October 2008

Pope Benedict's general prayer intention for October 2008 is: "That the synod of bishops may help all those engaged in the service of the word of God to transmit the truth of faith courageously in communion with the entire Church."

His mission intention for October 2008 is: "That in this month dedicated to the missions, every Christian community may feel the need to participate in the universal mission with prayer, sacrifice and concrete help."

(October 1) St. Thérèse of Lisieux (1873-1897)
"I prefer the monotony of obscure sacrifice to all ecstasies. To pick up a pin for love can convert a soul."

These are the words of Theresa of the Child Jesus, a Carmelite nun called the "Little Flower," who lived a cloistered life of obscurity in the convent of Lisieux, France. In French-speaking areas, she is known as Thérèse of Lisieux. And her preference for hidden sacrifice did indeed convert souls. Few saints of God are more popular than this young nun. Her autobiography, The Story of a Soul, is read and loved throughout the world. Thérèse Martin entered the convent at the age of 15 and died in 1897 at the age of 24. Life in a Carmelite convent is indeed uneventful and consists mainly of prayer and hard domestic work. But Thérèse possessed that holy insight that redeems the time, however dull that time may be. She saw in quiet suffering redemptive suffering, suffering that was indeed her apostolate. Thérèse said she came to the Carmel convent "to save souls and pray for priests." And shortly before she died, she wrote: "I want to spend my heaven doing good on earth."
On October 19, 1997, Pope John Paul II proclaimed her a Doctor of the Church, the third woman to be so recognized in light of her holiness and the influence of her teaching on spirituality in the Church. All her life St. Thérèse suffered from illness. As a young girl she underwent a three-month malady characterized by violent crises, extended delirium and prolonged fainting spells. Afterwards she was ever frail and yet she worked hard in the laundry and refectory of the convent. Psychologically, she endured prolonged periods of darkness when the light of faith seemed all but extinguished. The last year of her life she slowly wasted away from tuberculosis. And yet shortly before her death on September 30 she murmured, "I would not suffer less." (AmericanCatholic.org)

As they were walking along the road, a man said to Jesus, "I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." He said to another man, "Follow me." But he replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God." Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family." Jesus replied, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God." (Luke 9: 57-62)

Once again, as with so many passages in the Gospels, we are brought before the great fact of the Kingdom of God. Our Lord directs one of the men who come to him to “go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” To another he speaks of what “service in the kingdom of God” entails. The Kingdom of God in

the Scriptures and as proclaimed by our Lord is the rule and lordship of God, but not just in some vague and general sense. God had a definite plan as to the nature of his promised rule. Our Lord was sent by the Father to establish this promised Kingdom in which God would ultimately be all in all. Entering God’s Kingdom and accepting his rule means becoming subject to God on God’s terms. In the concrete it means following the person and teaching of Jesus because God’s rule is found in him. Speaking even more precisely, the following of Jesus is, in God’s plan, to be done in and through membership of his Church. All of this our Lord progressively revealed to his Apostles and disciples. In our Gospel passage today our Lord speaks of the following of him and sharing in his mission. This, of course, is distinctive of the Christian religion. The Christian religion is not just a moral code. Its moral code derives from the person and teaching of Jesus - not as a code which he arbitrarily determines, but which he teaches as founded in God and reality. But the inspiration for following it and the certitude one gains as to its truth is derived from one’s love for and following of the person of Jesus. Christianity is the love for and following of a person, the person of Jesus, and sharing in his mission. This is what our Lord expects of the persons to whom he speaks in today’s Gospel passage, and what comes through in his words is our Lord’s warnings against attachments to things that can take one away from total attachment to him. Let us consider what he says.

The first person says to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." That is to say, he must be prepared, if necessary, to lack even a sufficient abode. Another whom he invited to follow him said, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God." That is to say, following him could even mean the sacrifice of many family ties and affections, a point repeated to a third person. To him he said, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God." (Luke 9: 57-62). What interferes with great love is the presence of other loves. What is to be said of a husband and family man who entertains the love of another woman? It is utterly reprehensible and must gradually destroy his entire relationship with his wife and family. He must root out of his life that other attachment and become entirely attached to his wife and family. Or again, what is to be said of a husband and family man who really loves his work more than his wire and family? It is reprehensible and must be altered. That attachment is a disorder and must be set aright. So too in our entire relationship with God and Christ. Man is made to know, love and serve God with all his heart. For the Christian who knows that Jesus is God, this means that he is to love Jesus with all his heart and soul, and this love is to be expressed in his total acceptance of and adherence to his teachings, and the obedient living according to them in everyday life. This requires that we rid ourselves of all attachments that will interfere with this primary love. This takes work. It will mean denying ourselves those things to which we are attached to the detriment of our love for Jesus. This is surely the message of today’s Gospel for the average Christian.

Let us place ourselves in today’s Gospel scene and observe how total is the calling that our Lord extends to his disciples. He calls on them to give him everything. What this means for each depends on the particular vocation and circumstances of each. But let us pray for the grace to respond as our Lord requests.
(E.J.Tyler)

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The Way of the Cross. Here indeed you have a sturdy and fruitful devotion! Spend a few moments each Friday going over those fourteen points of our Lord's Passion and Death. I assure you that you will gain strength for the whole of the week.
(The Way, no.556)

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SYDNEY, Australia, JULY 17, 2008 - Conclusion of the address Benedict XVI gave at an interreligious meeting in Sydney during World Youth Day week.

The Church shares these observations with other religions. Motivated by charity, she approaches dialogue believing that the true source of freedom is found in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. Christians believe it is he who fully discloses the human potential for virtue and goodness, and he who liberates us from sin and darkness. The universality of human experience, which transcends all geographical boundaries and cultural limitations, makes it possible for followers of religions to engage in dialogue so as to grapple with the mystery of life's joys and sufferings. In this regard, the Church eagerly seeks opportunities to listen to the spiritual experience of other religions. We could say that all religions aim to penetrate the profound meaning of human existence by linking it to an origin or principle outside itself. Religions offer an attempt to understand the cosmos as coming from and returning to this origin or principle. Christians believe that God has revealed this origin and principle in Jesus, whom the Bible refers to as the "Alpha and Omega" (cf. Rev 1:8; 22:1).

My dear friends, I have come to Australia as an ambassador of peace. For this reason, I feel blessed to meet you who likewise share this yearning and the desire to help the world attain it. Our quest for peace goes hand in hand with our search for meaning, for it is in discovering the truth that we find the sure road to peace (cf. Message for World Day of Peace, 2006). Our effort to bring about reconciliation between peoples springs from, and is directed to, that truth which gives purpose to life. Religion offers peace, but more importantly, it arouses within the human spirit a thirst for truth and a hunger for virtue. May we encourage everyone - especially the young - to marvel at the beauty of life, to seek its ultimate meaning, and to strive to realize its sublime potential!

With these sentiments of respect and encouragement, I commend you to the providence of Almighty God, and I assure you of my prayers for you and your loved ones, the members of your communities, and all the citizens of Australia.
(Concluded)

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(October 2) Feast of the Guardian Angels

Perhaps no aspect of Catholic piety is as comforting to parents as the belief that an angel protects their little ones from dangers real and imagined. Yet guardian angels are not just for children. Their role is to represent individuals before God, to watch over them always, to aid their prayer and to present their souls to God at death. The concept of an angel assigned to guide and nurture each human being is a development of Catholic doctrine and piety based on Scripture but not directly drawn from it. Jesus' words in Matthew 18:10 best support the belief: "See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father." Devotion to the angels began to develop with the birth of the monastic tradition. St. Benedict gave it impetus and Bernard of Clairvaux, the great 12th-century reformer, was such an eloquent spokesman for the guardian angels that angelic devotion assumed its current form in his day. A feast in honour of the guardian angels was first observed in the 16th century. In 1615, Pope Paul V added it to the Roman calendar.
"May the angels lead you into paradise;
may the martyrs come to welcome you
and take you to the holy city,
the new and eternal Jerusalem." (Rite for Christian Burial) (AmericanCatholic.org)

Scripture today: Job 19: 21-27; Psalm 26; Luke 10: 1-12

After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town

and place where he was about to go. He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road. "When you enter a house, first say, 'Peace to this house.' If the head of the house loves peace, your peace will rest on that house; if not, it will return to you. Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for workers deserve their wages. Do not move around from house to house. "When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is set before you. Heal the sick who are there and tell them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.' But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, 'Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.' I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town. (Luke 10: 1-12)

It has often been noted that in Islamic thought one of the signs that Allah had blessed Islam from the very beginning was its military success. Mahomet employed arms in the cause of Allah and he was successful beyond expectation. His enemies were resisted and routed and he went on from success to

success, as did his successors. There is no doubt that the astonishing military victories of Islam constitute an historical phenomenon. By way of aside, the non-Muslim might balk at this consideration because there have been various remarkable military successes in history. Be that as it may, let us notice how different were the ways of Christ as presented in our Gospel passage today. From the beginning our Lord intended to establish a Kingdom, far more promptly than Mahomet whose idea of great expansion came to him in time. Christ immediately and from the beginning proclaimed a Kingdom: the Kingdom that had been long foretold. Moreover, he quickly gathered about him disciples who would share in his mission of extending his Kingdom and in our Gospel today we see him sending out seventy-two in pairs to announce its proximity. But they were to carry no arms. They were to go like lambs among wolves. “Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road. "When you enter a house, first say, 'Peace to this house.' If the head of the house loves peace, your peace will rest on that house; if not, it will return to you. (Luke 10: 1-12) They were to go in all their poverty and limitations and were to announce the coming of a Kingdom. In due course, they would draw others into that Kingdom. The point here, though, is that these disciples were to do all this in all their ordinariness, all their natural limitations. It would involve three centuries of persecution, but victory would come.

This means in effect that the ordinary person in all his ordinariness is integral to the advancement of the Kingdom of God, which is nothing other than the person of Christ and union with him. The entire world is called to the knowledge and love of Christ and to the implementation of his teaching. The Kingdom of God will reach its fullness when God is all in all through the acceptance of and union with Christ. Now this will depend immensely on the ordinary person, without arms, without, we might say, purse or bag or sandals. It will depend on the little person, the person who feels he has so little to offer the great cause of God and Christ. I speak of the seeming Nobody, the kind of persons our Lord generally selected to make up his band of Apostles and disciples. God does not need armies and chariots. St Paul appealed to Christ to take away his sting of the flesh for it was impeding his work for him. But the reply of Christ was, my power works in human weakness. By each member of Christ’s Faithful fulfilling his daily responsibilities towards others, especially those in need, the Kingdom of God will be advanced. His temptation will be to think that his puny daily efforts are of little value, especially when he sees that this is the attitude of others around him. But it is not so. Let him think of that scene in the Gospel in which our Lord was seated in the Treasury of the Temple watching the rich put in their contributions. They put in a great deal. Then he saw a poor widow who put in a mere two small coins. He called his disciples to him and said that the poor widow had put in more than all the others because she had given all she had to live on, while they had given simply what they had over - what they did not need. This ought give consolation to the little person, the average member of Christ’s Faithful who shares in the mission of Christ and the Church. His life and his labours rank high in the estimation of the Master.

Let us, whoever we are, see in the seventy-two our Lord sent out each of us. He sends us out every day to serve and to represent him. We are, we may think, Nobodies. Perhaps. But that does not matter. We are chosen by the Lord to be members of his body by faith and Baptism. We are graced with a share in his mission. This we shall do if we do all we should do well and out of love for him.
(E.J.Tyler)

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Christmas devotion. — I don't smile when I see you making cardboard mountains around the crib and placing simple clay figures near the manger. — You have never seemed more a man to me than now, when you seem to be a child.
(The Way, no.557)

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SYDNEY, Australia, JULY 18, 2008 - Here is the text of the homily Benedict XVI gave at Mass with Australian bishops and clergy.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

In this noble cathedral I rejoice to greet my brother Bishops and priests, and the deacons, religious and laity of the Archdiocese of Sydney. In a very special way, my greeting goes to the seminarians and young religious who are present among us. Like the young Israelites in today's first reading, they are a sign of hope and renewal for God's people; and, like those young Israelites, they will have the task of building up the Lord's house in the coming generation. As we admire this magnificent edifice, how can we not think of all those ranks of priests, religious and faithful laity who, each in his or her own way, contributed to the building up of the Church in Australia? Our thoughts turn in particular to those settler families to whom Father Jeremiah O'Flynn entrusted the Blessed Sacrament at his departure, a "small flock" which cherished and preserved that precious treasure, passing it on to the succeeding generations who raised this great tabernacle to the glory of God. Let us rejoice in their fidelity and perseverance, and dedicate ourselves to carrying on their labours for the spread of the Gospel, the conversion of hearts and the growth of the Church in holiness, unity and charity!
(Continuing)

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(October 3) Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos (1819-1867)
Zeal as a preacher and a confessor led Father Seelos to works of compassion as well. Born in

southern Bavaria, he studied philosophy and theology in Munich. On hearing about the work of the Redemptorists among German-speaking Catholics in the United States, he came to this country in 1843. Ordained at the end of 1844, he was assigned for six years to St. Philomena’s Parish in Pittsburgh as an assistant to St. John Neumann [whose feast is observed on January 5]. The next three years Father Seelos was superior in the same community and began his service as novice master. Several years in parish ministry in Maryland followed, along with responsibility for training Redemptorist students. During the Civil War, he went to Washington, D.C., and appealed to President Lincoln that those students not be drafted for military service. For several years he preached in English and in German throughout the Midwest and in the Middle Atlantic states. Assigned to St. Mary of the Assumption Church community in New Orleans, he served his Redemptorist confreres and parishioners with great zeal. In 1867 he died of yellow fever, having contracted that disease while visiting the sick. He was beatified in 2000.
“To the abandoned and the lost he preached the message of Jesus Christ, ‘the source of eternal salvation’ (Hebrews 5:9), and in the hours spent in the confessional he convinced many to return to God. Today, Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos invites the members of the Church to deepen their union with Christ in the Sacraments of Penance and the Eucharist” (John Paul II, beatification homily).
(AmericanCatholic.org)
Further: Father Francis Seelos

Scripture today: Job 38: 1.12-21; 40:3-5; Psalm 138; Luke 10: 13-16

Jesus said: Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths. He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me. (Luke 10: 13-16)

It has been observed that one of the notable characteristics of the Church in the very modern era is its reluctance to condemn. It is part and parcel of an emphasis on dialogue as the principal means of

evangelization. Over forty years ago Pope Paul VI in his first Encyclical Ecclesiam Suam proposed dialogue as the key to evangelization in the modern world. However, there are those who see absolutely no role for condemnation in the action of the Church. Hence Pope Paul VI himself was strongly rejected for his condemnation of artificial methods of birth control in his Encyclical Humanae Vitae in 1968. But it was perhaps his finest hour and one of the most striking moments in the action of the papacy that century. He rose to the occasion of prophetically witnessing to the truth despite, we might say, the opposition of the age. He suffered accordingly. His future canonization which is proceeding will vindicate his holy life, of which his Encyclical was a manifestation. I mention this as an introduction to our Gospel passage today in which we see our Lord condemning the towns of Korazin and Bethsaida, and his own town of residence, Caphernaum. And how he condemned them! He told them that they were heading for hell. “It will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you”, he said to Korazin and Bethsaida. “And you, Capernaum,” he continued, “will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths.” And what was the cause his condemnation of them? They refused to repent. “Jesus said: Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.” Our passage today (Luke 10: 13-16) reminds us of how fundamental is repentance in the Christian and human life. The refusal to repent is deeply sinful, and it will lead to hell. We must repent of our sins if we hope to attain heaven.

At the very beginning of our Lord’s public ministry he preached repentance. Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand, he said. He condemned the Pharisees for their lack of repentance, telling them that sinners would be entering the Kingdom of heaven before them. On one occasion he told the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican who were both praying in the Temple. We might say it was a parable about a respectable and admired man and the sinner. The Pharisee stood there portraying to God what he thought to be his good deeds and the Publican stood at the back beating his breast and murmuring, O God be merciful to me a sinner. He was repentant, the Pharisee lacked all repentance. At the very end, when our Lord was dying on the cross, there were two criminals dying on each side of him. The one was repentant and the other was not. The one said to the other that we deserved what is being done to us, whereas Jesus had done nothing wrong. Then he turned to Jesus and said, Remember me when you come into your Kingdom. Our Lord turned to him and said that that very day he would be with him in Paradise. He was repentant, and he loved God. We remember the occasion when our Lord was invited into the house of a leading Pharisee. During the meal there entered a woman who had the reputation of being a sinner. She came to Jesus and knelt at his feet, washing them with her tears and drying them with her hair. Our Lord forgave her sins, and held her example up before the unrepentant Pharisees. She had repented of her sins, whereas they had not. Christ asks of us that we repent. Our difficulty is that we, we of the modern age, tend to think that we have not sinned, or at least that we have sinned little. In that particular respect we tend to be like the Pharisees. We need to recover a sense of sin and this is a grace to be prayed for. It ought be prayed for every day when we make an examination of our conscience. Let us resolve to repent.

This spirit of repentance ought be growing every day of our lives. Our greatest act of repentance ought be at the hour of our death, when we ought ask the pardon of God in the spirit of the Publican. But if we have had little repentance in our life, it will be difficult to gain it at the end. Let us pray for the grace to repent, especially of the numerous minor offences against God during every day. Repentance is a major virtue, and ought be practised and sought throughout one’s life.
(E.J.Tyler)

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The holy Rosary is a powerful weapon. Use it with confidence and you will be amazed at the results;
(The Way, no.558)

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SYDNEY, Australia, JULY 18, 2008 - Continuing the text of the homily Benedict XVI gave at Mass with Australian bishops and clergy.

We are about to celebrate the dedication of the new altar of this venerable cathedral. As its sculpted frontal powerfully reminds us, every altar is a symbol of Jesus Christ, present in the midst of his Church as priest, altar and victim (cf. Preface of Easter V). Crucified, buried and raised from the dead, given life in the Spirit and seated at the right hand of the Father, Christ has become our great high priest, eternally making intercession for us. In the Church's liturgy, and above all in the sacrifice of the Mass consummated on the altars of the world, he invites us, the members of his mystical Body, to share in his self-oblation. He calls us, as the priestly people of the new and eternal covenant, to offer, in union with him, our own daily sacrifices for the salvation of the world.

In today's liturgy the Church reminds us that, like this altar, we too have been consecrated, set "apart" for the service of God and the building up of his Kingdom. All too often, however, we find ourselves immersed in a world that would set God "aside". In the name of human freedom and autonomy, God's name is passed over in silence, religion is reduced to private devotion, and faith is shunned in the public square. At times this mentality, so completely at odds with the core of the Gospel, can even cloud our own understanding of the Church and her mission. We too can be tempted to make the life of faith a matter of mere sentiment, thus blunting its power to inspire a consistent vision of the world and a rigorous dialogue with the many other visions competing for the minds and hearts of our contemporaries.
(Continuing)

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(October 4) St. Francis of Assisi (1182-1226)
Francis of Assisi was a poor little man who astounded and inspired the Church by taking the gospel literally—not in a narrow fundamentalist sense, but by actually following all that Jesus said and

did, joyfully, without limit and without a mite of self-importance. Serious illness brought the young Francis to see the emptiness of his frolicking life as leader of Assisi's youth. Prayer—lengthy and difficult—led him to a self-emptying like that of Christ, climaxed by embracing a leper he met on the road. It symbolized his complete obedience to what he had heard in prayer: "Francis! Everything you have loved and desired in the flesh it is your duty to despise and hate, if you wish to know my will. And when you have begun this, all that now seems sweet and lovely to you will become intolerable and bitter, but all that you used to avoid will turn itself to great sweetness and exceeding joy." From the cross in the neglected field-chapel of San Damiano, Christ told him, "Francis, go out and build up my house, for it is nearly falling down." Francis became the totally poor and humble workman. He must have suspected a deeper meaning to "build up my house." But he would have been content to be for the rest of his life the poor "nothing" man actually putting brick on brick in abandoned chapels. He gave up every material thing he had, piling even his clothes before his earthly father (who was demanding restitution for Francis' "gifts" to the poor) so that he would be totally free to say, "Our Father in heaven." He was, for a time, considered to be a religious "nut," begging from door to door when he could not get money for his work, bringing sadness or disgust to the hearts of his former friends, ridicule from the unthinking. But genuineness will tell. A few people began to realize that this man was actually trying to be Christian. He really believed what Jesus said: "Announce the kingdom! Possess no gold or silver or copper in your purses, no travelling bag, no sandals, no staff" (see Luke 9:1-3). Francis' first rule for his followers was a collection of texts from the Gospels. He had no idea of founding an order, but once it began he protected it and accepted all the legal structures needed to support it. His devotion and loyalty to the Church were absolute and highly exemplary at a time when various movements of reform tended to break the Church's unity. He was torn between a life devoted entirely to prayer and a life of active preaching of the Good News. He decided in favour of the latter, but always returned to solitude when he could. He wanted to be a missionary in Syria or in Africa, but was prevented by shipwreck and illness in both cases. He did try to convert the sultan of Egypt during the Fifth Crusade. During the last years of his relatively short life (he died at 44) he was half blind and seriously ill. Two years before his death, he received the stigmata, the real and painful wounds of Christ in his hands, feet and side. On his deathbed, he said over and over again the last addition to his Canticle of the Sun, "Be praised, O Lord, for our Sister Death." He sang Psalm 141, and at the end asked his superior to have his clothes removed when the last hour came and for permission to expire lying naked on the earth, in imitation of his Lord.
"We adore you and we bless you, Lord Jesus Christ, here and in all the churches which are in the whole world, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world" (St. Francis). (AmericanCatholic.org)

The seventy-two returned with joy and said, "Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name." He

replied, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven." At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure. "All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, "Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it." (Luke 10: 17-24)

Our Lord had sent out seventy-two of his disciples to go ahead of him, exercising certain of his powers to show the truth of their preaching, that he was soon to come, and that the Kingdom of Heaven was on its way. It was the hey-day of our Lord’s public ministry and these disciples were just as astonished

as anyone at the powers they found they could exercise in Jesus’ name. They returned to our Lord “with joy”, telling him that “even the demons submit to us in your name”, implying that many other things submitted to them in his name. The word “even” implies that their powers were great, so great that the demons themselves were subject to them. They came back extolling our Lord’s power, of which they had been granted a share. They would have cured the sick and done, in their eyes, astonishing things for those in need. Our Lord acknowledged that he had given them this power. “"I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.” But he immediately went on to tell them that it was not this that they ought rejoice in but that they were especially chosen and cherished by God. They were, in other words, his disciples, and this was their special gift and consolation. “However,” he said, “do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven." Then our Lord continued with a prayer to his heavenly Father, thanking him for the gift of discipleship he had given to these little and ordinary ones. “Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure. "All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." (Luke 10: 17-24).

Let us apply this great lesson to ourselves. We may not be able to point to great things we have done in life. We may not be able to boast of being widely acknowledged for our gifts and influence. But what every disciple of Christ has is the knowledge and the love of him who is the treasure of the world. Our Lord concludes his words in our Gospel passage today by turning to his disciples and saying to them privately, "Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it." Every member of Christ’s Faithful, every person who is united to Christ by faith and baptism possesses life’s greatest treasure, which is his Person. His Person and teaching, together with his gifts, is available in his body the Church. No matter what comes to us in life, be it success or failure, good times or bad, sickness or health, this is our consolation and our strength. It means that every circumstance in which we find ourselves can be made the occasion of a greater personal sanctification because in that circumstance Christ our treasure with whom we are united is present. He is there. More than this, it is especially in the circumstances causing suffering that he is present and by his grace sanctifying us, because in that situation of suffering we are united to him who suffered and died on the cross. By means of suffering he redeemed the world, and whenever we too suffer, by means of our union with him we contribute to the redemption and sanctification of the world. He is the transforming treasure of our lives and so we ought base our lives not on hoped-for success or any other attainment but on the fact that because we are in Christ our names are written in heaven. It is in this that we ought rejoice, and we can rejoice in it in all circumstances be they good or bad. For this reason St Paul writes, “Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice.” It is indeed in this that our Lord himself rejoices in our Gospel passage today.

Every day our ambition ought be to grow in our vocation of being a disciple of Jesus. We ought rise every morning renewing this intention, of doing all for the greater glory of God, in union and friendship with Jesus. Christ is our consolation and our joy, and with him every circumstance of our lives becomes something very, very positive.
(E.J.Tyler)

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Saint Joseph, father of Christ, is also your father and your lord. Ask him to help you.
(The Way, no.559)

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SYDNEY, Australia, JULY 18, 2008 - Continuing the text of the homily Benedict XVI gave at Mass with Australian bishops and clergy.

Yet history, including the history of our own time, shows that the question of God will never be silenced, and that indifference to the religious dimension of human existence ultimately diminishes and betrays man himself. Is that not the message which is proclaimed by the magnificent architecture of this cathedral? Is that not the mystery of faith which will be proclaimed from this altar at every celebration of the Eucharist? Faith teaches us that in Jesus Christ, the incarnate Word, we come to understand the grandeur of our own humanity, the mystery of our life on this earth, and the sublime destiny which awaits us in heaven (cf. Gaudium et Spes, 24). Faith teaches us that we are God's creatures, made in his image and likeness, endowed with an inviolable dignity, and called to eternal life. Wherever man is diminished, the world around us is also diminished; it loses its ultimate meaning and strays from its goal. What emerges is a culture, not of life, but of death. How could this be considered "progress"? It is a backward step, a form of regression which ultimately dries up the very sources of life for individuals and all of society.
(Continuing)

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Prayers this week: O Lord, you have given everything its place in the world, and no one can make it otherwise. For it is your creation, the heavens and the earth and the stars: you are the Lord of all. (Esther 13: 9-11)

Father, your love for us surpasses all our hopes and desires. Forgive our failings, keep us in your peace and lead us in the way of salvation. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ your Son in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever.

