St. Romuald, Abbot

Saint Romuald founded the Camaldolese monastic order during the early eleventh century, but he did not always appear to be called to the religious life. He was born into an aristocratic family and grew up in luxury. His life had little in the way of self-restraint or religious devotion.

It was a shocking tragedy that changed the course of his life.. When Romuald was twenty years old, he saw his father Sergius kill one of his relatives in a dispute over some property. Romuald was horrified by the crime he had witnessed, and he was moved to take refuge in a monastery to do penance for his father.

The experience in the monastery awakened a vocation in him, and he had the overwhelming desire to live an entire life of penance as a monk. In fact, Romuald’s father Sergius repented of his crime and ultimately followed his son into religious life.

Romuald traveled extensively, serving the Church, and eventually helping to establish or reform almost a hundred hermitages and monasteries. His work resulted in the foundation of the Camaldolese order in 1012, when a piece of land called the “Camaldoli,” was given to Romuald. His monastic foundation combined hermits’ cells with community life, giving it a distinct identity and charism.

Here is the “Brief Rule” of St. Romuald for his monks:

Sit in your cell as in paradise. Put the whole world behind you and forget it. Watch your thoughts like a good fisherman watching for fish. The path you must follow is in the Psalms — never leave it.

If you have just come to the monastery, and in spite of your good will you cannot accomplish what you want, take every opportunity you can to sing the Psalms in your heart and to understand them with your mind.

And if your mind wanders as you read, do not give up; hurry back and apply your mind to the words once more.

Realize above all that you are in God's presence, and stand there with the attitude of one who stands before the emperor.

Empty yourself completely and sit waiting, content with the grace of God, like the chick who tastes nothing and eats nothing but what his mother brings him.

O God, who through Saint Romuald didst renew the manner of life of hermits in thy Church: grant, we beseech thee; that, denying ourselves and following Christ, we may merit to reach the heavenly realms on high; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

Doing the Little Things

Jesus said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”

- St. Mark 4:30-32

As He usually does, our Lord uses stories – parables – to teach important lessons, especially lessons about the kingdom, in which God is acknowledged as King of the universe. He compares God's Kingdom to a mustard seed which, small as it is, grows into something quite impressive.

When it comes to the Kingdom of God, we are called by Christ to be part of building it up, but we are not to be worried by small beginnings. It might seem as though our efforts produce such negligible results, and yet even a small effort, if it is repeated over and over, can have dramatic results. Every good work must have a beginning. Nothing arrives full-grown. When it comes to the Kingdom of God, each of us has the responsibility to do our duty, and all our efforts cumulatively will have a tremendous effect on the spread of the Kingdom.

Sometimes, looking at the state of things around us, it is understandable that we get impatient and discouraged. And yet, those feelings come to us only when we forget that it is God’s Kingdom, and not our own, that Christ asks us to build with Him. It is our task to take care of our own little corner of the garden, and we need to let the God of the Universe oversee the whole field.

Remember the motto of St. David of Wales: “Do the little things.” When we do those little things in our own circle, with our family and friends and acquaintances, we will see God’s Kingdom growing around us, even though it might seem almost imperceptible. We have God’s promise: His Kingdom will triumph.

Two Hymns in Honour of St. Anthony

       1.    Praise to God the mighty Father, who didst call Saint Anthony

            from a life of sore temptation to the way of purity.

Humble work and meek obedience marked his holy way of love;

now, his earthly task completed, works his wonders from above.

            2.      Praise to Jesus Christ our Saviour, who didst give Saint Anthony

grace to preach with zeal and boldness, giving truth new charity.

Men, once lost, who heard the Gospel from the lips of Francis' son

came to know God's grace and favour, and the life which Christ had won.

      3.      Praise to God the Holy Spirit, who inspired Saint Anthony

in the way of love and service, calling men to charity,

lifting up the fallen sinner, feeding them with Living Bread,

showing men the way to heaven, there to live with Christ their Head.

           4.      Gracious Doctor and Confessor, holy Priest with golden tongue,

joined with all the saints of heaven, praising God the Three in One;

help us in our earthly journey, keep our thoughts on God most high,

that with thee, Christ's saint and servant, we may live and never die.

