Urgent Prayers Requested

I just received a note concerning Alicia Bradley.

Her latest MRI is showing some blood on the brain. Given the danger to Alicia and her unborn child, the doctor's must now quickly induce. Her husband is currently traveling for work and she is naturally afraid.

Please be generous with your prayers for this young mother and her family, for a safe delivery of the baby, for Alicia's own health and for God's Grace to weather the trial.

Advent 2009

+ St. Andrew

Pueri Concinite

An anonymous reader recently posted a link to a performance of Pueri Concinite. It is too beautiful not to feature prominently as we begin our Advent tomorrow with its yearning for the birth of our King . Enjoy!

Have They Had Enough?

Nah!

Thanksgiving Gobble-Up

Making Ready for a Big Dinner

Happy Thanksgiving

Mass of Thanksgiving, St. Augustine, Florida in 1565

Reflection In the Garden

In the garden of Gethsemane
amid the olive grove,
there I met my Savior,
pressed by sins I own.

Where are the hailed Hosannas?
Why don't Your friends draw near?
Leaden is Your anguished head,
Your face awash in tears.

An Angel there to comfort You,
his look as one forlorn.
The Royal Scarlet beads Your flesh,
for this my King was born.

The choking air, my mouth agape,
I want to hide my eyes.
Before You raise up Yours to mine,
exposing all my crimes.

"Turn your head toward me, my son"
"Leave your burden here."
"Behold, the Love that thirsts for you,"
"consoled when you are near."

Render to God What is God's

The Christian Faith is a personal, private affair? Our Lord said "I am the way, the Truth and the Life" and that no one could come to the Father but by Him. Our Lord taught PUBLICALLY in the countryside and in the Temple. Our Lord told His disciples to go out PUBLICALLY and teach ALL nations. Our Lord was condemned by a POLITICIAN. The mob in a PUBLIC forum cried “Crucify Him!” and freed Barabbas in his stead. Our Blessed Lord was crucified by the GOVERNMENT. Peter’s great sin after Our Lord’s arrest, and this is one for modern politicians to keep in mind, was that he PUBLICALLY denied he knew Our Lord. For the first three centuries of its existence, Christ’s Church was continuously persecuted by the GOVERNMENT. To this day, Christians have been PUBLICALLY ridiculed, tortured, and put to death for their profession of faith, often by atheistic GOVERNMENTS.

To say one’s Christian beliefs are personal and not tied to public life and political responsibilities is a schizophrenic disconnect with the origins and reality of the Christian Faith and the mission of the Church for which every Catholic plays his part. As Christ taught, A man cannot serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other.

"We are thus against everything that is against God. We declare war against law without God, marriage without God, science and school without God, the common good without God, work without God—in other words, laicism in all areas.

He Who created the world must again become its Lord, and His commandments on their two tablets the basis and norm of our legal codes! Let politics be service to God! The unhappy gulf between religion and public life must disappear. Let us serve one master instead of showing our lack of character by serving two! We cry out in all the alleyways: I believe in God, the Almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth! The One God lives!

We are a party of Christ the King. All policy that is ashamed of this Name should be cleaned out of the parliaments of Christian nations. Christ must reign in the legislative bodies! We were not baptized and confirmed for nothing. It should be obvious when we speak."

-Fr. Mader, Cross and Crown

Saint John of the Cross

To reach satisfaction in all
desire satisfaction in nothing.
To come to possess all
desire the possession of nothing.
To arrive at being all
desire to be nothing.
To come to the knowledge of all
desire the knowledge of nothing.

To come to enjoy what you have not
you must go by a way in which you enjoy not.
To come to the knowledge you have not
you must go by a way in which you know not.
To come to the possession you have not
you must go by a way in which you possess not.
To come to be what you are not
you must go by a way in which you are not.

When you delay in something
you cease to rush toward the all.
For to go from the all to the all
you must deny yourself of all in all.
And when you come to the possession of the all
you must possess it without wanting anything.
Because if you desire to have something in all
your treasure in God is not purely your all.

