Abbey-Roads2

Herod and the martyrdom of the Baptist.

The Gospel tells us Herod feared John, “knowing him to be a righteous and holy man.”  Which suggests that he had a great respect for the prophet as well.  We are told “When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed, yet he liked to listen to him.”  Thus we know Herod admired John, and loved to listen to his preaching, perhaps enthralled with his wisdom and inspired by his spirituality.  Herod obviously liked the study of theology and religion.  Nevertheless, his conscience must have been uneasy at some of what John taught, and not just with the reprimand John gave as regards Herod’s adultery.  It seems to me if Herod had not been in an irregular relationship condemned by John, he perhaps would have been one of John’s converts. 

Obviously it was his self-indulgence and worldly cares that got the better of him, despite his liking for religious things and his brand of  idiorhythmic spirituality.  A man ruled by his lusts, anxious for the respect of men, he beheaded the Baptist because of a rash promise.  He eliminated his adversary.  Imprisoning John couldn’t silence him, or reverse the condemnation of Herod’s inordinate affections - it couldn’t change the fact that Herod was publicly living a sinful life.  Herod couldn’t amend God’s law.  The martyrdom of John verified the Truth even more explicitly, and revealed how debauched and pathetic the deluded Herod really was.  With the Baptist gone, Herod’s adultery went unchallenged, and a false freedom of conscience reigned in his court.

Compromise.

Today we have Catholics - many of whom are  out and out ‘dissidents’, who have the form of religion - in fact they love religion, theology and spirituality, with all the degrees to prove it - yet Church teaching and authority gets in the way of their lifestyle or agenda.  Their power is not absolute - so they can’t behead anyone who contradicts them.  Instead they work to twist the truth, preserving elements of what ‘works’ for their purposes, and strive to justify their immorality through compromise.

The preaching of John the Baptist, the message of Christ and the Gospel, now transmitted through the Church, is a call to repentance and conversion.  It isn’t an affirmation of sinful lifestyles and habits at variance with Natural Law and the Commandments.  We as individuals are called to change our lives, we cannot change God or His Law to suit ourselves.  No matter how intricate our theology, how enlightened our spirituality, or how much we enjoy liturgy and religious things, there is an obedience we owe to God, without regard to human respect.

Impenitence.

I find it interesting that Herod continued to be fascinated by religion after the death of John, which is demonstrated by his curiosity about Jesus.  He was anxious to see Jesus after Pilot sent the Lord to him during the Passion.  He was hoping to see some miracle.  Yet the blood of John sealed his heart in impenitence, and he was unable to recognize Christ - he couldn’t perceive even a glimmer of Christ’s holiness.  It is kind of frightening.

Some people love religion, without loving the Truth.

St. Ignatius on humility.

“The first kind of humility is this:  This is the kind that is necessary for my eternal salvation, and consists in subjecting and humbling myself so that I can obey the law of God…”

Ignatius briefly explains this as being a determination to avoid mortal sin - to keep the commandments of God, and by extension, the Church. This is critical, because the foundation of humility rests upon this fundamental support.  We cannot live in sin and be humble, because sin is rebellion against God.  Even if we try to say we have no sin, as many do today, it is a false humility.  Societal examples can be seen in those who have accommodated their conscience to living in certain sinful conditions.  For instance; divorced and remarried persons who approach Communion, contracepting couples, sexually active homosexuals, and so on.

“The second kind of humility: The second is more perfect than the first.  I have it if I find myself at a point where I do not desire, nor even prefer, to be rich rather than poor, to seek fame rather than disgrace…provided it is the same for the service of God and the good of my soul…”

Ignatius continues his instruction with the attitude the soul must have of avoiding even deliberate venial sin, no matter the cost, even one’s life.  Most ordinary folks cannot get through a day without venial sin, at least involuntary venial sin.  I know I commit venial sin each day - I understand that during my daily examen - midday and at night.

Sometimes I think many of us can take venial sin for granted.  We know it is easily forgiven, and we are not obligated to confess venial sins.  That is a dangerous attitude however, since habitual venial sins weaken the soul and may incline one to commit mortal sin.  A lax attitude towards venial sin is a serious failure in our love for God, whom every sin offends.  Deliberate venial sins and imperfection are often the cause of acedia or sloth in the spiritual life, leading to persistent lukewarmness and indifference.

