St. Philip and St. James, Apostles

St. Philip was born in Bethsaida, Galilee. He may have been a disciple of John the Baptist and is mentioned as one of the Apostles in the lists of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and in Acts. Aside from the lists, he is mentioned only in John’s Gospel in the New Testament. He was called by Jesus Himself and brought Nathanael to Christ. Philip was present at the miracle of the loaves and fishes, when he engaged in a brief dialogue with the Lord, and was the Apostle approached by the Hellenistic Jews from Bethsaida to introduce them to Jesus. Just before the Passion, Jesus answered Philip's request to show them the Father, but no further mention of Philip is made in the New Testament beyond his listing among the Apostles awaiting the Holy Spirit in the Upper Room. According to tradition he preached in Greece and was crucified upside down at Hierapolis under Emperor Domitian.

St. James the Less (meaning "the younger), the author of the first catholic Epistle (that is, addressed to the Church generally), was the son of Alphaeus (also known as Cleophas). His mother Mary was either a sister or a close relative of the Blessed Virgin, and for that reason, according to Jewish custom, he was sometimes called the brother of the Lord. The Apostle held a distinguished position in the early Christian community of Jerusalem. St. Paul tells us he was a witness of the Resurrection of Christ; he is also a "pillar" of the Church, whom St. Paul consulted about the Gospel. According to tradition, he was the first Bishop of Jerusalem, and was at the Council of Jerusalem about the year 50. St. James was martyred for the Faith by the Jews in the Spring of the year 62. He was held in great respect by everyone, Jew and Gentile alike, which earned him the appellation of "James the Just."

O Almighty God, whom truly to know is everlasting life: grant us perfectly to know thy Son Jesus Christ to be the way, the truth and the life; that, following the steps of thy holy Apostles, Saint Philip and Saint James, we may steadfastly walk in the way that leadeth to eternal life; 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: St. Philip and St. James the Less,

painted panels from the medieval rood screen

at St. Mary's, Worstead, in Norfolk, England

St. Athanasius, Bishop and Doctor

St. Athanasius, the great champion of the Catholic Faith, was born at Alexandria about the year 296, of Christian parents. Educated under Alexander, who became the bishop of Alexandria, Athanasius made great progress in learning and virtue, eventually going into the desert to spend some time in retreat with St. Anthony.

In 319, Athanasius became a deacon, and as a young cleric he was called upon to take an active part against the rising heresy being put forth by Arius, an ambitious priest of the Alexandrian Church, who denied the Divinity of Christ. This was to be the life struggle of St. Athanasius.

In 325, he assisted his bishop at the Council of Nicaea, where his influence began to be felt. Five months later Alexander died. On his death bed he recommended St. Athanasius as his successor. In consequence of this, Athanasius was unanimously elected Patriarch in 326.

His refusal to tolerate the Arian heresy was the cause of many trials and persecutions for St. Athanasius. He spent seventeen of the forty-six years of his episcopate in exile. After a life of virtue and suffering, this intrepid champion of the Catholic Faith, the greatest man of his time, died in peace on May 2, 373.

Everliving God, whose servant Saint Athanasius bore witness to the mystery of the Word made flesh for our salvation: give us grace, with all thy Saints, to contend for the truth and to grow into the likeness of thy Son, Jesus Christ our Lord; who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

St. Joseph the Worker

The commemoration of St. Joseph the Worker falls on the first day of May, the month that is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and was fixed in the calendar by Pope Pius XII in 1955. The pope expressed the hope that this feast would accentuate the dignity of labour and would bring a spiritual dimension to the work we do.

The teaching of the Church reaches back into the Old Testament, when we read in the Book of Genesis that God created man, and put him in the Garden of Eden to tend to it. From that time, God, who is the creator and ruler of the universe, has called men and women in every age to develop and use their talents for the good of others, and as a way of sharing in the creative work of God. 

In every kind of labour we are to remember that we are obeying the command of God to use our talents, and to receive the fruit of our labours. Our work allows us to provide for our own needs, and for the needs of those for whom we are responsible. It also allows us to show proper charity towards those who are in need.

The Church asks us to look to St. Joseph on this day, and follow his example of work, by which he showed his love and responsibility for the Blessed Virgin Mary and for the Child Jesus. St. Joseph shows the dignity of work. Whether it is manual work, or any other kind of work, we are to do it in a spirit of cooperation with God, and as an offering to Him. Any task, well done, is an offering to God. When we work, we should see it as a work done for God, and it is part of what shows that we are created in His image. In creation itself, God worked for six days, and rested the seventh. So in our own lives, we are to keep that balance between using our energy for work, and then out of respect for our minds and bodies, give a day for our spiritual and physical renewal.

