Vol 9 Issue 20 ~ Editor: Rev. Fr. Courtney Edward Krier
May 14, 2016 ~ Saint Boniface, opn!

1. Baptism: Means of Salvation (68)
2. Pentecost Sunday
3. St. Jean Baptiste de la Salle
4. Christ in the Home (42)
5. Articles and notices

Dear Reader:

Angelo Roncalli asked for a new Pentecost and that Pentecost he envisioned has brought it evils fruits since Vatican II. The Conciliar Church has strayed so far from the Roman Catholic Church that not only has its leaders taken away the Sacrifice of Christ, it has also taken away any connection to a  priesthood. This must be comprehended in the remarks of making women deacons, i.e., leaders in the Church. The Deaconate has always been considered a share in the priesthood in the Roman Catholic Church. Perhaps the Conciliar Church’s bestowal of the term presider, i.e., president, for the person who celebrates the Novus Ordo admits of women presiders? Certainly they never speak of alter Christus, transubstantiation, and sacrifice. Still, it is a conundrum because a deacon is one who serves the priest and bishop—so why would a modern feminist subscribe to being a deaconess? She does not want to serve, but be served! Now the women who we read of later as designated “deaconesses” served in the oriental rites of which the Greek term derives; deaconesses served the women in functions that modesty demanded a priest not to perform himself or at least not alone (such as helping adult women who were baptized by immersion enter and exit and change). They did not serve in priestly functions or leadership.

This Pentecost of the Conciliar Church, then, obviously is quite different than that Pentecost when the Holy Ghost came down upon the Apostles. The Apostles went forth and preached the Gospel, the fruit of which was virgins and martyrs, monks and confessors, the end of divorce along with child sacrifice, elimination of sodomy and a Christian civilization and cultural advancement. May the Holy Ghost work in the faithful soul with His Virtues, not the spirit of the world with its vices. —The Editor

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Baptism

Means of Salvation

Sacrament of Baptism

Post Trent

With the close of the Council of Trent and with the publication of the Roman Catechism, Pope Pius V (1566-1572) found it necessary, as explained earlier (vide n. 24), to oppose the errors of Michel du Bay. He did so in the Bull Ex omnibus afflictionibus on October 1, 1567. Michel du Bay had, in a vain attempt to reconcile the Protestant theology of justification and grace with Catholic teaching, but did so by accepting a Pelagian naturalism (rejection of grace as assisting in doing good) and a Calvinistic concept of fallen man unable to raise from the desires of his body, only his will as God pre-determined. He taught that one can have love of God without forgiveness of sins: Perfect and sincere charity, which is from a “pure heart and good conscience and a faith not feigned” [1 Tim. 1:5], can be in catechumens as well as in penitents without the remission of sins. (Proposition 31; cf. DB 1031) And, again in this statement taken from his writings: That charity which is the fullness of the law is not always connected with the remission of sins. (Proposition 32; cf. DB 1032) Further, he declares: A catechumen lives justly and rightly and holily, and observes the commandments of God, and fulfills the law through charity, which is only received in the laver of baptism, before the remission of sins has been obtained. (Proposition 33; cf. DB 1033) It is not that a catechumen or penitent can have the love of God, for Augustine writes:

I do not hesitate to place the Catholic catechumen, who is burning with the love of God, before the baptized heretic. . . The centurion Cornelius, before Baptism, was better than Simon [Magus], who had been baptized. For Cornelius, even before Baptism, was filled with the Holy Ghost, while Simon, after Baptism, was puffed up with an unclean spirit (On Baptism, against the Donatists, IV, 21).

