"Cor ad cor loquitor."

"To love another person is to see the face of God." - From the finale of the musical Les Miserables 

These are the closing lines to the story of the musical Les Miserables, and they are so perfect because the story of Les Miserables is about the importance of love, but the true love of charity, the love of God, represented by the Greek word agape. The novel version, which is essentially two things, a story and Victor Hugo's commentary on anything and everything, has a constantly repeating refrain in both parts, "the miserables," are those who live without ever encountering love. 

Although Hugo left the Catholic faith, and even insisted on his children being buried without crucifixes or priests, he hit the nail on the head with his thought here. As Blessed Mother Teresa said, the greatest poverty is to feel unloved. We know that God is love (1 John 4:8), and therefore the man who attempts to live without love, attempts to live without God. Even worse, the man who is never shown love, is never shown God.

As has been asserted, since at least the time of Plato, man is a social being. Men form societies, not only for the practical purposes of survival, but to encounter the Divine, albeit not all men can vocalize this desire. We have a longing in us for God, and if we do not seek to fulfill this longing through prayer and an authentic relation with the Divine, we will seek to fulfill it in other ways.

St. Thomas Aquinas, in his Summa Theologiae, spoke of all the different things in which man may desire to fulfill this longing of his soul. Some seek it in fame or glory, others in wealth or power, others in honor, and still others in pleasure. The conclusion of Aquinas is, of course, that none of these things will perfectly satisfy men. As C.S. Lewis so eloquently put it, then, "If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probably explanation is that we were made for another world," or as St. Augustine said in his Confessions, "You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you."

As I said on the Feast of the Trinity, our final end is God. He alone is the One Who can satisfy our desire and longing for happiness and love. However, as long as we remain in this, "valley of tears," we can never be perfectly happy. Nevertheless, we can still have a foretaste of that eternal love because, "he first loved us (1 John 4:19)." St. John the Apostles says that is why we are able to love, because we were loved first.

How true this statement is! God created out of love, and because of this love, He condescended to become man and to die for our salvation to bring us back to Him! On this Solemnity of the Sacred Heart, let us then remember the saying of Blessed John Henry Newman, Cor ad cor loquitor. - Heart speaks to heart. The Second Person of the Blessed Trinity became man so that we might see the face of God, for he who has encountered the person of Jesus Christ has encountered the Father (John 14:9). While on this earth, the Apostles and disciples conversed with God as a human. We are still able to converse with Him as a man, because He in the Person of Jesus Christ, He is fully God and fully man. He has a human heart!

I believe that this speaks of a very important concept. It is in a human way that we see God. We are not able to have knowledge of God has He has knowledge of Himself, that would require a Divine Intellect. We are not able to know Him as the angels know Him, for that would require an angelic knowledge. Rather, we know Him through our own natural intellects and insofar as He reveals Himself to us.

But why would He become man so that we might know Him better? I believe it is because through human love we are able to have an encounter with the Divine Love. Obviously, we can know the love God has for us through the truths of the Faith, such as the Incarnation and Passion, but it is through experience that we come to know what something is. We are able to have an understanding of what God's love for us is, while on this earth, because we have known love through being loved by others - our parents, our friends, siblings, etc.

Although the love we experience through others is imperfect, we are still able to relate that to how God must love us. But of course we strip away the imperfections, and even then, we know how far short our concept must fall, no matter how beautiful it seems.

This is why it is so important we love others - so that they may know the love of God! The more perfectly we show that self-sacrificial and self-giving love to others, the better will their concept of love be, which they can then relate to God. This is the highest form of preaching Christ - love. Cor ad cor loquitor. Our charity and love will speak to the heart of others in such a way that words will always fall short of. Many know the famous saying of St. Francis of Assisi, "Preach always; when necessary use words."

On this Solemnity of the Sacred Heart then, let us use the human and Divine Heart of Jesus Christ as our example of how to love. May we love that Heart with all our being so that, in all our relationships and encounters with others, we may display that love. Then others will see the face of God, because they have been loved by another person.  

Bring Back John the Baptist!

Three saints are constantly brought before us during the liturgical year - Mary, John the Baptist, and Peter. This is because they were constantly present in the earthly life of our Lord, and are thus constantly brought before us in the Gospels.

