Profile of the Early Christian Martyrs

Originally posted on January 11th, 2012.

No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends.

-John 15:13


Preface:

The following excerpt is an eloquent and insightful account of the humanity and the heroism of the early Christian martyrs. Taken from Henri Daniel-Rops’ book, The Church of the Apostles and Martyrs (1948).


Beyond Their Humanity:
"As [the early Christian martyrs] faced death, all, from the most famous to the most humble, gave proof of the steadfastness of spirit and a tranquility which frequently aroused the admiration even of those who did not share their faith. We have here a unique collection of witness, given by man to man, demonstrating all that is best and purest in him.

These victims possessed no greater strength than ours with which to face the horrible deaths which they knew awaited them; there was no hypnotic ecstasy blinding them to their reality of their fate. On the contrary, one of the most touching features of their suffering is the simple candor with which the Christians themselves spoke of it. We know that they talked about the subject among themselves in the prisons where they lay awaiting the final moment; they wondered if the executioner’s sword hurt a great deal, if one needed to suffer much to die; they discussed the tortures which they realized would be inflicted upon them. But they overcame the horror of these terrible pictures, which their imaginations so easily conjured up. Very, very few of them wavered at the last moment. Encouraging one another, exchanging the kiss of peace, even more united in the moment of sacrifice than in their everyday lives, where it was only human that discords and dissensions should have existed, they went steadfastly to execution, bearing in their hearts that peace which Christ had promised them.

But it is just as important to remember the meaning which the early Christians gave to these deeds of heroism as it is to remember the heroism itself. There are many ways of being brave, and many reasons for facing death; there are some people whose sacrifice has no meaning behind it…In sacrificing themselves as they did, the Christians of the persecutions were pursuing a very definite object. They were giving their lives for a reality which gave those lives their whole meaning. They were, literally, testimonies in themselves. And for this reason, since according to the ancient legal custom the testimony of the humblest folk- the outcasts and slaves –was always obtained under torture, the word martyr has come to mean both he who testifies and he who suffers death in doing so.

Nevertheless the Christians did not in fact go out of their way to give this testimony, or to put it more accurately, they did not seek to provoke the opportunity for testifying…Not to pursue vainglory, even by the means of the most complete sacrifice, but, whenever it was the will of Providence that testimony should be given not to flinch from the obligation, and to go forward steadfastly, testifying to the end: such, in its wisdom and its greatness, is the moral philosophy of the martyrs’ heroism. They must accept their fate, never seeking to be revenged upon their persecutors: their act of self-denial must be based on love, just as Jesus, on the Cross, forgave his executioners; ‘to live as He lived, to die as He died,’ as one of the greatest mystics was to many years later: martyrdom is the climax to a life entirely oriented towards Christian testimony, the crowning point of that life…


The Effects of Martyrdom:
What were the results of this spoken testimony, and of the even more striking testimony of blood? They were enormous. There is something catching about heroism, to which the human soul, though it may not contain a great deal of nobility, is very susceptible. On several occasions Christians who were merely watching a trial in which some of their brethren were appearing were some way or other caught up in the fervor of the latter’s faith, going so far as to betray themselves by their own shouts of exaltation. This is how Vetius had given himself away at Lyons. The desire to emulate the example of others carried certain martyrs beyond the bounds of self; for what other emotion could men feel who saw their friends dying; and attaining celestial glory thereby, or sons who life the young Origen, watched the execution of their own fathers? Sometimes they would rush, one after another, to take their place on the scaffold. Nothing links the supporters of a cause together so firmly as the bond of blood: it was the seal that ratified nascent Christianity.

Martyrdom had no less profound effect on the pagan spectators. Probably the majority of those in the amphitheater who watched the extraordinary spectacle of these sacrifices derived nothing from them save the gratification of their basest passions. But other feelings are also apparent…Sometimes the spectators’ revulsion at the suffering inflicted on the Christians was so great that their nerve broke: they ended by pitying the victims. This had happened during the time of Nero, and it was to occur again at Smyrna. Certain upright folk were indignant at seeing human beings who had committed no felony treated like criminals, and now and then this reflection alone led to conversion. Even some of the magistrates were moved, and showed themselves not merely humane in their efforts to save the accused, but troubled, even curious about this faith which raised men to such heroic heights….

‘It is the man who loses his life for my sake who will secure it.’ In this short sentence of Christ’s lies the who explanation of the heroism shown by the martyrs; their experience, their sacrifice, has real meaning only when interpreted in terms of a supernatural intention. Of course every human cause can find its fanatics, who are willing to die to ensure its triumph; but properly speaking the martyrs were not thinking of the triumph of their cause in the sense in which one speaks of ‘cause’ in relation to a modern political party or a philosophical doctrine; they were striving after something which transcended the struggles of the earth. They were Christ’s witness and the soldiers of the Kingdom of God.


The Sacramental Act of Heroism:

Thus martyrdom was not only a political fact, the logical consequence of a conflict between a revolutionary doctrine and an established order. It was a fundamental attribute of the primitive Church, a sacramental act, which was granted like a gift, like ‘the Grace of Graces,’ to certain privileged souls, and whose supernatural effects were transformed in turn upon the whole community of the children of God. Absolute faith in Jesus, complete trust in His promise, charity so great that it becomes self-oblation: three theological virtues are fulfilled in the act of martyrdom with a completeness unrivaled elsewhere; the entire Christian experience- moral, ascetical and mystical –finds its most perfect expression in the sacrifice of blood…

Thus, St. Gregory the Great was to write, ‘Christ will truly become a host for us when we have made ourselves a host for him.’ And we think once more of St. Ignatius’ desire to be the course grain, ground in the mill of persecution, in order to become the pure white bread of God…

Quite often, at the very last, He would give them the gift of prophesy, and of supernatural visions. But, more important still, it was through death that union with Christ was achieved. As they face execution these privileged souls bore within them the marvelous certainty that they were being freed from the bondage of their earthly bodies to be welcomed into Divine Bliss, they were going straight to heaven…

The blood that was shed in the amphitheaters absolved and redeemed. It assembled all the merits that man could acquire and consecrated them to the Crucified God. ‘Whosoever dies for the faith,’ said St. Clement of Alexandria at a later date, ‘realizes the perfection of charity.’

Their bodies, in which the Lord had resided- those bodies were part of the Crucified Body of Christ –rapidly became objects of special devotion, the first form of the devotion of the saints…The habit of placing relics under the altar is, therefore, the precise result of this very ancient observance, and the Roman liturgy preserves intact a fundamental connection of the Christian faith when, on the Thursday of the third week in Lent, on the festival of St. Cosmas and Damian, it declares: ‘In memory of the precious death of thy righteous ones, we offer Thee, O Lord, this sacrifice, which has been the principle of all martyrdom.’ There is no better way of marking the affiliation which, through martyrdom, binds the Mass and the Eucharist to the sacrifice of the living God…[I]n remembering the historic role assumed by these defeated folk, these seekers after the Kingdom of God who, by their death, vanquished the kingdom of this earth, we remember that sentence of St. Paul’s, which so aptly expresses the guiding principle of the whole primitive Church: ‘When I am weakest, then I am strongest of all’" (II Corinthians 13:10).

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Notes:

This last passage by St. Paul is especially profound given the topic: “When I am weakest, then I am strongest of all.” The act of killing appears to the naked eye to be the ultimate conquest; and being killed, the ultimate defeat. As the bodies of the martyrs lay there in lifeless form in the middle of the Coliseum, their lives seemingly came to an abrupt and tragic end. But the impact and ripple effect of their spiritual sacrifice had only just begun. As with Christ’s crucifixion, what seemed to be a loss and a concession of weakness for these martyrs, was in fact, the chosen instrument which God would use to sanctify unclean souls, civilize a barbaric human race and infuse love into a world that had turned cruel.

Just as we are trained to see the Risen Christ under the appearance of bread and wine- to see holy water as no ordinary water –to see the Life of Christ being transmitted through the Sacraments –to hear God’s own Word through human language, the early Christians were likewise trained to see through the tragedy of Roman executions. For them, martyrdom was a sacramental offering which had the closest of connections with the Eucharistic sacrifice of the altar. As St. Ignatius of Antioch said, "I am the wheat of God, and am ground by the teeth of the wild beasts, that I may be found the pure bread of God." (St. Ignatius was a bishop of Antioch and personal friends with St. Peter, St. John and the Blessed Virgin Mary) Indeed, the loving sacrifice of martyrdom did nothing short of scattering God's graces far and wide. It meant eternal life for the martyr and conversion for sinners.

