Vol 9 Issue 16 ~ Editor: Rev. Fr. Courtney Edward Krier
April 16, 2016 ~ Our Lady on Saturday

1. Baptism: Means of Salvation (64)
2. Third Sunday after Easter
3. St. Anicetus, Pope
4. Christ in the Home (38)
5. Articles and notices

Dear Reader:

The Church teaches that there are Sacraments of the dead (Baptism and Penance) and Sacraments of the living (Confirmation, Holy Eucharist, Extreme Unction, Holy Orders and Matrimony).  She designates the Sacraments of the dead as such because those who are dead to God’s Love are raised to the life of God’s Love. She designates the Sacraments of the living as such because one must be living the life of God’s Love (i.e., be in the state of Sanctifying Grace) to receive the Sacramental graces these Sacraments bestow when received—and, if one dare to receive them without being in the state of Sanctifying Grace, one commits a horrible sacrilege. Every Catholic knows that divorce and remarriage is de facto living in adultery and therefore living in the state of mortal sin, deprived of Sanctifying Grace—and, until the obstacle to the reception of receiving back Sanctifying Grace through the Sacrament of Confession which entails amendment of life, that is, giving up the adulterous relationship, one cannot receive the Holy Eucharist and neither does the Holy Eucharist benefit one in mortal sin: For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgment to himself, not discerning the body of the Lord (1 Cor. 11:29.).  Saint Alphonsus Ligouri writes in his treatise, The Holy Eucharist: Our Lord when speaking of the Sacraments, and especially of the Eucharist, forbade his priests to give it to sinners: Give not that which is holy to dogs; neither cast ye your pearls before swine (Matt. vii. 6) . Margaritas vestras (your pearls): by pearls are signified the consecrated particles but observe the word vestras: this shows that the Sacrament of the Altar is, as it were, the property of the priest; for the priest takes it out of the tabernacle when he pleases, carries it where he likes; he feeds himself on it when he wills, and gives it to whom he wills. In a word, the priest holds the keys of all the divine treasures, to make use of them when he likes; for as St. John Chrysostom says, in the most Holy Sacrament there is the whole treasure of the goodness of God: Dicendo Eucharistiam, omnem benignitatis Dei thesaurum aperio. So that it seems when the priest celebrates he makes himself in a certain way the master of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament: De toto Deo dives est. (p. 317-18)

As always, enjoy the readings and commentaries provided for your benefit. —The Editor

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Baptism

Means of Salvation

Sacrament of Baptism

Post Trent

Duties of Sponsors.

The faithful are also to be taught the duty of sponsors; for such is the negligence with which the office of sponsor is treated in the Church, that its name only remains; whilst few, if any, have the least idea of its sanctity. Let all sponsors then, at all times recollect that they are strictly bound to exercise a constant

vigilance over their spiritual children, and carefully to instruct them in the maxims of a Christian life; that they may approve themselves through life, such as their sponsors promised they should be, by the solemn ceremony of becoming sponsors. On this subject, the words of St. Denis demand attention: Speaking in the person of the sponsor, he says: “I promise, by my constant exhortations to induce this child, when he comes to a knowledge of religion, to renounce every thing opposed to his Christian calling, and to profess and perform the sacred promises, which he made at the baptismal font.” [1 Loco sup. cit. 64.] St. Augustine also says: “I most earnestly admonish you, men and women, who have become sponsors, to consider that you stood as sureties before God, for those whose sponsors you have undertaken to become. ” [2 D. Aug. serm. 163. de temp. et ser. 215.] And, indeed, it is the paramount duty of every man, who undertakes any office, to be indefatigable in the discharge of the duties which it imposes; and he, who solemnly professed to be the teacher and guardian of another, should not abandon to destitution him whom he once received under his care and protection, as long as he should have occasion for either. Speaking of the duties of sponsors, St. Augustine comprises, in a few words, the lessons of instruction which they are bound to in culcate upon the minds of their spiritual children: “They ought,” says he, ” to admonish them to observe chastity, love justice, cherish charity; and, above all, they should teach them the Creed, the Lord’s prayer, the ten commandments, and the rudiments of the Christian religion.” [3 Serm. 165, de temp, de cons. dist. 4. c. 120.]