-St. John of the Cross



+Feast of St. John of the Cross

A Bishop with Some Guts -- Finally

As Catholics, we believe with all of the Church down through the centuries that Our Lord Jesus Christ is truly present in the Eucharist and that we receive Him, the Living God, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity every time we receive Holy Communion. As St. Paul states clearly in chapter 11 of his letter to the Corinthians, "For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgment to himself, not discerning the body of the Lord."

When a public scandal is given, especially by a public personality as is the case with Patrick Kennedy, it is a bishop's DUTY to PUBLICLY reprimand and call to repentance the one who is giving that scandal lest the faithful themselves adhere to the same error and go astray. What is a Shepherd for but to shepherd?

Mr. Kennedy, like his father before him, is a man who apparently thinks that he can pick and choose what Church teachings to believe and then call himself a good and faithful Catholic. Unfortunately for Mr. Kennedy, the Catholic Church is not Burger King. When Christ says "Follow Me," it is an all or nothing proposition and not an "I'll have it my way, please." Truth and error cannot cohabitate in the mind and heart of a Christian.

It is heartening to finally see a bishop like Bishop Tobin stand up and do what he is supposed to do by reminding Kennedy that he is breaking communion with the Church as a result of his support for abortion and perversion laws, and more importantly, that he must not commit a further sacrilege by receiving Our Blessed Lord in Holy Communion.

Catholics are members of the Mystical Body of Christ and an individual's actions affect the whole body for good or ill. Let us pray for the conversion of Patrick Kennedy and for the fidelity, constancy and fortitude of the nation's bishops. The Rights of God, of Christ who is King of all, must be upheld and defended no matter what the cost.

Saturday at School

The boys and I went up to the workday at the girl's school today to offer a hand. The new wing looks great so far but the girls will need to sell a whole lot of Christmas cards to raise the funds for completion. The wing will provide much needed dorm space as the school continues to expand. I hear there is now a waiting list for prospective students.

De Profundis

Here is a really good recording of De Profundis Clamavi. My only complaint, and it is a small one, is the tempo. You can get away with that pace in a concert hall, but definitely not in a Mass setting.

It is soul stirring.

Femininity

Here is a beautiful tribute to womanhood and femininity set to Bach's equally beautiful Largo from Concerto V for Harpsichord and Strings. Among the works of art shown is a piece depicting St. Elizabeth of Hungary distributing bread to the poor. We celebrate St. Elizabeth's feast day today. The daughter of Alexander II, King of Hungary, St. Elizabeth, after raising a family and living a virtuous life, became a Franciscan Tertiary, renounced the world, built a hospital, and devoted herself to the care of the sick and needy until her death.

Salieri's De Profundis

I will never forget when my family first began assisting at the Traditional Mass at St. Therese's hearing Salieri's De Profundis sung for the first time after communion. I was stunned. Like Psalm 129 (130) which Salieri's work musically depicts, its power and beauty urges the soul to cry out from the depths for mercy and forgiveness to her God. It is probably my favorite piece of music next to Allegri's Miserere Mei.

I always look forward to the month of November, the time when the Church focuses our attention on all the departed souls and the four last things, in the hopes of hearing the De Profundis. We had the privilege of hearing our schola and choir sing it this past Sunday. The first recording I have referenced below is a recent recording from a church in Ontario. The second is from St. Therese's. If I can get a better recording, I will follow up on this post.


download

Out of the depths I have cried to thee, O Lord:
Lord, hear my voice. Let thy ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication.
If thou, O Lord, wilt mark iniquities: Lord, who shall stand it.
For with thee there is merciful forgiveness: and by reason of thy law, I have waited for thee, O Lord. My soul hath relied on his word:
My soul hath hoped in the Lord.

From the morning watch even until night, let Israel hope in the Lord.
Because with the Lord there is mercy: and with him plentiful redemption.
And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.

Sermon Posted

Fr. Hewko's sermon this past Sunday is posted in the links. I apologize for the delay.