The reason for Mary's perpetual presence is obvious. She is the Mother of our Lord. Thus, she would be forever faithful at His side through His life. From His Crib to His Cross she is there, forever being "the handmaid of the Lord."

St. Peter's presence is also obvious. He was to be the Vicar of Christ on earth after the Ascension of our Lord. He was to be the visible Head of the Church. How else could he learn this position, except by learning it from Christ, Who is Himself the Head of the Church. Peter is also an example for us. His constant failings and falls are a reminder to us of how often we fail the Lord and sin, but just as Peter always arose again and became a great saint, we are called to the same.

St. John the Baptist's constant presence is not quite as obvious though. Yet this is the man of whom our Lord said, "No man born of woman is greater than John the Baptist (Matthew 11:11)." Why, then is John, even after his beheading by Herod, constantly brought up?

Before answering this question, though, let us look at the many times he is mentioned. The Gospel of Luke begins with the announcement of his birth to Zechariah and then he is mentioned both in the Annunciation to Mary and her Visitation to Elizabeth. His birth, which we commemorate today, ends the first chapter of the Gospel of Luke.

He is again brought before us in all four Gospels due to his preaching in the wilderness. Within this context we see him challenging the Pharisees and Sadducees, just as Jesus would later due, and proclaiming a baptism of repentance in preparation for the Baptism Christ would bring. The three Synoptic Gospels close this portion with the Baptism of Jesus by John and the declaration by the Father of Jesus as His beloved Son (Matthew 3:17, Mark 1:11, Luke 3:21).

Within the Gospel of John, he is mentioned in the Prologue as the the one sent to proclaim the coming of the Word made flesh, and at the Baptism of Jesus, John proclaims Him as, "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29)!" John is also brought before us afterwards, saying that his time of preaching has ended, and now Christ must increase, while he decreases (John 3:30)."

However, throughout the Gospels Jesus refers back to John. In Chapter 11 of the Gospel of Matthew and Chapter 7 of the Gospel of Luke, Jesus says, "'What did you go out into the wilderness to behold? . . . a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.'" He then says that John was the one sent before Him in the power of Elijah, and declares, "'Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has risen no one greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.'"

John himself appears again when he is imprisoned by Herod and beheaded, as recorded in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark. However, even though this is his last physical appearance, he continues to be mentioned. At Peter's confession of Jesus as the Son of God, John is mentioned (Mark 8:27). After the Transfiguration, John is mentioned as the new Elijah (Matthew 17: 9-13). Even throughout the Acts of the Apostles, John is mentioned several times.

Within the history of the Church as well, St. John the Baptist was an integral figure. Due to his baptizing our Lord, the early baptistries were often resplendent with images of him, and were especially consecrated to him. We may also recall that the Mother Church of Christendom, St. John Lateran, is dedicated to him, along with Christ the Savior and John the Evangelist.

The date of his birth is placed in six months opposite to Christ's to once again show how John prefigured Christ. To further this thought, the day was also celebrated with three Masses, just as on Christmas, one in the night, one at dawn, and one during the day. It was as if the joys of Christmas, which had to be subdued because of the harsh weather in winter, broke forth once again on this day.

But St. John holds a special place in the Liturgy of the Church as well. His name is mentioned in the Canon, and he is mentioned in the Confiteor of the Extraordinary Form. He is invoked in the Litany of the Saints, as well as in the Rite of Baptism, specifically blessing water.

What are we to draw from all of this? In modern times, we overlook today's solemnity. Even when it falls on a Sunday in Ordinary Time, and thus takes precedence, it is hardly looked upon with the devotion and grandeur it held in olden times.

I would suggest that this is due to the ever growing liturgical indifference. I have heard many people say they don't go to daily Mass when they are able, but they pray a rosary every day, so God is happy with that.

It is true that God is pleased with the praying of the rosary, but the devil is ecstatic at the above scenario! Now, I'm not saying the devil is pleased with the praying of the rosary, but he rejoices when a sacramental is elevated above a Sacrament, and when private devotions are given pride of place over public.

The Breviary was revamped following the Second Vatican Council partly so that it would be more accessible to the lay faithful. However, Catholics who are familiar with the breviary are a vast minority. I'm not saying everyone needs to pray the Liturgy of the Hours or go to Mass everyday, but when these concepts are foreign to the Faithful, or when solemnities pass by unnoticed, or when we flee from solemnity because it is too long, there is a problem in the Church!

