Vol 13 Issue 16 ~ Editor: Rev. Fr. Courtney Edward Krier
April 18, 2020 ~ Easter Saturday

1.      What is the Holy Eucharist
2.      Quasimodo Sunday
3.      Pope Saint Leo IX
4.      Family and Marriage
5.      Articles and notices
Dear Reader:

On Sunday Holy Mother Church reflects upon the Sacrament of Confession. The Divine Mercy is made manifest in the forgiveness of sins—but obtained by the Sacrifice of Christ on the Cross. The newly baptized, whose sins were forgiven through the administration of baptism, are reminded that if they unfortunately lose God’s grace, there is a second plank, another Sacrament that obtains forgiveness after baptism. Just as Christ forgave and restored justification to the Apostles after His Resurrection, He gave them the power to also restore justification through the forgiveness of sins by the Sacrament of Penance.

The Church is a Sacramental Church. In opposition to what the Catholic Church had always taught, Protestants from the time of Martin Luther claimed Christ died and obtained the salvation of all. They then qualified it only to those who believe in Christ (though not today). They rejected the Sacraments by saying that works were not needed, and that the Sacraments were actually blasphemous and sinful unless it was simply a confirmation of one’s faith in Christ—but could never give grace.

The Catholic Church has always taught, from the beginning, that Christ died and obtained the means of salvation and that no one is saved unless they use the means of salvation Christ instituted, which are the Sacraments He entrusted to His Church. The Sacraments are administered to the faithful by the priests. This makes the Church essential to salvation and it makes the Church the dispenser of the Sacraments (cf. 1 Cor. 4:1)

You cannot be baptized by watching television (viz-a-viz internet or smart phone), you cannot be absolved by television, you cannot receive holy Communion or assist at Mass by television, you cannot be Confirmed by television, you cannot be given Extreme Unction by television, you cannot have priests ordained by television, you cannot marry by television—the reception of the Sacrament must be administered by a priest present. On the other hand, Protestants can attend their services via television—that is why you have all the televangelists and their cult followers. I say this because there needs to be clarity in the fact that priests are wrong in refusing to give the Sacraments to the faithful who legitimately request them (cf. CIC 631). To simply say that they should follow on the internet or the television can never substitute for the Sacraments or for assisting at Holy Mass. What father would refuse his child food when legitimately asked? Which father, as Our Lord says, when asked for bread, gives a stone? (Cf. Luke 11:11)

This is why we confess our sins in the Sacrament of Penance—because Christ instituted the Sacrament of Penance so we could obtain forgiveness of our sins. Protestants are told they do not need to confess their sins because God forgives them (but they actually do confess them in their so-called testimonies since even human nature demands they be confessed—just that they don’t obtain forgiveness).

This is why priests die on the battle field, in plagues and other life-threatening situations besides being willing to be arrested and put to death: because they know the Sacraments are the means of salvation and they, as the dispensers, must provide the faithful these sacraments lest they be responsible for the loss of their souls.

Now, if bishops and priests hold the concept that they are merely possessors of the Sacraments and not the ministers (for Christ and His Church are the possessors—not them), then the laity are at the mercy of the priests (the definition of clericalism) and not Christ and His Church, in which Christ says: I am come that they may have life, and may have it more abundantly. (John 10:10).

On the other hand, when the laity, while there is the opportunity to receive the Sacraments, neglect the reception of the Sacraments, they must not complain when the Sacraments are taken away by God’s Will because of their ingratitude,—and here we must ask ourselves if we appreciate the Sacraments that God does provide for us. Mohammedanism deprived much of the East of the Sacraments. The Protestant Revolt deprived half of Europe of the Sacraments. Vatican II deprived most of the world of the Sacraments. Will the remnant faithful be deprived of the Sacraments, too, by dereliction of duty or ingratitude? (Don’t forget the story of the Good Samaritan.) May we continue to pray that we are not found wanting (cf. 1 Cor. 15:10). May we walk in procession on the Feast of St Mark (Greater Litanies—April 25) asking God to spare His people as we say the Litany of the Saints. The Church is considered non-essential in the eyes of the world!

