No more signs for an evil generation

1st Week of Lent (W)

Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP

St. Joseph Church, Ponchatula

I spent most of the day Monday reading signs. Driving to the Mississippi Delta and back for my grandfather's funeral was mostly an exercise in patience, endurance, and determination. Though I'd visited that part of the state many times over the years, I'd never driven, and my visits were always made north to south. There and back the weather was stormy—dark, wet, visibility was very limited. The google map I'd printed out was too detailed to read on the go and my sense of direction is much like my common sense: it appears randomly and it's not always reliable. Needless to say, I relied heavily on road signs to show me the way. Since I got there and back, we can say that the signs were helpful. But on a few occasions they were useless—mostly b/c I didn't know how to read them. For example, to get to 49W you have to take 55N to 220N. Easy enough until you realize—going 70mph in a storm—that to get to 220N from 55N you have to go east on 20 for just a mile or two outside Jackson. You have to know this b/c the signs don't tell you this. Reading signs—whether they are road signs or signs from God—requires literacy and a little wisdom. Jesus tells the crowd that b/c they are an evil generation, they will receive no more signs from God. They have all the signs they need. What they lack is the wisdom to read them correctly.

Think of all the signs God gave His people in the Old Testament—the miracles during the exodus from Egypt; the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah; the various chastisements for disobedience meted out by foreign invaders, etc. All of these signs point to one unvarying truth: God always keeps His word. That's what the covenant is all about. God gave His word that the Jewish people are His people and He is their God. Part of the covenant is the coming of the promised Messiah, the suffering servant who will take on the sins of the world and die as a living sacrifice for world's salvation. One sacrifice made for all. Throughout his public ministry, Jesus goes to great lengths to show that he is the Anointed One promised by the signs of the covenant. Over and over again in his public teaching and preaching, he shows the crowds and the nation's elders that his arrival is the fulfillment of God's promises. The failure of most to read these signs is more than just a failure of their literacy; it's a failure of their wisdom. Having lived their lives with the covenant's prophecies as their road map, they still can't/won't read the clear signs that Jesus is the one sent by God to bring them redemption. Jesus calls their stubbornness, their blindness evil.

What's the cure for this kind of blind obstinacy? There is only one surefire cure: “My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit; a humbled and contrite heart, O God, you will not spurn.” An evil generation that demands a sign from God that He is being faithful to His word is a generation living with a proud heart, a heart closed and clogged by its demands for miraculous proof, demands for absolute clarity, demands for divine guarantees: “We will not risk surrendering ourselves to the Christ based on historical signs alone. We will submit ourselves only after we are absolutely sure that we have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Give us new signs that we might read them ourselves.” Wisdom comes when we humble ourselves before God's Self-revelation, setting aside our panicky need for reassurances and trusting instead in the Spirit. Then His road map is clear: wisdom assists literacy when we risk everything and sacrifice our contrite hearts to God. That's His guarantee.

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Coffee Cup Browsing (Verbose Edition)

On the way to my grandfather's funeral, I caught a report on NPR about the O'Keefe sting on two of the organization's execs.  The reporter claimed that the vid as presented was "deceptively edited."  This is the meme making the rounds to discredit the vid.  Well, not so much, really.

BXVI urges priests to preach on uncomfortable topics.  I agree.  However, he should've added:  Catholics, be charitable to your pastor when he preaches on uncomfortable topics!  Most priests I know simply avoid any kind of controversy in the pulpit b/c it ain't worth the resulting storm.

Pray for the Japanese people:  thorough reporting on the earthquake and flooding in Sendai.  I had to stop watching the vids. . .the destruction is heartbreaking.  If you find any news about the fate of ancient Buddhist/Shinto temples in the disaster area, let me know.

B.O.:  He's in over his head and he knows it.  The Mid-east is in flames with riots and revolution.  The E.U. is on the verge of financial collapse.  The U.S. is on the verge of financial collapse.  Japan and NZ are suffering from earthquakes, tidal waves, and several nuclear disasters. . .and The One is focused like a laser on gay "marriage" and gun control.

"Financial martial law". . .the temptation to go this route is nearly irresistible. . .but my moderately libertarian bones tell me that it's a really bad idea.

Another lefty P.C. effort to weaken our military? 

Green for thee, but not for me.  Not in My Backyard.

Ivy League universities don't produce better workers.  My dissertation director--a two-time Ivy Leaguer--told me once that the best students across universities are pretty much the same.  I know for a fact that U.D. undergrads do more reading and writing than most Ivy Leaguers.

Oh!  If only NY would allow women and married men to work in state homes for the developmentally disabled none of this would happen!  "In 25 percent of the cases involving physical, sexual or psychological abuse, the state employees were transferred to other homes."  Sound familiar?  Maybe Catholic clergy need to form a union?

Israeli terrorist murders a family of five Palestinians in their sleep, including a 3-month baby girl.  Oh, wait.  Youtube and Facebook remove vids memoralizing the family.

Are U.S. seminarians being taught to celebrate BOTH forms of the Roman Rite?  I'd be interested in hearing from any seminarian-readers on this question.  This is really not much of an issue for Dominican students since OP's would prefer to celebrate the Dominican Rite.

You've been warned!

On getting your priorities straight during a nuclear explosion.

Oops!  Wrong choice. 

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Making a good Lenten confession

Apparently, I'm on a Reposting from the Archives Kick lately. . .

Fr. Philip Neri’s Ten Commandments for a Good Lenten Confession:

1. Thou shall know that thy presence in the confessional is the wondrous work of the Holy Spirit. That’s right. If you find yourself in the Box with Father, you are there first because the Holy Spirit prompted you to go. You agreed to follow that prompt, but like all forms of prayer and charitable work, the human person requires a little graced nudge. So, go into your confession confident that you are there by the grace of God to be reconcile to Him!

2. Thou shall not waste your time or Father’s time with obsessive-compulsive sacramental trivia such as, “OK, Father…so I was still a little drunk but I had to pee so I got up and I wasn’t all the way awake yet and I did it but is that a sin still?” Or, “Father, canon 1765.4 forbids X and I heard recently that Blessed Mary spoke to a woman in Mobile, AL and she said that X is OK and she has the bishop imprimatur!” Hint: if you find yourself discussing the distinction between a valid sacrament and a merely licit sacrament, you must RUN to the nearest park and lay in the sun.

3. Thou shall simply and clearly state your sins without excuse, explanation, or decoration. It is rather pointless to confess your sins with flourish or verbal decoration. Also, the priest really doesn’t need to know why you committed a particular sin. He’ll ask you if more info is needed.

4. Thou shall not use weasel words, dodges, or euphemisms when confessing individual sins. “Impure with self” is not a sin. Masturbation is a sin. “I watched inappropriate images on the computer and abused myself.” Do we confess inappropriate behaviors or sin? In other words, you watched porn and masturbated. Just say so.