Rather, these statements are condemned because only by the remission of sin can one obtain God’s love, which, if the catechumen sincerely seeks, as St. Ambrose (340-397) states, he obtains:

I hear you express grief because he [Valentinian] did not receive the Sacrament of Baptism. Tell me, what else is there in us except the will and petition? But he had long desired to be initiated. . . and expressed his intention to be baptized. . . Surely, he received [it] because he asked [for it].(De obitu Valentiniani consolatio, PL XVI, 1357ff)

Justification is the remission of sin, and by which one receives love of God. For this same reason Pius V rejected the following statement: In persons who are penitent before the sacrament of absolution, and in catechumens before baptism, there is true justification, yet separated from the remission of sin.(Proposition 1043; cf. DB 1043). This separation, which seems to be expressed by those who reject justification through desire, is erroneous. And though it seems plausible, the next two statements are also rejected: There are two things in sin, an act and guilt; when, however, the act has passed, nothing remains except the guilt and the obligation to pay the penalty. (Proposition 56; cf. DB 1056) Therefore, in the sacrament of baptism or in the absolution of the priest the guilt of the sin only is taken away, and the ministry of the priests frees from guilt alone. (Proposition 57; cf. DB 1057) Baptism and Penance take away sin. Therefore, it is not guilt—which can remain even after sin is taken away. Baptism takes away all punishment due to sin, eternal and temporal; Penance takes away eternal punishment.

It would not be for another century before the Church would have to answer questions about Baptism. In the struggle from Baianism to Jansenism and determining how much liberty one had before an act was sinful, moral theologians had resorted into a semantical game of what was probably allowed and what was more probably not allowed. A moral laxism in applying the laws followed. Innocent XI (1676-1689) approved this condemnation by the Holy Office, on March 4, 1679 regarding the Sacraments:

It is not illicit, while conferring sacraments, to follow a probable opinion regarding the validity of the sacrament, abandoning the safer [opinion], unless the law forbids it, convention or the danger of incurring grave harm. Therefore only, one should not make use of probable opinions in conferring baptism, sacerdotal or episcopal orders. (Proposition 1.; cf. DB 1151)

This would undermine the Church in her administration of the Sacraments and determining what is and what is not allowed, which the Council of Trent was emphatic in its decrees to assure the faithful received the Sacraments validly, not doubtfully. The following decree under Alexander VIII (1689-1691) provides the end results when, in condemning the errors of the Jansenists, is found one condemned proposition which states: Sometimes baptism is valid when conferred under this form: “In the name of the Father, etc. . . . ,” omitting these words: “I baptize thee.” (Prop. 27. Decree of the Holy Office, Dec. 7, 1690; cf. DB 1317). It also rejected the next proposition (28) which stated: Baptism is valid when conferred by a minister who observes all the external rite and form of baptizing, but within his heart resolves, I do not intend what the Church does. For a Sacrament to be valid there must be the proper minister, matter, form and intention. Lacking any one of these the Sacrament is invalid. Each will be reviewed later.

In the eighteenth century the Jesuits were very zealous in seeking the conversion of the Protestants in Europe and the heathens in the foreign missions. The North American Martyrs, Saints Isaac Jogues, Jean de Brebeuf and their companions, gave testimony of the desire to bring salvation to the heathen Indians. But it was also a daunting task since language was a barrier. Providentially it was sought by the Bishop of Quebec, Saint-Vallier, some answers from Clement XI (1700-1721). He received the two following responses from the Sacred Congregation, Concerning Truths which Necessarily Must be Explicitly Believed. The first was dated January 25, 1703:

Question. Whether a minister is bound, before baptism is conferred on an adult, to explain to him all the mysteries of our faith, especially if he is at the point of death, because this might disturb his mind. Or, whether it is sufficient, if the one at the point of death will promise that when he recovers from the illness, he will take care to be instructed, so that he may put into practice what has been commanded him.

Response. A promise is not sufficient, but a missionary is bound to explain to an adult, even a dying one who is not entirely incapacitated, the mysteries of faith which are necessary by a necessity of means, as are especially the mysteries of the Trinity and the Incarnation. (Cf. DB 1349a.)