“The third kind of humility: This is the more perfect humility.  It is present when - given the first and second kinds are included, and supposing equal praise and glory of the divine majesty - in order to imitate Christ our Lord and to be actually more like him, I want to choose poverty with Christ poor rather than wealth, ignominy with Christ rather than fame, and I desire more to be thought a fool and an idiot for Christ, who first was considered such, rather than to be thought wise and prudent in this world.”

I have no comment on this last degree of humility.

July 31 is the feast of St. Ignatius Loyola. 

Or ruminations…

I woke up this morning reciting the psalm, “When you see a thief you go with him, and with adulterers you throw in your lot.  To your mouth you give free reign for evil, you harness your tongue to deceit.” - Psalm 50

I understood the meaning of the prayer in the following terms (from the same psalm), “I will correct you by drawing your sins up before your eyes.” 

“It is good for me to be afflicted, that I may know your will.”

I am amazed that the work of self-knowledge takes one so very deep, and can last a lifetime - or perhaps longer.  A verse from another psalm echoes from the depths;  “From my hidden sins, acquit me” or something to that effect.  (It is a prayer someone in denial - me - needs to pray often.)

Although it is true, I have confessed my sins and returned to His will and He has forgiven me, yet the knowledge of what sin is, and the cumulative effect can be nearly overwhelming.  Hence, when the psalmist says, “If a good man rebukes me, it is kindness” - I say “Amen!”.   You see, when Our Lord shows us the nature of our sins, or our propensity for sin, and the effects, it is a great mercy which grounds us in humility.  If he permits others to “call our bluff” and accuse us of our sin, or perhaps reveal it to others - it can be even more efficacious, since we may no longer pretend we are better than anyone else - especially to ourselves.

Thus, “if a good man rebukes me, it is charity” and I dare not defend myself, recalling how Christ who was sinless, stood condemned and remained silent. 

“Seek good and not evil… then truly the Lord will be with you as you claim.” - Amos 5 

Ah!  “How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life.  And those who find it are few.” - Matthew 7: 14  Constricted indeed, something libertines mock the Christian for - yet such constriction permits the spirit to soar.

And the Holy Spirit, who convinces the world concerning sin, says to my soul,  “Why do you recite my statutes, and profess my covenant with your mouth?  Though you hate discipline and cast my words behind you?” - Psalm 50

Today is adoration day at my parish.

“But I, because of your abundant mercy, will enter your house; I will worship at your holy temple in fear of you, O Lord.” - Psalm 5

(I’ll be off-line the rest of the day.)

The readings from Mass.

The readings from today’s Mass seemed to me to be a news summary of the past weeks events and developments.  I realize this is a highly personal understanding however - in other words, it is just my take on today’s lectio.

Unity and peace.

The opening prayer for the feast of St. Irenaeus immediately impressed me as one reason why this day was chosen by the Holy Father as a deadline for the SSPX to agree to the conditions offered for reconciliation. 

“Father, you called St. Irenaeus to uphold your truth and bring peace to your Church.  By his prayers renew us in faith and love that we may always be intent on fostering unity and peace.”

Of course, we all know by now the great devotion to the early Fathers Pope Benedict XVI has, so it seems to me reasonable to assume this may be one reason why this day was chosen.  (Just thinking out loud here.)

Does God in His Providence ever chastise his people for their good?

I’m convinced that unconsciously, many American Catholics have been tainted by the “prosperity gospel” that has infected American Christianity since the days of Kathryn Kuhlman and Jim and Tammy Baker, fast forward to the mega churches of today.  (Don’t forget the gospel according to Oprah either, with her doctrine of the “law of attraction” - you always get what you want.)  I say this because the very idea of sacrifice, penance, suffering, or even chastisement seems to have vanished in “popular Catholicism”.  Yet the first reading from Lamentations does not speak about prosperity at all.

“The Lord has consumed without pity all the dwellings of Jacob; He has torn down in his anger the fortresses of daughter Judah; He has brought to the ground in dishonor her king and her princes.” - Lamentations 2:2

“Priest and prophet forage in a land they know not.” 

