On the Ordination of Women

A shameful thing happened at the national Assembly of Women Religious (NAWR) of 1971. One religious sister and two laywomen put on a show. They read the prayers of the Mass that are reserved to the priest up until the Consecration. This demonstration was intended to highlight the “injustice” of excluding women from the priesthood. Instead, it exposed the impious radicalism of certain elements lobbying for the ordination of women. One of the organizers of NAWR was quoted by Commonweal magazine as saying, "I hope you are all as disturbed by this as I am." Indeed we are, but not for the same reasons. 

This is just one example among many of the abuses perpetrated by radical feminists in their quest for the priesthood. The ordination of women has long been the fervent hope of dissident elements of the Church. Given false hope by the reforms of Vatican II, the feminists "re-open" the question of the ordination of women every few years. I say "re-open" somewhat patronizingly because Scripture, Tradition, and the Magisterium have all consistently and definitively closed this question.

Women cannot be ordained for one simple reason: the priesthood was instituted by Christ and the Church has no power to change its fundamental nature.  Sacred Scripture makes it clear that God established the priesthood. In the Old Testament, Abraham was blessed by "Melchisedech, the king of Salem, bringing forth bread and wine, for he was the priest of the most high God" (Genesis 14:18). Melchisedech prefigures the priesthood instituted by Christ; that is why the Psalmist says, "Thou art a priest forever according to the order of Melchisedech" (Psalm 109:4).

Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament priesthood at the Last Supper when He established the sacrament of holy orders. Though both men and women followed Jesus, He specifically chose twelve men as his Apostles. Though some of His closest disciples were women -- besides St. John, only women stood at the foot of the Cross -- Christ only ordained the Twelve. 

This was utterly intentional. Christ did not chose men as His priests simply to conform to the limitations of His time. Any argument to that effect insinuates that God's will can be limited by human culture. If Christ had willed it, He would have ordained women. The fact that He did not is ample justification for the constant practice of the Church. Indeed, the ordination of men alone is a Tradition that has never varied. The early Church did employ deaconesses, but even then, there was never a doubt as to the impossibility of their ordination. 

St. Thomas Aquinas treated the issue of women and the priesthood by distinguishing between the lawfulness and validity of a sacrament. Lawfulness describes whether it was right to administer the sacrament while validity describes whether it was possible for the sacrament to be administered. Stealing an example from Matt Fradd, to baptize an infant whose life is not in danger without the permission of the child's parents would be unlawful. While it was wrong to do so, the baptism was nevertheless valid and therefore took effect. It would, on the other hand, be invalid to try to baptize an animal. Because the creature lacks an immortal soul, a fundamental necessity for baptism, it is impossible for the sacrament to occur in the first place. 

St. Thomas Aquinas says that it would be invalid for a woman to receive the sacrament of holy orders:

"Wherefore even though a woman were made the object of all that is done in conferring Orders, she would not receive Orders, for since a Sacrament is a sign, not only of the thing, but the signification of the thing, it is required in all sacramental actions.... Accordingly, since it is not possible in the female sex to signify eminence of degree, for a woman is in the state of subjection, it follows that she cannot receive the sacrament of Orders" (Supplement to the Summa, Q.39, A.1). 

In other words, women cannot be priests because they lack "eminence of degree," being in "a state of subjection."

Now drop the torches and pitchforks, and give St. Thomas a chance to explain what he means by "subjection." In the first part of the Summa he writes:

"Subjection is twofold. One is servile, by virtue of which a superior makes use of a subject for his own benefit.... There is another kind of subjection which is called economic or civil whereby the superior makes use of his subjects for their own benefit and good.... So by such a kind of subjection woman is naturally subject to man" (Summa I, Q.92, A.1). 

The "eminence of degree" Aquinas attributes to men is not the result of medieval misogyny. Though our culture seems to have forgotten it, there is a difference between men and women. Part of that difference is man's preeminent position. 

"Superior" refers to position. For example, an elected official is superior to and exercises subjection over their constituents. But no one would say that the official is fundamentally better than anyone who voted for them. 

St. Lois de Montfort writes, "Jesus Christ gave more glory to God, His Father, by His thirty years' submission to His Mother than He would have done in converting the whole world by working the greatest miracles." No one would dare say that by subjecting Himself to the Blessed Virgin, Christ is indicating that she is fundamentally better than Him. Instead, God-Made-Flesh is obedient to Mary because she is His Mother. 

Thomas is saying that men and women are designed to play different roles, not that one sex is "better" than the other. This is no more oppressive than a father's position as head of the household. In the same way, men alone are called to be spiritual fathers through the priesthood.  

Unfortunately, dissidents all too easily brush off St. Thomas' arguments as the product of his time rather than looking at their validity. It is much harder to dismiss Pope Paul VI's letter to the Anglicans and St. John Paul the Great's Ordinatio Sacerdotalis. When the Anglican church began ordaining women, Pope Paul VI responded by writing:

"[The Church] holds that it is not admissible to ordain women to the priesthood for very fundamental reasons. These reasons include: the example recorded in the Sacred Scriptures of Christ choosing his Apostles only from among men; the constant practice of the Church, which has imitated Christ in choosing only men; and her living teaching authority which has consistently held that the exclusion of women from the priesthood is in accordance with God’s plan for his Church.”

If that is not enough for you, St. John Paul the Great was even more firm:

“Wherefore, in order that all doubt may be removed regarding a matter of great importance, a matter which pertains to the Church’s divine constitution itself, in virtue of my ministry of confirming the brethren (cf. Lk 22:32) I declare that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and that this judgment is to be definitely held by all the Church’s faithful.”

 Case closed.

In order to be a Catholic lobbying for the ordination of women, you must: deny some pretty strong Scriptural arguments; refute St. Thomas Aquinas, one of the greatest theologians in history; and find a way to explain how St. John Paul the great, when speaking ex cathedra, really didn’t mean what he said.

We cannot, however, in defending the restriction of the sacrament of Orders to men, neglect the instrumental role that women play in the Church. Even though they cannot become priests, there is indisputably a place for women in the Church. In the same apostolic letter quoted above, St. John Paul the Great writes, “The presence and the role of women in the life and mission of the Church, although not linked to the ministerial priesthood, remains absolutely necessary and irreplaceable.”

Without being priests, women make invaluable contributions to the Church. Lay women are lectors, Eucharistic ministers, CCD teachers, professionals who take Christ’s light into the workplace, and mothers who raise their children in the faith. Religious sisters sustain the Church with their prayers, serve the poor, teach in Catholic schools, and perform countless works of faith and love.

Of course, we cannot forget Mary, Mother of God. How could we? Her powerful intercessions preserve us from harm, her spiritual motherhood of all Christians brings us closer to her Son. Anyone who says that the Church is anti-woman is quite frankly self-deluded. The single most revered saint in history is the Blessed Virgin. In St. Gabriel’s address, “Hail full of grace,” we see that God has elevated her above the angels. My single greatest assurance that God does not intend for women to be priests is the fact that He did not make Mary a priest. If the priesthood signifies “eminence of degree” as St. Thomas Aquinas writes, and if it were at all possible for a woman to be a priest, would not Jesus Christ have ordained His Mother? Would not she who is honored by angels merit the priesthood if it were open to her sex?

Proponents of the ordination of women pretend that women feel alienated from the Church because they are excluded from the priesthood. This is demeaning to centuries of women who have courageously, humbly, piously, and selflessly served the Church. Women do not require admission to the priesthood to contribute to the life of the Church.

Deus Vult!

Sell What You Have

How often have we heard the story of the rich young man in the Gospels? Mark relays the encounter as such:

As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus answered him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: 'You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; you shall not defraud; honor your father and your mother.'" He replied and said to him, "Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth." Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him, "You are lacking in one thing. Go and sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." At that statement his face fell and he went away sad, for he had many possessions. Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!" (Mark 10:17-23)

Many of us might find ourselves in the same situation as the young man. We grew up with the Ten Commandments, probably memorized them. And we follow them (or at least we like to think we do). We haven't killed anyone or missed Sunday Mass (as long as the game isn't on), so that makes us perfect, right?

