Vol 9 Issue 51 ~ Editor: Rev. Fr. Courtney Edward Krier
December 3, 2016 ~ Saint Francis Xavier, opn!
1. Baptism: Means of Salvation (96)
2. Second Sunday in Advent
3. Saint Peter Chrysologus
4. Family and Marriage
5. Articles and notices
Dear Reader:
This week Catholics throughout the world celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, but for us in the United States of America it is all the more to be celebrated as the patron chosen for our country. The idea that this nation could be, as newly discovered and settled, an opportunity of Catholics to build a Catholic society within the structure of Freedom where Catholics could live truly Catholic lives and, by example and education, convert the Protestants back to the Catholic faith. Unfortunately, the Protestants here were more anti-Catholic in the late 1700’s and early 1800’s than the Protestants in Continental Europe, thriving on myths and conjured plans of Catholics still trying to conquer the United States and make it a fealty to the Pope. Tragically, to quell the suspicions of these Protestants, many of the Catholic hierarchy in the United States began to compromise, placing Protestantism on the same level as Catholicism, adapting the name of Christians for these Protestants sects, and eventually joining their “ecumenical” movements that inspired people like John Courtney Murray to demonstrate that they, the Protestants, were just as much Christians as Catholics during the Second Vatican Council and together Christians just needed to unite. Despite the evil Serpent spoiling the zeal of the early Catholic Missionaries, Catholicism still remains in the United States and is a bastion in the resistance against the neo-Modernists of the Conciliar Church, who claim they are the Church when in fact they have apostatized by joining with the Protestants instead of remaining true to the Faith and thereby giving up that membership. For faithful Catholics, we still look up to the Blessed Virgin Mary as our defense against the ancient enemy, knowing she will always prevail in the end. Her Immaculate Conception, today, takes on a new meaning for our youth to strive for that purity that is lost in the putridness of society at large, realizing that only in modesty of dress and behavior and faithful to the will of God will one be preserved from mortal sin. May Our Lady, the Immaculate Conception, continue to watch over this our country and the faithful Catholics who continue to remain her devoted children.
As always, enjoy the readings and commentaries provided for your benefit. —The Editor
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Baptism
Means of Salvation
Sacrament of Baptism
Baptism by Desire and Baptism in Blood
Then there are the woman Sarephta of Sidon and Naaman the Syrian:
And to none of them was Elias sent, but to Sarepta of Sidon, to a widow woman. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet: and none of them was cleansed but Naaman the Syrian. (Luke4:26-27; cf. 3 Kings 17 and IV Kings 5)
This last example, which our Lord used in addressing the men in the synagogue of Nazareth, points to having a true faith in Him, which Christ expressed when speaking of the Roman Centurion to those of the Jewish faith:
Amen I say to you, I have not found so great faith in Israel. And I say to you that many shall come from the east and the west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven: But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into the exterior darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. And Jesus said to the centurion: Go, and as thou hast believed, so be it done to thee. (Matt. 8:10-13)
And Saint Paul can say to the Galatians: For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision: but faith that worketh by charity. (5:6). The absolute doctrinal error of the Conciliar Church and Vatican II is that faith is not necessary and why Jorge Bergoglio can state that:
The Lord has redeemed all of us, all of us, with the Blood of Christ: all of us, not just Catholics. Everyone! ‘Father, the atheists?’ Even the atheists. Everyone! And this Blood makes us children of God of the first class! We are created children in the likeness of God and the Blood of Christ has redeemed us all! And we all have a duty to do good. And this commandment for everyone to do good, I think, is a beautiful path towards peace. If we, each doing our own part, if we do good to others, if we meet there, doing good, and we go slowly, gently, little by little, we will make that culture of encounter: we need that so much. We must meet one another doing good. ‘But I don’t believe, Father, I am an atheist!’ But do good: we will meet one another there. (Homily May 22, 2013)
And in his reply to Eugenio Scalfari published in La Repubblica, “An open dialogue with non-believers”, on September 11, 2013:
Given that—and this is fundamental–God’s mercy has no limits if he who asks for mercy does so in contrition and with a sincere heart, the issue for those who do not believe in God is in obeying their own conscience. In fact, listening and obeying it, means deciding about what is perceived to be good or to be evil. The goodness or the wickedness of our behavior depends on this decision.