You're the man!

The First Reading for Sunday, June 16, 2013:

Nathan said to David: “Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘I anointed you king of Israel. I rescued you from the hand of Saul. I gave you your lord’s house and your lord’s wives for your own. I gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were not enough, I could count up for you still more. Why have you spurned the Lord and done evil in his sight? You have cut down Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you took his wife as your own, and him you killed with the sword of the Ammonites. Now, therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah to be your wife.’ Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” Nathan answered David: “The LORD on his part has forgiven your sin: you shall not die.”

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What the prophet Nathan was to King David, the Church is to the State. Israel had its kings. But Israel also had its prophets.

The two offices- the former performing a civil function, the latter a religious one –had once been united under one leader. God’s original plan for Israel was that he should rule his people through his divinely anointed leaders through a kind of prophetic charism. In fact, early in Israel’s history, Moses, Joshua and the Twelve Judges were not only chosen by the Lord, but it was through them that he governed and shepherded his people. However, there came a time when the Israelites grew tired of God’s leadership. Hence, they demanded from Samuel, the last of the Judges, to be like other nations. And it just so happened that other nations had kings. Without saying as much, it was the Israelites way of expressing their disapproval of God’s reign over them.

But with this preference for a monarchy, human fallibility and corruption increased ten-fold within the government of Israel. Soon after Saul, the first king of Israel, mounted the throne to govern Israel, God began to raise up prophets to hold the kings accountable. The kingly and prophetic offices, once integrated into one office under the Judges, had been partitioned into two different offices.

This serves as the background for the First Reading (at the top of the page). King David was the second king of Israel. And although he had a heart for the Lord, he was a sinner. To make a long story short, he took a liking to another man’s wife. The woman's name was Bathsheba. But the other man, Urriah, happened to be a loyal soldier of King David. In order to eliminate his competition for Bathsheba, King David had Urriah killed. Indeed, the king of Israel had abused his royal power. Worse yet, he had offended God.

This is where the prophet Nathan steps in. The thing to know about prophets is that they are not servile. They know obedience to civil authority but their obedience is tempered by their obedience to a higher authority, namely, God's. Nor were they concerned in the least about human respect. Political power and social prestige did not deter them from speaking God's Word. This is a great lesson for the Church. As for priests and seminarians who cared too much about what others think of them, Cardinal James Gibbons, in 19th century, addressed these words to them: “You sacrifice principle to expediency, you subordinate the voice of God to the voice of man, you surrender your Christian liberty and manly independence, and you become the slave of a fellow creature."

Nathan was servant to David, but he was no slave. His duty was to speak the words of God to the king; even if these words were one of reproof and chastisement. And as we can garner from the First Reading, the prophet Nathan not only represented God’s justice to the King David, but he also was an advocate for the little guy, namely, Urriah. Sadly, his life was taken from him simply because the king coveted his wife. It is important to note that saying what Nathan said could have cost him his life. But he did it anyway.

Instead of condemning King David outright, the prophet Nathan told a parable. After all, people tend to be more objective about a moral case when it doesn’t involve them. So, Nathan said to David,

"Judge this case for me! In a certain town there were two men, one rich, the other poor. The rich man had flocks and herds in great numbers. But the poor man had nothing at all except one little ewe lamb that he had bought. He nourished her, and she grew up with him and his children. She shared the little food he had and drank from his cup and slept in his bosom. She was like a daughter to him. Now, the rich man received a visitor, but he would not take from his own flocks and herds to prepare a meal for the wayfarer who had come to him. Instead he took the poor man's ewe lamb and made a meal of it for his visitor."

Not knowing that he was the rich man in the story, King David became indignant and exclaimed that the rich man merits death. Then, as if to stand up and point his finger at the king, the prophet said: “You’re the man!” In other words, what you did to Urriah- O King! -is tantamount to what the rich man did to the poor man in the parable. This is why Nathan asked David, “Why have you spurned the Lord and done evil in his sight?” To be sure, God’s punishment did visit the house of David but David himself would be spared.

As bad as David was, he did have a heart for the Lord. As such, he was cut to the heart when he heard the accusation leveled against him. So moved by God’s disapproval, he sat down and wrote Psalm 51. It begins with these words: “Have mercy on me, God, in accord with your merciful love; in your abundant compassion blot out my transgressions. Thoroughly wash away my guilt; and from my sin cleanse me...”

The prophet Nathan- probably not knowing what King David would do -courageously reproved him for his injustice. And wouldn’t you know it, the greatest king Israel ever had in the Old Testament was moved to repentance.

The Catholic Church too is a prophet. Like Nathan, she has a responsibility to use her prophetic voice so that the State may know God’s will and- at the very least -have the opportunity to repent of its injustices. But the State can never rid itself of its evils through repentance if the Church should fail to raise her voice and say to the State: “You’re the man!”

The Police State and Christian Confidence

“You will never destroy our sect! Mark this well: when you think you are striking it down, you are, in reality, strengthening it. The public will become restive at so much courage. It will long to know its origin. And when a man recognizes the truth- he’s ours!”

-Tertullian, The Apology (his letter to the Roman magistrate) 190-200 A.D.


Elements of a police state :

Conservative commentators, such as Mark Levin and Mike Huckabee, have recently expressed their concerns about the scandals of the Obama administration as having “elements of a police state.” Disclosures from media reports and congressional hearings suggest that the federal government is using its political power against its own citizens; most especially with regard to those who are politically disagreeable to them.

Even in America, there are consequences when Christianity is purged from the public square. To be sure, the point at which State power ends and where the rights of private citizens begin are more blurred today than ever before. Ambitious politicians will hardly resist the temptation to exploit faded boundaries. As Vladimir Soloviev once said on the eve of the Russian Revolution: "Once the supremacy of one's own interest is recognized and legalized in politics only as mine, then it becomes absolutely impossible to point out boundaries of this mine..."


Emboldening the wicked:

History shows that when politicians make a power grab for the controls of government, they frequently presume that good men will do little or nothing to stop them. In other words, the elements of a police state are not only advanced by the assertiveness of evil men, but also by the passivity of godly men. As Pope Leo XIII said over a century ago, to entertain doubts about our mission is profitable only to the enemies of the faith; for nothing emboldens the wicked so greatly as the lack of courage on the part of the good.  Indeed, the absence of courage on the part of good people in America- and here, I refer principally to Christians –has produced fertile soil for the elements of the police state to surface. Whether or not it goes any further than that is up to the people of God.


Knowing their weakness:

The Catholic Church, throughout her history, has seen the police state come and go. Interestingly, when the police state did come- especially in the twentieth century - too few Christians were able to discredit it and expose its weakness. Neither were they confident in their own position as Christ’s ambassadors. But in order to subvert any repressive regime, its weakness must be known and exploited. This applies especially to what St. Augustine called the “city of man,” which refers to the world. In fact, ungodly and the worldly powers that be may have the veneer of invincibility, but on the inside there looms elements of decay and instability. As Christopher Dawson, Catholic historian, once said:

“And while the City of God is stronger than it appears to be, the city of man is weaker. The forces that appear to make human civilization so irresistible—its wealth, its economic organization, and its military power—are essentially hollow, and crumble to dust as soon as the human purpose that animates them loses its strength.”


Knowing our strength:

The Church Fathers in particular, and the early Christians in general, took this fact for granted. Not only did they publicly attest that political powers and social prestige in their own day were inherently unstable, but they gave voice to cosmic and historic importance of the Catholic Church. For St. Cyprian, Noah’s Ark was but the Sacrament of the Church of Christ. To Hermas, around the year 140 A.D., the pre-existence of the Church was revealed. As for St. Clement, the fourth pope, he styled the Church as the “first born” and that which was “created before the sun and the moon.” St. Augustine went further by teaching that the “Church was in Abel…in Enoch…at one time in the house of Noah alone…at one time…in Abraham alone.” About two hundred years later, Pope St. Gregory the Great said, “The Church produces as many saints as the vineyard shoots.” And to add yet another quote to illustrate the confidence the Fathers had in the Church is from St. John Chrysostom. He said, “The Church is the pillar of the world.”