We cannot view holiness as a To-do list. Christianity is about a journey. That's what our Baptist brothers and sisters fail to understand with their notions of being "saved."

Nevertheless, it seems that this young man was making good progress on that journey. He "ran up" to Jesus, not with an ailment to be healed, but with an honest desire to grow closer to God. We read that "Jesus, looking on him, loved him." This man could have been a great saint in the Kingdom of God; he could have been another Apostle. But then Jesus asked "too much" of him. There are a few variations in the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke). In the Gospel according to Matthew, we read that "Jesus said to him, 'If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give it to the poor" (Matthew 19:21).

This is not an exceptional call. Jesus asked the same of everyone who followed Him: "So likewise everyone of you that doth not renounce all that he possesseth cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:33).

But what is the response of the rich young man? Silence. None of the Gospels record him as saying anything in response. He had nothing to say. The rich man "went away sad, for he had many possessions" (Mark 10:22).

He could have been a follower of Christ were it not for his love of his possessions.

It's all too easy for us to sit back and shake our heads at this young man. What a pity. But that idleness is not acceptable. We cannot divorce ourselves from the call of Christ. The Word of God is not a story book. Everything in the Bible is living and effective. So when Jesus says "Everyone of you that doth not renounce all that he possesseth cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:33) or "sell what you have" (Matthew 19:21), He was not just speaking to the crowd or the young man. He was speaking to you and I!

We live in a culture where wealth and its accessories are ends in themselves. The American dream is no longer owning a house in which to raise a family, it is to own the most toys, the latest smartphone, the nicest car on the block. People, human beings, are viewed as units of labor by capitalists and socialists alike. The rich drink champagne on private islands while people starve to death. Modern slavery leaves millions in bondage. Children are literally butchered by Planned Parenthood and their allies so that their body parts might be sold for a profit. The words of Christ, "sell what you have" apply very much to us, brothers and sisters.

But this teaching is too hard. Christ can't expect us to give so much. This must only apply to monks and nuns.

Father David Knight wrote a book called His Way, a real punch-in-the-gut kind of book after the spirit of St. Josemaria Escriva, that says otherwise. Writing about lay spirituality, he identifies the call of all Christians as one of martyrdom. Now, this isn't the kind of martyrdom that you might be thinking of, at least not necessarily. The word "martyr" literally comes from the Greek word for "witness." Therefore, we are all called to witness to the Gospel in our daily lives.

That goes whether we are religious or lay people. We all have the spirituality of martyrdom. But then Father Knight makes an important distinction. Within the spirituality of martyrdom, there are different life-styles. There is the monastic life-style - what we typically think of when we read "sell what you have" and then there is the life-style of the laity - secularity. Father Knight writes that "The lay Christian's life-style is secularity; and his spirituality is martyrdom."

Secularity means we live in the world but are not of the world. We walk the streets just like everyone else, but we will not submit to the prevailing winds of the culture. Lay secularity reaches people where they are. Through our interactions with people in their daily lives, we have the opportunity to live out an authentic witness to the message of the Gospel, a martyrdom.

Now I am hesitant here, for I do not want to fall into the Protestant heresy of interpreting the Bible by myself, but after reading some of the commentaries of the Church Fathers on this passage, I can say that I believe Christ's instructions that we sell what we have and give it to the poor, does not necessarily mean that each and every Christian must sell their houses and go out and live on the streets of Calcutta - not to diminish the vast importance and value of such a life-style in anyway!

The two important words in Christ's message to the young man (and to us) are "sell" and "give."

The real evil in riches is not the mere possession of them. St. Hilary of Poitiers writes in his commentary on this passage that "To have riches is no sin; but moderation is to be observed in our havings." Likewise, St. John Chrysostom writes: "What He spoke was not condemning riches in themselves, but those who were enslaved by them."

What all Christians must sell is not necessarily their possessions themselves, but rather their attachment to them. Renounce the spirit of possessiveness, understand that everything you have is nothing.

I once heard this story of a young priest who was visiting an older monsignor. The priest had everything he needed for the journey in a suitcase which he brought to the monsignor's office.  He was surprised by the lack of possessions in the older man's office. He probably could have fit everything that the monsignor had in his suitcase with room to spare. "Monsignor," he asked, "why do you have so little? I have more with me in this suitcase, and I'm just passing through." The monsignor smiled and said "So am I."

We were not made for this world, we are just passing through. Therefore we can never really own anything of this world. In every account of the rich young man, Jesus follows the command "sell what you have" with its reward: "and you will have treasure in heaven." The only things of value are spiritual treasures, grace. The important things in life are not the balance of your bank account or your designer clothes, but the souls you bring back to God, the relationships you have with God as their foundation, the love you show your neighbor.

You might think you're getting off the hook here. Great, now I don't worry about selling all that I have in order to get into heaven. Phew. All I have to do is pretend that my brand new car and flat screen television have no value while I enjoy them.

In fact, I believe that we are being called to do much more than simply sell all of our physical goods. It is not enough to merely whisper your rejection of riches. "For just as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead" (James 2:26). If your faith does not cause you to make real changes in your life, if it does not bring you to action,, then your faith is dead. You have not experienced a real conversion, you've merely decided to accept an idea. Faith calls us to live differently.

This is the "give" part of Christ's command. Start with the small things. Effective conversions consist of baby steps. Maybe instead of buying that five dollar latte, you donate the money you saved to your local pregnancy resource center like Birthright. You could hold off on upgrading your home's entertainment system to ensure that you have more time to bond with your friends or your children instead of staring at a screen. Pay attention to who you buy from or even which charities you've sent checks to just so they'll stop calling. Avoid those companies that donate to Planned Parenthood, anti-marriage lobbies, and other groups that violate Catholic social teaching. Be wary of charities; many, many organizations send checks to Planned Parenthood or fund embryonic stem cell research, both grave evils. United Way and the March for Dimes are two big supporters of the abortion lobby.

Make sure that you spend your money in a way that reflects your faith. I once heard that you can tell what someone worships by looking at how they use their wallet and their calendar. Ask yourself, are the things you buy helping you to become a better person? Or do they distract you from your journey with God? That means you definitely shouldn't have a Playboy subscription.

Work. not to become wealthy, but to support your family. Do not become blindsided by visions of yachts and Mercedes. There are cheaper ways to have fun on the water, and a used car can get you places just as easily. I'm not saying that you can't spend money on pleasures, just don't let the pursuit of such pleasures hinder you from loving your neighbors.

Use the money that you spare to help the poor. Eat out a little less so someone else can eat. Buy a less expensive car to give another man clothes to put on his back. Consider giving money to the Church. There are collections during Mass for a reason. The Catholic Church has very real material needs. There are churches to be built, parishes to be renovated, salaries to be paid, and programs to be funded. It's fallen out of popularity, but consider tithing to the Church.

The Gospel gives us a great role-model for a Christian attitude towards riches. Zacchaeus the tax collector, unlike the rich young man, makes the right response to Christ's call. He was a wealthy man, but he also took advantage of those he taxed. Tax collectors were already some of the most hated people in Jesus' time (not unlike today). Zacchaeus would have been even more despised by his countrymen. But one day, Jesus passed through his town. And Zacchaeus wanted to get a look at him, maybe he was curious about what this new rabbi had to say, maybe he had an authentic desire for something more than his life of sin, or maybe he just wanted to catch a glimpse of a celebrity.

Either way, being a short man, he climbed a tree to see Jesus. Now, Jesus came by, and much to Zacchaeus' surprise, He stopped and asks him to get down. Jesus wanted to dine with him. Our Lord did have a thing for breaking bread with sinners.