Who are inadmissible as Sponsors.

Hence, it is not difficult to decide, who are inadmissible as sponsors. To those, who are unwilling to discharge its duties with fidelity, or who cannot do so with care and accuracy, this sacred trust, no doubt, should not be confided. Besides, therefore, the natural parents, who, to mark the great difference that exists between this spiritual and the carnal bringing up of youth, are not permitted to undertake this charge, heretics, Jews particularly, and infidels, are on no account to be admitted to the office of sponsor. The thoughts and cares of these enemies of the Catholic Church, are, continually, employed in darkening, by falsehood, the true faith, and subverting all Christian piety. [4 30 q. 1 cap. 1 D. Thom, p. 3. q. 67. art. 8. ad 2. ex Mogunt. Concil. de consec. dist. 4. cap. 102.]

Number of Sponsors.

The number of sponsors is also limited by the Council of Trent, to one male or female; or at most, to one male and one female; because a number of teachers may confuse the order of discipline and instruction; and also to prevent the multiplica- /122/ tion of affinities, which must impede a wider diffusion of society by means of lawful marriage. [1 De cone. dist. 4. c. 101. et Concil. Trid. sess. 14. c. 10. de refor. Matrim.]

The law of baptism extends to all.

If the knowledge of what has been hitherto explained, be, as it is, of importance to the faithful, it is no less important to them to know, that the law of baptism, as established by our Lord, extends to all, in so much, that unless they are regenerated through the grace of baptism, be their parents Christians or infidels, they are born to eternal misery and everlasting destruction. The duty of the pastor, therefore, demands of him a frequent exposition of these words of the Gospel: “Unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” [2 John iii. 5. De his vide Clem. pp. epist. 4. in med.Aug. in Joan, tract. 13. et de Eccles. dogm. cap. 24. Amb. de iis qui myst. initiantur, c. 4. Concil Lateran. c. .. 1. Trid. sess. 7. can. 51.]

Infant Baptism proved.

That this law extends, not only to adults, but also to infants, and that the Church has received this its interpretation from Apostolic tradition, is confirmed by the authority and strengthened by the concurrent testimony of the Fathers. Besides, it is not to be supposed, that Christ our Lord, would have with held the Sacrament of baptism, and the grace which it imparts from children, of whom he said: “Suffer the little children, and stay them not from coming unto me; for the kingdom of heaven is for such” [3 Matt. xix. 14.] —from children whom he embraced—upon whom he imposed hands—whom he blessed. [4 Mark x. 16.] Moreover, when we read that an entire family was baptized by St. Paul, [5 1 Cor. i. 16. Acts xvi. 33.] children, who are included in their number, must, it is obvious, have also been cleansed in the purifying waters of baptism. Circumcision, too, which was a figure of baptism, affords a strong argument in proof of this primitive practice. That children were circumcised on the eighth day is universally known. [6 Gen. xxi. 4. Lev. xii. 3. Luke i. 59; ii. 21.] If, then, circumcision, “made by hand, in despoiling of the body of the flesh,” [7 Coloss. ii. 11.] was profitable to children, shall not baptism, which is the circumcision of Christ, not “made by hand,” be also profitable to them? Finally, to use the words of the Apostle, “if by one man’s offence, death reigned through one; much more they who receive abundance of grace, and of the gift, and of justice, shall reign in life through one, Jesus Christ.” [8 Rom. v. 17.] If, then, through the transgression of Adam, children inherit the stain of primeval guilt, is there not still stronger reason to conclude, that the efficacious merits of Christ the Lord must impart to them that justice and those graces, which will give them a title to reign in eternal life? This happy consummation baptism alone can accomplish. [9 Cone. Trid. sess. 5. decret, de peccato Origin, et sess. 7. de baptism, cap. 12-14. Dionys. de Eccles. Hier. cap. 7. Cyprian, ep. 59. Aug. epist. 28. et lib. de 1. peccat. merit, c. 23. Chrys. hom, de Adamo de Eva. Cone. Milevit, c. 2. et de consec. dist. 4 passim.] [Moral reflection] The pastor, therefore, will inculcate the absolute necessity of administering baptism to infants, and of gra- /123/ dually forming their tender minds to piety, by Christian precept; according to these admirable words of the Wiseman: “A young man according to his way, even when he is old, he will not depart from it.” [1 Prov. xxii. 6.]

