris the courage to witness to the gospel of Christ
even to the point of giving his life for it.
By his prayers help us to endure all suffering for love of you
and to seek you with all our hearts,
for you alone are the source of life.

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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Click below to view video of a lecture given recently by Fr. Anthony Giambrone, OP, on how to develop a properly Christian understanding of the Scriptures, especially the Old Testament.  Over the course of his talk, Fr. Giambrone suggests that we use the New Testament as the hermeneutical key to unlock the full meaning of the Old Testament.  This lecture was part of the 2009 Summer Lecture Series currently being offered at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Zanesville, OH.

Many of you may remember that Fr. Giambrone was assigned to St. Vincent’s last summer as a deacon.  He was ordained a priest this past May.  This fall, Fr. Giambrone will begin graduate studies in Scripture at the Dominican-run École Biblique in Jerusalem.

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How blessed the man whose heart goes out to the poor;
those who trust in the Lord delight in showing mercy.

A military veteran and reformed gambler, St. Camillus de Lellis grew in grace to become a nurse, a religious founder, and eventually a saint.

From the Catholic Encyclopedia:

Camillus de Lellis was the son of an officer who had served both in the Neapolitan and French armies. His mother died when he was a child, and he grew up absolutely neglected. When still a youth he became a soldier in the service of Venice and afterwards of Naples, until 1574, when his regiment was disbanded. While in the service he became a confirmed gambler, and in consequence of his losses at play was at times reduced to a condition of destitution. The kindness of a Franciscan friar induced him to apply for admission to that order, but he was refused. He then betook himself to Rome, where he obtained employment in the Hospital for Incurables. He was prompted to go there chiefly by the hope of a cure of abscesses in both his feet from which he had been long suffering. He was dismissed from the hospital on account of his quarrelsome disposition and his passion for gambling. He again became a Venetian soldier, and took part in the campaign against the Turks in 1569. After the war he was employed by the Capuchins at Manfredonia on a new building which they were erecting. His old gambling habit still pursued him, until a discourse of the guardian of the convent so startled him that he determined to reform. He was admitted to the order as a lay brother, but was soon dismissed on account of his infirmity. He betook himself again to Rome, where he entered the hospital in which he had previously been, and after a temporary cure of his ailment became a nurse, and winning the admiration of the institution by his piety and prudence, he was appointed director of the hospital.

While in this office, he attempted to found an order of lay infirmarians, but the scheme was opposed, and on the advice of his friends, among whom was his spiritual guide, St. Philip Neri, he determined to become a priest. He was then thirty-two years of age and began the study of Latin at the Jesuit College in Rome. He afterwards established his order, the Fathers of a Good Death (1584), and bound the members by vow to devote themselves to the plague-stricken; their work was not restricted to the hospitals, but included the care of the sick in their homes. Pope Sixtus V confirmed the congregation in 1586, and ordained that there should be an election of a general superior every three years. Camillus was naturally the first, and was succeeded by an Englishman, named Roger. Two years afterwards a house was established in Naples, and there two of the community won the glory of being the first martyrs of charity of the congregation, by dying in the fleet which had been quarantined off the harbour, and which they had visited to nurse the sick. In 1591 Gregory XIV erected the congregation into a religious order, with all the privileges of the mendicants. It was again confirmed as such by Clement VIII, in 1592. The infirmity which had prevented his entrance among the Capuchins continued to afflict Camillus for forty-six years, and his other ailments contributed to make his life one of uninterrupted suffering, but he would permit no one to wait on him, and when scarcely able to stand would crawl out of his bed to visit the sick. He resigned the generalship of the order, in 1607, in order to have more leisure for the sick and poor. Meantime he had established many houses in various cities of Italy. He is said to have had the gift of miracles and prophecy. He died at the age of sixty-four while pronouncing a moving appeal to his religious brethren. He was buried near the high altar of the church of St. Mary Magdalen, at Rome, and, when the miracles which were attributed to him were officially approved, his body was placed under the altar itself. He was beatified in 1742, and in 1746 was canonized by Benedict XIV.

