Thomas Merton on meeting the enemy
Do not be too quick to assume that your enemy is an enemy of God just because he is your enemy. Perhaps he is your enemy precisely because he can find nothing in you that gives glory to God. Perhaps he fears you because he can find nothing in you of God's love and God's kindness and God's patience and mercy and understanding of the weaknesses of men.
Do not be too quick to condemn the man who no longer believes in God, for it is perhaps your own coldness and avarice, your mediocrity and materialism, your sensuality and selfishness that have killed his faith.
.
Friday, January 31, 2003
from the desert: another story from Palladius' Historia Lausiaca
Piamoun was a virgin who lived with her mother spinning flax and eating only every other day at evening. She was deemed worthy of the gift of prophecy, a case in point being the time the river overflowed Egypt and one village attacked another about water distribution. This resulted in blows and even murder. A more powerful town attacked her village, and a crowd of men was coming with spears and cudgels to devastate her village.
An angel appeared to her and revealed their attack. So she sent for the elders of the village and said to them, "Go out and talk with those who are coming here from that village, lest you all die with the populace, and tell them to put an end to their hatred."
Now the elders were afraid, and they fell at her feet, begging her, and said, "We cannot come to an agreement with them, for we know their drunkenness and frenzy. But if you have mercy on the whole town and your own home, go out and make peace with them yourself."
She did not agree to this, but she did go to her own abode and she stood all night praying, never bending her knees. She besought the Lord, praying, "Lord, who judges the world, whom nothing unjust pleases, now when this prayer reaches You, may Your power fix them immovable to the place wherever it may find them."
And along about the first hour, when they were about three miles away, they were fixed to the spot and could not budge. It was made known to them that this hindrance was due to her intercession. So they sent to the village, suing for peace, making it clear that this was "because of God and the prayers of Piamoun, for they stopped us."
.
Piamoun was a virgin who lived with her mother spinning flax and eating only every other day at evening. She was deemed worthy of the gift of prophecy, a case in point being the time the river overflowed Egypt and one village attacked another about water distribution. This resulted in blows and even murder. A more powerful town attacked her village, and a crowd of men was coming with spears and cudgels to devastate her village.
An angel appeared to her and revealed their attack. So she sent for the elders of the village and said to them, "Go out and talk with those who are coming here from that village, lest you all die with the populace, and tell them to put an end to their hatred."
Now the elders were afraid, and they fell at her feet, begging her, and said, "We cannot come to an agreement with them, for we know their drunkenness and frenzy. But if you have mercy on the whole town and your own home, go out and make peace with them yourself."
She did not agree to this, but she did go to her own abode and she stood all night praying, never bending her knees. She besought the Lord, praying, "Lord, who judges the world, whom nothing unjust pleases, now when this prayer reaches You, may Your power fix them immovable to the place wherever it may find them."
And along about the first hour, when they were about three miles away, they were fixed to the spot and could not budge. It was made known to them that this hindrance was due to her intercession. So they sent to the village, suing for peace, making it clear that this was "because of God and the prayers of Piamoun, for they stopped us."
.
Wednesday, January 29, 2003
A Story about St. Ephrem the Syrian from Palladius' Historia Lausiaca
Surely you have heard about Ephrem, the deacon of the church at Edessa. He happens to be one of those worthy to be commemorated by holy men. He had accomplished the journey of the Spirit in a right and worthy manner, never deviating from the straight path, and he was deemed worthy of the gift of natural knowledge. The knowledge of God followed this, and finally blessedness. He always practiced the quiet life and edified those whom he met for many years, but finally he left his cell for the following reason:
When a great famine befell the city of Edessa, he had compassion for the whole countryside which was being ravaged, and he went to those who were well-to-do and spoke to them, "Why do you not have pity on the people who are perishing, instead of letting your wealth rot for the condemnation of your own souls?"
They looked about and said, "We have no one whom we should trust to care for those suffering from famine, for all of them make it into a business."
He asked, "How do I seem to you?" For he had a great reputation among them, not for evil, but for good.
They said, "We know that you are a man of God."
"Why not then trust me?" he asked. "Look, I will appoint myself as your guestmaster."
And he took the money and divided up the porticoes, and he put up about three hundred beds, and cared for the famished ones. The dead he buried, and he took care of those who had hope of life, and as a matter of fact he daily provided refreshment and help to all those who came to him each day because of the famine. And this he did with the money allotted to him.
When the year was over and prosperity followed and they had all gone back home, he had no more to do. He went back to his cell and died within the month. God had given him this chance for a crown at the very end. He left some writings too, most of which are worthy of attention.
.
Surely you have heard about Ephrem, the deacon of the church at Edessa. He happens to be one of those worthy to be commemorated by holy men. He had accomplished the journey of the Spirit in a right and worthy manner, never deviating from the straight path, and he was deemed worthy of the gift of natural knowledge. The knowledge of God followed this, and finally blessedness. He always practiced the quiet life and edified those whom he met for many years, but finally he left his cell for the following reason:
When a great famine befell the city of Edessa, he had compassion for the whole countryside which was being ravaged, and he went to those who were well-to-do and spoke to them, "Why do you not have pity on the people who are perishing, instead of letting your wealth rot for the condemnation of your own souls?"
They looked about and said, "We have no one whom we should trust to care for those suffering from famine, for all of them make it into a business."
He asked, "How do I seem to you?" For he had a great reputation among them, not for evil, but for good.
They said, "We know that you are a man of God."
"Why not then trust me?" he asked. "Look, I will appoint myself as your guestmaster."
And he took the money and divided up the porticoes, and he put up about three hundred beds, and cared for the famished ones. The dead he buried, and he took care of those who had hope of life, and as a matter of fact he daily provided refreshment and help to all those who came to him each day because of the famine. And this he did with the money allotted to him.
When the year was over and prosperity followed and they had all gone back home, he had no more to do. He went back to his cell and died within the month. God had given him this chance for a crown at the very end. He left some writings too, most of which are worthy of attention.
.
Monday, January 27, 2003
New Catechumenal Blogs!
There are two new blogs to be acknowledged:
First, Jerry has entered St. Blog's RCIA with his blog, Touched by Grace.
Second, Christopher of The Directed Path has begun a second blog, Toward a Catholic Biblical Worldview.
So now there are eight catechumens to be remembered in prayer, with nine blogs:
Sean --- Swimming the Tiber
Will --- Mysterium Crucis
Katherine --- Not for Sheep
Christopher --- The Directed Path and Toward a Catholic Biblical Worldview
Heidi --- Photini's Well
"Joe" --- Meet Joe Convert
Jim --- Metanoia
Jerry --- Touched by Grace
.
There are two new blogs to be acknowledged:
First, Jerry has entered St. Blog's RCIA with his blog, Touched by Grace.
Second, Christopher of The Directed Path has begun a second blog, Toward a Catholic Biblical Worldview.
So now there are eight catechumens to be remembered in prayer, with nine blogs:
Sean --- Swimming the Tiber
Will --- Mysterium Crucis
Katherine --- Not for Sheep
Christopher --- The Directed Path and Toward a Catholic Biblical Worldview
Heidi --- Photini's Well
"Joe" --- Meet Joe Convert
Jim --- Metanoia
Jerry --- Touched by Grace
.
Sunday, January 26, 2003
On Expurgating the Archives
Over the last month or so, several of the bloggers that I read regularly and appreciate have deleted various stuff from their archives, or even killed off the past of their blogs altogether. And I got to the really slow thinking that seems to be all I can muster these days: why did I decide, and declare, back in the summer, that I would never delete stuff from my archive?
I mean, some of it is embarrassing. The first few weeks of the blog I knew absolutely no html, not even enough to bold or italic or make a link that actually worked. It took me a couple of months to get up enough courage to actually touch my template and try to form real sidebar links; and I wrote about the cowardice. I've said things that would be sensitive to dicastery ears, and other things that cited in half-sentences without context would make fodder for my dear Church's faction fighters, if I wasn't too obscure to care about.
But embarrassment never killed anyone; actually it liberates in the long term. It's secrets that bind and kill.
Just one example: Back on June the single digits sometime I proposed the return to public Reconciliation. Oh, well. If I went back and erased it, I might feel better, but it wouldn't change that on that night in June it looked like a good idea. And it wouldn't get rid of the same musings mused in other bloggers' comment systems and in blog-related emails about the same time. And real human memories would still remember, it's been cached at Google, and interested faction fighters could have already done their nasty snipping and clipping. Best that it be kept, then I can go back and see where I've been. Then, if some sound bite of it shows up somewhere being parsed, I still have access to the whole thing, in context, with timestamp. And saying "yes I said that" is a decent way to stay humble.
Embarrassment liberates, secrets kill. My archives are staying.
.
Over the last month or so, several of the bloggers that I read regularly and appreciate have deleted various stuff from their archives, or even killed off the past of their blogs altogether. And I got to the really slow thinking that seems to be all I can muster these days: why did I decide, and declare, back in the summer, that I would never delete stuff from my archive?
I mean, some of it is embarrassing. The first few weeks of the blog I knew absolutely no html, not even enough to bold or italic or make a link that actually worked. It took me a couple of months to get up enough courage to actually touch my template and try to form real sidebar links; and I wrote about the cowardice. I've said things that would be sensitive to dicastery ears, and other things that cited in half-sentences without context would make fodder for my dear Church's faction fighters, if I wasn't too obscure to care about.
But embarrassment never killed anyone; actually it liberates in the long term. It's secrets that bind and kill.
Just one example: Back on June the single digits sometime I proposed the return to public Reconciliation. Oh, well. If I went back and erased it, I might feel better, but it wouldn't change that on that night in June it looked like a good idea. And it wouldn't get rid of the same musings mused in other bloggers' comment systems and in blog-related emails about the same time. And real human memories would still remember, it's been cached at Google, and interested faction fighters could have already done their nasty snipping and clipping. Best that it be kept, then I can go back and see where I've been. Then, if some sound bite of it shows up somewhere being parsed, I still have access to the whole thing, in context, with timestamp. And saying "yes I said that" is a decent way to stay humble.
Embarrassment liberates, secrets kill. My archives are staying.
.
