Thursday, April 26, 2018

How Pope Pius V Stopped Invaders in 1571


In October,  1571, a seemingly invincible barbaric enemy raged north out of the Middle East and closed in on continental Europe and threatened to viciously conquer all countries in its path.  These Turks (the Ottoman Empire) had just roared through the Middle East, overpowering the nations there, and confidently set their sights on the Christian kingdoms along the northern shore of the Mediterranean Sea, namely Italy and Spain, among others.  Pope Pius V, well aware of what was going on, called on all the Christian nations to come together to defend their beloved homelands from these brutal invaders.  They assembled a Christian fleet, but they were far less skilled and hopelessly outnumbered.  So what happened? 

First, rewind back to the thirteenth century.  Pope Pius V was a priest of the Dominican order.  The Dominicans, as they were called, were founded by Saint Dominic back in the twelfth century.  Early in the thirteenth century, it is said that the Blessed Mother appeared to him and gave him a rosary and asked him to modify the tradition of the rosary that had developed up to that time.  These modifications resulted in the rosary that we have today, and, of course, the rosary that Europe had at the time of Pius V two hundred years later.  Mary herself is said to have promised Saint Dominic that if the people prayed the rosary regularly that virtue and good works would flourish and that the abundant mercy of God would be bestowed.  She also promised that, through her intercession, all that we ask of her would be granted and the rosary would be a powerful armor against Hell; it would destroy vice, decrease sin, and defeat heresies.

So, fast forward now again to 1571 and the battle with the Turks.  Pius V called on the Christian leaders of the European continent to send their fleets into battle with the Turks, and at the same time, called on all Christians on the continent to pray the rosary for the success of the effort.  The truly miraculous result was a hugely astonishing victory for the Christian forces.  Thus began the use of a new title for the Blessed Mother (among the dozens of others that she has), that of “Our Lady of Victory,” which later became "Our Lady of the Rosary."

I don’t know how much of this story is true (check it out in Wikipedia -https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_the_Rosary), but it is certainly inspirational.  If true, imagine the power that this simple task, taking fifteen minutes out of every day to pray the rosary, would have for ending all that ails this world of ours.  Now, I, of course don’t have anywhere near the influence of a pope, but let’s try this.  Let’s all of us vow right now to pray the rosary every day.  Let’s see if the evils we encounter in this world will melt away.  Have faith!  I think we can make this work.  Amen!  Alleluia!

Thursday, April 19, 2018

The Good Occupation


Ever wonder what people in the time of Christ did for a living?  There are some clues in Scripture.  Let’s try to name a few.  There were fishermen; there were shepherds; there were tax collectors; there were soldiers; there were religious leaders; there were wheat farmers; there were grape farmers; there were wine makers; there were bread bakers; there were carpenters; there were builders.  There were many others, I’m sure.

The occupation that I am thinking about today is shepherd.  Shepherds seem to be central to the story of salvation history.  Shepherds raised and tended sheep.  We hear about them early on in the gospels.  On that first Christmas morning, there were shepherds “tending their flocks by night.”  Angels appeared to them to announce the birth of the Savior.  They were guided to the “city of David” where they found this Savior “wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”  They subsequently “made known the message” of the angels and many people came to know that the Savior had, at long last, been born.  See Luke, Chapter 2.

In his public life, Jesus often made references to sheep and to shepherds.  One famous parable is that of the Good Shepherd.  Jesus refers to himself as a shepherd and as a gate for the sheep.  In this metaphor, we, the people, are the sheep.  Sheep are notorious followers.  They follow the shepherd because they recognize his voice.  If the shepherd guides one through a gate, the others follow.  The Good Shepherd is then a leader who guides his flock.  Christ is the Good Shepherd because he guides his flock of believers.  They follow him because they have come to know and to believe that he is the Savior of all mankind.  They know him and know his voice and they know he leads them on the path to righteousness and peace.   

Christ makes the claim that he is the Good Shepherd and will lay down his life for his sheep.  He knows his sheep and his sheep know him.  He then makes the claim that there shall be one fold and one shepherd.  He said:  “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me.  I give them eternal life, and they shall never parish.  No one can take them out of my hand.”  See John 11:27-28.  One fold and one shepherd in the life to come.

This Sunday is Good Shepherd Sunday.  How wonderful it is to know that, as a Christian, I am being led through the sheep gate to the Promised Land.  How wonderful it is to know that I am being led by this “Good Shepherd” and that no one can take me out of his hand.  I am so thankful for the Divine Providence that nurtures me, guides me, holds me in his hand, and has done so throughout my life.  I am convinced that if you give him the chance, he will do the same for you.  Jesus repeats the words of the Old Testament (See Mark 12:10-11):  “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes.”  Thank you, Lord.  I am grateful that the builders rejected you and that you have become our cornerstone.  Indeed, it is truly wonderful in our eyes.  Amen.