In 1930, Pope Pius XI named St. Camillus, along with St. John of God, the co-patron of nurses.

For more on the life of St. Camillus de Lellis, click here and here.

Click here for the homepage of the Order of St. Camillus.

Father,
you gave Saint Camillus a special love for the sick.
Through his prayers inspire us with your grace,
so that by serving you in our brothers and sisters
we may come safely to you at the end of our lives.

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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Click below to listen to today’s program.

Joining me to discuss the readings for the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time was Archbishop Augustine DiNoia, OP, the newly-appointed Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.  In the context of his own recent ordination to the episcopacy, Archbishop DiNoia explained the role of the bishop in the Church as a teacher and shepherd of souls.

At the end of the program Fr. Gabriel Gillen, OP, shared the homily he has prepared for this weekend.

“Word to Life” airs live every Friday afternoon at 1:00 PM Eastern on The Catholic Channel, Sirius 159 and XM 117.

Word to Life - July 17, 2009 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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The Media Relations Office of the USCCB recently published out a list of ten pointers for Catholics looking to engage Scripture more intelligently and spiritually.  Compiled by Mary Elizabeth Sperry, the list is as follows:

1. Bible reading is for Catholics. The Church encourages Catholics to make reading the Bible part of their daily prayer lives. Reading these inspired words, people grow deeper in their relationship with God and come to understand their place in the community God has called them to in himself.

2. Prayer is the beginning and the end. Reading the Bible is not like reading a novel or a history book. It should begin with a prayer asking the Holy Spirit to open our hearts and minds to the Word of God. Scripture reading should end with a prayer that this Word will bear fruit in our lives, helping us to become holier and more faithful people.

3. Get the whole story! When selecting a Bible, look for a Catholic edition. A Catholic edition will include the Church’s complete list of sacred books along with introductions and notes for understanding the text. A Catholic edition will have an imprimatur notice on the back of the title page. An imprimatur indicates that the book is free of errors in Catholic doctrine.

4. The Bible isn’t a book. It’s a library. The Bible is a collection of 73 books written over the course of many centuries. The books include royal history, prophecy, poetry, challenging letters to struggling new faith communities, and believers’ accounts of the preaching and passion of Jesus. Knowing the genre of the book you are reading will help you understand the literary tools the author is using and the meaning the author is trying to convey.

5. Know what the Bible is – and what it isn’t. The Bible is the story of God’s relationship with the people he has called to himself. It is not intended to be read as history text, a science book, or a political manifesto. In the Bible, God teaches us the truths that we need for the sake of our salvation.

6. The sum is greater than the parts. Read the Bible in context. What happens before and after – even in other books – helps us to understand the true meaning of the text.

7. The Old relates to the New. The Old Testament and the New Testament shed light on each other. While we read the Old Testament in light of the death and resurrection of Jesus, it has its own value as well. Together, these testaments help us to understand God’s plan for human beings.

8. You do not read alone. By reading and reflecting on Sacred Scripture, Catholics join those faithful men and women who have taken God’s Word to heart and put it into practice in their lives. We read the Bible within the tradition of the Church to benefit from the holiness and wisdom of all the faithful.

9. What is God saying to me? The Bible is not addressed only to long-dead people in a faraway land. It is addressed to each of us in our own unique situations. When we read, we need to understand what the text says and how the faithful have understood its meaning in the past. In light of this understanding, we then ask: What is God saying to me?

10. Reading isn’t enough. If Scripture remains just words on a page, our work is not done. We need to meditate on the message and put it into action in our lives. Only then can the word be “living and effective” (Hebrews 4:12).

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Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them;
we will come to them and make our dwelling with them, alleluia.

Today the Dominican Order celebrates the feast of Blessed Ceslaus of Poland, who knew St. Dominic and entered the Order of Preachers under his direction. Together with his brother, St. Hyacinth, Ceslaus helped to found the Order in Eastern Europe.

