Help the Seminarians. . .they really need it

Notre Dame Seminary basketball team going to Ohio. . .with your help!


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Gesso Thank You

A Kind & Generous Soul sent me a bottle of gesso from the Wish List. . .

Thank you. Perfect timing. . .I am completely out.

Fr. Philip
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He is never nearer. . .

The Baptism of the Lord

Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP

Lay Carmelites/OLR, NOLA

“Thus says the Lord: All you who are thirsty, come to the water!” The water is given. . .but we must go to the water. If we are thirsty, we drink. The water is given, but we must choose to drink. “You who have no money, come, receive grain and eat. . .” The grain is given. . .but we must go to the grain. If we are hungry, we eat. The grain is given, but we must choose to eat. As it is with God's gifts of water and grain, so it is with God's mercy, so it is with His forgiveness. If we are repentant, we confess. Forgiveness is given, but we must choose to receive that forgiveness. Who starves to death, or dies of thirst when grain and water are freely given? How many of us remain in sin when absolution is a gift just waiting to be unwrapped? One of the themes of Christmas, the Epiphany, and the Baptism of the Lord is our unworthiness to be given the gift of eternal life. Truly, we do not deserve this prize. However, we are made worthy, we are made to deserve this gift by the birth, the baptism, the death, and the resurrection of the Lord. Having been handed—without cost to us, without any work from us—the keys to our Father's Kingdom, why would we hesitate, why would we balk at stepping up to and stepping into a life of holiness with Him? “Seek the Lord while he may be found, call him while he is near!”

Our Lord is never nearer to us than He is right now. His call to us is never clearer than it is right now. His gift of eternal life is never more ready to be received than it is right now. The urgency that Isiah puts into his prophecy isn't simply rhetorical; in other words, he's not just being dramatic for the sake of being dramatic. The Lord says to Isiah that His Word will go forth from His mouth and it “shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it.” That Word, the Word sent out to do God's will, is the Christ, the Son made flesh and he will not return to the Father until the job he was sent to do is done. Since the Christ has returned to the Father, we know that the job he was sent to do has been done. That job is our salvation. The offer of mercy in flesh and blood has been made—once, for all; to Jew and Gentile alike—and now it's our turn. Do we receive His mercy? Do you take all that has been given to you and put it all to work for the greater glory of God? If not, then you condemn yourself to starve and die of thirst within sight of grain and water.

Christ's baptism in the Jordan by John's hand is the baptism of the world. Every creature, every made thing is washed clean, made holy, and brought into a new creation. God's human creatures are given the freedom to follow Christ's example in baptism, or to continue as natural creatures until death. But b/c each of us is gifted with an immortal soul, the decision to continue on as a natural creature has consequences beyond death. Without God's mercy, without receiving His forgiveness, we perish by being forever separated from Him. Baptism brings us into the life of Christ and sets us on the narrow way toward our destined freedom in His love. Baptism makes possible every other means of receiving God's gifts. Baptism is the first but not the only invitation we get to come and enjoy the blessings of God's generosity. Why would we choose to remain natural creatures when our supernatural end is provided free of charge? Why would we remain in sin when our freedom from sin is already paid for, already purchased? So, receive all that God given you! 

 

How do we receive all that we have been given? First, we ask for what we need in prayer. Asking for our needs to be met puts us in a proper relationship with God; that is, as creatures totally dependent on Him for everything we need, we place ourselves before Him in humility, acknowledging our dependency. Second, even before we get what we need, we give Him thanks. Giving thanks before our prayers are answered ensures that we remain in humility and grow in humility even as we reap His blessings. This also prevents us from becoming spoiled brats who take and take but never acknowledge the source of our blessings. Third, celebrate the sacraments as often as possible, always knowing that God's mercy is freely given and never runs out. The sacraments are the ordinary means of receiving grace. God is not bound by His sacraments, but He has established them for us as guaranteed fonts of assistance. We'd be foolish not to take advantage of them as often as they are available. And finally, all the gifts we receive from God are multiplied in the sharing of them. By its very nature, God's abundance is diffusive. Like an expensive perfume sprayed in one room of the house, before long, the whole house smells! God's abundance naturally (by nature) adds to itself, multiplying, advancing, and blessing everyone it touches. When we assist the diffusion of His abundant gifts, we are doubly blessed.