Faith, how imparted to infants in baptism.

That when baptized they receive the mysterious gifts of faith cannot be matter of doubt; not that they believe by the formal assent of the mind, but because their incapacity is supplied by the faith of their parents, if the parents profess the true faith, if not, (to use the words of St. Augustine) “by that of the universal society of the saints;” [2 Ep. 23 ad Bon.] for they are said with propriety to be presented for baptism by all those, to whom their initiation in that sacred rite was a source of joy, and by whose charity they are united to the communion of the Holy Ghost.

Children to be baptized with as little delay as possible.

The faithful are earnestly to be exhorted, to take care that their children be brought to the church, as soon as it can be done with safety, to receive solemn baptism: infants, unless baptized, cannot enter heaven, and hence we may well conceive how deep the enormity of their guilt, who, through negligence, suffer them to remain without the grace of the sacrament, longer than necessity may require; particularly at an age so tender as to be exposed to numberless dangers of death. [3 Aug. lib. 3 de orig. anim. c. 9. et lib. 1. de pecc. merit, c. 2, et ep. 28.]

Adults to be invited and prepared to receive baptism.

With regard to adults who enjoy the perfect use of reason, persons, for instance, born of infidel parents, the practice of the primitive Church points out a different manner of proceeding: to them the Christian faith is to be proposed; and they are earnestly to be exhorted, allured, and invited to embrace it. If converted to the Lord God, they are then to be admonished, not to defer baptism beyond the time prescribed by the Church: it is written, “delay not to be converted to the Lord, and defer it not from day to day;” [4 Eccl. v. 8.] and they are to be taught, that in their regard perfect conversion consists in regeneration by baptism. Besides, the longer they defer baptism, the longer are they deprived of the use and graces of the other Sacraments, which fortify in the practice of the Christian religion, and which are accessible through baptism only. They are also deprived of the inestimable graces of baptism, the salutary waters of which not only wash away all the stains of past sins, but also enrich the soul with divine grace, which enables the Christian to avoid sin for the future, and preserve the invaluable treasures of righteousness and innocence: effects which, confessedly, constitute a perfect epitome of a Christian life. [5 Tertul. lib. de poenit. cap. et de prescript, cap. 41. Cypr. epist. 13. de consec. dist. 4. c. 64. et 65. Aug. lib. de fide et operib. c. 9.]

Baptism of adults, why deferred.

On this class of persons, however, the Church does not confer this Sacrament hastily: she will have it deferred for a certain time; nor is the delay attended with the same danger as in the case of infants, which we have already mentioned: and should any unforeseen accident deprive adults of baptism, their /124/ intention of receiving it, and their repentance for past sins, will avail them to grace and righteousness. Nay, this delay seems to be attended with some advantages.—The Church must take particular care, that none approach this Sacrament, whose hearts are vitiated by hypocrisy and dissimulation; and, by the intervention of some delay, the intentions of such as solicit baptism, are better ascertained. In this wise precaution originated a decree, passed by the ancient councils, the purport of which was, that Jewish converts, before admission to baptism, should spend some months in the ranks of the Catechumens. The candidate for baptism is, also, thus better instructed in the faith which he is to profess, and in the morality which he is to practise; and the Sacrament, when administered with solemn ceremonies, on the appointed days of Easter and Pentecost only, is treated with more religious respect

When not to be deferred.