From the Catholic Encyclopedia:

Born at Kamien in Silesia, Poland, about 1184; died at Breslau about 1232. Ceslaus was of the noble family of Odrowatz and a relative, probably a brother, of St. Hyacinth.  Having studied philosophy at Prague, he pursued his theological and juridical studies at the University of Bologna, after which he returned to Cracow, where he held the office of canon and custodian of the church of Sandomir.  About 1218 he accompanied his uncle Ivo, Bishop of Cracow, to Rome.  Hearing of the great sanctity of St. Dominic, who had recently raised to life the nephew of Cardinal Orsini, Ceslaus, together with St. Hyacinth, sought admission into the Order of Friars Preachers.  They received the religious habit from the hands of St. Dominic in the convent of Sabina. Their novitiate completed, St. Dominic sent they two young religious back as missionaries to their own country.  Establishing a monastery at Friesach in Austria, they proceeded to Cracow whence Ceslaus was sent by St. Hyacinth to Prague, the metropolis of Bohemia.

Laboring with much fruit throughout the Diocese of Prague, Ceslaus went to Breslau, where he founded a large monastery, and then extended his apostolic labors over a vast territory, embracing Bohemia, Poland, Pomerania, and Saxony.  Sometime after the death of St. Hyacinth he was chosen provincial of Poland.  Whilst he was superior of the convent of Breslau all Poland was threatened by the Tatars.  The city of Breslau being besieged, the people sought the aid of Celaus, who by his prayers miraculously averted the impending calamity.  Four persons are said to have been raised to life by him. Having always been venerated as a saint, his cult was finally confirmed by Clement XI in 1713.  His feast his celebrated throughout the Dominican Order on July 16.

For more on the life of Blessed Ceslaus, click here and here.

Loving God,
you gave Blessed Ceslaus
a burning zeal for the salvation of souls,
and filled him with wondrous grace to preach the gospel.
May we be true to his example,
and so be able to spread the faith
by our preaching and by the way we live.

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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I have openly sought wisdom in my prayers,
and it has blossomed like early grapes.

Don’t forget to say a prayer today for our Carmelite brothers and sisters as they celebrate the feast of their patroness, Our Lady of Mount Carmel.  As you know, the Carmelite tradition has produced some of the Church’s greatest saints. St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, St. Therese of Lisieux, Bl. Elizabeth of the Trinity, pray for us!

From the Catholic Encyclopedia:

This feast was instituted by the Carmelites between 1376 and 1386 under the title “Commemoratio B. Marif Virg. duplex” to celebrate the victory of their order over its enemies on obtaining the approbation of its name and constitution from Honorius III on 30 Jan., 1226 (see Colvenerius, “Kal. Mar.”, 30 Jan. “Summa Aurea”, III, 737). The feast was assigned to 16 July, because on that date in 1251, according to Carmelite traditions, the scapular was given by the Blessed Virgin to St. Simon Stock; it was first approved by Sixtus V in 1587. After Cardinal Bellarmine had examined the Carmelite traditions in 1609, it was declared the patronal feast of the order, and is now celebrated in the Carmelite calendar . . . under the title “Commemoratio solemnis B.V.M. de Monte Carmelo”. By a privilege given by Clement X in 1672, some Carmelite monasteries keep the feast on the Sunday after 16 July, or on some other Sunday in July. In the seventeenth century the feast was adopted by several dioceses in the south of Italy, although its celebration, outside of Carmelite churches, was prohibited in 1628 by a decree contra abusus. On 21 Nov., 1674, however, it was first granted by Clement X to Spain and its colonies, in 1675 to Austria, in 1679 to Portugal and its colonies, and in 1725 to the Papal States of the Church, on 24 Sept., 1726, it was extended to the entire Latin Church by Benedict XIII. The lessons contain the legend of the scapular; the promise of the Sabbatine privilege was inserted into the lessons by Paul V about 1614. The Greeks of southern Italy and the Catholic Chaldeans have adopted this feast of the “Vestment of the Blessed Virgin Mary”. The object of the feast is the special predilection of Mary for those who profess themselves her servants by wearing her scapular.