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

________________

WHAT IS THE HOLY EUCHARIST

By Rev. Courtney Edward Krier

PART II

Institution

The Institution of the Holy Eucharist

Since the first Passover on the night that God took the lives of the first born of the Egyptians, the Israelites were commanded to perform two rituals. The first was all their first born were to be considered God’s, and that they must be redeemed:

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Sanctify unto me every firstborn that openeth the womb among the children of Israel, as well of men as of beasts: for they are all mine. . . .

And when the Lord shall have brought thee into the land of the Chanaanite, as he swore to thee and thy fathers, and shall give it thee: Thou shalt set apart all that openeth the womb for the Lord, and all that is first brought forth of thy cattle: whatsoever thou shalt have of the male sex, thou shalt consecrate to the Lord. The firstborn of an ass thou shalt change for a sheep: and if thou do not redeem it, thou shalt kill it. And every firstborn of men thou shalt redeem with a price. And when thy son shall ask thee tomorrow, saying: What is this? thou shalt answer him: With a strong hand did the Lord bring us forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. For when Pharao was hardened, and would not let us go, the Lord slew every firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of man to the firstborn of beasts: therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all that openeth the womb of the male sex, and all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.

And it shall be as a sign in thy hand, and as a thing hung between thy eyes, for a remembrance: because the Lord hath brought us forth out of Egypt by a strong hand. (Exod. 13:1-2, 11-16)

In the Book of Numbers, one reads:

Whatsoever is firstborn of all flesh, which they offer to the Lord, whether it be of men, or of beasts, shall belong to thee [the Levites]: only for the firstborn of man thou shalt take a price, and every beast that is unclean thou shalt cause to be redeemed; and the redemption of it shall be after one month, for five sicles of silver, by the weight of the sanctuary. (Num. 18:15-16)

The fulfilment of this precept by Joseph and Mary is found in Luke:

And after the days of her purification, according to the law of Moses, were accomplished, they carried him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord: As it is written in the law of the Lord: Every male opening the womb shall be called holy to the Lord: And to offer a sacrifice, according as it is written in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons (Luke 2:22-24)

Ginns comments on this passage as follows:

The precise prescriptions of the Law are followed; Gen 17:12; Lev 12:3. As the firstborn, Jesus is God’s property, consecrated to God as a sacrifice. Parents could redeem, i.e. buy back, such a child from God at the price of five shekels of silver; Num 8:15 ; Ex 13:2, 12; Lev 12:4 ff.; Lk makes no reference to this part of the ceremony but indicates that instead of the lamb prescribed to be offered as a sacrifice by the mother, Mary offers what was known as ‘the poor woman’s offering’. Mary seeks no exemption from the Law although, as Catholic tradition teaches, there was no cause for Levitical purification in her case (cf. ST, III, 37:3, 4). The subjection of Christ to the Law recalls Mt 3:15; Gal 4:4-5; Rom 8:3; Heb 2:14-17. 22, ‘Her purification’; here Douay Version follows Vulgate, but the Greek has ‘their purification’, which is difficult. As neither Jesus nor Joseph needed purification, the explanation must be that Luke is thinking rather of the Levitical ceremony of presentation and redemption than of Mary’s purification, which is mentioned only because of the Presentation. There was no need for a woman to make a special journey to the temple for purification. (Orchard, 943)

Mary was of the tribe of Juda through her father, Joachim, and her offering was two turtle doves for her purification—no mention of 5 shekles for the redemption of her Son. As her cousin, Elizabeth was of the Tribe of Levi, Zachary being of the priestly cast, Meagher (cf. op. cit. 105) claims Anna was of the tribe of Levi, bringing kingship and priesthood back together in Jesus. The Levite males, who were separated for the service of God, were purified. One can contrast this scene:

Take the Levites out of the midst of the children of Israel, and thou shalt purify them, according to this rite: Let them be sprinkled with the water of purification, and let them shave all the hairs of their flesh. And when they shall have washed their garments, and are cleansed, They shall take an ox of the herd, and for the offering thereof fine flour tempered with oil: and thou shalt take another ox of the herd for a sin offering: And thou shalt bring the Levites before the tabernacle of the covenant, calling together all the multitude of the children of Israel: And when the Levites are before the Lord, the children of Israel shall put their hands upon them: And Aaron shall offer the Levites, as a gift in the sight of the Lord from the children of Israel, that they may serve in his ministry. The Levites also shall put their hands upon the heads of the oxen, of which thou shalt sacrifice one for sin, and the other for a holocaust to the Lord, to pray for them. And thou shalt set the Levites in the sight of Aaron and of his sons, and shalt consecrate them being offered to the Lord, And shalt separate them from the midst of the children of Israel, to be mine. And afterwards they shall enter into the tabernacle of the covenant, to serve me. And thus shalt thou purify and consecrate them for an oblation of the Lord: for as a gift they were given me by the children of Israel. I have taken them instead of the firstborn that open every womb in Israel, For all the firstborn of the children of Israel, both of men and of beasts, are mine. From the day that I slew every firstborn in the land of Egypt, have I sanctified them to myself: And I have taken the Levites for all the firstborn of the children of Israel: And have delivered them for a gift to Aaron and his sons out of the midst of the people, to serve me for Israel in the tabernacle of the covenant, and to pray for them, lest there should be a plague among the people, if they should presume to approach unto my sanctuary. And Moses and Aaron and all the multitude of the children of Israel did with the Levites all that the Lord had commanded Moses: And they were purified, and washed their garments. And Aaron lifted them up in the sight of the Lord, and prayed for them, that being purified they might go into the tabernacle of the covenant to do their services before Aaron and his sons.   (Num. 8:6-22)

With that of the scene of the Purification and Presentation in the Temple:

And after the days of her purification, according to the law of Moses, were accomplished, they carried him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord: As it is written in the law of the Lord: Every male opening the womb shall be called holy to the Lord: And to offer a sacrifice, according as it is written in the law of the Lord . . . And behold there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Ghost was in him. And he had received an answer from the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Christ of the Lord. And he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when his parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the law, he also took him into his arms, and blessed God, and said: Now thou dost dismiss thy servant, O Lord, according to thy word in peace; Because my eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples: A light to the revelation of the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel. And his father and mother were wondering at those things which were spoken concerning him. And Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary his mother: Behold this child is set for the fall, and for the resurrection of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be contradicted; And thy own soul a sword shall pierce, that, out of many hearts, thoughts may be revealed. And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser; she was far advanced in years, and had lived with her husband seven years from her virginity. And she was a widow until fourscore and four years; who departed not from the temple, by fastings and prayers serving night and day. Now she, at the same hour, coming in, confessed to the Lord; and spoke of him to all that looked for the redemption of Israel. And after they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord. . . (Luke 2:25-39)

The Evangelist Luke is represented, according to the vision of Ezechiel, by the ox:

And as for the likeness of their faces: there was the face of a man, and the face of a lion on the right side of all the four: and the face of an ox, on the left side of all the four: and the face of an eagle over all the four. (Ezech.1:10; cf. Apoc. 4:7))

This is ascribed since Luke opens his Gospel with Zachary, a priest, performing his priestly duties in the Temple. The ox associates to sacrifice in the Temple (cf. Souvay, Evangelist, CE). The connection of John the Baptist as Aaronic priest, which has ended, and Jesus Christ as Priest according to the Order of Melchisedech as Saint Paul explains in his Epistle to the Hebrews is shadowed by Luke’s setting John’s and Jesus’s missions in similar words:

And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And Zachary seeing him, was troubled, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him: Fear not, Zachary, for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elizabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John: And thou shalt have joy and gladness, and many shall rejoice in his nativity. For he shall be great before the Lord; and shall drink no wine nor strong drink: and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb. . .

Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years. And the angel answering, said to him: I am Gabriel, who stand before God: and am sent to speak to thee, and to bring thee these good tidings. And behold, thou shalt be dumb, and shalt not be able to speak until the day wherein these things shall come to pass, because thou hast not believed my words, which shall be fulfilled in their time. (1:11-20)

And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they called him by his father’s name Zachary. And his mother answering, said: Not so; but he shall be called John. (1:59-60)

And the child grew, and was strengthened in spirit; and was in the deserts until the day of his manifestation to Israel. (1:80)

And in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, called Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel being come in, said unto her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. . . And the angel said to her: Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God. Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the most High; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father; and he shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever. And of his kingdom there shall be no end. And Mary said to the angel: How shall this be done, because I know not man? And the angel answering, said to her: The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the most High shall overshadow thee. And therefore also the Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. (1:26-35)

And after eight days were accomplished, that the child should be circumcised, his name was called Jesus, which was called by the angel, before he was conceived in the womb. (2:21)

And the child grew, and waxed strong, full of wisdom; and the grace of God was in him. (2:40)

————————–

The Sunday Sermons of the Great Fathers

M. F. Toal

THE GOSPEL OF THE SUNDAY

JOHN XX. 19-31

At that time, when it was late that same day, the first of the week, and the doors were shut, where the disciples were gathered together, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them: Peace be to you. And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples therefore were glad, when they saw the Lord. He said therefore to them again: Peace be to you. As the Father hath sent me, I also send you. When he had said this, he breathed on them; and he said to them: Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained.

Now Thomas, one of the twelve, who is called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said to him: We have seen the Lord. But he said to them: Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe. And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them. Jesus cometh, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said: Peace be to you. Then he saith to Thomas: Put in thy finger hither, and see my hands; and bring hither thy hand, and put it into my side; and be not faithless, but believing. Thomas answered, and said to him: My Lord, and my God.

Jesus saith to him: Because thou hast seen me, Thomas, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and have believed. Many other signs also did Jesus in the sight of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written, that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God: and that believing, you may have life in his name.

EXPOSITION FROM THE CATENA AUREA

V. 24. Now Thomas, one of the twelve, who is called Didymus . . .

ALCUIN: Didymus (geminus) means twofold or doubting, because of his heart that was hesitant in believing. Thomas means abyss; for with sure faith he penetrated to the depths of the divinity.

GREGORY: It was not by chance that this chosen Disciple was then absent. For the supreme mercy in a wondrous manner ordered that the doubting Disciple, as he touched the wounds in the flesh of His Master, healed in us the wounds of our unbelief More does the doubt of Thomas help us to believe, than the faith of the Disciples who believed. For when he, through touching, is brought to believe, our soul, putting all doubt aside, is made firm in faith.

BEDE: It may be asked why does this Evangelist say that Thomas was not with them, seeing that Luke writes that the two Disciples who went to Emmaus found, on returning to Jersualem, the eleven gathered together? But we are given to understand that there had been a certain interval of time during which Thomas had gone out, and it was then that Jesus coming stood in the midst of them.

CHRYSOSTOM, Hom. 86 in John: As to give belief carelessly and simply is a sign of an easy disposition, so, to question excessively is a sign of a slow intelligence. Of this latter Thomas is accused. For when the Apostles say, we have seen the Lord, he did not believe; not so much doubting them as thinking such a thing impossible. So there follows:

V. 25. The other disciples therefore said to him: We have seen . . .

For being cruder than the rest he sought that testimony which is the crudest of all; that, namely, of touch: not believing even his own eyes. And so it was not enough for him to say: Except I shall see, but he also adds: And put my finger etc.

V. 26. And after eight days again his disciples were within . . .

CHRYSOSTOM: Consider the clemency of the Master; how for merely one soul He shows Himself and His wounds, and draws near to save one. And yet the Disciples who had spoken were worthy of belief, and so was He Who had promised. Yet because Thomas alone asked for yet more proofs Christ does not deny him. He does not straightaway appear to him, but after eight days; so that being in the meanwhile instructed by the Disciples, he might be aroused to a greater desire, and in the future be more believing. Hence follows: . . . And Thomas with them. Jesus cometh, the doors being shut . . .