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Holy Joseph, Intercessor

Unto thee God’s children sing;

Be our Patron and Protector,

To God’s throne our praises bring.

Faithful Spouse of faithful Virgin,

Lover of God’s purity;

From thy worthy place in heaven,

Pray that we may faithful be.

Guardian of the Word Incarnate,

Silent guide of God’s own Son;

Guard our hearts and lead us onward

To the life that Christ has won.

Humble man in lofty station,

God has poured His grace on thee;

Pray such grace to us be given,

That we live eternally.

Text: Fr. Christopher G. Phillips, 1991

Music: "Stuttgart" adapted by C. F. Witt, 1715

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O God, the Creator of all things, who hast appointed for mankind the law of labour: graciously grant that through the example and patronage of Saint Joseph we may accomplish the work that thou hast commanded, and attain unto the rewards that thou dost promise; 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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Pictured: "Our Saviour Subject To His Parents At Nazareth"

by John Rogers Herbert 1810–1890

St. Pius V, the Pope of Lepanto

Pope St. Pius V - Michael Ghislieri - was born into a poor family on 17 January 1504. He spent his childhood working as a shepherd, until he entered the Dominican Order at the age of fourteen. His keen intelligence served well, and eventually he was ordained as a bishop, ultimately occupying the Throne of St. Peter.

St. Pius V lived in times much like our own. The Council of Trent took place during his lifetime, and as is the case with most Councils, there was a time of confusion following. He spent much of his life -- before his time as pope, and then until his death -- working to implement the principles of the Council, and strengthening the witness of the Catholic Church.

 
A very important event took place on October 7, 1571. It is associated with Our Lady, and also with Pope St. Pius V.

For some time the Muslims had attempted to conquer Europe, not only for political reasons, but also in an attempt to destroy the Church and impose Islam throughout the known world.

On that clear October morning a huge gathering of ships appeared in the Mediterranean Sea, near the Greek port of Lepanto - 280 Turkish ships, and 212 Christian ships. For years the Muslims had been raiding Christian areas around the Mediterranean and had carried off thousands of Christians into slavery. In fact, all of the ships gathered on that morning were powered by rowers – and the Muslim ships had nearly 15,000 Christian slaves in chains, being forced to pull the oars to guide the ships into battle. The Catholic fleet was under the command of Don Juan of Austria, but the Catholic fleet was at a great disadvantage in its power and military ability. This was a battle that would decide the fate of the world – either the Turks would be victorious and the Church destroyed, or the Catholics would be victorious and would put down the Muslim threat.

Pope St. Pius V knew the importance of victory. He called upon all of Europe to pray the rosary, asking for the intercession of Our Lady, that God would grant a Catholic victory. Although it seemed hopeless, the people prayed. Don Juan guided his battleships into the middle of the Turkish fleet; meanwhile, many of the Christian slaves had managed to escape their chains and poured out of the holds of the Muslim ships, attacking the Turks and swinging their chains, throwing the Muslims overboard. The combination of the attack by the Catholic fleet and the uprising of the Christian slaves meant that there was a great victory by the Catholics fleet over the mighty Turkish fleet.

We know today that this victory was decisive. It prevented the Islamic invasion of Europe at that time, and it showed the Hand of God working through Our Lady. At the hour of victory, St. Pope Pius V, who was hundreds of miles away in his Papal residence, is said to have gotten up from a meeting, went over to a window, and through supernatural knowledge exclaimed, "The Christian fleet is victorious!" and he wept tears of thanksgiving to God.

This day has been remembered throughout the Church, first as Our Lady of Victory, and then as Our Lady of the Holy Rosary – remembering the victory God granted, and also remembering the means by which that victory was achieved – that it was an intervention by God through the prayers offered by praying the Rosary... something we might consider in our own generation.