The second Response of the Holy Office was on May 10, 1703:

Question. Whether it is possible for a crude and uneducated adult, as it might be with a barbarian, to be baptized, if there were given to him only an understanding of God and some of His attributes, especially His justice in rewarding and in punishing, according to this remark of the Apostle “He that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder’; [Heb . 11:23], from which it is inferred that a barbarian adult, in a certain case of urgent necessity, can be baptized although he does not believe explicitly in Jesus Christ.

Response. A missionary should not baptize one who does not believe explicitly in the Lord Jesus Christ, but is bound to instruct him about all those matters which are necessary, by a necessity of means, in accordance with the capacity of the one to be baptized. (Cf. DB 1349b.)

When this necessity is seen in the difficulties presented, one recognizes that a priest who insists on instructing an adult (or child of the age of reason) is not asking anything more than what is absolutely required of him and of the candidate: an assent to faith.

Clement XI had to contend with Gallicanism and the Jansenists who opposed papal Authority. The Jansenist Paschasius Quesnel was a prolific writer who would insert his opposition to the papacy and his affinity for Baianism (rejection of the supernatural order, original sin is concupiscence or fallen nature, among other errors.) The following propositions of his relating directly to Baptism were condemned in the dogmatic Constitution, Unigenitus, on Sept. 8, 1713: The first effect of baptismal grace is to make us die to sin so that our spirit, heart, and senses have no more life for sin than a dead man has for the things of the world (Proposition 43; cf. DB 1393.); and: A baptized person is still under the law as a Jew, if he does not fulfill the law, or if he fulfills it from fear alone (Proposition 63; cf. DB 1413). The first proposition denies that Baptism is for the remission of sin, which contradicts the Council of Trent, which in Session V (June 17, 1546) decreed, in teaching about Original Sin, that:

Canon 4. If anyone denies that infants newly born from their mothers’ wombs are to be baptized, even though they be born of baptized parents, or says they are baptized indeed for the remission of sins, but that they derive nothing of original sin from Adam, which must be expiated by the laver of regeneration” for the attainment of life everlasting, whence it follows, that in them the form of baptism for the remission of sins is understood to be not true, but false: let him be anathema. For . . . even infants, who could not as yet commit any sins of themselves, are for this reason truly baptized for the remission of sins, so that in them there may be washed away by regeneration, what they have contracted by generation . . . . (Cf. DB 791)

Canon 5. If anyone denies that by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is conferred in baptism, the guilt of original sin is remitted, or even asserts that the whole of that which has the true and proper nature of sin is not taken away, but says that it is only touched in person or is not imputed, let him be anathema. For in those who are born again, God hates nothing, because “there is no condemnation, to those who are truly buried together with Christ by baptism unto death” [Rom. 6:4], who do not “walk according to the flesh” [Rom. 8:1], but putting off “the old man” and putting on the “new, who is created according to God” [Eph. 4:22 ff.; Col. 3:9 ff.], are made innocent, immaculate, pure, guiltless and beloved sons of God, “heirs indeed of God, but co-heirs with Christ” [Rom.8:17], So that there is nothing whatever to retard their entrance into heaven. But this holy Synod confesses and perceives that there remains in the baptized concupiscence of an inclination, although this is left to be wrestled with, it cannot harm those who do not consent, but manfully resist by the grace of Jesus Christ. Nay, indeed, “he who shall have striven lawfully, shall be crowned” [2 Tim. 2:5]. This concupiscence, which at times the Apostle calls sin [Rom. 6:12 ff.] the holy Synod declares that the Catholic Church has never understood to be called sin, as truly and properly sin in those born again, but because it is from sin and inclines to sin. But if anyone is of the contrary opinion, let him be anathema. (Cf. DB 792)

The Roman Catechism, in its Chapter on Baptism, instructs the parish priest concerning the effects:

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.