AUGUSTINE, in Paschal serm: You seek of me, saying: If He enters, the doors being shut, where is the substance of His Body? And I shall answer: If He walked on the waters, where was the weight of His Body?

The Lord did this as Lord. Has He then, because He is risen, ceased to be Lord?

CHRYSOSTOM: And so Jesus is standing in their midst, and He does not wait to be questioned by Thomas; but, to show that He was present even when he [Thomas] used certain words to his fellow-Disciples, He uses the same words. And first He rebukes or reproaches him; for, saying to Thomas:

V. 27. Put in thy finger hither, and see my hands,

He added: And be not faithless, but believing. See how his doubt was due to lack of faith, before they had received the Holy Ghost; afterwards it was not so, and for the future they were steadfast. But it is fitting to ask how an incorruptible body retained the print of the nails? But be not troubled. What took place was a mark of condescension: that you might learn that this was He Who was crucified.

AUGUSTINE, De Symb. 2, 8: He could, had He wished, have removed all trace of every wound from His risen and glorified Body; but He knew why He had retained the scars in His Body. For as He showed them to Thomas, who continued to doubt until he should see and touch them, so likewise was He to show the wounds to His enemies. Not that He might say to them, as to Thomas:

Because thou hast seen, thou hast believed, but that convincing them the Truth may say: Behold the Man Whom you crucified: See the wounds you inflicted on Him: Look upon the side you pierced, since it was through you, and because of you, it was opened; and yet you have not wished to enter.

AUGUSTINE, City of God, 22, 20: But in some manner, I know not how, we are so moved by love of the Blessed Martyrs, that in that Kingdom we desire to see in their bodies the scars of the wounds they have suffered for the Name of Christ. And perhaps we shall see them; for in them there shall be no deformity, but only honour; and there shall shine out a certain beauty of virtue; in their body, but not of their body.

And though many of the members of the Martyrs have been cut off and taken from them, they shall not lack these members to whom it was said: A hair of your head shall not perish (Lk. xxi. 18). And if it please Him in the future world that the traces of their precious wounds shall be seen in their glorified flesh, then, where members were struck or cut that they might be severed, there the scars shall be visible, and the members shall not be lost but restored to them. For though every injury that has happened to the body shall not be then visible, these are no more to be called injuries, but honours.

GREGORY: The Lord offered that flesh to be touched which He had brought into their midst, the doors being shut, in which He puts before us two, and according to human reasoning, widely contradictory things; when after His Resurrection He showed us a body that was both incorruptible and palpable. For it must be that what can be touched is corruptible, and that may not be touched which is incorruptible. He therefore shows Himself both incorruptible and palpable; that He might truly show us that after His Resurrection His Body was still of the same nature, but now partaker of another glory.

GREGORY, Morals, 13, 3: Our body likewise, through the glory of that Resurrection, will indeed be rarified as a consequence of spiritual power, but palpable because of the reality of its nature; not, as Eutychius writes, impalpable, and more rarefied than the air or the winds.

AUGUSTINE, Tr. 121 in John: Thomas saw and touched a man, and confessed Him the God Whom he had neither seen nor touched. And through that which he saw and touched, he, putting aside all doubt, now believed. Hence:

V. 28. Thomas answered, and said to him: My Lord, and my God.

THEOPHYLACTUS: He who had first disbelieved, after he touched His side showed himself to be an excellent theologian. For he set forth the twofold nature and the Oneness of the Person of Christ. For in saying, My Lord, he confessed to the Human Nature. Saying, My God, he confessed the Divine; and that the one and the same Being was both God and Lord.