(October 5) St. Faustina (1905-1938)
St. Mary Faustina's name is forever linked to the annual feast of the Divine Mercy (celebrated on the

Second Sunday of Easter), the divine mercy chaplet and the divine mercy prayer recited each day by many people at 3 p.m. Born in what is now west-central Poland (part of Germany before World War I), Helena was the third of 10 children. After age 16 she worked as a housekeeper in three cities before joining the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in 1925. She worked as a cook, gardener and porter in three of their houses. In addition to carrying out her work faithfully, generously serving the needs of the sisters and the local people, she also had a deep interior life. This included receiving revelations from the Lord Jesus, messages that she recorded in her diary at the request of Christ and of her confessors. At a time when some Catholics had an image of God as such a strict judge that they might be tempted to despair about the possibility of being forgiven, Jesus chose to emphasize his mercy and forgiveness for sins acknowledged and confessed. “I do not want to punish aching mankind,” he once told St. Mary Faustina, “but I desire to heal it, pressing it to my merciful heart” (Diary 1588). The two rays emanating from Christ's heart, she said, represent the blood and water poured out after Jesus' death (Gospel of John 19:34) Because Sister Mary Faustina knew that the revelations she had already received did not constitute holiness itself, she wrote in her diary: “Neither graces, nor revelations, nor raptures, nor gifts granted to a soul make it perfect, but rather the intimate union of the soul with God. These gifts are merely ornaments of the soul, but constitute neither its essence nor its perfection. My sanctity and perfection consist in the close union of my will with the will of God” (Diary 1107). Sister Mary Faustina died of tuberculosis in Krakow, Poland, on October 5, 1938. Pope John Paul II beatified her in 1993 and canonized her in 2000.
Devotion to God's Divine Mercy bears some resemblance to devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In both cases, sinners are encouraged not to despair, not to doubt God's willingness to forgive them if they repent. As Psalm 136 says in each of its 26 verses, “God's love [mercy] endures forever.”
Four years after Faustina's beatification, Pope John Paul II visited the Sanctuary of Divine Mercy at Lagiewniki (near Krakow) and addressed members of her congregation. He said: “The message of divine mercy has always been very close and precious to me. It is as though history has written it in the tragic experience of World War II. In those difficult years, this message was a particular support and an inexhaustible source of hope, not only for those living in Krakow, but for the entire nation. This was also my personal experience, which I carried with me to the See of Peter and which, in a certain sense, forms the image of this pontificate. I thank divine providence because I was able to contribute personally to carrying out Christ's will, by instituting the feast of Divine Mercy. Here, close to the remains of Blessed Faustina, I thank God for the gift of her beatification. I pray unceasingly that God may have 'mercy on us and on the whole world' (chaplet of Divine Mercy).” (AmericanCatholic.org)

Scripture today: Isaiah 5:1-7; Psalm 79; Philippians 4: 6-9; Matthew 21: 33-43

Jesus said: "Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers

and moved to another place. When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit. "The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. Last of all, he sent his son to them. 'They will respect my son,' he said. "But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, 'This is the heir. Come, let's kill him and take his inheritance.' So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. "Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?" "He will bring those wretches to a wretched end," they replied, "and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time." Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures: " 'The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvellous in our eyes' "Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but anyone on whom it falls will be crushed." (Matthew 21: 33-43)

In our Gospel passage today our Lord tells his hearers the parable of the landowner who planted a vineyard, renting the vineyard out to tenants while he himself moved away. Our Lord’s image of the vineyard hearkens back to the vineyard referred to by the prophets. That vineyard was planted by God

and was his own chosen people from whom he expected his produce, a produce of love and fidelity to him. We remember the complaint of God that he looked for grapes from his vineyard, and all he received were sour and bad grapes. What more could I have done for my vineyard that I have not done, he asked through his prophet. In our parable today the focus is on the tenants, on those with the responsibility to care for the vineyard so as to provide the master with his produce. The tenants in effect refused God his position as master of the vineyard, appropriating that position for themselves. It came to a height with the arrival of the master’s son. Him they killed. But let us notice our Lord’s comment at the end. "Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.” (Matthew 21: 33-43) The great treasure of the vineyard and its divinely intended purpose is the kingdom of God. With the coming of the Son of God made man, the vineyard of God in the Old Testament has become the vineyard which consists of Jesus, son of David, son of Abraham, and all those who are in him. With its roots in the old, the vineyard now embraces the new. The Old Testament has found its fulfilment in the New, and the New is Christ and those who are in him. Our Lord at the Last Supper told his disciples that he is the vine, and we who are in him are the branches. Our vocation is to bear fruit in him. All are called to become branches of the vine. What, then, is the kingdom of God that our Lord refers to in his parable of the vineyard? Essentially the kingdom of God is the living presence of God as Lord. In its essence it is the lordship and rule of God which is found in Jesus and union with him.

This presence of God as Lord in the person of Jesus is the great gift of God to humanity. He is found in his new vineyard, the Church, which our Lord founded on the Apostles, with Peter at their head. The Church, as St Paul explains in his letters, is Christ’s body and we are his members. As just mentioned, at the Last Supper our Lord used the image of a vine. He is the vine and we are the branches. That is to say, he is the heart and head of the Church and the source of her life. The Church is Christ her head present among men, together with all those who are in him by faith and baptism. For this reason in Christ the Kingdom of God is present within the Church. The Church is the bearer of the Kingdom of God and her mission is to enable all men to find Christ in her. But Church has been sent by Christ to evangelize the world, and so the Kingdom of God extends in the world to the extent that the world is brought to recognize Christ as Lord. This Kingdom increases in the world through the sanctification of people by the Holy Spirit and through their commitment to the service of justice and peace in the spirit of the Beatitudes. So then, the world is called to accept Christ as Lord, Lord of all and Lord of every aspect of human life. This means that those who are in Christ are called to bear witness to him in their everyday life in the world, gradually drawing others to the acceptance of him and of his teaching so that society becomes more and more shaped according to the mind of God. This is the special mission of the lay Christian, to bring the person of Jesus and the acceptance of his teaching to the heart of daily life in the world. For this reason our Lord told his disciples just before he entered into heaven that they were to go to the whole world and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. In this way the Kingdom of God in the world grows. The end of this is the final coming of the Kingdom of God through Christ’s return in glory.

Let us take to heart that part of the prayer our Lord taught us, Your Kingdom come. We ought pray daily that God will be accepted as Lord more and more in every aspect of life. This means bringing the knowledge and the love of Christ to the world. That Jesus Christ may reign! That ought be the ambition of every member of Christ’s Faithful and it constitutes the mission of every lay Christian in the world.
(E.J.Tyler)

Further reading: The Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2816-2821

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Saint Joseph, our father and lord, is a teacher of the interior life. Place yourself under his patronage and you'll feel the effectiveness of his power.
(The Way, no.560)

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SYDNEY, Australia, JULY 18, 2008 - Continuing the text of the homily Benedict XVI gave at Mass with Australian bishops and clergy.

We know that in the end - as Saint Ignatius of Loyola saw so clearly - the only real "standard" against which all human reality can be measured is the Cross and its message of an unmerited love which triumphs over evil, sin and death, creating new life and unfading joy. The Cross reveals that we find ourselves only by giving our lives away, receiving God's love as an unmerited gift and working to draw all men and women into the beauty of that love and the light of the truth which alone brings salvation to the world. It is in this truth - this mystery of faith - that we have been "consecrated" (cf. Jn 17:17-19), and it is in this truth that we are called to grow, with the help of God's grace, in daily fidelity to his word, within the life-giving communion of the Church. Yet how difficult is this path of consecration! It demands continual "conversion", a sacrificial death to self which is the condition for belonging fully to God, a change of mind and heart which brings true freedom and a new breadth of vision. Today's liturgy offers an eloquent symbol of that progressive spiritual transformation to which each of us is called. From the sprinkling of water, the proclamation of God's word and the invocation of all the saints, to the prayer of consecration, the anointing and washing of the altar, its being clothed in white and apparelled in light - all these rites invite us to re-live our own consecration in Baptism. They invite us to reject sin and its false allure, and to drink ever more deeply from the life-giving springs of God's grace.
(Continuing)

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(October 6) St. Bruno (1030?-1101)
This saint has the honour of having founded a religious order which, as the saying goes, has never had to be reformed because it was never deformed. No doubt both the founder and the members would reject such high praise, but it is an indication of the saint's intense love of a penitential life in solitude. He was born in Cologne, Germany, became a famous teacher at Rheims and was appointed chancellor of the archdiocese at the age of 45. He supported Pope Gregory VII in his fight against the decadence of the clergy and took part in the removal of his own scandalous archbishop, Manasses. Bruno suffered the plundering of his house for his pains. He had a dream of living in solitude and prayer, and persuaded a few friends to join him in a hermitage. After a while he felt the place unsuitable and, through a friend, was given some land which was to become famous for his foundation "in the Chartreuse" (from which comes the word Carthusians). The climate, desert, mountainous terrain and inaccessibility guaranteed silence, poverty and small numbers. Bruno and his friends built an oratory with small individual cells at a distance from each other. They met for Matins and Vespers each day, and spent the rest of the time in solitude, eating together only on great feasts. Their chief work was copying manuscripts. The pope, hearing of Bruno's holiness, called for his assistance in Rome. When the pope had to flee Rome, Bruno pulled up stakes again, and spent his last years (after refusing a bishopric) in the wilderness of Calabria. He was never formally canonized, because the Carthusians were averse to all occasions of publicity. Pope Clement extended his feast to the whole Church in 1674.
“Members of those communities which are totally dedicated to contemplation give themselves to God alone in solitude and silence and through constant prayer and ready penance. No matter how urgent may be the needs of the active apostolate, such communities will always have a distinguished part to play in Christ's Mystical Body...” (Decree on the Renewal of Religious Life, 7). (AmericanCatholic.org)

Scripture today: Galatians 1: 6-12; Psalm 110; Luke 10: 25-37

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" "What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?" He answered, "

'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbour as yourself.' " "You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live." But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbour?" In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he travelled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.' "Which of these three do you think was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?" The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him." Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise." (Luke 10: 25-37)

It would be an interesting study to investigate the place of the poor in the religions of mankind. All would know, almost instinctively, that authentic religion is incompatible with deliberately inflicting injuries on others. Behind this instinct is the sense that God is good, and that, therefore, there is

something absolute in moral obligation. What we know to be morally obligatory is not something subject to the arbitrary whim of God, but that God is good and acts according to his nature which is good. Therefore devotion to God requires a moral life, and at the forefront of a moral life is respect for the rights of others. They must not be unjustly harmed. But this a step removed from an active concern for the poor and taking the initiative to assist them. For instance, it is notable how the great religions of the East have a profound impulse for contemplating the Absolute. In its own way there is a tremendous longing for the numinous. It is a further question, of course, whether the numinous of Eastern religions truly transcends the world. For instance, many would argue that classic Buddhism does not accept the fact of a loving Creator. Nevertheless, it is a powerful bulwark against materialism and secularism. It also suggests that a philosophy of Marxism - which has its roots in Germany and Britain - is un-Eastern. Confucius and the Dalai Lama are characteristic of the genius of the East, whereas the Maoist communist fundamentally is not. However, we may ask what impulse is there in Eastern religions for a betterment of the poor, and more specifically for an active love and concern for the poor person? The same question could be asked of the traditional primal religions such as those of Africa, Australia, America and Oceania. Poverty can take numerous forms, but I am not sure that it can be said of the religions of man that they produce in their adherents a concern for the poor person and an awareness that the neglect of the poor is contrary to true religion.

For this reason one of the distinctive features of Revealed Religion - the religion revealed to Abraham, Moses and the prophets and then revealed definitively and in its fullness by Jesus Christ - is its insistence on concern for the poor. Our Gospel today (Luke 10: 25-37) shows how love for one’s neighbour was an essential part of the religion of the Old Testament. As our Lord explained to his questioner, it was the second of the two commandments on which hung the Law and the Prophets. But as the lawyer shows by his second question this concern for the poor could still be overlooked. Our Lord is unambiguous in his reply. One’s neighbour whom we are commanded to love is above all the person in need. He is the man who has fallen among robbers and lies on the road half-dead. The religious people pass him by and do nothing, nothing to assist him, while the despised Samaritan fulfils the commandment of God. In our Lord’s description of the Last Judgment in Matthew chapter 25, the judgment of each person will pivot around his treatment of the least poor person. In the Judgment, our Lord identifies himself with the poor. Whatever you did to the least of these brothers of mine, you did to me, he will say. Then he will say to those who attended to the poor, Come, you who are blessed, to the place prepared for you. To those who neglected the poor person he will say, Depart from me, you cursed. In the story of the Rich Man and the Poor Man Lazarus, the Rich Man dies and is buried in hell because he neglected the poor man who lay at his very gate. And so it is that the Church has held up for the veneration and inspiration of the Faithful many saints who have been distinguished for their constant commitment to the poor, seeing in them the face of Christ. Blessed (Mother) Teresa of Calcutta is an especially famous example. Blessed Alberto Hurtado (died 1952 in Chile) is another. St Vincent de Paul is another. The message of the Church is very clear.

If we can see that there is in our hearts not a lot of love and concern for the poor person, if we can see that we find the poor a nuisance, then we ought humbly recognize this before God and ask his pardon and grace. Let us ask his grace to grow in a Christ-like love for the poor so that we become less and less like the priest and Levite in the Gospel parable today and more and more like the Good Samaritan. Let us think of our Lord’s parable, and his final words, Go and do the same yourself. If we do this, life everlasting will be ours.
(E.J.Tyler)

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Speaking of Saint Joseph in the book of her life, Saint Teresa says: 'Whoever fails to find a Master to teach him how to pray, should choose this glorious Saint, and he will not go astray.' — This advice comes from an experienced soul. Follow it.
(The Way, no.561)

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SYDNEY, Australia, JULY 18, 2008 - Continuing the text of the homily Benedict XVI gave at Mass with Australian bishops and clergy on Saturday morning local time.

Dear friends, may this celebration, in the presence of the Successor of Peter, be a moment of rededication and renewal for the whole Church in Australia! Here I would like to pause to acknowledge the shame which we have all felt as a result of the sexual abuse of minors by some clergy and religious in this country. These misdeeds, which constitute so grave a betrayal of trust, deserve unequivocal condemnation. They have caused great pain and have damaged the Church's witness. I ask all of you to support and assist your Bishops, and to work together with them in combating this evil. Victims should receive compassion and care, and those responsible for these evils must be brought to justice. It is an urgent priority to promote a safer and more wholesome environment, especially for young people. In these days marked by the celebration of World Youth Day, we are reminded of how precious a treasure has been entrusted to us in our young people, and how great a part of the Church's mission in this country has been dedicated to their education and care. As the Church in Australia continues, in the spirit of the Gospel, to address effectively this serious pastoral challenge, I join you in praying that this time of purification will bring about healing, reconciliation and ever greater fidelity to the moral demands of the Gospel.
(Continuing)

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(October 7) Our Lady of the Rosary
Pope St. Pius V established this feast in 1573. The purpose was to thank God for the victory of

Christians over the Turks at Lepanto—a victory attributed to the praying of the rosary. Clement XI extended the feast to the universal Church in 1716. The development of the rosary has a long history. First, a practice developed of praying 150 Our Fathers in imitation of the 150 Psalms. Then there was a parallel practice of praying 150 Hail Marys. Soon a mystery of Jesus' life was attached to each Hail Mary. Though Mary's giving the rosary to St. Dominic is recognized as unhistorical, the development of this prayer form owes much to the followers of St. Dominic. One of them, Alan de la Roche, was known as "the apostle of the rosary." He founded the first Confraternity of the Rosary in the 15th century. In the 16th century the rosary was developed to its present form—with the 15 mysteries (joyful, sorrowful and glorious). In 2002, Pope John Paul II added the Mysteries of Light to this devotion.
The purpose of the rosary is to help us meditate on the great mysteries of our salvation. Pius XII called it a compendium of the gospel. The main focus is on Jesus—his birth, life, death and resurrection. The Our Fathers remind us that Jesus' Father is the initiator of salvation. The Hail Marys remind us to join with Mary in contemplating these mysteries. They also make us aware that Mary was and is intimately joined with her Son in all the mysteries of his earthly and heavenly existence. The Glorys remind us that the purpose of all life is the glory of the Trinity.
“[The rosary] sets forth the mystery of Christ in the very way in which it is seen by St. Paul in the celebrated ‘hymn’ of the Epistle to the Philippians—kenosis [self-emptying], death and exaltation (2:6-11).... By its nature the recitation of the rosary calls for a quiet rhythm and a lingering pace, helping the individual to meditate on the mysteries of the Lord’s life as grasped by the heart of her who was closer to the Lord than all others” (Paul VI, Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, 45, 47). (AmericanCatholic.org)

Scripture today: Galatians 1: 13-24; Psalm 138; Luke 10: 38-42

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." (Luke 10: 38-42)

There is an old expression, “reading between the lines.” If we read between the lines I think we can see the Martha of the Gospels occupying in some sense a place of some prominence in the early Church. I say that because of the attention she seems to receive in a few passages in the Gospels. We remember

the chapter in the Gospel of St John that is given over to the raising of Lazarus from the dead. It is very clear that Martha, Mary and Lazarus were very close to our Lord and on terms of special intimacy with him. In that chapter we see the prominence of Martha. Her profession of faith in our Lord is magnificent, uttering in words before him what the entire Gospel of St John intended to teach about Jesus - as we read at the end of that Gospel - that he is the Christ the Son of the living God, the one who was to come into the world. In our Gospel passage today (Luke 10: 38-42), which is from the Gospel of St Luke, Martha again is prominent. It is interesting that Lazarus is not mentioned - perhaps he was away. In any case, Martha and Mary are present, and it is Martha who welcomes our Lord to their home. While Mary is mentioned as sitting at our Lord’s feet listening to what he is saying, nevertheless the attention is on Martha. She had welcomed our Lord and she was busily preparing - perhaps not only for our Lord himself but also for his disciples. We are told at the beginning of the passage that Jesus and his disciples were on their way when they arrived at the village of Martha. Her welcome of him presumably included his disciples. So she had a good bit of preparing to do. The focus remains on her as she complains to our Lord about her sister who is perhaps characteristically leaving all the initiative to her sister while she herself sits before our Lord. So Martha complains and our Lord, undoubtedly with a smile tells her that not much is needed, and truth to tell, all that is needed is to hear his word and to put it into practice. That is what Mary had chosen to do, to listen to his word and he could not tell her to do otherwise.

Every year the Church celebrates the feast of St Martha. There is no celebration of the feast of St Lazarus nor is there a celebration of St Mary the sister of Martha, though it was once thought that Mary was St Mary Magdalene. This does not mean that Mary and Lazarus were not hidden saints for their great intimacy with our Lord is clear from the Gospels. But the Church certainly holds up Martha, St Martha, for our veneration and imitation. Our Gospel passage today shows Martha as an active disciple of our Lord welcoming him and serving him in very practical ways. In this she is an example to us all. We are all called to welcome Christ into our life and to serve him daily in the fulfillment of our practical duties. Perhaps we could especially see this as applying to our attitude to the poor. In them we serve Christ and so in welcoming the poor and in serving them in very practical ways we are doing the same to Jesus. Our passage also points out our Lord’s teaching that in all the life of the Christian busily serving others in his name the direct contemplation of him is to be first and foremost. What Mary was doing seated before the Lord and giving her full attention to his word must be regarded as the principal but not the only thing in the life of the Christian. Our Lord’s correction of Martha in this matter was duly recorded by St Luke for the benefit of all Christ’s disciples. They must make time throughout life and indeed every day to be doing what Mary was doing in this scene. Our action must be combined with a life of contemplation of the Master. So let us ask ourselves if there is enough of this in our life. Every day we must be busy serving the Lord but every day we must be found doing what Mary was doing too. So then, how much time are we spending in prayer with the eyes of our soul gazing on Jesus in faith and with our ears attuned to his word as it comes to us in the Scriptures and in the Church’s teaching?

Let us develop the habit of a solid pattern of prayer in our daily life. As soon as we arise our thoughts ought prayerfully go to Jesus establishing ourselves yet again firmly in his friendship. We must not in our daily work forget the Lord of the work. Work out a plan of life, then, a plan that will involve plenty of work for the Lord and times of prayer and reading of his word that will make it possible for us to sanctify the work that he wants us to do.
(E.J.Tyler)

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Have confidence in your guardian Angel. Treat him as a lifelong friend — that is what he is — and he will render you a thousand services in the ordinary affairs of each day.
(The Way, no.562)

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SYDNEY, Australia, JULY 18, 2008 - Continuing the text of the homily Benedict XVI gave at Mass with Australian bishops and clergy on Saturday morning local time.

I wish now to turn to the seminarians and young religious in our midst, with a special word of affection and encouragement. Dear friends: with great generosity you have set out on a particular path of consecration, grounded in your Baptism and undertaken in response to the Lord's personal call. You have committed yourselves, in different ways, to accepting Christ's invitation to follow him, to leave all behind, and to devote your lives to the pursuit of holiness and the service of his people.

In today's Gospel, the Lord calls us to "believe in the light" (Jn 12:36). These words have a special meaning for you, dear young seminarians and religious. They are a summons to trust in the truth of God's word and to hope firmly in his promises. They invite us to see, with the eyes of faith, the infallible working of his grace all around us, even in those dark times when all our efforts seem to be in vain. Let this altar, with its powerful image of Christ the Suffering Servant, be a constant inspiration to you. Certainly there are times when every faithful disciple will feel the heat and the burden of the day (cf. Mt 20:12), and the struggle of bearing prophetic witness before a world which can appear deaf to the demands of God's word. Do not be afraid! Believe in the light! Take to heart the truth which we have heard in today's second reading: "Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and for ever" (Heb 13:8). The light of Easter continues to dispel the darkness!
(Continuing)

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(October 8) St. John Leonardi (1541?-1609)
"I am only one person! Why should I do anything? What good would it do?" Today, as in any age, people seem plagued with the dilemma of getting involved. In his own way John Leonardi answered these questions. He chose to become a priest. After his ordination, he became very active in the works of the ministry, especially in hospitals and prisons. The example and dedication of his work attracted several young laymen who began to assist him. They later became priests themselves. John lived in a time of reform after the Reformation and the Council of Trent. He and his followers projected a new congregation of diocesan priests. For some reason the plan, which was ultimately approved, provoked great political opposition and he was an exile from his home town of Lucca, Italy, for almost the entire remainder of his life. He received encouragement and help from St. Philip Neri [whose feast is May 26], who gave him his quarters—along with the care of his cat! In 1579 he formed the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, and published a compendium of Christian doctrine that remained in use until the 19th century. Father Leonardi and his priests became a great power for good in Italy, and their congregation was confirmed by Pope Clement in 1595. He died at the age of 68 from a disease caught when tending those stricken by the plague. By the deliberate policy of the founder, the Clerks Regular of the Mother of God have never had more than 15 churches and today form only a very small congregation.
"Do not be afraid any longer, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your belongings and give alms. Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven that no thief can reach nor moth destroy" (Luke 12:32-33). (AmericanCatholic.org)

Scripture today: Galatians 2: 1-2.7-14; Psalm 116; Luke 11: 1-4 (click here for readings)

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples." He said to them, "When you pray, say: " 'Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.' " (Luke 11: 1-4)

There are a couple of versions of the Lord’s Prayer in the Gospels, and Luke’s version is the simplest and briefest. Perhaps our Lord taught his Prayer on different occasions and even to different audiences, and so there may have been briefer versions on certain occasions. Alternatively, it may just reflect

different memories and traditions in the infant Church. But it is brief, especially so if we compare it with many other prayers in the Old and New Testaments. Compare it with, say, the prayer of Zachary or the prayer of Mary in the first chapter of Luke’s Gospel, both of which are inspired by the Holy Spirit. Our Lord’s Prayer is much briefer. It surely implies that Christian prayer is built on a few great components and is prayer for any and all disciples of Christ. Let us notice one thing, that the Lord’s Prayer is made up of petitions. This shows how important the prayer of petition is in the sight of God. It indicates that the life of the individual and the course of the world depends very much on the prayer of petition. St Alphonsus once said that the reason why we do not receive more benefits from God is that we do not ask for them. The first petition of the Lord’s prayer is that God will be hallowed, respected, honoured. We pray that his name will be hallowed in the hearts of men and in the nations of the world. This is especially relevant in our day when secularism reigns over popular culture. Life is lived as if God did not exist, even if at the same time most people might think that he does exist. Life is not guided by the conviction that a moral and all-holy God exists. His name is not hallowed by much of mankind. Entire regimes are conducted without reference to God. So we pray daily that this will change. Hallowed be your name. Then we pray that God’s kingdom will come. That is to say, in praying that God’s name will be hallowed, we go on to ask that his rule and his lordship will be accepted. That is to say, that his will be done on earth as it is done in heaven. So our first petition is that God will reign over the hearts of men and over the life of society. If this happens, all will be well.

Having placed God’s interests at the forefront of our petition to him and knowing that if his interests are respected then all will be well with us, we then ask that God attend our own legitimate interests. “Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation." (Luke 11: 1-4) Our “daily bread” refers to all we need to sustain our life be it physical or spiritual. We surely ought include in this what our Lord himself taught to be our bread of life, namely himself. Christ is our daily bread. As he says in the Gospel of St John, I am the bread of life. If anyone eats of me he ill live forever. We eat of the person of Christ by giving him our faith entirely and by living daily by his word. Most especially we eat of him by partaking of the Eucharist. The Eucharist is our bread of life and it is the greatest of God’s gifts because it is the gift of his Son. We ought pray to God asking the grace to see Jesus Christ as our true bread, the true nourishment we need. Very importantly in the Lord’s Prayer there is a petition for God’s forgiveness. I know one person who some time back discovered that he had for quite some time been instinctively making his prayer a prayer for pardon. Time and again he found himself saying involuntarily, “I am sorry, Lord! Lord, I am sorry!” Think of the praise our Lord gave to the Publican in his story of the Pharisee and the Publican praying in the Temple. All the Publican could do was stand down the back of the Temple out of sight, with his head bowed and saying to God “Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner.” Let the prayer for pardon from God fill our days and lead us frequently to the Sacrament of Penance. But then, as our Lord’s Prayer reminds us, in asking for pardon, we must give it. We must forgive those who trespass against us. This is the truly difficult thing, so let us pray for the grace to forgive others just as God has forgiven us.

Finally, we ask God to keep us from being led into temptation, especially temptation to which we are likely to succumb. We ought pray to be kept free from deliberate sin. Sin is the worst of evils, and so its avoidance is a great favour we ought ask God for. Let us then resolve to give ourselves over to a life of prayer, prayer at formal times, yes, but also prayer in the midst of our daily work. Let us cherish the Lord’s Prayer and make it the inspiration of our lives.
(E.J.Tyler)

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Win over the guardian Angel of that person whom you wish to draw to your apostolate. He is always a great 'accomplice'.
(The Way, no.563)

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SYDNEY, Australia, JULY 18, 2008 - Continuing the text of the homily Benedict XVI gave at Mass with Australian bishops and clergy.

The Lord also calls us to walk in the light (cf. Jn 12:35). Each of you has embarked on the greatest and the most glorious of all struggles, to be consecrated in truth, to grow in virtue, to achieve harmony between your thoughts and ideals, and your words and actions. Enter sincerely and deeply into the discipline and spirit of your programmes of formation. Walk in Christ's light daily through fidelity to personal and liturgical prayer, nourished by meditation on the inspired word of God. The Fathers of the Church loved to see the Scriptures as a spiritual Eden, a garden where we can walk freely with God, admiring the beauty and harmony of his saving plan as it bears fruit in our own lives, in the life of the Church and in all of history. Let prayer, then, and meditation on God's word, be the lamp which illumines, purifies and guides your steps along the path which the Lord has marked out for you. Make the daily celebration of the Eucharist the centre of your life. At each Mass, when the Lord's Body and Blood are lifted up at the end of the Eucharistic Prayer, lift up your own hearts and lives, through Christ, with him and in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, as a loving sacrifice to God our Father.
(Continuing)

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This martyr and patron of France is traditionally held to have been the first bishop of Paris. His popularity is due to a series of legends, especially those connecting him with the great abbey church of St. Denis in Paris. He was for a time confused with the writer now called Pseudo-Dionysius. The best hypothesis contends that Denis was sent to Gaul from Rome in the third century and beheaded in the persecution under Valerius in 258. According to one of the legends, after he was martyred on Montmartre (literally, "mountain of martyrs") in Paris, he carried his head to a village northeast of the city. St. Genevieve built a basilica over his tomb at the beginning of the sixth century.