O God, who for the confusion of the enemies of thy Church, and for the restoring of the honour of thy worship, didst appoint thy blessed Saint Pius V to be Chief among thy Pastors: grant that we, being defended by his intercession, may so steadfastly follow after thy commandments, that we may overcome all the devices of our enemies, and rejoice in perpetual peace and security; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

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Painting: "Pope Pius V" 

by Scipione Pulzone (1544-1598)

St. Catherine of Siena

St. Catherine was born in Siena in the year 1347, and she was the last of 25 children born to her parents. Her father was a wealthy man in the business of dying wool. From her earliest life, Catherine was a different kind of child, spiritually sensitive, and being part of such a large family, she liked to find times when she could be alone with God. It was at the age of six that she had some sort of vision near the Church of San Domenico in Siena. From that moment onward, she followed an even stricter path of devotion, and when she was only seven, she dedicated herself to Christ, taking a private and internal vow that she would never marry, but would live only to serve God.

She wanted very much to dedicate herself to Religious life, and although her parents initially resisted the idea, eventually her father gave in and allowed Catherine to follow whatever she felt God was calling her to do. In 1363, when she was just 15 years old, Catherine became a Dominican Tertiary, and wore the black cloak which designated her as a Dominican sister. She began to increase her charitable work, and spent a great deal of her time in a nearby hospital, caring for the sick.

Throughout this time she became known as someone who gave excellent spiritual guidance, as more and more people came to her, or wrote to her, for spiritual advice. In fact, she became well-known throughout the Church as a devout and gifted spiritual guide, and even as a mystic. It was during a visit to the city of Pisa that she received the stigmata in the presence of a crucifix hanging in the Church of Santa Cristina. 

As her spiritual fame grew, she was even asked to travel to different countries to act as a mediator for the papacy, which was at that time in exile at Avignon in France. She was very strong in voicing her opinion to Pope Gregory that he needed to bring the Papal Court back to Rome, and unify the Church. When the terrible situation arose with the false election of a second Pope, leading the Church to the edge of schism, she was instrumental in restoring the true Pope to his rightful place.

In the year 1380, when she was just 33 years old, St. Catherine died. She was eventually proclaimed to be a saint, and along with St. Francis of Assisi, St Catherine of Siena was made patron saint of Italy. Pope Paul VI conferred on her the title of Doctor of the Universal Church, and in 1999 she was proclaimed co-patron saint of Europe by Pope St. John Paul II.

O Merciful God, who gavest to thy servant Saint Catherine of Siena a wondrous love of the Passion of Christ: grant that, through her prayers; we thy people may be united to him in his majesty and rejoice for ever in the revelation of his glory; who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

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Painting: "St. Catherine of Siena"

by Alessandro Franchi (1838–1914)

St. Louis de Montfort

The life of St. Louis de Montfort is inextricably bound to his work of promoting genuine devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. In fact, his personal motto was “Totus tuus” (“Completely yours”), the same motto later chosen by Pope St. John Paul II.

St. Louis was born in the Breton village of Montfort, close to Rennes, France, and in fact, came to identify himself by the adoption of his place of birth and baptism, in essence replacing his family name of Grignion.

After being educated by the Jesuits and the Sulpicians, he was ordained as a priest in 1700, and almost immediately he began preaching parish missions throughout western France. His years of ministering to the poor led him to travel and live in virtual poverty, sometimes even causing problems with his superiors, who did not understand the unique call God had given to St. Louis. Through his preaching, thousand of people who had lapsed in the Faith were called back to active life in the Church. In his preaching he recommended frequent, even daily, reception of Holy Communion, which was not the normal practice at that time. In all things he urged the Faithful to imitate the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary by practicing the daily acceptance of God’s divine Will in all things.

St. Louis founded the Missionaries of the Company of Mary for priests and brothers, and the Daughters of Wisdom, who cared especially for the sick. His book True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin has become a classic guide to Marian devotion.

St. Louis died in 1716 in Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre, where a basilica was erected in his honour and which contains his tomb. He was canonized in 1947.

O God, who didst will to direct the steps of thy Priest Saint Louis de Montfort along the way of salvation and of the love of Christ, in the company of the Blessed Virgin: grant us, by his example; that, meditating on the mysteries of thy love, we may strive tirelessly for the building up of thy Church; 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. Peter Chanel

On April 28, 1841, a band of native warriors entered the hut of a missionary priest, Father Peter Chanel on the island of Futuna in the New Hebrides islands – now called Vanuatu. They clubbed the missionary to death and cut up his body with hatchets. But just two years after this murder, the complete population of the island was Catholic. St. Peter Chanel's death bears witness to the ancient axiom that "the blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians."