Tune: Rustington, by Charles H. H. Parry (1848-1918)

Text: Fr. Christopher G. Phillips

            1.      Simple saint and faithful priest,

            at this Eucharistic feast

we recall thy holy face,

and with thee our Lord embrace.

Give us true simplicity:

pray for us, Saint Anthony.

      2.      Word of God thou didst proclaim;

            unto thee God's Spirit came,

bringing faith when thou didst preach,

showing truth when thou didst teach.

May we speak words truthfully:

pray for us Saint Anthony.

            3.      Error flees before God's Light:

            through thy life Christ shineth bright,

showing men the way to peace,

evil's hold from them release.

Free from evil may we be:

pray for us Saint Anthony.

Tune: Bread of Heaven, by William Dalrymple Maclagan (1826-1910)

Text: Fr. Christopher G. Phillips

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Image of St. Anthony by Charles Bosseron Chambers (1882-1964)

St. Anthony of Padua

St. Anthony was born in Portugal and entered the Augustinian monastery of Sao Vicente in Lisbon when he was fifteen. When news of the Franciscan martyrs in Morocco reached him, he joined the Franciscans at Coimbra. At his own request, he was sent as a missionary to Morocco, but he became ill, and on his return journey his boat was driven off course and he landed in Sicily. He took part in St. Francis' famous Chapter of Mats in 1221 and was assigned to the Franciscan province of Romagna.

He became a preacher by accident. When a scheduled preacher did not show up for an ordination ceremony at Forli, the Franciscan superior told Anthony to go into the pulpit. His eloquence stirred everyone, and he was assigned to preach throughout northern Italy. Because of his success in converting heretics, he was called the "Hammer of Heretics" and because of his learning, St. Francis himself appointed him a teacher of theology.

St. Anthony of Padua was such a forceful preacher that shops closed when he came to town, and people stayed all night in church to be present for his sermons. He became associated with Padua because he made this city his residence and the center of his great preaching mission.

After a series of Lenten sermons in 1231, Anthony's strength gave out and he went into seclusion at Camposanpiero but soon had to be carried back to Padua. He did not reach the city but was taken to the Poor Clare convent at Arcella, where he died. He was thirty-six years old, and the whole city of Padua turned out in mourning for his passing.

Grant, O Lord, that the solemn festival of thy holy Confessor Saint Anthony may bring gladness to thy Church: that being defended by thy succour in all things spiritual, we may be found worthy to attain to everlasting felicity; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

St. Barnabas, Son of Encouragement

St. Barnabas was not numbered amongst the original apostles, but he has been given the title from the earliest years of the Church because of his apostolic work in spreading the Gospel. His first name was Joseph, but Barnabas (meaning "son of encouragement" or "son of consolation") was added to his name as a description of his nature. He belonged to the tribe of Levi. He was a Jew who lived outside of Palestine and he spoke Greek.

Born in Cyprus, he embraced the Christian faith soon after the death of our Lord, and was a member of the original Jerusalem community. His generosity and strength of character shines forth in the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, where the first thing recorded about him is that he sold some of his property and gave the money to the apostles for the support of the Christian community.

Just after St. Paul's conversion St. Barnabas befriended him and introduced him to the apostles. This was at a time when Christians distrusted the rabbi who had so viciously persecuted the Church. Barnabas was the first to recognize Paul's potential for the cause of the Gospel, and it was Barnabas who brought him from Tarsus to teach at Antioch. The first missionary journey, which took place about 45-48 A.D., and which the two made together, was decisive in the establishment of the Church and the spread of the Gospel.

He was present with St. Paul at the Council of Jerusalem, which was instrumental in opening the Church up to the Gentiles. While they were preparing for the second missionary journey, they had a serious difference of opinion regarding young John Mark, and as a result of that argument the two men continued their labours separately.

St. Barnabas went to Cyprus with Mark and there are no further references to him in the Acts of the Apostles. Tradition tells us that he was martyred at Salamis in Cyprus by being stoned and then burned. That same tradition indicates that he was buried there by his kinsman, John Mark. His name has been included in the Canon of the Mass since ancient times.