Saturday, January 25, 2003
Thursday, January 23, 2003
The War Prayer, by Mark Twain
It was a time of great and exalting excitement. The country was up in arms, the war was on, in every breast burned the holy fire of patriotism; the drums were beating, the bands playing, the toy pistols popping, the bunched firecrackers hissing and sputtering; on every hand and far down the receding and fading spreads of roofs and balconies a fluttering wilderness of flags flashed in the sun; daily the young volunteers marched down the wide avenue gay and fine in their new uniforms, the proud fathers and mothers and sisters and sweethearts cheering them with voices choked with happy emotion as they swung by; nightly the packed mass meetings listened, panting, to patriot oratory which stirred the deepest deeps of their hearts and which they interrupted at briefest intervals with cyclones of applause, the tears running down their cheeks the while; in the churches the pastors preached devotion to flag and country and invoked the God of Battles, beseeching His aid in our good cause in outpouring of fervid eloquence which moved every listener.
It was indeed a glad and gracious time, and the half dozen rash spirits that ventured to disapprove of the war and cast a doubt upon its righteousness straightway got such a stern and angry warning that for their personal safety's sake they quickly shrank out of sight and offended no more in that way.
Sunday morning came-next day the battalions would leave for the front; the church was filled; the volunteers were there, their faces alight with material dreams -- visions of a stern advance, the gathering momentum, the rushing charge, the flashing sabers, the flight of the foe, the tumult, the enveloping smoke, the fierce pursuit, the surrender!-then home from the war, bronzed heros, welcomed, adored, submerged in golden seas of glory! With the volunteers sat their dear ones, proud, happy, and envied by the neighbors and friends who had no sons and brothers to send forth to the field of honor, there to win for the flag or, failing, die the noblest of noble deaths. The service proceeded; a war chapter from the Old Testament was read; the first prayer was said; it was followed by an organ burst that shook the building, and with one impulse the house rose, with glowing eyes and beating hearts, and poured out that tremendous invocation -- "God the all-terrible! Thou who ordainest, Thunder thy clarion and lightning thy sword!"
Then came the "long" prayer. None could remember the like of it for passionate pleading and moving and beautiful language. The burden of its supplication was that an ever--merciful and benignant Father of us all would watch over our noble young soldiers and aid, comfort, and encourage them in their patriotic work; bless them, shield them in His mighty hand, make them strong and confident, invincible in the bloody onset; help them to crush the foe, grant to them and to their flag and country imperishable honor and glory ---
An aged stranger entered and moved with slow and noiseless step up the main aisle, his eyes fixed upon the minister, his long body clothed in a robe that reached to his feet, his head bare, his white hair descending in a frothy cataract to his shoulders, his seamy face unnaturally pale, pale even to ghastliness.
With all eyes following him and wondering, he made his silent way; without pausing, he ascended to the preacher's side and stood there, waiting.
With shut lids the preacher, unconscious of his presence, continued his moving prayer, and at last finished it with the words, uttered in
fervent appeal, "Bless our arms, grant us the victory, O Lord our God, Father and Protector of our land and flag!"
The stranger touched his arm, motioned him to step aside -- which the startled minister did -- and took his place. During some moments he surveyed the spellbound audience with solemn eyes in which burned an uncanny light; then in a deep voice he said:
"I come from the Throne-bearing a message from Almighty God!" The words smote the house with a shock; if the stranger perceived it he gave no attention. "He has heard the prayer of His servant your shepherd and will grant it if such shall be your desire after I, His messenger, shall have explained to you its import -- that is to say, its full import. For it is like unto many of the prayers of men, in that it asks for more than he who utters it is aware of -- except he pause and think.
"God's servant and yours has prayed his prayer. Has he paused and taken thought? Is it one prayer? No, it is two -- one uttered, the other not. Both have reached the ear of His Who hearth all supplications, the spoken and the unspoken. Ponder this -- keep it in mind. If you beseech a blessing upon yourself, beware! lest without intent you invoke a curse upon a neighbor at the same time. If you pray for the blessing of rain upon your crop which needs it, by that act you are possibly praying for a curse upon some neighbor's crop which may not need rain and can be injured by it.
"You have heard your servant's prayer -- the uttered part of it. I am commissioned by God to put into words the other part of it -- that
part which the pastor, and also you in your hearts, fervently prayed silently. And ignorantly and unthinkingly? God grant that it was so! You heard these words: 'Grant us the victory, O Lord our God!' That is sufficient. The whole of the uttered prayer is compact into those pregnant words. Elaborations were not necessary. When you have prayed for victory you have prayed for many unmentioned results which follow victory -- must follow it, cannot help but follow it. Upon the listening spirit of God the Father fell also the unspoken part of the prayer. He commandeth me to put it into words. Listen!
The prayer, as translated by the stranger:
"O Lord our Father, our young patriots, idols of our hearts, go forth to battle -- be Thou near them! With them, in spirit, we also go forth from the sweet peace of our beloved firesides to smite the foe.
"O Lord our God, help us to tear their soldiers to bloody shreds with our shells; help us to cover their smiling fields with the pale forms of their patriot dead; help us to drown the thunder of the guns with the shrieks of their wounded, writhing in pain; help us to lay waste their humble homes with a hurricane of fire; help us to wring the hearts of their unoffending widows with unavailing grief; help us to turn them out roofless with their little children to wander unfriended the wastes of their desolated land in rags and hunger and thirst, sports of the sun flames of summer and the icy winds of winter, broken in spirit, worn with travail, imploring Thee for the refuge of the grave and denied it -- for our sakes who adore Thee.
"Lord, blast their hopes, blight their lives, protract their bitter pilgrimage, make heavy their steps, water their way with their tears, stain the white snow with the blood of their wounded feet! We ask it, in the spirit of love, of Him Who is the Source of Love, and Who is ever-faithful refuge and friend of all that are sore beset and seek His aid with humble and contrite hearts. Amen.
(After a pause)
"Ye have prayed it; if ye still desire it, speak! The messenger of the Most High waits."
It was believed afterward that the man was a lunatic, because there was no sense in what he said..
.
It was a time of great and exalting excitement. The country was up in arms, the war was on, in every breast burned the holy fire of patriotism; the drums were beating, the bands playing, the toy pistols popping, the bunched firecrackers hissing and sputtering; on every hand and far down the receding and fading spreads of roofs and balconies a fluttering wilderness of flags flashed in the sun; daily the young volunteers marched down the wide avenue gay and fine in their new uniforms, the proud fathers and mothers and sisters and sweethearts cheering them with voices choked with happy emotion as they swung by; nightly the packed mass meetings listened, panting, to patriot oratory which stirred the deepest deeps of their hearts and which they interrupted at briefest intervals with cyclones of applause, the tears running down their cheeks the while; in the churches the pastors preached devotion to flag and country and invoked the God of Battles, beseeching His aid in our good cause in outpouring of fervid eloquence which moved every listener.
It was indeed a glad and gracious time, and the half dozen rash spirits that ventured to disapprove of the war and cast a doubt upon its righteousness straightway got such a stern and angry warning that for their personal safety's sake they quickly shrank out of sight and offended no more in that way.
Sunday morning came-next day the battalions would leave for the front; the church was filled; the volunteers were there, their faces alight with material dreams -- visions of a stern advance, the gathering momentum, the rushing charge, the flashing sabers, the flight of the foe, the tumult, the enveloping smoke, the fierce pursuit, the surrender!-then home from the war, bronzed heros, welcomed, adored, submerged in golden seas of glory! With the volunteers sat their dear ones, proud, happy, and envied by the neighbors and friends who had no sons and brothers to send forth to the field of honor, there to win for the flag or, failing, die the noblest of noble deaths. The service proceeded; a war chapter from the Old Testament was read; the first prayer was said; it was followed by an organ burst that shook the building, and with one impulse the house rose, with glowing eyes and beating hearts, and poured out that tremendous invocation -- "God the all-terrible! Thou who ordainest, Thunder thy clarion and lightning thy sword!"
Then came the "long" prayer. None could remember the like of it for passionate pleading and moving and beautiful language. The burden of its supplication was that an ever--merciful and benignant Father of us all would watch over our noble young soldiers and aid, comfort, and encourage them in their patriotic work; bless them, shield them in His mighty hand, make them strong and confident, invincible in the bloody onset; help them to crush the foe, grant to them and to their flag and country imperishable honor and glory ---
An aged stranger entered and moved with slow and noiseless step up the main aisle, his eyes fixed upon the minister, his long body clothed in a robe that reached to his feet, his head bare, his white hair descending in a frothy cataract to his shoulders, his seamy face unnaturally pale, pale even to ghastliness.
With all eyes following him and wondering, he made his silent way; without pausing, he ascended to the preacher's side and stood there, waiting.
With shut lids the preacher, unconscious of his presence, continued his moving prayer, and at last finished it with the words, uttered in
fervent appeal, "Bless our arms, grant us the victory, O Lord our God, Father and Protector of our land and flag!"
The stranger touched his arm, motioned him to step aside -- which the startled minister did -- and took his place. During some moments he surveyed the spellbound audience with solemn eyes in which burned an uncanny light; then in a deep voice he said:
"I come from the Throne-bearing a message from Almighty God!" The words smote the house with a shock; if the stranger perceived it he gave no attention. "He has heard the prayer of His servant your shepherd and will grant it if such shall be your desire after I, His messenger, shall have explained to you its import -- that is to say, its full import. For it is like unto many of the prayers of men, in that it asks for more than he who utters it is aware of -- except he pause and think.
"God's servant and yours has prayed his prayer. Has he paused and taken thought? Is it one prayer? No, it is two -- one uttered, the other not. Both have reached the ear of His Who hearth all supplications, the spoken and the unspoken. Ponder this -- keep it in mind. If you beseech a blessing upon yourself, beware! lest without intent you invoke a curse upon a neighbor at the same time. If you pray for the blessing of rain upon your crop which needs it, by that act you are possibly praying for a curse upon some neighbor's crop which may not need rain and can be injured by it.