The second proposition was also condemned because it contradicts the following decrees of the Council of Trent, Sessions VI (January 13, 1547) and VII (March 3, 1547) on Justification:

Chapter 2: Whereby it came to pass that the heavenly Father, “the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort” [2 Cor. 1:3], when that “blessed fullness of time” was come [Eph. 1:10; Gal. 4:4] sent to men Christ Jesus [can. 1], his Son, who had been announced and promised [cf. Gen. 49:10, 18], both before the Law and at the time of the Law to many holy Fathers, that He might both redeem the Jews, who were under the Law, and the “gentiles, who did not follow after justice, might attain to justice” [Rom. 9:30], and that all men “might receive the adoption of sons” [Gal. 4:5]. “Him God has proposed as a propitiator through faith in his blood, for our sins” [Rom. 3:25], and not for our sins only, but also for those of the whole world [1 John 2:2]. (Cf. DB 794)

In Canon 8 of this Decree, the Council declares:  If anyone shall say that the fear of hell, whereby by grieving for sins we flee to the mercy of God or refrain from sinning, is a sin or makes sinners worse: let him be anathema [cf. n. 798].

And in the next session, it declared the baptized to be under the law of Christ and His Church:

Canon 7. If anyone shall say that those who are baptized are by baptism itself made debtors to faith alone, and not to the observance of the whole law of Christ: let him be anathema. (Cf. DB 863).
Canon 8. If anyone shall say that those baptized are free from all precepts of the holy Church, which are either written or handed down, so that they are not bound to observe them, unless they of their own accord should wish to submit themselves to them: let him be anathema. (Cf. DB 864).

The Old Dispensation has been replaced by the New Covenant established by Christ through His redemptive act. It is also an error of the Conciliar Church today that holds to a duo-covenant: Jew and Gentile. This error must be covered separately.

(To be continued)

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Pentecost Sunday

Benedict Baur, O.S.B.

EMBER FRIDAY IN PENTECOST WEEK

Penance and forgiveness

1. In the church of the Twelve Apostles, the church of the penitents, the Mass for ember Friday is celebrated. It is a day of penance and a day on which to give thanks for the remission of sins.
2. “Thy sins are forgiven thee” (Gospel). Today we celebrate the Mass in the church in which on Holy Thursday the penitents were reconciled with the Church after having been absolved from their sins. During Easter time we have received rich and powerful graces. Have we fully cooperated with them? Must we not still reproach ourselves for our many sins, our infidelities, negligences, faults, and imperfections? Today we attend the Holy Sacrifice to express our contrition, to make amends, and to do penance. We are like the paralytic. mentioned in the Gospel, and we need “bearers” who can carry us up to heaven. “Through their help we are carried into the presence of Jesus and through their aid His gaze is drawn to us. Learn, O you who are ill, to seek help. If you are concerned about the forgiveness of your sins then seek the intercession of the Church. She will pray for you. The Lord will grant to her what He was able to withhold from you” (St. Augustine, explaining today’s Gospel in the lessons at Matins). Come to the Church. Let the Church intercede for you. It is through the intercessory power of the Church that we shall have forgiveness: “Thy sins are forgiven thee.”

“O children of Sion, rejoice and be joyful in the Lord your God; because He hath given you a teacher of justice and He will make the early and the latter rain to come down to you as in the beginning. And the floors shall be filled with wheat, and the presses shall overflow with wine and oil. And you shall eat in plenty and shall be filled; and you shall praise the name of the Lord your God, who hath done wonders with you. And My people shall not be confounded forever. And you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel” (Epistle). This prophecy of Joel has been fulfilled in us. He is the teacher of justice. “He will teach you all things and bring all things to your mind, whatsoever I shall have said to you” (John 14:26). He lives in our soul and leads us to an upright, God-fearing life. He is given to us as the love which joins the Father to the Son, the Son to the Father, and us to both of Them; He elevates us so that we can have a certain participation in the life of the Holy Trinity. He is the fructifying rain which brings forth in us a multitude of spiritual and supernatural goods. Have we not good reason for rejoicing? Today we have seen wonderful things. “Praise the Lord, O my soul; in my life I will praise the Lord; I will sing to my God as long as I shall be, alleluia” (Offertory).