My Patron, St. Albert the Great's Feast Day Today

He was known as the "teacher of everything there is to know," was a scientist long before the age of science, was considered a wizard and magician in his own lifetime, and became the teacher and mentor of that other remarkable mind of his time, St. Thomas Aquinas.

St. Albert the Great was born in Lauingen on the Danube, near Ulm, Germany; his father was a military lord in the army of Emperor Frederick II. As a young man Albert studied at the University of Padua and there fell under the spell of Blessed Jordan of Saxony, the Dominican who made the rounds of the universities of Europe drawing the best young men of the universities into the Dominicans.

After several teaching assignments in his order, he came in 1241 to the University of Paris, where he lectured in theology. While teaching in Paris, he was assigned by his order in 1248 to set up a house of studies for the order in Cologne. In Paris, he had gathered around him a small band of budding theologians, the chief of whom was Thomas Aquinas, who accompanied him to Cologne and became his greatest pupil.

In 1260, he was appointed bishop of Regensberg; when he resigned after three years, he was called to be an adviser to the pope and was sent on several diplomatic missions. In his latter years, he resided in Cologne, took part in the Council of Lyons in 1274, and in his old age traveled to Paris to defend the teaching of his student Thomas Aquinas.

It was in Cologne that his reputation as a scientist grew. He carried on experiments in chemistry and physics in his makeshift laboratory and built up a collection of plants, insects, and chemical compounds that gave substance to his reputation. When Cologne decided to build a new cathedral, he was consulted about the design. He was friend and adviser to popes, bishops, kings, and statesmen and made his own unique contribution to the learning of his age.

He died a very old man in Cologne on November 15,1280, and is buried in St. Andrea's Church in that city. He was canonized and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1931 by Pope Pius XI. His writings are remarkable for their exact scientific knowledge, and for that reason he has been made the patron saint of scientists.

Thought for the Day: St. Albert the Great was convinced that all creation spoke of God and that the tiniest piece of scientific knowledge told us something about Him. Besides the Bible, God has given us the book of creation revealing something of His wisdom and power. In creation, Albert saw the hand of God.

Taken from "The One Year Book of Saints" by Rev. Clifford Stevens

The Literacy of Modernity

I could not resist snapping this one on my way to work yesterday.

NEA Places Rules for Radicals on Recommended Reading List

See: http://www.nea.org/tools/17231.htm?#t=28#t=28

I have posted on Alinsky's Rules for Radicals previously: see earlier post. This is the book of socialist "community organization" principles that Alinsky dedicated to Lucifer:

Lest we forget at least an over-the-shoulder acknowledgment to the very first radical: from all our legends, mythology, and history (and who is to know where mythology leaves off and history begins — or which is which), the first radical known to man who rebelled against the establishment and did it so effectively that he at least won his own kingdom — Lucifer

The NEA has this to say about Rules for Radicals: "An inspiration to anyone contemplating action in their community! And to every organizer!"

God help the youth of this country.

Feast of Saint Martin of Tours

Our cake rendition of St. Martin's cloak:

Young Martin was stationed at Amiens, in Gaul, when the incident occurred which tradition and art have rendered so famous. As he rode towards the town one winter day, he noticed near the gates a poor man, thinly clad, shivering with cold, and begging alms. Martin saw that none who passed stopped to help the miserable fellow. He had nothing with him but the clothes he wore, but, drawing his sword from its scabbard, he cut his great woolen cloak in two pieces, gave one half to the beggar, and wrapped himself in the other. The following night, the story continues, Martin in his sleep saw Jesus Christ, surrounded by angels, and dressed in the half of the cloak he had given away. A voice bade him look at it well and say whether he knew it. He then heard Jesus say to the angels, "Martin, as yet only a catechumen, has covered me with his cloak."[1] Sulpicius Severus, the saint's friend and biographer, says that as a consequence of this vision Martin "flew to be baptized."