"You have heard your servant's prayer -- the uttered part of it. I am commissioned by God to put into words the other part of it -- that
part which the pastor, and also you in your hearts, fervently prayed silently. And ignorantly and unthinkingly? God grant that it was so! You heard these words: 'Grant us the victory, O Lord our God!' That is sufficient. The whole of the uttered prayer is compact into those pregnant words. Elaborations were not necessary. When you have prayed for victory you have prayed for many unmentioned results which follow victory -- must follow it, cannot help but follow it. Upon the listening spirit of God the Father fell also the unspoken part of the prayer. He commandeth me to put it into words. Listen!
The prayer, as translated by the stranger:
"O Lord our Father, our young patriots, idols of our hearts, go forth to battle -- be Thou near them! With them, in spirit, we also go forth from the sweet peace of our beloved firesides to smite the foe.
"O Lord our God, help us to tear their soldiers to bloody shreds with our shells; help us to cover their smiling fields with the pale forms of their patriot dead; help us to drown the thunder of the guns with the shrieks of their wounded, writhing in pain; help us to lay waste their humble homes with a hurricane of fire; help us to wring the hearts of their unoffending widows with unavailing grief; help us to turn them out roofless with their little children to wander unfriended the wastes of their desolated land in rags and hunger and thirst, sports of the sun flames of summer and the icy winds of winter, broken in spirit, worn with travail, imploring Thee for the refuge of the grave and denied it -- for our sakes who adore Thee.
"Lord, blast their hopes, blight their lives, protract their bitter pilgrimage, make heavy their steps, water their way with their tears, stain the white snow with the blood of their wounded feet! We ask it, in the spirit of love, of Him Who is the Source of Love, and Who is ever-faithful refuge and friend of all that are sore beset and seek His aid with humble and contrite hearts. Amen.
(After a pause)
"Ye have prayed it; if ye still desire it, speak! The messenger of the Most High waits."
It was believed afterward that the man was a lunatic, because there was no sense in what he said..
.
The time draws nearer: we must prepare our hearts
It appears to be nearly time for the next war to begin. The reservists and the national guard has been called up and sent away to undisclosed places "in the CentCom area of responsibility." Certain officials are creating a causus belli over some other peoples' refusal to be forcibly expatriated from their home and native land; it's supposed to be evidence of things to hide, that they do not wish to leave their country. The atmosphere becomes more and more tense, and some of us remember that this coming war started a decade ago, televised and cheered on as though it was a video game and the dead people just so many blips on a display. Death is supposed to have been conquered. Yet the culture of death, the reign of death, tries to be manifest yet again and again. We must continue to say: Love life. Respect life. All of us, children of Adam and Eve, created in the very image and likeness of God, are siblings and entitled to life until we are Called, and life eternal after that.
A prayer from my friends at the Oscar Romero House in Oklahoma City, who keep the Access to Catholic Social Justice Teachings website linked in the sidebar:
Daily Prayers in Time of War
Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us according as we hope in thee.
Our Lady of Sorrows,
we pray for those who will die today
because of war, economic chaos, injustice, and exploitation,
especially the children.
Prepare them for the agony, despair,
and terror of the violence that is upon them.
Comfort them and hold them close to the
bosom of thy Wounded Heart as they drink deeply
of the bitter cup which is forced upon them.
Wipe their tears, calm their fears,
welcome them to peace and safety.
Eternal rest grant to them,
and may perpetual light shine upon them.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, help the helpless,
strengthen the fearful, comfort the sorrowful,
bring justice to the poor, peace to all nations,
and solidarity among all peoples.
Overturn the thrones of tyranny and scatter the unjust.
Cast down the bloody rulers who make the cry of
the widow and orphan rise to heaven.
Open our eyes to see the beauty, joy,
redemption, and goodness which comes
through obedience to the Gospel of your Son our Lord.
Teach us to be a refuge of hope for all
who are oppressed by injustice and violence.
Give us strength to stand against the
demonic powers which prowl about the world
seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.
O Christ God, Lord of Glory,
who gave us joy and blessing from your Mother's womb,
have mercy on us and save us.
Remember, St. Joseph, most humble and loving protector of the poor,
that no one ever had recourse to your protection
or asked your aid without obtaining relief.
Confiding therefore in your goodness,
we come before you and pray to you
on behalf of all those at risk today of war, economic catastrophe, and injustice..
Holy Joseph, help the helpless, comfort the dying,
bring justice to the poor, and peace to all nations.
Bless our enemies with reconciliation,
and bless our nation by removing from us the temptations of
empire, wealth, violence, and greed,
so that we might realize the promise of our ancestors and
be a blessing to all the peoples of this good earth.
O Christ God, Lord of Glory,
who gave us joy and blessing from your Mother's womb,
have mercy on us and save us.
St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle.
Be our shield against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou,
O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the power of God thrust into hell Satan
and all the evil spirits which prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls.
O Christ God, Lord of Glory,
who gave us joy and blessing from your Mother's womb,
have mercy on us and save us.
O Mary, bright dawn of the new world,
Mother of the living, to you do we entrust the cause of life:
Look down, O Mother,
upon the vast numbers of babies not allowed to be born,
of the poor whose lives are made difficult,
of men and women who are victims of brutal violence,
of the elderly and the sick killed by indifference or out of misguided mercy.
Grant that all who believe in your Son may
proclaim the Gospel of life with honesty and love to the people of our time.
Obtain for them the grace to accept that Gospel as a gift ever new,
the joy of celebrating it with gratitude throughout their lives
and the courage to bear witness to it resolutely,
in order to build, together with all people of good will,
the civilization of truth and love,
to the praise and glory of God, the Creator and lover of life. Amen.
O Christ God, Lord of Glory,
who gave us joy and blessing from your Mother's womb,
have mercy on us and save us.
.
It appears to be nearly time for the next war to begin. The reservists and the national guard has been called up and sent away to undisclosed places "in the CentCom area of responsibility." Certain officials are creating a causus belli over some other peoples' refusal to be forcibly expatriated from their home and native land; it's supposed to be evidence of things to hide, that they do not wish to leave their country. The atmosphere becomes more and more tense, and some of us remember that this coming war started a decade ago, televised and cheered on as though it was a video game and the dead people just so many blips on a display. Death is supposed to have been conquered. Yet the culture of death, the reign of death, tries to be manifest yet again and again. We must continue to say: Love life. Respect life. All of us, children of Adam and Eve, created in the very image and likeness of God, are siblings and entitled to life until we are Called, and life eternal after that.
A prayer from my friends at the Oscar Romero House in Oklahoma City, who keep the Access to Catholic Social Justice Teachings website linked in the sidebar:
Daily Prayers in Time of War
Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us according as we hope in thee.
Our Lady of Sorrows,
we pray for those who will die today
because of war, economic chaos, injustice, and exploitation,
especially the children.
Prepare them for the agony, despair,
and terror of the violence that is upon them.
Comfort them and hold them close to the
bosom of thy Wounded Heart as they drink deeply
of the bitter cup which is forced upon them.
Wipe their tears, calm their fears,
welcome them to peace and safety.
Eternal rest grant to them,
and may perpetual light shine upon them.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, help the helpless,
strengthen the fearful, comfort the sorrowful,
bring justice to the poor, peace to all nations,
and solidarity among all peoples.
Overturn the thrones of tyranny and scatter the unjust.
Cast down the bloody rulers who make the cry of
the widow and orphan rise to heaven.
Open our eyes to see the beauty, joy,
redemption, and goodness which comes
through obedience to the Gospel of your Son our Lord.
Teach us to be a refuge of hope for all
who are oppressed by injustice and violence.
Give us strength to stand against the
demonic powers which prowl about the world
seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.
O Christ God, Lord of Glory,
who gave us joy and blessing from your Mother's womb,
have mercy on us and save us.
Remember, St. Joseph, most humble and loving protector of the poor,
that no one ever had recourse to your protection
or asked your aid without obtaining relief.
Confiding therefore in your goodness,
we come before you and pray to you
on behalf of all those at risk today of war, economic catastrophe, and injustice..
Holy Joseph, help the helpless, comfort the dying,
bring justice to the poor, and peace to all nations.
Bless our enemies with reconciliation,
and bless our nation by removing from us the temptations of
empire, wealth, violence, and greed,
so that we might realize the promise of our ancestors and
be a blessing to all the peoples of this good earth.
O Christ God, Lord of Glory,
who gave us joy and blessing from your Mother's womb,
have mercy on us and save us.
St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle.
Be our shield against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou,
O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the power of God thrust into hell Satan
and all the evil spirits which prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls.
O Christ God, Lord of Glory,
who gave us joy and blessing from your Mother's womb,
have mercy on us and save us.
O Mary, bright dawn of the new world,
Mother of the living, to you do we entrust the cause of life:
Look down, O Mother,
upon the vast numbers of babies not allowed to be born,
of the poor whose lives are made difficult,
of men and women who are victims of brutal violence,
of the elderly and the sick killed by indifference or out of misguided mercy.
Grant that all who believe in your Son may
proclaim the Gospel of life with honesty and love to the people of our time.
Obtain for them the grace to accept that Gospel as a gift ever new,
the joy of celebrating it with gratitude throughout their lives
and the courage to bear witness to it resolutely,
in order to build, together with all people of good will,
the civilization of truth and love,
to the praise and glory of God, the Creator and lover of life. Amen.
O Christ God, Lord of Glory,
who gave us joy and blessing from your Mother's womb,
have mercy on us and save us.
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Wednesday, January 22, 2003
Thirty long years since the Supreme Court rulings that made abortion legal in the USA. Just to remind us, from "The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles", the earliest post-biblical Christian text we have, written in the first century, probably while some of the apostles were still living. The culture of death is no new problem, and we must always oppose it, wherever and however it manifests.
1:1 There are two paths, one of life and one of death, and the difference is great between the two paths.
[snip]
2:1 But the second commandment of the teaching is this.
2:2 Thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not commit adultery; thou shalt not corrupt youth; thou shalt not commit fornication; thou shalt not steal; thou shalt not use soothsaying; thou shalt not practise sorcery; thou shalt not kill a child by abortion, neither shalt thou slay it when born; thou shalt not covet the goods of thy neighbour;
2:3 thou shalt not commit perjury; thou shalt not bear false witness; thou shalt not speak evil; thou shalt not bear malice;
2:4 thou shalt not be double-minded or double-tongued, for to be double tongued is the snare of death.
2:5 Thy speech shall not be false or empty, but concerned with action.