Our Lord is blessed and baptized to fulfill all righteousness under the Law. His baptism reveals his nature and mission: he is the Christ sent to save the world from sin and death. His offer of mercy and forgiveness is made daily, hourly and all we need to do is accept his offer and thrive in holiness. When we come to Him in humility with thanksgiving, He says to each one of us: “You are my beloved child; with you I am well pleased.”

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Eden & Didache

Topography of Eden (18 x 24 canvas board, acrylic paint and ink) SOLD

 Didache (unfinished, 18 x 24 canvas board, acrylic paint and ink)* ON HOLD

20 O.P. points for anyone who can guess why I titled this one "Didache"!

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Painting: 40 Days

Been working on this one for days. . .finally decided to just post it and see what it looks like on-line. Too orange. The original is more pink. Oh well. 

40 Days (18 x 24 canvas board, acrylic paint and ink)

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Coffee Cup Browsing (Terrorism Edition)

When the IRA was terrorizing London, I never once thought: "All Catholics must be terrorists."

But I'm not ready to sign on to the Catholic League position either. . . 

Nor do I trust the Left's hysterical attempt to hide that fact that the Paris terrorists preached their version of Islam while killing innocents.

But I will agree that Islam -- in its many versions -- is fundamentally incompatible with western liberal democracy.

Keeping in mind that our Media Betters have no problem whatsoever repeatedly lying about, offending, and attacking Christians (and the Church in particular) all the while twisting themselves into pretzels to avoid offending Muslims.   

In other Culture War news: Miami's archbishop requires employees of the archdiocese to keep quiet about their support for same-sex "marriage."

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I am Here as Promised

Our Lady of Prompt Succor
Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP
Our Lady of Mt Carmel Convent, NOLA
 

Our faith is the triumph that conquers the world. Not swords or bullets or boycotts or drones. But faith: our steadfast trust in God's promise that all we need do to win victory over sin is receive His forgiveness through Christ and live in the spirit of love he sent to dwell among us. John announces two triumphs when he writes, “. . .the victory that conquers the world is our faith.” There is the victory over personal doubt and delusion; and there is that victory's win over the world. The first win—the personal triumph—is won against the temptations fired at each one of us from the Enemy's camp, the steady pounding of noise, stench, illusion, and distraction. This battle is won when you and I return the enemy's fire with prayer, good deeds, compassion, and mercy. The second win—our victory over the world—is won against the besieging spirits of despair, hatred, violence, and self-indulgence. This battle is won when all of us together show those besieged by evil the power of hope, love, peace, and generosity. All who are begotten by God conquer the world b/c the world is always defeated in love. 

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a Lutheran theologian martyred by the Nazis at Flossenberg in 1945, wrote, “Being a Christian is less about cautiously avoiding sin than about courageously and actively doing God's will.” Courageously and actively doing God's will certainly entails avoiding sin but carefully maneuvering around temptations is only the beginning of holiness. When Jesus rolls up the scroll containing Isaiah's prophecies, he leaves in the air the ringing word of our mission: bring glad tidings to the poor; proclaim liberty to captives; announce the recovery of sight to the blind; release the oppressed into freedom; and declare a year favorable to the Lord. This is not merely a social justice mission or an agenda for worldly political liberation. That kind struggle hardly needs a Christ. The revolution we fight for seeks the overthrow of humanity's greatest oppressor: the Father of Lies. The one who impoverishes nations families with greed; enslaves the foolish with their own lusts; blinds the innocent with fables of pride and wrath; oppresses the many through envy and gluttony; and declares every year, every day good for rebellion against the One Who loves us despite our disobedience. Simply avoiding sin cannot spark a votive candle much less set loose a firestorm of holiness. For that we must seek to do the will of the Father. 

And what does God will for us? We already know that He wills that we live with Him forever. We know too that He wills for us to live lives of holiness in love so that His glory may increase among the nations. To see His will accomplished, we must, above all, love. Love Him and one another. We've heard this a gazillion-zillion times. It's almost become a formal noise, like the mumbled “hey, how you doing?” we use to greet strangers. But for the sake of Christ and the salvation of your immortal soul, listen: “. . .we love God because he first loved us.” If you love anyone—mom, dad, kids, spouse, anyone—you are able to love them b/c (for the reason that) God loves us all. IOW, when you love someone, you establish and maintain your participation in Divine Love. And it is only through Divine Love—God Himself—that we are saved from sin and made holy. This is why Jesus' announcement in the temple is so important: he is saying, “I am here as promised. The Word made flesh. Love given flesh and bone.” He shows us that we too can be love given flesh and bone. In fact, if we entertain any hope at all of eternal life, we will spend our days and nights finding ways to love better and more, much, much more. Do the will of the Father with courage. And each time you do, witness the Enemy's defeat by love.