Again we have the case of a saint about whom almost nothing is known, yet one whose cult has been a vigorous part of the Church's history for centuries. We can only conclude that the deep impression the saint made on the people of his day must have resulted from a life of unusual holiness. In all such cases, there are two fundamental facts: A great man gave his life for Christ, and the Church has never forgotten him—a human symbol of God's eternal mindfulness. (AmericanCatholic.org)

Jesus said to his disciples, Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three

loaves of bread, because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.' Then the one inside answers, 'Don't bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can't get up and give you anything.' I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man's boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs. So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! (Luke 11: 5-13)

It is often observed that the distinguishing feature of modern Western culture and of those cultures influenced by the West is its secularity. It is not the vehicle of nor does it favour an open acceptance of the being of God. It is not that it positively denies the existence of God, rather it sets aside such a proposition and relegates it to the realm of private opinion. God is not an

objective fact because objective facts are tangible and measurable, and so life can be and should be lived as if God does not exist. Whether he exists or not, life has to be lived on its own terms and not in terms of the supposed supernatural. The modern starting point is that of naturalism: which is to say, that what exists is limited to the "natural", and the supernatural is dubious and problematic. Observable nature is all that there is. I have often been struck by, on the one hand the number of young people who show signs of a deep religious faith and whose religious future is so full of promise, and on the other hand by the (many more, I think) young people whose starting point is naturalism. It amounts to a doubt as to the unseen being of God and the things of God, and, therefore an instinctive suspicion in respect to religion. Such young people have picked up this doubt and suspicion from their culture. There are cultures that are not of this kind. I think the Filipino culture which while in certain respects quite Western, is not one of naturalism. The typical Filipino family is instinctively open to religion and to the being of God. But when that Filipino family migrates to a country such as to Australia, the danger is that the children can pick up the secularism of Australia. I say all this as an introduction to our Gospel passage of today in which our Lord gives us not only emphatic assurances of the reality of the unseen world of God but that God is one we can rely on. We can turn to him and depend on him to make a tremendous difference to life. That is to say, it is very foolish if we choose to live as if he does not exist.

The person who thinks that God is just a thought, an image, a term in conversation, will not be likely to pray to him for aid. Of course, reversals in life can prompt such a one to appeal to God, but I tend to think that the naturalism, the secularity of so many persons, results in their rarely praying. They think that if there is a God, he makes no difference. Life has to be lived as if he is not present and active in it. Hence our Lord’s words in today’s Gospel (Luke 11: 5-13) are full of relevance. Our Lord makes riveting promises. "So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?" Our Lord promises that our prayers will be answered. There are, however, a couple of things that must be said about this. To begin with, pervading our Lord’s words is the point that the God to whom we address our prayers is all-wise and all-loving. Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? The direct implication is that God is a father to us. Therefore, using our Lord’s words in a slightly different way, if we - without realizing it, perhaps - were to ask him for a snake, so to say, would he give it to us? Or, so to say, a scorpion, would he give it to us? No. God knows what is best for us and if we ask him for something that he sees will do us harm, he will not grant it. But he loves us tenderly and so he will answer our prayers in the way he knows is best for us. There is a further point. Throughout the Gospels our Lord is seen to be working miracles. Now, generally he does it in response to a prayer of faith. Our Lord expects and wants to see faith in those he means to help. Do you believe I can do this for you, we find him continually asking. So in our petitions to God we ought approach him with faith. This faith will lead us to persevere in our prayers for some worthy intention, while all the time accepting humbly the will of God.

Let us especially ask for those things God has revealed to us as being for our truest good. We can sum such things up in the gift of the Holy Spirit. God wants to redeem and sanctify us. This is the entire purpose of life and all the other things for which we can and ought pray relate to that one important thing. Now for this we need the gift of the Holy Spirit. He is our Sanctifier. Let us then pray to the Father that he send us the gift and grace of the Holy Spirit. As our Lord says in today’s passage, "If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" (Luke 11: 5-13)

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If you remembered the presence of your own Angel and the angels of your neighbours, you would avoid many of the foolish things which slip into your conversations.

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SYDNEY, Australia, JULY 18, 2008 - Continuing the text of the homily Benedict XVI gave at Mass with Australian bishops and clergy.

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(October 10) St. Francis Borgia (1510-1572)

Today's saint grew up in an important family in 16th-century Spain, serving in the imperial court and quickly advancing in his career. But a series of events — including the death of his beloved wife—made Francis Borgia rethink his priorities. He gave up public life, gave away his possessions and joined the new and little-known Society of Jesus. Religious life proved to be the right choice. He felt drawn to spend time in seclusion and prayer, but his administrative talents also made him a natural for other tasks. He helped in the establishment of what is now the Gregorian University in Rome. Not long after his ordination he served as political and spiritual adviser to the emperor. In Spain, he founded a dozen colleges. At 55, Francis was elected head of the Jesuits. He focused on the growth of the Society of Jesus, the spiritual preparation of its new members and spreading the faith in many parts of Europe. He was responsible for the founding of Jesuit missions in Florida, Mexico and Peru. Francis Borgia is often regarded as the second founder of the Jesuits. He died in 1572 and was canonized 100 years later.
(AmericanCatholic.org)

Scripture today: Galatians 3: 7-14; Psalm 110; Luke 11: 15-26 (click here for readings)

When Jesus had cast out a devil, some of them said, By Beelzebub, the prince of demons, he is driving

out demons. Others tested him by asking for a sign from heaven. Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them: Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall. If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? I say this because you claim that I drive out demons by Beelzebub. Now if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your followers drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you. When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armour in which the man trusted and divides up the spoils. He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me, scatters. When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.' When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. (Luke 11: 15-26)

I remember many years ago - it was about 1972, I think - Pope Paul VI said that the smoke of Satan had entered aspects of the life of the Church. He was referring to the dissent from Church teaching and discipline on the part of many within the Church, and he was saying that Satan was assisting in this

dissent. The Pope - whose cause for canonization is proceeding - went on to give a very good address on Satan. What was also interesting was the media response and reporting of this address of the Pope. Even though it is decades ago I remember how the ABC reported it on the television news. The news reader read it out as if it was something of a joke. The joke was that Satan was taken to be real. Occasionally I have seen public advertisements with pictorial representations of Satan as a figure of fun, and even a bit loveable. He is a kind of imp. Let us never underestimate the dark and murderous character of the being the Scriptures and Christ call Satan. Christ describes him as a liar and a murderer from the beginning. Most criminals have some redeeming feature, but Satan has absolutely none. He is wholly sunk in sin and hates God with all his profoundly corrupted being. He is beyond all hope and is totally committed to sin and the tearing down of anything that may give glory to God. He is God’s creature and is held constantly in being by the hand of God, and yet he hates God with all his heart. Our Lord tells us that the first of all the commandments is to love God with all our being and the second is like it, to love our neighbour as ourself. Satan is the complete opposite to this and by implacable personal choice. His fate is sealed. He is doomed to the depths of Hell for all eternity, but he will go down attempting to drag as many as he can with him, and all out of hatred for God. We are reminded of Satan and his demonic assistants by our Gospel passage today.

What image do we have, or rather what conception do we have, of the ultimate dynamics of the universe? Is it, say, of a universe that is simply developing or continuing in its life and action, and of being nothing more than its appearances? Our Lord makes it clear in his interchange with his opponents that there is much more going on than this, much more than what can simply be seen. Ultimately what is going on is a battle between two kingdoms, each of which at its core is unseen. Each kingdom desires sovereignty over mankind. There is the kingdom of God and there is the kingdom of Satan. That there are these two kingdoms is obvious from our Lord’s words today. “Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall. If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? I say this because you claim that I drive out demons by Beelzebub.” (Luke 11: 15-26) So Satan leads a kingdom. He is the head of a household. Moreover, it is on a war footing against the kingdom of God, whose lord and king is Jesus Christ. This is what is going on in the universe, and whatever we do will have implications for this unseen contest. If we are not alert to what is really going on - which is this battle between God and Satan - then our actions are vulnerable. We can be ensnared by the Enemy of God. We must be alert and take our stand every day with the One who is good, and who will have the victory at the end. By his death on the cross Christ has gained the victory. The victory over the hearts of men and the victory of good over evil has already been won by Christ’s dying on the cross. What remains to be done from generation to generation till the end is to help each man and woman take their place with Christ so that his victory will be made theirs. As our Lord says, he is the stronger one and he has and will overcome the one who, because of the Fall, has had possession.

Let us resolve to be vigilant. As St Peter writes in his Letter, the Devil goes about like a lion looking for his prey. There will be no mercy should he entrap us, and the trap is deliberate sin. Satan wants one thing from us, that we sin. Anything that will tempt us to sin, especially to sin mortally, Satan will encourage. He wants no glory to be given to God and God’s greatest glory is the avoidance of sin and the acquisition of personal holiness. Let us then take our stand with Jesus and reject all that seems to come from Satan.
(E.J.Tyler)

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You are amazed that your guardian Angel has done you such obvious favours. And you should not be amazed: that's why our Lord has placed him beside you.
(The Way, no.565)

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SYDNEY, Australia, JULY 18, 2008 - Continuing the text of the homily Benedict XVI gave at Mass with Australian bishops and clergy.

Dear friends, let me conclude these reflections by drawing your attention to the great stained glass window in the chancel of this cathedral. There Our Lady, Queen of Heaven, is represented enthroned in majesty beside her divine Son. The artist has represented Mary, as the new Eve, offering an apple to Christ, the new Adam. This gesture symbolizes her reversal of our first parents' disobedience, the rich fruit which God's grace bore in her own life, and the first fruits of that redeemed and glorified humanity which she has preceded into the glory of heaven. Let us ask Mary, Help of Christians, to sustain the Church in Australia in fidelity to that grace by which the Crucified Lord even now "draws to himself" all creation and every human heart (cf. Jn 12:32). May the power of his Holy Spirit consecrate the faithful of this land in truth, and bring forth abundant fruits of holiness and justice for the redemption of the world. May it guide all humanity into the fullness of life around that Altar, where, in the glory of the heavenly liturgy, we are called to sing God's praises for ever. Amen.
(Concluded)

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(October 11) Blessed Angela Truszkowska (1825-1899)
Today we honour a woman who submitted to God's will throughout her life—a life filled with pain and suffering. Born in 1825 in central Poland and baptized Sophia, she contracted tuberculosis as a young girl. The forced period of convalescence gave her ample time for reflection. Sophia felt called to serve God by working with the poor, including street children and the elderly homeless in Warsaw's slums. In time, her cousin joined her in the work. In 1855, the two women made private vows and consecrated themselves to the Blessed Mother. New followers joined them. Within two years they formed a new congregation, which came to be known as the Felician Sisters. As their numbers grew, so did their work, and so did the pressures on Mother Angela (the new name Sophia took in religious life). Mother Angela served as superior for many years until ill health forced her to resign at the age of 44. She watched the order grow and expand, including missions to the United States among the sons and daughters of Polish immigrants. Pope John Paul II beatified her in 1993. (AmericanCatholic.org)

Scripture today: Galatians 3: 22-29; Psalm 104; Luke 11: 27-28 (click here for pictures)

As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you. He replied, Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it. (Luke 11: 27-28)

Our Gospel scene places us in the crowd watching Jesus as he speaks to them. Jesus pauses and during the pause a woman nearby in the crowd, filled with admiration for the man before them, cries out how blessed was the mother who had such a son. There are two things

here, two objects of praise. In the first place, Christ is praised. In the second, Christ’s mother is praised. This woman in the crowd gave voice to the Church’s praise and thanks down the centuries ever since. Christ is inextricably linked with his mother, and both are praised, Christ of course first, and then in him his mother, by far the first and greatest of his disciples. Let us, together with that woman in the crowd, contemplate the person of Jesus. True man as he is, there he is before us, talking to the crowd. Think of the wonder of the situation. That man is God, God the Son become man and standing there telling us what we must do to gain eternal life. In him we see God face to face, not in his divine nature (which of course he has), but in his human nature rendering him entirely visible. In his human nature, God the Son has certain physical features. He is of a certain height, he has a certain accent, a certain timbre to his voice, he thinks in a certain way and he expresses himself in a certain fashion. He is God who is thoroughly incarnate. He is a man who is utterly, utterly sinless and who loves his heavenly Father with his whole soul. The woman in the crowd would not, perhaps, have realized that Jesus was divine, but it was very evident to her how wonderful a man he was. Like her we ought contemplate his person, and do so every day, raising our minds and hearts in praise of him in our prayer. As we do this, we ought, like her, also raise our hearts in praise of his blessed mother. The angel Gabriel did this when he met her. So did her kinswoman Elizabeth soon after. We read of this in the same Gospel of St Luke. Mary is full of grace, the Lord is with her. Blessed is she among women, and blessed is the fruit of her womb, Jesus.

Our Lord heard the praise of himself, but in his humility did not bask in it. Nor did he bask in the praise of his own mother, whom he loved so much. Rather he immediately pointed to the true reason for praise. Both he and his mother were entirely worthy of this praise, he for the splendour of his divine person in both his human and divine natures, and she his mother for the splendour of her dignity as mother and for her gifts and holiness of life. But the true reason for praise for anyone, our Lord replies, is that he hears the word of God and puts it into practice. He himself is the foremost exemplar of this. He is the Son of God, but consider the plan of God which he was in the process of fulfilling. He was in the world to save the world from sin and to bring it the gift of redemption and sanctification. It would mean very soon his taking on his own shoulders the sins of all mankind and making up for all of man’s sins. This was almost an inconceivably vast work and he fulfilled it through scarcely imaginable sufferings. Our Lord himself heard the word and the will of his heavenly Father and put it into practice. I always do what pleases him, he said on another occasion, and the Father himself said from the cloud during Christ’s transfiguration that in Jesus he was well pleased. His food was to do the will of the one who sent him, as Jesus said elsewhere. Christ himself is our first and perfect model of what he himself speaks of in the Gospel of today (Luke 11: 27-28). But in this our Lord has a perfect disciple, his own mother. As Mary’s kinswoman Elizabeth said of her, blessed is she who believed what was promised her by the Lord. Mary is the woman of perfect faith and perfect obedience. Totally human, by the grace of God she heard the word of God and perfectly put it into practice. Closely following in the footsteps of her divine Son she is our mother and model in hearing the word of God and putting it into practice. For this reason, above all, she is blessed among women.

Let us every day keep our eyes on Jesus, and also let us keep our eyes on his most perfect disciple, the one who was closest to him in loving intimacy, Mary his mother. He is to be praised as God incarnate, and so is she to be praised as God's perfect creature by his grace. Blessed is the womb that bore you, the woman cried out. Indeed. Now, he has given her to us to be our mother also, and as our mother she is our model. She will help us to hear the word of God and put it into practice, and thus be blessed in God’s sight.
(E.J.Tyler)

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You say that in such surroundings there are many occasions of going astray? That's true, but is there not also the presence of the guardian Angels?...
(The Way, no.566)

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SYDNEY, Australia, JULY 19, 2008 - Here is the address Benedict XVI gave at the World Youth Day vigil Saturday night at the Randwick Racecourse in Sydney.

* * *

Dear Young People,

Once again this evening we have heard Christ’s great promise – "you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you". And we have heard his summons – "be my witnesses throughout the world" – (Acts 1:8). These were the very last words which Jesus spoke before his Ascension into heaven. How the Apostles felt upon hearing them, we can only imagine. But we do know that their deep love for Jesus, and their trust in his word, prompted them to gather and to wait; to wait not aimlessly, but together, united in prayer, with the women and Mary in the Upper Room (cf. Acts 1:14). Tonight, we do the same. Gathered before our much-travelled Cross and the icon of Mary, and under the magnificent constellation of the Southern Cross, we pray. Tonight, I am praying for you and for young people throughout the world. Be inspired by the example of your Patrons! Accept into your hearts and minds the sevenfold gift of the Holy Spirit! Recognize and believe in the power of the Spirit in your lives!

The other day we talked of the unity and harmony of God’s creation and our place within it. We recalled how in the great gift of baptism we, who are made in God’s image and likeness, have been reborn, we have become God’s adopted children, a new creation. And so it is as children of Christ’s light – symbolized by the lit candles you now hold – that we bear witness in our world to the radiance no darkness can overcome (cf. Jn 1:5).
(Continuing)

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Prayers this week: If you, O Lord, laid bare our guilt, who could endure it? But you are forgiving, God of Israel. (Ps 129:3-4)

Lord, our help and guide, make your love the foundation of our lives. May our love for you express itself in our eagerness to do good for others. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ your Son in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever.

(October 12) St. Seraphin of Montegranaro (1540-1604)
   Born into a poor Italian family, young Seraphin lived the life of a shepherd and spent much of his time in prayer. Mistreated for a time by his older brother after the two of them had been orphaned, Seraphin became a Capuchin Franciscan at age 16 and impressed everyone with his humility and generosity. Serving as a lay brother, Seraphin imitated St. Francis in fasting, clothing and courtesy to all. He even mirrored Francis' missionary zeal, but Seraphin's superiors did not judge him to be a candidate for the missions. Faithful to the core, Seraphin spent three hours in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament daily. The poor who begged at the friary door came to hold a special love for him. Despite his uneventful life, he reached impressive spiritual heights and has had miracles attributed to him. Seraphin died on October 12, 1604, and was canonized in 1767.
    For many people these days, work has no significance beyond providing the money they need to live. How many share the belief expressed in the Book of Genesis that we are to cooperate with God in caring for the earth? The kind of work Seraphin did may not strike us as earth-shattering. The work was ordinary; the spirit in which he did it was not.
   In Brothers of Men, Rene Voillaume of the Little Brothers of Jesus speaks about ordinary work and holiness: "Now this holiness [of Jesus] became a reality in the most ordinary circumstances of life, those of work, of the family and the social life of a village, and this is an emphatic affirmation of the fact that the most obscure and humdrum human activities are entirely compatible with the perfection of the Son of God." Christians are convinced, he says, "that the evangelical holiness proper to a child of God is possible in the ordinary circumstances of a man who is poor and obliged to work for his living." (AmericanCatholic.org)

Scripture today: Isaiah 25: 6-10; Psalm 22; Philippians 4: 12-14.19-20; Matthew 22: 1-14 (click here for readings)

Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He

sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come. Then he sent some more servants and said, 'Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.' But they paid no attention and went off — one to his field, another to his business. The rest seized his servants, ill-treated them and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.' So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 'Friend,' he asked, 'how did you get in here without wedding clothes?' The man was speechless. Then the king told the attendants, 'Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' For many are invited, but few are chosen. (Matthew 22: 1-14)

Each of our Lord’s parables throws light on most aspects of the Christian life, and so it is with our Gospel parable of today. Consider those who were invited to the wedding. We read that the king sent servants out to notify those who had been invited to the wedding that all was ready for them to come. But they were not interested. We read that “They paid no attention and went off — one to his field,

another to his business. The rest seized his servants, ill-treated them and killed them.” (Matthew 22: 1-14) That is to say, their hearts were set on other things. Let us take this general point as a springboard for reflection on one form that this attachment of the heart to things other than God can take. I refer to what Scripture and the Church’s spiritual tradition refer to as covetousness. The tenth commandment of God forbids that we covet our neighbour’s goods. It forbids having the intention to gain what belongs to another. Of course, one would hope that a person who practises his Christian faith would never formally intend to take what rightfully belongs to another. But let us consider the greed and envy that can silently be present in a person’s heart despite what he may actually do. It is the desire of the heart for the goods that one’s neighbour enjoys that is so spiritually debilitating. We see that others have material goods and we think that our worth as persons rises or falls in proportion to the abundance of our possessions. We are saddened at the seeming good fortune of others we know or hear of. We think that it reflects poorly on ourselves. We are envious of their better home, their better car, and in general of their better fortune in life. They have had it good, we have not had it good - so we think. We wish we had what they now have, and we are sad that this is not possible. This attachment to created things which covetousness involves weakens the capacity of the heart to respond to the call of God to come to the wedding, the wedding of the parable being a life of union with Jesus here, reaching its fullness hereafter.

As life goes on this fault of covetousness can take more subtle forms. While the sight of one’s neighbour’s material good fortune can cause sadness when compared with our own more limited material means, there are other ways of being covetous. One can be saddened by the greater success of others in their work and in their influence and performance. They seem more successful in gaining friends and in their achievements. Their career has been more prosperous. They even seem to be better people. These are the kinds of thoughts that can insinuate themselves into the mind and imagination. One begrudges others the good things they have, above and beyond their material goods. One wishes it were different. One wishes that one had been better endowed and more fortunate in the good things of life, be they material, spiritual or otherwise. So one is sad. One is disappointed in life and not fulfilled. One is envious. A person who consents to these thoughts has failed to recognize that his seeming poverty in some respect is an opportunity rather than a burden and an affliction. His poverty - of which he is very aware because of his comparing himself with others - offers a chance to be rid of illusions and to seek one’s true wealth in God and in Christ. This is one reason why the Church has sanctioned with such constant praise the vocation to a consecrated religious life of poverty, obedience and celibacy. All these legitimate goods in life of possessions, of independence and of family are able to substitute to a greater or lesser extent for God in one’s heart, and the sadness a person feels at the more abundant goods enjoyed by another shows this. Let us try to understand that covetousness takes many and subtle forms and it is a vice that will sap and undermine our relationship with God. The command of God warning against it is not only a protection of the rights of others but it is a protection of our own spiritual life, which is always debilitated by the envy and sadness which covetousness gives rise to.

Let us guard against all covetousness and envy. Let us resolve to place our hopes in Christ, in God and his holy will. Especially let us accept our poverty in whatever sphere we see it to exist, knowing that our true riches lie in union with Christ and in following his way. Therein will lie our success and our riches, and if we have that, we have all.
(E.J.Tyler)

Further reading: Catechism of the Catholic Church, no.2535-2543

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If you call upon your guardian Angel at the moment of trial, he will protect you from the devil and will bring you holy inspirations.
(The Way, no.567)

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SYDNEY, Australia, JULY 19, 2008 - Continuation of the address Benedict XVI gave at the World Youth Day vigil Saturday night at the Randwick Racecourse in Sydney.

Tonight we focus our attention on how to become witnesses. We need to understand the person of the Holy Spirit and his vivifying presence in our lives. This is not easy to comprehend. Indeed the variety of images found in scripture referring to the Spirit – wind, fire, breath – indicate our struggle to articulate an understanding of him. Yet we do know that it is the Holy Spirit who, though silent and unseen, gives direction and definition to our witness to Jesus Christ.

You are already well aware that our Christian witness is offered to a world which in many ways is fragile. The unity of God’s creation is weakened by wounds which run particularly deep when social relations break apart, or when the human spirit is all but crushed through the exploitation and abuse of persons. Indeed, society today is being fragmented by a way of thinking that is inherently short-sighted, because it disregards the full horizon of truth– the truth about God and about us. By its nature, relativism fails to see the whole picture. It ignores the very principles which enable us to live and flourish in unity, order and harmony.
(Continuing)

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(October 13) St. Marguerite d’Youville (1701-1771)
We learn compassion from allowing our lives to be influenced by compassionate people, by seeing life from their perspective and reconsidering our own values. Born in Varennes, Canada, Marie Marguerite Dufrost de Lajemmerais had to interrupt her schooling at the age of 12 to help her widowed mother. Eight years later she married Francois d'Youville; they had six children, four of whom died young. Despite the fact that her husband gambled, sold liquor illegally to Native Americans and treated her indifferently, she cared for him compassionately in the two years before his death in 1730. Even though she was caring for two small children and running a store to help pay off her husband's debts, Marguerite still helped the poor. Once her children were grown, she and several companions rescued a Quebec hospital which was in danger of failing. She called her community the Institute of the Sisters of Charity of Montreal; the people called them the "Grey Nuns" because of the colour of their habit. In time, a proverb arose among the poor people of Montreal, "Go to the Grey Nuns; they never refuse to serve." In time, five other religious communities traced their roots to the Grey Nuns. The General Hospital in Montreal became known as the Hotel Dieu (House of God) and set a standard for medical care and Christian compassion. When the hospital was destroyed by fire in 1766, she knelt in the ashes, led the Te Deum (a hymn to God's providence in all circumstances) and began the rebuilding process. She fought the attempts of government officials to restrain her charity and established the first foundling home in North America. Pope John XXIII, who beatified her in 1959, called her the "Mother of Universal Charity." She was canonized in 1990.
Saints deal with plenty of discouragement, plenty of reasons to say, "Life isn't fair" and wonder where God is in the rubble of their lives. We honour saints like Marguerite because they show us that, with God's grace and their cooperation, suffering can lead to compassion rather than to bitterness. "More than once the work which Marguerite undertook was hindered by nature or people. In order to work to bring that new world of justice and love closer, she had to fight some hard and difficult battles" (John Paul II, canonization homily). (AmericanCatholic.org)

Scripture today: Galatians 4: 22-24.26-27.31-5:1; Psalm 112; Luke 11: 29-32 (click here for readings)

As the crowds increased, Jesus said, This is a wicked generation. It asks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation. The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon's wisdom, and now one greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now one greater than Jonah is here. (Luke 11: 29-32)

Take any one of the great philosophers of history - let us say, Aristotle. Pick up, say, The Basic Works of Aristotle (ed. Richard McKeon, Random, NY, 1941) and look at his Organon, his Metaphysica or, say, his Ethica. Now, as we work our way through any one of these outstanding works, are we contemplating Aristotle himself? Of course not. He is teaching us philosophy and is not pointing to

himself. He is not the object of the course he is giving. Take one of the great founders of religions in history - let us say, Mahomet. Pick up the Koran and ask, in reading this volume am I being asked to contemplate Mahomet himself? Of course not. Mahomet presents himself as a messenger. He claims to point to Allah from whom, he believes, he has received a revelation. The object of our contemplation and considerations is other than Mahomet himself, except insofar as Mahomet presents himself as exemplifying what he claims Allah expects of man. But now, the case is entirely different with the Christian religion. In the Christian religion the object of our contemplation is the person of Jesus Christ. It is not just a matter of following his teachings as coming from God. He is not just yet another prophet who points to God as the one who has revealed to him certain things. He points to himself and says, believe me, love me, follow me, die for me, and on the basis of my person and my authority accept entirely my teaching which is my divine revelation. Christ, and not just his teaching, is the heart and the soul of the Christian religion. The Christian does not merely follow Christ’s teaching (and, of course, he must follow Christ’s teaching) but rather he loves and follows the person of Christ as he would God. This is because Jesus is God, God the Son become man. In his book Jesus of Nazareth Pope Benedict XVI reports a dialogue Rabbi Neusner conducts about Jesus. Neusner asks, What does Jesus bring? Neusner gives the answer. It is Himself (p.105). Jesus’ I, his own person, is central to his message.