5. Thou shall keep Penitent Drama to a minimum. Confessions can be quiet dramatic and even confusing. But confession time is not the right time to show everyone in line outside what a horrible sinner you have been and what a wonderful saint you are now. Also, Father doesn’t need to hear twenty-minutes of highly detailed narrative building up to the actual sin. This is attention-seeking behavior and a waste of precious time.

6. Thou shall not use the “face to face” option as an excuse to chit-chat with Father. Confession is not about story time nor is this option a chance to ask Father for advise on a complicated spiritual issue. Make an appointment with him for that. You have a whole lotta people waiting to see their confessor in the Box.

7. Thou shall confess thine own sins and no one else’s. This seems to be a particular problem among mothers and grandmothers of wayward children and grandchildren. Having failed to persuade said wayward child into the Box, mother or grandmother try to sneak the child’s sin past the priest. There is no vicarious confession in the church.

8. Thou shall not request of Father a confession only a few minutes before Mass begin. The time right before Mass is usually very chaotic in the sacristy and in the church. Father is preoccupied with setting up the sacramentary, placing his homily on the ambo; adjusting the speed of his fav fan, and just generally trying his best to prepare for Mass.

9. Thou shall ask questions about your assigned penance if you do not understand it. Do not leave the Box wondering what it is you are supposed to do for your penance. Just ask Father to clarify quickly his assignment. He will welcome this because it shows you are serious about the sacrament.

10. Thou shall not make a false confession in order to test Father’s orthodoxy nor record the sacrament without Father’s express approval. Yes, this has happened to me and it is a violation of just about everything we believe is holy in the Church, and I believe it constitutes a mortal sin.  [NB.  I should've struck the phrase above when I reposted this.  Confessions are not to be recorded.  period.]

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Didn't work as a homily (UPDATED)

I wrote "Thanking the Devil" in Feb of 2009 while in Rome.  It wasn't written as a homily, more of a reflection.  It got a lot of good feedback in 2009, so I decided to repost it for the 2011 Lenten season.

Then I decided to preach it at this morning's Mass.

It didn't really work as a homily.  Wonder why?

I will try it again at tonight's Mass. . .maybe there was something wonky in the delivery.

UPDATE:  tried "Thanking the Devil" again at the 5.00pm Mass.  Worked much better.  It was the delivery at the a.m. Mass.  

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Thanking the Devil

Something else from the HA archives:

A few provisions for your Lenten trek. . .

Jesus went into the desert to pray and fast for forty days and forty nights. The devil shows up and tempts our Lord with a variety of goodies.

How is Jesus tempted?

First, he is tempted to reject God with a show of pride. Prove you are who you say you are by performing a miracle.

Second, he is tempted to reject God by testing His promise of love and care. Place yourself in danger so that God will be forced to prove His promise to rescue you when you are in trouble.

Third, he is tempted to reject God by taking on worldly power and prestige. Forsake the worship of the Lord and be rewarded with temporal prominence and political power.

Each time Jesus rejects the temptation and rebukes the devil. How? Each time Jesus successfully resists the devil, he does so by placing God first, by putting his Father upfront and on top of their intimate relationship, making his Father and His Word the lens through which he sees these tempting offers.

Notice also what Jesus doesn’t do when tempted. He never appeals to himself or puts his “needs” ahead of God. Never does he invoke his own power as the Son, or try to fight the devil with theological argument. He doesn’t negotiate or dialogue. He doesn’t listen carefully, ponder his options, and then decide based on a cost-benefit analysis. He doesn’t compromise or make any temporary deals. He doesn’t parse the language of the temptations, contextualize their content, or critique their literary forms. He doesn’t re-envision their meaning or try to make them relevant. He rejects them. Outright.

Jesus resists the devil by boldly and obediently speaking the truth. With each temptation, Jesus begins his rejection and rebuke in the same way, “It is written. . .” He pulls on the prophetic tradition of his heritage, God’s Word in scripture, and turns the devil’s deceit into a fulfilled revelation, a unveiling of the truth made manifest in the desert.

Lent is our chance to do what Jesus does. While in this desert for forty days, we take the devil’s false promises to us and turn them into the fulfilled promises of God’s love and care for us. God will love us against our will, but He will not prevent us from taking the devil’s deal if we will to do so. He will give us everything we need to say No to the devil, but He will not say No for us. We must act; we must say to the devil’s face, “It is written…” God and His promises come first.

The devil knows what we sometimes forget: the power of temptation lies not in accepting his lies as true in but rejecting God’s truth as false. In other words, we do ourselves far more spiritual damage when we make God an enemy than when we make the devil a friend. Why? With God as your enemy, all His gifts become intolerable burdens. You will not hope. You will not love. You will not trust. Enmity with God is a much darker, a far more dangerous place to be than mere friendliness with error and deceit.

Each time Jesus resists the devil’s temptation and rebukes him, he invokes his love of the Lord with the words of our prophetic tradition, “It is written…” He invokes the Covenant between the Father and His people; he opens the doors of his heart’s tabernacle and lets the Word blind the devil. He turns the devil’s false promises into the fulfillment of the Father’s promise to love us and care for us.

When tempted to reject God in pride, humble yourself in gratitude for what you have been given.

When tempted to reject God by testing His promise of love and care, remember that He will never lie; He will never fail.

When tempted to reject God by taking on worldly power and prestige, offer worship to this world’s only Lord and King.

And when you have successfully rejected all these temptations, do something to really make the devil crazy: thank him for his temptations because without them you might have made it through this Lenten desert without the urgent chance to become better friends with God.

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A prayer to help you through Lent

Found this in the HancAquam archives from two years ago. . .

A Lenten Prayer

Merciful and loving God, you give us* this Lenten desert for our purification, for our chance to become your faithful friends.

Because we are wearied by our sins and exhausted by the weight of our guilt, the devil seeks to tempt us further away from you.

Let us hear his false promises with your ears and see his counterfeit prizes through your eyes. With your Word in our mouths, we reject his poisonous gifts and run to you for our salvation.

With our every thought and deed, you give us the grace to turn temptation into witness, to make an enemy of the devil, and grow in your love.

Lord, grant us hearts bound in obedience to your Word and freed in your love. And even though we may suffer for a little while, we know our purpose is fulfilled when we offer you thanks and praise for the gift of your Son.

Purged of sin and guilt by your desert, we walk to his death on the cross; we watch for his resurrection from the tomb; and we await his coming again in glory!

In his holy name we pray. Amen.

(written by Fr. Philip N. Powell, OP)

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R.I.P.

Just got a call from my parents. . .my grandfather, Clyde Mitchell, 98, passed away just a few minutes ago.

Please pray for the repose of his soul.  I will be attending his funeral sometime this weekend or early next week.