V. 29. Jesus saith to him: Because thou hast seen me, Thomas . . .

AUGUSTINE, Tr. 121 in John: He does not say, because thou hast touched Me, but because thou hast seen me; since the power of vision pertains in a general way to all the senses, and by it the other four are wont to be implied; as when we say: ‘Listen and see how good it sounds’; ‘smell and see how good it smells’; ‘taste and see how good it tastes’; ‘feel and see how warm it is’. And so here the Lord says: Put in thy finger, and see my hands. What else does He say but: ‘feel and see’. For he had not eyes in his finger. Therefore, whether by seeing or by touching, He says this: Because thou hast seen, thou hast believed; though it could be said that the Disciple did not dare to touch Him, when He offered Himself to be touched.

GREGORY: But when the Apostle says: Faith is the substance of things to be hoped for, the evidence of things that appear not (Heb. xi. 1), it is indeed evident, that what does appear confers, not faith, but knowledge. Thomas therefore, since he saw, and since he touched, why does He say to him: Because thou hast seen, thou hast believed? Because he sees one thing and believes another. He sees man; he confesses God.

What follows gives its great joy: Blessed are they that have not seen, and have believed. In these words we more particularly are meant; since we hold Him fast in our hearts, Whom we have not seen in the Flesh; provided we accompany our faith with good works. For he truly believes, who shows what he believes in the good works he practises.

AUGUSTINE, Tr. 121 in John: He uses the words in the sense of time past; as though that were fulfilled which in His Providence He had known would come to pass. CHRYSOSTOM: Should anyone say: ‘Would that I had lived in those days, and had seen Christ working His wonders’, let him recall these words: Blessed are they that have not seen, and have believed.

THEOPHYLACTUS: He also includes in this the Disciples who believed; although they had neither touched the place of the nails or His side.

CHRYSOSTOM: Because John had spoken of fewer incidents than the other Evangelists, he adds:

V. 30. Many other signs also did Jesus in the sight of his disciples, which are not written in this book.

But neither did the others write all down, but only that which sufficed to awaken faith in those who heard.

And here he seems to me to be speaking of those signs which Jesus did after the Resurrection, and it was for this reason he says, in the sight of his disciples, with whom alone He had conversed after His Resurrection. Then, that you may learn that these signs were not done for the benefit of the Disciples alone, he adds;

V. 31. But these are written. that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.

In this he speaks to all men generally. And that he may show that, not to Him, in Whom we believe, but to us is it a gain to believe, he adds: A11d that believing, you may have life in his name; that is, through Jesus. For He is Life.

———————–

19 : ST LEO IX, POPE (A.D. 1054)

ALSACE, at that period a part of the Holy Roman Empire, was the birthplace of St Leo IX in the year 1002. His father Hugh, who was closely related to the emperor, and his mother Heilewide were a pious and cultured pair of whom it is recorded, as though it were somewhat unusual, that they spoke fluent French as well as their own German tongue. At the age of five, Bruno, as he was called, was sent to a school presided over by Berthold, Bishop of Toul. He displayed exceptional abilities and was placed under the special charge of a much older cousin, Adalbert, afterwards bishop of Metz. One experience of his boyhood made a profound impression upon the future pope. He was on a visit to his home when he contracted severe blood-poisoning caused by the bite of some reptile. While he lay between life and death he had a vision of St Benedict, who touched him with a cross, and when he came to himself the boy found that he was completely cured. His studies ended, he was appointed to a canonry of St Stephen’s, Toul. When in 1026 the Emperor Conrad II went to Italy to quell a rebellion in Lombardy, Bruno, although now a deacon, was given command of the corps furnished by the aged bishop of Toul. His success in handling the men gave him a reputation for military skill which, in the light of future events, was perhaps unfortunate. While the army was still in Italy, Bishop Heriman died and the clergy and people of Toul immediately elected Bruno to be his successor. On Ascension day, 1027, amid the rejoicings of the people, he entered Toul to be enthroned in the cathedral over which he was to rule for twenty years. His first pastoral work was to enforce a stricter mode of life amongst his clergy, regular as well as secular. Inspired, no doubt, by his grateful devotion to St Benedict, he held the religious life in the utmost veneration, and did much to revive discipline and fervour in the great monasteries of his diocese, into which he introduced the reform of Cluny.