Click here for the history and tradition of the Carmelite Order, and here for helpful information on the brown scapular.

Father,
may the prayers of the Virgin Mary protect us
and help us to reach Christ her Son
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever. Amen.

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O blessed doctor, Saint Bonaventure,
light of holy Church and lover of God’s law,
pray to the Son of God for us.

We join our Franciscan brothers and sisters today in celebrating the feast of one of their greats, St. Bonaventure.  Tradition calls Bonaventure the “Seraphic Doctor,” a title that recalls the unusually mystical form of his theological writing.

Born in Viterbo, just north of Rome, Bonaventure entered the Franciscan Order in his late teens.  Though a member of the Roman Province, he was sent to study at the University of Paris, which at the time was Europe’s premier school for theology.  Bonaventure excelled at his studies, eventually becoming a prominent member of the Paris faculty.

At the age of 36, Bonaventure was elected minister general of the Franciscans, and for the rest of his life he worked to settle the ongoing disputes that plagued the Friars Minor after their founder’s death.  Bonaventure refused the Archbishopric of York when it was offered to him, but later he was obliged to take the See of Albano, for which he was made a cardinal.  Bonaventure died in 1274 while attending the Council of Lyons.

St. Bonaventure and St. Thomas Aquinas were contemporaries at the University of Paris.  As teachers, they shared opinions on many topics, but they disagreed on one crucial and fundamental point.  Whereas St. Thomas spent himself organizing a system and method of theology built on the metaphysics of Aristotle, which he took in large part to be true, St. Bonaventure remained leery of putting so much trust in unaided reason.  Following the greater Augustinian tradition, the Franciscan doctor insisted on the necessity of grace to discover truth, even truths of the natural world, at least in discerning their connection to God, from whose eternal truth they flow and become known.  Hence, Bonaventure chastised the ancient Greeks, including Aristotle, for their folly and pride, mocking their confidence in the half-truths they cobbled together without the light of faith.  St. Thomas, on the other hand, confident in the power of unaided reason to glean real truth from the natural world, trusted philosophy to serve as a greater aid to the science of theology than Bonaventure would allow.

This disagreement, among others, led to no small rivalry among their students and disciples. Legends arose as to which saint was the true master of the other. Even artists entered the fray.  Take, for example, the following image.  In it, St. Bonaventure reveals to an astonished Aquinas the true secret of Christian wisdom.

I’m not sure that St. Thomas needed reminding that Christ Crucified is the true revelation of God’s wisdom and love, but you get the point, at least from the Franciscan point of view.

The Dominicans, however, were not to be outdone.  While studying in Italy, I saw hanging in a Dominican priory an immense tapestry that depicts St. Thomas sitting at his desk writing the texts for the Corpus Christi liturgy.  In the doorway of Aquinas’s room, Bonaventure is seen peering over Thomas’s shoulder and tearing up his own texts, having realized their inadequacy.   Again, you get the point, this time from the Dominican point of view.

I rather like the following image, which depicts a scene from Dante’s Paradiso.  In it, St. Bonaventure is introducing Dante and Beatrice to St. Thomas and other saints enthroned in glory.  Those familiar with the scene in Canto XII will know that this isn’t exactly what happens in the text.  Nevertheless, the image gives us a clear indication as to which of the two doctors plays second fiddle in the communion of saints.  (Again, from the Dominican point of view.)

For more on the life and doctrines of St. Bonaventure, click here, here, and here.

Click here for access to Bonaventure’s works in Latin, French, and English.

All-powerful Father,
may we who celebrate the feast of Saint Bonaventure
always benefit from h is wisdom
and follow the example of his love.

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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