O Lord God Almighty, who didst endue thy holy Apostle Barnabas with singular gifts of the Holy Spirit: leave us not, we beseech thee, destitute of thy manifold gifts, nor yet of grace to use them always to thy honour and glory; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

The Unforgivable Sin

Jesus went home with his disciples; and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat. And when his friends heard it, they went out to seize him, for they said, "He is beside himself. The scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He is possessed by Beelzebul, and by the prince of demons he casts out the demons." And he called them to him, and said to them in parables, "How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end. But no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man; then indeed he may plunder his house. Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin" - for they had said, "He has an unclean spirit."

- St. Mark 3:20-30

Christ's friends thought He was crazy, whereas the religious leaders of the day were quite certain He was a tool of the devil. In fact, the scribes weren’t questioning Christ’s power to exorcise demons. They fully accepted the fact that He had that power. What they got wrong was what they considered the source of that power to be. They were convinced that He had this power because He was in league with the head of all the demons, Satan himself. But they weren’t thinking logically, and Jesus had no difficulty in showing the fallacy in what they were saying.

The essence of exorcism is always that the exorcist calls upon a stronger power to drive out the weaker, and this is a basic premise of Catholic exorcism. So when those scribes said that Jesus was using the power of Satan to drive out demons, He makes the powerful point that if there is dissension in a kingdom, then that kingdom won’t last. If there are quarrels in a house, then that household won’t stand for long. So if Satan is making war with his own demons, then Satan would be undermining his own power.

He then goes on to emphasize His point: if you want to rob a strong man, you can’t do it until you subdue him. Once you’ve restrained him, then you can take his belongings. So it should be obvious to the scribes that Jesus certainly isn’t in league with Satan; rather, He was showing that Satan’s defenses were being destroyed. Indeed, someone stronger had arrived, and the conquest of Satan had begun in earnest. Jesus is showing us that there is a struggle between the power of evil and the power of God, and that the power of God will always win because it is definitely not a struggle between equals!

And then there are some very serious words about what has come to be called “the unforgivable sin.” Now to understand, it’s important to know the circumstances in which our Lord was speaking. When Jesus said, “whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness…” it was when the scribes and Pharisees had claimed that the cures He had done were accomplished, not by the power of God, but by the power of the devil. They were religious leaders looking at at the incarnate love of God, and yet they were able to think that it was the power of Satan.

This, then, is the “unforgivable sin” - to call what is good, evil. To identify the source of good with the devil indicates a moral ruin which will not allow itself to be repaired. When an individual rejects the guidance of God, and loses the ability to recognize goodness when he sees it, having his moral values so reversed so that to him evil is good and good is evil, it is then that he has made himself immune to being conscious of sin. In such a state, he cannot repent, and if he cannot repent then he cannot be forgiven. That is the “sin against the Holy Spirit,” and is “unforgivable,” not because God cannot forgive, but because such a person will not allow Him to forgive.

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Painting: "The Triumph of Christianity Over Paganism"

by Gustave Doré (1832-1883)

The Immaculate Heart of Mary

Following upon the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus is the commemoration of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. It was first in her heart that the Blessed Virgin formed her response to the message God sent through the Archangel Gabriel. As she expressed her "yes" to God, Mary first conceived Christ in her Immaculate Heart and then in her virginal womb.

Here is a prayer for consecrating ourselves to her motherly heart:

O Mary, Virgin most powerful and Mother of mercy, Queen of Heaven and Refuge of sinners; we consecrate ourselves to thy Immaculate Heart. We consecrate to thee our very being and our whole life: all that we have, all that we love, all that we are. To thee we give our bodies, our hearts, and our souls; to thee we give our homes, our families, and our country. We desire that all that is in us and around us may belong to thee, and may share in the benefits of thy motherly blessing. And that this act of consecration may be truly fruitful and lasting, we renew this day at thy feet the promises of our Baptism and our First Holy Communion.


We pledge ourselves to profess courageously and at all times the truths of our holy Faith, and to live as befits Catholics, who are submissive to all directions of the Pope and the Bishops in communion with him. We pledge ourselves to keep the commandments of God and of His Church, in particular to keep holy the Lord’s Day. We pledge ourselves to make the consoling practices of the Christian religion, and above all, Holy Communion, an important part of our lives, in so far as we are able to do.