It can even be said that the more the Church was persecuted by the ancient police state, the more emboldened the early Christians became. They understood that affliction and death for them was life for others. As St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “If we are afflicted, it is for your encouragement and salvation.” And in that same letter he also reminded them: “So death is at work in us, but life in you.” The Church Fathers displayed an unwavering confidence that the life of Jesus Christ- as he existed in their souls and as he existed in the Church -was not only a benefit to society, but necessary to it.


What we mean to them:

Tertullian, for one, reminded the ancient state of Rome that it is not they who protected the Christians (that is, when they weren’t persecuting the Christians) but rather it was the Church who protected the State. For instance, Tertullian, a Father of the Church (190 A.D.), wrote a letter to a Roman magistrate reminding him of the dire consequences if Christians were to be eliminated. This letter was written during a fierce persecution against the Church (190-200 A.D.). To be sure, this Catholic priest from Africa could have been killed because of it. At any rater, here is but one short passage from that letter:

“We are but of yesterday, and we have filled every place among you—cities, islands, fortresses, towns, market-places, the very camp, tribes, companies, palace, senate, forum,—we have left nothing to you but the temples of your gods...Why, you would be horror-struck at the solitude in which you would find yourselves, at such an all-prevailing silence, and that stupor as of a dead world...Who would save you, I mean, from the attacks of those evil spirits, which without reward or hire we exorcise? This alone would be revenge enough for us, that you were henceforth left free to the possession of unclean spirits. But instead of taking into account what is due to us for the important protection we afford you, and though we are not merely no trouble to you, but in fact necessary to your well-being, you prefer to hold us enemies, as indeed we are, yet not of man, but rather of his error.”

Not only are we no trouble to you, Tertullian said, but in fact we are necessary for your well-being. What a bold thing to say! And yet such confidence and spirit of magnanimity was common among the Fathers; even as their lives were being threatened. When Jesus said to his disciples, “You are the salt of the earth” and “You are the light of the world,” he was not only referring to the influence Christians would have on the individual soul, but on society itself! For the early Church, this divine calling to be the salt for the earth and light to the world was not a dead letter. Its significance was alive and active in her members. They embraced it and made it there own. Hence, they were brimming with a sense of mission and purpose. With this, the early Fathers were able to articulate the kind of dignity and splendor Christians possessed. And you know what? The early Christians believed it!


What we meant to them:

Historians tell us that the twentieth century was the century of martyrs. In fact, more martyrs were made by the modern police state in the twentieth century than by the old pagan state in the first centuries of Church. For instance, during the 1920’s, Catholics in Mexico became acquainted with the brutality of the police state, courtesy of the communists. Scores of faithful Catholics, who refused to bend their necks to the Mexican police state, were hanged or shot by firing squads.

The propaganda of the communist against the Church in Mexico was not unlike the calumny unleashed by the pagans of antiquity. In both instances, enemies of the Church tried to discredit her contributions to culture. They fabricated myths that she was threat to the State. However, in each of those instances, the Church had answer to such accusations. For instance, in 1926 the U.S. Bishops publicly came to the defense of their brother bishops in Mexico in a pastoral letter. And in a spirit of solidarity, they cataloged- in detail –what the Church meant to Mexico’s heritage. Like Tertullian who, with a sense of self-assurance, informed the Roman prelate of the empire’s need for Christians, similarly, the U.S. Bishops reminded the Mexican government that its country once enjoyed progress and prosperity (from 1531 to 1800)- and that it was in every way comparable with its North American neighbor -precisely because of the Catholic Church. Indeed, before Mexico was menaced by revolutionaries imbued with the communist spirit in the late eighteenth century, she enjoyed every bit as much as progress as America did up to that point.

With this in mind, the U.S. Bishops- as if to speak on behalf of the Mexican Bishops -addressed pointed words to the Mexican police state. An excerpt from that pastoral letter reads as follows:

“Take out of your country all that I put in it, and see what remains. You may thrust me out, exile my bishops, murder my priests, again steal my schools and desecrate my sanctuaries, but you cannot blot out history, you cannot erase the mark I made on you—not in a century of centuries.”

And then they added:

“The Church is not fated to die, but she has learned how to suffer. With Him she will be crucified but with Him also she will rise.”

This is Christian confidence at its finest! And yet, this confidence in who we were and what we meant to society was expressed only a century ago. And to be sure, it was the kind of confidence was instrumental in undermining the police state…both in pagan Rome and in Mexico. Yet, within the last fifty years Christian confidence has been quieted and lulled to sleep. Where’s it expressed today and by whom?

Revisit the words of Christopher Dawson on the city of man- the Church Father’s on the cosmic importance of the Church- Tertullian on the social necessity of Christians- and the U.S. Bishops (Pastoral Letter of 1926) on what the Church meant to Mexico, and ask:

Does any one of us exude this confidence? Do we know how frail the powers of the world are? Do we understand how important we are; not because of who we are but because of what Christ can do through us? And finally, can we look back to our nation’s history and boldly point to the countless contributions of Christians and the benefits the Catholic Church has lavished on society? Can we, while placing all of our confidence in Christ, say: "Without us, America is nothing!"

If Christians can answer these questions in the affirmative, then the elements of a police state will be contained and short-lived in America.

Every Day is Father's Day

Reposting for Father’s Day:

I once attended an annual father-daughter dance with my two daughters at a local school. I always appreciate such events because it reminds me just how important fathers are to their daughters. I got to talking to another dad that I’ve known for five years or so. He’s married with two children. Within the last two or three years him and his wife have been more involved in parish ministries. To be sure, the two of them have taken their faith more seriously. But he is a traveling man and as most men do, he’ll let his wife run the household spiritual activities.

I asked him if he initiated prayer in the evenings when he is home. He answered in the negative. I then asked him if he initiates conversation about Christ at home with his two children. Again, he answered in the negative. Incidentally, he went on to tell me that his family decided to go to the Stations of the Cross devotion on the first Friday of Lent at our local parish. His son, the oldest child, put up a little fuss, claiming that they had gone to Mass the previous Sunday. For him, the practice of the Catholic Faith was a once-a-week deal.

Due to my familiarity with the father, I told him outright that it was his responsibility to initiate family prayers to God, conversation about Christ and the Faith and even to teach (informally or formally) his children about the importance about living the Gospel during the week. I then added: "If you do not groom out of your son the notion his faith is only a once-a-week thing, then you will lose him to the world when he goes to college."

I can’t tell you how many relatives and friends of mine lamented that their kids no longer attended Mass once they got into college. And in almost every single case, these disillusioned parents had developed the habit of confining their spiritual activity or the expression of their faith to Sunday Mass. But somewhere along the way their religion became routine. It was no longer a way of thinking and living. Rather, their Catholicism was something they did on a weekly basis.

What many parents did not realize – especially those who were parents in the mid-twentieth century – was that they came from an era or generation that was favorable to Christianity. During the 1940s and 1950s going through the routine of religious practice was sustainable because American culture was somewhat religious. After all, even Hollywood assumed a respectful posture towards the Christian religion during that time period. But that kind of automated religious practice (one more out of habit than real devotion) was no match for the tidal wave the Sexual Revolution was about to create. Is it any wonder, then, why so many priests and religious left their vocations in the late 1960s? And is it any wonder why there was a precipitous drop in Mass attendance in the years to follow?

No. Children instinctively know that a spiritual cause which requires the commitment and sacrifice of maintaining high moral standards- such as the Catholic Faith requires -can be intelligible only if there is an ongoing relationship with Christ during the week. The participation of the Mass presupposes that relationship. If the home is devoid a Christian culture in the home where Christ is an honored guest (not just an honored guest but the King of the Household) then I am afraid even the smallest of sacrifices, such as getting up on a Sunday morning, will hardly seem worth it. Indeed, the child who is trained in the "once-a-week Catholic” routine, will likely lose their faith in college.