Many thanks, Fr. Philip

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Lying is ALWAYS a sin

Lying is always a sin.  Period.  Always.  The gravity of the sin is determined by intent, circumstance, harm done, and the nature of the truth sinned against.  But the act of lying is always a sin.  Period.  Always.  Whether it's done to save babies, whales, baby whales; Jews hiding in your closet; whether it's done here on earth, under the earth, above the earth; on an alien planet;--wherever, whenever, whatever, whyever, whoever--lying is always a sin.   Always.  Nothing that can be said, done, thought, written, acted out, mimed, televised, telegraphed, digitized, whispered, signed, or turned into a reductio ad absurdum argument can make lying into not-lying.

From the Catechism:

2482 "A lie consists in speaking a falsehood with the intention of deceiving."  The Lord denounces lying as the work of the devil: "You are of your father the devil, . . . there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies."

2483 Lying is the most direct offense against the truth. To lie is to speak or act against the truth in order to lead someone into error. By injuring man's relation to truth and to his neighbor, a lie offends against the fundamental relation of man and of his word to the Lord.

2484 The gravity of a lie is measured against the nature of the truth it deforms, the circumstances, the intentions of the one who lies, and the harm suffered by its victims. If a lie in itself only constitutes a venial sin, it becomes mortal when it does grave injury to the virtues of justice and charity.

2485 By its very nature, lying is to be condemned. It is a profanation of speech, whereas the purpose of speech is to communicate known truth to others. The deliberate intention of leading a neighbor into error by saying things contrary to the truth constitutes a failure in justice and charity. The culpability is greater when the intention of deceiving entails the risk of deadly consequences for those who are led astray.

2486 Since it violates the virtue of truthfulness, a lie does real violence to another. It affects his ability to know, which is a condition of every judgment and decision. It contains the seed of discord and all consequent evils. Lying is destructive of society; it undermines trust among men and tears apart the fabric of social relationships.

Coffee Bowl Browsing

Another spanking for the NPR brats!  I happen to like most of NPR's programs.  They are extremely condescending to non-lefties and religious people but they are so polite about it.

Confession:  I am very happy that NPR is being publicly exposed as a pretentious PR firm hired with taxpayer money by Dems; however, lying is always a sin.  Always.  Consequentialism can never be a legit path for Catholics.

Published death threats against Gov. Walker and WI GOP lawmakers.  Is that the sound of crickets chirping at CNN, NYT, CBS, ad nau.?

The Weiner Dogs of Lent. . .excellent, excellent piece on sin, human nature, and dog walking in the Big City.

Earthquake/tsunami hit Japan. . .get those prayers going, people!

My fav character from The Wire is arrested in a drug bust. . .say it ain't so, Snoop!

Mother Mary Clare's visitation of women religious in the U.S. has concluded.  Report in the works.  Of course, none of us will ever see that report. 

Good news:  IL governor signs law abolishing the state's death penalty for capital crimes.  Bad news:  death penalty still in effect for the crime of being an unwanted child.

A liberal defends Congressional hearings on Islamic extremism.

This is me today. . .deal with it.

Cell phone brain damage

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Choose Life & Suffer

Thursday After Ash Wednesday

Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP

St. Joseph Church, Ponchatula

Moses sets before God's people “life and prosperity, death and doom.” Much like the blessing and curse he sets before them later on, the reward and punishment offered here result from either obeying God's commandments or disobeying them. Obey and proper. Disobey and die. He warns them, “If. . .you turn away your hearts and will not listen, but are led astray and adore and serve other gods, I tell you now that you will certainly perish.” This is a heavily-loaded warning, so let's unpack it a bit. First, note that listening to God and obeying Him are roughly the same act. Second, note that not listening to God is roughly the same as being led astray, and being led astray is roughly the same as worshiping and serving other gods. Third, note that worshiping and serving other gods is a suicidal act. Bringing the pieces together, we get: disobeying God's commandments is an act of suicidal idolatry! Concluding his warning, Moses urges the people to “choose life. . .that you and your descendants may live, by loving the LORD, your God. . .” Given all this, how do we go about choosing life? How do we avoid becoming victims of suicidal idolatry? Jesus gives us a major clue: “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” The first false god we must deny is Self. 

“Denying self” is not so simple as “denying myself a second beer” or “denying myself dessert.” Nor are you denying yourself when you offer yourself as a doormat to be walked on, or a handmaid to be bossed around. Refusing to give ourselves a treat or making ourselves into whipping boys is not the sort of self-denial that Christ requires of us. Notice the direct connections that Jesus makes among self-denial, cross-bearing, and following him. These are not three separate requirements for coming after Christ, but rather three distinct stages of just one requirement: if we wish to come after him, we must suffer. And the only effective way to suffer is to suffer for the benefit of others—as Christ himself does. When you deny the Self you throw the idol of the Self off the altar of your heart and replace it with Christ. In effect, you are replacing “what I do for me” with “what does Christ for all” as your motivation for dealing with the world.

Yesterday, we were smudged with ashes and reminded of our mortality—we will all die. No mystery to that basic truth. What remains a mystery, however, is how we will live. If Self reigns and we choose to adore and serve Self, then we are already dead, if still breathing. We cannot carry a cross with Christ to Jerusalem b/c Self is worried, anxious, in pain, impatient, whiney. We can't follow Christ to Jerusalem with our cross b/c Self stumbles along at its own pace, taking its own time, taking care of its own desires. Self is incapable of following Christ b/c Self is too busy guarding its rights and privileges; defending its luxuries; hoarding its necessities. There's simply no room in our hearts for both Self and Christ. One has to go. So, Jesus says, “Deny yourself; take up your cross, and follow me.” And in case we are unclear about what this means, he tells us plainly: “The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders. . . and be killed and on the third day be raised.” Deny yourself; take up your cross; follow Christ; suffer greatly; be rejected, killed. . .and raised on the third day. Therefore, choose life, eternal life, so that you may live, by loving the LORD, your God.

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Classes on the Nicene Creed at St. Joseph's

Today I will begin a series of classes on the Nicene Creed titled, "Credo:  Understanding the Creed."  We will begin with a history of the Creed and move through the text line by line over the  course of the Lenten season.

This is the first set of classes I will be offering here at St Joseph's Church, Ponchatula in preparation for the introduction of the corrected translation of the Roman Missal.

As you know, one of the corrections in the new Missal changes the Creed to read "I believe" instead of "We believe."  Since the recitation of the Creed will now be much more personal, it is imperative that Catholics come to a better understanding of what it is they are affirming about their faith.

Classes will be held on Thursdays from March 10th through April 14th at 10.00am and 7.00pm in the parish chapel.  The morning and evening classes cover the same material, so you need only attend one or the other to keep up.

For my talks, I'm consulting Pope Benedict XVI's book, Credo for Today:  What Christians Believe.

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Lenten Reparations

A suggestion for you Lenten penance. . .