From Crawley's Lives of Saints

Panis Angelicus - The Bread of Angels

Thomas Campion - 5 Months Old Today

Gloria in excelsis Deo - Truth and Beauty

The Mexican Baroque of Manuel de Sumaya

Education and Culture

Education and culture have been much on my mind lately. In particular, how education and culture should be consistent in the home, one supporting the beauty and ideas of the other. A continuous imbalance is likely to prove deadly, in particular to the faith and to the soul. Finding that balance is difficult, yet imperative to a Catholic family.

How do parents supply a good Catholic education when there are no orthodox Catholic schools close by for the children to attend? For those blessed with good Catholic schools, how do parents deal with the modern culture beating down the front door to grab the eyes, ears and hearts of their children to communicate a different message from what is given in school or homeschool and in church? What approach to modern media is best, complete abstinence or an approach that is cautious and deliberate, but more moderate? The difficulties are manifest and each particular subject has its nuances.

I am a believer that the television must go, in the least, network television and cable. I am also convinced that rock music, not always so much for its lyrics as many may think, but for its disorder musically, should also not be part of a Catholic home. Rock music is a tough one. I grew up on it. I like it. But that is the problem. Rock music is a music that appeals to the emotions, and its message, whatever message that may be for a given song, gets inside and it does not leave. I have not listened to rock music for over five years now (unless forced to while shopping or in some other public venue), but on a daily basis songs pop into my head that are next to impossible to extricate. I will wake up in the morning with them still there endlessly looping and as vibrant as if the headphones were still attached to my head. Music is powerful.

I believe as I have stated on this blog before that we are awash in an anti-culture, all of us infected to a greater or lesser degree by its liberal ideas. It is an anti-culture principally because it is anti-Christ; its products and byproducts reflect this. It is also a hydra, with heads represented by every new gadget that sits on the market to pump the message of godlessness, selfishness and rebellion into the God-given receptacles on our heads. Because swimming with this hydra is so precarious, I think to the extent that we can focus on rebuilding a real Christian culture, replacing each cultural element that is ugly and banal with a cultural element that is beautiful and uplifting, the better chance we have of leading our children to Heaven and getting there ourselves.

As with all that is true and good in the heart of a society, rebuilding Christian culture begins with the family. It is no wonder that the anti-culture is doing everything within its power to destroy the family -- it is its mortal enemy. The family has rightfully earned its description as the fundamental building block of society, and it is unstoppable when firmly rooted in God. When good traditional Catholic families can wage war and gain consensus on the cultural front as they have done to wage war against the explicit attacks on the Church herself, I believe we can ensure a better spiritual and temporal future for our children.

With many things, it is easy to criticize and difficult to offer concrete solutions. Where to begin? My challenge is principally to myself and to all Catholic men. I think we heads of families need to courageously boot the hydra from our homes as much as practically possible. What needs to remain for work or practical purposes, say, should be controlled as if it were a live predator. In addition, I think we need to educate and cultivate ourselves so that we may do the same for our children. All of this done with much prayer, in the mutual support of true Christian charity, and with deliberate focus as part of the apostolate.

I will end this post quoting from a Parents' Meeting given by the Dominican Teaching Sisters of Post Falls, Idaho back in 1992. As always, the Sisters have a firm grasp on the important link between education and cultural formation, especially as that link either weakens or strengthens an even more fundamental link, the link between our natural and supernatural life:

You see where the contemplation of a beautiful landscape can or must lead. Do you understand a little bit better to what extent body and soul, our natural life and our supernatural life are linked together? Then you can guess the importance of the education of the senses, the education of perception; you can guess the necessity of putting our senses in contact with the beautiful, so that through this beauty we return to God Himself. Have your children listen to beautiful music; you bring them thereby closer to God. Have them admire beautiful paintings, beautiful monuments, at least in pictures. Have them appreciate the scent of flowers, of the fresh morning air, or a beautiful summer evening, the scent of hay, of a pine forest. Let their ears be used to hearing only beautiful things, not only music, but beautiful language. Refuse the vulgarity of language which is so much in style, but so shameful when we think about it ... Let us wage an implacable war on all that is ugly, on all that is disorderly, on all that is opposed to beauty, to harmony -- for those are incompatible with God, thus impossible for us to accept. We must develop in our children the love of order, the love of beauty, at the same time as we develop in them the horror of what is half or poorly done. [emphasis mine]

LKC Defenders

Our local chapter of the League of the Kingship of Christ got some of the academy boys together for a friendly Defenders of the Faith competition today. This is the second such event since our local LKC chapter formed back in January. The purpose of Defenders is to instill in the boys greater knowledge, understanding and zeal for the Faith, for their own spiritual welfare, and so they may do their part to help win souls for Christ.