This is where the father comes in. Scripture should be enough to prove this point but I will just mention that there are credible studies out there that show the impact a father has on his children’s spirituality, morality and even sexuality. In 1994 the Swiss conducted a study on parent’s religious practices and the effects it has on their children. When the father regularly attended church, his children were much more likely – 33 percent to 40 percent more likely – to attend church as adults; whereas when the mother attended church regularly (with or without the father), only about 5-6 percent of children kept the faith in their adulthood years.

While the percentages in the Swiss study may not be representative of church-going practices among families worldwide, the findings confirm what the Church has always taught: A father’s impact on the individual child is considerable. His role images God the Father. On the other hand, the mother has a great impact on the unity and relationships among family members. Her role images the Holy Spirit who binds the Father and the Son together in love. No doubt, both gifts overlap. But I do believe it is a great error to say that a father’s gifts are interchangeable with a mother’s gifts; as if neither is unique.

Catholic tradition has it that the father serves as a kind of high priest of the family. In fact, St. Paul told St. Titus that a wife should be under the guidance of her husband so that the “word of God may not be discredited.” (2:5) Because this is so politically incorrect, there are, unfortunately, few commentaries on this. But why would the word of God be discredited in such a case? Herein lies the reason why so many families, and even within the Church, are not as strong as they can be. The life-giving power of fatherhood- both supernatural/priesthood and natural/families –is no longer understood even among Christians. In fact, it is considered a threat when any emphasis is given to it.

Take, for instance, what St. Paul says in I Corinthians: “I praise you because you remember me in everything and hold fast to the traditions, just as I handed them on to you. But I want you to know that Christ is the head of every man, and a husband the head of his wife, and God the head of Christ.” (I Corinthians 11:2-3) To verbally cite this revealed truth in the words St. Paul would make many people cringe. This is why very homilists mention it. After all, the headship and authority of the father is simply deemed to be a threat…even by good Christians.

Yet, this interdependence between God and Christ, between Christ and man, and finally between man and woman is a God-given order through which God communicates himself to humanity. Disrupt this order and you begin to breakdown the Christian religion. You see, the father is the primary mediator between God and his family. Political correctness, egalitarianism or even envy cannot undo this design. As Pope Leo XIII and Pope Pius XI taught, the father is the head of the family and the mother is the heart. The father governs but the mother reigns. With that said, when the father is missing in action; when he does not lead the family to God – when he does not prepare his children for the world and most importantly – when he does not prepare his family for eternity, then he creates a void that is very, very difficult to fill. God can undoubtedly communicate his grace to children through a single-mom. Although this works as the exception, it does not work well as a rule.

In any case, the father’s role as the spiritual leader of the family is almost sacramental in nature; it is that powerful! Every day is father’s day. Every day is yet one more opportunity for the father of the family take up his responsibility as the high priest of the household. It is he who must make Christ relevant during the week for his family. He must become the gateway through which his children will enter the world; a world that has become unfriendly to its Redeemer. A degree in theology is not required for this sacred vocation. All it takes are two things: time and love. The rest will follow.

Passive fathers breed angry sons

When boys used to cry, their fathers used to say to them, “You better stop crying or I’ll give you something to cry about.” But today there are not a few fathers who are inclined to do everything in their power to keep their sons from crying at all. And this tendency has been institutionalized to a great extent.

In my social life and profession, I have noticed a trend among many fathers, who, with intentions inspired by compassion and kindness, allow their sons to indulge either in anger or self pity unchecked. In many cases, however, it is not the father’s compassion and kindness that is transmitted to their sons. When excessive whining, complaining or anger is not disrupted by some kind of disciplinary intervention, then boys are prone to habitual anger, even narcissism.

I have worked with- and have been friends with -fathers whose congenial demeanor has served them well in their profession and social life. But their inability to transition into a stern, disciplinary man of authority when their sons act-up or misbehave ends up having unintended consequences.

For one, a child is hard-pressed to respect a parent who does not discipline. Instead of love, the passive father gets ingratitude in return. Second, to acquiesce to the whims of children or to show a reluctance to discipline quite often reinforces bad behavior. Such passivity on the father’s part perpetuates the need for him to yell or raise his voice in giving his son directives. Sometimes this can go on for years. But the saddest display of passive fatherhood is when he begs his children to cooperate. Begging our own children to listen to us is the surest sign that we have given up on our own God-given parental authority.

It is as if today’s parents have lost sight of the value of adversity, punishment and even failure. As to dealing with failure, it is every bit as beneficial for a boy’s development as success. Moreover, being overlooked or ostracized by peers can be occasions for humility. As I recall from my childhood, it was the popular kids who never knew what it meant to be picked-on who struggled with arrogance and self-absorption. Bullying or losing is unpleasant to be sure, but there are many parents who feel that it is the worst of evils. As such, they do everything in their power to protect their children from these unfavorably circumstances. Sometimes, however, being overly protective of our kids can be just as harmful as the bullying or losing itself.

As to the institutionalization of this aversion to losing, sporting events for boys no longer stresses the importance of winning and achievement. This omission, quite often, is in deference to those boys who will inevitably feel the disappointment of loss. Even in the NFL, players get penalized for “taunting” the other team after a great play. From public institutions to sporting events for children, masculine virtues of triumph and conquest are slowly being smothered. Except for a few institutions like the military, boys are no longer being trained to be men.

The training of boys to be men starts with the father. But the father needs the community to reinforce this training. When a boy’s anger and self-pity is allowed to fester unchecked; when I see fathers and coaches do everything in their power to protect a child’s self-esteem at all cost; and when I see a real attempt to dismiss the value of discipline and punishment; kids naturally feel entitled to win. As such, they will not know how to process loss in the years to come. With such an attitude, they are deprived of learning invaluable lessons that come with trials and adversity.

When I attend community activities for boys, I feel like I am watching America make the same mistakes as other fallen civilizations did. For instance, when the Roman Empire was in a downward spiral, there was a gender imbalance of epidemic proportions. Masculinity was in short supply. In fact, these problems were to surface during the third century. Catholic historian, Henry Daniel-Rops had this to say: “The entire moral atmosphere of this epoch was permeated by a new style of feminism, which had been brought from the East by the Syrian princesses of Septimius Serverus’ [Roman emperor] family: women filled the roles of men because the men were wanting…” Men were wanting then, and I fear that men are wanting today."

If truth be told, it was Christianity that served to restore the gender balance by teaching and demonstrating to society what a real man and what a real woman was in Christ. By studying God as Father and Lord in Scripture, people came to understand how a father is supposed to behave. Throughout the bible, God was severe at times and yet at other times he was tender. He was also a God who rewarded and punished. And what is more, in his wisdom, he did not spare his servants from adversity.

Like his Father, Jesus Christ displayed these characteristics. As Cardinal James Gibbons said in 1921: “In His person was shown the excellence and true dignity of human nature, wherein human rights have their center. In His dealings with men, justice and mercy, sympathy and courage, pity for weakness and rebuke for hollow pretense were perfectly blended. Having fulfilled the law, He gave to His followers a new commandment.”

Christian manhood is the highest expression of masculinity. It is neither too aggressive or too passive.  The making of a Christian man, the old fashion way, anticipates the demands of life. It prepares boys for the real world. This world, which is quite unforgiving world, will inevitably test the character of every man.

Unfortunately, many fathers, coaches, and teachers in the twenty-first century are protecting boys from that real world. In so doing, there will be a new generation of boys who will struggle to be men.  Too many of them will not know how to manage their anger and self-pity when the world contradicts their will. It is then that the world will say to them, "Stop crying or I'll give you something to cry about!"

To Turn the Hearts of Fathers

Revised and reposted for new Sky View readers:

"Children who live absent their biological fathers are, on average, at least two to three times more likely to be poor, to use drugs, to experience educational, health, emotional and behavioral problems, to be victims of child abuse, and to engage in criminal behavior than their peers who live with their married, biological (or adoptive) parents.”

-Fatherhood.org


To Turn the Hearts of Fathers:

The prophet Malachi foretold that the coming of the Messiah would make men better fathers. In his own words: “To turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers…” (Malachi 3:24) During the Old Testament era, the absence of the Holy Spirit left men’s hearts unaffectionate and aloof. Rulers were brutal to their citizens and fathers were often cold toward their children. As with everything, there are notable exceptions. However, it wasn’t unknown for Roman emperors, the Herod dynasty and other pagan rulers to eliminate their sons if they proved to be an obstacle. Even Absalom rose up and rebelled against his father, Kind David (II Samuel 13).