Sometimes, however, when there exists a just cause to exclude delay, as in the case of imminent danger of death, its administration is not to be deferred; particularly, if the person to be baptized is well instructed in the mysteries of faith. This we find to have been done by Philip, and by the prince of the Apostles, when, without the intervention of any delay, the one baptized the Eunuch of queen Candaces, the other, Cornelius, as soon as they professed a willingness to embrace the faith of Christ. [1 Acts viii. 38, and x. 48.] The faithful are, also, to be instructed in the necessary dispositions for baptism, that, in the first place, they must desire and purpose to receive it; for, as in baptism we die to sin and engage to live a new life, it is fit that it be administered to those, only, who receive it of their own free will and accord, and is to be forced upon none. Hence, we learn from holy tradition, that it has been the invariable practice of the Church, to administer baptism to no individual, without previously asking him if he be willing to receive it. [2 Aug. lib, de poen. medi. c. 2. D. Thom. 3. p. q. 63. §7.] This disposition even infants are presumed not to want the will of the Church, when answering for them, is declared in the most explicit terms.

Insane persons, when to be baptized and when not.

Insane persons, who are favoured with lucid intervals, and, during these lucid intervals, express no wish to be baptized, are not to be admitted to baptism, unless in extreme cases when death is apprehended. In such cases, if, previously to their insanity, they give intimation of a wish to be baptized, the Sacrament is to be administered; without such indication previously given, they are not to be admitted to baptism; [3 D. Thom. 3. p. q. 86. ar. 12.] and the same rule is to be followed with regard to persons in a state of lethargy. But if they never enjoyed the use of reason, the authority and practice of the Church decide, that they are to be baptized in the faith of the Church, on the same principle that children are baptized, before they come to the use of reason. /125/

Three conditions required in adults, faith, compunction, and a firm purpose of avoiding sin.

Besides a wish to be baptized, in order to obtain the grace of the Sacrament, faith, for the same reason, is also necessary: our Lord has said: “he that believes and is baptized shall be saved.” [1 Mark x vi 14.] Another necessary condition is compunction for past sins and a fixed determination to refrain from their future commission: should any one dare to approach the baptismal font, a slave to vicious habits, he should be instantly repelled, for what so obstructive to the grace and virtue of baptism, as the obdurate impenitence of those who are resolved to persevere in the indulgence of their unhallowed passions? Baptism should be sought with a view to put on Christ and to be united to him; and it is, therefore, manifest that he who purposes to persevere in sin, should be repelled from the sacred font, particularly if we recollect that none of those things which belong to Christ and his Church, are to be received in vain, and that, as far as regards sanctifying and saving grace, baptism is received in vain by him who purposes to live according to the flesh, and not according to the spirit. [2 Rom. viii. 1.] As far, however, as regards the validity of the Sacrament, if, when about to be baptized, the adult intends to receive what the Church administers, he no doubt, validly receives the Sacrament. Hence, to the vast multitude, who, as the Scripture says, “being compunct in heart,” asked him and the other Apostles what they should do, Peter answered: “Do penance and be baptized, every one of you;” [3 Acts ii. 38.] and in another place: “Repent ye, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out.” [4 Acts iii. 19.] Writing to the Romans, St. Paul also clearly shows, that he who is baptized should entirely die to sin ; and he therefore admonishes us , “not to yield our members as instruments of iniquity unto sin; but present ourselves to God, as those that are alive from the dead.” [5 Rom. vi. 13.]

Reflections.

Frequent reflection upon these truths cannot fail, in the first place, to fill the minds of the faithful with admiration of the infinite goodness of God, who, uninfluenced by any other consideration than that of his own tender mercy, gratuitously bestowed upon us, undeserving as we are, a blessing such as baptism—a blessing so extraordinary, so divine! If, in the next place, they consider how spotless should be the lives of those, who have been made the objects of such singular munificence, they cannot fail to be convinced of the imperative obligation imposed upon them, to spend each day of their lives in such sanctity and religious fervour, as if it were that on which they had received the sacrament and were ennobled by the grace of baptism. To inflame their minds, however, with a zeal for true piety, the pastor will find no means more efficacious than an accurate exposition of the effects of baptism.

(To be continued)

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Third Sunday after Easter

Benedict Baur, O.S.B. 