In our Gospel passage today our Lord seriously faults very many who see and hear him. They want signs and wonders and will not accept the one they have before them. “This is a wicked generation. It asks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation. The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon's wisdom, and now one greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now one greater than Jonah is here.” (Luke 11: 29-32) In him, there is a greater than Jonah and a greater than Solomon here. All Jonah did was preach repentance and the Ninevites repented for they could see that Jonah was a prophet preaching the message from God. Look at me, our Lord continues, can you not see that I am greater than Jonah? It is the same with Solomon and his wisdom. The Queen of the South could see it, and there is a far greater than Solomon here. Our Lord is saying, I am greater than all. We are reminded of the words of the Angel Gabriel to Mary announcing her motherhood of the Messiah. He said that the child would be great, and would be called Son of the Most High. He will be great. So then, the Christian life involves the contemplation of the very person of Jesus. We must abide with him, with the eyes of our soul gazing steadily and with love on his person. Love for him must be enkindled in our hearts, and this love is what must drive our obedience to his commands. If you love me, our Lord said, you will do what I command you. If we are to love him we must abide in faith with him, thinking of him especially as he is portrayed in the Gospels.

Let us resolve to come to know the person of Jesus Christ and to be filled with a love for his person. This is the heart and soul of the Christian religion. Out of this flows Christian practice, which is to say a life lived according to the teachings of Jesus. The Christian religion is not just a philosophy or way of life. It is a personal relationship with another person and that other person is Jesus. He is the only way to the Father, and indeed, to see him is to see the Father. We are called to live with him and for him and thus to die with him and for him. Let this be our goal.
(E.J.Tyler)

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How joyfully the holy guardian Angels must have obeyed that soul who said to them: 'Holy Angels, I call on you, like the Spouse of the Song of Songs, ut nuntietis ei quia amore langueo, to tell him that I languish with love.'
(The Way, no.568)

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SYDNEY, Australia, JULY 19, 2008 - Continuation of the address Benedict XVI gave at the World Youth Day vigil Saturday night at the Randwick Racecourse in Sydney.

What is our response, as Christian witnesses, to a divided and fragmented world? How can we offer the hope of peace, healing and harmony to those "stations" of conflict, suffering, and tension through which you have chosen to march with this World Youth Day Cross? Unity and reconciliation cannot be achieved through our efforts alone. God has made us for one another (cf. Gen 2:24) and only in God and his Church can we find the unity we seek. Yet, in the face of imperfections and disappointments – both individual and institutional – we are sometimes tempted to construct artificially a "perfect" community. That temptation is not new. The history of the Church includes many examples of attempts to bypass or override human weaknesses or failures in order to create a perfect unity, a spiritual utopia.

Such attempts to construct unity in fact undermine it! To separate the Holy Spirit from Christ present in the Church’s institutional structure would compromise the unity of the Christian community, which is precisely the Spirit’s gift! It would betray the nature of the Church as the living temple of the Holy Spirit (cf. 1 Cor 3:16). It is the Spirit, in fact, who guides the Church in the way of all truth and unifies her in communion and in the works of ministry (cf. Lumen Gentium, 4). Unfortunately the temptation to "go it alone" persists. Some today portray their local community as somehow separate from the so-called institutional Church, by speaking of the former as flexible and open to the Spirit and the latter as rigid and devoid of the Spirit.
(Continuing)

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The most reliable information about this saint comes from his enemy St. Hippolytus, an early antipope, later a martyr for the Church. A negative principle is used: If some worse things had happened, Hippolytus would surely have mentioned them. Callistus was a slave in the imperial Roman household. Put in charge of the bank by his master, he lost the money deposited, fled and was caught. After serving time for a while, he was released to make some attempt to recover the money. Apparently he carried his zeal too far, being arrested for brawling in a Jewish synagogue. This time he was condemned to work in the mines of Sardinia. He was released through the influence of the emperor's mistress and lived at Anzio (site of a famous World War II beachhead). He won his freedom and was made superintendent of the public Christian burial ground in Rome (still called the cemetery of St. Callistus), probably the first land owned by the Church. The pope ordained him a deacon and made him his friend and adviser. He was himself elected pope by a majority vote of the clergy and laity of Rome, and thereafter was bitterly attacked by the losing candidate, St. Hippolytus, who let himself be set up as the first antipope in the history of the Church. The schism lasted about 18 years. Hippolytus is venerated as a saint. He was banished during the persecution of 235 and was reconciled to the Church. He died from his sufferings in Sardinia. He attacked Callistus on two fronts—doctrine and discipline. Hippolytus seems to have exaggerated the distinction between Father and Son (almost making two gods) possibly because theological language had not yet been refined. He also accused Callistus of being too lenient, for reasons we may find surprising: (1) Callistus admitted to Communion those who had already done public penance for murder, adultery, fornication; (2) he held marriages between free women and slaves to be valid—contrary to Roman law; (3) he authorized the ordination of men who had been married two or three times; (4) he held that mortal sin was not a sufficient reason to depose a bishop; (5) he held to a policy of leniency toward those who had temporarily apostatized during persecution. Callistus was martyred during a local disturbance in Trastevere, Rome, and is the first pope (except for Peter) to be commemorated as a martyr in the earliest martyrology of the Church. Some are of the opinion that, even from the little we know about him, Callistus may rank among the greatest popes.

The life of this man is another reminder that the course of Church history, like that of true love, never did run smooth. The Church had to (and still must) go through the agonizing struggle to state the mysteries of the faith in language that, at the very least, sets up definite barriers to error. On the disciplinary side, the Church had to preserve the mercy of Christ against rigorism while still upholding the gospel ideal of radical conversion and self-discipline. Every pope—indeed every Christian—must walk the difficult path between "reasonable" indulgence and "reasonable" rigorism. His contemporaries, Jesus said, were "like children who sit in marketplaces and call to one another, 'We played the flute for you, but you did not dance, we sang a dirge but you did not mourn.' For John [the Baptist] came neither eating nor drinking, and they said, 'He is possessed by a demon.' The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they said, 'Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners'" (Matthew 11:16b-19a). (AmericanCatholic.org)

When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with him; so he went in and reclined at the table. But the Pharisee, noticing that Jesus did not first wash before the meal, was surprised. Then the Lord said to him, Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? But give what is inside the dish to the poor, and everything will be clean for you. (Luke 11: 37-41)

Let us begin by noticing the circumstances of our Lord’s words in today’s Gospel passage. Our Lord had been speaking to growing crowds (verse 29) and the chapter gives his extensive teaching. We read that he had just finished speaking and a Pharisee invited him to dine at his home. Inasmuch as the Pharisees were among our Lord’s leading opponents, this detail is

very revealing. It shows that our Lord’s entire manner in the face of this opposition was such as not in any way inhibit a Pharisee from even inviting him to his home. Our Lord’s kindness was manifest. When this Pharisee invited our Lord to his home to dine, our Lord accepted the invitation immediately. He wished to save all, including the Pharisees. At the same time, once in the house of the Pharisee he did not hesitate to correct him when the occasion called for it, which it soon did. Indeed, by the time our Lord had reclined at table, the Pharisee was already surprised at him, for our Lord had failed to "wash before the meal." This washing was ostentatious and excessive, being performed as a point of religious observance. It was a tradition that in no way was imposed by the Law of God, and our Lord, of course, simply disregarded it. Perhaps by his manner the Pharisee made it obvious not only to Jesus but to others that he was surprised at Jesus. Immediately seeing the response of the Pharisee to his disregard of such practices, our Lord proceeded to correct the Pharisee. I prefer to imagine our Lord speaking with a smile on his face. I imagine him smiling, gazing at the Pharisee, and perhaps slowly shaking his head at his guest, as it were, as he told him that he and his class were foolish. "You foolish people!" we read our Lord saying in the passage. You fiddle about with rules such as this while missing the important things. He spoke firmly yet kindly, and perhaps with an air that showed how ridiculous the attitude of the Pharisee was. I imagine this particular Pharisee not to have been malicious. He did invite our Lord to his home. But he was blind and foolish and could not see past the rules insisted on by his own set.

There are other details later in the scene that are not included in our reading today. Other Pharisees and lawyers are present also, and so it is clear that our Lord is addressing them too. Our Lord’s forthright words, we are told, occasioned fierce resentment on the part of the scribes and Pharisees which, after he had left the house, showed itself in their attacks and efforts to catch him out. Let the entire scene, then, symbolize what we must avoid. We are called to be disciples of Christ, listening to his word and putting it into practice. Well then, let us consider briefly his word as it is given to us in this short passage. As an aside, may I observe that some texts of the Gospels appear to summarize a more extended flow of thought, and the summary can involve a certain obscurity when in the actual situation our Lord’s words may have expressed an obvious meaning. In our Gospel passage today our Lord says "Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? But give what is inside the dish to the poor, and everything will be clean for you." (Luke 11: 37-41) A slightly different rendering, as in the Jerusalem Bible, is "give alms from what you have and then indeed everything will be clean for you." In any case two things are immediately apparent. Our Lord is saying that the Pharisees are almost wholly bent on a religion which looks to externals and forgets the religion of the heart. They fuss about with external cleanliness while inside the dish - the dish being themselves - all is unclean. But then our Lord, as shown in the first rendering of our text, speaks of the interior of the dish as also being an image of what could be given to the poor. That is to say, their heart and the religion that they practice lacks all concern for the poor. They are interiorly unclean in that they are greedy and lacking in concern for those in need. If only they would draw from inside their dish, which is to say their own inner selves, and give alms to the poor they would be clean within. They would then be truly clean.

Let us take our stand with Jesus and look to him constantly as our teacher and redeemer. He tells us to shape our hearts according to his own. Our religion involves a transformation of the heart and that will include a profound concern for the poor. Our heart and our life ought be like the dish that contains good things, and from it we ought help those in need. In this Christ is our model. He who was rich became poor for our sakes so that we might be rich. Let us follow him closely, making him our model for our entire life, both interior and exterior.

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I know you will be glad to have this prayer to the holy guardian Angels of our Tabernacles:

O Angelic Spirits that guard our Tabernacles, wherein lies the adorable treasure of the holy Eucharist, defend it from profanation and preserve it for our love

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SYDNEY, Australia, JULY 19, 2008 - Continuation of the address Benedict XVI gave at the World Youth Day vigil Saturday night at the Randwick Racecourse in Sydney.

Unity is of the essence of the Church (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 813); it is a gift we must recognize and cherish. Tonight, let us pray for the resolve to nurture unity: contribute to it! resist any temptation to walk away! For it is precisely the comprehensiveness, the vast vision, of our faith – solid yet open, consistent yet dynamic, true yet constantly growing in insight – that we can offer our world. Dear young people, is it not because of your faith that friends in difficulty or seeking meaning in their lives have turned to you? Be watchful! Listen! Through the dissonance and division of our world, can you hear the concordant voice of humanity? From the forlorn child in a Darfur camp, or a troubled teenager, or an anxious parent in any suburb, or perhaps even now from the depth of your own heart, there emerges the same human cry for recognition, for belonging, for unity. Who satisfies that essential human yearning to be one, to be immersed in communion, to be built up, to be led to truth? The Holy Spirit! This is the Spirit’s role: to bring Christ’s work to fulfilment. Enriched with the Spirit’s gifts, you will have the power to move beyond the piecemeal, the hollow utopia, the fleeting, to offer the consistency and certainty of Christian witness!

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(October 15) St. Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)

Teresa lived in an age of exploration as well as political, social and religious upheaval. It was the 16th century, a time of turmoil and reform. Her life began with the culmination of the Protestant Reformation, and ended shortly after the Council of Trent. The gift of God to Teresa in and through which she became holy and left her mark on the Church and the world is threefold: She was a woman; she was a contemplative; she was an active reformer. As a woman, Teresa stood on her own two feet, even in the man's world of her time. She was "her own woman," entering the Carmelites despite strong opposition from her father. She is a person wrapped not so much in silence as in mystery. Beautiful, talented, outgoing, adaptable, affectionate, courageous, enthusiastic, she was totally human. Like Jesus, she was a mystery of paradoxes: wise, yet practical; intelligent, yet much in tune with her experience; a mystic, yet an energetic reformer. A holy woman, a womanly woman. Teresa was a woman "for God," a woman of prayer, discipline and compassion. Her heart belonged to God. Her own conversion was no overnight affair; it was an arduous lifelong struggle, involving ongoing purification and suffering. She was misunderstood, misjudged, opposed in her efforts at reform. Yet she struggled on, courageous and faithful; she struggled with her own mediocrity, her illness, her opposition. And in the midst of all this she clung to God in life and in prayer. Her writings on prayer and contemplation are drawn from her experience: powerful, practical and graceful. A woman of prayer; a woman for God. Teresa was a woman "for others." Though a contemplative, she spent much of her time and energy seeking to reform herself and the Carmelites, to lead them back to the full observance of the primitive Rule. She founded over a half-dozen new monasteries. She traveled, wrote, fought—always to renew, to reform. In her self, in her prayer, in her life, in her efforts to reform, in all the people she touched, she was a woman for others, a woman who inspired and gave life. In 1970 the Church gave her the title she had long held in the popular mind: Doctor of the Church. She and St. Catherine of Siena were the first women so honoured.
Teresa knew well the continued presence and value of suffering (physical illness, opposition to reform, difficulties in prayer), but she grew to be able to embrace suffering, even desire it: "Lord, either to suffer or to die." Toward the end of her life she exclaimed: "Oh, my Lord! How true it is that whoever works for you is paid in troubles! And what a precious price to those who love you if we understand its value." (AmericanCatholic.org)

Scripture today: Galatians 5: 18-25; Psalm 1; Luke 11: 42-46 (click here for readings)

Jesus said to the scribes and Pharisees, Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practised the latter without leaving the former undone. Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and greetings in the market-places. Woe to you, because you are like unmarked graves, which men walk over without knowing it. One of the experts in the law answered him, Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us also. Jesus replied, And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them. (Luke 11: 42-46)

In our Gospel passage today our Lord openly and to their faces condemns the Pharisees and the lawyers. Let us consider his words and to whom they are directed. To begin with, they are directed at the official leaders and guides of religion. One very revealing aspect of the religions of man is the moral quality of those who lead and teach religion in a society. They have been good and they have been

corrupt. This applies to the Christ’s Church and we see it in microcosm within the Twelve themselves. They are made up of very human persons with a genuine love for Jesus but with dangerous faults. Simon for all his protestations of undying loyalty to Jesus went on to deny him three times during his Passion. Presumably Judas Iscariot began his discipleship as one who enthusiastically followed our Lord and loved to be with him. After all, our Lord chose him from among his disciples to be one of the Twelve, and Christ could not have made a mistake. He was divine, and his choice related directly to his mission for mankind. But Judas went on to defect completely from Jesus and to betray him. So it has been down the ages. There have been saints and sinners among the leaders of Christ’s Church - not that the presence of sinners in any sense affects the truth of the Church nor does it affect the fact that in and through her Christ himself is to be found. Access to Christ within his Church is not dependent on the holiness of his ministers. But the warning of Christ directed to the scribes and Pharisees in today’s Gospel is a standing reminder to all leaders of religion and in particular to the leaders and pastors of the Christian religion that they must strive for sanctity. Indeed, all the Church’s members must strive for sanctity. Being a pastor does not in any way guarantee sanctity. It must be diligently worked at in the knowledge that God will give his grace, that grace necessary for a person to live according to his state of life. Let all of Christ’s Faithful, including the Church’s pastors, continually take stock in view of their common call to holiness. In this respect, it is a wonderful thing that there have been so many saints to give the lead.

Christ directed his severe correction at the religious leaders of the people. But let us consider not only whom he criticized but the criticisms themselves. We read our Lord saying, “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practised the latter without leaving the former undone.” (Luke 11: 42-46) So the scribes and Pharisees made their religion consist of the meticulous fulfilment of various rules with little concern for actually growing in a personal love for God and in a true justice towards neighbour. Their fulfilment of religious rules, rules of secondary importance, was self-centred. They did what they did with little true love. How different were some of the children of Abraham! We remember when the newly-born Christ was brought to the Temple and the holy Simeon and the saintly Anna met them. These two were outstanding religious people, true children of Abraham. This is to say nothing of the Child’s own parents, Mary and his foster-father Joseph. We remember our Lord saying of Nathanael, here comes a true Israelite, one incapable of deceit. Our Lord referred to John the Baptist as being greater than any other born of woman. All this is to say that love filled the hearts of certain Israelites, while our Lord condemned many of the scribes and Pharisees as neglecting love. They also neglected justice, justice towards God and, presumably, towards neighbour. They were proud. As our Lord said, “Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and greetings in the market-places. Woe to you, because you are like unmarked graves, which men walk over without knowing it.” The lawyers too bore down the people with numerous obligations that had not been divinely sanctioned. In this they did not reflect the God who in his revelation had shown himself to be full of kindness and compassion.

Our Lord’s condemnation is a warning to all his disciples whatever be their vocation within Christ’s Church. All are called to holiness, and this involves a humble recognition of sin and failure. Let us then begin again. Let us take our cue from the numerous saints who have gone before us and who serve as our models and intercessors now in heaven. Every day let us then rise from sleep to begin the day’s work with the following words in our minds, Lord, now I begin!
(E.J.Tyler)

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Drink at the clear fountain of the Acts of the Apostles. In the twelfth chapter, Peter, freed from prison by the ministry of Angels, comes to the house of the mother of Mark. Those inside will not believe the girl, who says that Peter is at the door. Angelus ejus est! It must be his Angel!' they said.

See on what intimate terms the early Christians were with their guardian Angels.

And you?
(The Way, no.570)

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SYDNEY, Australia, JULY 19, 2008 - Continuation of the address Benedict XVI gave at the World Youth Day vigil Saturday night at the Randwick Racecourse in Sydney.

Friends, when reciting the Creed we state: "We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life". The "Creator Spirit" is the power of God giving life to all creation and the source of new and abundant life in Christ. The Spirit sustains the Church in union with the Lord and in fidelity to the apostolic Tradition. He inspired the Sacred Scriptures and he guides God’s People into the fullness of truth (cf. Jn 16:13) In all these ways the Spirit is the "giver of life", leading us into the very heart of God. So, the more we allow the Spirit to direct us, the more perfect will be our configuration to Christ and the deeper our immersion in the life of the Triune God.

This sharing in God’s nature (cf. 2 Pet 1:4) occurs in the unfolding of the everyday moments of our lives where he is always present (cf. Bar 3:38). There are times, however, when we might be tempted to seek a certain fulfilment apart from God. Jesus himself asked the Twelve: "do you also wish to go away?" Such drifting away perhaps offers the illusion of freedom. But where does it lead? To whom would we go? For in our hearts we know that it is the Lord who has "the words of eternal life" (Jn 6:67-68). To turn away from him is only a futile attempt to escape from ourselves (cf. Saint Augustine, Confessions VIII, 7). God is with us in the reality of life, not the fantasy! It is embrace, not escape, that we seek! So the Holy Spirit gently but surely steers us back to what is real, what is lasting, what is true. It is the Spirit who leads us back into the communion of the Blessed Trinity!
(Continuing)

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(October 16) St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690)
     Margaret Mary was chosen by Christ to arouse the Church to a realization of the love of God symbolized by the heart of Jesus. Her early years were marked by sickness and a painful home situation. "The heaviest of my crosses was that I could do nothing to lighten the cross my mother was suffering." After considering marriage for some time, Margaret entered the Order of Visitation nuns at the age of 24. A Visitation nun was "not to be extraordinary except by being ordinary," but the young nun was not to enjoy this anonymity. A fellow novice (shrewdest of critics) termed Margaret humble, simple and frank, but above all kind and patient under sharp criticism and correction. She could not meditate in the formal way expected, though she tried her best to give up her "prayer of simplicity." Slow, quiet and clumsy, she was assigned to help an infirmarian who was a bundle of energy. On December 21, 1674, three years a nun, she received the first of her revelations. She felt "invested" with the presence of God, though always afraid of deceiving herself in such matters. The request of Christ was that his love for humankind be made evident through her. During the next 13 months he appeared to her at intervals. His human heart was to be the symbol of his divine-human love. By her own love she was to make up for the coldness and ingratitude of the world—by frequent and loving Holy Communion, especially on the first Friday of each month, and by an hour's vigil of prayer every Thursday night in memory of his agony and isolation in Gethsemane. He also asked that a feast of reparation be instituted. Like all saints, Margaret had to pay for her gift of holiness. Some of her own sisters were hostile. Theologians who were called in declared her visions delusions and suggested that she eat more heartily. Later, parents of children she taught called her an impostor, an unorthodox innovator. A new confessor, Blessed Claude de la Colombiere, a Jesuit, recognized her genuineness and supported her. Against her great resistance, Christ called her to be a sacrificial victim for the shortcomings of her own sisters, and to make this known. After serving as novice mistress and assistant superior, she died at the age of 43 while being anointed. "I need nothing but God, and to lose myself in the heart of Jesus."
   Our scientific-materialistic age cannot "prove" private revelations. Theologians, if pressed, admit that we do not have to believe in them. But it is impossible to deny the message Margaret Mary heralded: that God loves us with a passionate love. Her insistence on reparation and prayer and the reminder of final judgment should be sufficient to ward off superstition and superficiality in devotion to the Sacred Heart while preserving its deep Christian meaning.
   Christ speaks to St. Margaret Mary: "Behold this Heart which has so loved men that it has spared nothing, even to exhausting and consuming itself, in order to testify its love. In return, I receive from the greater part only ingratitude, by their irreverence and sacrileges, and by the coldness and contempt they have for me in this sacrament of love.... I come into the heart I have given you in order that through your fervour you may atone for the offenses which I have received from lukewarm and slothful hearts that dishonour me in the Blessed Sacrament" (Third apparition). (AmericanCatholic.org)

Scripture today: Ephesians 1: 1-10; Psalm 97; Luke 11: 47-54 (click here for readings)

Jesus said, Woe to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your forefathers who killed them. So you testify that you

approve of what your forefathers did; they killed the prophets, and you build their tombs. Because of this, God in his wisdom said, 'I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and others they will persecute.' Therefore this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible for it all. Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering. When Jesus left there, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to oppose him fiercely and to besiege him with questions, waiting to catch him in something he might say. (Luke 11: 47-54)

Let us notice the heart of what our Lord is saying in our Gospel passage today. He issues a sombre warning: Woe to you! You are doing what your forefathers did, who killed and persecuted the prophets. Woe to you, therefore. He then continues: “Therefore this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world, from the blood of Abel to

the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible for it all.” (Luke 11: 47-54). I remember watching an interview on television with the great actor, Charlton Heston. He said he thought that a great modern problem was the lack of acceptance of responsibility for actions taken. Our Lord tells his audience, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, that they will be held responsible for the harm they have done and were doing, and in particular for their rejection of him and his teaching. Let us take this serious point, and make a few practical applications. What is it to harm a person? The meaning is obvious, but, strangely, there is so much harm done to helpless and defenceless persons that is not regarded as harmful. Let us take one of the most striking examples of harm being perpetrated on defenceless persons: abortion. Every year there are untold thousands, hundreds of thousands, of abortions every year in the world. Even in a religious country such as the United States, there are prodigious numbers of abortions going on every year and it is legal. The same applies to Australia. Defenceless and vulnerable human life is being destroyed because it involves a cost - sometimes a very great cost - to convenience. This situation is allowed for by law due to the free decisions of legislators and judiciaries. It is a horror to God our creator, who himself gives life at the moment of every conception. His own child is destroyed. Our Lord’s words are ominous: “Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible for it all.”

But there is more. So much of the cutting edge of genetic and embryonic research involves the destruction and harm of the newly conceived human embryo. Not only is it utterly unnecessary in view of the discoveries of the potential in adult stem cells, but it is profoundly unethical in the sight of God. The defenceless and the vulnerable, the most defenceless and the most vulnerable, are attacked and destroyed for the sake of presumed benefits to others, especially others who are stronger. We must remember our Lord’s description of the General Judgment in the 25th chapter of St Matthew’s Gospel. The divine Judge will say to those on his right, come you who are blessed, for whatever you did to the least of these my brothers you did to me. He will then say to those on his left, depart from me, for whatever you did to the least of these you did to me. It is as serious as that. God cannot but look with a holy wrath on the active destruction of his little ones by those who should know better. The opprobrium endured by those heads of executive and legislators who actively resist and even undo this institutionalized harm might be great, but they will be rewarded by God for their defence of life. The terrible thing is that these things are not named nor regarded for what they are: sins of the first order. Now, here is a magnificent field of apostolate for the lay Christian in the world. The world has to be brought to the light of Christ. The Christian must love the world as did Christ who died that the world might be saved. The world is to be won over to the truth for it is the truth that saves. Our Lord said on another occasion when speaking to his enemies that they would die in their sins. This is what the Christian who, filled with love for the world, must make sure does not happen to the world of his time. The truth must be proclaimed, defended and argued for. The argument must eventually be won, remembering what our Lord said, that we shall be held responsible for what we do.

Let the words of Christ as given in our Gospel today ring in our minds. “Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible for it all. Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.” The Christian, with joy in his heart and a smile on his face, has the calling to bring Christ and his teaching to the world. Therein is found life, life here and life hereafter.
(E.J.Tyler)

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The holy souls in purgatory. Out of charity, out of justice, and out of excusable selfishness — they have such power with God! — remember them often in your sacrifices and in your prayers.

May you be able to say when you speak of them, 'My good friends the souls in purgatory.'
(The Way, no.571)

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SYDNEY, Australia, JULY 19, 2008 - Continuation of the address Benedict XVI gave at the World Youth Day vigil Saturday night at the Randwick Racecourse in Sydney.

The Holy Spirit has been in some ways the neglected person of the Blessed Trinity. A clear understanding of the Spirit almost seems beyond our reach. Yet, when I was a small boy, my parents, like yours, taught me the Sign of the Cross. So, I soon came to realize that there is one God in three Persons, and that the Trinity is the centre of our Christian faith and life. While I grew up to have some understanding of God the Father and the Son – the names already conveyed much – my understanding of the third person of the Trinity remained incomplete. So, as a young priest teaching theology, I decided to study the outstanding witnesses to the Spirit in the Church’s history. It was on this journey that I found myself reading, among others, the great Saint Augustine.