2:6 Thou shalt not be covetous, or rapacious, or hypocritical, or malicious, or proud; thou shalt not take up an evil design against thy neighbour;
2:7 thou shalt not hate any man, but some thou shalt confute, concerning some thou shalt pray, and some thou shalt love beyond thine own soul.
[snip]
4:8 Thou shalt not turn away from him that is in need, but shalt share with thy brother in all things, and shalt not say that things are thine own; for if ye are partners in what is immortal, how much more in what is mortal?
4:9 Thou shalt not remove thine heart from thy son or from thy daughter, but from their youth shalt teach them the fear of God.
4:10 Thou shalt not command with bitterness thy servant or thy handmaid, who hope in the same God as thyself, lest they fear not in consequence the God who is over both; for he cometh not to call with respect of persons, but those whom the Spirit hath prepared.
[snip]
5:1 But the path of death is this. First of all, it is evil, and full of cursing; there are found murders, adulteries, lusts, fornication, thefts, idolatries, soothsaying, sorceries, robberies, false witnessings, hypocrisies, double-mindedness, craft, pride, malice, self-will, covetousness, filthy talking, jealousy, audacity, pride, arrogance;
5:2 there are they who persecute the good -- lovers of a lie, not knowing the reward of righteousness, not cleaving to the good nor to righteous judgment, watching not for the good but for the bad, from whom meekness and patience are afar off, loving things that are vain, following after recompense, having no compassion on the needy, nor labouring for him that is in trouble, not knowing him that made them, murderers of children, corrupters of the image of God, who turn away from him that is in need, who oppress him that is in trouble, unjust judges of the poor, erring in all things. From all these, children, may ye be delivered.
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1:1 There are two paths, one of life and one of death, and the difference is great between the two paths.
[snip]
2:1 But the second commandment of the teaching is this.
2:2 Thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not commit adultery; thou shalt not corrupt youth; thou shalt not commit fornication; thou shalt not steal; thou shalt not use soothsaying; thou shalt not practise sorcery; thou shalt not kill a child by abortion, neither shalt thou slay it when born; thou shalt not covet the goods of thy neighbour;
2:3 thou shalt not commit perjury; thou shalt not bear false witness; thou shalt not speak evil; thou shalt not bear malice;
2:4 thou shalt not be double-minded or double-tongued, for to be double tongued is the snare of death.
2:5 Thy speech shall not be false or empty, but concerned with action.
2:6 Thou shalt not be covetous, or rapacious, or hypocritical, or malicious, or proud; thou shalt not take up an evil design against thy neighbour;
2:7 thou shalt not hate any man, but some thou shalt confute, concerning some thou shalt pray, and some thou shalt love beyond thine own soul.
[snip]
4:8 Thou shalt not turn away from him that is in need, but shalt share with thy brother in all things, and shalt not say that things are thine own; for if ye are partners in what is immortal, how much more in what is mortal?
4:9 Thou shalt not remove thine heart from thy son or from thy daughter, but from their youth shalt teach them the fear of God.
4:10 Thou shalt not command with bitterness thy servant or thy handmaid, who hope in the same God as thyself, lest they fear not in consequence the God who is over both; for he cometh not to call with respect of persons, but those whom the Spirit hath prepared.
[snip]
5:1 But the path of death is this. First of all, it is evil, and full of cursing; there are found murders, adulteries, lusts, fornication, thefts, idolatries, soothsaying, sorceries, robberies, false witnessings, hypocrisies, double-mindedness, craft, pride, malice, self-will, covetousness, filthy talking, jealousy, audacity, pride, arrogance;
5:2 there are they who persecute the good -- lovers of a lie, not knowing the reward of righteousness, not cleaving to the good nor to righteous judgment, watching not for the good but for the bad, from whom meekness and patience are afar off, loving things that are vain, following after recompense, having no compassion on the needy, nor labouring for him that is in trouble, not knowing him that made them, murderers of children, corrupters of the image of God, who turn away from him that is in need, who oppress him that is in trouble, unjust judges of the poor, erring in all things. From all these, children, may ye be delivered.
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Monday, January 20, 2003
from the desert: the humility of knowing one's place
There was an old man who had a good devoted disciple. One day the old man got annoyed and drove the disciple out of their place. Yet the disciple sat down outside of the cell and waited. When the old man opened the door, he found his disciple sitting quietly there outside, and he repented, saying: You are my father, for your humility and patience have overcome my narrow-mindedness. Come on inside! From now on, you are the old man and the father, and I am the younger and the disciple; for your good actions have surpassed my old age.
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There was an old man who had a good devoted disciple. One day the old man got annoyed and drove the disciple out of their place. Yet the disciple sat down outside of the cell and waited. When the old man opened the door, he found his disciple sitting quietly there outside, and he repented, saying: You are my father, for your humility and patience have overcome my narrow-mindedness. Come on inside! From now on, you are the old man and the father, and I am the younger and the disciple; for your good actions have surpassed my old age.
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Sunday, January 19, 2003
Just a general update; mostly for my friends and kin who check on my welfare by seeing if I post.......
Hope to be back in gear tomorrow sometime. Totally uninspired to write, sniffly, achey (spring cannot come too soon!). went out last night to help the Milwaukee Repeater Club elect new officers, and that was too much really. Spent most of today resting and have to do the bills before the postal carrier comes tomorrow.
A little good news, though. I've got a ride to church on Wednesday for the Mass for Life, and because it's a weekday, I'll be able to go to Confession! I'm horribly overdue; my parish has two hours of confession time every day --- but not Sundays or Holy Days, which are the times I manage to get there. Thumbs up, keep praying, and see you again tomorrow after I write out checks to all my creditors.
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Hope to be back in gear tomorrow sometime. Totally uninspired to write, sniffly, achey (spring cannot come too soon!). went out last night to help the Milwaukee Repeater Club elect new officers, and that was too much really. Spent most of today resting and have to do the bills before the postal carrier comes tomorrow.
A little good news, though. I've got a ride to church on Wednesday for the Mass for Life, and because it's a weekday, I'll be able to go to Confession! I'm horribly overdue; my parish has two hours of confession time every day --- but not Sundays or Holy Days, which are the times I manage to get there. Thumbs up, keep praying, and see you again tomorrow after I write out checks to all my creditors.
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Friday, January 17, 2003
from the desert: a few sayings from Abba Anthony on his feast day
Abba Anthony said: "From our neighbor is life and death. If we gain our brother, we gain God, but if we cause our brother to stumble, we sin against Christ."
==========
Abba Anthony said, "I saw the snares that the enemy spread out over the world and I said groaning, "What can get through from such snares?" Then I heard a voice saying to me, "Humility."
==========
The brothers praised a monk in the presence of Abba Anthony. When the monk came to see him, Anthony wanted to know how he would bear insults; and seeing that he could not bear them at all, he said to him, "You are like a village magnificently decorated on the outside, but destroyed from within by robbers."
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Abba Anthony said: "From our neighbor is life and death. If we gain our brother, we gain God, but if we cause our brother to stumble, we sin against Christ."
==========
Abba Anthony said, "I saw the snares that the enemy spread out over the world and I said groaning, "What can get through from such snares?" Then I heard a voice saying to me, "Humility."
==========
The brothers praised a monk in the presence of Abba Anthony. When the monk came to see him, Anthony wanted to know how he would bear insults; and seeing that he could not bear them at all, he said to him, "You are like a village magnificently decorated on the outside, but destroyed from within by robbers."
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Thursday, January 16, 2003
from St. Athanasius' Life of St. Anthony, for Abba Anthony's feast tomorrow (Friday)
And so for nearly twenty years he continued training himself in solitude, never going forth, and but seldom seen by any. After this when many were eager and wishful to imitate his discipline, and his acquaintances came and began to cast down and wrench off the door by force, Anthony, as from a shrine, came forth initiated in the mysteries and filled with ye Spirit of God. Then for the first time he was seen outside the fort by those who came to see him. And they, when they saw him, wondered at the sight, for he had the same habit of body as before, and was neither fat, like a man without exercise, nor lean from fasting and striving with the demons, but he was just the same as they had known him before his retirement, And again his soul was free from blemish, for it was neither contracted as if by grief, nor relaxed by pleasure, nor possessed by laughter or dejection, for he was not troubled when he beheld the crowd, nor overjoyed at being saluted by so many. But he was altogether even as being guided by reason, and abiding in a natural state. Through him the Lord healed the bodily ailments of many present, and cleansed others from evil spirits. And He gave grace to Anthony in speaking, so that he consoled many that were sorrowful, and set those at variance at one, exhorting all to prefer the love of Christ before all that is in the world. And while he exhorted and advised them to remember the good things to come, and the loving-kindness of God towards us, 'Who spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all,' he persuaded many to embrace the solitary life. And thus it happened in the end that cells arose even in the mountains, and the desert was colonized by monks, who came forth from their own people, and enrolled themselves for the citizenship in the heavens.
But when he was obliged to cross the Arsenoitic Canal --- and the occasion of it was the visitation of the brethren --- the canal was full of crocodiles. And by simply praying, he entered it, and all they with him, and passed over in safety. And having returned to his ceil, he applied himself to the same noble and valiant exercises; and by frequent conversation he increased the eagerness of those already monks, stirred up in most of the rest the love of the discipline, and speedily by the attraction of his words, cells multiplied, and he directed them all as a father.
With those who suffered he sympathized and prayed. And oft-times the Lord heard him on behalf of many: yet he boasted not because he was heard, nor did he murmur if he were not. But always he gave the Lord thanks and besought the sufferer to be patient, and to know that healing belonged neither to him nor to man at all, but only to the Lord, who doeth good when and to whom He will. The sufferers therefore used to receive the words of the old man as though they were a cure, learning not to be downhearted but rather to be long-suffering. And those who were healed were taught not to give thanks to Anthony but to God alone.