Such aberration from the Catholic faith must be anathematized not supplemented with words that are his own personal opinion. One does not have a right to error—only Truth has a right to exist.
That faith is seen on Calvary:
The Good Thief
But the other answering, rebuked him, saying: Neither dost thou fear God, seeing thou art condemned under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this man hath done no evil. And he said to Jesus: Lord, remember me when thou shalt come into thy kingdom. And Jesus said to him: Amen I say to thee, this day thou shalt be with me in paradise. (Luke 23:40-43)
The Centurion
Now the centurion, seeing what was done, glorified God, saying: Indeed this was a just man. (Luke 23:47; cf. Matt. 27:54 and Mark 15:39)
It is found again in Cornelius:
And there was a certain man in Caesarea, named Cornelius, a centurion of that which is called the Italian band; A religious man, and fearing God with all his house, giving much alms to the people, and always praying to God. This man saw in a vision manifestly, about the ninth hour of the day, an angel of God coming in unto him, and saying to him: Cornelius. And he, beholding him, being seized with fear, said: What is it, Lord? And he said to him: Thy prayers and thy alms are ascended for a memorial in the sight of God. And now send men to Joppe, and call hither one Simon, who is surnamed Peter. . . . And Peter opening his mouth, said: In very deed I perceive, that God is not a respecter of persons. But in every nation, he that feareth him, and worketh justice, is acceptable to him. . . While Peter was yet speaking these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them that heard the word. And the faithful of the circumcision, who came with Peter, were astonished, for that the grace of the Holy Ghost was poured out upon the Gentiles also. For they heard them speaking with tongues, and magnifying God. Then Peter answered: Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, who have received the Holy Ghost, as well as we? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. (Acts 10:1-5, 34-35, 44-48)
One needs only to read Saint Paul’s Epistles in which he continually teaches the necessity of faith, such as the following from his Epistle to the Galatians:
This only would I learn of you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish, that, whereas you began in the Spirit, you would now be made perfect by the flesh? Have you suffered so great things in vain? If it be yet in vain. He therefore who giveth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you; doth he do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of the faith?
As it is written: Abraham believed God, and it was reputed to him unto justice. Know ye therefore, that they who are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing, that God justifieth the Gentiles by faith, told unto Abraham before: In thee shall all nations be blessed. Therefore they that are of faith, shall be blessed with faithful Abraham. For as many as are of the works of the law, are under a curse. For it is written: Cursed is every one, that abideth not in all things, which are written in the book of the law to do them.
But that in the law no man is justified with God, it is manifest: because the just man liveth by faith. [Cf. Hab. 2:4] But the law is not of faith: but, He that doth those things, shall live in them. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written: Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Christ Jesus: that we may receive the promise of the Spirit by faith. (Gal. 2-14)
Saint Thomas Aquinas comments on this passage of Galatians:
He says therefore: Truly, justice and the Holy Spirit come from faith, as it is written in Genesis (15:6) and mentioned again in Romans (4:3): Abraham believed God and it was reputed to him unto justice. Here it should be noted that justice consists in paying a debt. Now man is indebted to God and to himself and to his neighbor. But it is on account of God that he owes something to himself and his neighbor. Therefore the highest form of justice is to render to God what is God’s. For if you render to yourself or your neighbor what you owe and do not do this for the sake of God, you are more perverse than just, since you are putting your end in man. Now, whatever is in man is from God, namely, intellect and will and the body itself, albeit according to a certain order; because the lower is ordained to the higher, and external things to internal, namely, to the good of the soul. Furthermore, the highest thing in man is his mind. Therefore the first element of justice in a man is that a man’s mind be subjected to God, and this is done by faith: “Bringing into captivity every understanding unto the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5).