So why does God permit bad things to happen to good people?  If they were evil, or indulged in sinful ways, why didn’t He intervene to correct them?  Why would He permit misfortune and setbacks to punish them?  Of course, no one has to believe He cares either way.  But then again, today’s first reading suggests to me that sometimes Our Lord does indeed permit evil as a means of correction or at least “discipline” as St. Paul teaches.  Others might call it chastisement or punishment, as indicated by the prophet in Lamentations:

“Your prophets had for you false and specious visions; They did not  lay bare your guilt, to avert your fate; They beheld for you in vision false and misleading portents.” - Lamentations 2

As always - these things are for the proper authorities to interpret and analyze, are they not?  But as the famous philosopher Judy Tenuta always said, “It could happen!”

 “O God, search me and know me…”

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Editor’s note:  Going forward on this blog, I will try to insert light-hearted photos and smiley faces to appease those who may be offended by my posts; those who think I’m too serious and focused upon Church teaching, or think I take myself too seriously, or think I’m mean and hateful, or who think I think I am some type of Church authority, and whatever else that offends dissident souls.   Jesus was nice. ;) 

Wearing your piety on your sleeve - or not...

In today’s Gospel Our Lord warns us, “Take care not to perform  righteous deeds in order that people may see them… When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do… to win the praise of others.

When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray so that others may see them.

When you fast, (do it) so that you may not appear to others to do so. - Matthew 6: 1-6, 16-18 

Yet what does Jesus mean then when he tells us, “You are the salt of the earth… the light of the world… Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds, and glorify your heavenly Father.” - Matthew 5: 13-16

I’m not really asking a question here.

Although the Lord does seem to explain the matter, “Unless your holiness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees you shall not enter the kingdom of God.” - Matthew 5: 20

“He gave them all they craved.”- Ps. 78

The first reading at Mass today expresses something of what I was attempting to say in yesterday’s post, The long and lonely road: A story about nothing.  I’ll paraphrase the text from Deuteronomy 8, as if it was addressed to me alone, and perhaps you will understand some of what I was attempting to say in my post “about nothing“. 

Remember how for forty years now the Lord your God has directed all your wandering in the desert, especially since your conversion.  He did this to test you by affliction and to find out whether or not it was your intention to keep his commandments.  He let all of these things happen to you; he let you be afflicted with hunger - and then he fed you with manna - the Body and Blood of Christ, a food unrecognized by your fathers, in order to show you that not by bread alone does one live, but by the Word that comes forth from the mouth of the Lord.  It is not by novelties and delicacies confected by men that one lives, but by the Living Bread come down from heaven.

Do not forget the Lord your God, who brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery to debauchery and sinful pleasure.  Do not forget him who guided you through the vast and terrible desert of dissent and compromise, with its seraph serpents seeking to deceive you with false doctrine, and the scorpions of lust and self-indulgence, and its parched and waterless ground where other’s have died because their faith has no roots, or their dwellings have been built on sand.  Do not forget the Lord, who himself instructed you and showed you the way you must go.  He who brought forth water for you from the flinty rock of Peter- the clear teaching of the Magisterium, and who fed you in the desert with the manna of the most precious Body and Blood of the Lord, a food unknown to your fathers.- Adapted from Deuteronomy 8: 2-3, 14b-16a   

“He pierced the rock to give them water;

it gushed forth in the desert like a river.”- Ps. 105

“You have no idea of what your life will be like tomorrow.” -James 4

Would you bristle if someone called you an adulterer?  I’m sure very few of us ever use or even hear that word unless we are in divorce court.  What if we called other people what we think of them, or what their behaviour categorizes them as?  What if we called a woman who had an abortion a baby-killer?  Or a woman who sleeps around a slut?  Or a guy who has sex with men a faggot?  I know many people do use these terms, but most of us are too PC to do so, and none of us want to be sued for defamation.  And since we really do  live in an adulterous age, none of these things are considered to be wrong or immoral anyway - so how dare we judge?

Yet the Holy Spirit rebukes us saying, “Do you not know that to be a lover of the world means to be at enmity with God?  Therefore, whoever wants to be a lover of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”- Letter of James

“This is the end of those contented with their lot.” - Psalm 49

This whole week we have been listening to St. James…  I’m piously convinced the Liturgy of the Word is the “Spirit speaking daily to the churches” as the Lord said in the Book of Revelation.  Today the Spirit calls to us,

“Come now you rich, weep and mourn over your impending miseries.  Your wealth has rotted away… your gold and silver has corroded… and that corrosion will be a testimony against you.  You have stored up treasure for the last days… the wages you withheld from workers.   You have lived in luxury and pleasure, you have fattened your hearts for slaughter…” - James 5:1-6 

“But now you are boasting in your arrogance.” - James 4

As oil prices go up and up, along with food prices, our standard of living may be going down.  Indeed, Obama-rama may be correct when he said:

“We can’t drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times … and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK.”  - Barrack Obama

I’m not fond of Obama of course, but he isn’t alone in his forecast, and if things keep going the way they are, our standard of living will indeed be in full-blown recession.  Wars and rumors of wars with Iran, earthquakes in various places, and cyclones and food shortages, and  other disasters throughout the world - doesn’t it seem like something is going on?  It sounds so biblical, huh?  Yet many good people are defiant - “No one is going to tell me at what temperature to keep my house at, or what to drive!”