Augustine’s understanding of the Holy Spirit evolved gradually; it was a struggle. As a young man he had followed Manichaeism - one of those attempts I mentioned earlier, to create a spiritual utopia by radically separating the things of the spirit from the things of the flesh. Hence he was at first suspicious of the Christian teaching that God had become man. Yet his experience of the love of God present in the Church led him to investigate its source in the life of the Triune God. This led him to three particular insights about the Holy Spirit as the bond of unity within the Blessed Trinity: unity as communion, unity as abiding love, and unity as giving and gift. These three insights are not just theoretical. They help explain how the Spirit works. In a world where both individuals and communities often suffer from an absence of unity or cohesion, these insights help us remain attuned to the Spirit and to extend and clarify the scope of our witness.
(Continuing)

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(October 17) St. Ignatius of Antioch (d. 107?)
       Born in Syria, Ignatius converted to Christianity and eventually became bishop of Antioch. In the year 107, Emperor Trajan visited Antioch and forced the Christians there to choose between death and apostasy. Ignatius would not deny Christ and thus was condemned to be put to death in Rome. Ignatius is well known for the seven letters he wrote on the long journey from Antioch to Rome. Five of these letters are to Churches in Asia Minor; they urge the Christians there to remain faithful to God and to obey their superiors. He warns them against heretical doctrines, providing them with the solid truths of the Christian faith. The sixth letter was to Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna, who was later martyred for the faith. The final letter begs the Christians in Rome not to try to stop his martyrdom. "The only thing I ask of you is to allow me to offer the libation of my blood to God. I am the wheat of the Lord; may I be ground by the teeth of the beasts to become the immaculate bread of Christ." Ignatius bravely met the lions in the Circus Maximus.
     Ignatius's great concern was for the unity and order of the Church. Even greater was his willingness to suffer martyrdom rather than deny his Lord Jesus Christ. Not to his own suffering did Ignatius draw attention, but to the love of God which strengthened him. He knew the price of commitment and would not deny Christ, even to save his own life.
   "I greet you from Smyrna together with the Churches of God present here with me. They comfort me in every way, both in body and in soul. My chains, which I carry about on me for Jesus Christ, begging that I may happily make my way to God, exhort you: persevere in your concord and in your community prayers" (Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Church at Tralles). (AmericanCatholic.org)

Scripture today: Ephesians 1: 11-14; Psalm 32; Luke 12: 1-7 (click here for readings)

Meanwhile, when a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus began to speak first to

his disciples, saying: Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs. I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. (Luke 12: 1-7)

I suppose we could say that two of the most fundamental emotions driving the life of man are love and fear. Man loves certain things and persons, and this leads him to hope and to faith. He fears other things and persons and this affects the course of his life accordingly. In our Gospel passage today our Lord speaks, among other things, of fear. He is thronged by the crowds, and yet the ominous influence

of the Pharisees hangs about like a dark cloud. They oppose him, undermine his status in the eyes of others, attack him publicly, and yet all the while holding a position of influence among the people. Our Lord tells the crowds to be on their guard against the yeast of the Pharisees: the ingredients which they put into the flour of God’s people. What the Pharisees whisper about him will be proclaimed from the roofs and then the judgment of God will be faced. So, our Lord says, fear only God. Do not fear those “who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell.” This is a point relevant for every man and woman of every age in every place. Ultimately, the harm to be feared is the loss of God and an eternity in hell following judgment on our deeds. Our Lord is telling his listeners, both those who may be influenced by the whisperings and slander of the Pharisees and the Pharisees themselves that they must keep the Judgment of God in mind. How important this is! There have been great and famous conversions in history and many of them have been prompted by the thought of death and the judgment of God that follows it. Not all conversions have been of this kind. St Paul’s was not: his conversion was brought about by his meeting with the risen Jesus on the way to Damascus. But very many have occurred as a result of thinking of the Judgment of God on sin. What is it even to lose one’s life as a result of refusing to sin? Everything is lost, though, if due to sin one is condemned to Hell.

But our Lord continues by telling us the true character of the One we should fear. He loves us. “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” (Luke 12: 1-7) God loves us and cares for us and knows us to the depths. Every hair of our head he has numbered, for he holds us constantly in being due to his love for us. What a terrible thing it is, then, to defy God’s will for fear of some temporal loss be it of status, the good opinion of others, possessions or even life itself. We ought not be afraid of such losses. God cares for us and he loves us. So do not be afraid, our Lord says. Fear only offending such a good, loving and powerful God. So then, we need to live in the presence of God continually, constantly purifying our intention to do all things in a way that pleases him. Let me say this, that every lay Christian ought bring this understanding to his daily life in the world. Years ago when I was beginning my training the one in charge of formation insisted time and again on the danger of human respect. He was referring to the underlying concern for what people would think, and allowing this consideration to shape one’s behaviour. What must govern our behaviour, he insisted, was what God would think. It is the same point that our Lord is making in our passage today. But what puzzled me at the time was why he was labouring this point so much. I can see now why he was. It is because this is a profoundly pervasive danger in all walks of life, and, I would say, especially in daily life in the world when the world can so insidiously bear down on a person’s values and convictions. It is in the practice of work and the professions that we must serve God more than anything and in this way bring the world to God. It is the greatest service possible that we can bring to the world of everyday life. Fear God rather than man.

Let us begin every day with a sincere prayer of self-offering to God. O God, I offer you all the prayers, works, joys and sufferings of this day to you. I wish to do your will. I wish to serve you in my service of man. Help me never to place the good opinion of man ahead of pleasing you above all things.
(E.J.Tyler)

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You ask me why I always recommend, with such insistence, the daily use of holy water. I could give you many reasons. But none better than that of the Saint of Avila: 'From nothing do evil spirits flee more, never to return, than from holy water.'
(The Way, no.572)

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SYDNEY, Australia, JULY 19, 2008 - Continuation of the address Benedict XVI gave at the World Youth Day vigil Saturday night at the Randwick Racecourse in Sydney.

So, with Augustine’s help, let us illustrate something of the Holy Spirit’s work. He noted that the two words "Holy" and "Spirit" refer to what is divine about God; in other words what is shared by the Father and the Son – their communion. So, if the distinguishing characteristic of the Holy Spirit is to be what is shared by the Father and the Son, Augustine concluded that the Spirit’s particular quality is unity. It is a unity of lived communion: a unity of persons in a relationship of constant giving, the Father and the Son giving themselves to each other. We begin to glimpse, I think, how illuminating is this understanding of the Holy Spirit as unity, as communion. True unity could never be founded upon relationships which deny the equal dignity of other persons. Nor is unity simply the sum total of the groups through which we sometimes attempt to "define" ourselves. In fact, only in the life of communion is unity sustained and human identity fulfilled: we recognize the common need for God, we respond to the unifying presence of the Holy Spirit, and we give ourselves to one another in service.
(Continuing)

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(October 18) St. Luke

Luke wrote one of the major portions of the New Testament, a two-volume work comprising the third Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles. In the two books he shows the parallel between the life of Christ and that of the Church. He is the only Gentile Christian among the Gospel writers. Tradition holds him to be a native of Antioch, and Paul calls him "our beloved physician" (Colossians 4:14). His Gospel was probably written between A.D. 70 and 85. Luke appears in Acts during Paul’s second journey, remains at Philippi for several years until Paul returns from his third journey, accompanies Paul to Jerusalem and remains near him when he is imprisoned in Caesarea. During these two years, Luke had time to seek information and interview persons who had known Jesus. He accompanied Paul on the dangerous journey to Rome where he was a faithful companion. "Only Luke is with me," Paul writes (2 Timothy 4:11). Luke wrote as a Gentile for Gentile Christians. This Gospel reveals Luke's expertise in classic Greek style as well as his knowledge of Jewish sources.
The character of Luke may best be seen by the emphases of his Gospel, which has been given a number of subtitles: (1) The Gospel of Mercy: Luke emphasizes Jesus' compassion and patience with the sinners and the suffering. He has a broadminded openness to all, showing concern for Samaritans, lepers, publicans, soldiers, public sinners, unlettered shepherds, the poor. Luke alone records the stories of the sinful woman, the lost sheep and coin, the prodigal son, the good thief. (2) The Gospel of Universal Salvation: Jesus died for all. He is the son of Adam, not just of David, and Gentiles are his friends too. (3) The Gospel of the Poor: "Little people" are prominent—Zechariah and Elizabeth, Mary and Joseph, shepherds, Simeon and the elderly widow, Anna. He is also concerned with what we now call "evangelical poverty." (4) The Gospel of Absolute Renunciation: He stresses the need for total dedication to Christ. (5) The Gospel of Prayer and the Holy Spirit: He shows Jesus at prayer before every important step of his ministry. The Spirit is bringing the Church to its final perfection. (6) The Gospel of Joy: Luke succeeds in portraying the joy of salvation that permeated the primitive Church.
"Then [Jesus] led them [out] as far as Bethany, raised his hands, and blessed them. As he blessed them he parted from them and was taken up to heaven. They did him homage and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and they were continually in the temple praising God" (Luke 24:50-53). (AmericanCatholic.org)

Scripture today: Ephesians 1: 15-23; Psalm 8; Luke 12: 8-12 (click here for readings)

Jesus said to his disciples, I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God. But he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God. And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say. (Luke 12: 8-12)

It is very clear that in revealed religion - the religion of the Old and New Testaments - God has revealed himself as Father. He is the Father, the Origin and the Lord of all. As a corollary of this, one of the most notable features of revealed religion is, of course, its monotheism. It teaches that there is one only God, whereas in the history of mankind people more usually have worshipped many gods. Revealed

religion has made great inroads, and as a result a great portion of mankind is now monotheist. But the absolutely distinct feature of the Christian religion is that this one God is in three distinct persons, each of whom is this one only God. Judaism will not allow this, and Islam which professes to accept the religion of Abraham and the prophets - and even to recognize Christ as a prophet - will not allow this either, thinking it to be in effect polytheism. Let this serve as our introduction to our Gospel passage today. Our Lord begins by claiming his unique place in the world and in heaven: “I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God. But he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God.” There is no other figure who claims such a status before the judgment seat of God, no angel or saint, no ruler. If we acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord then he will acknowledge us before the angels of God. We acknowledge Christ in a variety of ways, by our way of life, by our speech and words, by our defence of his teaching. It means acknowledging him as the Lord of lords, as the one to whom all authority in heaven and on earth has been granted. The entire life of the Christian ought be an act of witness to this truth. Yet our Lord goes on also to say that the one who speaks a word against him, if repentant, can be forgiven. This is a consolation to the one who fails by his life to acknowledge Christ as Lord.

But our Lord speaks of another Person, the Holy Spirit, whom he highly exalts. Let us ponder on what he says, that “everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.” Let us not here determine the meaning of our Lord’s reference to a word or act of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit that cannot be forgiven. It appears in some sense to refer to some deliberate refusal to accept the light seen and known to be coming from God, which in the nature of the case would preclude the light that is needed to repent. Be that as it may, what is abundantly clear is that our Lord is referring to a divine Person. In referring to a “blasphemy” against the Holy Spirit he is using a term applicable to an offence against God. Moreover, he speaks of the Holy Spirit with the utmost reverence as he would his heavenly Father. Our Lord exalts the Holy Spirit and asks of his hearers that they exalt him in like manner. Thus the Holy Spirit is not just a divine energy, a divine force. He is a Person. Moreover, our Lord goes on to speak of his action on behalf of himself. “When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.” (Luke 12: 8-12) If our vindication before the court of heaven will depend on our acknowledging Jesus as Lord - as our Lord makes clear it will - then we can count on the assistance of the Holy Spirit in this. He will help us to bear witness to Jesus before rulers and authorities and all that is difficult. The Holy Spirit is God who can be blasphemed against, and he is our Help in bearing witness to Jesus.

Let every Christian resolve to live a life that acknowledges Jesus as Lord. To him has been granted all authority in heaven and on earth. Our help and stay in this will be the Holy Spirit, who is the Lord and Giver of life. Together with the Father and the Son he is to be adored and glorified. It is the mystery of mysteries, that the one only God is three divine persons, each of whom is the one only God. Our vocation is to participate in their divine life and this we do by faith and baptism. Let us resolve to live accordingly.
(E.J.Tyler)

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Thank you, my God, for that love for the Pope you have placed in my heart.
(The Way, no.573)

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SYDNEY, Australia, JULY 19, 2008 - Continuation of the address Benedict XVI gave at the World Youth Day vigil Saturday night at the Randwick Racecourse in Sydney.

Augustine’s second insight – the Holy Spirit as abiding love – comes from his study of the First Letter of Saint John. John tells us that "God is love" (1 Jn 4:16). Augustine suggests that while these words refer to the Trinity as a whole they express a particular characteristic of the Holy Spirit. Reflecting on the lasting nature of love - "whoever abides in love remains in God and God in him" (ibid.) - he wondered: is it love or the Holy Spirit which grants the abiding? This is the conclusion he reaches: "The Holy Spirit makes us remain in God and God in us; yet it is love that effects this. The Spirit therefore is God as love!" (De Trinitate, 15.17.31). It is a beautiful explanation: God shares himself as love in the Holy Spirit. What further understanding might we gain from this insight? Love is the sign of the presence of the Holy Spirit! Ideas or voices which lack love – even if they seem sophisticated or knowledgeable – cannot be "of the Spirit". Furthermore, love has a particular trait: far from being indulgent or fickle, it has a task or purpose to fulfil: to abide. By its nature love is enduring. Again, dear friends, we catch a further glimpse of how much the Holy Spirit offers our world: love which dispels uncertainty; love which overcomes the fear of betrayal; love which carries eternity within; the true love which draws us into a unity that abides!
(Continuing)

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(October 19) St. Isaac Jogues, John de Brébeuf and Companions

Isaac Jogues (1607-1646): Isaac Jogues and his companions were the first martyrs of the North American continent officially recognized by the Church. As a young Jesuit, Isaac Jogues, a man of learning and culture, taught literature in France. He gave up that career to work among the Huron Indians in the New World, and in 1636 he and his companions, under the leadership of John de Brébeuf, arrived in Quebec. The Hurons were constantly warred upon by the Iroquois, and in a few years Father Jogues was captured by the Iroquois and imprisoned for 13 months. His letters and journals tell how he and his companions were led from village to village, how they were beaten, tortured and forced to watch as their Huron converts were mangled and killed. An unexpected chance for escape came to Isaac Jogues through the Dutch, and he returned to France, bearing the marks of his sufferings. Several fingers had been cut, chewed or burnt off. Pope Urban VIII gave him permission to offer Mass with his mutilated hands: "It would be shameful that a martyr of Christ be not allowed to drink the Blood of Christ." Welcomed home as a hero, Father Jogues might have sat back, thanked God for his safe return and died peacefully in his homeland. But his zeal led him back once more to the fulfilment of his dreams. In a few months he sailed for his missions among the Hurons. In 1646 he and Jean de Lalande, who had offered his services to the missioners, set out for Iroquois country in the belief that a recently signed peace treaty would be observed. They were captured by a Mohawk war party, and on October 18 Father Jogues was tomahawked and beheaded. Jean de Lalande was killed the next day at Ossernenon, a village near Albany, New York. The first of the Jesuit missionaries to be martyred was René Goupil who, with Lalande, had offered his services as an oblate. He was tortured along with Isaac Jogues in 1642, and was tomahawked for having made the Sign of the Cross on the brow of some children.

   Jean de Brébeuf (1593-1649): Jean de Brébeuf was a French Jesuit who came to Canada at the age of 32 and laboured there for 24 years. He went back to France when the English captured Quebec (1629) and expelled the Jesuits, but returned to his missions four years later. Although medicine men blamed the Jesuits for a smallpox epidemic among the Hurons, Jean remained with them. He composed catechisms and a dictionary in Huron, and saw 7,000 converted before his death. He was captured by the Iroquois and died after four hours of extreme torture at Sainte Marie, near Georgian Bay, Canada.
     Father Anthony Daniel, working among Hurons who were gradually becoming Christian, was killed by Iroquois on July 4, 1648. His body was thrown into his chapel, which was set on fire. Gabriel Lalemant had taken a fourth vow—to sacrifice his life to the Indians. He was horribly tortured to death along with Father Brébeuf. Father Charles Garnier was shot to death as he baptized children and catechumens during an Iroquois attack. Father Noel Chabanel was killed before he could answer his recall to France. He had found it exceedingly hard to adapt to mission life. He could not learn the language, the food and life of the Indians revolted him, plus he suffered spiritual dryness during his whole stay in Canada. Yet he made a vow to remain until death in his mission. These eight Jesuit martyrs of North America were canonized in 1930.
        Faith and heroism planted belief in Christ's cross deep in our land. The Church in North America sprang from the blood of martyrs. Are we as eager to keep that cross standing in our midst? Do we bear witness to deep-seated faith in us, the Good News of the cross (redemption) into our home, our work, our social world?
       "My confidence is placed in God who does not need our help for accomplishing his designs. Our single endeavour should be to give ourselves to the work and to be faithful to him, and not to spoil his work by our shortcomings" (from a letter of Isaac Jogues to a Jesuit friend in France, September 12, 1646, a month before he died). (AmericanCatholic.org)

Scripture today: Isaiah 45: 1.4-6; Psalm 95; 1 Thessalonians 1: 1-5; Matthew 22: 15-21 (click here for readings)

Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap Jesus in his words. They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians.

Teacher, they said, we know you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren't swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are. Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? Show me the coin used for paying the tax. They brought him a denarius, and he asked them, Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription? Caesar's, they replied. Then he said to them, Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's. (Matthew 22: 15-21)

Many things could be said about the dialogue between our Lord and his hypocritical and scheming enemies in our Gospel passage today. They were trying to trap him with a politically charged question, all the while posing as sincere enquirers who were coming to Jesus as to one who was utterly sincere and who was uninfluenced by human respect and the opinion of others. They were out to flatter him so as

to draw him into incautious remarks. It is a reminder of the utter sincerity with which we ought always approach our Lord and live in his presence. That having been said, let us consider the reply our Lord gave to their question about the morality of paying taxes to Caesar. Our Lord said, Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s. There are numerous implications of this reply, but I would suggest that for us in our day and in our secular democratic society it obviously directs us to be deeply religious, deeply Catholic and at the same time excellent citizens. In the precincts of the State Parliament of New South Wales there is a statue of Saint Thomas More. He is seated holding a book and a pair of beads. He is dressed in lawyer’s garb. He is one of the great examples of a profoundly Catholic judicial magistrate who rose to the position of highest citizen in the land under the king himself and served England with distinction in that capacity. He was the Chancellor of England and a model Catholic layman. He also had a remarkable understanding of the Catholic Faith and was a direct contemporary of Luther at the time of the Protestant Reformation. He entered into open controversy with Luther and also wrote spiritual works that have become classics. That is to say he served his sovereign and his society admirably and likewise served God and the Church admirably. The test came when the sovereign turned his back on the laws of the Church on marriage and then proceeded to arrogate to himself the authority of the Pope. Thomas More refused obedience to this. He went to his martyrdom a shining embodiment of what our Lord teaches in today’s Gospel passage. (Matthew 22: 15-21)

I think that a good way of considering our Lord’s words is to do so with a few models in mind, such as St Thomas More. The cause for canonization has been introduced of the Emperor Charles of Austria, who was the sovereign of Austria during the First World War. There are other instances in history of great citizens who were truly holy Catholics, rendering to the state what duly belongs to the state, and to God what belongs to him. When holding civil authority they exercised it as a service, respecting fundamental human rights and a proper hierarchy of values. They sought the interests of the community before their own and their decisions were inspired by revealed truth about God, man and the world, as the Church taught it. When themselves subject to authority they respected those in authority and their right to obedience. They offered their loyal collaboration for the right functioning of public and social life. This included love and service and defence of their homeland, the payment of taxes, and at the same time they exercised constructive criticism even if it involved a cost. They knew that a citizen is obliged in conscience not to obey the laws of civil authorities when they are contrary to the demands of the moral order. As the Apostles said to the Sanhedrin in the Acts of the Apostles (5:29), “We must obey God rather than men” when the one conflicts directly with the other. I remember some years back - I think it was in Belgium - the Parliament of the country passed a law allowing abortion. The King would not sign it as a point of conscience. So he abdicated and the law went through. He was then reinstated as King by the Parliament because of his high standing. But he would not sign into law an act of Parliament that legalized abortion. Nor would St Thomas More, had he been alive today. There is a great need for dedicated Catholics and other Christians to pursue careers that will serve and shape society according to the mind of God as revealed by Christ.

Our Lord’s response to the Pharisees and Herodians ought be remembered and thought about by every lay member of Christ’s Faithful. The lay Christian is called by God to be immersed in the world and to attain holiness there, drawing daily on his or her active membership in the Church and the Church’s spiritual treasures. Through the lay person the Church is present in the world, which is to say that Christ is present in the world. The lay faithful have a mission, and our Lord sums it up: render to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.
(E.J.Tyler)

Further reading: The Catechism of the Catholic Church, no.2234-2246

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Who told you that it is not manly to make novenas? These devotions are manly, when it is a man who performs them in a spirit of prayer and penance.
(The Way, no.574)

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SYDNEY, Australia, JULY 19, 2008 - Continuation of the address Benedict XVI gave at the World Youth Day vigil Saturday night at the Randwick Racecourse in Sydney.

The third insight – the Holy Spirit as gift – Augustine derived from meditating on a Gospel passage we all know and love: Christ’s conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well. Here Jesus reveals himself as the giver of the living water (cf. Jn 4:10) which later is explained as the Holy Spirit (cf.Jn 7:39; 1 Cor 12:13). The Spirit is "God’s gift" (Jn 4:10) - the internal spring (cf. Jn 4:14), who truly satisfies our deepest thirst and leads us to the Father. From this observation Augustine concludes that God sharing himself with us as gift is the Holy Spirit (cf. De Trinitate, 15, 18, 32). Friends, again we catch a glimpse of the Trinity at work: the Holy Spirit is God eternally giving himself; like a never-ending spring he pours forth nothing less than himself. In view of this ceaseless gift, we come to see the limitations of all that perishes, the folly of the consumerist mindset. We begin to understand why the quest for novelty leaves us unsatisfied and wanting. Are we not looking for an eternal gift? The spring that will never run dry? With the Samaritan woman, let us exclaim: give me this water that I may thirst no more! (cf. Jn 4:15).
(Continuing)

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(October 20) St. Maria Bertilla Boscardin (1888-1922)

If anyone knew rejection, ridicule and disappointment, it was today’s saint. But such trials only brought Maria Bertilla Boscardin closer to God and more determined to serve him. Born in Italy in 1888, the young girl lived in fear of her father, a violent man prone to jealousy and drunkenness. Her schooling was limited so that she could spend more time helping at home and working in the fields. She showed few talents and was often the butt of jokes. In 1904 she joined the Sisters of St. Dorothy and was assigned to work in the kitchen, bakery and laundry. After some time Maria received nurses’ training and began working in a hospital with children suffering from diphtheria. There the young nun seemed to find her true vocation: nursing very ill and disturbed children. Later, when the hospital was taken over by the military in World War I, Sister Maria Bertilla fearlessly cared for patients amidst the threat of constant air raids and bombings. She died in 1922 after suffering for many years from a painful tumor. Some of the patients she had nursed many years before were present at her canonization in 1961. (AmericanCatholic.org)

Scripture today: Ephesians 2: 1-10; Psalm 99; Luke 12: 13-21 (click here for readings)

Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me. Jesus replied, Man, who appointed me a

judge or an arbiter between you? Then he said to them, Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. And he told them this parable: The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.' Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I'll say to myself, You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.' But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?' This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich towards God. (Luke 12: 13-21)

Watch a bee going from flower to flower gathering its provisions. Watch a bird flying past with food in its beak making its way back to its nest. It is gathering what it needs to protect itself and its young. So too with mankind. We gather what we need from the world around us to make provision for our security and our requirements. We need to gain possession of things or at least make provision for a

secure use of them. The danger is that we can gradually think of little else and spend our lives gaining temporal goods, with the result that we are left poor in goods that are needed for eternity. I often refer to something I noticed years ago. When I was young our family had a dog and a relative of ours paid us a visit bringing her own dog, and we placed the two dogs together. Our dog was jealous - with another dog now present it was obviously no longer the top dog on the scene. So what did it do? It went around the yard and dug up all the bones it had kept in different locations and placed them together. They were large bones and it knew exactly where they had been buried. With all those bones together it stood over them watching the other dog which was greatly frustrated. The other dog could only stand at some distance helplessly barking at our dog standing over all the bones. Our dog was making its point to the other, that it was the top dog because of all the bones it had. It had status before the other dog, and security in the thought of the bones it possessed. How like that dog we can be in our attitude to material possessions! We can so easily think that our status, our worth and our security lie in our temporal possessions. So many people set out in life with one of their principal goals being to gain all the wealth they can. At times they are successful and at times not, but that is where they see their security to lie. The sad fact is that either during life or at the end of life these material possessions will fail them. That is to say, ultimately temporal possessions cannot provide security.

In our Gospel passage today (Luke 12: 13-21) a man in the crowd suddenly asks our Lord to adjudicate in his favour between him and his brother in a dispute over property. Our Lord uses the occasion to warn against all forms of greed. Let us note our Lord's warning carefully. We can be greedy for material wealth, but also for other kinds of wealth, such as the good opinion of many people, power over others in one’s family or workplace, or whatever. Of course, temporal goods are needed if we are to do our work in life and to fulfil our responsibilities. That is to say, we need the goods of this world to fulfil our calling to the love and service of God and others. But the danger is that our own self-interest can gradually lead us to desire these temporal goods for merely self-centred purposes. Thus we become greedy, wanting more and more for our own personal enhancement. Our own life is increasingly seen not as consisting in love and service but as consisting in the abundance of our possessions. Our Lord makes the general observation that “a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” So he told his story of the man who had a tremendous crop, so big that he had to build new barns to store it. He thought he was secure and able to have a good time. That is what his life consisted in: the abundance of his possessions and nothing more. The foundation of his security consisted in possessions rather than in the love of God and the service of others. God said to him that he was a fool, and that night his life suddenly ended and he was left with nothing. Rather, a man’s life must consist in pleasing God and in thus gaining the wealth that consists not in temporal possessions but in union with him. What we must do then is to recognize the profound tendency we have of being attached to the things of this world and thus neglecting the things of God. Let us then strive to love God with all our heart and other things only in relation to him.

What to do? Of course we must have or at least use material goods. But we must strive to be detached from them and attached to God. What will help us keep free from the snare of greed is to work towards doing without what is entirely unnecessary, and giving more and more to the poor. We must act against greed. We must take for granted that it is deep within us, and we must try to observe it, with a view to eradicating it for it will undermine our love for God. God must become the love of our life and other things must be seen within the framework of our love for him.
(E.J.Tyler)

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There are some who pass through life as through a tunnel, without ever understanding the splendour, the security and the warmth of the sun of faith.
(The Way, no.575)

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SYDNEY, Australia, JULY 19, 2008 - Continuation of the address Benedict XVI gave at the World Youth Day vigil Saturday night at the Randwick Racecourse in Sydney.