Finally, we promise thee, O glorious Mother of God and loving Mother of men, to devote ourselves wholeheartedly to the spreading of devotion to thy Immaculate Heart, in order to hasten and assure, through thy queenly rule, the coming of the Kingdom of the Sacred Heart of thine adorable Son Jesus Christ, in our own country, and in all the world; as in Heaven, so on earth. Amen.

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Pictured: "Immaculate Heart of Mary"

by Charles Bosseron Chambers (1882-1964)

The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

When there was no such concept as time, before creation, God existed as the Holy Trinity in fellowship with Himself, and His love existed within that communion. With the creation, humanity was brought into that communion of divine love. The love of God was the only love there was then, the love of God is the only love there is now, and the love of God is the only love there will ever be. We are not creators of love, but we are the receivers and transmitters of the love of God. And we can transmit only as much as we receive. 

To tell us of His love, God sent His only Son. “The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.” Jesus is the greatest expression of the love of God for us and He is the greatest expression of the human response to that love.

Jesus as the divine Son of God was also human, the son of Mary. He spoke with divine authority but He spoke in human language. He spoke in the simple language of the ordinary people of His day about the things they were most familiar with: the birds of the air, the lilies of the field, the sower and the seed, the vine and the branches. When He wanted to tell His apostles how important they were He said that they were the “light of the world” and the “salt of the earth.” And when He wanted to tell us of God’s love He used the heart, the human symbol of love. He told us that we should learn of Him, that He was meek and humble of heart, and we would find rest for our souls.

The contemporaries of Jesus knew this meek and humble heart of Jesus and they knew that it beat with unconditional love for them. Rough, simple fishermen left their boats and nets to follow Him. Learned doctors sat at His feet to hear His wisdom. A tax collector left his money table to become His disciple. Multitudes followed Him for days, and so captivated were they that they forgot to bring food to eat. The sick fought their way through the crowds just to touch the hem of His garment. And they all found peace and rest for their souls.

In a time when man desperately needs God’s love, here he can find it, in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose Sacred Heart is a refuge where God’s love may be found, a fountain from which God’s love is poured out upon us.

O God, who hast suffered the Heart of thy Son to be wounded by our sins, and in that very Heart hast bestowed on us the abundant riches of thy love: grant, we beseech thee; that the devout homage of our hearts which we render unto him, may of thy mercy be deemed a recompense acceptable in thy sight; through the same Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

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Pictured: "Sacred Heart of Jesus"

by Charles Bosseron Chambers (1882 - 1964)

St. Norbert, Confessor and Bishop

St. Norbert was born about the year 1080 and his early life was one of ease and selfishness. It was an easy move for him to enter into the pleasure-loving German court, and he had no hesitation about availing himself of every opportunity for enjoyment. To ensure his success at court, he also had no qualms about accepting holy orders as a canon and whatever financial benefices that came with that position. However, he did hesitate at becoming a priest, because even in his selfishness and casual attitude toward religion, he realized that the priesthood had serious responsibilities.

One day as Norbert was out riding, a thunderstorm came up suddenly. Norbert, who was always meticulous about his appearance, was buffeted by the high winds, and was soaked by the rains. A sudden flash of lightning startled his horse, throwing Norbert to the ground.

For almost an hour he lay unmoving. When he awoke his first words were, "Lord, what do you want me to do?" In response Norbert heard in his heart, "Turn from evil and do good. Seek peace and pursue it."

He immediately devoted himself to prayer and penance, and began the instruction for the priesthood he had avoided previously. He was ordained in 1115. His complete conversion and change in life caused some who remembered him previously to accuse him of hypocrisy. Norbert responded by giving everything he owned to the poor, after which he went to the pope for permission to preach.

With the pope's blessing, Norbert became an itinerant preacher, traveling through Europe with two companions. As a response to his old ways, he now chose the most difficult ways to travel, such as walking barefoot in the middle of winter through snow and ice. Unfortunately the two companions who followed him died from the difficult and demanding way of life. But Norbert was gaining the respect of those sincere clergy who had despised him before.

The pope encouraged him to settle and found a community in the diocese of Laon in northern France. There, in the desolate valley wilderness of Prémontré, Norbert laid the foundations for his religious Order. He chose the rule of St. Augustine for the new community. Communal life was marked by its austerity, its poverty, and its intense liturgical life of prayer. Norbert continued to preach and to attract large numbers to his community.