3. “Alleluia, alleluia. O how good and sweet is Thy Spirit, O Lord, within us, alleluia. Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, and kindle in them the fire of Thy love.”

By a devout participation in the Holy Sacrifice, we receive, as the fruit of our work, the forgiveness of our sins and the remission of the temporal punishment due to sin. As an assurance of the forgiveness of our sins and of the graces and the help we are to receive, the Lord personally enters into our souls.: “I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you again, alleluia; and your heart shall rejoice, alleluia.”

“And your heart shall rejoice.” This is the characteristic mark of the Christian; he is ever joyful and thankful to God, who has done such great things for him. He loves us, and as a guarantee of His love and forgiveness, He pours forth His Spirit into our soul. “Praise the Lord, O my soul; in my life I will praise the Lord; I will sing to my God as long as I shall be, alleluia.”

PRAYER

O merciful God, suffer not Thy Church, gathered together in the Holy Ghost, to be troubled by any assault of her enemies. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

EMBER SATURDAY IN PENTECOST WEEK

Redeemed!

1. Today we assemble in the church of St. Peter. Just as the Christians of an earlier age offered tithes of their crops in thanksgiving to God for a bountiful harvest, so we, too, during the final days of the Easter cycle offer our thanks to God for the rich harvest of spiritual fruits we have received.
2. In retrospect. “Brethren, being justified by faith, let us have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom also we have access through faith into this grace wherein we stand, and glory in the hope of the glory of the sons of God” (Epistle). We are saved; we have been justified. The first result of our justification is the fact that we are now at peace with God. We can now approach God with ease and confidence, because we know that He loves us and that nothing can separate us from Him. We have been reconciled to Him through our Lord Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity. Heretofore we were the children of wrath; but now we are His friends, members of His family, members of the elect.

The second fruit of our justification is the fact that through the death and resurrection of Christ we have received and now live a life of grace. By virtue of the grace we have received, we share the life of God, a life of unspeakable blessedness and riches. The “eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man what things God hath prepared for them that love Him” (I Cor. 2:9). We are made “partakers of the divine nature” (II Pet. 1:4). By reason of the grace we possess, we have an assurance and guarantee of the glory which we anticipate even now as children of God.

The prospect of the future. “And not only so, but we glory also in tribulations, knowing that tribulation worketh patience, and patience trial, and trial hope; and hope confoundeth not” (Epistle). Such hope is possessed by the Christian who has lived through Easter and Pentecost in the spirit of the Church. He rejoices even in the trials and tribulations of life. He knows that tribulation gives him an opportunity to practice patience. By suffering patiently he will gain strength; his virtue will be tried and proved, and he will acquire a firm hope, which will not deceive. This hope is the third fruit of the justification which Christ won for us through His suffering and resurrection. With it we find joy in the tribulations and afflictions of life, for we know that they effect our eternal reward. The unbeliever, the pagan, is a pessimist. He flys from tribulations and curses them. We, however, rejoice if we are allowed to suffer. We do not look on affliction as an evil, but rather as the path to eternal glory. For us suffering carries in its bosom eternal salvation.