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And so for nearly twenty years he continued training himself in solitude, never going forth, and but seldom seen by any. After this when many were eager and wishful to imitate his discipline, and his acquaintances came and began to cast down and wrench off the door by force, Anthony, as from a shrine, came forth initiated in the mysteries and filled with ye Spirit of God. Then for the first time he was seen outside the fort by those who came to see him. And they, when they saw him, wondered at the sight, for he had the same habit of body as before, and was neither fat, like a man without exercise, nor lean from fasting and striving with the demons, but he was just the same as they had known him before his retirement, And again his soul was free from blemish, for it was neither contracted as if by grief, nor relaxed by pleasure, nor possessed by laughter or dejection, for he was not troubled when he beheld the crowd, nor overjoyed at being saluted by so many. But he was altogether even as being guided by reason, and abiding in a natural state. Through him the Lord healed the bodily ailments of many present, and cleansed others from evil spirits. And He gave grace to Anthony in speaking, so that he consoled many that were sorrowful, and set those at variance at one, exhorting all to prefer the love of Christ before all that is in the world. And while he exhorted and advised them to remember the good things to come, and the loving-kindness of God towards us, 'Who spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all,' he persuaded many to embrace the solitary life. And thus it happened in the end that cells arose even in the mountains, and the desert was colonized by monks, who came forth from their own people, and enrolled themselves for the citizenship in the heavens.
But when he was obliged to cross the Arsenoitic Canal --- and the occasion of it was the visitation of the brethren --- the canal was full of crocodiles. And by simply praying, he entered it, and all they with him, and passed over in safety. And having returned to his ceil, he applied himself to the same noble and valiant exercises; and by frequent conversation he increased the eagerness of those already monks, stirred up in most of the rest the love of the discipline, and speedily by the attraction of his words, cells multiplied, and he directed them all as a father.
With those who suffered he sympathized and prayed. And oft-times the Lord heard him on behalf of many: yet he boasted not because he was heard, nor did he murmur if he were not. But always he gave the Lord thanks and besought the sufferer to be patient, and to know that healing belonged neither to him nor to man at all, but only to the Lord, who doeth good when and to whom He will. The sufferers therefore used to receive the words of the old man as though they were a cure, learning not to be downhearted but rather to be long-suffering. And those who were healed were taught not to give thanks to Anthony but to God alone.
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The Crucifixion Secret: another meditation from Pavel Chichikov
Sit still for a moment, let me tell you
The crucifixion secret --
A seed grows
The broad leafed tree,
Seeds of grass spread the yellow rye,
Seeds of frugal cypresses
Dark pickets of the borderlands
Make rows, frontiers --
Black-hearted seeds of flowers
Soon bend bowing to respect the sun,
Seeds that love the shade
Grow violet delicate
There is another seed
Fertile in the crevices
Crystalline and sharp
Fertile, virile, potent to infect
In breath and blow
The smallest pore of love
The nostril and the turbine of the ear
The back, the face, the head
The tumor spot of Man's unfeeling deed
It was for this that Christ became a tortured thing
Submitting to a cross of cruelty
Encysting death within Himself
And by His self-abandonment
Secreted walls around a viral madness
But still the seeds spread outward from the source
Crystals of the pleasures of the lost -
Slander, and the whip
The hill, the skull, the prophylactic cross
. . . . . . Pavel Chichikov
. . . . . . January 14, 2003
. . . . . . http://www.greyowlpress.com.
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Sit still for a moment, let me tell you
The crucifixion secret --
A seed grows
The broad leafed tree,
Seeds of grass spread the yellow rye,
Seeds of frugal cypresses
Dark pickets of the borderlands
Make rows, frontiers --
Black-hearted seeds of flowers
Soon bend bowing to respect the sun,
Seeds that love the shade
Grow violet delicate
There is another seed
Fertile in the crevices
Crystalline and sharp
Fertile, virile, potent to infect
In breath and blow
The smallest pore of love
The nostril and the turbine of the ear
The back, the face, the head
The tumor spot of Man's unfeeling deed
It was for this that Christ became a tortured thing
Submitting to a cross of cruelty
Encysting death within Himself
And by His self-abandonment
Secreted walls around a viral madness
But still the seeds spread outward from the source
Crystals of the pleasures of the lost -
Slander, and the whip
The hill, the skull, the prophylactic cross
. . . . . . Pavel Chichikov
. . . . . . January 14, 2003
. . . . . . http://www.greyowlpress.com.
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Wednesday, January 15, 2003
The Passion and the Eucharist
From the Bible Geek at Cruciform Chronicle, a meditation on the relationship of the Passion and the Eucharist. [And, can you believe, he's not even Catholic!]
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From the Bible Geek at Cruciform Chronicle, a meditation on the relationship of the Passion and the Eucharist. [And, can you believe, he's not even Catholic!]
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Abba Macarius' life story on his memorial day from Kathy R's For All the Saints website:
Born in Upper Egypt c. 300; died 390.
"Receive from the hand of God poverty as cheerfully as riches, hunger and want as plenty, and you will conquer the devil and subdue all your passions." --Saint Macarius.
Saint Macarius was a cattle herder in his youth but early became a hermit who was known for his great austerities. In his childhood he stole a few figs and ate one of them, and from his conversion to his death he never ceased to weep bitterly for this sin. He retired to a solitary hut, where he combined assiduous prayer with the tending of sheep and the plaiting of baskets.
He was accused of assaulting a woman but proved his innocence and became somewhat of a hero for his patience and humility during the ordeal. He even provided for her with his paltry earnings. She went into labor and could not be delivered until she named the true father of her child. To escape the adulation of those whose rage was turned to admiration, he retired to the desert of Skete (Scetis) when he was 30.
Macarius knew and followed the teachings of Saint Antony. Like Antony, Macarius attracted many others, because of his spiritual wisdom, who became anchorites under his rule. The bishop compelled him to receive ordination to the priesthood about 340, so that he could say daily Mass for the several thousand members of the monastic colony.
Macarius's austerities, like those of so many of the desert fathers, were excessive. He generally ate but once a week. To deny his own will, he did not refuse a little wine when others desired him to drink, but then he would punish himself by abstaining several days from drinking anything, even under the intense sun of the desert.
During his lifetime, he was highly esteemed in monastic circles, and his counsel was sought out by such as Saint Evagrius. He delivered his instructions in few words and generally stressed silence, humility, mortification, retirement, and continual prayer. He taught, "In prayer you need not use many or lofty words. You can often repeat with a sincere heart, Lord, show me mercy as You know best! or, Assist me, O God!"
The devil told him once, "I can surpass you in watching, fasting, and many other things, but humility conquers and disarms me!"
Like so many who practice extreme austerity, God humbled Macarius by showing him that he had not attained the perfection of two married women in the nearby town. In visiting them he learned that they sanctified themselves by carefully guarding their tongues and living in the constant practice of humility, patience, meekness, charity, resignation, mortification of their own will, and conformity to the moods of the husbands and family, where God's law didn't contradict. In a spirit of recollection, they sanctified all their actions by ardent ejaculations praising God, and most fervently consecrating their entire beings to the divine glory.
A young man seeking spiritual direction from Macarius was told to go to the cemetery and upbraid the dead. Then to return and flatter them. Of course, he reported to Macarius that they were unmoved by either injuries or praise. Macarius then told him, "The go, and learn neither to be moved with injuries or flatteries. If you die to the world and to yourself, you will begin to live in Christ."
In order to counter the Hieracite heresy denying the Resurrection, Macarius raised a dead man to life.
He was exiled for a time on a small island in the Nile with Macarius the Younger, Isidore, and other monks when the Arian Lucius of Alexandria tried to drive out the desert monks. Later, Macarius was allowed to return. During their exile, they converted all the inhabitants of the island. He died after living in Skete for 60 years and is believed to have been the first hermit to live there.
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Born in Upper Egypt c. 300; died 390.
"Receive from the hand of God poverty as cheerfully as riches, hunger and want as plenty, and you will conquer the devil and subdue all your passions." --Saint Macarius.
Saint Macarius was a cattle herder in his youth but early became a hermit who was known for his great austerities. In his childhood he stole a few figs and ate one of them, and from his conversion to his death he never ceased to weep bitterly for this sin. He retired to a solitary hut, where he combined assiduous prayer with the tending of sheep and the plaiting of baskets.
He was accused of assaulting a woman but proved his innocence and became somewhat of a hero for his patience and humility during the ordeal. He even provided for her with his paltry earnings. She went into labor and could not be delivered until she named the true father of her child. To escape the adulation of those whose rage was turned to admiration, he retired to the desert of Skete (Scetis) when he was 30.
Macarius knew and followed the teachings of Saint Antony. Like Antony, Macarius attracted many others, because of his spiritual wisdom, who became anchorites under his rule. The bishop compelled him to receive ordination to the priesthood about 340, so that he could say daily Mass for the several thousand members of the monastic colony.
Macarius's austerities, like those of so many of the desert fathers, were excessive. He generally ate but once a week. To deny his own will, he did not refuse a little wine when others desired him to drink, but then he would punish himself by abstaining several days from drinking anything, even under the intense sun of the desert.
During his lifetime, he was highly esteemed in monastic circles, and his counsel was sought out by such as Saint Evagrius. He delivered his instructions in few words and generally stressed silence, humility, mortification, retirement, and continual prayer. He taught, "In prayer you need not use many or lofty words. You can often repeat with a sincere heart, Lord, show me mercy as You know best! or, Assist me, O God!"
The devil told him once, "I can surpass you in watching, fasting, and many other things, but humility conquers and disarms me!"
Like so many who practice extreme austerity, God humbled Macarius by showing him that he had not attained the perfection of two married women in the nearby town. In visiting them he learned that they sanctified themselves by carefully guarding their tongues and living in the constant practice of humility, patience, meekness, charity, resignation, mortification of their own will, and conformity to the moods of the husbands and family, where God's law didn't contradict. In a spirit of recollection, they sanctified all their actions by ardent ejaculations praising God, and most fervently consecrating their entire beings to the divine glory.
A young man seeking spiritual direction from Macarius was told to go to the cemetery and upbraid the dead. Then to return and flatter them. Of course, he reported to Macarius that they were unmoved by either injuries or praise. Macarius then told him, "The go, and learn neither to be moved with injuries or flatteries. If you die to the world and to yourself, you will begin to live in Christ."
In order to counter the Hieracite heresy denying the Resurrection, Macarius raised a dead man to life.