“I go to the Father”

1. “A little while, and you shall not see Me; and again a little while, and you shall see Me, because I go to the Father” (Gospel). The risen Christ must present Himself to the Father. He belongs, not in this world, but in the realm of heaven. Therefore He must “go to the Father.”
2. The risen Christ, our head, stands before us. “I go to the Father.” In Christ there is an inner sanctuary, a holy of holies, which none can approach except the Father. In the inmost depths of His soul He is free from all that is merely human, from all earthly things, and is consecrated exclusively to the Father. “I am not alone, because the Father is with Me” (John 16:32). The life of Christ is one of complete preoccupation with the Father. He is one in heart with the Father; completely at rest with Him. In all things the eyes of Christ seethe Father. His most urgent desire is to serve the Father, to live for Him, and to offer Himself up to the Father. With perfect devotion and love, with childlike trust and confidence, He abandons Himself to the will of the Father. In the Garden of Olives, He prays, “Not as I will, but as Thou wilt” (Matt. 26:39). “I go to the Father,” and will be united to Him in an inseparable union of life and love. For this reason His soul is so full of confidence, so detached, courageous, calm, mild, and steadfast. “I go to the Father.”

We, the baptized, are the members of the risen Christ. “Therefore, if you be risen with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is sitting at the rights hand of God” (Col.3:1). “Lift up your hearts.” Christ has taken up His abode in the inmost sanctuary of our souls, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit. This, then, is our world, our entire inheritance, our sole good. There, in our soul, He listens to our petition and speaks to our hearts. In that sanctuary I can approach Him and speak to Him.

“I will go and see this great sight” (Exod. 3:3) This sanctuary is a holy place. Like Moses, we must first put off our shoes before approaching; that is, we must put aside all the inordinate desires of our hearts. We must leave all things behind, and seek nothing from this world; we must be truly spiritual, truly detached from all things this world, no matter how much how much they may attach us. We must “salute no man by the way” (Luke 10:4), and be dependent on no creature. We must not be slaves either of our work or of our prayer. We must not be disturbed by what our neighbor does, nor become dejected when we are deserted by others or when others ridicule us. Humiliations and sickness must not dismay us. Even our own will we must renounce. Our pretty thoughts and desire, our pride, and all self-love, self-conceit, and self-satisfaction must be suppressed. “I go to the Father,” casting aside all things and leaving behind me all that is not of God, even if this renunciation cause me pain, and even if I feel myself most strongly attracted by the world. Our thoughts, our feelings, our desire, our ambitions, must all be centered on the Lord. We must let “the dead bury their dead” (Matt. 8:22), and pursue our course courageously in the land of the living. We should not allow ourselves ourselves to become attached to anything, or to become dependent on anything. We must see through unworldly eyes, rise above all the vanities of the world, and free ourselves from that restless activity which is the driving force in the lives of worldly men. “I go to the Father.” This is the mystery of our resurrection with Christ.

3. “I go to the Father” when I offer the Mass. There upon the golden paten I place all that this day may bring of labor, or suffering, or hardship, and offer it all to the Father. This is the precious offering of love. “Not as I will, but as Thou wilt” (Matt. 26: 39). “Thy will be done.” Thus again at the beginning of the day we separate ourselves from the old man, the man of selfishness, the man who is attached to the fleeting things of this world. In this spirit of sacrifice we free our souls from every inordinate appetite and inclination, and beg the Lord that we may belong entirely to Him.

“I go to the Father” under all circumstances, and not merely in times of trial and difficulty. I go to Him even with the mistakes I have made. These mistakes should not make us uneasy, sad, depressed, or angry with ourselves. We should rather hasten to our Father and humble ourselves before Him, recognizing and acknowledging our own weakness and unworthiness. Then we should ask for forgiveness and for the strength to be more faithful and more circumspect in the future.

“I go to the Father” with a steadfast petition that He may liberate me completely from myself, and grant me to be truly poor in spirit, that He may grant me a deep and all-embracing faith, that He may grant me an ardent love for Christ, that He may grant me perfect conformity of my will to the eternal, divine will. This is the life that is proper to one who is risen with Christ. Such a Christian may look forward to a blessed ascension.

