Monthly Archives: February 2007

Some folks from Virginia Beach documented their travel to a Franciscan University of Steubenville Festival of Praise. You too can watch their little video:

Image from godsgallery.co.uk:

Another bit of writing from our Founder, Ven. Stanislaus Papczynski.

Consider how bad is the state of a mind, which does not recognize good, does not grasp it and even rejects it. The Apostles were blind like this, when they did not understand the Lord speaking about suffering and His imminent death. The reason for this lay in the fact that a virtue of love was still hidden from them, its role and perfection; that one would want to suffer and share the torments and misfortunes and bad fate of another, whether a friend or a person ill-disposed toward us. If you do not yet have a desire to help your brother and to suffer the most painful and disagreeable things, know that you have not understood the essence of the perfection of love and you are truly unlearned, not knowing all the virtues which make us enter into heaven. Ask, ask, God for the light to understand the importance of each of the virtues. Ask for recognition of what He wants you to do and what road He wants you to take to perfection. Ask and pray like this: “Give me discernment that I may live” (Ps 118:144). “Open my eyes that I may consider the wonders of your law” (Ps 118:18).

(Inspectio cordis 28r-29r)

It’s been a while since I’ve mentioned old TV shows, but now I can even put in a clip from a show on my blog. Here is some classic comedy between Danny Thomas and Jack Benny from “The Danny Thomas Show.”

Yes, I’m back in Steubenville, and back in snow country.

On my last full day in Italy, I visited the church of Santa Sabina. This is one really old church–build between 422 and 432 by a Dalmatian priest on the site of the house of St. Sabina, who suffered martrydom around the year 126.  It was given to St. Dominic in 1219, and is the headquarters of the Dominicans to this day.  The Pope will celebrate Ash Wednesday next week at this church.

From outside:

Our Founder is to be beatified later this year. Here are some thoughts of his: (The translation is not perfect.)

“The Father loves me for this” (Jn 10:17). Christ says that the reason why His Father loves Him, is that He gave his life for the salvation of the people.

Similarly, you will experience the love of God, only when you care for the salvation of your brother and out of love for him, you will take up and bear all distress, difficulties and demands. The one who does not love his brother is unworthy of God’s love. The one who, because of the Highest Good, does not treat with love those who do wrong to him, is undeserving of the love of this Good.

Would you like God to love you? Then love your brother because of God. Since every day, you receive so many goods from the hand of God, why don’t you do good to others? God gave His love for your salvation, while for the salvation of your brother, you try to avoid even the slightest hardships. Believe me: in this way, you do not love God and God is not going to love you. “There is no greater love than this: to lay down one’s love for one’s friends” (J 15:13).

(Inspectio Cordis)

I’m not sure how the final line reads in the Latin, but I would say that the line “God is not going to love you” is hyperbole–a rhetorical device. Fr. Founder also said a great deal about the mercy of God.

This is something I have often thought (concerning the Catholic Church in the US), but these guys have put together some statistics to back it up.

“The church is … most healthy in that region that is traditionally the least hospitable to it, and is least healthy in that region where it has the longest history, and in which are found the greatest concentration of Catholics (as a percentage of the population) and the largest number of Catholics.”

From this article

Sunday was the first anniversary of my ordination to the priesthood.  Although I was not in Lourdes for the occasion, I celebrated Mass in the catacombs of St. Priscilla (a very historic place to celebrate).

Down in the catacombs…

That evening, I was at a little celebration at a small replica of the Lourdes grotto next to the Church of St. Agnes on Via Nomentana (S. Agnese fuori le mura).

From Deus Caritas Est (41):

“Mary is a woman of hope…  Mary is a woman of faith…  Mary is a woman who loves.”

These phrases have formed the theme for a series of talks here in Rome from December of 2006-May of 2007 every Saturday at the Basilica of S. Maria in Via Lata.

I went to the latest “Sabato Mariano” and was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the talk.  Of course, one must keep in mind the talk was in Italian and I probably got less than 20% of what was said.  Still, I liked what I understood.

The talk was called “Maria, donna che ama” (Mary, a woman who loves).  It was given by Mons. Juan Esquerda Bifet.  I’m glad Italian is not his native language, or I might have understood less.  He spoke slowly and clearly.

Mons. Bifet worked from Deus Caritas Est, and also mentioned “Tertio Millenio Adveniente,” in which John Paul II mentioned Mary as the one who “will appear before the eyes of believers as the perfect model of love towards both God and neighbour” (54).  He discussed how Mary shows forth love of God perfectly, in particular by her following the will of God.  She really is beyond what we can say about her.  Thanks be to God for His creation:  the Immaculate Virgin Mary.

A photo of Pope Benedict XVI

And a brief video of the Italians when it is their turn to be recognized…

 

Mary, Mother of God, most holy and immaculate Virgin, by the love thou dost ever bear to God, by the gratitude thou has towards Him for the manifold graces and favors with which thou was enriched by Him, particularly for the privilege granted to thee alone of thy Immaculate Conception, and by the infinite merits of Jesus Christ, thy divine Son, our Lord, we pray thee most earnestly to obatin for us a most perfect and constant devotion towards thyself, and a full trust that, through thy most mighty intercession, we shall receive all the graces which we ask.  Certain henceforth of obatining them from thy great goodness, with hearts overflowing with joy and thankfulness, we venerate thee; repeating the salutation which the holy Archangel Gabriel made to thee… Hail Mary etc.

Visits to the Altar of Mary 389-390.

A seriously good ol’ Catholic book:  Welcome!  Holy Communion:  Before and After.

I’m back in Rome!  We just had a meeting about preparations for the beatification of the Founder of the Marians.

I found a very obscure little book in the library called “Visits to the Altar of Mary.”  Here is a prayer from the book:

“Mother of Jesus, thou knowest how our poor hearts are prone to love of earth and earthly things; oh, obtain for us the grace to rise above the trifles of time, and to live with eternity constantly in view.  In every action, whether little or great, may we make this our first consideration.  Thou knowest the true value of an immortal soul; teach us to know it also.  Thou knowest how wretched and how unworthy of our thoughts are all the things of time and sense; O Mother, obtain for us the grace to despise them as they deserve!  Draw thy children after thee, so that we may long more and more for our blessed and eternal home, and live for eternity alone.” (377-378)

There is perhaps a bit of dualism in the prayer.  All the things of time and sense are not to be despised, but seen in the light of eternity.  Things are to be used in a way that does not impede us on our journey to God, but help us.  We need food and drink to survive and serve God and others.  Too little could do injustice to our bodies and not allow us to function properly, but too much is not good either.

Here is my modified version of the prayer:

Mother of Jesus, thou knowest how our poor hearts are prone to love of earth and earthly things; oh, obtain for us the grace to rise above the trifles of time, and to live with eternity constantly in view.  In every action, whether little or great, may we make this our first consideration.  Thou knowest the true value of an immortal soul; teach us to know it also.  Thou knowest how easily our thoughts are overtaken by are all the things of time and sense; O Mother, obtain for us the grace to make use of them in the proper ways and flee from what is improper.  Draw thy children after thee, so that we may long more and more for our blessed and eternal home, and live for eternity alone.