He was exiled for a time on a small island in the Nile with Macarius the Younger, Isidore, and other monks when the Arian Lucius of Alexandria tried to drive out the desert monks. Later, Macarius was allowed to return. During their exile, they converted all the inhabitants of the island. He died after living in Skete for 60 years and is believed to have been the first hermit to live there.
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Tuesday, January 14, 2003
A prayer from St. Symeon the New Theologian
I give You thanks,
to me You are a light that knows no evening,
a sun that never sets.
You cannot remain hidden,
for You fill all things with your glory.
You never hide Yourself from anyone,
but we are always hiding from You,
not wishing to come near You.
For where could You hide Yourself,
since You have no place
in which to take Your rest?
Or why should You hide,
since You turn away from no one
and are afraid of none?
Pitch Your tent within me,
gracious Master;
Take up Your dwelling in me now
and remain in Your servant unceasingly,
inseparably, to the end.
At my departure from this life
and afterwards,
may I be found in You and reign with You,
who are God over all.
Stay with me, Master, do not leave me alone.
When they find You dwelling within me,
my enemies who seek always to devour my soul,
will be put to flight;
They will have no more power against me,
when they see You,
who are more powerful than all,
lodging in the house of my humble soul.
You did not forget me, Master,
when I was in the world
and sunk in ignorance,
but You chose me
and separated me from the world
and set me up in the presence of Your glory.
Keep me constant and unshaken
in the interior dwelling-place
that You have made within me.
Though dead,
I live when I gaze on You;
Possessing You, though poor,
I am forever rich,
More wealthy than any ruler.
Eating and drinking You,
clothing myself in You from day to day,
I shall be filled with blessings and delight
beyond all telling.
For You are every blessing
and all splendor and joy,
and to You is due glory,
to the Holy, Consubstantial and Life-giving Trinity,
worshipped and confessed by all the faithful
and adored in Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
now and ever, and to the ages of ages.
Amen.
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I give You thanks,
to me You are a light that knows no evening,
a sun that never sets.
You cannot remain hidden,
for You fill all things with your glory.
You never hide Yourself from anyone,
but we are always hiding from You,
not wishing to come near You.
For where could You hide Yourself,
since You have no place
in which to take Your rest?
Or why should You hide,
since You turn away from no one
and are afraid of none?
Pitch Your tent within me,
gracious Master;
Take up Your dwelling in me now
and remain in Your servant unceasingly,
inseparably, to the end.
At my departure from this life
and afterwards,
may I be found in You and reign with You,
who are God over all.
Stay with me, Master, do not leave me alone.
When they find You dwelling within me,
my enemies who seek always to devour my soul,
will be put to flight;
They will have no more power against me,
when they see You,
who are more powerful than all,
lodging in the house of my humble soul.
You did not forget me, Master,
when I was in the world
and sunk in ignorance,
but You chose me
and separated me from the world
and set me up in the presence of Your glory.
Keep me constant and unshaken
in the interior dwelling-place
that You have made within me.
Though dead,
I live when I gaze on You;
Possessing You, though poor,
I am forever rich,
More wealthy than any ruler.
Eating and drinking You,
clothing myself in You from day to day,
I shall be filled with blessings and delight
beyond all telling.
For You are every blessing
and all splendor and joy,
and to You is due glory,
to the Holy, Consubstantial and Life-giving Trinity,
worshipped and confessed by all the faithful
and adored in Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
now and ever, and to the ages of ages.
Amen.
.
The Pope on the State of the World
Courtesy of the CINJustAnn mailing list, yesterday's speech by the Pope to the assembled ambassadors:
Your Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
1. This meeting at the beginning of the New Year is a happy tradition which affords me the joy of welcoming you and in some way of embracing all the peoples whom you represent! For it is through you and thanks to you that I come to know their hopes and aspirations, their successes and their setbacks. Today I wish to offer your countries my fervent good wishes of happiness, peace and prosperity.
At the threshold of the New Year I am also pleased to offer all of you my best wishes, as I invoke upon you, your families and your fellow citizens an abundance of divine blessings.
Before sharing with you some reflections inspired by the present situation in the world and in the Church, I must thank your Dean, Ambassador Giovanni Galassi, for his kind words and for the good wishes which he has thoughtfully expressed, in the name of all present, for my person and for my ministry. Please accept my deep gratitude!
Mr Ambassador, you have also pointed to the legitimate expectations of modern men and women, all too often frustrated by political crises, by armed violence, by social conflicts, by poverty or by natural catastrophes. Never as at the beginning of this millennium has humanity felt how precarious is the world which it has shaped.
2. I have been personally struck by the feeling of fear which often dwells in the hearts of our contemporaries. An insidious terrorism capable of striking at any time and anywhere; the unresolved problem of the Middle East, with the Holy Land and Iraq; the turmoil disrupting South America, particularly Argentina, Colombia and Venezuela; the conflicts preventing numerous African countries from focusing on their development; the diseases spreading contagion and death; the grave problem of famine, especially in Africa; the irresponsible behavior contributing to the depletion of the planet's resources: all these are so many plagues threatening the survival of humanity, the peace of individuals and the security of societies.
3. Yet everything can change. It depends on each of us. Everyone can develop within himself his potential for faith, for honesty, for respect of others and for commitment to the service of others.
It also depends, quite obviously, on political leaders, who are called to serve the common good. You will not be surprised if before an assembly of diplomats I state in this regard certain requirements which I believe must be met if entire peoples, perhaps even humanity itself, are not to sink into the abyss.
First, a "YES TO LIFE"! Respect life itself and individual lives: everything starts here, for the most fundamental of human rights is certainly the right to life. Abortion, euthanasia, human cloning, for example, risk reducing the human person to a mere object: life and death to order, as it were! When all moral criteria are removed, scientific research involving the sources of life becomes a denial of the being and the dignity of the person. War itself is an attack on human life since it brings in its wake suffering and death. The battle for peace is always a battle for life!
Next, RESPECT FOR LAW. Life within society -- particularly international life -- presupposes common and inviolable principles whose goal is to guarantee the security and the freedom of individual citizens and of nations. These rules of conduct are the foundation of national and international stability. Today political leaders have at hand highly relevant texts and institutions. It is enough simply to put them into practice. The world would be totally different if people began to apply in a straightforward manner the agreements already signed!
Finally, the DUTY OF SOLIDARITY. In a world with a superabundance of information, but which paradoxically finds it so difficult to communicate and where living conditions are scandalously unequal, it is important to spare no effort to ensure that everyone feels responsible for the growth and happiness of all. Our future is at stake. An unemployed young person, a handicapped person who is marginalized, elderly people who are uncared for, countries which are captives of hunger and poverty: these situations all too often make people despair and fall prey to the temptation either of closing in on themselves or of resorting to violence.
4. This is why choices need to be made so that humanity can still have a future. Therefore, the peoples of the earth and their leaders must sometimes have the courage to say "No".
"NO TO DEATH"! That is to say, no to all that attacks the incomparable dignity of every human being, beginning with that of unborn children. If life is truly a treasure, we need to be able to preserve it and to make it bear fruit without distorting it. "No" to all that weakens the family, the basic cell of society. "No" to all that destroys in children the sense of striving, their respect for themselves and others, the sense of service.
"NO TO SELFISHNESS"! In other words, to all that impels man to protect himself inside the cocoon of a privileged social class or a cultural comfort which excludes others. The life-style of the prosperous, their patterns of consumption, must be reviewed in the light of their repercussions on other countries. Let us mention for example the problem of water resources, which the United Nations Organization has asked us all to consider during this year 2003. Selfishness is also the indifference of prosperous nations towards nations left out in the cold. All peoples are entitled to receive a fair share of the goods of this world and of the know-how of the more advanced countries. How can we fail to think here, for example, of the access of everyone to generic medicines, needed to continue the fight against current pandemics, an access --- alas --- often thwarted by short-term economic considerations?
"NO TO WAR"! War is not always inevitable. It is always a defeat for humanity. International law, honest dialogue, solidarity between States, the noble exercise of diplomacy: these are methods worthy of individuals and nations in resolving their differences. I say this as I think of those who still place their trust in nuclear weapons and of the all-too-numerous conflicts which continue to hold hostage our brothers and sisters in humanity. At Christmas, Bethlehem reminded us of the unresolved crisis in the Middle East, where two peoples, Israeli and Palestinian, are called to live side-by-side, equally free and sovereign, in mutual respect. Without needing to repeat what I said to you last year on this occasion, I will simply add today, faced with the constant degeneration of the crisis in the Middle East, that the solution will never be imposed by recourse to terrorism or armed conflict, as if military victories could be the solution. And what are we to say of the threat of a war which could strike the people of Iraq, the land of the Prophets, a people already sorely tried by more than twelve years of embargo? War is never just another means that one can choose to employ for settling differences between nations. As the Charter of the United Nations Organization and international law itself remind us, war cannot be decided upon, even when it is a matter of ensuring the common good, except as the very last option and in accordance with very strict conditions, without ignoring the consequences for the civilian population both during and after the military operations.
5. It is therefore possible to change the course of events, once good will, trust in others, fidelity to commitments and cooperation between responsible partners are allowed to prevail. I shall give two examples.
Today's Europe, which is at once united and enlarged. Europe has succeeded in tearing down the walls which disfigured her. She has committed herself to planning and creating a new reality capable of combining unity and diversity, national sovereignty and joint activity, economic progress and social justice. This new Europe is the bearer of the values which have borne fruit for two thousand years in an "art" of thinking and living from which the whole world has benefited. Among these values Christianity holds a privileged position, inasmuch as it gave birth to a humanism which has permeated Europe's history and institutions. In recalling this patrimony, the Holy See and all the Christian Churches have urged those drawing up the future Constitutional Treaty of the European Union to include a reference to Churches and religious institutions. We believe it desirable that, in full respect of the secular state, three complementary elements should be recognized: religious freedom not only in its individual and ritual aspects, but also in its social and corporative dimensions; the appropriateness of structures for dialogue and consultation between the Governing Bodies and communities of believers; respect for the juridical status already enjoyed by Churches and religious institutions in the Member States of the Union. A Europe which disavowed its past, which denied the fact of religion, and which had no spiritual dimension would be extremely impoverished in the face of the ambitious project which calls upon all its energies: constructing a Europe for all!