I ask again, what are we to draw from all of the mentions of John the Baptist I related above? That we should be close to him as an high member of the Communion of Saints. We should celebrate his feasts because of his close relations to Christ. He is called the friend of the Bridegroom, i.e. Christ (John 3:29), not because of a merely earthly friendship, but because of his great holiness. He was able to proclaim the coming of Christ because he experienced it first in his own soul.

He is thus an example to us in this. The Liturgy gives us these great and many feasts and solemnities of the Apostles and Saints as a means whereby we may encounter our Lord in a unique way. The Liturgical Feasts, though celebrated year by year always seem to hold a new joy for us, as Gueranger said in The Liturgical Year.

But there is one final thought I wish to bring forth. We have something greater than John the Baptist ever did. We have the perpetual presence of Christ among us in His Church and in His Sacraments. John experienced the presence of Christ for a short time on this earth. We already are able to possess Him, albeit in an imperfect manner, Who we will possess in the glory of Heaven. Thus, we are able to rejoice in a way on this earth that John never could.

This is the great joy of the Communion of Saints though! We can share our joy with John, our Blessed Mother, St. Peter, and all the angels and saints! They share their joy with us as well. This is done through the Sacred Liturgy, the time and place where Heaven and Earth are united.

May we begin a restoration of devotion to all of the feasts of the liturgical year. May our private devotions be united with the entire Church, not separated from Her. Then we shall already experience that heavenly joy which St. John the Baptist longed to possess on this earth, and saw but the foretaste in the coming of Christ, but now possesses in its fullness in Heaven. 

Through the Immaculate Heart joy has come into the world!

"Lovely Lady dressed in blue 

teach me how to pray!

God was just your little boy, 

tell me what to say"

- From the poem "Lovely Lady Dressed in Blue" by Mary Dixon Thayer

This day, the Immaculate Heart of Mary, is not a solemnity in the Church. Nonetheless, I can't help but comment upon it, because I have such a deep devotion to the Immaculate Heart. I love to recall the story of one priest who would always refer to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary as the One Heart. 

Both hearts are mentioned in the Gospel, and both in relation to the sufferings of Jesus. At the Presentation in the Temple, Simeon says, "'and a sword will pierce through your own heart also, that thoughts out of many hearts might be revealed (Luke 2:35).'" When the side of Jesus is pierced, John says that blood and water flowed forth from Jesus' wounded heart (John 19: 34-35). 

I believe there is a beautiful lesson we can learn from this. Mary's heart can be said to be one with the Heart of Jesus because she willed what God willed. She was the handmaid of the Lord (Luke 1:38). She stood beneath the Cross of Jesus (John 19:25). 

Venerable Fulton J. Sheen said that, "Great saints are made in the shadow of the Cross." If Mary is to teach us how to pray, it will be in relation to the Cross. The Cross was so prominent in her life, yet it was through it that joy entered her heart, and through her heart the world. 

Let us then imitate Mary. Let us pray, not only in our times of joy, but especially in our times of suffering. However, during our times of desolation, may we pray through our sufferings, knowing that we are being purified of our attachment to this earth for eternal life and glory with Christ. 

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, make our hearts like unto thine!
Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us!  

May the Body and Blood of Christ preserve us to eternal life.

Today holds a very special occurrence every year for me. As I have noted before, I am a devoted reader of Gueranger, especially his The Liturgical Year. Today, the feast of Corpus Christi is always a bittersweet day in reading his meditations, because I read the last words he wrote. His meditations, which began with Advent, are abruptly halted today. While the work was finished by his brother monks, due to the notes he had left on the rest of the feasts, they are more methodical and lack somewhat the eloquence Gueranger himself possessed.

However, I can think of no more beautiful feast for his words to terminate on, and this is a perfect reminder for us of the importance of the Sacrament of the Lord's Body and Blood. This is the food which nourishes us to eternal life. As I noted in yesterday's blog post, the Sequence for today speaks of how this Food is either a source of life or death to us. The Eucharistic Feast will often be for us a source of meditation throughout Ordinary Time, which we will be in until Advent. This day is for us, then, the beginning of our meditations.