We focused tonight on the Eucharist, especially Our Lord's literal teaching in John 6 and the requirement of His followers to eat this "Bread of Life". We discussed how the Eucharist was prefigured in the Old Testament by Melchesidech's offering of bread and wine for Abraham in Genesis, as well as the Manna from heaven that the Jews ate in the desert. We also connected Our Lord's teaching to St. Paul in 1 Cor 11 where St. Paul admonishes those who would receive Our Lord present in the bread and wine unworthily--to their judgment as he states. Naturally, this tied into the Last Supper where Our Lord Himself consecrated the bread and wine for the first time as a model for the Apostles in what was the first Mass.

As a bonus, we were able to discuss some of the meatier philosophical/theological terms such as Substance versus Accidents, and what is meant by Transubstantiation. The Substance versus Accidents discussion hit home as it explains how the Host becomes the living Body and Blood of Jesus, yet still looks and tastes like bread--the substance changes, but the accidents remain. Lastly, we further supported the belief of the literal presence of Our Lord in the Eucharist, because it was believed by Christians from the original Apostles up to the present day as is recorded throughout history.

Lots of fun and a whirlwind of a day!

Take note of those who hold heterodox opinions on the grace of Jesus Christ which has come to us, and see how contrary their opinions are to the mind of God ... They abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer because they do not confess that the Eucharist is the flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ, flesh which suffered for our sins and which that Father, in his goodness, raised up. They who deny the gift of God are perisihing in their disputes.
Ignatius of Antioch, disciple of John the Apostle, 110 A.D.

6 Months of Fun Began Today

Blow, blow, thou winter wind. Thou art not so unkind As man’s ingratitude; Thy tooth is not so keen, Because thou art not seen, Although thy breath be rude. Heigh-ho! sing, heigh-ho! unto the green holly: Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly: Then, heigh-ho, the holly! This life is most jolly. Freeze, freeze, thou bitter sky, That dost not bite so nigh As benefits forgot: Though thou the waters warp, Thy sting is not so sharp As friend remember’d not. -Shakespeare (from As You Like It)

Birthday Pictures

A few from yesterday...

Happy Birthday Joshua Aaron Charles!

Vaccines: Do Your Research

Brother Benedict Visits

Brother Benedict graciously joined us for dinner last night. Brother is the head cook at La Salette Academy and came home with the Nicholville boys for break to enjoy some of the North Country hunting season. Thank God for these selfless vocations and may He send us more!

La Salette's New Academic Building

The much anticipated new academic building on the La Salette Boys Academy campus is finally open for business. Follow this link for some pictures.

All Souls

SOFTLY and gently, dearly-ransomed soul, In my most loving arms I now enfold thee, And, o’er the penal waters, as they roll, I poise thee, and I lower thee, and hold thee. And carefully I dip thee in the lake, And thou, without a sob or a resistance, Dost through the flood thy rapid passage take, Sinking deep, deeper, into the dim distance. Angels, to whom the willing task is given, Shall tend, and nurse, and lull thee, as thou liest; And Masses on the earth and prayers in heaven, Shall aid thee at the Throne of the most Highest. Farewell, but not forever! Brother dear, Be brave and patient on thy bed of sorrow; Swiftly shall pass thy night of trial here, And I will come and wake thee on the morrow. (from The Dream of Gerontius by Cardinal John Henry Newman)

Pumpkin Carving

We carved a few pumpkins tonight...

All Saints Party

and blessing of the beautiful new cemetery crucifix...