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"Their hearts were hardened."

From 2012 (with editions):

Wednesday after Epiphany
Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP
St. Dominic Church, NOLA

What a sad indictment of the disciples. After Jesus calms the angry sea and rescuing his friends from a watery grave, Mark writes, “[The disciples] were completely astounded. They had not understood the incident of the loaves. On the contrary, their hearts were hardened.” It is sad that they are astounded by Jesus' power to calm the sea and even sadder that they did not understand the signs given to them when he fed the five thousand. As sad as these failures are, it is saddest of all that their hearts have hardened against accepting the truth of Jesus' true nature and mission. What does all this sad failure tell us about the disciples? At the very least, we know why they were so frightened by the storm and by Jesus walking on the water to save them. With hearts hardened against both understanding and love, the disciples are left with no other way to see and feel the world than through fear. They are terrified at the prospect of drowning, and even the appearance of their Master on the waves is not enough to quell their fear. John writes, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear.” Christ is with us. There is no place for fear among us. So, take heart! 

When we say that a heart has grown hard, we mean that it is no longer capable—on its own—of serving its spiritual function: it can no longer love; that is, it can no longer seat Love Himself at the center of the human soul. Without Love Himself seated in the center of our souls, no soul can begin even to dream of seeing and understanding the miraculous signs Christ performs, much less see and understand his true nature and mission. Without Love Himself seated at the center of their lives, the disciples are ignorant and loveless men chosen by Christ to learn and love instead of fear; yet, their fear is what keeps them from learning and loving. Their fear reaches its terrific peak at Jesus' arrest in the Garden, and they surrender to the temptation to abandon him. Only after the descent of the Holy Spirit, the spirit of love between the Father and the Son, do they find their hearts grown large enough to hold all the love they need to take on the Christ-nature and make his mission their own. But now, in a boat on an angry sea, they cry out in astonishment and fear, and they hear Jesus say, “Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid!” Take heart! Christ is with us. And there is no place for fear among us. 

Without Love Himself seated in our hearts, we cannot begin even to dream of seeing and understanding the miraculous signs Christ performs, much less see and understand his true nature and mission. And understanding that nature and mission is more than a matter of historical curiosity. By receiving his body and blood in this sacrifice of thanksgiving, each one of us who receives commits him/herself to taking on Christ's nature and to making his mission our own. We take one more step toward becoming fully human; that is, to becoming more perfectly human, completely giving ourselves over to the Father for His divine purpose. But fear stands btw each one of us and total surrender to God. The spirit of not-knowing-what-comes; the spirit of worry, anxiety, turmoil floats there tempting us to run, to just give up. And no amount of argument, evidence, or tears will move us around those gnawing spirits. John tells us, “. . .one who fears is not yet perfect in love.” So, we know that perfect love moves fear, and there is only one Perfect Love: God Himself. Thanks be to God that Christ is with us always. Now, take one more step toward becoming Christ for one another and banish fear forever.

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Four New Paintings

The first three are mixed paint and acrylic ink. 

 No Fear in Love (18 x 24 canvas board)

 Beloved (18 x 24 canvas board) SOLD

 Do Not Be Afraid (18 x 24 canvas board) RECYCLED

 Fourth Watch (16 x 20 canvas board)
RECYCLED

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Mendicant Thanks

A Mendicant New Year Thank You Shout Out to:  Michelle R and Matheus T for hitting up the BLICK Wish List and sending me some acrylic goodies. 

And another thanks to M.R. for pointing me toward Blick's as a cheaper source of art supplies.

I'm experimenting with acrylic inks right now, and I hope to have pics of three new paintings up by tomorrow morning!

God bless, Fr. Philip, OP

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Blessed Virgin Mary, Theotokos

The Solemnity of the Mary, Mother of God, celebrates the decision taken at the Council of Ephesus (431) against the teaching of the Patriarch, Nestorius, who held that a human person could not be said to have given birth to God. The Patriarch of Alexander, Cyril, argued that Mary, as the chosen instrument of the Incarnation, conceived and gave birth to the Word, Jesus, fully human and fully divine, one divine person with two natures. Mary, then, is properly understood to be “Theotokos,” God-bearer.