Dear young people, we have seen that it is the Holy Spirit who brings about the wonderful communion of believers in Jesus Christ. True to his nature as giver and gift alike, he is even now working through you. Inspired by the insights of Saint Augustine: let unifying love be your measure; abiding love your challenge; self-giving love your mission!

Tomorrow, that same gift of the Spirit will be solemnly conferred upon our confirmation candidates. I shall pray: "give them the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of right judgement and courage, the spirit of knowledge and reverence … and fill them with the spirit of wonder and awe". These gifts of the Spirit – each of which, as Saint Francis de Sales reminds us, is a way to participate in the one love of God – are neither prizes nor rewards. They are freely given (cf. 1 Cor 12:11). And they require only one response on the part of the receiver: I accept! Here we sense something of the deep mystery of being Christian. What constitutes our faith is not primarily what we do but what we receive. After all, many generous people who are not Christian may well achieve far more than we do. Friends, do you accept being drawn into God’s Trinitarian life? Do you accept being drawn into his communion of love?
(Continuing)

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Despite his best efforts to live in prayer and solitude, today’s saint found it difficult to achieve his deepest desire. People were naturally drawn to Hilarion as a source of spiritual wisdom and peace. He had reached such fame by the time of his death that his body had to be secretly removed so that a shrine would not be built in his honour. Instead, he was buried in his home village. St. Hilarion the Great, as he is sometimes called, was born in Palestine. After his conversion to Christianity he spent some time with St. Anthony of Egypt, another holy man drawn to solitude. Hilarion lived a life of hardship and simplicity in the desert, where he also experienced spiritual dryness that included temptations to despair. At the same time, miracles were attributed to him. As his fame grew, a small group of disciples wanted to follow Hilarion. He began a series of journeys to find a place where he could live away from the world. He finally settled on Cyprus, where he died in 371 at about age 80. Hilarion is celebrated as the founder of monasticism in Palestine. Much of his fame flows from the biography of him written by St. Jerome. (AmericanCatholic.org)

Jesus said to his disciples, Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. I tell you the truth, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night. (Luke 12: 35-38)

At times when we remember vividly important experiences of the past, we can be caught up in a wonder that this past which we remember so well has gone. The past has simply gone. Indeed, the present is constantly fleeting by and, as soon as it has

come, it is gone. The future is ahead - say, the tomorrow - and in no time it has arrived and in no time it is gone forever. It is a source of fascination that the reality of our experience changes so rapidly, for if something simply exists, then why ought it not continue to exist as it is? Existence in its essential idea does not contain a principle of change: it simply is. So inasmuch as we change, our own existence and the existence of things around us cannot be said to be simply existence. That is to say, we exist, but that is not all that must be said about our existence. Our existence is qualified and limited by the potential to change and pass away. Now, if we do not simply exist - which is to say that if we need not exist - while nevertheless existing - then our existence is radically contingent. We just happen to exist because of Another who simply and necessarily exists, and whose existence is simply existence without any qualification. All this is to say that the thought of change, the thought of the non-existent future becoming the present and then the present passing out of existence into the past reminds us that our own existence is radically contingent and can come to an end at any point without the slightest warning. We must live ever conscious of this fact. So ordinary philosophical reflection on the nature of our existence indicates to us that it is part and parcel of living successfully always to be prepared for a sudden end. The fact is, though, we are prone constantly to forget this fundamental fact, even though we have constant reminders in the loss of life going on around us always. But now, over and above what ordinary reflections suggests, our Lord warns us to be ever ready because two things are certain: our end will come, and yet its date is unknown.

What does it mean to be on the watch, always ready, or, to put it in the terms of our Gospel passage today, to be always dressed for service? Let us listen to our Lord’s words of warning. "keep your lamps burning, like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him." (Luke 12: 35-38) The implication is that we ought so live as constantly to be ready at a moment’s notice to welcome the Master when he returns. We must be ready to open the door and welcome him. This implies that the master be the love of our hearts constantly, and that no other interest be distracting us so as to find us reluctant or distracted with other things. We shall only be able to do this if throughout life, day by day, we are welcoming him in all his calls and arrivals. These calls are expressed in our daily duties and summonses to further generosity. If we are always ready to open the door to Christ when he comes in all these daily occasions of duty and grace, then we shall be ready for him when he comes at the end, even if suddenly. Our hearts will not be found to be distracted and sluggish in the one thing necessary. However well we might feel physically, however well we might appear to others and even to the doctor, life can suddenly end. All around us we have testimony to this fact. If a young person in the prime of life can suddenly have that life snatched from him for any one of a number of reasons, then why not me? Perhaps we can think of occasions in the past when we seem to have been preserved from a sudden death. It was a mercy afforded us. Were my life to be suddenly taken from me, would I go to my Judge prepared? Would I go to him at least contrite or would there be very many sins that I would be found still to be clinging to, unrepentant? All this is to say that the best way to prepare for a sudden end to life is to live the present really well. Today, I must live as if this is the only day I have, with God’s judgment to come at its end.

A lot of time is taken up in life thinking of the past (especially its hurts) and preparing for the future (hoped-for joys such as career, retirement, or whatever). But how much time do we spend preparing for our real future, which is the hereafter? The fact is that this eternal hereafter can come suddenly without warning. The real tragedy is not that we die, nor that we die suddenly, but that we die unprepared. We die without being ready. We must stand ready, and we do so by trying every day to hear the word and the will of God and to put it into practice.

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But, let us tell him always, without stopping to argue: I am a son of the Church.

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SYDNEY, Australia, JULY 19, 2008 - Continuation of the address Benedict XVI gave at the World Youth Day vigil Saturday night at the Randwick Racecourse in Sydney.

The Spirit’s gifts working within us give direction and definition to our witness. Directed to unity, the gifts of the Spirit bind us more closely to the whole Body of Christ (cf. Lumen Gentium, 11), equipping us better to build up the Church in order to serve the world (cf. Eph 4:13). They call us to active and joyful participation in the life of the Church: in parishes and ecclesial movements, in religious education classes, in university chaplaincies and other catholic organizations. Yes, the Church must grow in unity, must be strengthened in holiness, must be rejuvenated, must be constantly renewed (cf. Lumen Gentium, 4). But according to whose standard? The Holy Spirit’s! Turn to him, dear young people, and you will find the true meaning of renewal.

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(October 22) St. Peter of Alcantara (1499-1562)
Peter was a contemporary of well-known 16th-century Spanish saints, including Ignatius of Loyola and John of the Cross. He served as confessor to St. Teresa of Avila. Church reform was a major issue in Peter’s day, and he directed most of his energies toward that end. His death came one year before the Council of Trent ended. Born into a noble family(his father was the governor of Alcantara in Spain), Peter studied law at Salamanca University and, at 16, joined the so-called Observant Franciscans (also known as the discalced, or barefoot, friars). While he practised many penances, he also demonstrated abilities which were soon recognized. He was named the superior of a new house even before his ordination as a priest; at the age of 39, he was elected provincial; he was a very successful preacher. Still, he was not above washing dishes and cutting wood for the friars. He did not seek attention; indeed, he preferred solitude. Peter’s penitential side was evident when it came to food and clothing. It is said that he slept only 90 minutes each night. While others talked about Church reform, Peter’s reform began with himself. His patience was so great that a proverb arose: "To bear such an insult one must have the patience of Peter of Alcantara." In 1554, Peter, having received permission, formed a group of Franciscans who followed the Rule of St. Francis with even greater rigor. These friars were known as Alcantarines. Some of the Spanish friars who came to North and South America in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries were members of this group. At the end of the 19th century, the Alcantarines were joined with other Observant friars to form the Order of Friars Minor. As spiritual director to St. Teresa, Peter encouraged her in promoting the Carmelite reform. His preaching brought many people to religious life, especially to the Secular Franciscan Order, the friars and the Poor Clares. He was canonized in 1669.
"I do not praise poverty for poverty's sake; I praise only that poverty which we patiently endure for the love of our crucified Redeemer and I consider this far more desirable than the poverty we undertake for the sake of poverty itself; for if I thought or believed otherwise, I would not seem to be firmly grounded in faith" (Letter of Peter to Teresa of Avila). (AmericanCatholic.org)

Scripture today: Ephesians 3: 2-12; Psalm Isaiah 12; Luke 12: 39-48 (click here for readings)

Jesus said to his disciples, But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not

have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. Peter asked, Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everyone? The Lord answered, Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But suppose the servant says to himself, 'My master is taking a long time in coming,' and he then begins to beat the menservants and maidservants and to eat and drink and get drunk. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers. That servant who knows his master's will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. (Luke 12: 39-48)

I have often thought that very many in the academic world unfortunately place little value on simplicity and clarity of expression. Time and again there is in academic writing a use of terms and sentence constructions that is very far from ordinary usage. While displaying intelligence this tendency results in unnecessary obscurity of expression. I think in academic work considerable intellectual effort ought

be put precisely into attempting to be understood by the non professional, though educated, reader. Such expression is itself a sign of great intellectual ability. One of the glories of Cicero is that he managed to write on philosophical subjects so successfully and clearly in the Latin language, a language rarely used till his time for such subjects. I do think that in that respect Cicero remains an example for the ages. In many respects I think we could say the same thing of St Thomas Aquinas too, and Cardinal Newman. They were outstanding, utterly different as writers and thinkers, but they did aim at simplicity of expression. Whatever be our discipline or interest, we ought endeavour to express ourselves with success, inventiveness and beauty in language which approaches the ordinary. Be all that as it may, one of the notable things about the Gospels, and about our Lord’s teaching in particular, is its simplicity of expression. Our Lord’s teaching is, by and large, expressed simply and clearly. While it has borne fruit in a vast ocean of Christian thought and teaching of immense depth, the Source of this great tradition of thought is the simple and clear teaching of Christ. Of course, to say it is simple and clear is not to say that it can be comprehended easily and in its entirety. It contains the greatest of mysteries, such as our Lord’s simple teaching that the Father and I are one, or that he who sees me sees the Father. But the terms our Lord uses approach ordinary terms and expressions, and so they make for clarity. Because of this our Lord precisely in his teaching as it comes to us in the Scriptures and the Church’s Tradition remains perennially accessible to the ordinary Christian.

In our Gospel passage today our Lord puts before us in simple terms a simple message, but one which is absolutely fundamental for our eternal salvation. He draws a simple parallel from ordinary life: “ If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into.” That is obvious and is within the experience of all. On that basis, the basis of something the ordinary person knows well, our Lord takes us to something we would not have otherwise known, that he, the Son of Man, may come upon us as our Judge at any point of time, at any point in life. So we must stand ready for his coming. What does it mean thus to stand ready? Our Lord says, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But suppose the servant says to himself, 'My master is taking a long time in coming,' and he then begins to beat the menservants and maidservants and to eat and drink and get drunk. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of.” (Luke 12: 39-48) It means being always on the job, the job being that which God has entrusted us to do at any particular point of life. Every person has, by virtue of his situation and God-given capacities, certain responsibilities. The elderly person being cared for in a nursing home has the responsibility to be a good presence and influence where he or she is. The sick person likewise has the responsibility to be a Christ-like presence there where he is, offering up his sickness in union with Christ for the good of the world. Wherever we are, whatever be our situation or capacities, God wants us to be at his work, on the job as it were, and if every day this is the case, we shall be ready for him when he comes.

Let us take this simple point our Lord makes and endeavour to live it. Let us live this day as if he were coming this very day to ask of us an account of our work for him. Let us do each task well and for him and his glory, as if it were to be the only task he has given us to do. Let us make of everything we do a holy offering to God, one into which we invest all our love for him.
(E.J.Tyler)

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You feel a gigantic faith. He who gives you that faith, will give you the means.
(The Way, no.577)

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SYDNEY, Australia, JULY 19, 2008 - Continuation of the address Benedict XVI gave at the World Youth Day vigil Saturday night at the Randwick Racecourse in Sydney.

Tonight, gathered under the beauty of the night sky, our hearts and minds are filled with gratitude to God for the great gift of our Trinitarian faith. We recall our parents and grandparents who walked alongside us when we, as children, were taking our first steps in our pilgrim journey of faith. Now many years later, you have gathered as young adults with the Successor of Peter. I am filled with deep joy to be with you. Let us invoke the Holy Spirit: he is the artisan of God’s works (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 741). Let his gifts shape you! Just as the Church travels the same journey with all humanity, so too you are called to exercise the Spirit’s gifts amidst the ups and downs of your daily life. Let your faith mature through your studies, work, sport, music and art. Let it be sustained by prayer and nurtured by the sacraments, and thus be a source of inspiration and help to those around you. In the end, life is not about accumulation. It is much more than success. To be truly alive is to be transformed from within, open to the energy of God’s love. In accepting the power of the Holy Spirit you too can transform your families, communities and nations. Set free the gifts! Let wisdom, courage, awe and reverence be the marks of greatness!
(Concluded)

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(October 23) St. John of Capistrano (1386-1456)
It has been said the Christian saints are the world’s greatest optimists. Not blind to the existence and consequences of evil, they base their confidence on the power of Christ’s redemption. The power of conversion through Christ extends not only to sinful people but also to calamitous events. Imagine being born in the fourteenth century. One-third of the population and nearly 40 percent of the clergy were wiped out by the bubonic plague. The Western Schism split the Church with two or three claimants to the Holy See at one time. England and France were at war. The city-states of Italy were constantly in conflict. No wonder that gloom dominated the spirit of the culture and the times. John Capistrano was born in 1386. His education was thorough. His talents and success were great. When he was 26 he was made governor of Perugia. Imprisoned after a battle against the Malatestas, he resolved to change his way of life completely. At the age of 30 he entered the Franciscan novitiate and was ordained a priest four years later. His preaching attracted great throngs at a time of religious apathy and confusion. He and 12 Franciscan brethren were received in the countries of central Europe as angels of God. They were instrumental in reviving a dying faith and devotion. The Franciscan Order itself was in turmoil over the interpretation and observance of the Rule of St. Francis. Through John’s tireless efforts and his expertise in law, the heretical Fraticelli were suppressed and the "Spirituals" were freed from interference in their stricter observance. He helped bring about a reunion with the Greek and Armenian Churches, unfortunately only a brief arrangement. When the Turks captured Constantinople in 1453, he was commissioned to preach a crusade for the defence of Europe. Gaining little response in Bavaria and Austria, he decided to concentrate his efforts in Hungary. He led the army to Belgrade. Under the great General John Junyadi, they gained an overwhelming victory, and the siege of Belgrade was lifted. Worn out by his superhuman efforts, Capistrano was an easy prey to the infection bred by the refuse of battle. He died October 23, 1456.
John Hofer, a biographer of John Capistrano, recalls a Brussels organization named after the saint. Seeking to solve life problems in a fully Christian spirit, its motto was: "Initiative, Organization, Activity." These three words characterized John's life. He was not one to sit around, ever. His deep Christian optimism drove him to battle problems at all levels with the confidence engendered by a deep faith in Christ. On the saint's tomb in the Austrian town of Villach, the governor had this message inscribed: "This tomb holds John, by birth of Capistrano, a man worthy of all praise, defender and promoter of the faith, guardian of the Church, zealous protector of his Order, an ornament to all the world, lover of truth and religious justice, mirror of life, surest guide in doctrine; praised by countless tongues, he reigns blessed in heaven." That is a fitting epitaph for a real and successful optimist. (AmericanCatholic.org)

Scripture today: Ephesians 3:14-21; Psalm 33:1-2, 4-5, 11-12, 18-19; Luke 12:49-53 (click here for readings)

Jesus said to his disciples, I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is completed! Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law. (Luke 12:49-53)

It is clear from the Gospels that no prophet before him saw himself as having such world significance as did Jesus Christ. He had come not just to renew his people, the chosen people of God, but to change the world. We gain a hint of this in the first words of our Gospel passage today. “I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!” The image of fire conjures up many

associated images. Perhaps we in our day immediately think of its power. It can, for instance, destroy: house fires, bush and forest fires, the fires of deliberate or accidental explosions. In our Lord’s day the image of fire would have evoked similar images: the fire ignited by invading armies to consume cities and towns, and so forth. Used thus, fire may be said to evoke the image of awesome power. There are other images of a more consoling kind. Fire brings warmth to those who are bereft of shelter and adequate clothing. It also provides the wherewithal for preparing meals: food is cooked on fire, and people would go looking for wood so as to prepare their fires. Without their fire they would lack warmth and nourishment. Fire in thus a great gift. These are some obvious images that our Lord’s expression immediately evokes. But more to the point, John the Baptist predicted that the Messiah who was coming would baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire. He would winnow, sifting the chaff from the grain. So by means of fire he would sift, sort and purify the good from the bad. It would test, and we speak of gold being tested by fire. He would purify the earth of sin, and indeed John said of Jesus that he was the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world. We also remember the great occasion in the Old Testament when Elijah confronted the four hundred prophets of Baal, and how, their sacrifice to Baal having failed, God at a stroke sent fire to the earth and consumed the sacrifice of Elijah. Fire was a sign of God’s presence and sanctifying action. Christ had come to set fire to the earth (Luke 12:49-53), which is to say, to inaugurate the redeeming and sanctifying work of God.

John the Baptist’s prediction connects the fire of the Messiah with the Holy Spirit. While he, John, baptized with water, the Messiah would baptize with far more effect and his own baptism would he nothing in comparison. The Messiah, whom he said was none other than Jesus, would pour out over people the gift of the Holy Spirit and that would bring fire, a fire that purified, a fire that consumed, a fire that sacrificed. It would make a profound difference. After our Lord had risen from the dead he told his disciples to go to Jerusalem and there to await what he had promised. The promised Gift was soon to come and it came in the form of fire. At Pentecost, from heaven our Lord cast fire on the earth, and it appeared as tongues of fire on the heads of the infant Church gathered around the Apostles, with Mary the mother of Christ in the midst of them. All this is to say that in the first instance, the fire which our Lord had come to cast on the earth was the fire of the Holy Spirit, a fire that was awesome in power, a fire that nourished and protected, that would sort, sift and purify, a fire that would convict and punish, and above all a fire that would make of the world a worthy sacrifice for God. We may perhaps view the sacrifice prepared by Elijah as a portent of what would eventually come. Just as the fire of God fell and consumed it, making of it an offering acceptable to him, so at Christ’s ascension the fire of God which is the Spirit of the Father and the Son fell on the earth and has been making of it an offering acceptable to him. The fire of God which Christ had come to cast on the earth is blazing already in the life, the preaching, the ministry and the sacraments of the Church. That fire is the grace of the Holy Spirit that redeems and sanctifies the world and unites it to the person of Jesus. It is the goal of life to see that grace kindled in the hearts of all men, and then to have it blazing. The blaze is holiness of life, a holiness that is a share in the life of Jesus, which itself is a share in the life of the Father. It is a share in the divine life of the Holy Trinity, a share in eternal life here and then hereafter.

Jesus knew that there was one way in which this fire would be cast on the earth and made to blaze. It would happen only through his passion, his death and his resurrection. Let us unite ourselves to Jesus in his suffering and death so as to contribute to the divine blaze which God means to see spreading across the face of the earth. The fire of Christ is the gift and the life of the Holy Spirit. This fire comes to each through faith and baptism. The Church, being the body of Christ, is the bearer of this fire that comes from heaven. Let us so live that this marvellous divine fire will become an unending blaze and make of the world a worthy offering to God.
(E.J.Tyler)

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It is Saint Paul who tells you, apostolic soul: 'The just man lives by faith'.

How is it that you are letting your fire die out?
(The Way, no.578)

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SYDNEY, Australia, JULY 19, 2008 - Here is the text of the address Benedict XVI gave before and after praying the midday Angelus, at the end of the World Youth Day closing Mass.

* * *

Dear Young Friends,

In the beautiful prayer that we are about to recite, we reflect on Mary as a young woman, receiving the Lord's summons to dedicate her life to him in a very particular way, a way that would involve the generous gift of herself, her womanhood, her motherhood. Imagine how she must have felt. She was filled with apprehension, utterly overwhelmed at the prospect that lay before her.

The angel understood her anxiety and immediately sought to reassure her. "Do not be afraid, Mary .... The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you" (Lk 1:30, 35). It was the Spirit who gave her the strength and courage to respond to the Lord's call. It was the Spirit who helped her to understand the great mystery that was to be accomplished through her. It was the Spirit who enfolded her with his love and enabled her to conceive the Son of God in her womb.
(Continuing)

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(October 24) St. Anthony Claret (1807-1870) (Picture)
The "spiritual father of Cuba" was a missionary, religious founder, social reformer, queen’s chaplain, writer and publisher, archbishop and refugee. He was a Spaniard whose work took him to the Canary Islands, Cuba, Madrid, Paris and to the First Vatican

Council. In his spare time as weaver and designer in the textile mills of Barcelona, he learned Latin and printing: the future priest and publisher was preparing. Ordained at 28, he was prevented by ill health from entering religious life as a Carthusian or as a Jesuit, but went on to become one of Spain’s most popular preachers. He spent 10 years giving popular missions and retreats, always placing great emphasis on the Eucharist and devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Her rosary, it was said, was never out of his hand. At 42, beginning with five young priests, he founded a religious institute of missionaries, known today as the Claretians. He was appointed to head the much-neglected archdiocese of Santiago in Cuba. He began its reform by almost ceaseless preaching and hearing of confessions, and suffered bitter opposition mainly for stamping out concubinage and giving instruction to black slaves. A hired assassin (whose release from prison Anthony had obtained) slashed open his face and wrist. Anthony succeeded in getting the would-be assassin’s death sentence commuted to a prison term. His solution for the misery of Cubans was family-owned farms producing a variety of foods for the family’s own needs and for the market. This invited the enmity of the vested interests who wanted everyone to work on a single cash crop—sugar. Besides all his religious writings are two books he wrote in Cuba: Reflections on Agriculture and Country Delights. He was called back to Spain for a job he did not relish—being chaplain for the queen. He went on three conditions: He would reside away from the palace, he would come only to hear the queen’s confession and instruct the children and he would be exempt from court functions. In the revolution of 1868, he fled with the queen’s party to Paris, where he preached to the Spanish colony. All his life Anthony was interested in the Catholic press. He founded the Religious Publishing House, a major Catholic publishing venture in Spain, and wrote or published 200 books and pamphlets. At Vatican I, where he was a staunch defender of the doctrine of infallibility, he won the admiration of his fellow bishops. Cardinal Gibbons of Baltimore remarked of him, "There goes a true saint." He died in exile near the border of Spain at the age of 63.
Jesus foretold that those who are truly his representatives would suffer the same persecution as he did. Besides 14 attempts on his life, Anthony had to undergo such a barrage of the ugliest slander that the very name Claret became a byword for humiliation and misfortune. The powers of evil do not easily give up their prey. No one needs to go looking for persecution. All we need to do is be sure we suffer because of our genuine faith in Christ, not for our own whims and imprudences.
Queen Isabella II once said to Anthony, "No one tells me things as clearly and frankly as you do." Later she told her chaplain, "Everybody is always asking me for favours, but you never do. Isn't there something you would like for yourself?" He replied, "Yes, that you let me resign." The queen made no more offers. (AmericanCatholic.org)

Scripture today: Ephesians 4: 1-6; Psalm 23; Luke 12: 54-59 (click here for readings)

Jesus said to the crowds, "When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, 'It's going to rain,' and it does. And when the

south wind blows, you say, 'It's going to be hot,' and it is. Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don't know how to interpret this present time? "Why don't you judge for yourselves what is right? As you are going with your adversary to the magistrate, try hard to be reconciled on the way, or your adversary may drag you off to the judge, and the judge turn you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny." (Luke 12: 54-59)

Our Lord once told a parable of a steward who was reported to his employer for having administered badly his master’s affairs. So the steward received notice of termination of employment. He set about secretly preparing for life after employment, and he did so by further maladministration. He secretly reduced portions of debts owed by various persons to his master, reasoning that he would thus have friends

who would help him when he was gone. And so it was. Our Lord’s point? It came in the words of the master, after the master discovered what had happened. The master could not but be impressed by the steward’s shrewd actions. And so it is, our Lord continued, that the children of this world - those who think only of this world’s gains - are smarter in their own line than are the children of light - those who have the light of Christ. A similar point is made in our Gospel passage today. “Jesus said to the crowds, "When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, 'It's going to rain,' and it does. And when the south wind blows, you say, 'It's going to be hot,' and it is. Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don't know how to interpret this present time?” (Luke 12: 54-59) Our Lord is saying that we can tell from the clouds that rain is coming, and from certain winds that it will be hot, but they have before them the person of Christ, his teaching and his miracles, and yet they cannot tell what is coming. They cannot see that the Kingdom of God has arrived in the person of Jesus. Now, our Lord calls them “hypocrites!”, which implies that in their heart of hearts they could divine that God was present and offering his rule but under the cloak of seeming sincerity they were professing to see nothing - or, rather, they were blind. They could not see because they did not want to see.

Our Lord’s words are a reminder that at root what we are able to see depends on what we want to see. If I am looking in a certain direction while my thoughts and interests are elsewhere, I shall not “see” what I am looking at. There is a great deal that I shall not notice. If I am studying or researching a point with my focus in a very precise direction I probably will not notice other things that are there that someone else with a different focus will easily detect. Again, if I am positively unwilling to search intently for something, I will probably miss it even if I am looking for it. All these examples from ordinary life point to something far more serious. If we are to find God and the things of God we must truly want God and the things of God. Our Lord alludes to this in one of his Beatitudes: Blessed are the pure of heart for they shall see God. The state of the heart will determine what we are able to see. That is to say, what at the core of our being our will is inclined to in large measure will determine what our mind will grasp. If we do not like what God is offering, that will to a fair degree will determine our capacity to see and accept it. In the Prologue of his Gospel St John writes that the Word of God came unto his own and his own would not receive him. The world treated him as a stranger. Then further in the Gospel our Lord makes it clear that the reason is that the world hated him because its deeds were evil. We must be properly disposed. We must be good soil if the seed is to produce good fruit. What then to do? We must pray for the grace progressively to see ourselves as God sees us, and for the grace then to change. Cardinal Newman once wrote that where we are coming from, our true starting points, are often beyond our sight. We need the grace of God to see them, and more than anything, we need the grace of God to change them. Only God can change our hearts, and our hearts have to be changed if we are to receive him as he wishes.

Let us resolve to take our stand with Jesus. We must take time to contemplate him and his teaching, resolving to live in his company and to follow after him in the ordinary duties of our everyday life. More than anything, we must live a religion of the heart, a religion in which our hearts are given to Christ and are being moulded into the likeness of his.
(E.J.Tyler)

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Faith — It is a pity to see how abundantly many Christians have it on their lips, and how sparingly they put it into their actions.

One would think it a virtue to be preached only, and not one to be practised.
(The Way, no.579)

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SYDNEY, Australia, JULY 19, 2008 - Here is the text of the address Benedict XVI gave before and after praying the midday Angelus, at the end of the World Youth Day closing Mass.