Offer your Lenten sacrifices in reparation for the horrific damage done by the priests and bishops who abused children and covered-up the abuse. 

I believe that the Church is on the cusp of a revival and that this revival will be brought about by the willingness of God's people to do penance for the sacrilege committed against those in most need of our protection. 

With the corrected translation of the Roman Missal on the way and hundreds of up and coming, faithful, young seminarians, religious, and priests, we are poised to exorcise the zeitgeist from the Church.  I'm not talking about a Rad Trad revolution, but rather a return to the simple, noble faith of the apostles and the reverent celebration of the Church's sacraments. 

As a Body, if any one of us is sick, all of us are sick.  Penance and sacrifice for the sins of the few can bring us all to better health.

Fr. Philip Neri, OP

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New Preaching Site

The student friars of St Dominic Priory in St. Louis, MO have set up a site to showcase their preaching.

They also offer Lenten reflections to help you through this penitential season.

Check them out:  Preaching Friars

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Return and be set free

Day of Ashes (Ash Wednesday) 2011

Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP

St. Joseph Church, Ponchatula

There is so little time between now and death, too little time to waste it outside God's mercy. The ashes we take remind us that we long for His mercy, that we need His mercy. There is nothing we can do or say to make our Lord love us more. To make Him grant us mercy more quickly. He sent His only Son to die for us to show us the depth and breadth of His love and forgiveness. All we need do is turn to Him, return to Him and receive what He has already given us. Now is an acceptable time, now is the day of salvation. Not yesterday.  Not tomorrow. Now. “Even now, He says, return to me with your whole heart. . .Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the LORD, your God.” We smudge ourselves with ashes and set aside a season to remember that we are dust and that one day we will return to dust, to remember our sins and forget our guilt. And though we mourn our faults, we rejoice now b/c today is the day of salvation! Give alms, fast, and pray in thanksgiving to God. And do so with glad hearts and bright faces. Your Lord will repay your sincerity. So, waste no more time outside His mercy. Return to Him and be set free.

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Lenten Conferences: The Passion of the Christ

For East Coast readers of HancAquam. . .The Passion of the Christ: Conferences for Lent.

This Lent, join the student brothers of the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D. C. for evenings of reflection on the Passion of Christ. Brothers will be speaking in Washington, DC, New York City, Baltimore, and Charlottesville, VA.

Schedule for the Dominican House of Studies in Washington (link) (pdf)

Schedule for the Church of St. Philip and James in Baltimore (link) (pdf) 

Schedule for the Church of St. Joseph in New York City (link)(pdf) 

Schedule for the Church of Notre Dame and Columbia University (link)(pdf) 

Schedule for St. Thomas Aquinas Parish at the University of Virginia (link)(pdf)

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Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Ash Wednesday

 Facts, figures, and dates about Ash Wednesday.

The text of the Roman Catholic liturgy for Ash Wednesday

A little history and theological reflection on the liturgical use of ashes

Ash Wednesday celebrates the diversity of Catholics

One more cartoon

Post-Lenten joke

An Ash Wednesday homily

Fr. Z. translates the Ash Wednesday prayers from the Latin and shows us how to declare war!

And, finally. . .WASH your face!

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Coffee Bowl Browsing

NPR exec caught on video admitting that public broadcasting would be better off w/o your tax dollars.  Oh, he also calls Republicans racist and xenophobic.  NB.  He thinks he's meeting with potential donors from a Muslim Brotherhood front group.

Meanwhile, another NPR exec denies accusations that NPR has a leftist bias.  Apparently, she didn't get the memo.  

The One. . .and the not so many:  paltry number of high schools invite B.O. to give their graduation speech.  They should just invite his teleprompter. . .it does all the work anyway.

The Fleebaggers' Head Flee wants to meet with the GOP at that WI-IL border.  The GOP responds.  Hilarious.

". . .many of the smartest and best educated people in this country are so blinkered and blinded by the assumptions and values of the blue social model that they simply cannot think outside the box."  

Georgetown University Medical Center (a "Catholic" hospital) starves a woman to death while her family watches.   Um, does Cardinal Wuerl know about this?

Is it legal for a church/parish to impose a mandatory monthly donation in exchange for access to that parish's liturgies?  I'm have no idea whether or not this is legal under secular law. . .I'm absolutely sure that it would never be legal under RC canon law.

The LA Times drops a bomb on the Archdiocese of L.A. on the first day of the new archbishop's administration.    One wonders why the lefty LAT waited until yesterday to drop this bomb.  It couldn't be b/c Archbishop Gomez is considered too conservative for L.A. 

The inevitable demise of Anglicanism:  communion for the unbaptized.  Why not?  They've pretty much abandoned every other apostolic teaching.

The Duck watches you. . .oh, yes, he does.

And so do all of his feline co-conspirators.

And the dog is just. . .well, the dog is the dog.

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What difference does it make?

Ss. Perpetua and Felicity

Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP

St. Joseph Church, Ponchatula

Jesus publicly humiliates the priests and scribes by demanding that they either accept or reject that he is the Son of the Father, a revelation announced by the Holy Spirit when John baptized him in the Jordan. Afraid that they will lose their own authority or anger the crowd that follows Jesus, the elders calculate a cowardly response to his challenge and answer, “We don't know.” Because of their cowardice, Jesus refuses to reveal to them that he is the Messiah. Instead, he tells them a parable meant to unsettle their comfortable assumptions about how the Father works among His people. The Parable of the Tenants is a retelling of the history of the Jewish people and their relationship with God. Unflattering in its details, the parable exposes the infidelity of God's chosen people to the covenant. It concludes with the death of those who murder the owner's son and the vineyard going to others as their inheritance. Jesus quotes Psalm 118, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” The priests and scribes know that the parable is addressed to them. Fearing that the crowd might realize this as well, “they left him and went away.” Thinking back to the gospel reading from yesterday—a wise man builds his house on solid rock not sand—what can we make of the notion that Jesus is the cornerstone that the builders rejected?

The other gospel writers and the tradition of the Church understand the cornerstone to be Christ, and more specifically, his resurrection. Rejecting the truth of the resurrection cuts a well-woven thread in the whole clothe of the gospel. Denial of the resurrection is a denial of Christ's sacrificial death on the cross. Denial of his sacrificial death is a denial of the efficacy of his suffering. Denial of his efficacious suffering is a denial of his birth to the virgin, Mary. His incarnation as the Son of God. His promised advent. And on back to his presence at the moment of creation and his divinity as the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity. To paraphrase Paul, “If Christ did not rise from the dead, then all we believe and do in his name is worthless.” The Parable of the Tenants is both a history of God's people rejecting the cornerstone of Christ's resurrection and a warning to those of us who do believe but do so at a nervous distance from the consequences of believing.