On July 25, 1126, Norbert was ordained archbishop of Magdeburg and relinquished the leadership of his Order to begin the work of shepherding the vast diocese on the northeastern frontier of the German Empire.

Weakened by his travels and labours, and also by malaria he had contracted at Rome, Norbert was in Magdeburg when he died on June 6, 1134.

O God, who didst make blessed Norbert thy Confessor and Bishop an illustrious preacher of thy Word, and through him didst render thy Church fruitful with a new offspring: grant, we beseech thee; that by his intercession and merits, we may be enabled by thy help to practise what he taught, both in word and deed; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

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Image: "St. Norbert defeating the heretic Tankelin" 

by Aloïs Stoff (1846–1902)

St. Boniface, Bishop and Martyr

Named Winfrith by his well-to-do English parents, Boniface was born near Exeter, Devon. As a boy, he studied in Benedictine monastery schools and became a monk himself in the process. For thirty years he lived in relative peace, studying, teaching, and praying. In his early forties he left the seclusion of the monastery to do missionary work on the Continent. Because his first efforts in Frisia (now the Netherlands) were unsuccessful, Winfrith went to Rome in search of direction. Pope Gregory II renamed him Boniface, "doer of good," and delegated him to spread the gospel message in Germany.

In 719 the missionary monk set out on what was to be a very fruitful venture. He made converts by the thousands. Once, the story goes, he hewed down the giant sacred oak at Geismar to convince the people of Hesse that there was no spiritual power in nature. In 722 the Pope consecrated him bishop for all of Germany. For thirty years Boniface worked to reform and organize the Church, linking the various local communities firmly with Rome. He enlisted the help of English monks and nuns to preach to the people, strengthen their Christian spirit, and assure their allegiance to the pope.  About 746 Boniface was appointed archbishop of Mainz, where he settled for several years as head of all the German churches.

Over the years he kept up an extensive correspondence, asking directives of the popes, giving information about the many Christian communities, and relaying to the people the popes' wishes. In 752, as the pope's emissary, he crowned Pepin king of the Franks. In his eighties and still filled with his characteristic zeal, Boniface went back to preach the gospel in Frisia. There, in 754 near the town of Dokkum, Boniface and several dozen companions were waylaid by a group of savage locals and put to death. His remains were later taken to Fulda, where he was revered as a martyr to the Christian faith.

O God, who raised up the holy Bishop and Martyr Saint Boniface from the English nation to enlighten many peoples with the Gospel of Christ: grant, we pray; that we may hold fast in our hearts that faith which he taught with his lips and sealed with his blood; through the same Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

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Image: Lithograph of the Martyrdom of St. Boniface, 1903

St. Charles Lwanga and Companions, Martyrs

Charles was one of twenty-two Ugandan martyrs who had converted from paganism to the Catholic faith. He was baptized in November 1885, a year before his death, and became a moral and spiritual leader among the converts. He was the chief of the royal pages under the king, Mwanga, and was considered the strongest athlete of the court.

Mwanga was a wicked king, and very violent, using his power to try and force the young men into perverse and immoral acts. Charles was a catechist, and instructed the young men who were serving in the king's court in the Catholic Faith and he baptized them. He inspired and encouraged his companions to remain chaste and faithful.

Mwanga was a superstitious pagan king who originally was tolerant of Catholicism. However, his chief assistant, Katikiro, slowly convinced him that Christians were a threat to his rule. He convinced the king that if these Christians would not bow to him, nor make sacrifices to their pagan god, nor pillage, massacre, nor make war, what would happen if his whole kingdom converted to Catholicism?

When Charles was sentenced to death, he seemed very peaceful, even cheerful. He was to be executed by being burned to death. While the pyre was being prepared, he asked to be untied so that he could arrange the sticks. He then lay down upon them. When the executioner said that Charles would be burned slowly to death, Charles replied by saying that he was very glad to be dying for the True Faith. He made no cry of pain but just twisted and moaned, "Kotanda! (O my God!)." He was burned to death by Mwanga's order on June 3, 1886. The other young men were martyred in various ways, and together they were canonized by Pope St. Paul VI. In the ceremony canonizing the Catholic martyrs, Pope Paul mentioned also the Anglicans who suffered under the wicked King Mwanga, saying: "Nor, indeed, do we wish to forget the others who, belonging to the Anglican confession, confronted death in the name of Christ."