As Gueranger's last meditation was upon the Eucharist, so must our meditations always be. The Liturgy is a foretaste and a reminder of what we look forward to experiencing in eternity. Within the Church's Liturgy we experience an outpouring of love. The love may be summed up in the Eucharist. The Eucharist is the means whereby our souls are wedded to Christ, and we therefore already experience the heavenly Liturgy while upon this earth.

Now, it is often noted that we should not allow the summer months to be a time when we fall away from the Faith. We must keep the Eucharist at the center of our lives. However, I will be so bold as to propose that the summer is the perfect time for this. It is a time in which we should take note of our spiritual lives and grow closer to Christ. It is a time for a spiritual renovation.

The summer is the time in which we take vacations from our worldly occupations, and this is good and praiseworthy. However, we should remember that it is a vacation from our worldly lives, not from our supernatural lives. Instead, let's go on a vacation to grow closer to Jesus. While we certainly need rest and enjoyment in our activities, let's not do so at the expense of our Faith.

For this end, in light of the current solemnity, I propose some of the following options to attempt during the summer:

1. Add a Holy Hour to your summer week. This time spent with our Eucharistic Lord is sure to be relaxing. It's psychologically proven. Prayer time is a stress reliever, and time spent in a quiet chapel with God, truly present, sounds pretty worthwhile to me.

2. Consider adding morning Mass to your schedule. I know that you probably think I sound insane for this. How can getting up earlier be relaxing? Well, it's not so much that it's physically fun, especially for us night owls, but I promise you'll feel a lot better when the Eucharist is the first thing you consume for the day. Plus, it helps reorient you to what's truly important. Instead of shoeing the kids off to school, you're shoeing gathering them for Mass. It's worth it in the long run.

3. Pray the Liturgy of the Hours. The Liturgy of the Hours is the Prayer of the Church. It is a refreshment throughout the day. It only takes a few minutes, but those few minutes are a chance to pause and remind ourselves why we're on this earth. Plus, they are a way of reconnecting to the Mass throughout the day. Numerous resources are available for learning to pray it, plus, it's available as an app on iTunes.

4. Stop by local churches when on vacation. This option has a lot of nice features. You get to pay a visit to Jesus. Every time you visit a new church, you can gain a plenary indulgence for the day if you pray an Our Father and the Nicene Creed in the church. Hopefully, you get to see nice architecture and a beautiful church where you can learn about the Faith, since most churches have little hidden gems in them of a special devotion or aspect of the Faith. Unfortunately, because a lot of churches aren't built with beauty and grandeur in mind anymore, you can hope that at least you can get some air conditioning for a little while. At least it'll be time with Jesus.

5. Go on retreat. Instead of a vacation, which is focused on re-energizing the body, this is focused on revitalizing the soul. I'm not saying to forget the vacation, but don't forget the retreat as well. We need to take care of body and soul. If your obligations prevent you from getting away for more than a day, at least get a babysitter and take an afternoon where it's just you and Jesus. There doesn't have to be any special structure to it, just let it be quality time with the Lord.

Remember especially, that every time you receive the Eucharist your soul is truly united to Christ. He is the Bridegroom and we are part of His Bride, the Church. The relationship needs to be nurtured. Therefore, may this day on which we celebrate the gift of the Lord's Body and Blood, and the summer and entire Church year, be the days upon which we grow in our relationship with the Risen Lord, so that when we enter into our eternal union with Him, we may enter it as guests invited (Matthew 22: 1-14).      

The Week of Solemnities: An opportunity to grow in love

Let the week of solemnities begin! This is a rare week, because four solemnities will occur this week, and all of them will receive full commemorations, due to perfect timing. We begin with Corpus Christi today, on Monday evening and Tuesday we will celebrate the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, Friday will bring the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus before us, and we will conclude with St. Peter and St. Paul next Sunday.

The ordering for these four solemnities is perfect as well, because it provides a great source of meditation. In a sense, Corpus Christi may be connected to the Feast of Pentecost. As the ordering of the Solemnity of the Trinity the week after Pentecost was perfect, because it symbolized how the Holy Spirit leads us into the mystery of the Trinity, so the placing of the Feast of the Lord's Body and Blood after the Trinity reminds us that the Eucharist is the main means for nourishing the Divine Life within us.