Therefore in all things it must be said that God is the first principle in justice and that whosoever gives to God, namely, the greatest thing that lies in him by submitting the mind to Him, such a one is fully just: ”Whosoever are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” (Rom. 8:14). And hence he says, Abraham believed God, i.e., submitted his mind to God by faith: “Believe God, and he will recover thee: and direct thy way, and trust in him” (Ecclus. 2:6); and further on (2:8): “Ye that fear the Lord believe him,” and it was reputed to him unto justice, i.e., the act of faith and faith itself were for him, as for everyone else, the sufficient cause of justice. It is reputed to him unto justice by men exteriorly, but interiorly it is wrought by God, Who justifies them that have the faith. This he does by remitting their sins through charity working in them. (Commentary on Saint Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians, 76-77)
When confronting the Donatists who reject Catholic Baptism because the Catholic Church accepts the baptism of sinners and heretics, Saint Augustine turns again to the constant Church teaching supported by Sacred Scripture that it is faith that justifies, not the work, in that one is baptized because Christ commanded not because water of itself cleanses from sin, but the water and the word in the sacramental sign of faith:
John 3:5: Unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.
Titus. 3:5: He saved us by the laver of regeneration and renovation of the Holy Ghost.
Eph. 5, 26: Cleansing it (the Church) by the laver of water in the word of life.
Here is the analysis of Augustine taken from his work, On Baptism Against the Donatists, Book IV, chapters 21-24:
With regard to the objection brought against Cyprian, that the catechumens who were seized in martyrdom, and slain for Christ’s name’s sake, received a crown even without baptism, I do not quite see what it has to do with the matter, unless, indeed, they urged that heretics could much more be admitted with baptism to Christ’s kingdom, to which catechumens were admitted without it, since He Himself has said, “Unless a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” John 3:5 Now, in this matter I do not hesitate for a moment to place the Catholic catechumen, who is burning with love for God, before the baptized heretic; nor yet do we thereby do dishonor to the sacrament of baptism which the latter has already received, the former not as yet; nor do we consider that the sacrament of the catechumen is to be preferred to the sacrament of baptism, when we acknowledge that some catechumens are better and more faithful than some baptized persons. For the centurion Cornelius, before baptism, was better than Simon, who had been baptized. For Cornelius, even before his baptism, was filled with the Holy Spirit; Acts 10:44Simon, even after baptism, was puffed up with an unclean spirit. Cornelius, however, would have been convicted of contempt for so holy a sacrament, if, even after he had received the Holy Ghost, he had refused to be baptized. But when he was baptized, he received in no wise a better sacrament than Simon; but the different merits of the men were made manifest under the equal holiness of the same sacrament— so true is it that the good or ill deserving of the recipient does not increase or diminish the holiness of baptism. But as baptism is wanting to a good catechumen to his receiving the kingdom of heaven, so true conversion is wanting to a bad man though baptized. For He who said, “Unless a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God,” said also Himself, “unless your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:20 For that the righteousness of the catechumens might not feel secure, it is written, “Unless a man be born again of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” And again, that the unrighteousness of the baptized might not feel secure because they had received baptism, it is written, “Unless your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” The one were too little without the other; the two make perfect the heir of that inheritance. As, then, we ought not to depreciate a man’s righteousness, which begins to exist before he is joined to the Church, as the righteousness of Cornelius began to exist before he was in the body of Christian men,— which righteousness was not thought worthless, or the angel would not have said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have come up as a memorial before God;” nor did it yet suffice for his obtaining the kingdom of heaven, or he would not have been told to send to Peter, Acts 10:4-5 — so neither ought we to depreciate the sacrament of baptism, even though it has been received outside the Church. But since it is of no avail for salvation unless he who has baptism indeed in full perfection be incorporated into the Church, correcting also his own depravity, let us therefore correct the error of the heretics, that we may recognize what in them is not their own but Christ’s.