Thursday, April 12, 2018

"Ordinary" Language



I have sometimes been confused about the use of the word “ordinary” in Catholic Church language, so I thought I would undertake a study of it for today’s MTT. 

I went to the Webster’s dictionary first.  I was fully expecting to find adjective-type synonyms, such as “customary” or “normal” or “commonplace.”  To my surprise, I found a full set of definitions that were nouns as well as a full set of definitions that were adjectives.  The nouns were given first, and, the #1 noun definition, again, to my surprise, is:  “An official having jurisdiction within a specified area by right of the office he or she holds, especially a bishop having such jurisdiction within his own diocese.”  Okay, so a Catholic bishop is called an “ordinary,” even in the secular world!  Then, the #4 noun definition is:  “(a) the form to be followed in a service; (b) the parts of the Mass that are fixed or relatively unvarying.”  Okay, so the unchanging prayers in the Mass, such as unchanging from day to day, week to week, etc., are called the “ordinary” of the Mass, even in the secular world!  For some reason, I thought that these were definitions used within the Catholic Church and not to be found in a secular dictionary!  Silly me!

Next, I went to my “Pocket Catholic Dictionary” and found that not only the bishops, but also the Pope (though I knew one of his titles is the “Bishop of Rome”), the vicars (substitutes, or deputies) of the Pope or bishops, administrators filling a vacancy in a diocese, as well as superiors and abbots in monasteries, or their representatives, are also called ordinaries.  This also fits the Webster’s definition.

What about such terms as “Ordinary Time” and “Extraordinary Minister,” both common terms in the Catholic Church.  I’ve always known that there was a season, or seasons, in the Church calendar that was (were) called Ordinary Time, but why?  Did the Webster’s adjective synonyms of “customary” or “normal” or “commonplace” apply here?  I found the answer in the book The Everything Guide to Catholiism by Fr. Richard Gribble.  It is the longest “season” of the liturgical year, which extends for a few weeks between the end of the Christmas season and the beginning of Lent, and for a much longer period from Pentecost to Advent.  Since this period of the Church year is not one of any special preparation, the name “Ordinary” applies. 

And Extraordinary Minister?  I found this definition in the Catholic Dictionary:  A person who, in case of necessity, is permitted or specially delegated to administer one of the sacraments (Baptism, Confirmation, or the Eucharist).  The one most familiar to Catholics is the Eucharistic minister, a layperson who has been specially delegated to, out of necessity, help distribute Holy Communion at Mass or to the sick in a hospital or place of residence.  The word “extraordinary” is used in the title of such a person.  I note that “Eucharistic minister,” while descriptive, is not this person’s actual title.

So there you have it!  A surprise or two here for me, but perhaps not for you. 

Thursday, April 5, 2018

Welcome to All Newly-Baptized Catholics



At the Easter Vigil service, the service that takes place on the Saturday night before Easter Sunday, a special event occurs in all Catholic parishes throughout the world.  Adults in each parish who wish to become Catholic are baptized as Catholics.  This occurs following an often year-long period of education called the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, abbreviated RCIA.  The baptism occurs following the homily during this first Easter Mass of the weekend, the first Mass that celebrates the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus following the observance of his death and entombment on Good Friday.  Baptism is one of the seven sacraments in the Catholic Church.

The service also includes the sacraments of Confirmation and Holy Eucharist (for the first time) for these new Catholics.  There are two fundamental requirements for a baptism to be valid:  1) water must be used, and 2) the approved words must be uttered by the one doing the baptizing.  The approved words invoke the Holy Trinity:  “I baptism you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”  If these two requirements were met previously in a non-Catholic church for the new Catholic, the Catholic Church considers the person to have already been validly baptized and, for them, the ritual begins with the Confirmation rite (which follows immediately). 

This year, I attended the Easter Vigil service at Assumption Church in downtown Chicago.  There were four adults baptized and five more receiving the other two sacraments (see the photograph accompanying this post).  The joy of the experience was very evident on the faces of these new Catholics, as you can see.  It gives a devoted Catholic such as myself great satisfaction to witness this joy, especially when they answer “I do” to questions like “Do you believe in God, the Father Almighty creator of heaven and earth?” and “Do you reject Satan, all his works, and all his empty promises?”

I believe that some of my readers were baptized into the Catholic Church as infants and even later attended Catholic schools, but at some point "left" the Church for another faith tradition.  Something that you may not know is that once you are baptized you do not need to be re-baptized to come back to the Catholic Church.  All it takes is for you to make a good Confession and you are good to go!  What constitutes a "good" confession may be the subject of a future blog post, but I invite you to do that!  I think you will be glad you did!

My personal joy was raised to an even higher level this year because my grandniece became a Catholic at this service in her parish in Iowa.  As I sat in the pew in the Assumption Church, I was filled with excitement knowing that she was becoming Catholic at the same time in this other Catholic church.  A hearty welcome to her and all who began their journey to heaven now as members of the Church that Jesus founded, the Catholic Church!  Amen!