The Feast of St. John the Baptist reminds us that the Eucharist should be converting us into an image of our Lord. The Eucharist is transformative.  As St. Thomas Aquinas said in the hymn Lauda Sion, used in the Liturgy for the Sequence of Corpus Christi, "Both the wicked and the good / eat of this celestial food: / but with ends how opposite! / Here is life, and there is death: / the same, yet issuing to each / in a difference infinite." The Eucharist will either be to us a source of life or of death. If received worthily and with due preparation, it will nourish us unto eternal life. However, if it is received unworthily, or without thought to the action, it will harm the soul, as the most sacred action offered to men, will be done indifferently.

On St. John's Day, we are then reminded of his words, "He [Christ] must increase; I must decrease (John 3:30)." These feasts are being kept as reminders of what we are to become, vessels and images of Jesus Christ to the world.

This is why it is so perfect that the next solemnity we will commemorate will be the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The love of Jesus is what we are called to display to the world, but first we must allow it to enter our lives. As Pope Francis said, "It is your life that Jesus wants to enter with His word, with His presence." We must allow ourselves to be loved by Jesus before we can show that love.

To understand the depth of this love, however, we must encounter Christ both in the Liturgy and in charitable works. The Liturgy is the place where we are presented with the history of our salvation and God's love, and it is the foretaste of the love we will encounter in eternity. It is in charity that we encounter the love of Christ in the here and now and are able to give the love of Christ. As Jesus said, "Whatever you did for the least of my brothers, you did for me (Matthew 25:40)."

This is saying is then summed up in the next two feasts of the Church. Although it is only a memorial, the Immaculate Heart of Mary is the perfect example of how we are to love. We are to give ourselves entirely to Christ and say, "May it be done unto me according to your word (Luke 1:38)." This must then overflow in love for the whole Church, as it did in Mary when she gave up her Son for us all.

The last feast is the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul. These two saints show us what it is to live entirely for Jesus Christ. While it is impossible to here describe all of the ways in which they lived out the love of Christ, let us recall the hours they spent in prayer for the Church, the untiring manner in which they worked for the conversion and salvation of souls, and the sufferings they endured for the name of Jesus. The sacrifice of their lives was then consummated in Rome, where they were martyred for the faith.

May our lives then be a sacrifice for Christ. May we keep this week with faith and joy. Let it be for us a source of grace. May we participate in the liturgical life of the Church this week, to the extent of our vocations, with devotion. And may this participation then overflow into love for all of humanity and lead us into eternal salvation. Allow me to close with a quote from our Holy Father Francis, "Agape, the love of each one of us for the other, from the closest to the furthest, is in fact the only way that Jesus has given us to find the way of salvation and of the Beatitudes."

The Holy Trinity: Our Final End

Happy Trinity Sunday! I often feel as if this is the overlooked Solemnity of the Church year, as it falls in between Pentecost Sunday, where the Church celebrates Her birthday and the coming of the Holy Spirit, and Corpus Christi, often commemorated with Eucharistic Processions. This Sunday, however, has no unusual liturgical events or commemorations. There is no sequence before the Gospel, there is no big celebration or procession, everything is as a normal Sunday.

I think the apparent simplicity of this Solemnity is actually quite sublime. The Trinity is the central mystery of the Christian Faith. It is brought before us constantly throughout the day, both in and outside of the Liturgy. Everytime we make the Sign of the Cross, we proclaim the Trinity. Everytime we pray the Glory be, we praise the Trinity.

The Trinity is the mystery par excellance; no matter how much we speak and explain the Trinity, there is always more we may speak and explain. No matter how much we come to understand the Trinity, there is always infinitely more to understand. Our understanding of the One God in Three Divine Persons will never be complete, either in this life or the next. As is often said, "If you think you have comprehended the Trinity, you've comprehended something, but it's not God."

The lack of unique proclamations and ceremonies today actually then proclaims the centrality of the Trinity to the Faith. The Holy Trinity can never be lacking from our worship. To be a Christian is to proclaim the Trinity. Without Baptism in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, one cannot enter into the Church. The Trinity is the One Who gives us life, sustains our life, and to Whom we will return at the end of our lives. Therefore, every act should be done in union with the Trinity. 