Let's cut the point as sharp as we can: if you believe the resurrection of Christ to be true, what difference does this belief make in your life? How do you behave differently? Think differently? Can others watch you and see that you have accepted Christ's resurrection as the cornerstone for building your house in the faith? The gospels repeatedly describe those who do not acknowledge the Sonship of Jesus as afraid, scared, anxious. They are very, very nervous about his claims to be the Son of God, b/c believing such a reckless claim would mean throwing themselves into a radical revolution that will change absolutely everything. Believing that Jesus is the Messiah will mark them as heretics in the temple, rebels against the Empire, and strangers in their own families. The sword Christ wields severs all bonds. His resurrection from the tomb remakes those bonds with the blood of a new covenant and a command to love that fulfills the whole of the Law. 

If you believe that Christ rose from the dead, what difference does this belief make in your life? Can you point to this difference and give it a name? There's nothing to fear. Nothing to hide. You will lose everything for his sake and gain eternal life.

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A Shocking Declaration

9th Sunday OT

Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP

St. Joseph Church, Ponchatula

You have spent all your years in the Church. You sang in the choir. Served on the parish council. Usher, communion minister, Monday morning collection counter. Worked every year at the capital fund-raising fair. Once a week at confession, daily Mass. Never missed an Ash Wednesday and said your rosary even before the first cup of coffee. Fasted, abstained, and always did your penance. You were absolutely faithful in your marriage, raised the kids in the Church, sent them to good Catholic grade schools and then to a faithful Catholic university. You volunteered for every mission trip that came around. Exhausted yourself helping with LifeTeen. Now, here you are, at the edge of death. Everyone knows that you are the best Catholic, the most sincere Christian, and that you will go straight to the throne of God. And this is very likely exactly what will happen. But we have one caution from Jesus, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven. . .Many will say to me on that day. . .'Lord, did we not do mighty deeds in your name? [Did I not help at the homeless shelter, protest at the abortion clinic, donate to Catholic Charities, pray novenas to St Jude, visit the grieving, give lots of money to the Dominicans!?] Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?' Then I will declare to them solemnly, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.’” Never knew me!? Evildoer!? Is Jesus trying to give us a heart attack? Why does he make such a shocking declaration? He is doing nothing more than telling us the truth.

Moses is telling us the truth as well when he says, “Take these words of mine into your heart and soul. Bind them at your wrist as a sign, and let them be a pendant on your forehead. I set before you here, this day, a blessing and a curse: a blessing for obeying the commandments of the Lord. . .a curse if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord.” If you place God’s wisdom in your heart and in your soul, you become wise; that is, just being here is an act of wisdom. If you bind your hands and your mind with God’s wisdom, then every act, every job, every thought, your imagination itself is a sign of God’s presence, a flag marking you as His. This is what Jesus teaches us in Matthew’s gospel this morning/evening: it is not enough to think good thoughts about the Lord; it is not enough to do good deeds in his name. We must obey: listen and act in one move—hearing the Word/doing the Word, hearing God’s wisdom/doing God’s wisdom. If we want to be faithful, then we must place His wisdom in our hearts, our minds, and we must bind our hands and bind our minds to His will. Under the Old Covenant established between God and Moses, this feat of obedience was accomplished by following the rules and regulations of the Law—dietary restrictions, ritual sacrifices, etc. You showed your faithfulness by behaving within the precepts of the Law. Ideally, strictly following the Law would lead you to an internal conversion, what God Himself calls “the sacrifice of a contrite heart.” All too often, however, you ended up scrupulously obsessing over legal technicalities. So, how do we faithfully obey God's commandments and find ourselves counted among the blessed?

Paul helps us out. He writes to the Romans, “Now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, though testified to by the law and the prophets, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.” Let me break that down a bit: in the older covenant, as we've already noted, God’s righteousness—His rightness, His justice—were made known to us primarily through the Law and the prophets. Obey the Law, heed the prophets and God's justice is done. What Paul is saying here is that the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Christ now manifests God’s righteousness apart from the Law and prophets, meaning that we now have access to the fullness of God’s righteousness through Christ “apart from the Law.” Remember: Christ came not to abolish the Law but to fulfill it, to make the Law and the witness of the prophets complete. The Law and the prophets are witnesses to the Law—they are legitimate testimonies to His commandments. However, Christ is God Himself. God reveals Himself in the person of Christ. Christ's revelation is not a second-hand account of who and what God is, but rather a perfect and unique unveiling of God to us. So, Paul teaches us that we come to the righteousness of God Himself when we believe in Christ b/c believing in Christ is believing in God. 

What does it mean to believe in Christ? Believing is a human act. But believing is not merely human. By the gift of the Father we are made to desire Him, made to want Him, created in His likeness and image to be seduced by His love for us! In other words, we are able to believe in Christ precisely because God engineered us—genetically programmed us—to seek Him out. Even when we are lost in sin we yearn for His perfection. Paul writes, “[All] are justified freely by his grace through the redemption in Christ Jesus. . .” We are made just because Christ freely gave his life for us. Fully God, fully Man, Jesus bridged the gap between the human and the divine, and in dying sacrificially, made it possible for us to become God with God's help. We believe because it is our deepest need, our most profound urge. Greater than hunger, thirst, the drive to reproduce, greater even than the will to live, the imperative to partake in God's goodness comes first. When we mistake the temporary goodness of food, drink, sex, and wealth for the eternal goodness of God, we set our sights too low, aiming for the passing things of this world rather than the life of the world to come. Our target is the Beatific Vision, seeing God face to face. How we live our lives daily is exactly how we take aim at the target. When we pray fervently and do good works we believe that we are aiming true. . .but are we?

Jesus surprises his disciples and us when he declares, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven. . .” The logical question arises: who will enter the kingdom of heaven? Jesus answers: “. . .only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.” But aren't we doing the will of the Father when we pray and do good works? Yes and no. Certainly, it is God's will that we pray and do good works, but praying and doing good works is not all that the Father wills us to do or to be. Christ—who reveals God Himself to us—died for us so that we might become Christ for others. This same Christ says to his disciples (and us), “Everyone who listens [obeys] to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.” No rain or wind or quake will shake the foundations of house constructed on the rock of the God’s will. No pain or turmoil or doubt can threaten the integrity of a life built on hearing and doing the will of the Father in heaven. However, a house built on sand, a life constructed on the vagaries of human wisdom, human intelligence, human will will collapse and be completely ruined. It is not enough that we cry out “Lord, Lord!” It is not enough to manage an occasional good deed. It is not enough that we live our gifted lives as lukewarm but inactive believers, as tepid but untrusting doers. God's love and wisdom must be the foundation of our lives—not just the interior decoration or the pretty landscape—but the immovable rock upon which all else is built. 