So Zacchaeus "came down quickly and received him with joy" (Luke 19:6). And when people expressed their anger that Jesus was eating with such an unclean man, Zacchaeus responded by saying "Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over" (Luke 19:8). Without Jesus even asking it of him, Zacchaeus did what the rich young man could not. He rejected his riches so that they might not be a hindrance to following Christ. The Gospel does not say that he gave up everything that he had and become a monk. Instead, he gave significantly to the poor, made reparations to those he had wronged, and began to deal fairly with people. He embraced a life-style of secularity within his spiritual call to martyrdom.

I don't think its a coincidence that the story of Zacchaeus closely follows that of the rich young man in the Gospel according to Luke. The short sinner did what the "virtuous" young man could not. Which one will you be?

Brothers and sisters, remember that following Christ is so much more than donating you possessions or writing checks to charities. The real reason the rich young man could not follow Christ is that he was not following the greater commandment of "love your neighbor as yourself." If he had done so, he would have sold everything down to the clothes he was wearing to help his fellow men because Christ asked it of him. In our journey towards spiritual perfection, let us strive to an openness to the will of God, and a love for our fellow man that surpasses our love for riches.

DEUS VULT!

The Church (The Creed)

I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.

I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins,

and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead

and the life of the world to come. Amen.

The Holy Spirit gave life to the Church on Pentecost. We began in this series on the Creed with Creation and God the Father. Then, we moved on to the birth, death, and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. His Ascension lead into the coming of the Holy Spirit which breathed life into the Church.

The Apostles, frightened and in hiding, were "all together in one place" (Acts 2:1). Jesus had just ascended into heaven. They'd drawn lots to chose Matthias as Judas's replacement in the Twelve. They were in recovery, shaken by the tumult of the Crucifixion and the Resurrection. Their world had just been shattered and they were only beginning to put their lives back together.

And then the world changed forever. The Holy Spirit came down upon them with wind and fire. "They were all filled with the Holy Ghost" (Acts 2:4). And so began the Church. Instead of the cries of an infant, Mother Church was heralded by fire and wind, elemental majesty.

Atheists like to say that all religions are the same, that they are merely expressions of subjective religious experience, a psychological longing for the divine that is merely primitive instinct. But the Church is not just another religion. It is Truth.

What other creed has spread so far and so wide? What other creed has so radically changed human history? The way we think? The way we live? Unlike Islam and Judaism, Buddhism and Paganism, Christianity  easily hurdled geographical, cultural, and ethnic boundaries.

The Church is revolutionary. Why else has the world tried so hard to silence her? The Church is always countercultural. "If you had been of the world, the world would love its own: but because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you" (John  15:20). The Church challenged the brutality and hedonism of the Romans just as she challenges our modern brutality and hedonism. Christ's message of love contradicts the hate of our flawed human sinfulness.

The Church is a rock. She is unchanging. The Catholic Church today is the same Church gathered together on Pentecost, despite what the Protestants would have you believe. She does not compromise dogma for whatever happens to be popular. The Commandments were written in stone tablets.

The Church is our foundation. We can cling to her and trust that no matter who is president, no matter what the law says, no matter what the world is screaming at us, we cling to truth. We can trust in the Church.

We enter into the Church through the Sacrament of Baptism. The Roman Catechism says that "by nature we were born from Adam children of wrath, but by Baptism we are regenerated in Christ, children of mercy." Baptism unites us to Christ. We become members of the Church who is the spouse of Christ.

Baptism changes our very nature. Though it does not make us invulnerable to sin, or even remove our sinful nature, Baptism frees us from our inherited bondage to sin and gives us new life. It is a rejection of the ways of the world and the first step on the way to salvation. It is THE first step on the way to salvation. Remember brothers and sisters, the uniqueness of Baptism. It is not merely a human creation. It cannot be imitated. Baptism is not merely the entry into a worldly organization, but rather initiation into the divine body of the Church. St. Paul wrote in his letter to the Ephesians: "one Lord, one faith, one Baptism" (Ephesians 4:5). There is but "one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins." There is  but one Church.

Through Baptism we become brothers and sisters. Regardless of where we come from, the color of our skin, the language that we speak, or even the sins that we have committed, we are all united in the Church. Baptism makes us greater than the sum of our faults. It gives us new identity. That is why a Baptism is as beautiful as the birth of a child, for we gain a new member in our universal family.

Our family has a lot of enemies. There are those who see the Church as a backwards and antiquated organization. There are those who says that she hates women or homosexuals. There are those who hate her because of the lies they have heard or the darkness within their own hearts. The Islamic State has promised the destruction of the Vatican. Even some Christians have declared themselves enemies of the Church. They decry her "corruption" or say that she has fallen away from the teachings of Jesus when they themselves are the ones who cannot fully accept His Word. 

But though every nation on earth were to declare war against the Church and persecute her members, we must not lose our faith. We must stand firm in our conviction. When Rome was falling under the influence of the Arian heresy, a companion of St. Athanasius told him that "The whole world is against you!" The saint responded that "Then it is Athanasius against the world." The Church is against the world too, and she will endure. How can man destroy that which God has made? Some worry that the Church will be destroyed by external aggression or by internal decay. Groups like the Church Militant take this too far and insist upon undermining the authority of those clergy who do not follow their definition of orthodoxy. I will not do so. I will call out heresy where I see it, whether it is inside or outside of the Church, but I will also respect the dignity of the Church and her members. I will trust that Jesus will guard His spouse far more ably than I ever could.

Remember that the Church is hope. The Church is Truth.

DEUS VOLT!

The Holy Spirit (The Creed)

"I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,

who proceeds from the Father and the Son,

who with the Father is adored and glorified,

who has spoken through the prophets."

After ascending into heaven, Christ did not leave us alone in this world of troubles. He did not allow us to remain bereft of His love. Before He returned to His Father, Jesus told His disciples "you shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost, not many days hence" (Acts 1:5), "I will not leave you orphans: I will come to you" (John 14:18). In the hope of this promise, the disciples remained in Jerusalem, despite the persecution that they thus risked. And their hope was not in vain.

"And when the days of the Pentecost were accomplished, they were all together in one place: And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a mighty wind coming.... And there appeared to them parted tongues as if of fire.... And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost" (Acts 2:1-3).

It is impossible to speak of the Church without mentioning the Holy Spirit. That is because, through Pentecost, the Church has been imbued with the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the hardest Person of the Trinity to comprehend. We are familiar with the idea of a father and a son, but an incorporeal spirit? This is a hard teaching indeed. 

We must remember a few essential aspects of the Holy Spirit, in order to better understand this teaching of the Church. First, the Holy Spirit is distinct from but one with the Father and the Son. Secondly, the Spirit is the Author of Scripture: "who has spoken through the prophets." And finally, the Holy Spirit is "the giver of life."

The Holy Spirit is "distinct but inseparable" (CCC 689) from the Father and the Son. This is key to our understanding of the Spirit. The best way that I have ever heard this concept explained is that the Holy Spirit is the fruit of the love between the Father and the Son. Thus, though the Holy Spirit is unquestionably unique in the Trinity, he cannot be imagined outside of it.

Next, the Holy Spirit is the Author of the Word. The Catechism tells us that one of the places in which we know the Spirit is "in the Scriptures he inspired" (CCC 688). The Holy Spirit gave us the Word through the prophets. Isaiah wrote "the Spirit of the Lord God is upon me" (Isaiah 61:1). Even the early Church acknowledged this truth. Paul said to the Jews of Rome: "well did the Holy Spirit speak to our fathers by Isaiah the prophet" (Acts 28:25). Sacred Scripture is not the outdated work of  a few backward Jews and Christians. It is the LIVING work of God. It is not something merely to be studied, but listened to and lived. The Holy Spirit speaks to us through the Word.

And finally, the Holy Spirit is "the giver of life." He is active in our hearts. Once they received the Holy Spirit, the disciples immediately began speaking in tongues. They were granted the courage necessary to stand before the throng of Jerusalem and preach the Word, though it might have meant (and eventually did for all but John) their own deaths. I do not believe they could have spoken otherwise, for the Holy Spirit is "the spirit of truth" (John 14:17). They could not help but speak the Truth when filled with the "spirit of truth." We know of the fruits of the Holy Spirit, the boons we receive through grace. These fruits prepare us to live and spread the Word.