Today then should be for us a reawakening. Holy Mother Church gives us this feast immediately after we have finished commemorating all of the mysteries of our salvation to remind us once again of their purpose. The Word became man, was born of Mary, suffered for us, died on a Cross, rose from the dead, ascended into Heaven, and sent the Holy Spirit upon the Church, all so that we might be reunited to God. This feast may be a reminder then of our final end. 

God the Father created us in love to be with Him for eternity, the Son redeemed us in love to bring us back to Himself, and the Holy Spirit sanctifies us in love so that we may always be united with Him. May we always keep this in mind as we pray and work. Let us always worship the Triune God through the Holy Liturgy. 

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. 

Passivity to the Spirit

Happy Solemnity of Pentecost!

Today we celebrate arguably the second highest feast in the Church. I say arguably since one could claim Christmas is a higher feast. I personally believe today is a higher feast, and this is my blog so...

I felt that being such a high feast, we needed a special blog post, but I struggled to figure out what would be appropriate. So I thought about what has most touched me this past liturgical year so far, and the thing which struck me most was the idea of the New Evangelization. 

Now I don't claim to be any expert in that field, so that's not what I'm really going to talk about. Plus, more important bishops and priests and theologians have explained it. Instead I'd rather talk about one specific part of evangelization. That is the concept of the two-fold purpose of the Liturgy. 

Christianity is not simply a passive lifestyle. However, neither is it only an active on the streets faith. It requires more than going to church on Sundays and maybe saying a few prayers throughout the week. It even requires more than going to church every day and saying lots of prayers throughout the week. 

On the other hand, though, it requires some time in the church. One will quickly fall away from the faith if one spends all their time on the streets or volunteering. 

However, even if one spends time in the church praying and spends time volunteering, praying at an abortion clinic, etc., they are still possibly missing an essential part of the faith - the passive part!

The Liturgy is both an active and passive thing. Since the Second Vatican Council there has been a large emphasis on promoting the active aspect of participation. However, this activity must be done for the purpose of receiving grace. This in turn is done so that one may go out and proclaim the faith in word and deed. Nemo dat quod non habet - you cannot give what you do not have. If we do not receive grace from the Sacred Liturgy, we will be unable to be an image of Christ to others. The reception of grace then is the passive aspect of the Liturgy, which cannot be neglected. Instead, it must always be the prime intention for our activity.

After the Ascension, the Apostles spent the intervening 10 days in prayer, awaiting the coming of the Holy Spirit, which we commemorate today. Their act of prayer was done so that their hearts could be opened. Then, when the Spirit came upon them they went out and preached to the people, and three thousand were converted that day alone (Acts 2:21).

Even though he possessed the Divine Intellect and knew all things, Jesus himself went off and prayed before any of his major life actions, from His fasting in the desert before beginning His public ministry, to the choosing of His Apostles, to before beginning His Passion (Matthew 4:1-2, Luke 6:12-13, Luke 22:29-30). This was done to teach us the importance of prayer and the necessity of submitting to God's will and grace.

It is easy for us then to see why our Lord commanded the Apostles to wait and pray in Jerusalem for the descent of the Holy Spirit upon them (Luke 24:49). Our Lord did not send them out immediately, but instead wished them to serve as an example for the importance of prayer.

It is necessary then to rebuke the idea that time should not be spent in the church in simple silent prayer, but only out preaching among the people. It is likely that without keeping onself centered around Christ in prayer, one will begin preaching oneself instead of preaching Christ. One may view charitable works as the soil which will allow holiness to grow in the souls of the faithful. Prayer and grace, however, provide the soul with the nourishment it needs to continue its growth. If all the plant receives is soil it will die.

However, the reverse is also true, the plant may become fatigued if the soil is not kept rich. Prayer alone will not produce holiness. Prayer must result in an action, an outpouring. While this does not always have to be an activity per se, it must overflow from the personal soul to others. A fine example of this is the cloistered religious. They do not go out into the world, but they pray for the world and thereby produce abundant fruit within the world.