PRAYER

O God, grant to Thy people to love that which Thou commandest and to desire that which Thou dost promise; so that amid the changing things of this world, our hearts may be set where true joys are to be found. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. (Collect for the Fourth Sundayafter Easter.)

 “You shall lament”

“You shall lament and weep, . . . but your sorrow shall be turned into joy” (Gospel). That is the lot of all those on earth who belong to Christ and to the Church. “You shall lament and weep” on earth; that is, the Christian must expect suffering, for “it behooved Christ to suffer . . . and so to enter into His glory” (Alleluia verse). But what, after all, are the sufferings of this life compared to the glory to come?

2. This is the portion of the members of Christ: “For whom He foreknew, He also predestinated to be made conformable to the image of His Son” (Rom. 8:29). Here on earth man can have no true good, no real good fortune, no authentic virtue or holiness, apart from a living union with Christ. “I am the vine, you the branches; he that abideth in Me and I in him, the same beareth much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). The lot of Jesus on earth was one of poverty, lowliness, deprivation, misunderstanding, calumny, persecution, the cross, and death. Can the lot of the disciple of Christ be otherwise? If we consider our lives in the light of faith, must not such suffering of our present life make us like Christ, and must we then not look upon them as our highest and most precious possession? Would the Son of God, eternal Wisdom Himself, have chosen and sought out such suffering had it not been the highest good? Consider how ardently the saints have longed for suffering. They have even gone in search of it. “Suffering, not death.” We, too, should look upon our lives in the same light.

“And if sons [of God], heirs also; heirs indeed of God and joint heirs with Christ; yet so, if we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified with Him” (Rom. 8: 17). Let us suffer that we may be glorified with Him. The two are inseparably connected. “For that which is at present momentary and light of our tribulation, worketh for us above measure, exceedingly an eternal weight of glory” (II Cor. 4:17). “Your sorrow shall be turned into joy” (John 16:20). Yes, it must ever be so. There is surely no more certain sign of predestination than our similarity to Christ, our crucified head. In this belief the liturgy celebrates during the Easter cycle the feasts of certain martyrs, who are the true disciples of the King of martyrs, Christ. By His own suffering and death Christ exalted the crown of martyrdom, and in the same way He sanctified all suffering. Through their suffering and death for Christ, the holy martyrs merited eternal life and made their eternal salvation certain. Fortunate indeed, then, are they who suffer. Suffering corrects all spiritual blindness and makes us see the specious goods of this life in their true light. It cleanses the heart from all that is inordinate and worldly, from the love of gold, honor, and human praise, and from all self-love. Yet we all fear suffering and strive to avoid it. When a small suffering overtakes us, we cry out and complain. A harsh word, a small slight, a disappointment in something we sought, and we become dissatisfied, angry, and unhappy. Yet we know it is a disgrace to be a Christian if we are unwilling to be crucified with Christ.

3. In the naves of our Churches the cross hangs from an arch of triumph. Here the Christian comes to pray and seek consolation and strength. But what does he pray for? Very often that he and his dear ones may be relieved of their crosses. Is this the lesson taught by Him who gazes down from the cross on him who prays? We have not yet learned the true meaning of the cross. We see only the cross and not the resurrection that follows; we see only the sorrow, the poverty, the persecution, but not the glory given as a reward. “Blessed are the poor . . . . Blessed are they that mourn . . . . Blessed are they that suffer persecution” (Matt. 5:3 ff.). How we lack the true spirit of Christ! How poorly we understand!

When we participate in the Mass, we see Christ in His suffering and death. We believe with firm faith that by His suffering and death He redeemed the world, opened heaven for us, and earned for us the grace of eternal life. But once we have returned to our homes it seems that we forget all that we saw and believed during the Mass. We do not yet properly understand the mystery of the crucifixion and the resurrection. “O foolish and slow of heart, to believe in all things which the prophets have spoken. Ought not Christ to have suffered these things and so enter into His glory?” (Luke 24: 25 f.) “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). Lord, increase our faith.