Certainty. “Hope confoundeth not; because the charity of God is poured forth in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, who is given to us” (Epistle). We are certain of the life that awaits us. This confidence rests on our awareness that God loves us. This is the sweetest mystery of Christianity: God loves us with a divine love. The Father loves the Son and the Son loves the Father through the Holy Ghost. This Holy Ghost is the love through which and in which God loves Himself. Nor does He reserve this love entirely for Himself. He pours it into our hearts also like a healing, nourishing, strengthening oil. In the Holy Ghost we love God in the way that is most pleasing to Him and most fitting for us who are the children of God; that is, we love Him with the love of the Holy Ghost, whom we possess and through whom we return the kiss of paternal love. Could our hope betray us, since God sees the image of the Holy Ghost in us, and therefore loves Himself in us? Must not the promise of Christ be fulfilled in us, “As the Father hath loved Me, I also have loved you” (John 15:9)? Joyfully aware of God’s love, the liturgy sings: “Hope confoundeth not; because the charity of God is poured forth in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, who is given to us” (Epistle).

3. These are the priceless gifts of the Easter season which closes today: We are saved, we are justified, we have been reconciled with God, and are at peace. We possess sanctifying grace and share God’s life with Him. We rejoice in tribulations because they unite us to our crucified and risen Savior, and give us the hope of attaining to the glory of the children of God in heaven. And in addition to all this, we possess within our souls the Holy Ghost, the infallible guarantee of the things we hope for. Why should we not rejoice? Should we not have great confidence? Are we not immensely rich in God and in the Church?

“Alleluia. By the word of the Lord the heavens were established” (Second lesson), i.e. the souls of the baptized. “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and let all that is within me bless His Holy Name” (Introit).

The Easter cycle ends with the Mass today. “Jesus rising up out of the synagogue, went into the house of Peter” (Gospel). The night has already begun, and people begin to bring their sick and infirm to Him. He heals them, and toward dawn He leaves the house of Peter. This is a figure of what is performed before us today. We are in the house of Peter attending the nocturnal services. The divine services draw to a dose at dawn. “And when it was day, going out He went into a desert place.” The Easter season is closed, and we recall with grateful hearts all the graces and blessings this holy season has brought us.

PRAYER

We beseech Thee, O Lord, mercifully pour into our souls Thy Holy Spirit, by whose wisdom we were created and by whose providence we are governed.

May the Holy Ghost enkindle in us, O Lord, that same fire which our Lord Jesus Christ sent down upon earth and willed should fiercely burn in our hearts. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.

MAY 1

St. John Baptist de la Salle, Confessor

1. St. John was born of a prominent family of Rheims, France, on April 30, 1651. His virtuous mother fostered the natural abilities and inclinations of her boy and trained him in Christian virtues. He received his first Holy Communion at an early age, and from that time on he felt drawn to the clerical state. His parents would have been pleased to see their first-born son acquire an influential position in the world. It was the age of Louis XIV and France stood at the height of her power, her political and intellectual influence, and her national splendor. John might have obtained the highest dignities, talented and educated as he was; but he chose otherwise. At sixteen he received a canonry at the cathedral of Rheims. He made his theological studies at the seminary of St. Sulpice, in Paris, and at the world-famous Sorbonne. In this school he was given the assignment of instructing poor children in the catechism, and in this way he became familiar with the elementary school system. After the death of his father and mother John directed, in his home, the education of the six other children, and also completed his own theological studies at the same time. Ordained in 1678, he devoted himself with tireless zeal to his priestly duties.

In 1679 St. John was asked to provide schools for poor boys in Rheims. Applying himself enthusiastically to the project, he was able, in a few weeks, to open two free schools with a staff of five teachers. It was now clear to him that God was calling him to conduct such schools and to prepare Catholic teachers. Consequently, he founded a religious society for this purpose. In spite of objections from his relatives, he resigned his canonry in 1683. During the years of famine that followed John distributed his possessions among the poor. Likewise, in 1684, he founded the society of the “Brothers of the Christian Schools.” Thus he became the creator of the modern “Teachers College,” and the elementary school with class instruction. In Paris he founded industrial schools and Sunday schools for the young laborers and mechanics. Near Rouen, he started a boarding school with technical and secondary instruction, a school of correction for wayward boys, and a penal institution for youthful criminals. St. John died on April 7, 1719. His last words were: “I adore the holy will of God in whatever He may permit to happen to me.” At the time of his death his Congregation numbered twenty-seven houses with three hundred School Brothers. Pope Leo XIII beatified him in 1888 and canonized him in 1900.