That the place of baptism is sometimes supplied by martyrdom is supported by an argument by no means trivial, which the blessed Cyprian adduces from the thief, to whom, though he was not baptized, it was yet said, “Today shall you be with me in Paradise.” Luke 23:43 On considering which, again and again, I find that not only martyrdom for the sake of Christ may supply what was wanting of baptism, but also faith and conversion of heart, if recourse may not be had to the celebration of the mystery of baptism for want of time. For neither was that thief crucified for the name of Christ, but as the reward of his own deeds; nor did he suffer because he believed, but he believed while suffering. It was shown, therefore, in the case of that thief, how great is the power, even without the visible sacrament of baptism, of what the apostle says, “With the heart man believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Romans 10:10 But the want is supplied invisibly only when the administration of baptism is prevented, not by contempt for religion, but by the necessity of the moment. For much more in the case of Cornelius and his friends, than in the case of that robber, might it seem superfluous that they should also be baptized with water, seeing that in them the gift of the Holy Spirit, which, according to the testimony of holy Scripture, was received by other men only after baptism, had made itself manifest by every unmistakable sign appropriate to those times when they spoke with tongues. Yet they were baptized, and for this action we have the authority of an apostle as the warrant. So far ought all of us to be from being induced by any imperfection in the inner man, if it so happen that before baptism a person has advanced, through the workings of a pious heart, to spiritual understanding, to despise a sacrament which is applied to the body by the hands of the minister, but which is God’s own means for working spiritually a man’s dedication to Himself. Nor do I conceive that the function of baptizing was assigned to John, so that it should be called John’s baptism, for any other reason except that the Lord Himself, who had appointed it, in not disdaining to receive the baptism of His servant, Matthew 3:6, 13 might consecrate the path of humility, and show most plainly by such an action how high a value was to be placed on His own baptism, with which He Himself was afterwards to baptize. For He saw, like an excellent physician of eternal salvation, that overweening pride would be found in some, who, having made such progress in the understanding of the truth and in uprightness of character that they would not hesitate to place themselves, both in life and knowledge, above many that were baptized, would think it was unnecessary for them to be baptized, since they felt that they had attained a frame of mind to which many that were baptized were still only endeavoring to raise themselves.
(To be continued)
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Fr. Leonard Goffine
The Church’s Year (1918)
SECOND SUNDAY IN ADVENT
On this day the Church not only makes mention in the office of the priest, but also in the Mass, of the two different Advents of Christ, that by His first gracious advent may be gladdened, and by His last terrible coming at the day of judgment we may be impressed with salutary fear. With this intention she cries out at the Introit:
INTROIT People of Sion, behold the Lord shall come to save the nations; and the Lord shall make the glory of his voice to be heard in the joy of your heart (Is. 30:30). Give ear, O thou that rulest Israel: thou that leadest Joseph like a sheep (Ps. 79). Glory be to the Father.
COLLECT Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to prepare the ways of Thine only-begotten Son: that through His advent we may be worthy to serve Thee with purified minds; who livest and reignest with God the Father, in union with the Holy Ghost, God for ever and ever. Amen.
EPISTLE (Rom. 15:4‑13). Brethren, what things so ever were written, were written for our learning, that through patience and the comfort of the scriptures, we might have hope. Now the God of patience and of comfort grant you to be of one mind one towards another, according to Jesus Christ: that with one mind, and with one mouth, you may glorify God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore receive one another, as Christ also hath received you unto the honor of God. For I say that Christ Jesus was minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers. But that the Gentiles are to glorify God for his mercy, as it is written: Therefore will I confess to thee, O Lord, among the Gentiles, and will sing to thy name. And again he saith: Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people. And again: Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles, and magnify him, all ye people. And again, Isaias saith: There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise up to rule the Gentiles, in him the Gentiles shall hope. Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope, and in the power of the Holy Ghost.
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