Cyril wrote (in part) to Nestorius:

"And since the holy Virgin brought forth corporally God made one with flesh according to nature, for this reason we also call her Mother of God, not as if the nature of the Word had the beginning of its existence from the flesh.

For In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God, and the Word was with God, and he is the Maker of the ages, coeternal with the Father, and Creator of all; but, as we have already said, since he united to himself hypostatically human nature from her womb, also he subjected himself to birth as man, not as needing necessarily in his own nature birth in time and in these last times of the world, but in order that he might bless the beginning of our existence, and that that which sent the earthly bodies of our whole race to death, might lose its power for the future by his being born of a woman in the flesh. And this: In sorrow you shall bring forth children, being removed through him, he showed the truth of that spoken by the prophet, Strong death swallowed them up, and again God has wiped away every tear from off all faces. For this cause also we say that he attended, having been called, and also blessed, the marriage in Cana of Galilee, with his holy Apostles in accordance with the economy. We have been taught to hold these things by the holy Apostles and Evangelists, and all the God-inspired Scriptures, and in the true confessions of the blessed Fathers."

Cryril published twelve anathemas against Nestorius. Cyril's letters and his anathemas became the primary texts from which the council fathers drew up their canons for the council.

The first anathema reads: “If anyone will not confess that the Emmanuel is very God, and that therefore the Holy Virgin is the Mother of God (Θεοτόκος), inasmuch as in the flesh she bore the Word of God made flesh [as it is written, The Word was made flesh] let him be anathema.”

The fifth anathema reads: “If anyone shall dare to say that the Christ is a Theophorus [that is, God-bearing] man and not rather that he is very God, as an only Son through nature, because the Word was made flesh, and has a share in flesh and blood as we do: let him be anathema.”

As is the case with all Marian dogma and doctrine, we are immediately directed back to Christ as our Lord and Savior. No Marian dogma or doctrine is declared or defined in isolation from Christ. She is always understood to be an exemplar for the Church and a sign through which we come to a more perfect union with Christ. Though our Blessed Mother is rightly revered and venerated, she is never worshiped as if she were divine. She is rightly understood as the Mediatrix of All Graces in so far as she mediated, through her own body, the conception and birth of Christ, who is Grace Himself. In no sense are we to understand our Blessed Mother as the source of grace. Rather, she was and is a conduit through which we benefit from the only mediation between God and man, Christ. In her immaculate conception and assumption into heaven, our Blessed Mother is herself a beneficiary of Christ's grace. As such, she cannot be the source of our blessedness, our giftedness in Christ.

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Want vocations. . .???

Want vocations to your diocese/Order/congregation/province?

1). Ditch the 80's psycho-therapeutic Feel-Good Lefty Social Justice Feminist formation and embrace the Program for Priestly Formation in its entirety (i.e., not just the happy parts)

2). Restore distinctive religious/clerical garb and encourage its proper use. (NB. Habits are not just liturgical vestments!) 

3). Emphasize community life. . .REAL community life.

4). Return to the tradition when interpreting religious vows, i.e. ditch the nominalism that allows individuals to configure the vows in their own terms.

5). Stop apologizing to candidates for the distinctiveness of an Order's charism or a province's mission or a diocese's character. 

6). And accept this reality of the age: young Catholics thinking about entering religious life and/or priesthood have no/zero/zilch interest in the Baby Boomer socio-cultural assimilation paradigm of religious life/ministry. 

It's a Buyers' Market in the vocations world. . .they have thousands of options.

Here's some evidence supporting these suggestions.
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Christ is born!

 MERRY CHRISTMAS

and

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

A Christmas homily from 2013: The Triumph of Light over Darkness

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Spiritual But Not Religious

Hilarious. . .and oh-so-true!

Yes, I'm breaking my blogging fast to bring you this lovely piece of New Age nonsense b/c it is an on-point parody of the "I'm Spiritual But Not Religious" goofiness that infects so many postmodern Americans, including far too many Catholics of a Certain Generation.

H/T: Fr. Z. (of course)

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A Time for Fasting. . .

I'm headed up to visit the Squirrels on Thursday. 

Just a tiny bit of chaos in my life right now. . .getting a tad stressed out.

So, I'm fasting from Facebook and blogging 'til after the New Year.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all!

And THANKS to Jenny K. for the paint. You're awesome.

God bless, Fr. Philip Neri, OP
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