What led up to this wonderful conversion of so many people? St. Peter Chanel came there as the fulfillment of a dream he had had as a boy. He was born in 1803 in France. At the age of seven, he was a shepherd boy, but the local parish priest, recognizing something unusual in the boy, convinced his parents to let him study in a little school the priest had started. From there Peter went on to the seminary, and was ordained a priest and assigned to a very difficult, run-down parish. In three short years there was a complete transformation of the people in the parish – whereas there had been very few who practiced the Faith, when he left, nearly everyone had returned to the Sacraments.

In 1831, he felt called by God to enter a missionary society of priests, and his dream of going to mission territory finally happened in 1836. He was sent to the island of Futuna, where he had to suffer great hardships, disappointments, frustration, and almost complete failure, as well as the opposition of the local chieftain. The work seemed hopeless: only a few had been baptized, and the chieftain continued to be suspicious and hostile. Then, when the chief's son asked for baptism, the chief was so angry that he sent warriors to kill the missionary. It would have seemed that was the end. St. Peter Chanel did not live to see any success coming from his hard work, but his violent death brought about the conversion of the island, and the people of Futuna remain Catholic to this day.

O God, who for the spreading of thy Church didst crown Saint Peter Chanel with martyrdom: grant that, in these days of Paschal joy, we may so celebrate the mysteries of Christ’s Death and Resurrection as to bear worthy witness to newness of life; 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.

God's Mercy: A Crown of Joy

The final day of the Easter Octave is Divine Mercy Sunday, when we give thanks to God for the great mercy He gives us through His acts of salvation which we have remembered and celebrated throughout Holy Week and Easter. And we remember our own dear Pope St. John Paul II, the Pope who commended this celebration of God’s Mercy to the whole world as a kind of “crown of joy” for Easter.

On Easter Day the focus was on the open, empty tomb. It was a monument to the victory of Jesus Christ. And because of that victory, every skeptic, every agnostic, every would-be follower, every seeker after the truth must confront the plain and simple fact: there was no body to be found in the tomb. The women went there expecting to find a body. What they found instead was an empty tomb. The grave clothes were neatly in their place. Angels preached the good news, "He isn’t here. He’s risen!" And you can be sure that if the body had been hidden someplace, it would have been produced very quickly by the Jewish leaders, or by the Roman officials. Even today, the unbelieving world would love for archaeologists to find the bones of Jesus hidden away in some grave someplace, so that it could put an end to this Christian claim once and for all – because the truth of the matter is this: if you take away the resurrection of the body, everything else is meaningless.

Still, an empty tomb isn't necessarily the last word for everybody. People can try to explain it away; they can try to ignore it. In fact, when we look at the scriptural accounts, we see that the disciples themselves didn't believe it at first, until they saw the risen Christ. Thomas didn't believe it, and he let that be known. "Show me a risen Jesus with nail marks in his hands and a spear mark in his side, and let me touch him, and then I'll believe," was what Thomas said.

And what about us - we who cannot see, and yet who are called to believe that Jesus Christ is risen? What does Christ say? "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe."

The gospel tells us that the disciples had locked themselves in a room – probably the cenacle – on that first Easter Sunday. It was near sunset. They were hearing rumors of the resurrection, but they were filled with fear rather than joy. They were afraid of the Jewish leaders. After all, if they had done this horrible thing to Jesus, what might they do to His disciples? And it’s into that prison of fear that Jesus comes. He doesn't knock on the locked doors. He doesn't wait for someone to open the door and invite Him in. No, Jesus simply appears in their midst.

And His first words were, "Peace be with you.” He shows them His wounds - the nail marks in His hands, the scar of the spear in His side – and with that, we cannot help but remember what the prophet Isaiah said so many generations before: "He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” His peace is a peace which the world cannot give. It’s peace between us and God, it’s peace with one another. The Hebrew word for peace is “shalom,” which means much more than just the absence of war and fighting; “shalom” means that everything is in its place, everything is in harmony, everything is whole. In fact, this peace is really what “atonement” – at-one-ment – is all about.

The Gospel tells us that fear gave way to joy. "The disciples were glad when they saw the Lord." And who wouldn't be? They could see with their own eyes that the resurrection is true. The Lord is risen, and He’s right there in front of them!

Notice that Jesus said to them twice, "Peace be with you." The first time He said it, He was giving peace to them for themselves, to quiet their fear, to turn their sorrow into gladness. But the second time He said it, He was giving them peace for others – peace to move their feet out of their little locked room and into the world. He tells them, "As the Father sent me, so I am sending you."