Before Christ, infanticide was also common in the most civilized parts of the world. And in worst case scenarios, human sacrifices were practiced on every continent. For instance, where the State of Illinois is today, there was an Indian tribe called the “Mound Builders,” also known as the Natchez Indians. This sun-worshipping tribe, it was recently discovered, practiced human sacrifice.

Even with Israel and Judah in the Old Testament, upon falling away from the exclusive worship of Yahweh and thus adoring other gods, succumbed to the ritual of child and human sacrifice. “They immolated their sons and daughters by fire, practiced fortune-telling and divination, and sold themselves into evil doing in the LORD'S sight, provoking him till, in his great anger against Israel, the LORD put them away out of his sight.” (II Kings 17:17-18) This is what unredeemed human nature is capable of. We take it for granted what Christ has meant to the world and the civilizing effect he has had on human beings. As Hilaire Belloc said, one thing stands out, the unquestioned prevalence of cruelty in the unbaptized world.

But out of this darkness, God promised that a new day would dawn for humanity. Seven hundred years before the Incarnation of Christ, the Lord spoke through the prophet Ezekiel: “I will sprinkle clean water upon you to cleanse you from all your impurities, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. I will give you a new heart and place a new spirit within you, taking from your bodies your stony hearts and giving you natural hearts.” (Ezekiel 36:25-26) Around the same time Ezekiel wrote his inspired words, the prophet Malachi foretold the mission of St. John the Baptist. As the precursor of the Messiah, he would have a special effect on fathers: “He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of fathers toward children and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous, to prepare a people fit for the Lord.” (Luke 1:17) With natural hearts, after the coming of the Jesus Christ, men would turn toward their children and become the fathers they were created to be. 

In the Christian era, there was a new and generous diffusion of divine grace from heaven. With this, there arose a new understanding of God himself. But in days of old, God was known as Yahweh, the Almighty and the Supreme Being whose name was not to be pronounced. With the coming of his Son, however, the Almighty was also to be looked upon as a Father. St. Paul reminds us: “For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry, ‘Abba, Father!’ The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.” (Romans 8:15-17)

Supernatural fatherhood through the priesthood and the natural fatherhood, as it exists in the  the family, collaborate with one another so that the Divine Fatherhood of God may be more fully expressed. In many respects, the priest, in the spiritual order, ideally serves as a template and source of strength for fathers in the natural order. However, when a priest fails to be the spiritual father he should be for parishioners, this deficit has a ripple effect into natural fatherhood. With each younger generation that gravitates away from the blessings of Christ, fathers struggle to live out their vocation. That is, their hearts turn away from their children as it often happened in the unbaptized world. Perhaps this is why the website, fatherhood.org could report the following statistics from 2009:

“According to 2009 U.S. Census Bureau data, over 24 million children live apart from their biological fathers. That is 1 out of every 3 (33%) children in America. Nearly 2 in 3 (64%) African American children live in father-absent homes. One in three (34%) Hispanic children, and 1 in 4 (25%) white children live in father-absent homes. In 1960, only 11% of children lived in father-absent homes. Children who live absent their biological fathers are, on average, at least two to three times more likely to be poor, to use drugs, to experience educational, health, emotional and behavioral problems, to be victims of child abuse, and to engage in criminal behavior than their peers who live with their married, biological (or adoptive) parents.”

But the good news is that the font of renewal- that which turns the hearts of fathers toward their children -is at our disposal. God decreed, from all eternity, that fathering His Son would serve as the perfect template of natural or biological fatherhood. And that his Divine Fatherhood would be communicated through the Catholic priesthood. As Catholic seminaries generate more well-formed priests in the twenty-first century, natural fathers who sit in the pews are bound to benefit from this formation. 

The priest who presides over the parish is analogous to the father who presides over his children. Indeed, the parallels are remarkable. Just as the priest, a spiritual father to his parishioners, serves as a channel of sacramental grace for them, so too is the natural father, along with the mother, an image of God for his children. It is through this image that every child comes to know himself, the world and God. No doubt, the impress of the father's personality and character upon his children is a powerful one. It is almost sacramental in nature. As Pope Leo XIII said, "For, according to Catholic teaching, the authority of our heavenly Father and Lord is imparted to parents...whose authority, therefore, not only takes its origin and force from Him, but also borrows its nature and character."

These are deep mysteries of the Faith. For that reason, they are worth exploring. The Holy Trinity, by far, is the most mysterious of all the Christian doctrines. But it is still good to know that through the Holy Spirit, God the Father eternally loves and fathers his Son. Like a mother who binds the father and son together in love, the Holy Spirit is forever turning the heart of the Father towards his Son. It is from that loving relationship- the turning of hearts within the God-head -that the authority and love of fathers "borrows its nature and character." It is there that the balance is to be found.

In a secular age, fatherhood naturally loses its orientation and character. It is no exaggeration to say that hearts turn to stone. But with Christ, the hearts of fathers naturally turn toward their children because they first turned towards God.

The happy funeral at Nain

I’m not in the business of recording sermons, but I heard one today that you might find interesting. At my local parish, the associate pastor gave an interesting sermon on the funeral in Nain; which was the Gospel reading for June 9, 2013. In this post, I simply paraphrased what the priest said and then took the liberty to supplement it with passages from the writings of the early Church Fathers.

This is one of the few sermons I ever heard on funerals. But the good priest made it interesting. He started off by recounting the Gospel story from Luke 7. There was a funeral procession leading outside a town named Nain, just a few miles away from Mount Tabor where our Lord was transfigured. A young man had just died and his mother, also a widow, was accompanying the procession when our Lord interrupted it. Imagine, the priest said, a modern day funeral procession of cars and someone stops the procession at an intersection. And in another bold move, this same person requests to touch the coffin.

Getting the feel of such impropriety may give us an idea just how bold was the gesture of Christ when he decided to reach out and touch the deceased body of the young man. As St. Cyril said, he came to the funeral self-invited. Yet, the hopeless situation of the mother of the deceased son seemed to have been the reason why our Lord took such bold measures. If there was anyone in a hopeless situation, it was the woman who had lost both her husband and, now, her son. As St. Gregory of Nyssa said, “The mother was a widow, and had no further hope of having children, she had no one upon whom she might look in the place of him that was dead. To him alone she had given care, he alone made her home cheerful. All that is sweet and precious to a mother, was he alone to her.”

You may recall, our Lord, moved with compassion for the mother, touched the lifeless body of the “young man” and he came back to life. Again, St. Gregory writes, “When He said, ‘young man,’ He signified that he was in the flower of his age, just ripening into manhood, who but a little while before was the sight of his mother’s eyes, just entering upon the time of marriage, the scion of her race, the branch of succession, the staff of her old age.”

During his sermon, the priest gave special attention to the incident when Jesus touched the body of the young man. It was through this physical contact that the soul returned to his body. This miracle was to foretell, not only the Resurrection of Christ, but the future resurrection of the faithful. He also noted that in touching the body, Jesus also touched the person and that the body is a symbol or expression of the person’s soul. Although a body may be lifeless, that body still has an affinity to the soul that once inhabited it. In fact, it is destined, no matter how disintegrated or decomposed, to be reunited with the soul. After all, it was through the body that the soul worked out its salvation. Hence, it is for this reason that the human body- dead or alive -takes on a sacred character.

This same priest who had given the sermon reminded us that for Catholic funerals, it is important that the body of the deceased be present. The commemoration of the deceased necessarily includes the body. As such, the presence of the body serves as a source of a hope in the future resurrection. Likewise, the burial of the body into the ground foreshadows its rising. Like our Lord’s body in the tomb and like a planted seed in the soil, the body will rise up towards the Light on the Last Day.

After having been touched by the Lord, therefore, the young man sat up and was reunited with his mother. Although the deceased body was a visible reminder of the mother’s loss, it was, nevertheless, an instrument through which Jesus gave joy to the grieving mother. After all, it was only when our Lord’s hands rested on the body that new life returned to it.