This scene is perhaps the pivotal moment in the history of God's relationship with his people. During the Old Testament, God revealed himself partially, gradually, as we all do in our personal relationships. It took time for the chosen people to develop their relationship with God. The Covenant with Israel was like a period of courtship, a long engagement. Then came the definitive moment, the moment of marriage, the establishment of a new and everlasting covenant. As Mary stood before the Lord, she represented the whole of humanity. In the angel's message, it was as if God made a marriage proposal to the human race. And in our name, Mary said yes.

In fairy tales, the story ends there, and all "live happily ever after". In real life it is not so simple. For Mary there were many struggles ahead, as she lived out the consequences of the "yes" that she had given to the Lord. Simeon prophesied that a sword would pierce her heart. When Jesus was twelve years old, she experienced every parent's worst nightmare when, for three days, the child went missing. And after his public ministry, she suffered the agony of witnessing his crucifixion and death. Throughout her trials she remained faithful to her promise, sustained by the Spirit of fortitude. And she was gloriously rewarded.
(Continuing)

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(October 25) Blessed Antônio de Sant’Anna Galvão (1739-1822)
God’s plan in a person’s life often takes unexpected turns which become life-giving through cooperation with God’s grace. Born in Guarantingueta near São Paulo (Brazil), Antônio attended the Jesuit seminary in Belem but later decided to become a Franciscan friar. Invested in 1760, he made final profession the following year and was ordained in 1762. In São Paulo, he served as preacher, confessor and porter. Within a few years he was appointed confessor to the Recollects of St. Teresa, a group of nuns in that city. He and Sister Helena Maria of the Holy Spirit founded a new community of sisters under the patronage of Our Lady of the Conception of Divine Providence. Sister Helena Maria’s premature death the next year left Father Antônio responsible for the new congregation, especially for building a convent and church adequate for their growing numbers. He served as novice master for the friars in Macacu and as guardian of St. Francis Friary in São Paulo. He founded St. Clare Friary in Sorocaba. With the permission of his provincial and the bishop, he spent his last days at the "Recolhimento de Nossa Senhora da Luz," the convent of the sisters’ congregation he had helped establish. He was beatified in Rome on October 25, 1998.
During the beatification homily, Pope John Paul II quoted from the Second Letter to Timothy (4:17), "The Lord stood by me and gave me strength to proclaim the word fully," and then said that Antônio "fulfilled his religious consecration by dedicating himself with love and devotion to the afflicted, the suffering and the slaves of his era in Brazil." The pope continued, "His authentically Franciscan faith, evangelically lived and apostolically spent in serving his neighbour, will be an encouragement to imitate this ‘man of peace and charity.’" (AmericanCatholic.org)

Scripture today: Ephesians 4: 7-16; Psalm 121; Luke 13: 1-9 (click here for readings)

Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus

answered, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish." Then he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, 'For three years now I've been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?' " 'Sir,' the man replied, 'leave it alone for one more year, and I'll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.' " (Luke 13: 1-9)

It has often been noted that among religious societies - societies that believe in God or the gods - there is commonly the view that affliction is a punishment. Presumably it is connected with the fact that society punishes with some form of affliction those who transgress its laws. Accustomed to this pattern in society, many have accounted for the affliction that has manifestly not come from

society by attributing it to the gods. The gods must be punishing the one thus afflicted for transgressing their laws. The revealed religion of the Hebrews made it abundantly clear that God did indeed punish those who transgressed his holy will, and the entire story of the chosen people as portrayed in the Old Testament and especially by the prophets, gives expression to this. Sin is punished and will be punished. As St Paul writes in his Letter to the Romans, the wages of sin are death. St Paul also writes that sin entered the world through one man and through sin death, and death has spread to the whole human race. So affliction is the upshot of sin. God did not create man to suffer and to die. It is the issue of man’s sin and its punishment. So not only does religious man tend naturally to think that affliction is a punishment for transgressing the divine will, but divine revelation confirms this in a general sense. But what we tend to do is to attribute to the sins of the individual the full cause of his own afflictions. This, however, is a non sequitur. Just because the individual is being afflicted because of sin does not mean that he is being afflicted because of, or in proportion to, his own sin. He could be suffering because of, or to a degree because of, the sins of others. For instance, numerous persons suffered to an incalculable degree during World War II because of the wickedness of certain persons. To a certain extent - known only to God - they may have suffered because of their own sins, but we must allow that their sufferings were primarily due to the sins of others. Why God allows this is a mystery to us. But the point being made here is that while affliction is ultimately the upshot of sin, it is not necessarily the upshot of the sins of the one being afflicted.

Ordinary human reflection in the main will indicate this. Our Lord in our Gospel passage today confirms it. “Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus answered, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no!” And he repeats his point: “Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no!” (Luke 13: 1-9) Our Lord is not saying that they did not sin. He is saying that their affliction, being greater than that of so many others, is not an indication that their sins were greater than others. Nor is he denying that their greater affliction was due, ultimately, to sin. But he is denying that the sin which was the immediate or ultimate cause of their affliction was wholly theirs. There is original sin and the sin of the world, all of which play their part in generating afflictions. We may take the point further and observe that in the case of our Lord himself, of course, there was no sin at all and yet his affliction was greater than that of all others. Though innocent, he would be burdened with the sins of all mankind. But what our Lord does say is that if we do not repent from sin then we will indeed be afflicted with punishment. The wages of sin are death: “Unless you repent, you too will all perish.” So then, the sight of affliction ought remind us of the seriousness of sin. It ought not suggest to us that the one being afflicted in a way that may be greater than anything we or many others have experienced is suffering thus because of his own sins. It ought, rather, remind us that sin brings harm and affliction, and if we do not repent of our own sins we will suffer. The wages of sin are death. We will be judged. We must, therefore, repent. The mystery of evil and suffering in the world ought not just leave us mystified. It ought lead us to repent of our sins, for sin will bring punishment and death.

God gives us time in life - how much time we cannot tell. This time is a mercy. It is a chance to turn away from sin and live for God. Our Gospel passage today stresses this with the brief parable of the man who owned the barren fig tree in the vineyard. The farmer pleaded for more time. But if nothing was forthcoming, it would be cut down. Let us then resolve to engraft ourselves on to Christ by faith and live daily in obedience to him. If we do this we shall produce fruit, fruit that will last.
(E.J.Tyler)

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Humbly ask God to increase your faith. And then, with new lights, you will fully appreciate the difference between the paths of the world and your way as an apostle.
(The Way, no.580)

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SYDNEY, Australia, JULY 19, 2008 - Concluding the text of the address Benedict XVI gave before and after praying the midday Angelus, at the end of the World Youth Day closing Mass.

Dear young people, we too must remain faithful to the "yes" that we have given to the Lord's offer of friendship. We know that he will never abandon us. We know that he will always sustain us through the gifts of the Spirit. Mary accepted the Lord's "proposal" in our name. So let us turn to her and ask her to guide us as we struggle to remain faithful to the life-giving relationship that God has established with each one of us. She is our example and our inspiration, she intercedes for us with her Son, and with a mother's love she shields us from harm.

[After leading the Angelus, prayed in Latin, there were farewell addresses from Cardinals George Pell of Sydney and Stanislaw Rylko, president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity. Then, the Holy Father greeted the youth in five languages. Finally, the Pontiff said:]

The time has come for me to say good-bye - or rather, to say arrivederci! I thank you all for your participation in World Youth Day 2008, here in Sydney, and I look forward to seeing you again in three years' time. World Youth Day 2011 will take place in Madrid, Spain. Until then, let us continue to pray for one another, and let us joyfully bear witness to Christ before the world. May God bless you all.
(Concluded)

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Prayers this week: Let hearts rejoice who search for the Lord. Seek the Lord and his strength, seek always the face of the Lord. (Psalm 104: 3-4)

Almighty and ever-living God, strengthen our faith, hope, and love. May we do with loving hearts what you ask of us and come to share the life you promise. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ your Son in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever.

(October 26) Blessed Contardo Ferrini (1859-1902)
Contardo Ferrini was the son of a teacher who went on to become a learned man himself, one acquainted with some dozen languages.

Today he is known as the patron of universities. Born in Milan, he received a doctorate in law in Italy and then earned a scholarship that enabled him to study Roman-Byzantine law in Berlin. As a renowned legal expert, he taught in various schools of higher education until he joined the faculty of the University of Pavia, where he was considered an outstanding authority on Roman law. Contardo was learned about the faith he lived and loved. "Our life," he said, "must reach out toward the Infinite, and from that source we must draw whatever we can expect of merit and dignity." As a scholar he studied the ancient biblical languages and read the Scriptures in them. His speeches and papers show his understanding of the relationship of faith and science. He attended daily Mass and became a lay Franciscan, faithfully observing the Third Order rule of life. He also served through membership in the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. His death in 1902 at the age of 43 occasioned letters from his fellow professors that praised him as a saint; the people of Suna where he lived insisted that he be declared a saint. Pope Pius XII beatified Contardo in 1947.
Thanks to people like Contardo, our Church long ago laid to rest the idea that science and faith are incompatible. We thank God for the many ways science has made our lives better. All that remains to us is to help ensure that the rest of the world, especially impoverished nations, gets to enjoy the fruits of scientific advance. (AmericanCatholic.org)

Scripture today: Exodus 22: 20-26; Psalm 17; 1 Thessalonians 1: 5-10; Matthew 22: 34-40 (click here for readings)

Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbour as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." (Matthew 22: 34-40)

The lives of most people are driven by a variety of motives and expectations. What parents expect of the child and youth, what his peers expect of him, and what he expects of himself will have a profound effect on his actions. So too the husband is influenced by the expectations that his spouse has of him, and vice versa. The employee is expected to do things by his employer, and vice versa. A

person’s own expectations of himself will drive his life. These expectations involve love, ambition, and various other motives. And so it is that the whole of mankind is caught up in a vast hive of activity. Now, whatever be the fact, it ought be clear that the primary expectation that should shape our life is that which God our Creator has of us. So the question arises, what does God expect of mankind? The individual who recognizes the authority of God will ask, whatever be my own or others’ expectations, what does God expect of me? For instance, does he expect more work of me? Of course, God may be expecting more work of me, for I may be wasting my time with excessive recreation and ease. But one would think that most serious-minded people, because they have responsibilities that are crucial to their happiness such as maintaining a family and holding down a job, are probably working as much as they can reasonably be expected to. God may be expecting more, but not a great deal more activity from them. But what God does expect, and expect much more of, is that they love him far more in whatever be their proper activity in life. He wants love for him to inform every aspect of what they do to meet the responsibilities which in his providence he has given to them. When a person comes to see that obedience to and service of God should characterize his life, it will not usually mean a change in life’s responsibilities. Rather, it will mean a profoundly new and all-pervasive motive for meeting those responsibilities, and for meeting them well. Instead of a variety of motives and expectations driving all that they do, there is one great and transforming motive. It is a motive that sanctifies everything. It is the greater glory of God.

In our Gospel passage today our Lord is asked a fundamental question that could be phrased in a variety of ways. What is the greatest of God’s commandments? Does he, for instance, expect that I do more than I am doing? He may, but probably not if I am fulfilling my responsibilities according to proper expectations. What is the first and greatest expectation God has of me? What, indeed, is his principal command which if I fulfil it will make me pleasing to him? Our Lord gives the answer to this in our passage today: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbour as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." (Matthew 22: 34-40) We must, then, begin with and work at the first and greatest thing, which is love. That is the principal change to be made. We must strive to ensure that in all that we do we are loving God and placing his glory at the forefront of everything. If we love God then, of course, we will want to keep his commandments, for our Lord said, if you love me you will keep my commandments. This may then mean a change in what I actually do, but what I am already doing may well be pretty well what God wants me to do. He will want me to work hard at my profession, be a good husband and father, a good student. But we may well be doing this for mixed and imperfect motives. God will want me to do it more and more simply for his glory. He will want my work of each day to be the expression of and the instrument of greater and greater love for him. In all my thoughts, words and actions he will want love for him and in him love for neighbour to be growing in my heart. This love is a gift that is implanted in my heart and soul at the moment of my baptism. It is a divine gift which by the help of the Holy Spirit and my own exercise of it can grow and become the ruling element of my life. The love of Christ ought be leading the Christian to be a Christ-like spouse and parent, a Christ-like worker in the workplace, a Christ-like friend and collaborator of others in daily life.

This love for God and for others is, as St Paul writes in his Letter to the Colossians “the bond of perfection” (3:14). It is the foundation of the other virtues to which it gives life, inspiration, and order. Without charity “I am nothing” and “I gain nothing”, as St Paul writes (1 Corinthians 13:1-3). Charity is Christ’s new commandment and it is, as our Lord explains in today’s Gospel, the fullness of God’s Law. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments. The Catechism asks, why did God make us? God made us to know, love and serve him here on earth so as to see and enjoy him forever in heaven. So every day we ought aim to know, love and serve God in all we do, say and think. St Ignatius of Loyola coined a famous expression: All for the greater glory of God. If by the grace of God this is the motive driving our life, the principal expectation, it will take us to sanctity and to heaven.
(E.J.Tyler)

Further reading: The Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 1822-1829

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How humbly and simply the Gospels relate incidents that show up the weak and wavering faith of the apostles!

So that you and I won't lose hope of some day achieving the strong unshakable faith those first few afterwards had.
(The Way, no.581)

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SYDNEY, Australia, JULY 19, 2008 - Here is the text of the homily Benedict XVI gave at the World Youth Day closing Mass Sunday morning local time.

* * *

Dear Friends,

"You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you" (Acts 1:8). We have seen this promise fulfilled! On the day of Pentecost, as we heard in the first reading, the Risen Lord, seated at the right hand of the Father, sent the Spirit upon the disciples gathered in the Upper Room. In the power of that Spirit, Peter and the Apostles went forth to preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth. In every age, and in every language, the Church throughout the world continues to proclaim the marvels of God and to call all nations and peoples to faith, hope and new life in Christ.

In these days I too have come, as the Successor of Saint Peter, to this magnificent land of Australia. I have come to confirm you, my young brothers and sisters, in your faith and to encourage you to open your hearts to the power of Christ's Spirit and the richness of his gifts. I pray that this great assembly, which unites young people "from every nation under heaven" (cf. Acts 2:5), will be a new Upper Room. May the fire of God's love descend to fill your hearts, unite you ever more fully to the Lord and his Church, and send you forth, a new generation of apostles, to bring the world to Christ! "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you". These words of the Risen Lord have a special meaning for those young people who will be confirmed, sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit, at today's Mass. But they are also addressed to each of us - to all those who have received the Spirit's gift of reconciliation and new life at Baptism, who have welcomed him into their hearts as their helper and guide at Confirmation, and who daily grow in his gifts of grace through the Holy Eucharist. At each Mass, in fact, the Holy Spirit descends anew, invoked by the solemn prayer of the Church, not only to transform our gifts of bread and wine into the Lord's body and blood, but also to transform our lives, to make us, in his power, "one body, one spirit in Christ".
(Continuing)

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(October 27) Blessed Bartholomew of Vicenza (c. 1200-1271)
Dominicans honour one of their own today, Blessed Bartholomew of Vicenza. This was a man who used his skills as a preacher to challenge the heresies of his day. Bartholomew was born in Vicenza around 1200. At 20 he entered the Dominicans. Following his ordination he served in various leadership positions. As a young priest he founded a military order whose purpose was to keep civil peace in towns throughout Italy. In 1248, Bartholomew was appointed a bishop. For most men, such an appointment is an honour and a tribute to their holiness and their demonstrated leadership skills. But for Bartholomew, it was a form of exile that had been urged by an antipapal group that was only too happy to see him leave for Cyprus. Not many years later, however, Bartholomew was transferred back to Vicenza. Despite the antipapal feelings that were still evident, he worked diligently—especially through his preaching—to rebuild his diocese and strengthen the people’s loyalty to Rome. During his years as bishop in Cyprus, Bartholomew befriended King Louis the Ninth of France, who is said to have given the holy bishop a relic of Christ’s Crown of Thorns. Bartholomew died in 1271. He was beatified in 1793. (AmericanCatholic.org)

Scripture today: Ephesians 4:32 - 5:8; Psalm 1; Luke 13: 10-17 (Click here for readings)

On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years.

She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, "Woman, you are set free from your infirmity." Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God. Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue leader said to the people, "There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath." The Lord answered him, "You hypocrites! Doesn't each of you on the Sabbath untie your ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?" When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing. (Luke 13: 10-17)

Once again, our Lord reveals his great charity in our Gospel passage today. It is the Sabbath day, the Lord’s day. The people are gathered in one of the synagogues and Jesus is teaching. It is clear from the Gospels that the Sabbath was a privileged time for our Lord’s ministry. The people had stopped work, they were gathered to pray and hear the word of God, and Jesus took advantage of this

circumstance to teach them. It ought be a source of wonder for us to contemplate Christ thus teaching. Imagine being in the synagogue, and God the Son made man is speaking and instructing! In gazing on that man we are gazing on God, seen in his human nature. In hearing his teaching, we are hearing the greatest and most sure teaching in the history of the world! It is teaching that takes us to eternal life. Ultimately it is teaching about his very person and what it means to live in union with him. Because it is this, it is teaching which if followed leads to salvation. How privileged were the people of our Lord’s time and place! For this reason our Lord once said to his disciples that they were blessed. Prophets and kings had longed to see what they were seeing and had not seen it. They had longed to hear what they were hearing and had not heard it. Now, this same Jesus lives still. He is living, risen from the dead and speaks to us still. He speaks to us in his word in the inspired Scriptures and in the great Tradition which is the living word and life of the Church. We do not see him in visible form, but he is there and speaking to us in his body the Church of which he is the living head. So there he is in the synagogue, and while he is teaching, or perhaps when he finishes, he sees a poor woman who had been crippled for some eighteen years, all bent over. It is intriguing that Luke reports the number of years she had been in this condition. It suggests that his source was very much an eye-witness who was quite knowledgeable as to the situation. Full of compassion, our Lord, without being asked, proceeds to call her forth from the crowed and at a word to cure her.

A word about what our Lord says of her sickness may not go astray. Let us notice that he does not call her from the crowd to cast out a demon. There are other cures he effects in which he casts out demons. He speaks of casting out a dumb spirit, or a spirit that causes fits, and so forth. But this time he simply calls the woman out and cures her of her “infirmity.” But in his sharp and overwhelming reply to the synagogue official he makes it clear that Satan did have some hand in it. Satan did not cause her condition as an upshot of some form of possession but he actively assisted in maintaining, indirectly or otherwise, the condition. Our Lord speaks of Satan as holding her bound in a way parallel to the donkey being held tethered in the stall. It reminds us that the evils and sufferings of the world came about not as a result of God’s creative act, but as a result of man’s fall in which Satan had a hand. Satan still delights in being the great Spoiler. As our Lord says elsewhere, he is a liar and a murderer from the beginning. Well then, the Son of God cures the woman and silences the objecting synagogue official. His whole action reveals the love and power of God. He comes to the aid of the one who is suffering and defenceless. We too ought bring all our tribulations before him in our prayer. Who knows what he might do as part of the divine plan. Time and again during the Gospels he is revealing by his numerous miracles that he is almighty and that his might is manifested in his mercy. The divine power shows itself in mercy towards those in need. This might be said to be distinctive of the Christian religion. God is revealed as not just a great power, but an almighty power that is entirely at the service of love. The event in our Gospel scene today (Luke 13: 10-17) is a sign of greater things to come. The greatest act of divine power was, firstly, God becoming man, and secondly God taking on himself the sins of mankind and expiating for them all. The Incarnation and the Atonement is the great revelation of the power, the mercy and the love of God.

Let us in prayer draw near to the person of Jesus. He smiles with love on us as we take our stand with him. He is full of strength and that strength is shown in his deeds of compassion and love. His greatest such deed is his giving himself up for our salvation. Let us take our stand with him. But very importantly, let us pray for the grace to follow him closely in our everyday lives as he makes his way to Calvary. We are called to renounce ourselves and to take up our cross, following in his footsteps.
(E.J.Tyler)

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How beautiful is our Catholic faith! It provides a solution for all our anxieties, calms our minds and fills our hearts with hope.
(The Way, no.582)

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SYDNEY, Australia, JULY 19, 2008 - Continuing the text of the homily Benedict XVI gave at the World Youth Day closing Mass Sunday morning local time.

But what is this "power" of the Holy Spirit? It is the power of God's life! It is the power of the same Spirit who hovered over the waters at the dawn of creation and who, in the fullness of time, raised Jesus from the dead. It is the power which points us, and our world, towards the coming of the Kingdom of God. In today's Gospel, Jesus proclaims that a new age has begun, in which the Holy Spirit will be poured out upon all humanity (cf. Lk 4:21). He himself, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, came among us to bring us that Spirit. As the source of our new life in Christ, the Holy Spirit is also, in a very real way, the soul of the Church, the love which binds us to the Lord and one another, and the light which opens our eyes to see all around us the wonders of God's grace.

Here in Australia, this "great south land of the Holy Spirit", all of us have had an unforgettable experience of the Spirit's presence and power in the beauty of nature. Our eyes have been opened to see the world around us as it truly is: "charged", as the poet says, "with the grandeur of God", filled with the glory of his creative love. Here too, in this great assembly of young Christians from all over the world, we have had a vivid experience of the Spirit's presence and power in the life of the Church. We have seen the Church for what she truly is: the Body of Christ, a living community of love, embracing people of every race, nation and tongue, of every time and place, in the unity born of our faith in the Risen Lord. The power of the Spirit never ceases to fill the Church with life! Through the grace of the Church's sacraments, that power also flows deep within us, like an underground river which nourishes our spirit and draws us ever nearer to the source of our true life, which is Christ. Saint Ignatius of Antioch, who died a martyr in Rome at the beginning of the second century, has left us a splendid description of the Spirit's power dwelling within us. He spoke of the Spirit as a fountain of living water springing up within his heart and whispering: "Come, come to the Father" (cf. Ad Rom., 6:1-9).
(Continuing)

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Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles
(Tuesday of the thirtieth week in Ordinary Time II)

(October 28) Simon and Jude, Apostles
Jude is so named by Luke and Acts. Matthew and Mark call him Thaddeus. He is not mentioned elsewhere in the Gospels, except, of course, where all the apostles are referred to. Scholars hold that he is not the author of the Letter of Jude. Actually, Jude had the same name as Judas Iscariot. Evidently because of the disgrace of that name, it was shortened to "Jude" in English. Simon is mentioned on all four lists of the apostles. On two of them he is called "the Zealot." The Zealots were a Jewish sect that represented an extreme of Jewish nationalism. For them, the messianic promise of the Old Testament meant that the Jews were to be a free and independent nation. God alone was their king, and any payment of taxes to the Romans—the very domination of the Romans—was a blasphemy against God. No doubt some of the Zealots were the spiritual heirs of the Maccabees, carrying on their ideals of religion and independence. But many were the counterparts of modern terrorists. They raided and killed, attacking both foreigners and "collaborating" Jews. They were chiefly responsible for the rebellion against Rome which ended in the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.
As in the case of all the apostles except for Peter, James and John, we are faced with men who are really unknown, and we are struck by the fact that their holiness is simply taken to be a gift of Christ. He chose some unlikely people: a former Zealot, a former (crooked) tax collector, an impetuous fisherman, two "sons of thunder" and a man named Judas Iscariot. It is a reminder that we cannot receive too often. Holiness does not depend on human merit, culture, personality, effort or achievement. It is entirely God's creation and gift. God needs no Zealots to bring about the kingdom by force. Jude, like all the saints, is the saint of the impossible: only God can create his divine life in human beings. And God wills to do so, for all of us.
"Just as Christ was sent by the Father, so also he sent the apostles, filled with the Holy Spirit. This he did so that, by preaching the gospel to every creature (cf. Mark 16:15), they might proclaim that the Son of God, by his death and resurrection, had freed us from the power of Satan (cf. Acts 26:18) and from death, and brought us into the kingdom of his Father" (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy). (AmericanCatholic.org)

Scripture today: Ephesians 2:19-22; Responsorial Psalm 19:2-3, 4-5; Luke 6:12-16 click here for readings)

One of those days Jesus went up to the mountain to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles: Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. (Luke 6:12-16)

Over the past century or more one strand of Christian enquiry and theological reflection has revolved around the question of the essence of Christianity. In the face of such a plethora of Christian communions and such a variety of Christian structures and beliefs, various thinkers have set themselves the goal of determining what is the fundamental nature of the Christian

religion. For instance, some have considered hearing the word of God and putting it into practice as being of the essence. "Who is my brother and sister?" we remember our Lord asking. "Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven, he is my brother and sister and mother." Such persons will go on to propose that wherever there is a person or community that sincerely hears, studies and accepts the word of God as given to us by Christ, and then puts it into practice, that person and that community are instances of true Christianity. Other examples could be given of answers to the question of the essence of Christianity. But the perennial danger of such a question and many of the answers it gives rise to is that other essential elements are forgotten, with immense ramifications for the Christian religion itself. No one should doubt that hearing the word of God and putting it into practice is indeed of the essence of the Christian religion, but there are other essential elements too. These other elements can be lost sight of. One is, how Christ has structured and organized the religion he has revealed. Did Christ intend that his disciples in their life of hearing his word and putting it into practice be members of a visible, structured body? Did he intend that the kingdom he was establishing be a divinely organized one here on earth, or was he leaving to the inclination and judgment of his future disciples the question of how they wished to organize themselves? We surely gain an indication of the answer to this from our Gospel passage today. Christ built the religion he revealed on an apostolic foundation. It was not just a movement, but was founded on the Apostles.

In our Gospel today our Lord is accompanied by his disciples and he spends the whole night in prayer to his Father on the mountain. We read that "when morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles: Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor." (Luke 6:12-16) Christ did not just give his teaching, work his miracles, effect the world’s redemption by his death and resurrection, and then leave to his disciples the work of bringing the redemption to the world. By that I mean that he did not just leave it to his disciples to do all this in whatever way they saw fit. No, he established a Church with a definite structure, and he expected his disciples to be members of this his Church. He foresaw that many of his disciples in the course of time would depart from the Church he established, or would themselves be children and descendants of those who had thus departed, but the point being made here is that this was not Christ’s intention. His intention was to establish a Church with its own divinely intended structure. That is to say, the essence of the Christian religion includes many things, and included among them is the divine structure Christ gave to it. Now, we have the beginning of this step in our Gospel passage today. We read that he summoned his disciples and chose from among them the Twelve. These he called Apostles. This word, Apostle, we might note, did not become a term exclusive to the Twelve. St Paul insisted that he was a divinely appointed Apostle, but he was never one of the Twelve. On the Twelve Christ established his Church, and the true Church of Christ is that Church which is built on the Twelve and not just on this or that of Christ’s disciples. The Gospels give us more information about the Twelve in the plan of Christ, such as that Simon was their head and their rock and that on this rock Christ was building his Church. The point for today, though, is that the Christian religion is founded on the Twelve. It has an apostolic structure.