On the last day, when God looks into your face, will he see a long, honorable tradition of good works? Will he see a fervent prayer life, a life faithful to the sacraments and scripture. Will he look into your face and see there reflected his own face: a life strengthened by the Spirit, rooted and grounded in love, a life of length, height and depth, measured on all sides by the immeasurable fullness of God who dwells within you? Will our God Who Is Love on the last day see the face of Christ in you, a single will to will just one thing? His Love. If so, you will enter kingdom on the last day. And you will feel perfectly at home because you have been there all along.

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Sorry, Romania. . .I was wrong.

Last week I noted that the second largest H.A. audience was located in Romania.  This fact was strange enough to send me digging into the Blogger stats.  Turns out I was only looking at the monthly numbers rather than the "All Time" numbers.  "All Time" only includes site visits beginning in May 2010.  So, since May 2010, the top ten audiences are:

United States         120,565

United Kingdom       7,973

Canada                      7,910

Australia                    2,831

Italy                           2,522

Germany                   2,096

Netherlands               1,451

Brazil                            870

Ireland                         822

France                          689

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New American Bible: Revised Edition to be released

The USCCB website is announcing the release of their New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE) on March 9, 2011.

You can click here to preview the Penitential Psalms and learn a bit more about the differences between the NAB (used in our lectionaries) and the NABRE.  Only the Old Testament has been revised.

I'm not a fan of the NAB, so I hope that the RE is an improvement.

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"Maybe" = Darkness

8th Week OT (S)

Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP

St. Joseph Church, Ponchatula

Jesus enters Jerusalem. He goes to the temple and drives out the moneychangers. The chief priests and scribes get wind of this and decide that Jesus must be executed for blasphemy. They are outraged at his violent expulsion of the moneychangers from the temple area, and they fear “him because the whole crowd was astonished at his teaching.” When they find Jesus, they ask him, "By what authority are you doing these things?" In more colloquial terms, they are asking Jesus, “Just who do you think you are?!” Rather than answer their challenge directly, Jesus put them to a test: “Was John's baptism of heavenly or of human origin? Answer me." What is this question meant to test? Jesus wants the priests and scribes to either publicly accept his Sonship or reject it. Remember what happened when John baptized Jesus. A dove descended on Jesus and a heavenly voice rang out, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” Jesus' authority to teach, to perform miracles, to chase off the moneychangers derives from his relationship to the Father. The priests and scribes cannot accept or reject this authority without risking their own authority or riling up the crowd. Seeing into their calculating hearts, Jesus refuses to answer their challenge. In other words, he refuses to reveal to them that he is the Messiah. When it comes to accepting or rejecting the Sonship of Jesus, there is no middle-ground, no negotiated answer. There is “yes” or there is “no.” 

Not unlike the priests and scribes who challenge Jesus' authority, we like our options kept open. “Yes” or “no” is too black and white, too either/or. What about the gray areas? The both/and? What about our freedom to explore, to experiment, to “grow into” an answer to God's call to holiness? Jesus is being a bit unreasonable here. Different people at different points on their journey have different spiritual needs. There's a variety of responses possible. Shouldn't we celebrate the diversity that we find among God's creatures as they stoke the divine spark within them? Well, yes, we should. Each of us responds to God's call to holiness differently, and we do have different spiritual needs along the Way. But before we can respond to God's call to holiness and before our spiritual needs can be met, we must say “Yes” to the question: is Jesus the Messiah? We must accept or reject the revelation that came with Jesus' baptism at the hands of John. “Was John's baptism of heavenly or of human origin?” Is Jesus the Messiah or not?

The priests and scribes calculate an answer to this challenge. Rather than boldly accepting or rejecting the revelation of Jesus' Sonship, they plot an answer that they believe will preserve their power and calm the crowd. What did they come up with? “We don't know.” Jesus could've enlightened them, but he chooses instead to leave them in their make-believe ignorance. He leaves them in the darkness they have created for themselves. Not unlike the priests and scribes, we too can choose to live in a self-created darkness. We too can calculate a response to God's call to holiness that leaves us with an imaginary sense of freedom, with the illusion that we are at liberty in the world. We can wander aimlessly, fooling ourselves into believing that we are masters of our own destiny, captains of our own ship. But darkness is darkness, chosen or not. We either accept the Sonship of Jesus, or we reject it. If we accept, we join his procession to Jerusalem and the cross and on to the brightness of our Father's house. There is “yes” and there is “no.” “Maybe” will only keep us in darkness.

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A surprising #2 for H.A.'s audience

Lots of excellent guesses. . .the U.K., Canada, and India are in the top five audiences for HancAquam.

But HancAquam's second largest audience can be found in. . .

[Drum roll]

Romania!

I have no idea why.  The google stat counter for blogger indicates that about 25% of HA's audience is in Romania.  

Go figure.

Vă mulţumesc pentru cititorii mei din România!

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Dominican Student Brothers Preaching

These Southern Province student brothers are studying in St Louis, MO at the Aquinas Institute of Theology.  These guys were all novices in Irving, TX while I was a member of the senior community. 

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HancAquam's Second Largest Audience?

HancAquam's audience is largely located in the U.S.  No surprise there.

What is surprising is the location of HA's second largest audience. . .

Any guesses?

UPDATE @ 2.36pm CST:  Nobody's guessed the right answer yet!

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Coffee Cup Browsing

Madison mayor caught trying to conspire with WI's Sec. of State to stall the governor's budget until city employees got a new sweetheart contract signed. 

The difference btw collective bargaining in the public and private sectors.  Private sector unions don't get to elect who sits on the other side of the table in negotiations.

Wow. . .a WI elementary school teacher has an interesting post on his school blog. 

Political artist is punished for his outrageous stances on current issues.

The FL federal judge who declared ObamaCare unconstitutional orders B.O. to appeal his ruling in seven days.  B.O. should've listened to the ageless wisdom of the Greek,s "Be careful what you ask of the gods.  You might get it."

The World's Top Ten Gaddafi Toads.  I think he forgot one.  A big One.

Liturgical abuse weakens the faith. . .I couldn't agree more!  We believe what we pray and pray what we believe.

The lovely and talented Anna Arco of the UK's Catholic Herald urges readers not to wipe off the Ash Wednesday smudge.  Long-time HA readers know my stance on this issue.  Jesus said, "Wash your face!"  However, this ain't a hill I'm willing to die on.

Why do we need a new translation of the Missal?  Hint:  it's the difference btw formal equivalence and dynamic equivalence (i.e., paraphrasing).

A new and improved NAB?  If I could change one thing about our liturgical practice it would be to replace the NAB Lectionary with the Revised Standard Version published by Ignatius Press.

U.S. Marines are always polite.

I can fix that!  Redneck solutions for everyday problems.

Husband down! Husband down!

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Ah, you noticed. . .

Regular HancAquam readers have noted and commented upon the subtle changes I've made in my preaching style lately.  (Not subtle enough, apparently!)