This discussion of the Holy Spirit would be remiss if I did not also write about the Sacrament of Confirmation. The Holy Spirit is of course involved in every Sacrament, but is featured especially prominent in the last Sacrament of Initiation. Confirmation has its origins in Pentecost when the Church first received the Holy Spirit. We see this Sacrament in action later in the book of Acts when after being baptized, the people of Samaria called upon Peter and John who came and "laid their hands upon them: and they received the Holy Ghost" (Acts 8:17). And indeed, another name for this Sacrament is the laying on of hands.

In the Early Church, the three Sacraments of Initiation were all celebrated simultaneously, a practice that continues in the Eastern Church. Baptism was separated during the reign of Constantine when he made Christianity the religion of Rome. Confirmation was likewise celebrated apart from the Eucharist beginning in the Middle Ages. And I think that during this time, we really solidified our understanding of the Sacrament.

The concepts of knighthood became intertwined with Confirmation. Confirmation was not influenced by the historical phenomenon of knighthood. Rather, chivalry was an expression of the values of Confirmation. Sometimes this expression was more worldly than spiritual. But we find the perfect expression of this in St. Bernard of Clairvaux. He wrote "In Praise of the New Knighthood" for Hugh de Paynes, the founding Grand Master of the Knights Templar. Now, the historical reality of the Templar Order has been distorted by popular culture. They were not a secret society or anti-Christian cult. In truth, they were a group of warrior monks sanctioned by the Pope and committed to defending Christian pilgrims in the Holy Land, a place that was equally if not more violent and hostile to Christians than the modern Middle East. They were the embodiment of Christian knighthood and thus St. Bernard's "Praise" is key to this discussion of Confirmation. These knights are disciplined and focused. They are fierce in battle, but "there is no distinction of persons among them." He extorted them to "go forth confidently then, you knights, and repel the foes of the Cross of Christ with a stalwart heart."

Of course Confirmation should not be seen as a preparation for a physical warfare, as was necessary in the times of the Templars. Today, we fight against "foes of the Cross" who instead of steel carry blogs and Twitter validations, signs and a false sense of advocacy. And this sense of Confirmation preparing us for spiritual warfare can be found throughout Tradition. Pope Melchiades, pontiff during the reign of Constantine, wrote that "in Baptism, man is enlisted into the service, in Confirmation, he is equipped for battle." The Roman Catechism, product of the Council of Trent during the Catholic Reformation, calls those who receive the Sacrament of Confirmation "a valiant combatant."

Confirmation is rightly a Sacrament of Initiation, for it girds Christians with abundant grace and prepares them for living in the world. In the book of Revelation, we read about the "mark" of the beast which identifies his slaves in sin. Confirmation is the counter to that sign. Pope Pius X wrote that "Confirmation is a sacrament which gives us the Holy Ghost, imprints on our souls the mark of a soldier of Christ, and makes us perfect Christians," perfect of course, not in immunity from sin, but rather in fulfillment of grace.

The mark of Confirmation is divisive. The bishop marks the heads of the Confirmandi with chrism as a proud standard for them to wear as they venture out into the battlefield of life. It is a sign of our soldier-hood for Christ. In Confirmation, we are strengthened by the Holy Spirit. We receive the graces and gifts of the Spirit. The Spirit is thus our Paraclete, our Advocate, "the giver of life."

If you want to learn more about the Holy Spirit and the Sacrament of Confirmation, go here and watch this excellent podcast by Rise Up Jerusalem on how Protestant baptism relates to the Sacrament of Confirmation. The host of Rise Up Jerusalem, happens to be, not just my cousin, but a close friend and an excellent voice of young Catholicism. Check out the rest of his videos to be inspired by his ministry and passion for Christ.

I leave you with these words from the advocate of Christian knighthood. Truly we have cause for joy for we are visited with the graces of the Holy Spirit, our comfort.

"Rejoice Jerusalem, and recognize now the time in which you are visited! Be glad and give praise together, wastes of Jerusalem, for the Lord has comforted his people." - St. Bernard of Clairvaux

DEUS VOLT!

The Second Coming (The Creed)

As I emphasized in my last post, our faith is not dead or stagnant. It is effective and alive. Christianity did not end with the Resurrection any more than it ends with the Passion. After Christ revealed Himself to His disciples on multiple occasions, He ascended into Heaven. Unlike the false prophets of paganism or even the Jewish prophets appointed by God, Jesus did not succumb to the decay of a final death. Instead, he rose into the Heavens after rising from the grave. God-made-Man returned to the bosom of His Heavenly Father.

This must have been difficult for the disciples. They were scattered and in hiding when they saw the proofs of the Resurrection. And now Jesus was gone again. Many men might have simply returned to the comfort of the shadows and anonymity. The Roman sword still hung over their heads and the Pharisees wanted to tear them apart. I think that it would have been understandable if, even with the hope of the Resurrection, the disciples had gone back into hiding and spread the message of the Gospel in secret to a chosen and trusted few.

But this is not what happened. In fact, the disciples did quite the opposite. They went out among the throng of Jerusalem. They did not speak in whispers. "Peter standing up with the Eleven, lifted up his voice and spoke to them: 'Ye men of Judea, and all you that dwell in Jerusalem, be this known to you and with your ears receive my words" (Acts 2:14). These are not the words of a fearful man. These are the words filled with the courage and strength of the Lord.

And yet let us remember who this is that speaks so boldly. This is Peter, the same disciple who during the Last Supper rashly proclaimed that "although I should die together with thee, I will not deny thee" (Mark 14:31), only to deny the Lord not once, not twice, but three times on Good Friday. The question we must ask ourselves is what changed? What happened to the disciples so that instead of running away, they proclaimed the Gospel to the nations?

There are two answers to this question. The first is the descent of the Holy Spirit which is the subject of my next post. The other reason for their courage is found in the promise that came with the Ascension. After Jesus was raised up into the clouds, two angels appeared to the disciples and said to them "Ye men of Galilee, why stand you looking up to heaven? This Jesus who is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come as you have seen him going into heaven" (Acts 1:11). Shall so come as you have seen him going into heaven. The disciples received the promise of the Second Coming of Christ.

The Ascension was not Jesus' last farewell to Earth. He is coming back.

We read extensively of this promise in the New Testament. In the Gospels, Jesus warns us of the tribulation and confusion that will abound in the end times, for truly the Second Coming represents the end of the world as we know it. In those times, "many false prophets will rise and shall seduce many" (Matthew 24:11). The Ancient Fathers of the Church long believed this to mean that the antichrist would present himself, the great deceiver and servant of Satan. It is said that he will "make war with the saints" and "all that dwell upon the earth adored him, whose names are not written in the book of life" (Revelation 13:7-8).

True believers and followers of the word "shall be hated by all for my name's sake" (Matthew 24:9). "And you shall be betrayed by your parents and brethren and kinsmen and friends, and some of you they will put to death" (Luke 21:16). In the book of Revelation, we read of the "great harlot" of idolatry "with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication," and that she is "drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus" (Revelation 17:1-2,6).

Truly these will not be tame times. These will be days marked by chaos and persecution.

It is important to remember, however, that it is vain to try to predict when the last days will come. Christ tells us that "of that day and hour no one knoweth: no, not the angels in heaven, but the Father alone" (Matthew 24:36).

These signs and predictions might seem disheartening. Why did it fill the apostles with such strength?

It is because of what follows these sufferings which are merely "the sign of thy coming and the consummation of the world" (Matthew 24:3). The Enemy will not prevail. He has already been defeated. Our ultimate victory is in the Cross. These times will merely be the last "hurrah," the vain though potent charge of Satan's Light Brigade. There is no question about the outcome. When these slight afflictions pass away, "then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven" (Matthew 24:30), "then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds, with great power and glory" (Mark 13:26). Christ shall return from His Heavenly throne to establish His new Kingdom. He "shall judge the living and the dead, by his coming and his kingdom" (2 Timothy 4:1). And though the beast should rise from the abyss to devour true Christians, "the Lamb shall overcome them because he is the Lord of lords and King of kings" (Revelation 17:14).