And then He breathes His breath on them. He speaks His words into them. His words deliver what they say. "Receive the Holy Spirit," He says to them. Without the Holy Spirit the disciples couldn’t do what Jesus was sending them to do. "If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained," He tells them.

So they are sent out with authority. Jesus authorizes them to do what God alone can do – to forgive sin. There would always be those, even in our own day, who demand to know, “How can mere men presume to forgive sin?” But we understand that we don’t just look to the men who receive the power; rather, we look to the One who sends them, who breathes on them, who gives them His Spirit and authority. When Peter or James or John or Bartholomew or Andrew or any of the other apostles forgave, it was Jesus forgiving. Jesus sends them with His own authority, the authority with which the Father had sent Him.

What about us today? The apostles who were in the upper room that day are now with Christ in heaven. Did this power to forgive die with them? Actually, we know that Jesus not only sent out his original apostles, but He also makes His mercy and forgiveness forever present through the priesthood He has entrusted to His Church through apostolic succession. This means that every bishop, and every priest ordained by a bishop, speaks with the authority of the Risen Christ when it comes to dealing with sin. This means that every ordination echoes that first Easter Sunday in the locked room when the risen Lord Jesus Christ breathed on a fearful band of apostles and sent them out to forgive sin.

What a comfort this is for those who are looking for forgiveness and peace. This is Christ’s Divine Mercy – the fact that He doesn't leave us searching around for forgiveness; He doesn't leave us searching for peace. He doesn't leave it up to someone just to talk about forgiveness. Rather, God locates forgiveness and peace where it can be found and received - with Peter and the other apostles, and with those who succeed them. Jesus Christ puts men under holy orders, with part of those orders being to minister mercy and forgiveness in His Name.

Jesus Christ has ensured that His mercy and forgiveness will always be ministered in and through His Church, because Easter isn’t just one day, a long, long time ago. Nor is it one day a year, when we celebrate an historic event in Jerusalem. The gifts of Christ’s death and resurrection are distributed whenever and wherever people are being baptized into Christ’s death; whenever and wherever sins are being forgiven by the command of Christ; whenever and wherever the baptized are being fed with the Body and Blood of Christ. Wherever that happens, the gifts of Easter come to us, and there we receive the very Mercy of God.

Jesus Christ is risen from the dead. He’s alive, not dead. He’s present, not absent. And in the power of His resurrection, He is present with us in the fullness of His divinity and His humanity on our altar, in our tabernacle. Locked doors couldn’t keep Him out. Nothing can. He is present among us as surely and as fully as He was with the disciples in the locked room on that first Easter. He is here with us to free us from our fears, to speak His peace into our hearts, to forgive our sins, to turn our sorrow into gladness, to bless us, and especially to shower upon us His own Divine Mercy.

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Pictured: "Doubting Thomas"

12th c. French Illumination

Saturday in the Octave of Easter

Now when he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept. But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it. After this he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them. Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they sat at table; and he upbraided them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. And he said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation.

-St. Mark 16:9-15

This portion of St. Mark’s Gospel outlines the duties of the Church which Christ founded, the tasks committed to her by Jesus himself.

It states very clearly that the Church has the duty to spread the truth of the gospel. As members of the Church we are Christ’s heralds, we are His ambassadors.

It outlines an understanding of the sacramental ministry of the Church: to baptize, to make people whole by means of the power that Jesus has bestowed upon the Church.

And we are reminded that the Church is never alone in her work. The Church is the Body of Christ, and Christ works with her and in her and through her. So St. Mark’s Gospel finishes with the message that the life of the Christian is lived in the presence and in the power of the Lord Jesus Christ, the God who was crucified and who rose again, triumphant over sin, the world, and the devil.

We thank thee, heavenly Father, for that thou hast delivered us from the dominion of sin and death and hast brought us unto the kingdom of thy Son: and we pray thee that, as by his death he hath recalled us to life, so by his love he may raise us to joys eternal; 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: “Appearance to the Apostles at Table"

by Duccio di Buoninsegno

(c. 1255-1260 - c. 1318-1319)

The Paschal Sacrifice

Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our paschal lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us, therefore, celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

- I Cor. 5:6b-8

Yeast (leaven) makes bread rise, but it is a kind of bacterium, so it also corrupts, and as St. Paul says, “a little leaven leavens the whole lump.” St. Paul’s point is that one sin can spoil the whole person, and even the wider community, both within and as seen by others.