Perhaps, this Gospel story is what St. Paulinas of Nolas, another Church Father, had in mind when he attempted to console Pammachius, a Christian senator who had just lost his wife. Just as Jesus reunited the once-deceased son with his grieving mother at Nain, St Paulinas seems to be pointing to a similar reunion between a husband and a wife when he wrote, “Doubtless our love may weep for a time, but our faith must continue to rejoice. Let us long for our dear ones who have gone before us, but let us not despair of getting them back.” This is the hope of immortality that our faith rests on.

It is good to remember that the reunited mother and son of Nain had to say good-bye yet again. Chances are that one preceded the other in death. And although the time of separation of between the two was delayed, a temporary separation was an inevitable. In other words, one of them had to die while the other was called to live out the rest of his or her life here on earth. But upon such death, that is, when the mother and son had to say good-bye a second time, I can’t help but think that the miracle performed by our Lord at Nain prepared the only surviving family member to hope yet again; the hope of being reunited in the afterlife.

Homeschooled children: A promising remnant

A recently published article at the American Thinker website, “Homeschooling enrollment explodes” by Rick Moran, shows that the surge of homeschooling derives from a widespread dissatisfaction of public education. Moran, in turn, references a column from Education News by Julian Lawrence. In it, she reports that, “Since 1999, the number of children who are being homeschooled has increased by 75%.” In fact, homeschooling nationwide is growing seven times faster than traditional education. I would go so far as to say that homeschooling, generally speaking, is just as impressive, if not more so, than your average Catholic parochial school. According to Education News, the results are indeed impressive:

“Data shows that those who are independently educated typically score between 65th and 89th percentile on such exams, while those attending traditional schools average on the 50th percentile. Furthermore, the achievement gaps, long plaguing school systems around the country, aren’t present in homeschooling environment. There’s no difference in achievement between sexes, income levels or race/ethnicity.”

Results speak for themselves. Perhaps this is why homeschooled children are on the radar screen of several distinguished universities. Lawrence said,

“Homeschoolers are actively recruited by schools like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University, Stanford University and Duke.” What is more, homeschooling is far more cost-effective than public education. “[T]he average expenditure for the education of a homeschooled child, per year, is $500 to $600, compared to an average expenditure of $10,000 per child, per year, for public school students.”

Yet, according to Rick Moran’s article at the American Thinker (and I would have to agree with him on this), a secular State-run education system doesn’t like competition. Academic results are immaterial to such massive bureaucracies. Teachers unions, for instance, will continue to seek to eliminate their rivals. Moran reminds us that “they are already trying to make it more difficult.” This shouldn’t surprise us because Bob Chanin, a top lawyer for the National Education Association, recently told us why public schools are less about education and more about power. At a NEA’s annual meeting in July, 2009, he said:

“Despite what some among us would like to believe it is not because of our creative ideas. It is not because of the merit of our positions. It is not because we care about children and it is not because we have a vision of a great public school for every child. NEA and its affiliates are effective advocates because we have power.”

Chanin got it right. The monopoly the State has over education is not due to its concern for children or its vision for great public schools. It’s about power. This is why public education has been proven to be seriously deficient. But parents who want the best for their children, the option to homeschool is not motivated by the lust for power. It’s about love. Or to say it another way, homeschooling parents, by and large, have one principal aim: to empower their children by giving them the best education and formation. And, it would seem, they are succeeding. Can it be any wonder why homeschooling has experienced 75 percent growth in recent years?

Although homeschooled children represent about 4 percent of all school-aged children nationwide, as Rick Moran reported, it is bound to make even greater gains in the future. Today, they are a remnant. But let there be no doubt, if the American Republic is to be saved, this tiny and often overlooked demographic is destined to play an important role in saving it. Indeed, what State-run education tore down, the homeschooling community will assume a leading role in building it back up!

When God visits

When praying, there can be a temptation to think that the more prayers we say, the better. For instance, it is a common assumption that when praying a rosary that it is more pleasing to God that we finish all five decades no matter what kind of inspirations we receive. But according to the Saints, this is far from the case. In fact, the value of prayer is to be measured not so much by quantity or duration but rather by its depth. The same applies to spiritual progress. Drawing closer to Christ is more about the intensity of our love for him than it is accumulating spiritual experiences or doing a lot of spiritual exercises.

In the great spiritual classic, The Dialogue, God the Father engages in a dialogue with St. Catherine of Sienna in much the same way Jesus does with St. Faustina in The Diary of Divine Mercy. The Lord gives St. Catherine an invaluable lesson on prayer. There, he instructs her on the importance of vocal prayer, mental prayer (or meditation) and how they serve each other. -----In praying out loud or using vocal prayer, it is important that the soul doesn’t hurry to finish the prayers for the sake of completing them. Rather, she should be mindful of the “inspirations” or “visitations” she may receive from the Holy Spirit. And if it should happen that the person who is praying be enlightened on any particular aspect of the prayer or that some thought about Christ should come to mind, then the intention to finish the prayer or prayers (i.e. if it is a rosary or Scripture reading) should give way to this “inspiration” or “visitation”. In other words, vocal prayer should stop and mental prayer (i.e. thinking about what God inspired you with) should begin. When speaking to St. Catherine of Sienna, God put it this way:

“If the soul looks only to the completion of her tally of prayers, or if she abandons mental prayer for vocal prayer, she will never advance. A soul may set herself to say a certain number of oral prayers. But I may visit her spirit in one way or another, sometimes with a flash of self-knowledge and contrition for her sinfulness, sometimes in the greatness of my love setting before her mind the presence of my Truth [his Son] in different ways, depending on my pleasure or her longings. And sometimes the soul will be so foolish as to abandon my visitation, which she senses within her spirit, in order to complete her tally…This is not the way she should act.”

It is important, therefore, that vocal prayer serve as an instrument in bringing about mental prayer in which the depth of God’s mysteries is pondered. Mental prayer, after all, is nothing but thinking…or daydreaming…about Christ or some aspect of the Gospel. This is the purpose of the rosary. This is how change of heart and mind comes about. And just as important, this is what leads to meaningful resolutions and sincere repentance..

Keep in mind that we are not talking about anything extraordinary or sensationalistic such as visions or ecstasies. These visitations from God are the ordinary means by which his grace inspires certain thoughts. For instance, when we are reading a passage from the New Testament, and some idea or word jumps out at us, it might be God saying: “Hey! Stop in your tracks. Take a closer look at this. There is something in this passage that you need to meditate on.” In fact, God instructed St. Catherine on what to do if this should happen:

“As soon as she senses her spirit ready for my visitation, she ought to abandon vocal prayer. Then, after mental prayer, if she has time, she can resume what she had set herself to say…As far as concerns any other prayer the soul might begin, she ought to begin vocally as a way to reach mental prayer. When she senses that her spirit is ready she should abandon vocal prayer with this intent. Such prayer made in the way I told you, will bring the soul to perfection.”

From these visitations during mental prayer, what eventually comes to fore is a holy desire to please God in all that we do. Not only that, the soul desires to be mindful of his presence throughout the day. This is why St. Paul exhorted us to “pray always!” Prayer, for the Apostle, was not so much a litany of prayers to be said- although it certainly may include that -but rather it is a loving desire to seek God’s will in everyday life. This is how, according to The Dialogue, continual prayer is possible: “Perfect prayer is not achieved with many words but with loving desire, when the soul rises up to me with knowledge of herself…This is why I told you that holy desire, that is, having a good and holy will, is continual prayer.”

Thankfully, we do not have to go far to pray. The Lord said to St. Catherine that the vocation to pray is adaptable to every situation in life: “The principle of a holy will means that each of you must work for the salvation of souls according to your situation.” Given that our situation is the content of God’s will for us, the most pleasing prayer to God, therefore, is to thank him for our situation, whatever it may be. But in order to get to that point- the point of recognizing that the circumstances of each day is the manifestation of God’s will for us -it is essential that we suspend the natural routine of prayer when God visits the soul.