All of this around you, all of the kingdoms of the earth, the laws of men, the institutions of sin, all of this shall pass away and be forgotten. "Vanities of vanity, and all is vanity" (Ecclesiastes 1:2). "Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer" (Revelation 2:10) for they will be washed away in the blood of the Lamb.

This is why the apostles were able to disregard the threat of death at the hands of the Jews and the Romans. They stood before the crowds of Jerusalem and proclaimed the glory of the Resurrection and message of the Gospel. The apostles suffered torture and martyrdom in the expectation and hope of the Second Coming in Christ, knowing that "he that shall endure unto the end, he shall be saved" (Mark 13:13), "he that shall overcome shall not be hurt by the second death" (Revelation 2:11).

We must try to live in the hope of the Second Coming. Christians must toil upon the earth so that when He comes, the Lord might say to us "well done, good and faithful servant.... Enter thou into the joy of thy lord" (Matthew 25:21). The Lord amply rewards those who follow his word: "be thou faithful unto death: and I will give thee the crown of life" (Revelation 2:10). It is impossible for us even to imagine a fraction of the joy that is waiting for us in heaven. Therefore, live with the love of God as the disciples so that when you meet the Lord, whether in death or in His coming, "your redemption is at hand" (Luke 21:28).

"Take ye heed, watch and pray. For ye know not when the time is" (Mark 13:13).


DEUS VULT!

The Glory of the Resurrection (The Creed)

And rose again on the third day

in accordance with the Scriptures.

He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

Ours would be a grim faith indeed if the Gospels ended with the Crucifixion. We might be as grave as the Muslims or as morbid as the Stoics. And I think that it can be all to easy to do just that - to end with the Passion, to end with the suffering of Christ while neglecting what happened three days later. It can be all too easy to focus on the magnitude of sin and suffering in the world and forget the significance of the Passion which was made manifest in the rolling away of the stone. It is easy to hold up a sign saying that "The End is Nigh" or to complain about the state of the world. It is much harder to embrace your brother with love.

Jesus died and rose again!

The God-made man has conquered the grave!

"He is not here, for He is risen" (Matthew 28:6).

Brothers and sisters, how can we not rise up with joy in the truth of our faith? How can we keep from singing? The depths of the grave have no power over our Lord, "O death, where is thy sting?" (1 Corinthians 15:55). The Resurrection is the validation of the Cross. The Cross would not make sense without the glory of Easter. We can have confidence in the necessity of our own suffering because the story did not end on Calvary.

How many false prophets have been silenced by death? When Socrates was poisoned with hemlock, did he teach beyond the grave? Did Mohammed share his revelations after death? Was Buddha able to share his message post-mortem? Who else has a Lord who rose from the grave?

The world hates this Truth. It tries to tell us that it is impossible, that no man can conquer death. Our age fears the grave because it has rejected and spat upon what lies beyond it. The world turns to its fatalistic hedonism, the danse macabre, the self-deluding, insane, urgent dance of those yet untouched by death. It drinks to forget its own mortality, seeks meaningless lusts in a desperate frenzy, masks its age in layer upon layer of beauty products. All to stave off the cold embrace of the grave for one moment longer.

But no Christian need fear death. We need not live under the shadow of the tomb. "Now we are loosed from the law of death" (Romans 7:6). Christ "hath destroyed death and hath brought to light life and incorruption by the gospel" (2 Timothy 1:10). "Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall not fear" (Psalm 23:4). Having full confidence in God's mercy and the absolution of our sins through sacramental Confession, the sting of death is nullified by the love of Christ. Death means nothing to the saints and the martyrs of God.

We believe that Jesus rose from the death, that he invaded the pit of hell and thrust open the gates of heaven. That is why Easter is a time for rejoicing and feasting. Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen wrote: "there are only two philosophies of life: the Christian, which says first the fast, then the feast; and the pagan, which says first the feast, then the headache." Our fasting should not be tainted with sorrow for we know what lies at the end of the road. Sadness profits us nothing, "for of sadness cometh death, and it overwhelmeth the strength" (Sirach 38:19).

On Good Friday, the Temple veil was torn. On Easter Sunday, the tombstone was cast aside and the vice-hold of death broken.

Do not weep, rejoice! Christ is no longer dead but alive!

DEUS VULT!

The Passion (The Creed)

For our sake, he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,

he suffered death and was buried.

Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen wrote that Jesus Christ was the only man born to die.  The beauty of his birth was marred by the massacre of the infants by Herod. The happiness of his mother was overshadowed by Simeon's prophecy, "and thy own soul a sword shall pierce." (Luke 2:35)

The Son was not made Incarnate to establish an earthly kingdom or simply add to the work of the prophets. He was not merely another Elijah or John the Baptist. Jesus came to fulfill the law and establish a new and lasting covenant - "and this is to them my covenant: when I shall take away their sins." (Romans 11:27) This was not an impersonal contract. The Passion established a relationship built upon love between God and His people.

After coming down from Mount Sinai, Moses had his priests sacrifice to the Lord. He took a bowl of the blood from the victims "and sprinkled it upon the people, and he said 'This is the blood of the covenant, which the Lord hath made with you concerning all these words.'" (Exodus 24:8) Then Moses ascended Sinai once more and received the Ten Commandments, the Law.

The covenant of the Old Testament required the blood of sacrificial victims. Therefore it is fitting that the new covenant require the same. But this time, instead of calves, the victim is the Son of God Himself. A strong King might be able to sacrifice his servants for the good of the Kingdom. He might even be able to sacrifice his friends. But what King would be able to give up his only son, his own blood, for his people? For our sake?

For our sake, Christ yielded Himself to a humiliating death. He died in the most painful way the brutal Romans could devise. Isaiah the prophet describes Christ's noble sacrifice most beautifully.

"Despised, and the most abject of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with infirmity, and his look was as if it were hidden and despised, whereupon we esteemed him not.... He was offered because it was his own will, and he opened not his mouth: he shall be led as a sheep to the slaughter, and shall be dumb as a lamb before his shearer, and he shall not open his mouth."  - Isaiah 53:4,7

Why? Why would the God who made heaven and earth die such an inglorious death? Why would He submit Himself so humbly to the whip and the jeering and the nails?

Because He loves us. Because He wanted to save us from our sins. When He came before the chief priests and the council, they shouted "He deserves to die!" (Matthew 26:66)

But that is not true. He did not deserve to die. As He was without the blemish of sin, there was nothing that justified His execution, no crime He could be convicted of. The truth of it is, we deserve to die. How many times have we fallen? Again and again we succumb to the easy lure of sin and its wages. Look at the world. Look at your own heart. The weight of sin is immense. But Jesus bore that weight on the Cross for us as He struggled for every breath. The blood of the Lamb stormed the pit of hell and thrust open the gates of heaven so that we might be saved. By His passion, though our "sins be as scarlet, they will be made as white as snow." (Isaiah 1:18)

In dying, Christ showed us how to live. With love. In "The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ," Anna Catherine Emmerich wrote that in the Garden, Christ could see the sum of human sinfulness, past, present, and future. He gazed upon every blasphemy, every infidelity, and every act of hatred. And yet His love is so great that He nevertheless accepted the slow and tortuous death on a Cross.

In these days leading up to the Passion, meditate upon this. The outstretched and pierced arms of Christ embraced humanity in our dirty, ugly sinfulness. Remember that the Truth was not meant to fall upon the idle and inactive! Make this Truth a part of your life. Jesus showed us how to love unconditionally, to love without counting the cost. He forgave those men who were even then mocking him and hurting His most blessed Body. Ask yourselves, how can I live out this same love?

The world is mired in sinfulness and injustice. As Christians, doers and hearers of the Word, we are called to bring the light of love to this culture of darkness. May the Body of Christ save us and the Blood of Christ sanctify us as we strive to follow the bloodied footsteps of our Lord as He mounted Cavalry and saved the world.