Of course, the diversity of the members of the Church is as diverse as the types of plants, as Paul says, "And he gave some apostles, and some prophets, and other some evangelists, and other some pastors and doctors (Ephesians 4:11)." However, just as a gardener can care for all the diverse plants of the garden, so the Spirit is ever so much more perfect in caring for the diverse members of the Church (1 Corinthians 12). 

We must then, through prayer and discernment, find our own balance between these two activities of prayer and social charity. But we must not forget the passivity we must always have in being open to gaining grace for these activities. We must maintain an inner silence so that we can be led by the Spirit. 

Within the context of the Liturgy this can take on many forms. We must discover how we are called to participate in the Liturgy. Often we hold the idea that everyone needs to sing along with the choir/cantor and make responses and hold an active ministry, etc. 

However, I do not think this idea is necessarily proper for everyone, nor will it open the soul to grace, unless it is already disposed to it. Of course I'm not saying any of those things are bad. They are all good. Nevertheless, these are empty activities if God is not centered in it. 

Let us then realize that we must allow the Spirit of God to lead us in how we must participate in the Liturgy for our personal sanctification. Let us follow the Church's instruction in what is proper for us. Let us not act thinking we will gain grace simply through acting or do charitable acts only because it's what we like to do, but let us act in the manner that we have discerned will work for our personal sanctification and the salvation of souls. 

"Come, Holy Ghost, Creator, come
From thy bright heavenly throne,
Come, take possession of our souls,
And make them all thy own."

A Cause for Rejoicing (Part 4)

"Marriage is a golden chain." - St. John Chrysostom

Our ears at first shudder to hear the oldest institution of men referred to as a chain, but upon closer reflection, there is a certain beauty to it.

Marriage is the oldest and most natural institution. Even Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who said that society was formed of man-conceived institutions was forced to concede the family was the exception to this. Even amongst the animals, we can find a similarity to marriage. Of course, there are only a select few that are monogamous, the majority need to seek out a mate and form a sort of family.

As we ascend to the top of the physical and spiritual hierarchy, we also encounter this concept of family - the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, a family of love. But at the top of the hierarchy, we also encounter marriage. Jesus refers to Heaven as a wedding feast (Matthew 22, Luke 14). The Liturgy is referred to as, "the wedding feast of the Lamb (Rev. 19:9)." How interesting that at the beginning of the Scriptures in Genesis and at the end in Revelation, we are shown a marriage. In Genesis 2:23-24, we are shown a marriage between man and woman; in Revelation 19:9, the Blessed are married to God.

Even throughout the Scriptures, marriage is constantly brought before us: the marriage laws of Leviticus, the Song of Songs, the prophetic utterances of Hosea, Jesus' speaking on divorce and marriage in the Kingdom, Paul in Corinthians and Ephesians, and many more. Jesus performed His first miracle at a wedding, raising it to the dignity of a Sacrament.

It is for another place and time to discuss why marriage is such a big deal in society, though much of the answer should be obvious. The point here is why it is such a big deal in the Scriptures and in the Easter Season.

It's such a big deal, because it is the beginning and end of our lives!

Marriage as a Sacrament is for the procreation and mutual sanctification of the spouses. While it is possible to procreate outside of the Sacrament, and any child born of this would still be a very good and marvelous work, it is impossible to sanctify one another in this way.

We are born because of one of the points of marriage. We are created for union with God. Marriage between men and women mirrors marriage between Christ and His Church, which is fulfilled in the Marriage of mankind to God in the Beatific Vision.

These are the two things we celebrate in the Easter Season. We celebrate the new birth of the Neophytes. We also celebrate our own sanctification and salvation through the Paschal Mystery. Marriage mirrors both of these things and makes them possible by providing children for the Church and raising them in the Catholic faith.

As I said before, it is possible to do both of these things outside of marriage, but there is something incomplete, just as there is something incomplete in contemplating Christ without the Church, the difference of course being that the Church is not, without Christ.

Marriage, then, is a golden chain, not because it is a prison, but because it connects one to both one's beloved and to God. As the chain of a necklace is one by both ends connecting and may thus display the beauty of the pendant, so men and women are made one through the Sacrament of Marriage and display the beauty of God.

Let us then rejoice in the Risen Christ and His Church. Let us rejoice in our marriage to Him through the Church. And let us rejoice in the beauty of married love, which can give us a visible image of the Love of God.