O God, by whose providence the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church: Grant that we who remember before thee the blessed martyrs of Uganda, St. Charles Lwanga and his Companions, may, like them, be steadfast in our faith in Jesus Christ, to whom they gave obedience even unto death, and by their sacrifice brought forth a plentiful harvest; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Ancient Mysteries Made New

Everything about the Solemnity of Corpus Christi draws our attention to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. This is the day when the Church gathers up ancient mysteries and makes them new. We look to the mysterious figure of Melchizedek, the king of Salem and high priest to Abram. We look to young Isaac carrying the wood upon which his father Abraham intended to offer him in sacrifice. We envision the children of Israel looking upon the bronze serpent lifted high upon the staff of Moses, and we marvel with the Israelites as they eat their fill of the manna. In all those things, and more, we see the foreshadowing of Jesus Christ our great High Priest who offers Himself for us in sacrifice.

All these things point to Jesus, about whom the scripture tells us, “though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form He humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross.”

This is the central mystery, brought before us on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi: that is, Jesus Christ humbling Himself, and coming to us, and remaining with us under the forms of bread and wine, all for the sake of His love for us. At the Annunciation He took upon Himself human flesh. At the Nativity the God of creation was cradled in the arms of a human mother. During His Passion the Lord was abused by the very ones He came to save. When He died, the eternal God breathed His last, and when He was buried, the God who is Light consecrated the darkness of the grave. God did this, and then left the Holy Mass as the continual and living Presence of it all.

What was His purpose? What was His plan, and how can we understand it? We should cast our minds back to our first parents, Adam and Eve. Created in the image and likeness of God, they were placed in a perfect communion with their Creator. They were told that all things were theirs, and that there was only one thing they could not do; namely, that they were not to eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. That, of course, was the one thing they were tempted to do.

Remember the words of Satan as he tempted Eve. He said, “Surely you will not die... no... your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be as God Himself, knowing good and evil...” That was their sin: through their disobedience, they grasped at equality with God, and in so doing, they lost their communion with God. St. Paul reminds us that our Lord Jesus “did not regard equality with God something to be grasped...” In other words, Jesus did not need to snatch at equality with God.... no, it is His by right. And also, it means that He did not clutch at equality with God as something to hold jealously to Himself. Rather, He laid it down willingly for the sake of our salvation.

The fact of all this – the laying down of His life, His sacrifice upon the Cross – are all spoken of by Christ as being a necessity, as something indispensable. The shadow of the Cross stretches over His life. He speaks of His blood as being shed for the remission of sins, and His body as being given for His disciples. He says that He has come to give His life as a ransom for many.

All this prepares us for what we find in the teaching of the apostles. We find in their teaching a great stress upon the death of Christ, and that the greatest blessings and highest gifts are always connected with His suffering and with the shedding of His blood. Throughout Scripture we read of forgiveness, of redemption, of healing, of cleansing, of sanctification - of atonement - all won for us by the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. It all comes to us through the great fact of history, that He was lifted up upon the Cross, and there He died – and He has left us the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar, which gives us immediate and daily access to all His saving work.

Here is the point that Christ makes: that when He is lifted up upon the Cross, it is the Atonement which He accomplishes – “And I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto myself...” He says. The great gulf is bridged, and mankind is once more made “at one” with God, just as we were before the Fall of our first parents, Adam and Eve. The gates of heaven are opened to us. It is all made possible through the lifting up of Christ, and His death upon the Cross.

He was lifted up upon the Cross so that we can be lifted up to heaven. He was broken so that we can be made whole. The only lesson we need to learn is to be learned at the foot of the Cross of Jesus Christ – that even though we are sinful and fall short of the glory of God, in spite of it all, God loves us with that yearning, passionate love which led Him to give Himself to be lifted up for us. Our hearts cannot help but be broken open to receive that Love which knows no rest and which never tires until it has found us, and has brought us to our true home in Christ’s kingdom.