2. “He who gives welcome to such a child as this in my name, gives welcome to me” (Gospel). St. John devoted his life to the children of the poor. For their sake he became poor and suffered many privations. When a few teachers joined him in the work, he established community life and discipline and thus founded his Institute. Before long they were conducting free schools in various parts of France, and in Rome. He realized that proper education would be decisive in the future of his boys. His convictions are expressed in the following quotation: “All disorders [in grown-ups] are generally the result of their having been left to themselves, or poorly trained. It is almost impossible to remedy matters once they are older, because then it is difficult for them to overcome bad habits. There is a distinct advantage in bringing boys up well.”

With this understanding and conviction, St. John put all his resources to work for the proper education of boys. People recognized in him a benefactor and began to entrust their children to him. Soon all his schools were filled. His first concern was for the poor, but his extraordinary gift for organization and his love for boys effected far-reaching reforms in the entire school system. Unique success was the result of the spirit in which he understood, taught, and trained the boys; but his principal means of accomplishing results were prayer and good example. It was his rule, “If you want your pupils to do good, do good yourself. You will convince them more effectively by wise and virtuous conduct than by all your words.” Again he assures us: “You will accomplish your purpose rather with the help of the Spirit of God and the fullness of His grace, obtained by the power of prayer alone, than by means of natural learning.” Essentially, it was love for Christ that urged St. John to devote his life to the education of poor children. He received them in the name of Christ and for the sake of Christ. Thus he experienced the truth of our Lord’s promise: “He who gives welcome to such a child as this in my name, gives welcome to me.”

“His treasure is safely preserved in the Lord’s keeping, and wherever faithful souls are met, his alms deeds will be remembered” (Lesson). Shortly before the second World War, the “Brothers” had approximately 1,300 houses in 64 countries, with a personnel of some 15,000 Brothers in 8,900 schools. This was the hundredfold blessing on a modest beginning, the fruitful seed of which was the Founder’s sacrifice of his personal fortune and his dignity as a canon. “Blessed is the man . . . who has no greed for gold, puts no trust in his store of riches. Show us such a man, and we will be loud in his praise” (Lesson). The less St. John relied on earthly powers, the more abundantly heaven showered blessings upon him. The tiny seed grew into a mighty tree; not without many hindrances, however. First, there was envy and hatred in the hearts of certain salaried teachers of the city. They made unjust attacks on the Brothers and even accused them before the French Parliament. Then came the Jansenists, who spread slanders and rumors about St. John. Nor was it only outside teachers who caused trouble; one of his own Brothers betrayed him, with the result that flourishing foundations were ruined. Finally, the trouble became so serious, on account of lies and calumnies, that De la Salle had to relinquish the leadership of his Society. Still, in spite of all these trials and injustices he remained calm, composed, and satisfied. His only weapons of defense were an unshakable trust in God, complete surrender to the providence of God, and profound humility. He was utterly indifferent to praise and blame, gratitude and ingratitude from men, because he was intimately united with God.

3. De la Salle was a unique, ingenious teacher; yet the chief root of his enduring success was his holiness. “Vain is the builder’s toil, if the house is not of the Lord’s building” (Ps. 126:1). St. John is a shining model for anyone who wants to be a good educator: “I adore the holy will of God in whatever He may permit to happen to me!”

 

Collect: God, who didst raise up the holy confessor John Baptist to promote the Christian education of the poor, and to confirm the young in the way of truth, inspiring him to gather together a new family in the Church, grant us this grace: that his pleading and example may fire us with zeal to glorify Thee by saving souls, and enable us to become sharers of his crown in heaven. Amen.

CHRIST IN THE HOME

BY RAOUL PLUS, S.J.

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