DEUS VOLT!

The Son (The Creed)

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,

The only Begotten Son of God,

Born of the Father before all ages.

God from God, Light from Light,

True God from true God,

Begotten not made, consubstantial with the Father;

Through Him all things were made.

 

 

When Jesus explained the Mystery of His passion and the Eucharist after the multiplication of the loaves, His disciples complained. "This teaching is hard; who can accept it?" (John 6:60) Though they were talking about transfiguration, they could have just as easily been speaking of the doctrine of the Son.

 

Belief in the Son is indeed "hard." It is what separates Christians from Jews and Gentiles alike. Christ is a definitive truth. He is a decisive truth. In the book of Revelation, we read of the "stamped image" of the Beast that identifies servants of the apostate (Revelation 13:16.) The Teaching of Christ is so decisive that a mark "on their right hand or their foreheads" separates unbelievers from the believers. This Truth divides the "wheat" from the "chaff" (Matthew 3:12.) The "wise" from the "foolish" (Matthew 25:2.)

 

It is believed that the revelation of the Son caused the Fall of Lucifer and his rebel angels. The Devil could not accept the hypostasis of God and man because of his damning pride. Instead, he said "I will exalt my throne above the stars of God" (Isaiah 14:2.) Satan rejected God's reign because of the difficulty of this doctrine. How much more decisive will it be among men?

 

Perhaps one way to measure the importance of a truth is to see how many errors try to pervert it. And indeed there are many heresies that spread lies about the Son.

 

That is why we need the Creed, to separate truth from untruth.

 

Jesus is "the only Begotten Son of God." Through adoption, because of the Passion, we are all "children of God" (Galatians 3:26.) But we are also the creation of God's hands. A father does not mold his child out of clay or paint him into existence. But this is part of our relationship with God, Maker and Made. Not so with the Son. He was "begotten, not made." The child is the fruit of his parent's love. The Son is the fruit of the Father's love.

 

Furthermore, it is important to understand that the union of the Father and the Son is timeless. The idea that the Father exist4ed before the Son is heretical. "In the beginning was the Word: and the Word was with God: and the Word was God" (John 1:1.) This eternal relationship and unity of the paternal and filial persons of the Trinity is so important that John begins his Gospel by expounding it.

 

The Catechism tells us that "Christians are baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: not in their names." (CCC 233)

 

This "teaching" is indeed "hard." Our mortal and limited intelligences cannot comprehend this transcendental metaphysical reality. How can One Being be Father and Son at the same time? Relying purely on human intelligence will only lead us astray.

 

We accept this teaching as an article of faith. Faith is believing in that which the senses cannot perceive. It does not take faith to believe that the sky is blue or that the sun will rise in the morning. These things we have physical evidence of. It takes faith to believe in the Holy Trinity, One God. Augustine tells us that "faith is to believe what we do not see, and the reward of this faith is to see what we believe."

 

Brothers and sisters, believe in the Son. It is not enough to simply profess a vague spiritual Being in the sky that might possibly judge the things that we do. Have faith in the Son, Jesus Christ. Have faith and you will receive "the reward of this faith," everlasting life.

 

One of the disputes between Catholics and Protestants is over the respective necessities of faith and works. The Protestants claim that faith alone is necessary for salvation. They look to St. Paul when he writes "a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law." (Romans 3:28) But they are arguing a moot point. St. Paul was not inspired by the Holy Spirit to write about a faith that is impotent and inactive. "Faith without works is dead" (James 2:20.) St. Paul wrote about a living, expressed faith.

 

Believing in the Son is more than checking off a list of doctrines that you profess with your lips because you have to. You must profess the Truth with your life. If you truly believe in Jesus Christ the Son of God, your life will be changed. You will not be content with living in sin. You will not be able to see a fellow man suffering without seeing the suffering of Christ mirrored within them.

 

All too often we see examples of dead faith! People who thank God with their lips while doing the Devil's work with their hands. Abortionists who pray for the fruit of their professions. Clergy who support same-sex marriage. Politicians who "make wicked laws" that "oppress the poor in judgement and do violence to the cause of the humble" (Isaiah 10:1-2.) Faith in the Son is incompatible faith.

 

Faith in Jesus Christ does not tolerate sin.

 

So be like the Saints who lived their faith in the world, in persecution, in martyrdom.

 

May your faith be alive and well. May it bear great fruit.

 

DEUS VULT!

God the Father (The Creed)

I believe in one God,

The Father Almighty

Maker of Heaven and Earth

Of all things visible and invisible.

The Nicene Creed begins with our most essential belief. We believe in God. One God. Our faith rejects the senseless abyss of atheism and the pantheon of foolish gods. We believe in a Creator God, a God who existed when “the earth was void and empty,” (Genesis 1:2) a God who willed the Universe into existence, the Architect “of all things visible and invisible.

Furthermore, we do not believe in the impotent Watchmaker of Deism. God does not sit back and watch human history as if it were a soap opera, He takes an active role. “Are not my words as a fire, saith the Lord: as a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?” (Jeremiah 23:29)

The work of God began with Creation, which culminated in the making of man. “”God created man to his own image.” (Genesis 1:27) We owe to God every breath that we take, knowing that it is His will that sustains us.

God saved Noah from the flood. He established the covenant with Abraham, “I will make my covenant with thee: and I will multiply thee exceedingly,” (Genesis 17:2) and He established the Law with Moses, “I will give thee tables of stone, and the law, and the commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them.” (Exodus 24:12)

These mighty deeds were in the aspect of the First Person of the Holy Trinity, which is affirmed in the Creed. God the Father is truly almighty: “Thy right hand, O Lord, is magnified in strength.” (Exodus 15:2) This was the prayer of the Israelites after being delivered from the hands of Pharaoh and the Egyptians by the parting and then the returning waters of the Red Sea.

I think that the Father portion of the Trinity is overlooked too easily today. We prefer Jesus, the social justice worker, to Jesus, Son of the Father. We have overlooked the Lord who “is a jealous God.” (Nahum 1:2)

The first commandment given to Moses affirmed the identity of God. “I am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt not have strange gods before me.” (Exodus 20:2-3) The Creed tells us that we believe in “one God.” As I have written many times, idolatry is one of the most prevalent sins. We like to think that the worshipping of idols is a sin that only the ancients committed. Just because only the few and the insane worship statues of Beelzebub or Baal, does not mean that we do not have our own “graven images.”  How many have set up altars to their own popularity, iPhones, careers, relationships or bodies? Anything that you love more than God is an idol. It is not a question of time, but rather of priority. If you would deny God or reject the teachings of the Church for the sake of the things of the world, you are engaged in idolatry. This is not without its consequences. God the Father loves his people so much that he is “jealous” with his love. He cannot stand anything coming between us and His love.

“And I will throw down your altars, and your idols shall be broken in pieces.” (Ezekiel 6:4)

God punished the people of Israel for their fickleness. Their hearts were divided (Hosea 10:2) between the covenant God made with Abraham and the popularity of local gods. In His infinite justice, He exiled them from their promised land, forcing them to live among strangers. “Our inheritance is turned to aliens: our houses to strangers.” (Lamentations 5:1)  All of this was to show them the wrongness of their way.

One of the characteristics of the Father is His justice, the justice that brought the Flood, the justice that alienated the Israelites from their home, the justice that merited the Death of the Son on a Cross.

The Father is also majestic. He appeared to Moses in burning flame as “the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob,” (Exodus 3:6) as “I am who am.” (Exodus 3:14). The majesty of the Father was such that “Moses hid his face.”

Like Moses, we need to bow down in humility before our Lord. The Creed begins where it ought to, with the First Person of the Trinity. Our human nature is at once eclipsed by God the Father’s might, by He who “is with me as a strong warrior.” (Jeremiah 20:11)

DEUS VOLT!

The Creed

We recite it at every Mass. It is the product of two Councils of the Catholic Church. It contains the summary of our faith, the truth.