The only way to assure that there is no corruption is to become a fresh batch of dough. Through baptism, we are unleavened – the stain of original sin is washed away, and we’re given grace to enable us to avoid sin. Through our baptismal consecration, we have been made a holy people, a people set apart for God. Because of that, we must constantly strive to become what God intends us to be, which means that we are to eliminate those corrupting influences which compromise the integrity of the consecration which took place at our baptism.

And what has made us “unleavened”? We are unleavened – we are like a fresh batch of dough – because the true paschal lamb, Jesus Christ, has been sacrificed. In the old rites during Passover the lambs were sacrificed, and St. Paul reminds us that in Christ’s death and resurrection, He is the fulfillment of the Jewish Passover.

In fact, Jesus – the true Passover Lamb – is the perfection of the sacrificing of the lambs in the temple at Passover. The lambs which were sacrificed in the Temple were only a reminder that the time had come for the Jews to clean out all leaven from their homes; the sacrificing of the lambs did not actually accomplish the cleansing of the leaven. But the sacrifice of Christ the true Passover Lamb actually casts out the leaven – the corruption of sin – and makes us “a new creation.” By His sacrifice we are made into a kind of pure, unleavened bread, ready to serve Christ in this world, and finally to be with Him in heaven.

Almighty Father, who hast given thine only Son to die for our sins, and to rise again for our justification: grant us so to put away the leaven of malice and wickedness; that we may always serve thee in pureness of living and truth; through the merits of 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.

Friday in the Octave of Easter

After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberas; and he revealed himself in this way. Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We will go with you." They went out and got into the boat; but that night they caught nothing. Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, "Children, have you any fish?" They answered him, "No." He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, for the quantity of fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his clothes, for he was stripped for work, and sprang into the sea. But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off. When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish lying on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish that you have just caught." So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three of them; and although there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." Now none of the disciples dared ask him, "Who are you?" They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

- St. John 21:1-14

O God, who hast united the diversity of nations in the confession of thy Name: grant that they who are born again in the font of Baptism, may be of one mind in faith and in godliness of life; 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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Painting: "The Miraculous Draught of Fishes"

by David Teniers the Younger (1610–1690)

A Hymn of Joy

Almighty God, majestic King,

with joyful hearts thy people sing:

Alleluia, alleluia.

For all good gifts we offer praise,

and ask thy blessings all our days:

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Lord Jesus Christ, Eternal Son,

who on the cross salvation won:

Alleluia, alleluia.

Through thy great sacrifice of love

we join our song with saints above:

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

O Holy Spirit, Light divine,

dwell in these hearts and souls of thine:

Alleluia, alleluia.

Keep us in peace and unity

that with one voice our chant may be,

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

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Text: Fr. Christopher G. Phillips, 1996

Tune: LASST UNS ERFREUEN,

from Geistliche Kirchengesang, 1623

A New Creation

In the crucified and risen body of Jesus Christ the new creation promised by God has come. St. Paul calls Jesus the “first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep.” Like the first rose that blooms, or the first apple that ripens, it is the sign of more to come.

The resurrection of Christ means that death has been dealt the decisive blow. Christ has taken the sting out of death by dying for us, and now He asks us to live for Him. His resurrection means that He has given us a mission and He summarized it when He said, “Whatsoever you do to the least of my brethren, you do to Me.”

Christ did not remain in the tomb, nor can we remain in the tombs we make out of our selfishness, or inaction, or lack of love for others. As St. Paul wrote, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has gone, the new has come.” The resurrection is a call for us to go out in the Name and power of Christ, so that by our example, by our works of charity, and by our speaking the truth, the whole world may know the overwhelming power and the transforming truth of Christ’s resurrection.

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Pictured: "Resurrection of Christ"

by Marco Basaiti (1470-1530)

Thursday in the Octave of Easter

Then the two disciples told what had happened on the road to Emmaus, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread. As they were saying this, Jesus himself stood among them. But they were startled and frightened, and supposed that they saw a spirit. And he said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do questionings rise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself; handle me, and see; for a spirit has not flesh and bones as you see that I have." And while they still disbelieved for joy, and wondered, he said to them, "Have you anything here to eat?" They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate before them. Then he said to them, "These are my words which I spoke to you, while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms must be fulfilled." Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.