Preaching to a "regular parish" (i.e., not a university parish, or a studium congregation) required that changes be made.   I also have the privilege of regularly preaching to our K-8th students at St Joseph's School.  Finding the appropriate props for the readings ain't easy (sesame seeds, red food coloring, and a picture of a mustard tree. . .)

Frankly, the new style--a little more linear, somewhat more practical--is much more difficult to produce than my natural style--convoluted and impractical?  But I am spending a lot more time with the readings and a lot more time studying in preparation for writing the homily.

Clunkers still find their way into the pulpit. . .but that will always be the case. 

Many thanks for the comments and prayers!  God bless, Fr. Philip

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Hey! I think he's calling you. . .

8th Week OT (Th)

Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP

St. Joseph Church, Ponchatula

In the Southern Baptist tradition, Sunday morning and Wednesday night services always end with an “altar call.” While the pianist softly plays “The Old Rugged Cross” in the background, the preacher exhorts sinners to come forward and take Jesus into their hearts, “Dontcha hear Jesus calling you, brothers and sisters?! Callin' you to his cross!” Some will come forward to meet the deacon at the rail and leave the church “saved.” They answered the call, and they were healed. True to their tradition, this particular Baptist liturgical practice is deeply rooted in scripture. The blind man, Bartimaeus, hears that Jesus is near. He begins to call out to Jesus, “Son of David, have pity on me!” The crowd tries to shush him, but Bartimaeus continues to cry out. Finally, Jesus says, “Call him,” and those nearest the blind man, say to him, “Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you.” Bartimaeus obeys, telling Jesus that he wants to see again. The man's sight is restored, and Jesus goes on to Jerusalem. Let's not get sidetracked by the healing miracle in this story. Without a doubt it is an important element, but Jesus himself doesn't make much of a fuss about the healing itself. No prayers, no gestures, no exclamations of astonishment from the crowd. Just the faith of a blind man and his cry for compassion. If there's a fuss made in the story, it happens when the crowd tries to silence Bartimaeus and Jesus' call gives him the courage to ask for healing. “Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you.” 

You may have never had an actual crowd rushing around you, or a horde of people yelling at you to shut up, but you have probably felt at times that the people and circumstances in your life were trying to choke you into silence, trying to strangle your pleas for divine help. So much busyness, so much worry, so many problems with no relief in sight. Everyone clamoring for attention: family and friends in need; co-workers demanding your time and energy; sick and dying relatives; bill-collectors, banks, the IRS, and a whole gang of others grasping at you to notice them, care for them, give them what they want. In the middle of this small chaos, there you are—exhausted; your mind addled; your spirit on the verge of collapse; no where to hide. Like Bartimaeus, you need to be healed, so you cry out, “Son of David, have pity on me!” And all those nagging, clamoring voice say, “Be quiet! You're embarrassing us and yourself. Just shut up and deal with it! We were here first.” Hearing your plea above the racket of the crowd, Christ says, “Call him. Call her.” The voices change. Now they say, “Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you.” 

Courage is the good habit of doing the right thing even when you are scared witless. Or even when you are exhausted—physically, mentally, spiritually. Or even when you think the right thing to do is foolish, dangerous, or just plain dumb. Bartimaeus cries out for Christ's compassion while being rebuked by a mob. He cries out twice for pity, and Jesus responds by crying out for him. The man's courageous pleas are heard and answered, and his public expressions of faith restore his sight. He is healed and he does the only thing he can to express his gratitude: he follows Jesus on his way to Jerusalem. Bartimaeus doesn't know what waits of our Lord in the Holy City. Jesus knows and we know. To follow him all the way to the cross is foolish, dangerous, exhausting, and probably just plain dumb. But we've been called by Christ himself to follow. So, “take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you.”

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Coffee Bowl Browsing (Humor Edition)

Nazi break dancing. . .they even have parachute pants.

Fear the green gelatinous invader from space. . .fear it, I say!

Face swap pics. . .these things are beyond creepy.

Sadly, this is probably true. . .the part about the coffee, I mean. . .not that other part.  Ahem.

Top jokes from around the world. . .my fav is from Belgium.  Says a lot, uh?

What love means, according to 4-8 y.o.'s.  Ahhhhhhhh. . .

A new and improved traffic light.  This is a fantastic idea.

A closer (much closer) look at everyday objects. . .freaky, dude.

Great quotes. . ."Some mornings, it's just not worth chewing through the leather straps."  Emo Phillips

Goat says, "Hi."

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Heroes or slaves?

8th Week OT (W)

Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP

St. Joseph Church, Ponchatula

In the ancient Greek epics, heroes usually fall from the grace of the gods because they suffer from some deadly character flaw, typically pride. When the hero falls, we say that he has suffered a great tragedy. What at first appears to be his primary strength, say, confidence or fortitude, turns out to be hubris that leads him to challenge the gods, or simple stubbornness that causes him to ignore wise counsel. The moral lesson from the epics is that there is a very fine line between virtue and vice, between that good habits that make a man a hero and the bad habits that turn him into a tragic figure. James and John, the sons of Zebedee, ask Jesus to be honored in his glory with places at his right and left. They make this request immediately after Jesus describes what will happen to him in Jerusalem—arrest, ridicule, torture, and death. Jesus warns them, “You do not know what you are asking.” In their ignorance, James and John make a request that others might see as virtuous, “Lord, we want to be with you in heaven.” However, they have yet to realize what asking to be honored in heaven—honored above the other disciples—really means. So that James and John may not fall b/c of their fatal flaw, Jesus tells them that they must follow him to Jerusalem and the cross. But even if they manage this, only the Father can assign places of honor in heaven. So that their lives in Christ might not end in tragedy—a defeat caused by a fatal character flaw—Jesus says to the disciples (and us), “. . .whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant.” To be heroes in heaven, we must first be slaves on earth.

When the Zebedee brothers ask Jesus for places of honor in heaven, he tests them with a question, “Can you drink the chalice that I drink or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” They answer, perhaps a little too quickly, “We can.” But we have to wonder if they really understand what this means. The chalice that Jesus drinks is the chalice of the Suffering Servant, the cup of sacrifice. His baptism is the baptism of repentance of sin. Jesus is asking the brothers if they willing to suffer as he will suffer; if they are willing to be perfect as he himself is perfect. They accept the challenge, and when the other disciples hear about the brothers' request for special treatment, they become indignant. Apparently, the other ten disciples don't really understand exactly what it is that the brothers have agreed to. Jesus seems to calm their indignation by saying, “. . .whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all.” And just in case he's not being clear enough, Jesus adds, “. . .the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” If the disciples believe that being in the Inner Circle is a privilege or a mark of worldly status, this revelation should set them straight. They've not attached themselves to a powerful prince or a military leader. They are tied to a slave, a man who will die so that all others might live. His death will be a ransom, a sum paid to free prisoners. Therefore, the mark of leadership in the Body of Christ is never to be worldly glory or honor or prestige but sacrificial service. 