The Intensification of Christ's Presence

Step by step: From the parking lot to the altar

As we proceed from the outdoors to the sanctuary, from the business of the week to the Sacred Liturgy on Sunday, the presence of Christ gradually intensifies until we greet him at the altar. And from the sanctuary, we are then sent out into the world to sanctify it and claim it of Christ. We do all of this with the knowledge that the universe, like our human bodies, will be transformed into the likeness of Christ's glorified body. As the Catholic Catechism states: “At the end of time, the Kingdom of God will come in its fullness. After the universal judgment, the righteous will reign forever with Christ, glorified in body and soul. The universe itself will be renewed.” (#1042)

In the meantime, the presence of Christ intensifies with each of the following phases: 1. God is present everywhere. 2. Christ is present in his body, the Church as they gather before the altar. 3. Christ is then present in this spoken Word. 4. Christ is present, in yet another way, that is, in his priestly minister as the words of consecration are spoken. 5. Christ's presence peaks, if you will, in the Eucharist. 6. Not only spiritually but Christ is then sacramentally present- body, blood, soul and divinity -in the Christian who stands before the altar. 7. Not only will the faithful Christian inherit a resurrected body from this gradation of Christ's presence, but a new and transfigured universe will come about as well. Indeed, it was a common teaching among the Church Fathers and early Christians that the world was created for the Church; that is, for the elect who, throughout the course of world history, would be saved by the saving merits of Christ.

God is everywhere: To begin with, we know, as Christians, that God is everywhere in the universe. Psalm 139 reads, “Where can I hide from your spirit? From your presence, where can I flee? If I ascend to the heavens, you are there; if I lie down in Sheol, you are there too.” The might of the Lord sustains all things. Indeed, no part of the universe can exist without his presence.


The body of believers:

But as soon as we walk through the doors of the church building and into the sanctuary for the Sacred Liturgy, what we encounter is the gradual intensification of Christ’s presence. In the assembly, where the faithful gather, the presence of Christ is manifest in a special way. We are no longer considering God’s presence as he exists in creation but rather as he dwells in the hearts of his people. This presence is described as the Church or the Body of Christ by St. Paul. Our Lord himself said, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” The early Christians had a lively sense of this divine presence in the Church where the totality of believers is to be found and where the fullness of his gifts and revelation resides. Around the year 180 A.D., St. Irenaeus, bishop and martyr, wrote: “Where the Church is, there is the Spirit of God; where the Spirit of God is, there is the Church and all grace."


The Spoken Word:

From the assembly we proceed to the Liturgy of the Word where the Word of God is proclaimed. When the Scripture readings are read aloud, the presence of God is taken to yet another level. Ancient Christians always made it a point to read Scripture out loud. For instance, St. Philip overheard the Ethiopian Eunuch, a court official of Candace, reading the book of Isaiah as he was traveling (Acts 8:30). The ancient belief is that when the Word of God is spoken, God himself becomes present and active. Here again, this is yet another special manifestation of his presence. It gives birth to faith. As St. Paul said, “Thus faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.” When the Word is proclaimed- not just read –grace does a special work; it pierces the soul. “Indeed, the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)


Persona Christi and the Eucharist:

Now we draw close to the culmination of the Mass when, in Persona Christi, Jesus Christ, the High Priest, mystically enters into his minister as the words of consecration are pronounced over the bread and wine. It is he who proclaims the Word through the priest. From this, another manifestation of divine presence is transmitted through the Sacrament of Holy Orders. Through Persona Christi, ordinary bread and wine become the body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ. His Incarnation is extended into our very midst so that the children of God contain, within themselves, seeds of resurrection. As St. Irenaeus said, “Just as bread from the earth, when it receives the invocation of God, is no longer common bread but the Eucharist, made up of two elements, one earthly and one heavenly, so also our bodies, in receiving the Eucharist, are no longer corruptible, for they have the hope of resurrection.” The Eucharist, therefore, is given to the Christian on the altar as Manna was given to the Israelites in the desert. Upon this altar- and only at the altar –is the bread of God is served. As St. Ignatius of Antioch, disciple of St. John the Apostle and Bishop of Antioch, referred to the bread of God as the “medicine of immortality.”


Christians as Tabernacles:

Before the altar the communicant receives the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. By virtue of our Sacramental Communion with Christ, we are made into walking tabernacles, Christ-bearers, if you will. In the sanctuary, we glorify God in our bodies, to use St. Paul’s words. We are then are sent out into the world to sanctify it.


The Transformation of the World:

As Pope Benedict XVI taught in 2005 at World Youth Day, the transformation of bread and wine into Jesus Christ prefigures the kind of change that God will bring about in our resurrected bodies. He said,

“By making the bread into his Body and the wine into his Blood, he anticipates his death, he accepts it in his heart and he transforms it into an action of love. What on the outside is simply brutal violence, from within becomes an act of total self-giving love. This is the substantial transformation which was accomplished at the Last Supper and was destined to set in motion a series of transformations leading ultimately to the transformation of the world when God will be all in all (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:28).”

Every time a Catholic receives the Eucharist in faith and in love, he or she is participates in a cosmic transformative process. But God so ordained that before he renews the universe, we must allow him to renew our souls first.

Justin and the Oldest Catholic Relic

The Catholic Church celebrates the feast day of St. Justin Martyr on June 1st of every year. He was one of the few lay men who has been given the illustrious title of "Father of the Church." In fact, most of the early Fathers were bishops and priests.

In any event, St. Justin Martyr was a Christian philosopher and native of Samaria. Martyred in Rome around the year 165 A.D., and likely born before the turn of the century, St. Justin, most likely benefited from the faith and the evangelization of the Samaritan woman (she is mentioned in the fourth chapter of the Gospel of John). Indeed, it was from Samaria that the title "Savior of the World" was given to Jesus. And it was also in this region that St. Justin- a restless wanderer in search of the Truth -was inspired by the witness of those Christians who greeted their Roman executioners with a smile. He would later say that this is why he became a Christian.

Another invaluable service he provides for us Catholics in 2013 is that he gives a detailed description of the Mass in his letter (or book) to Trypho, a Jew. Keep in mind that St. Justin was teaching the Faith about 50 to 60 years after the last apostle died. And the account he gives of Catholic worship bears striking similarity to the Mass as we celebrate it today. I had given subtitles for each of the passages he wrote about the Mass. Do you see the similarity? Also, be sure to scroll down to see an older test of the liturgy; one that is said to date back to the first century.

The Lord’s Day: Sundays

On Sunday we have a common assembly of all our members, whether they live in the city or the outlying districts.

We hold our common assembly on Sunday because it is the first day of the week, the day on which God put darkness and chaos to flight and created the world, and because on that same day our savior Jesus Christ rose from the dead. For he was crucified on Friday and on Sunday he appeared to his apostles and disciples and taught them the things that we have passed on for your consideration.

The Readings and the Sermon:

The apostles, in their recollections, which are called gospels, handed down to us what Jesus commanded them to do…The recollections of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as there is time. When the reader has finished, the president of the assembly speaks to us; he urges everyone to imitate the examples of virtue we have heard in the readings. Then we all stand up together and pray.

The Collection Basket:

The wealthy, if they wish, may make a contribution, and they themselves decide the amount. The collection is placed in the custody of the president, who uses it to help the orphans and widows and all who for any reason are in distress, whether because they are sick, in prison, or away from home. In a word, he takes care of all who are in need.

The rich among us help the poor and we are always united. For all that we receive we praise the Creator of the universe through his Son Jesus Christ and through the Holy Spirit.

The Necessity of Believing in the Real Presence:

No one may share the Eucharist with us unless he believes that what we teach is true, unless he is washed in the regenerating waters of baptism for the remission of his sins, and unless he lives in accordance with the principles given us by Christ.

We do not consume the eucharistic bread and wine as if it were ordinary food and drink, for we have been taught that as Jesus Christ our Savior became a man of flesh and blood by the power of the Word of God, so also the food that our flesh and blood assimilates for its nourishment becomes the flesh and blood of the incarnate Jesus by the power of his own words contained in the prayer of thanksgiving.

The Consecration/Holy Sacrifice:

On the conclusion of our prayer, bread and wine and water are brought forward. The president offers prayers and gives thanks to the best of his ability, and the people give assent by saying, “Amen”.

They tell us that he took bread, gave thanks and said: Do this in memory of me. This is my body. In the same way he took the cup, he gave thanks and said: This is my blood. The Lord gave this command to them alone. Ever since then we have constantly reminded one another of these things.

Communion:

The eucharist is distributed, everyone present communicates, and the deacons take it to those who are absent.