So on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi we look to Jesus. We see Him humble Himself by taking upon Himself the outward forms of bread and wine, and we see Him lifted up resplendent in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.

And He does it all for a reason. He does all this to be with us, and to allow us to be with Him. He does this so that we can spend time with Him. He does it because of His intense and eternal love for all of us, and He asks us to return that love by giving Him our worship and obedience, by living lives worthy of our calling to be members of His Body.

O God, who in a wonderful Sacrament hast left unto us a memorial of thy Passion: grant us, we beseech thee, so to venerate the sacred mysteries of thy Body and Blood; that we may ever know within ourselves the fruit of thy redemption; who livest and reignest with the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

St. Justin Martyr

St. Justin was an apologist and one of the most important Christian writers of the second century. He was a Greek born in Palestine. From the time of his childhood he loved to study, and by the time he was a young man he was so taken with the love of philosophy and the desire of truth that he became a serious student of philosophy and examined the teaching of all the great philosophers, looking for ultimate truth. He was disappointed in his search because he found they could go only a certain distance, but ultimately each philosophy contained a faulty reasoning, and each one contained error. 

One day he met a very old man who was a stranger to him. This old man opened the scriptures to Justin, and explained the Christian faith. Justin understood this as the truth he had been looking for – he saw that it completed all of the partial truths had had been studying up until that time. After that encounter he constantly studied the Scriptures, and he lived the Christian faith. Having come to the knowledge of Jesus Christ, Justin devoted himself completely to the composition of many books explaining and propagating the Christian faith.

Among the most famous of the works of Justin are his two Apologies or Defenses of the Christian faith. He even presented these Apologies to the Roman Senate, in an attempt to stop the persecution of the Church. Some were convinced, and for a while the persecutions stopped, but eventually there were those in power who wanted to crush the Church because of their own wicked ways of living. 

Justin was brought before Rusticus, the Prefect of Rome, and he was questioned about the doctrine of the Christians. Justin gave a complete defense of the Christian faith, but Rusticus himself lived a cruel and wicked life and so would not listen. He made Justin choose whether he would sacrifice to the gods or suffer a cruel scourging. Justin answered that he had always wanted to suffer for the Lord Jesus Christ because he knew it would bring him to heaven. The prefect sentenced Justin to death. He was horribly scourged, and then beheaded.  This man who sought the truth and found it in Christ, became a great martyr for the faith.

O God, who through the foolishness of the Cross didst wondrously teach blessed Justin Martyr the excellent knowledge of Jesus Christ: grant to us by his intercession; that, driving away the errors that beset us, we may attain unto steadfastness of faith; through the same Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Feast of the Visitation honours the Blessed Virgin Mary, who bore in her womb Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Word of God. It shows her as the first missionary and evangelist, as she takes the Word to her cousin Elizabeth, whose unborn infant, St. John, was cleansed from original sin as the two expectant mothers embraced. St. Elizabeth addressed her as the "Mother of the Lord," and Mary responded with the great canticle of praise, the Magnificat:

"My soul doth magnify the Lord : and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
For he hath regarded : the lowliness of his handmaiden.
For behold, from henceforth : all generations shall call me blessed.
For he that is mighty hath magnified me : and holy is his Name.
And his mercy is on them that fear him : throughout all generations.
He hath shewed strength with his arm : he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He hath put down the mighty from their seat : and hath exalted the humble and meek.
He hath filled the hungry with good things : and the rich he hath sent empty away.
He remembering his mercy hath holpen his servant Israel : as he promised to our forefathers, Abraham and his seed for ever."

O God, who didst lead the Blessed Virgin Mary to visit Elizabeth, to their exceeding joy and comfort: grant unto thy people; that as Mary did rejoice to be called the Mother of the Lord, so we may ever rejoice to believe the Incarnation of thine Only Begotten Son; who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

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Pictured: "The Visitation" 

by Carl Heinrich Bloch (1834-1890)

Memorial Day

O LORD our God, whose Name only is excellent and thy praise above heaven and earth: we thank thee for all those who counted not their lives dear unto themselves but laid them down for their friends; grant us, we beseech thee, that having them always in remembrance we may imitate their faithfulness and sacrifice; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.