Never have we been promised a place of honor in heaven for following Christ. We have not been promised prosperity, health, recognition, or even holiness. If we drink his chalice and take his baptism, we have been promised nothing more than what he himself has already received: persecution, ridicule, torture, death, and resurrection and life in the world to come. Our Greek heroes have taught us that there is a fine line btw virtue and vice. Jesus teaches us that there is a fine line btw seeking the glory of this world and the glory of heaven. Will you follow Christ? Then give your life as a ransom for all those enslaved to sin.

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What is grace? Five Explanations

1.  from the Catechism (nos. 1997 & 1999)

Grace is a participation in the life of God. It introduces us into the intimacy of Trinitarian life: by Baptism the Christian participates in the grace of Christ, the Head of his Body. As an "adopted son" he can henceforth call God "Father," in union with the only Son. He receives the life of the Spirit who breathes charity into him and who forms the Church.

The grace of Christ is the gratuitous gift that God makes to us of his own life, infused by the Holy Spirit into our soul to heal it of sin and to sanctify it. It is the sanctifying or deifying grace received in Baptism. It is in us the source of the work of sanctification. . .

2. from The Catholic Encyclopedia ("sanctifying grace")

Grace, in general, is a supernatural gift of God to intellectual creatures (men, angels) for their eternal salvation, whether the latter be furthered and attained through salutary acts or a state of holiness. Eternal salvation itself consists in heavenly bliss resulting from the intuitive knowledge of the Triune God, who to the one not endowed with grace "inhabiteth light inaccessible" (1 Timothy 6:16). . .sanctifying grace imparts to the soul a participation in the Divine spirituality, which no rational creature can by its own unaided powers penetrate or comprehend. It is, therefore, the office of grace to impart to the soul, in a supernatural way, that degree of spirituality which is absolutely necessary to give us an idea of God and His spirit, either here below in the shadows of earthly existence, or there above in the unveiled splendour of Heaven. If we were asked to condense all that we have thus far been considering into a definition, we would formulate the following: Sanctifying grace is "a quality strictly supernatural, inherent in the soul as a habitus, by which we are made to participate in the divine nature."

3. from The Catholic Encyclopedia ("Teaching of St Augustine of Hippo")

. . .Augustine distinguishes very explicitly two orders of grace: the grace of natural virtues (the simple gift of Providence, which prepares efficacious motives for the will); and grace for salutary and supernatural acts, given with the first preludes of faith. The latter is the grace of the sons; the former is the grace of all men, a grace which even strangers and infidels can receive (De Patientiâ, xxvii, n. 28).

4.  from St Augustine ("On Rebuke and Grace")

For the grace of God through Jesus Christ our Lord must be apprehended—as that by which alone men are delivered from evil, and without which they do absolutely no good thing, whether in thought, or will and affection, or in action; not only in order that they may know, by the manifestation of that grace, what should be done, but moreover in order that, by its enabling, they may do with love what they know.

5.   from Pope Benedict XVI (Spe salvi, nos. 44 & 47)

God is justice and creates justice. This is our consolation and our hope. And in his justice there is also grace. This we know by turning our gaze to the crucified and risen Christ. Both these things—justice and grace—must be seen in their correct inner relationship. Grace does not cancel out justice. It does not make wrong into right. It is not a sponge which wipes everything away, so that whatever someone has done on earth ends up being of equal value. . .the judgement of God is hope, both because it is justice and because it is grace. If it were merely grace, making all earthly things cease to matter, God would still owe us an answer to the question about justice—the crucial question that we ask of history and of God. If it were merely justice, in the end it could bring only fear to us all. The incarnation of God in Christ has so closely linked the two together—judgement and grace—that justice is firmly established: we all work out our salvation “with fear and trembling” (Phil 2:12). Nevertheless grace allows us all to hope, and to go trustfully to meet the Judge whom we know as our “advocate”, or parakletos (cf. 1 Jn 2:1).

Nos. 1-4 were taken from New Advent.  No. 5 was taken from The Vatican.

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Sinner says what?

8th Week OT (M)

Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP

St. Joseph, Ponchatula

After his disappointing lesson with the rich, young man, Jesus turns to the disciples and announces, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the Kingdom of God!” The disciples were amazed at his words. All this time with their Lord and they had heard him say many times that anyone who believed in him would be saved. Now it appears that he's saying that rich people will have a tough time getting into heaven. Can't rich people believe in him? What is it about being rich that prevents the rich from believing in Christ? Apparently, their shocked expressions prompt Jesus to continue, “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God.” The disciples are exceedingly astonished at this revelation, so they ask the question we all want answered, “Aright then, who can be saved?” Jesus answers in his usual enigmatic fashion, leaving the question to rest in mystery, “For men it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God.” In other words, men and women—rich or poor—do not save themselves by their actions. It is God who saves us. Though we cannot save ourselves, we can condemn ourselves. Wealth is just one of the many burdens that we refuse to put up down in order to take up the cross and follow Christ.

The gospel this morning highlights two essential elements of the Christian understanding of salvation. First, we are saved by God, and God alone—not our words, works, thoughts, or status in life. God alone. Second, anyone who surrenders to Christ, picks up his cross, and follows him, is saved. Though the reading focuses on the rich, young man and his attachment to wealth, there are any number of burdens that we might carry that prevent us from taking part in God's plan of salvation. Think in terms of your favorite sins. Think of these sins as your preferred ways of clinging to disobedience, your preferred means of staying away from God. The Lord invites you to His heavenly banquet, and you say, “No thanks, I'm busy accumulating wealth.” Or violating my marriage vows; or hating my neighbor; or seeking vengeance against an enemy; or wallowing in despair. If you find yourself eternally separated from God's love after death, then you were too busy separating yourself from His love while you lived. 

Who then can be saved? Everyone. Everyone can be saved. There is no one who can't be saved. Whether or not everyone will be saved is a mystery to be solved only after Judgment Day. Today, right now, every person on the planet is eligible for salvation. Christ died once for all—no exceptions. Christ died for the rich, young man, but the man's possessions possessed him, so he was not free to follow Christ. He was free to surrender his wealth, but he chose to live as a wealthy slave to temporary riches rather than as a poor slave to the permanent wealth of heaven. As he watches the young man walk away, Jesus says, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the Kingdom of God!” What's “hard” is not the wealth itself but the decision whether or not to surrender wealth in favor of poverty, the kind of poverty necessary to travel along behind Jesus on his journey to the cross in Jerusalem.

What “wealth” possesses you? A wealth of anxiety or doubt? A wealth of infidelity or spiritual cowardice? Maybe a wealth of self-righteousness or a cold heart? Whatever it is, surrender it. With so much to carry, with so many attachments, you will never make it through the narrow gate. Put it all down, pick up the cross, and follow Christ.

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