The Liturgy of St. James:

One hundred years earlier, we find something similar with the Liturgy of St. James. Some authorities believe this liturgy to date back as early as 60 A.D. Regardless of the exact date of its installation, the Liturgy of St. James is widely regarded to be the oldest liturgy, going back to St. James the Apostle.

Notice, as with St. Justin Martyr’s description of the Mass, the Liturgy of St. James also contains a basic blueprint of the Mass as it is celebrated in 2013.


And with your spirit:

After the approach to the altar, the Priest says:—

Peace be to all.

The People.

And to your spirit

The Sanctuary as Holy:

The Priest says this prayer from the gates to the altar.

God Almighty, Lord great in glory, who hast given to us an entrance into the Holy of Holies, through the sojourning among men of Your only-begotten Son, our Lord, and God, and Saviour Jesus Christ, we supplicate and invoke Your goodness, since we are fearful and trembling when about to stand at Your holy altar…

The Kiss or Exchange of Peace:

The Deacon.

Let us salute one another with an holy kiss. Let us bow our heads to the Lord.

Petitions:

[Here is one example]:

Remember, O Lord, Christians sailing, travelling, sojourning in strange lands; our fathers and brethren, who are in bonds, prison, captivity, and exile; who are in mines, and under torture, and in bitter slavery. Remember, O Lord, the sick and afflicted, and those troubled by unclean spirits, their speedy healing from You, O God, and their salvation.

The Lord’s Prayer:

The People.

Our Father, which art in heaven: hollowed be Your name; and so on to the doxology.

The Priest, bowing, says (the Embolism ):—

And lead us not into temptation, Lord, Lord of Hosts, who know our frailty, but deliver us from the evil one and his works, and from all his malice and craftiness, for the sake of Your holy name, which has been placed upon our humility:

Consubstantial with the Father:

The Priest says aloud:—

And the grace and the mercies of the holy and consubstantial, and uncreated, and adorable Trinity, shall be with us all.

The Eucharistic Prayer:

Then the Priest holds the bread in his hand, and says:—

Having taken the bread in His holy and pure and blameless and immortal hands, lifting up His eyes to heaven, and showing it to You, His God and Father, He gave thanks, and hallowed, and broke, and gave it to us, His disciples and apostles, saying:—

Water Mixed With Wine:

Then he takes the cup, and says:—

In like manner, after supper, He took the cup, and having mixed wine and water, lifting up His eyes to heaven, and presenting it to You, His God and Father, He gave thanks, and hollowed and blessed it, and filled it with the Holy Spirit, and gave it to us His disciples, saying, Drink all of it; this is my blood of the new testament shed for you and many, and distributed for the remission of sins.

Making the Sign of the Cross:

And when he makes the sign of the cross on the bread, he says:—

Behold the Lamb of God, the Son of the Father, that takes away the sin of the world, sacrificed for the life and salvation of the world.

Eucharist as Live Coal (Isaiah’s vision of God):

The Priest says:—

The Lord will bless us, and make us worthy with the pure touchings of our fingers to take the live coal, and place it upon the mouths of the faithful for the purification and renewal of their souls and bodies, now and always.

In the Name of the Lord:

The people:-

Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord.

Veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary:

The Priest prays.

Commemorating our all-holy, pure, most glorious, blessed Lady, the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, and all the saints that have been well-pleasing to You since the world began, let us devote ourselves, and one another, and our whole life, to Christ our God:

The Real Presence of Christ:

Prayer said in the sacristy after the dismissal.

You have given unto us, O Lord, sanctification in the communion of the all-holy body and precious blood of Your only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

____________

 

 

Concluding thoughts: It is a miracle that the Mass has been preserved as long as it has. No other religious celebration can claim such distinction. Not only is the Mass the oldest "living" Christian relic, it was- even more than the preaching of the Gospel itself -the primary means through which souls came to Christ. And, as an unintended consequence, it was the chosen instrument of Christ in transforming a superstitious and barbaric civilization into one of love and civility.

The misleading rubric that will undermine freedom of speech

The First Amendment, which was once used to protect religious freedom, is now being used to undermine it by secularists and advocates for gay rights. A priest shared with me his concern that just a few years ago it was socially acceptable to question the legitimacy of same-sex marriage. However, he went on to say that to question or challenge the morality of same-sex marriage on Facebook or any other venue in the social media, one would run the risk of being called a bigot or lunatic.

As I told students in a morality class for adults just recently, as we advance the cause for the sanctity of marriage, we should expect to be accused of hate and bigotry. Nevertheless, we have to stand up and be counted as Christians; not only counted as Christians but followers of Christ who are proud of what he revealed about the God-given purpose of marriage and sexual intimacy.

With that said, it would do us well to be mindful that as intolerance to any opposition to homosexuality and same-sex marriage increases in the social order, that same intolerance (referred to as the “Dictatorship of Relativism” by Pope Benedict XVI) will certainly find expression in the political order. Indeed, the First Amendment will be used, as it has been used, to silence the Christian teachings on marriage with even greater frequency and forcefulness. Although this general societal shift in favor of same-sex marriage cannot be rolled back in the immediate future, Christians can chip away at the false premises on which it is advanced. One good place to start is to educate people on the historical meaning behind the First Amendment.

Incidentally, there is why Christians should dream big and envision America without a massive State-monopoly on our children’s education . Why? Because our younger generations- and soon-to-be political leaders -are not learning the truth of Christianity’s contribution to our country’s founding; nor do they know the Christian principles which underscore the U.S. Constitution. As a result, religious freedom will soon be unintelligible to a good number of young Americans.

The following passage is taken from the book, Faith and Order: The Reconciliation of Law and Religion by Harold J. Berman (p. 222-223). In the book he maintains that religion and law stand and fall together. What I take away from the book and the passage below is that in the absence of religious influence in the public square  the law will be used against religion. Specifically, I refer to the right to teach the biblical view of marriage, not only in public, but within the enclosure of churches:

“Church and State’….is a profoundly misleading rubric. The title triply misleads. It suggests that there is a single church. But in America there are myriad ways in which religious belief is organized. It suggests that there is a single state. But in America there is the federal government, fifty state governments, myriad municipalities, and a division of power among executive, legislative, administrative, and judicial entities, each of whom embodies state power. Worst of all, ‘Church and State’ suggests that there are two distinct bodies set apart from each other in contrast if not in conflict. But everywhere neither churches nor states exist except as they are incorporated in actual individuals. These individuals are believers and unbelievers, citizens and officials. In one aspect of their activities, if they are religious, they usually form churches. In other aspect they form governments. Religious and governmental bodies not only coexist but overlap. The same persons, much of the time, are both believers and wielders of power.” (John T. Noonan, The Believer and the Powers That Are 1987)

Harold J. Berman elaborated on Noonan’s comment by saying the following: “The Framers of the American federal and state constitutions were keenly aware of the historical experience that is implicit in the phrase ‘church and state.’ They chose at the federal level, and eventually in all of the states as well, a new and different solution, namely, the right of all persons, both individually and in groups, to exercise their religion free of restraint by government, and also the duty of government to exercise its powers and functions without identification with religion. But the fact that religion and government were to be free of each other’s control was not understood to exclude their reciprocal influence on each other. Officeholders, as Noonan indicates, were not expected to shed their religious commitments as the door of the office…

Today religion is often defined solely in terms of personal faith and collective worship. Such a definition neglects the repercussions of such faith and worship in social life. In the Puritan theology that prevailed in America throughout the eighteenth, often in association with both Anglican and ‘free church’ traditions, religion was not only understood in terms of covenant of grace but also in terms of a covenant of works. A person’s relationship to God was understood to involve his active participation in the life of the community…

In seeking the meaning of the religion clauses of the First Amendment, I propose, therefore, in the first part of this essay, to focus attention on the role which religion played in the social life of America in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. To do so is to be faithful to Madison’s conception that religion comprises not only ‘the duty to which we owe to our Creator’ but also ‘the manner of discharging’ that duty. For Madison, as for Americans generally in the 1780’s and 1790’s, and indeed for generations thereafter, free exercise of religion included freedom of religious groups to take an active part in regulating family responsibilities, education, health care, poor relief, and various other aspects of social life which were considered to have a significant moral dimension.”