If we were playing Jeopardy, answer would be: What is the Nicene Creed?

Now though the Creed is said at every Mass, repetition does not always coincide with understanding. It is easy to say the same words every week without truly taking those words to heart. In the Creed, we find the substance, the meat of our faith.

How well do you know the Creed? Your answer determines how well you know the faith.

The next several posts will focus on the Truth contained within the Creed. This first post will review the history behind the Creed.

Though we know it as the Nicene Creed, its correct name is the Nicene-Constantinople Creed. The formula of the creed originated from the Council of Nicaea and was finalized through the Council of Constantinople.

The Council of Nicaea was the first ecumenical council of the Catholic Church and was invoked in 325 AD to counter the dangers of the Arian heresy. The first form of the Nicene Creed appeared in the Profession of Faith which began the text of the Council. It was meant to clearly enumerate the beliefs of the Catholic Church. The early form of the Creed was followed by a specific denouncement of the Arian heresy.

"And those who say 'there once was when He was not,' and 'before He was begotten He was not,' and that He came to be from things that were not, or from another hypostasis or substance, affirming that the Son of God is subject to change or alteration, these the Catholic and apostolic Church anathematizes."

In short, the Church refuted the claims of the Arians that Jesus was not "consubstantial with the Father." They defended the nature of the hypostasis, the union of Divine and human natures in Christ, against the attacks of the heretics. The Creed originated as a defense of the Truth.

The Council of Constantinople in 381 finalized the Nicene Creed. Surviving records of the Council
begin with an affirmation of the truth found in the Creed.

"The profession of faith of the holy fathers who gathered in Nicaea in Bithynia is not to be abrogated, but is to remain in force. Every heresy is to be anathematized...."

The Creed is a shield. It is a guide. It is the Truth.

We live in an age that reduces the Truth to opinion. The lie of relativism tells you that you can believe whatever you want to. It teaches that lies can be the Truth, if only you want them to be. But in the Creed, there is no relativism. There is no lie.

We find in the Creed the beautiful Truth of God, the Truth of our faith. I hope that you will enjoy the next several posts which will examine the Creed in detail in order to promote a greater understanding of what we as Catholics believe.



DEUS VOLT!

True Feminism

Do not believe the voices of unreason that say the Church restricts the rights of women.

Critics of the Catholic Church are quick to claim that there is a "war on women," especially when abortion is involved. They look at the Church's stance on abortion, birth control, and exclusion of women from the priesthood and call it oppression, as if the Hierarchy of the Catholic Church had actually conspired to do so!

This attack on the Church, this calumny, is one of the most frequent levied against the rock of Christ. But it is entirely contrary to the reality of our faith. The attitude of the Catholic Church towards women is not the watered-down talking points of the movement that calls itself feminist. It is an attitude of honor and reverence for the true nature of womanhood. It is true feminism.

"Male and female he created them." (Genesis 1:27) Feminists like to believe that there are no differences between men and women. Not only is this a rejection of God's design, it is a reduction of the value of women instead of, as the feminists believe, a reach for equality. There are inherent differences between man and woman. As our knowledge of the human body increases, we are continuously finding more and more differences between the ways men and women function.

The most obvious difference between them, however, is quite obvious. Men cannot bear children. God created women to be capable of giving birth. Therefore, the idea of motherhood is central to our understanding of what it means to be a woman.

Motherhood is a gift from God. Feminists think it to be a curse. Their insistence on abortion and birth control is a rejection of that gift. This is a grave error. What is more beautiful than a newborn child? Fighting for an end to abortion is not an attack against women. It is a defense of womanhood. Abortion leaves scars. It hurts woman far more than it "helps" them.

Motherhood is central to the beauty of women. While men tend to be physically stronger, to women is given singular grace and beauty. Men are the protectors. Women are the treasure they protect. One of the central tenants of the medieval code of chivalry, the definition of manliness, was to respect the honor of women.

This does not degrade women. It celebrates them.

The exclusion of women from the priesthood is not a decision that was made by the Church. Once more, there is no anti-woman conspiracy. The priesthood was founded upon the example and teachings of Jesus Christ. The Sacrament of Holy Orders, whereby men become priests, was instituted at the Last Supper. When He said "this is my body," (Mark 14:22) Christ was instructing the Twelve. They became the inheritors of the order of Melchizedek (Genesis 14:18). They became the new sons of Aaron, keepers of the new manna, the Eucharist (Exodus 16:33-34). Though Jesus had women followers: Mary Magdalene, Mary of Cleophas, and his own mother Mary, He did not grant them induction into His sacred priesthood. That was His decision, based upon the fundamental differences between men and women.

But women are in no way excluded from the operation of the Catholic Church. Religious sisters are the bulwark of our faith. Their prayers and works of mercy help to sustain the Church. Often, their hands are the hands of Christ in the most destitute places on Earth.

Some of the greatest Saints and martyrs of the faith are women. What Saint is more honored and venerated than Mary Mother of God? And many of Mary's visitations were to female saints like Bernadette. St. Theresa of Avila graced us with her mystical writings. St. Catherine of Sienna brought the Papacy back to Rome. St. Faustina's Diary reminded the world of Christ's mercy in a century when it was desperately needed. Blessed Mother Theresa (soon to be Saint) lived out the works of mercy in abject poverty with constant joy.

The Catholic Church is not prejudiced against women. It respects their true nature. Feminism does not. The Church refuses to ignore the motherhood that is essential to the nature of womanhood. It honors women for who they are.


DEUS VOLT!

Why We Need Mary

One of the most attacked traditions of the Catholic Church is her veneration of the Blessed Mother. Protestants, Muslims, Jews, and Atheists alike viciously criticize Catholics for "worshipping" Mary. Do not so much as listen to this infernal noise! Our faith in the Mother of God must never be shaken.

These devilish arrows of contention have no sting. The Catholic Church's veneration of the Blessed Mother as a protectress and an intercessor is well founded. The mystery of the Incarnation gives us more than enough reason to praise the name of Mary. "No man puts new wine into old bottles; otherwise the wine will burst the bottles, and both the wine will be spilled and the bottles will be lost." (Mark 2:22) Saint Lois de Montfort, the author of one of the greatest works on the Virgin Mary, explained this analogy as pertaining to the Mother of God's role in the Incarnation. The Son of God cannot have been born to just anyone. The womb that would be his home of nine months had to be consecrated - it would be the first Tabernacle. God created Mary for that purpose alone. She was set apart as the chosen handmaid of the Lord, the Mother of her Savior and Spouse of the Holy Spirit.  She was conceived without sin to bear in her womb He who would conquer sin. The Mother of God HAD to be without sin. No unworthy vessel could carry this Child.

Mary was no ordinary woman. Claims, however, that Catholics "worship" Mary are both unfounded and slanderous. God is glorified through his Mother. Ignoring Mary would be a grave offense to God. He wishes for her veneration and praise. Who does not like to have his mother spoken well of? Devotion to Mary is given to us in Scripture. The Hail Mary, the most beautiful of prayers, is entirely derived from the Word of God.

Our worship of God is magnified through the Blessed Virgin. Unlike Jesus and Mary, we do sin, a lot actually. It is an act of great humility to go before the Virgin Mary and ask her to appear before the throne of God on your behalf. You allow her grace and virtue to take the place of your ingratitude and sin.

We need Mary.

This age needs Mary more than any other. We flounder and fail in vice and sin. We replace traditions with "progress" and morality with choice. Our age seems to have forgotten God. We can only be saved by turning back to Him through His Mother. Mary is the protectress of the mortal race. Her intercession can save us. The need for returning to the Mother of God, our Mother, has been explicitly revealed to us through the appearances at Fatima and the writings of many saints of our age.