Africa too gives us today an occasion to rejoice: Angola has begun its rebuilding; Burundi has taken the path which could lead to peace and expects from the international community understanding and financial aid; the Democratic Republic of Congo is seriously engaged in a national dialogue which should lead to democracy. The Sudan has likewise shown good will, even if the path to peace remains long and arduous. We should of course be grateful for these signs of progress and we should encourage political leaders to spare no effort in ensuring that, little by little, the peoples of Africa experience the beginnings of pacification and thus of prosperity, safe from ethnic struggles, caprice and corruption. For this reason we can only deplore the grave incidents which have rocked Cote-d'Ivoire and the Central African Republic, while inviting the people of those countries to lay down their arms, to respect their respective constitutions and to lay the foundations for national dialogue. It will then be easy to involve all the elements of the national community in planning a society in which everyone finds a place. Furthermore, we do well to note that Africans are increasingly trying to find the solutions best suited to their problems, thanks to the activity of the African Union and effective forms of regional mediation.
6. Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, it is vital to note that the independence of States can no longer be understood apart from the concept of interdependence. All States are interconnected both for better and for worse. For this reason, and rightly so, we must be able to distinguish good from evil and call them by their proper names. As history has taught us time and time again, it is when doubt or confusion about what is right and wrong prevails that the greatest evils are to be feared.
If we are to avoid descending into chaos, it seems to me that two conditions must be met. First, we must rediscover within States and between States the paramount value of the natural law, which was the source of inspiration for the rights of nations and for the first formulations of international law. Even if today some people question its validity, I am convinced that its general and universal principles can still help us to understand more clearly the unity of the human race and to foster the development of the consciences both of those who govern and of those who are governed. Second, we need the persevering work of Statesmen who are honest and selfless. In effect, the indispensable professional competence of political leaders can find no legitimacy unless it is connected to strong moral convictions. How can one claim to deal with world affairs without reference to this set of principles which is the basis of the "universal common good" spoken of so eloquently by Pope John XXIII in his Encyclical Pacem in Terris? It will always be possible for a leader who acts in accordance with his convictions to reject situations of injustice or of institutional corruption, or to put an end to them. It is precisely in this, I believe, that we rediscover what is today commonly called "good governance". The material and spiritual well-being of humanity, the protection of the freedom and rights of the human person, selfless public service, closeness to concrete conditions: all of these take precedence over every political project and constitute a moral necessity which in itself is the best guarantee of peace within nations and peace between States.
7. It is clear that, for a believer, these motivations are enriched by faith in a God who is the Creator and Father of all, who has entrusted man with stewardship of the earth and with the duty of brotherly love. This shows how it is in a State's own interest to ensure that religious freedom --- which is a natural right, that is, at one and the same time both an individual and social right --- is effectively guaranteed for all. As I have had occasion to remark in the past, believers who feel that their faith is respected and whose communities enjoy juridical recognition will work with ever greater conviction in the common project of building up the civil society to which they belong. You will understand then why I speak out on behalf of all Christians who, from Asia to Europe, continue to be victims of violence and intolerance, such as happened recently during the celebration of Christmas. Ecumenical dialogue between Christians and respectful contact with other religions, in particular with Islam, are the best remedy for sectarian rifts, fanaticism or religious terrorism. As far as the Catholic Church is concerned, I will mention but one situation which is a cause of great suffering for me: the plight of Catholic communities in the Russian Federation, which for months now have seen some of their Pastors prevented from returning to them for administrative reasons. The Holy See expects from the Government authorities concrete decisions which will put an end to this crisis, and which are in keeping with the international agreements subscribed to by the modern and democratic Russia. Russian Catholics wish to live as their brethren do in the rest of the world, enjoying the same freedom and the same dignity.
8. Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, may all of us who have gathered in this place, which is a symbol of spirituality, dialogue and peace, contribute by our daily actions to the advancement of all the peoples of the earth, in justice and harmony, to their progress towards conditions of greater happiness and greater justice, far from poverty, violence and threats of war! May God pour out his abundant blessings upon you and all those whom you represent. A Happy New Year to everyone!
[Translation of French original issued by the Vatican Press Office]
.
.
Courtesy of the CINJustAnn mailing list, yesterday's speech by the Pope to the assembled ambassadors:
Your Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
1. This meeting at the beginning of the New Year is a happy tradition which affords me the joy of welcoming you and in some way of embracing all the peoples whom you represent! For it is through you and thanks to you that I come to know their hopes and aspirations, their successes and their setbacks. Today I wish to offer your countries my fervent good wishes of happiness, peace and prosperity.
At the threshold of the New Year I am also pleased to offer all of you my best wishes, as I invoke upon you, your families and your fellow citizens an abundance of divine blessings.
Before sharing with you some reflections inspired by the present situation in the world and in the Church, I must thank your Dean, Ambassador Giovanni Galassi, for his kind words and for the good wishes which he has thoughtfully expressed, in the name of all present, for my person and for my ministry. Please accept my deep gratitude!
Mr Ambassador, you have also pointed to the legitimate expectations of modern men and women, all too often frustrated by political crises, by armed violence, by social conflicts, by poverty or by natural catastrophes. Never as at the beginning of this millennium has humanity felt how precarious is the world which it has shaped.
2. I have been personally struck by the feeling of fear which often dwells in the hearts of our contemporaries. An insidious terrorism capable of striking at any time and anywhere; the unresolved problem of the Middle East, with the Holy Land and Iraq; the turmoil disrupting South America, particularly Argentina, Colombia and Venezuela; the conflicts preventing numerous African countries from focusing on their development; the diseases spreading contagion and death; the grave problem of famine, especially in Africa; the irresponsible behavior contributing to the depletion of the planet's resources: all these are so many plagues threatening the survival of humanity, the peace of individuals and the security of societies.
3. Yet everything can change. It depends on each of us. Everyone can develop within himself his potential for faith, for honesty, for respect of others and for commitment to the service of others.
It also depends, quite obviously, on political leaders, who are called to serve the common good. You will not be surprised if before an assembly of diplomats I state in this regard certain requirements which I believe must be met if entire peoples, perhaps even humanity itself, are not to sink into the abyss.
First, a "YES TO LIFE"! Respect life itself and individual lives: everything starts here, for the most fundamental of human rights is certainly the right to life. Abortion, euthanasia, human cloning, for example, risk reducing the human person to a mere object: life and death to order, as it were! When all moral criteria are removed, scientific research involving the sources of life becomes a denial of the being and the dignity of the person. War itself is an attack on human life since it brings in its wake suffering and death. The battle for peace is always a battle for life!
Next, RESPECT FOR LAW. Life within society -- particularly international life -- presupposes common and inviolable principles whose goal is to guarantee the security and the freedom of individual citizens and of nations. These rules of conduct are the foundation of national and international stability. Today political leaders have at hand highly relevant texts and institutions. It is enough simply to put them into practice. The world would be totally different if people began to apply in a straightforward manner the agreements already signed!
Finally, the DUTY OF SOLIDARITY. In a world with a superabundance of information, but which paradoxically finds it so difficult to communicate and where living conditions are scandalously unequal, it is important to spare no effort to ensure that everyone feels responsible for the growth and happiness of all. Our future is at stake. An unemployed young person, a handicapped person who is marginalized, elderly people who are uncared for, countries which are captives of hunger and poverty: these situations all too often make people despair and fall prey to the temptation either of closing in on themselves or of resorting to violence.
4. This is why choices need to be made so that humanity can still have a future. Therefore, the peoples of the earth and their leaders must sometimes have the courage to say "No".
"NO TO DEATH"! That is to say, no to all that attacks the incomparable dignity of every human being, beginning with that of unborn children. If life is truly a treasure, we need to be able to preserve it and to make it bear fruit without distorting it. "No" to all that weakens the family, the basic cell of society. "No" to all that destroys in children the sense of striving, their respect for themselves and others, the sense of service.
"NO TO SELFISHNESS"! In other words, to all that impels man to protect himself inside the cocoon of a privileged social class or a cultural comfort which excludes others. The life-style of the prosperous, their patterns of consumption, must be reviewed in the light of their repercussions on other countries. Let us mention for example the problem of water resources, which the United Nations Organization has asked us all to consider during this year 2003. Selfishness is also the indifference of prosperous nations towards nations left out in the cold. All peoples are entitled to receive a fair share of the goods of this world and of the know-how of the more advanced countries. How can we fail to think here, for example, of the access of everyone to generic medicines, needed to continue the fight against current pandemics, an access --- alas --- often thwarted by short-term economic considerations?
"NO TO WAR"! War is not always inevitable. It is always a defeat for humanity. International law, honest dialogue, solidarity between States, the noble exercise of diplomacy: these are methods worthy of individuals and nations in resolving their differences. I say this as I think of those who still place their trust in nuclear weapons and of the all-too-numerous conflicts which continue to hold hostage our brothers and sisters in humanity. At Christmas, Bethlehem reminded us of the unresolved crisis in the Middle East, where two peoples, Israeli and Palestinian, are called to live side-by-side, equally free and sovereign, in mutual respect. Without needing to repeat what I said to you last year on this occasion, I will simply add today, faced with the constant degeneration of the crisis in the Middle East, that the solution will never be imposed by recourse to terrorism or armed conflict, as if military victories could be the solution. And what are we to say of the threat of a war which could strike the people of Iraq, the land of the Prophets, a people already sorely tried by more than twelve years of embargo? War is never just another means that one can choose to employ for settling differences between nations. As the Charter of the United Nations Organization and international law itself remind us, war cannot be decided upon, even when it is a matter of ensuring the common good, except as the very last option and in accordance with very strict conditions, without ignoring the consequences for the civilian population both during and after the military operations.
5. It is therefore possible to change the course of events, once good will, trust in others, fidelity to commitments and cooperation between responsible partners are allowed to prevail. I shall give two examples.