It is important that we do not have a simplistic understanding of the Christian religion, for if we do we shall fail to appropriate many of the treasures and graces Christ left for those who wish to be his disciples. The fullness of the Christian religion as Christ revealed it is to be found where he intended it to be found. It is found where he abides, for it consists in him and in union with him. He is found in his fullness in his Church, in the Church he founded on the Apostles. It is of this that we are reminded in our Gospel today.

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I'm not one for miracles. I have told you that in the holy Gospel I can find more than enough to confirm my faith. — But I can't help pitying those Christians — pious people, 'apostles' many of them — who smile at the idea of extraordinary ways, of supernatural events. I feel the urge to tell them: Yes, this is still the age of miracles: we too would work them if we had faith! (The Way, no.583)

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SYDNEY, Australia, JULY 19, 2008 - Continuing the text of the homily Benedict XVI gave at the World Youth Day closing Mass Sunday morning local time.

Yet this power, the grace of the Spirit, is not something we can merit or achieve, but only receive as pure gift. God's love can only unleash its power when it is allowed to change us from within. We have to let it break through the hard crust of our indifference, our spiritual weariness, our blind conformity to the spirit of this age. Only then can we let it ignite our imagination and shape our deepest desires. That is why prayer is so important: daily prayer, private prayer in the quiet of our hearts and before the Blessed Sacrament, and liturgical prayer in the heart of the Church. Prayer is pure receptivity to God's grace, love in action, communion with the Spirit who dwells within us, leading us, through Jesus, in the Church, to our heavenly Father. In the power of his Spirit, Jesus is always present in our hearts, quietly waiting for us to be still with him, to hear his voice, to abide in his love, and to receive "power from on high", enabling us to be salt and light for our world.

At his Ascension, the Risen Lord told his disciples: "You will be my witnesses ... to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8). Here, in Australia, let us thank the Lord for the gift of faith, which has come down to us like a treasure passed on from generation to generation in the communion of the Church. Here, in Oceania, let us give thanks in a special way for all those heroic missionaries, dedicated priests and religious, Christian parents and grandparents, teachers and catechists who built up the Church in these lands - witnesses like Blessed Mary MacKillop, Saint Peter Chanel, Blessed Peter To Rot, and so many others! The power of the Spirit, revealed in their lives, is still at work in the good they left behind, in the society which they shaped and which is being handed on to you. (Continuing)

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(October 29) St. Narcissus of Jerusalem (d. 215)
Life in second- and third-century Jerusalem couldn’t have been easy, but St. Narcissus managed to live well beyond 100. Some even speculate he lived to 160. Details of his life are sketchy, but there are many reports of his miracles. The miracle for which he is most remembered was turning water into oil for use in the church lamps on Holy Saturday when the deacons had forgotten to provide any. We do know that Narcissus became bishop of Jerusalem in the late second century. He was known for his holiness, but there are hints that many people found him harsh and rigid in his efforts to impose church discipline. One of his many detractors accused Narcissus of a serious crime at one point. Though the charges against him did not hold up, he used the occasion to retire from his role as bishop and live in solitude. His disappearance was so sudden and convincing that many people assumed he had actually died. Several successors were appointed during his years in isolation. Finally, Narcissus reappeared in Jerusalem and was persuaded to resume his duties. By then, he had reached an advanced age, so a younger bishop was brought in to assist him until his death. (AmericanCatholic.org)

Scripture today: Ephesians 6: 1-9; Psalm 145:10-14; Luke 13: 22-30 (click here for readings)

Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, "Lord, are only a few people

going to be saved?" He said to them, "Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, 'Sir, open the door for us.' "But he will answer, 'I don't know you or where you come from.' "Then you will say, 'We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.' "But he will reply, 'I don't know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!' "There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last." (Luke 13: 22-30)

I remember at one university where I happened to be studying my supervisor described the God of the Old Testament as a God of wrath and punishment and the God of the New as a God of love and mercy. That has been a widespread cliche but I am sure those who adhere to the Jewish faith would object to it. The Christian ought know that while in Christ the love of God is most fully and definitively

revealed, this same love of God is revealed in the Old Testament. The prophets abound in passages that speak of the tender love of Yahweh for his people. At the same time Christ himself speaks very frequently about the punishment of Hell. While the Old Testament speaks of the punishment and wrath of God, more often than not this wrath and punishment is depicted as being played out in this life. Our Lord, though, speaks of God’s punishment in far more definitive terms. Our Lord speaks of Hell far more often than any prophet before him and he reveals its nature much more clearly. Our Gospel passage today is but one of many that could be cited describing the judgment and the punishment of unrepentant sinners by God. God is love, and this is the great teaching of the New Testament. It was because God so loved the world that he sent his only-begotten Son, but he did this because of the terrible consequences of sin. Because of man’s sin, death, eternal death, would have come to mankind were it not for God’s great initiative in sending his Son. Our Lord must have spoken repeatedly of the consequences of sin because in their very question to him his disciples seem to assume that “only a few” will be saved. They ask, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?”. In his reply our Lord ignored their question as to numbers and stressed rather the efforts they must make. “"Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to.” (Luke 13: 22-30)

What this means is that the Christian must take account of what we might call the Last Things. Time passes quickly. Most things in life are to a greater or lesser extent uncertain. But there are a few things that are absolutely inevitable. The first is that we shall die and that following our death God will judge us for what we have done. Our deeds, embracing all our deliberate thoughts, words and actions, the entire exercise of our freedom, will be subject to the definitive scrutiny of God. All this is inevitable because Christ has revealed it. So we must prepare for it and make every effort, as our Lord says, to enter by the narrow door, the door of earnest application to the one sure end of our life. For following God’s judgment there will be either heaven or hell. Our Lord puts it in terms of a parable: “Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, 'Sir, open the door for us.' "But he will answer, 'I don't know you or where you come from.' "Then you will say, 'We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.' "But he will reply, 'I don't know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!'” What a terrible thing it will be to hear the words of Christ our Judge, were he to say to us when that time comes, “I do not know where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!” Christ adds a further warning. We must not take for granted that, because we have been long familiar with him and his words, we shall for that simple fact be acceptable to him. He is looking for true faith and for deeds that are consistent with this faith. For this reason, those first may be found to be last and those who come to him late and indeed last, may be fount to be first. “"There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last."

All this sounds sombre, but there is no alternative but to think about it and to live in the light of it. We have the gift of life. Life offers immense opportunities and serious consequences, and both the one and the other issue from the exercise of freedom. Life is a gift and it is a responsibility. It is a gift because it gives us the opportunity of knowing, loving and serving God here and forever hereafter. But it is a responsibility. We shall be held responsible for the use we have made of this gift.
(E.J.Tyler)

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Stir up that fire of faith. Christ is not a figure that has passed. He is not a memory that is lost in history.

He lives! 'Jesus Christus heri et hodie, ipse et in saecula', says Saint Paul. — 'Jesus Christ is the same to-day as he was yesterday and as he will be for ever'.
(The Way, no.584)

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SYDNEY, Australia, JULY 19, 2008 - Continuing the text of the homily Benedict XVI gave at the World Youth Day closing Mass Sunday morning local time.

Dear young people, let me now ask you a question. What will you leave to the next generation? Are you building your lives on firm foundations, building something that will endure? Are you living your lives in a way that opens up space for the Spirit in the midst of a world that wants to forget God, or even rejects him in the name of a falsely-conceived freedom? How are you using the gifts you have been given, the "power" which the Holy Spirit is even now prepared to release within you? What legacy will you leave to young people yet to come? What difference will you make? The power of the Holy Spirit does not only enlighten and console us. It also points us to the future, to the coming of God's Kingdom. What a magnificent vision of a humanity redeemed and renewed we see in the new age promised by today's Gospel! Saint Luke tells us that Jesus Christ is the fulfilment of all God's promises, the Messiah who fully possesses the Holy Spirit in order to bestow that gift upon all mankind. The outpouring of Christ's Spirit upon humanity is a pledge of hope and deliverance from everything that impoverishes us. It gives the blind new sight; it sets the downtrodden free, and it creates unity in and through diversity (cf. Lk 4:18-19; Is 61:1-2). This power can create a new world: it can "renew the face of the earth" (cf. Ps 104:30)!
(Continuing)

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(October 30) St. Alphonsus Rodriguez (c. 1533-1617)
Tragedy and challenge beset today’s saint early in life, but Alphonsus Rodriguez found happiness and contentment through simple service and prayer. Born in Spain in 1533, Alphonsus inherited the family textile business at 23. Within the space of three years, his wife, daughter and mother died; meanwhile, business was poor. Alphonsus stepped back and reassessed his life. He sold the business and, with his young son, moved into his sisters’ home. There he learned the discipline of prayer and meditation. Years later, at the death of his son, Alphonsus, almost 40 by then, sought to join the Jesuits. He was not helped by his poor education. He applied twice before being admitted. For 45 years he served as doorkeeper at the Jesuits’ college in Majorca. When not at his post, he was almost always at prayer, though he often encountered difficulties and temptations. His holiness and prayerfulness attracted many to him, including St. Peter Claver, then a Jesuit seminarian. Alphonsus’s life as doorkeeper may have been humdrum, but he caught the attention of poet and fellow-Jesuit Gerard Manley Hopkins, who made him the subject of one of his poems. Alphonsus died in 1617. He is the patron saint of Majorca.
We like to think that God rewards the good even in this life. But Alphonsus knew business losses, painful bereavement and periods when God seemed very distant. None of his suffering made him withdraw into a shell of self-pity or bitterness. Rather, he reached out to others who lived with pain, including enslaved blacks. Among the many notables at his funeral were the sick and poor people whose lives he had touched. May they find such a friend in us! (AmericanCatholic.org)

Scripture today: Ephesians 6: 10-20; Psalm 144:1b, 2, 9-10; Luke 13:31-35 (click here for readings)

At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, "Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you." He

replied, "Go tell that fox, 'I will keep on driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.' In any case, I must press on today and tomorrow and the next day—for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem! "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.' (Luke 13:31-35)

How serious it would be to be judged adversely by Jesus! In our Gospel today some Pharisees come to Jesus and urge him to leave because Herod was after him to kill him. Our Lord appears to be in Herod’s territory and perhaps Herod had craftily let it be known to the Pharisees that he was after Jesus, in the hope that Jesus would leave his territory. Perhaps. In any case, he earns the withering

description from our Lord of being a “fox”. In other contexts the Pharisees themselves earned from our Lord the description of being “hypocrites”. They were whitewashed sepulchres. On one Sabbath day when our Lord was before a person who had a withered hand and the scribes and Pharisees were watching what he would do, he asked them if it was lawful to do good on a Sabbath, or evil. They stubbornly remained silent. We read that our Lord looked around on them all with anger, and forthwith in their presence cured the man. As we think of these incidents, and in particular of our Lord’s words in today’s passage describing Herod as a fox, let us think of the judgment of Christ on man’s actions and state of heart. He, the living risen Jesus, Son of God and Saviour, into whose hands all authority in heaven and on earth have been placed, observes all that goes on in our hearts. He judges now, and will judge us when our time comes. Let us then live in the light of our future judgment. But while he is our Judge, he is also our Friend. His heart, while full of truth, is also full of love. We see this too in our Gospel passage today in his lament over Jerusalem: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.” (Luke 13:31-35) Christ wishes to protect us, to gather each of us under his sheltering hand. He is, as he makes clear elsewhere in the Gospel, our Good Shepherd who gives his life for us his sheep.

In our Gospel passage our Lord also alludes to the supreme purpose of his life. Yes, he is healing the sick and casting out devils, but his supreme work is yet to come. “At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, "Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you." He replied, "Go tell that fox, 'I will keep on driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.' In any case, I must press on today and tomorrow and the next day—for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem!” “On the third day I will reach my goal.” His goal was to lay down his life in witness to the truth about himself and his mission. It would be the supreme act of obedience to the will of his heavenly Father and the supreme moment in which he would save the world. Jesus was very conscious that he had come to redeem the entire world. All mankind, though it did not realize it, was dependent on him and on his coming sacrifice for its very life. His goal was Jerusalem and the witness to the truth he would bear before his enemies who wished to destroy him. He would bear this witness in obedience to the divine plan of salvation, and it would involve a passion and death which would make up for all the sins of mankind. Let us ponder on the remarkable character of the divine plan. As we look out on this wonderful world, as we look out on the universe and its incalculable size and richness, we cannot but marvel at the wonder of God’s creative plan. To think that such a universe comes forth from the hand of one only God! And this is to say nothing of the unseen Angelic world, the world of Angels and Saints who stand in the presence of God and serve him night and day. But a greater cause of wonder is God’s redemptive plan. Not only has God created this world and each of us but he has taken the astounding initiative of sending his divine Son, himself this same one God though distinct from the Father and the Spirit, to become one of us and by his death to redeem man from his sin. As we think of our Lord’s words in today’s Gospel, let us be filled with gratitude for all that God has done for us his children.

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem!” our Lord cried out. We can hear the feeling in his voice, and sense the love that filled his heart. This man is the Man of the ages, the glory of mankind, the keystone of all reality. He is the true Conqueror of evil, the hero for every man and woman. This world has come from him and its redemption from sin has also come from him. No other figure in the history of mankind ranks with him and our eternity consists in friendship with him. So then, let us take our stand with him and ask for the grace to follow him closely, yes, even as he makes his way to Jerusalem.
(E.J.Tyler)

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If your faith were the size of a mustard seed!

What promises are contained in this exclamation of the Master!
(The Way, no.585)

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(October 31) St. Wolfgang of Regensburg (c. 924-994)
Wolfgang was born in Swabia, Germany, and was educated at a school located at the abbey of Reichenau. There he encountered Henry, a young noble who went on to become Archbishop of Trier. Meanwhile, Wolfgang remained in close contact with the archbishop, teaching in his cathedral school and supporting his efforts to reform the clergy. At the death of the archbishop, Wolfgang chose to become a Benedictine monk and moved to an abbey in Einsiedeln, now part of Switzerland. Ordained a priest, he was appointed director of the monastery school there. Later he was sent to Hungary as a missionary, though his zeal and good will yielded limited results. Emperor Otto II appointed him Bishop of Regensburg (near Munich). He immediately initiated reform of the clergy and of religious life, preaching with vigour and effectiveness and always demonstrating special concern for the poor. He wore the habit of a monk and lived an austere life. The draw to monastic life never left him, including the desire for a life of solitude. At one point he left his diocese so that he could devote himself to prayer, but his responsibilities as bishop called him back. In 994 he became ill while on a journey; he died in Puppingen near Linz, Austria. His feast day is celebrated widely in much of central Europe. He was canonized in 1052.
Wolfgang could be depicted as a man with rolled-up sleeves. He even tried retiring to solitary prayer, but taking his responsibilities seriously led him back into the service of his diocese. Doing what had to be done was his path to holiness—and ours. (AmericanCatholic.org)

Scripture today: Philippians 1: 1-11; Psalm Ps 111:1-6; Luke 14: 1-6 (click here for readings)

One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched. There in front of him was a man suffering from abnormal swelling of his body. Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?" But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him on his way. Then he asked them, "If one of you has a child or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull it out?" And they had nothing to say. (Luke 14: 1-6)

Our scene today occurs on a Sabbath. Presumably the synagogue service was over, and presumably our Lord had spoken at length to the assembled congregation. We read elsewhere in the Gospels that on the Sabbaths, our Lord spoke in the synagogue of the town were he usually was, and so it would have been on this day. The Sabbath was also a time of rest and appropriate celebration and so our Lord

was invited to the house of a leading Pharisee. Others, Pharisees and experts in the law, were also present and one would imagine that they were keen to know our Lord up close, to converse with him themselves and to watch how he performed. We are told in the Gospel of St John that Jesus had no need of anyone to tell him what was in a man, for he could read their hearts. And so our Lord was perfectly aware of the suspicious and critical attitude of his hosts and yet he cordially accepted the invitation. It shows our Lord’s cordiality, his openness to all, his calm fearlessness before critics who would, he knew, become implacable in their hostility to him. So he went to dine in the house of the leading Pharisee who had with him several of his set. Let us gaze on the Son of God made man, reclining at table, eating in the midst of the company! He is the perfect embodiment of holiness - indeed, he is its source. And there in front of him a man with a serious swelling of the body presented himself asking to be cured. Our Lord knew his company was watching him to see what he would do on the Sabbath. Perhaps they had even indirectly encouraged the sick person to present himself, or at least placed no obstacle before him. So our Lord asked them all if it was lawful to heal someone on the Sabbath. They dared not answer him, none of them at all. They knew that no one had ever bettered our Lord in debate. So he proceed to cure the man of his ailment and sent him off. Our Lord then turned to them all and gave his example of a child or an ox being rescued from difficulty on the Sabbath. Again, they were silent. Our Lord dominated the entire situation.

All of the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, are inspired by God and so are to be regarded as the most incomparable of all writings penned by man. Penned by man the Scriptures were, but authored ultimately by the Holy Spirit. Granted all this, nevertheless some parts of the Scriptures are of greater import than others, and the most important parts of the Scriptures are the Gospels because they directly present the person, the words, the teaching and the actions of the Redeemer, God the Son become man. In them the reader can contemplate the person of Jesus and by means of this contemplation come to know him and to love him. And so it is today. We contemplate the person of Jesus in our Gospel scene reclining at the meal in the house of the leading Pharisee and calmly entering into dialogue with his many critics present there. For the one who has discovered the person of Christ, it is somewhat of a mystery how he, goodness itself, evoked such hostility and suspicion. It is the mystery of sin. Christ is there, and in his miracle on behalf of the sick man is manifesting both his divine power so effortlessly exercised, and by means of that power is revealing his love responding to human need. The power of God shows itself in deeds of mercy. The teaching of the Old Testament that God is rich in mercy is manifested and fulfilled in the person of Jesus. Christ shows himself in his dialogue with the Pharisee to be engaging, refined, far superior in intellect to his enemies and critics, and all the while charitable to all. In a word, he is perfect, the perfect man. There is naturally a reluctance to consider anyone perfect because despite our anti-dogmatic culture in all things religious, we implicitly accept that man is profoundly flawed. We implicitly accept the doctrine of original sin in some form. But in the case of Jesus Christ, there we have the perfect man. On one occasion our Lord instructed his disciples to be perfect, for their heavenly Father was perfect. He was placing before them what was to be their constant ideal, but he was the embodiment of it.

Our scene today has Christ in the centre (Luke 14: 1-6). On one side are those who are not with him. On the other, though here unmentioned, are those who are with him, his disciples. That is the choice, to be with him or not to be with him. Let us make our choice to be with him, and let us renew that every day, living it out with all our hearts. Let us make Christ our love and, filled more and more with this love, let us live our daily lives accordingly.
(E.J.Tyler)

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God is the same as always. It is men of faith that are needed: and then, there will be a renewal of the wonders we read of in the Gospel.

Ecce non est abbreviata manus Domini, God's arm, his power, has not grown weaker!
(The Way, no.586)

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SYDNEY, Australia, JULY 19, 2008 - Continuing the text of the homily Benedict XVI gave at the World Youth Day closing Mass Sunday morning local time.

The Church also needs this renewal! She needs your faith, your idealism and your generosity, so that she can always be young in the Spirit (cf. Lumen Gentium, 4)! In today's second reading, the Apostle Paul reminds us that each and every Christian has received a gift meant for building up the Body of Christ. The Church especially needs the gifts of young people, all young people. She needs to grow in the power of the Spirit who even now gives joy to your youth and inspires you to serve the Lord with gladness. Open your hearts to that power! I address this plea in a special way to those of you whom the Lord is calling to the priesthood and the consecrated life. Do not be afraid to say "yes" to Jesus, to find your joy in doing his will, giving yourself completely to the pursuit of holiness, and using all your talents in the service of others!

In a few moments, we will celebrate the sacrament of Confirmation. The Holy Spirit will descend upon the confirmands; they will be "sealed" with the gift of the Spirit and sent forth to be Christ's witnesses. What does it mean to receive the "seal" of the Holy Spirit? It means being indelibly marked, inalterably changed, a new creation. For those who have received this gift, nothing can ever be the same! Being "baptized" in the one Spirit (cf. 1 Cor 12:13) means being set on fire with the love of God. Being "given to drink" of the Spirit means being refreshed by the beauty of the Lord's plan for us and for the world, and becoming in turn a source of spiritual refreshment for others. Being "sealed with the Spirit" means not being afraid to stand up for Christ, letting the truth of the Gospel permeate the way we see, think and act, as we work for the triumph of the civilization of love.
(Continuing)

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Solemnity of All Saints
(Saturday of the thirtieth week in Ordinary Time II)

(November 1) Feast of All Saints
   The earliest certain observance of a feast in honor of all the saints is an early fourth-century commemoration of "all the martyrs." In the early seventh century, after successive waves of invaders plundered the catacombs, Pope Boniface IV gathered up some 28 wagonloads of bones and reinterred them beneath the Pantheon, a Roman temple dedicated to all the gods. The pope rededicated the shrine as a Christian church. According to Venerable Bede, the pope intended "that the memory of all the saints might in the future be honored in the place which had formerly been dedicated to the worship not of gods but of demons" (On the Calculation of Time). But the rededication of the Pantheon, like the earlier commemoration of all the martyrs, occurred in May. Many Eastern Churches still honor all the saints in the spring, either during the Easter season or immediately after Pentecost. How the Western Church came to celebrate this feast in November is a puzzle to historians. The Anglo-Saxon theologian Alcuin observed the feast on November 1 in 800, as did his friend Arno, Bishop of Salzburg. Rome finally adopted that date in the ninth century.
    This feast first honored martyrs. Later, when Christians were free to worship according to their conscience, the Church acknowledged other paths to sanctity. In the early centuries the only criterion was popular acclaim, even when the bishop's approval became the final step in placing a commemoration on the calendar. The first papal canonization occurred in 993; the lengthy process now required to prove extraordinary sanctity took form in the last 500 years. Today's feast honors the obscure as well as the famous—the saints each of us have known.
   “After this I had a vision of a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue. They stood before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.... [One of the elders] said to me, ‘These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb’” (Revelation 7:9,14). (AmericanCatholic.org)

Scripture today: Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14; Psalm 24:1-6; 1 John 3:1-3; Matthew 5:1-12a (click here for readings)

Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them.

He said: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:1-12a)

Today the Church thinks of all those who are in Christ and who now enjoy the vision of God in heaven. Their sanctification is complete. St Paul often refers to “the saints” and by this he means those who have been justified by their baptism into Christ and his Church, and whose sanctification is either proceeding in this life or complete now in heaven. It takes a lifetime to be sanctified, to be made truly holy.

It is the great work of grace and our own cooperation, and if either element is lacking then our sanctification will fail. Today we think of all those now with Christ in heaven, and whose sanctification is complete. It is, of course, impossible to be admitted definitively into the presence of God if one is in the state of sin, or bearing the ongoing effects of deliberate sin. This must first be purged from our hearts either in this life or in the next before we can enter our heavenly homeland. So then, today we think of our heavenly homeland and those who have reached it. It is a tremendous thought. Amid all the woes and difficulties and disappointments of this life, we all have something wonderful ahead of us provided we keep to the track that will take us there. That track is union with Christ. Ahead of us is heaven, where every tear will be wiped away. The essence of heaven is, of course, the direct and ravishing sight of God, whom Augustine describes as Beauty, Beauty ever ancient and ever new. Whatever beauty we experience in this life is but a pale reflection of the infinite and unending Beauty that is God. His goodness is boundless and his truth is utterly splendid. All words fail and all thoughts are inadequate in respect to the living eternal God who is now the unending delight of all those in heaven. They are there because of the work and merits of Jesus Christ. They are his trophy of victory. By his death on the cross he expiated for the sins of every man and woman and won for them the gift of the Holy Spirit, who justifies and makes holy the heart and soul of cooperating man.

Those now in heaven are members of the Church, that portion of the Church which we may call triumphant for they now enjoy the triumph of Christ’s work for them. By the power of God’s grace they chose Christ during life and faithfully lived according to that choice. Numerous of those in heaven the Church has canonized, infallibly declaring them to be of high holiness and worthy of imitation in the Christian life. Far more persons, though, would be in heaven than merely those who have been canonized as saints. Some unknown to us could well be even holier than some whose reputation for holiness the Church has known, rigorously studied and formally canonized after the signs of miracles granted by God in their favour. Far out ahead of all those in heaven, ahead of every angel, Archangel or saint, is the Virgin Mary. She is filled with holiness to an extent we can scarcely imagine and all by the free gift of God and her unfailing cooperation. She was always full of grace, and is the mother of God the Son made man. By God’s plan she is the mother of humanity in the order of grace. Her holy husband Joseph united now eternally with her in love exercises the protection of his intercession on behalf of the universal Church. They and all the saints and angels in heaven are in Christ, and because they are in Christ they are united to all of us who are in Christ. We and they are members of the great communion of saints that makes up Christ’s Church. We ought look to their example and inspiration to help us on the way of fidelity to Christ in all things. Saint John Vianney, the great and humble parish priest of Ars in France during the first half of the nineteenth century, used read a lot of lives of the saints. He recommended the practice to all. Not only ought we learn from them but we ought pray to them asking for their intercession. They are with God and so are in a privileged position to gain for us the favours God would like us to have. St Alphonsus Ligouri used say that the reason why we do not receive more from God is that we do not ask for more. The saints can help us by their intercession and example.

The greatest “saint”, of course, is Christ himself. He is the holiest of the holy and is the very source of holiness for he is God himself, God the Son become man. But all those who are in him are to a greater or lesser extent saints in virtue of their union with him. Those now in heaven are definitively sanctified. They are truly saints and no further threat to their union with God will ever come. For ever and for ever they will enjoy the direct vision of God and the company of all those in heaven. That is the destiny to which we are all called. Let us not expose that wonderful prospect to any threat by deliberate sin. Let us renounce sin daily and live for Christ for he is our life now and hereafter.
(E.J.Tyler)

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They have no faith. But they have plenty of superstitions. We laughed and at the same time felt sorry when that 'strong character' became alarmed on hearing a particular word — which, of itself, meant nothing, but for him was unlucky — or on seeing someone break a mirror!
(The Way, no.587)

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SYDNEY, Australia, JULY 19, 2008 - Continuing the text of the homily Benedict XVI gave at the World Youth Day closing Mass Sunday morning local time.

As we pray for the confirmands, let us ask that the power of the Holy Spirit will revive the grace of our own Confirmation. May he pour out his gifts in abundance on all present, on this city of Sydney, on this land of Australia and on all its people! May each of us be renewed in the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of right judgement and courage, the spirit of knowledge and reverence, the spirit of wonder and awe in God's presence!

Through the loving intercession of Mary, Mother of the Church, may this Twenty-third World Youth Day be experienced as a new Upper Room, from which all of us, burning with the fire and love of the Holy Spirit, go forth to proclaim the Risen Christ and to draw every heart to him! Amen.
(Concluded)

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