-Luke 24:35-48

Christ shows them his wounds - the nail marks in His hands, the wound of the spear in His side. And there, before their eyes, was the fulfilment of what the prophet Isaiah had said so many generations before: "He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed."

Jesus Christ – the Victim of violence, now stands before them as the Prince of Peace, and saying to them "Peace to you." This was a peace which the world cannot give. The Hebrew word for peace is "shalom," which means more than the simple absence of war and fighting; it means that everything is in its place, everything is in harmony, everything is whole. What Jesus accomplished on the Cross is now spoken to the disciples, and to all of us, "Peace to you."

Almighty and everlasting God, who in the Paschal Mystery hast established the new covenant of reconciliation: grant that all who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ’s Body may show forth in their lives what they profess by their 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.

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Painting: "Jesus Appears to the Disciples"

by William Brassey Hole (1846-1917)

It's St. George's Day!

April 23rd is St. George's Day. This year it falls within the Easter Octave, and so is not observed liturgically; however, it's an important day to me for several reasons.

My private chapel is placed under the patronage and protection of St. George - a saint who is special to our family. On both the maternal and paternal sides of my family the name of George is quite common. In every generation of men within the wider family, from my great-grandfather down to my grandson, and including uncles and cousins, we have George as either first or middle names.

Today is the fifth anniversary of the first Mass offered in this Chapel of the Martyr St. George. I offer Mass every day at the altar here, which means that so far there have been more than eighteen-hundred Masses celebrated in this lovely little chapel, and we pray there will be many more. I receive almost daily requests for intentions to be included in the daily Masses here, and it is my privilege to do so.

I had not fully appreciated George as a saint until I became a Catholic, and I find his story, and the legends growing up around him, to be fascinating. I had no idea how ubiquitous his name is in the Holy Land until the first time I visited there, and I was sure that every third or fourth Christian man I met was named George (not really, but it seemed so).

Here is the story of St. George:

He was born in Cappadocia in what is now Turkey, sometime in the third century. His father died when George was still young and he went with his mother to Palestine, which is where she had come from. Her family there was quite wealthy, and she had a large estate, which fell to George. He was strong and robust, and having embraced the profession of a soldier, was made a tribune in the army of the Emperor Diocletian. He showed himself to be an excellent soldier, very brave, and he received many honours and advancements in his military career.

When Diocletian began persecuting the Christian religion, St. George gave up his commission and posts, and complained to the emperor himself of his severities and bloody edicts. He was immediately cast into prison, and put on trial, questioned and tortured with great cruelty; but nothing could shake his constancy. The next day he was led through the city and beheaded.

So what of the account of St. George slaying the dragon? According to the story, a terrible dragon, which lived in a marshy swamp, had ravaged all the country round a city of Libya, called Selena. It would come near the city looking for something to eat, and when it breathed, it would spread sickness throughout all the people. The people decided to give the monster two sheep every day to satisfy its hunger, but, when they ran out of sheep, they would give the dragon a human victim, whom they would choose by lot. On one occasion the lot fell to the king's little daughter. The king offered all his wealth to purchase a substitute, but the people had said that no substitutes would be allowed, and so the maiden, dressed as a bride, was led to the swamp.

At that very time, St. George happened to ride by, and he asked the young girl what she did, but she warned him to leave her, because his own life was in danger. St. George stayed, however, and when the dragon appeared, St. George, making the sign of the cross, bravely attacked it and stabbed it with his lance, wounding it. Then asking the maiden for her belt, he bound it round the neck of the monster, and the princess was able to lead it without any struggle, back to the town. St. George told the people not to be afraid, but only be baptized, after which he cut off the dragon's head and the townsfolk were all converted. The king would have given George half his kingdom, but the saint replied that he must ride on, bidding the king meanwhile take good care of God's churches, honour the clergy, and have pity on the poor.

This account keeps before us the importance of the witness of St. George, who fought against the Emperor and against all those things that were trying to destroy the Church. The lesson is that good eventually will conquer evil, and all we need to do is put our fear aside, and live in the grace of our baptism.

O God of hosts, who didst so kindle the flame of love in the heart of thy servant George that he bore witness to the risen Lord by his life and by his death: grant us the same power of faith and love; that we, who rejoice in his triumphs, may come to share with him the fulness of the Resurrection; 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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The icon of St. George is above the altar in the chapel.