Today's Europe, which is at once united and enlarged. Europe has succeeded in tearing down the walls which disfigured her. She has committed herself to planning and creating a new reality capable of combining unity and diversity, national sovereignty and joint activity, economic progress and social justice. This new Europe is the bearer of the values which have borne fruit for two thousand years in an "art" of thinking and living from which the whole world has benefited. Among these values Christianity holds a privileged position, inasmuch as it gave birth to a humanism which has permeated Europe's history and institutions. In recalling this patrimony, the Holy See and all the Christian Churches have urged those drawing up the future Constitutional Treaty of the European Union to include a reference to Churches and religious institutions. We believe it desirable that, in full respect of the secular state, three complementary elements should be recognized: religious freedom not only in its individual and ritual aspects, but also in its social and corporative dimensions; the appropriateness of structures for dialogue and consultation between the Governing Bodies and communities of believers; respect for the juridical status already enjoyed by Churches and religious institutions in the Member States of the Union. A Europe which disavowed its past, which denied the fact of religion, and which had no spiritual dimension would be extremely impoverished in the face of the ambitious project which calls upon all its energies: constructing a Europe for all!
Africa too gives us today an occasion to rejoice: Angola has begun its rebuilding; Burundi has taken the path which could lead to peace and expects from the international community understanding and financial aid; the Democratic Republic of Congo is seriously engaged in a national dialogue which should lead to democracy. The Sudan has likewise shown good will, even if the path to peace remains long and arduous. We should of course be grateful for these signs of progress and we should encourage political leaders to spare no effort in ensuring that, little by little, the peoples of Africa experience the beginnings of pacification and thus of prosperity, safe from ethnic struggles, caprice and corruption. For this reason we can only deplore the grave incidents which have rocked Cote-d'Ivoire and the Central African Republic, while inviting the people of those countries to lay down their arms, to respect their respective constitutions and to lay the foundations for national dialogue. It will then be easy to involve all the elements of the national community in planning a society in which everyone finds a place. Furthermore, we do well to note that Africans are increasingly trying to find the solutions best suited to their problems, thanks to the activity of the African Union and effective forms of regional mediation.
6. Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, it is vital to note that the independence of States can no longer be understood apart from the concept of interdependence. All States are interconnected both for better and for worse. For this reason, and rightly so, we must be able to distinguish good from evil and call them by their proper names. As history has taught us time and time again, it is when doubt or confusion about what is right and wrong prevails that the greatest evils are to be feared.
If we are to avoid descending into chaos, it seems to me that two conditions must be met. First, we must rediscover within States and between States the paramount value of the natural law, which was the source of inspiration for the rights of nations and for the first formulations of international law. Even if today some people question its validity, I am convinced that its general and universal principles can still help us to understand more clearly the unity of the human race and to foster the development of the consciences both of those who govern and of those who are governed. Second, we need the persevering work of Statesmen who are honest and selfless. In effect, the indispensable professional competence of political leaders can find no legitimacy unless it is connected to strong moral convictions. How can one claim to deal with world affairs without reference to this set of principles which is the basis of the "universal common good" spoken of so eloquently by Pope John XXIII in his Encyclical Pacem in Terris? It will always be possible for a leader who acts in accordance with his convictions to reject situations of injustice or of institutional corruption, or to put an end to them. It is precisely in this, I believe, that we rediscover what is today commonly called "good governance". The material and spiritual well-being of humanity, the protection of the freedom and rights of the human person, selfless public service, closeness to concrete conditions: all of these take precedence over every political project and constitute a moral necessity which in itself is the best guarantee of peace within nations and peace between States.
7. It is clear that, for a believer, these motivations are enriched by faith in a God who is the Creator and Father of all, who has entrusted man with stewardship of the earth and with the duty of brotherly love. This shows how it is in a State's own interest to ensure that religious freedom --- which is a natural right, that is, at one and the same time both an individual and social right --- is effectively guaranteed for all. As I have had occasion to remark in the past, believers who feel that their faith is respected and whose communities enjoy juridical recognition will work with ever greater conviction in the common project of building up the civil society to which they belong. You will understand then why I speak out on behalf of all Christians who, from Asia to Europe, continue to be victims of violence and intolerance, such as happened recently during the celebration of Christmas. Ecumenical dialogue between Christians and respectful contact with other religions, in particular with Islam, are the best remedy for sectarian rifts, fanaticism or religious terrorism. As far as the Catholic Church is concerned, I will mention but one situation which is a cause of great suffering for me: the plight of Catholic communities in the Russian Federation, which for months now have seen some of their Pastors prevented from returning to them for administrative reasons. The Holy See expects from the Government authorities concrete decisions which will put an end to this crisis, and which are in keeping with the international agreements subscribed to by the modern and democratic Russia. Russian Catholics wish to live as their brethren do in the rest of the world, enjoying the same freedom and the same dignity.
8. Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, may all of us who have gathered in this place, which is a symbol of spirituality, dialogue and peace, contribute by our daily actions to the advancement of all the peoples of the earth, in justice and harmony, to their progress towards conditions of greater happiness and greater justice, far from poverty, violence and threats of war! May God pour out his abundant blessings upon you and all those whom you represent. A Happy New Year to everyone!
[Translation of French original issued by the Vatican Press Office]
.
.
Monday, January 13, 2003
An unanswered question of beauty
Instigated by Steven of Flos Carmeli, I've gotten myself in a puzzlement over the nature of beauty. Namely, just what is the relationship, if any, between beauty and prettiness?
We use the same word to indicate the opposite of both, ugly. There are lots of examples of things that are both beautiful and pretty, like the paintings of Monet or Vivaldi's Four Seasons. But, Steven made a list of artworks to be rated, whether they were beautiful or not, and on that list was Picasso's "Guernica."
Now, "Guernica" is not pretty at all. But then, the Guernican Massacre was not at all pretty either, it was a horror. The painting, in all its un-prettiness, does truly re-present that incident to us in all its horror and terror. Is it possible to say something is beautiful when there is no prettiness at all? Even when there is power and truth? I seem to have always believed so, since I've always held "Guernica" as a great and beautiful work --- but, is beauty really the right word?
.
Instigated by Steven of Flos Carmeli, I've gotten myself in a puzzlement over the nature of beauty. Namely, just what is the relationship, if any, between beauty and prettiness?
We use the same word to indicate the opposite of both, ugly. There are lots of examples of things that are both beautiful and pretty, like the paintings of Monet or Vivaldi's Four Seasons. But, Steven made a list of artworks to be rated, whether they were beautiful or not, and on that list was Picasso's "Guernica."
Now, "Guernica" is not pretty at all. But then, the Guernican Massacre was not at all pretty either, it was a horror. The painting, in all its un-prettiness, does truly re-present that incident to us in all its horror and terror. Is it possible to say something is beautiful when there is no prettiness at all? Even when there is power and truth? I seem to have always believed so, since I've always held "Guernica" as a great and beautiful work --- but, is beauty really the right word?
.
Sunday, January 12, 2003
St. Gregory Nazienzen on the Baptism of our Lord from today's Office of Readings
Christ is bathed in light; let us also be bathed in light. Christ is baptised; let us also go down with him, and rise with him.
John is baptising when Jesus draws near. Perhaps he comes to sanctify his baptiser; certainly he comes to bury sinful humanity in the waters. He comes to sanctify the Jordan for our sake and in readiness for us; he who is spirit and flesh comes to begin a new creation through the Spirit and water.
The Baptist protests; Jesus insists. Then John says: I ought to be baptised by you. He is the lamp in the presence of the sun, the voice in the presence of the Word, the friend in the presence of the Bridegroom, the greatest of all born of woman in the presence of the firstborn of all creation, the one who leapt in his mother’s womb in the presence of him who was adored in the womb, the forerunner and future forerunner in the presence of him who has already come and is to come again. I ought to be baptised by you: we should also add, “and for you”, for John is to be baptised in blood, washed clean like Peter, not only by the washing of his feet.
Jesus rises from the waters; the world rises with him. The heavens like Paradise with its flaming sword, closed by Adam for himself and his descendants, are rent open. The Spirit comes to him as to an equal, bearing witness to his Godhead. A voice bears witness to him from heaven, his place of origin. The Spirit descends in bodily form like the dove that so long ago announced the ending of the flood and so gives honour to the body that is one with God.
Today let us do honour to Christ’s baptism and celebrate this feast in holiness. Be cleansed entirely and continue to be cleansed. Nothing gives such pleasure to God as the conversion and salvation of men, for whom his every word and every revelation exist. He wants you to become a living force for all mankind, lights shining in the world. You are to be radiant lights as you stand beside Christ, the great light, bathed in the glory of him who is the light of heaven. You are to enjoy more and more the pure and dazzling light of the Trinity, as now you have received --- though not in its fullness --- a ray of its splendour, proceeding from the one God, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory and power for ever and ever. Amen.
.
Christ is bathed in light; let us also be bathed in light. Christ is baptised; let us also go down with him, and rise with him.
John is baptising when Jesus draws near. Perhaps he comes to sanctify his baptiser; certainly he comes to bury sinful humanity in the waters. He comes to sanctify the Jordan for our sake and in readiness for us; he who is spirit and flesh comes to begin a new creation through the Spirit and water.
The Baptist protests; Jesus insists. Then John says: I ought to be baptised by you. He is the lamp in the presence of the sun, the voice in the presence of the Word, the friend in the presence of the Bridegroom, the greatest of all born of woman in the presence of the firstborn of all creation, the one who leapt in his mother’s womb in the presence of him who was adored in the womb, the forerunner and future forerunner in the presence of him who has already come and is to come again. I ought to be baptised by you: we should also add, “and for you”, for John is to be baptised in blood, washed clean like Peter, not only by the washing of his feet.
Jesus rises from the waters; the world rises with him. The heavens like Paradise with its flaming sword, closed by Adam for himself and his descendants, are rent open. The Spirit comes to him as to an equal, bearing witness to his Godhead. A voice bears witness to him from heaven, his place of origin. The Spirit descends in bodily form like the dove that so long ago announced the ending of the flood and so gives honour to the body that is one with God.
Today let us do honour to Christ’s baptism and celebrate this feast in holiness. Be cleansed entirely and continue to be cleansed. Nothing gives such pleasure to God as the conversion and salvation of men, for whom his every word and every revelation exist. He wants you to become a living force for all mankind, lights shining in the world. You are to be radiant lights as you stand beside Christ, the great light, bathed in the glory of him who is the light of heaven. You are to enjoy more and more the pure and dazzling light of the Trinity, as now you have received --- though not in its fullness --- a ray of its splendour, proceeding from the one God, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory and power for ever and ever. Amen.
.
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