PRAYER

O God, who bringest blessings out of all things for those who love Thee, grant us to be disposed to love Thee with a love that is unfailing so that no temptation may destroy the longing that Thou hast awakened in our hearts. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

17 : ST ANICETUS, POPE AND MARTYR (C. A.D. 165)

ST ANICETUS was raised to the chair of St Peter in the latter part of the reign of the Emperor Antoninus Pius. He is styled a martyr in the Roman and other martyrologies and, if he did not actually shed his blood for the faith, he at least purchased the title of martyr by the sufferings and trials he endured. His efforts appear to have been specially directed to combating the errors of Valentine and Marcion and to protecting his flock from heresy. It was whilst he was pope that St Polycarp, the great bishop of Smyrna, came to Rome in connection with the controversy about the date of Easter. The conference which took place led to no settlement, but, to quote the words of Eusebius, “the bonds of charity were not broken”. St Anicetus is said to have been a Syrian.

1. MAPPALICUS AND HIS COMPANIONS, MARTYRS (c. A.D. 250)

THE persecution under Decius was the most systematic and general attack which Christianity had yet experienced. The emperor had determined to exterminate completely a fast-increasing body which he regarded as a menace because it obeyed an authority other than his own. On one specified day every denizen of the empire was ordered to sacrifice to the gods and to the genius of the emperor, suspected persons being specially summoned by name, and severe penalties being decreed for those who refused. As soon as news of the edict arrived in Carthage, St Cyprian, the bishop, knowing that he would be the first to be arrested, withdrew into a hiding-place outside the city from whence he could direct and support his flock. The full rigour of the edict was not experienced until the arrival of the proconsul in April 250. He was not content to remain in the city, but made a tour throughout the province, using such severity that many who had hitherto remained faithful fell away. The protomartyr of this persecution in Carthage was a confessor of the name of Mappalicus, whom St Cyprian in his Epistle to Martyrs and Confessors singles out for special praise. After having undergone the torture of the iron claw he was brought before the tribunal, to whom he announced triumphantly that on the morrow they would witness a contest indeed. The following day he was again tortured and perished under the infliction. He was soon followed by other martyrs who gained their crown in various ways, one under torture, one in the mines, and fifteen who died of starvation and of the filthy conditions they endured when herded in two terrible cells.

(Butler’s Lives of Saints)

CHRIST IN THE HOME

BY RAOUL PLUS, S.J. (1951)

MARRIAGE

JESUS AND THE CHILD 

How should we introduce Jesus into the life of the little one? Marie Fargues, a one-time educator, suggests the following psychological procedure: “You love Jesus very much, don’t you?” the mother asks the little one in a tone of voice that calls forth a fervent “yes.” Mamma must love Jesus to speak as she does. Therefore, Baby loves Him, too, and he wants to show it. He will clutch the picture of Jesus that the mother holds out to him, and kiss it with much ado. A statuette, a crucifix, a medal—these objects offer no direct interest to the child other than their polish or their color; mamma’s face is certainly softer and more pleasing. But if one is to embrace, there must be something to embrace; and how can one show that one loves without embracing. That is the sole reason of existence for the statuette, the picture, or the medal of Christ as far as the baby is concerned. People don’t embrace just anything, like papa’s paper or the sugar bowl; these things have other uses. But the things that are connected with the Name of Jesus, these things one kisses for love of Jesus.

But Who is Jesus?

Who is Jesus? A baby does not ask that question. Jesus is a fact, like papa or mamma. And the little one is not in the least disturbed about giving the same name to quite different objects, a medal, a picture, or a crucifix. For, in the beginning, the picture, the medal, or the crucifix, is Jesus. It will take time for the little one to understand that these things are merely representations of Jesus.

Little by little, the child will begin to distinguish the person from the representation and will begin to build up a more correct concept: Jesus is at one and the same time, the One who is represented on the medal, the One who lives in the tabernacle, the One who is on the crucifix, the One who is on the picture, the One who lives in the church, and the One who is in mamma’s heart after she goes to Holy Communion.

…

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