“This is the way of those whose trust is folly.” - Psalm 49

So is it just national pride that moves people to say, “No way in hell - this ain’t gonna happen.”  Even though it seems events are unfolding before our eyes?

Though in his lifetime he counted himself blessed,

“They will praise you for doing well for yourself,”

He shall join the circle of his forebears

who shall never more see the light. - Psalm 49 

“This saying is hard; who can accept it?”

In today’s Gospel the disciples are seen murmuring, right before the Lord as he taught about His real presence in the Eucharist.  Nothing has changed much has it?  We all still murmur in front of Him, not just on blogs, but in our parish communities, our colleges, and other religious institutions.  Jesus knows this, and he admits, “there are some of you who do not believe.”

Faith is a gift.

How many today persist in obstinate unbelief?  How many today want to change, even twist Christ’s teaching to suit their personal lifestyle, their intellectual perception, their academic achievements, their individual pursuit of happiness and fulfillment?  If these reject Christ’s teaching and walk away - as the disciples in today’s Gospel did, returning to their former life, or in attempts to create their own underground  church (which is at least more honest), we shouldn’t be surprised.  Jesus knows all about it, saying, “For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it be granted him by my Father.”

“To whom shall we go?”

Many are the sayings of Jesus that are hard - seemingly impossible.  Yet He assures us, “what is impossible for man, is possible for God.”  Therefore we need to cling to Him through faith, in hope, surrendering ourselves to love.  It is the Father who called us, nay, draws us to His Son, and we must cling to Him in love that he may free us, feed us, and bring us to eternal life. 

“Are there many who will be saved?”

 Jesus never directly answers that, nor does the Church.  Although He cautions, “Strive to enter the narrow way…”  while acknowledging that many do not, and as today’s Gospel reveals, “Jesus knew from the beginning the ones who would not believe.”  Sadly, not everyone believes.  Not everyone will be saved.

Let us pray for the conversion of heretics, schismatics, unbelievers, and sinners - as well as for our own perseverance.

About Truth.

The opening prayer of today’s Mass asks, “Help us to cling to your truths with fidelity.”  We ask this of course through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Thus we need God’s grace to cling to His truths, for as Jesus explains in today’s Gospel, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him…” (Jn. 6)  Jesus is Grace and Truth, He abides with us in the Blessed Sacrament - the Father draws us to Him in the Holy Mysteries.  He left us this Holy Sacrament that we might cling to Him in love and He might free us, protect us, and reveal to us the Father.  Everything that is delicious is contained in this bread come down from heaven… all that is true and good.

The Holy Mysteries cannot be fully apprehended by the intellect, they require the submission of faith in love, as does the Truth in a world of lies.  In other words, they “help us to cling to God’s truths with fidelity.”  God’s commands are all true, and we pray for His help when lies oppress us (Ps. 118).  And we find this help in the Holy Eucharist; the celebration of Mass, and reserved in the tabernacles of Roman Catholic churches, chapels, and oratories.  If we struggle with sin or infidelity, clinging to the Lord in the Holy Eucharist will “turn our feet from evil paths” and help us to “cling to His truths with fidelity.”   

“They shall all be taught by God” (Jn. 6)

“Lord, how I love your law!

It is ever in my mind.

Your command makes me wiser than my foes;

for it is mine forever.

I have more insight than all who teach me

for I ponder your will.

I have more understanding than the old

for I keep your precepts.

I turn my feet from evil paths

to obey your word.

I have not turned from your decrees;

you yourself have taught me.

Your promise is sweeter to my taste

than honey in the mouth.

I gain understanding from your precepts

and so I hate false ways.” - Ps. 118: 97-104

“Since he clings to me in love I will free him, protect him for he knows my Name.”- Ps. 9o