How can we turn back to Mary? The best way is also the simplest. Pray. Prayer is perfected in the Holy Rosary. Meditating on the sacred Mysteries is a sure way to grow in personal holiness. Start small. Taking on a summit that is too steep will quickly discourage our weak hearts. Begin with a single decade or even simply three Hail Mary's every day. It might seem boring, but "Blessed be that monotony of Hail Mary's which purifies the monotony of your sins!" Build from there. Prayer is just like exercise. Do not expect yourself to bench three hundred pounds on your first try. It takes practice. We would do well never to overlook the power of the Rosary. The great Saint Lois de Montfort gives us the following words of inspiration and hope when it comes to the Rosary:

"If you say the Rosary faithfully until death, I do assure you that, in spite of the gravity of your sins 'you shall receive a never-fading crown of glory.' Even if you are on the brink of damnation, even if you have one foot in hell, even if you have sold your soul to the devil as sorcerers do who practice black magic, and even if you are a heretic as obstinate as a devil, sooner or later you will be converted and will amend your life and save your soul, if - and mark well what I say - if you say the Rosary devoutly every day until death for the purpose of knowing the truth and obtaining contrition and pardon for your sins."

Our devotion to the blessed Mother can also be made manifest in action. We must show the world that Mary is our Mother. Live a life that is an imitation of both Jesus and Mary. Just as His earthly life is a guide for us to follow, Jesus gave us Mary as an example of holiness. Follow the virtues that Mary lived: humility, patience, reverence, and profound faith. There is a popular rubber bracelet with the acronym WWJD? - What Would Jesus Do? It would be truly fitting for us to add to that WWMD? - What Would Mary Do? Study Scripture and the works of the Saints to learn how to imitate the Blessed Mother in all fullness.

Finally, we can express our devotion to the Mother of God through consecrating ourselves to "this august princess." There are a few methods of consecration that have been handed down to us through the Saints.  Personally, I would recommend that of Saint Lois de Montfort. As you might have noticed, this illustrious Saint comes up often when we speak of Mary. He wrote "True Devotion to Mary" a work that outlined his plan of consecration. Consecration takes the form of "slavery to Jesus through Mary." By consecrating ourselves, we submit our bodies, our minds, our will, and everything we possess to the will of Jesus and the Blessed Mother. This is a very blessed form of veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Mary is our Mother. We must not tolerate any insult to our Mother. Any time someone slanders the Blessed Virgin, you ought to be more offended than if they had slandered you yourself. Do not remain silent when her name and reputation are tarnished. We are the Church of Jesus. Jesus wants us to defend His most Holy Mother. We must also recognize our own sinfulness and turn to Mary as the means of worshipping God more fully and gaining salvation. Our lives should be an echo of Mary's Magnificat, "my soul magnifies the Lord."

Blessed ever-Virgin Mary, Mother of God - Pray for us.

Deus Volt!

Mere Spirituality

Spirituality is not religion.

In our convenient age of five-step formulae and "there's an app for that" mentality, it should come as no surprise that we often look for similar shortcuts when it comes to practicing religion. Previous generations had at least the decorum to be either hot or cold when it came to religion. You either believed in God or you did not. Simple. There were no impious half-measures.


Not so today, not so. We have created a blasphemous assortment of half-prayers and religious "feelings." This Frankenstein's monster goes by many names: New Age philosophy, astrology, pantheism. It is most commonly addressed as "spirituality." The basic message is simple. Get rid of all that doctrine, tradition, and rules, and replace it with emotional experiences that will somehow coalesce into the achievement of some esoteric plane of existence, nirvana, enlightenment, etc....

Spirituality is the essence of our times. No responsibility, no rules, no tradition, and no God. Spirituality is far more dangerous than atheism. It is, in itself, a kind of cocktail mix of agnosticism and religion. It removes God from the equation. All of the religious feelings sans a Supreme Being. This is a dangerous, spiritual arsenic. It is a devilish trick. There is nothing wrong with spiritual feelings in themselves. In fact, they are very good. Such feelings often mean that the Holy Spirit is moving within our hearts. These feelings are intended to bring us closer to God.

Spirituality takes these feelings and disguises them, disguises them, and perverts them. It is a subtle lie unlike the outright rejection of atheism. Atheism is a desert. Spirituality is a poisoned well. The combination is deadly. St. Augustine wrote that "You have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you." The heart cannot survive on atheism alone, on shadows. It needs spiritual substance. And instead of the true fruits of the true Church, a modern soul is deceived and taken in by the sweet-tasting but ultimately empty.

This is the strategy of evil. Starve the soul with atheism. Create a culture immersed with the death of the spirit, Nietzsche's nihilistic message, "God is dead." Eventually, the soul will reject the lies it has been fed. It will OD on sand and dirt. That is where spirituality comes in. When the soul has emptied itself with darkness, it looks for something more. The answer of the world is spirituality. An empty "religion" based only on emotion and fantasy, on feelings and sensations.

Always remember that God cannot be replaced. There is nothing that can replace the need for God in our souls, no matter the amount of garbage we swallow. Our hearts will be forever "restless" until they find God.


Deus Vult!

The Darkness of Atheism

Atheists are idiots.

It's that simple. Now, I understand that some atheists may seem to be intelligent in the eyes of the world. They might have doctorates.  Their names might be hallowed in the halls of academia. They might have published New York Times best sellers. That, to the secular eye, constitutes intellect.

But atheists are fundamentally stupid. They are like a well crafted watch that is set to the wrong time. Sure it might keep good time, but it will always be wrong nevertheless because of its internal and essential flaws. Atheists are like a castle built in the sand, to paraphrase Chrisy. Externally, they might appear sturdy and strong. But such an edifice will not stand the test of time as it is built on a poor foundation. 

Atheists have built up their castles, their lives, on a lie. That lie, is that God does not exist. There is no question that can trump that of the existence of God. Nothing is more important. This question is not one that can be answered with a noncommittal answer, though people have certainly tried. This question is the difference between light and darkness, between Truth and a lie. 

Here is the truth: God is alive. This is a truth of the heart, the mind, and the soul. This is the Truth. When I look at an ocean sunset, mist sliding down the mountains, the eyes of a newborn child, I cannot help but know in my heart that God is alive. 

Anyone who says that they do not believe in God is lying to themselves. The existence of God is a self-evident truth. No one is born an atheist. What child does not pray for a pup or a new bike? Atheism is the delusion of pride. When most people say that they don't believe in God, the inevitable explanation is that they believe that they have been personally wronged by God, and therefore He must not exist. Such is folly. Yes, there is suffering in this world. A lot actually. Bad things happen. Loved ones die of cancer, children starve on the streets, natural disasters kill thousands and leave many more without a home. But this reality is not the antithesis of God. God allows us to suffer. Why? The true reason is known only to Providence. But it is through suffering that we become disillusioned with the things of this world. It is through loss that we often turn to God. Adversity tends to weed out the fair weather believers. Gold needs to be tested by fire. 

The problem with atheists is that they believe in the primacy of human reason, even when that "reason" is blinded by emotion and hubris. Since an atheist believes they have concocted some crackpot contradiction to the reality of God, God must not exist. The idiocy of atheism lies in the fact that they somehow think that their minds have to be able to comprehend every single facet of an omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient God. They forget that His ways are higher than our ways. 

I am not sure that all ants believe in humans. Certainly, not all ants have seen human beings. They might have heard about them from other ants, but a fair number of ants could live their entire lives without setting their ant eyes on a human being. A greater number of ants, while not having seen a true human, will have seen the works of human hands. Perhaps some ants will have the wisdom to infer the existence of some form of higher life through these objects, but I am sure that just as many ants claim that the cities and sidewalks and suburbs have always existed, they exist by pure chance . The ants certainly cannot have an exact idea of the nature of human beings. We a s humans have not deigned to send a messenger to the ants to explain ourselves. Therefore, large numbers of ants likely deny the existence of man. 

This tangent might seem a tad ridiculous. Certainly the human race exists. Just because ants cannot wrap their minuscule intellects around our nature, does not change the reality of our existence. 

This is an analogy to atheism. The arrogance of the ant academia cannot change the truth. The hubris of man cannot change the truth. The existence of God is not predicated upon our believing in Him. 

  

Deus Volt!