In the summer of 1048 Pope Damasus II died after a pontificate of twenty-three days, and the Emperor Henry III chose his kinsman Bruno of Toul as his successor. He set out for Rome, stopping at Cluny on the way, where he was joined by the monk Hildebrand, afterwards Pope St Gregory VII. His nomination having been endorsed in due form, Bruno was enthroned, taking the name of Leo IX, early in 1049. For many years the growing evil of simony in the Church had been exercising the minds of good men, lay as well as ecclesiastical. The mischief had reached such alarming proportions that it needed a strong hand to grapple with it. But Leo had no hesitation. Shortly after his accession, he called a synod in Rome which anathematized and deprived beneficed clergy guilty of simony, besides dealing sternly with the relaxation of the rule of celibacy. The collegiate life, which as a young man he had helped Bishop Heriman to uphold at Toul, he now recommended to the secular clergy throughout the Church. Moreover, as he was quite aware that to bring about the reforms he required would necessitate something more than the mere issue of orders from Rome, he embarked upon a kind of visitation of Western Christendom in order that he might personally enforce his regulations and arouse the conscience of those in authority. Besides the reformation of morals, which was his principal theme, he urged the extension of preaching and the better rendering of the sacred chant, an object dear to his heart. In another sphere of activity St Leo was confronted with the necessity of condemning the doctrines of Berengarius of Tours, who denied Christ’s real presence in the Eucharist. Twice more did the energetic pope cross the Alps, once to revisit his former see of Toul and on the other occasion to attempt a reconciliation between Henry III and King Andrew of Hungary—well was he called Peregrinus apostolicus, “the Apostolic Pilgrim”.

Leo obtained for the patrimony of St Peter possession of Benevento and other territories in southern Italy, thus ultimately increasing the temporal power of the papacy. To himself they proved only a great embarrassment, for they were ravaged by the Normans. He led an army against the invaders, but was defeated and captured at Civitella and was detained for a while by his captors at Benevento. This was a blow to Leo’s prestige, and St Peter Damian and others criticized him severely—if battles were necessary, they said, they should be fought by the emperor, not by the vicar of Christ.

This was the time chosen by Michael Cerularius, patriarch of Constantinople, to accuse the Western church of heresy on the ground of certain points of discipline and ritual practice in which it differed from the Eastern church. Pope Leo answered in a long and indignant but not immoderate letter, and it was characteristic of him that he then began to study Greek the better to understand the arguments of his accusers. But though this was the beginning of the final separation of Christian East and West, St Leo did not live to see the further developments that followed the arrival in Constantinople of the legates whom he sent thither. His health was by this time shattered. He ordered that his bed and a coffin should be placed side by side in St Peter’s, and here he passed away peacefully before the high altar on April 19, 1054.

“Heaven has opened for the pontiff that this world was not worthy to keep: the glory of the saints is his”, declared Didier, abbot of Monte Cassino, and in so saying he was echoing the voice of the multitude. All mourned him, seventy miraculous cures were claimed within forty days of Leo’s death, and in 1087 Bd Victor III confirmed the popular canonization by ordering the mortal remains of St Leo IX to be solemnly enshrined.

It was Leo who first promulgated the proposal to vest the election of future popes exclusively in the Roman cardinals—a suggestion which became law five years after his death. Amongst the monarchs with whom St Leo maintained friendly relations was St Edward the Confessor, whom he authorized to refound Westminster Abbey in lieu of a pilgrimage he had undertaken to make to Rome. During his pontificate King MacBeth is said to have visited the Holy See—perhaps in expiation of his crimes.

(Butler’s Lives of the Saints)

_____________________

Good Morning,

Boys and Girls!

            REV. THOMAS J. HOSTY, M.A., S.T.B.

(1952)

PREFACE

Through the years of Christ’s public ministry, He taught most effectively by His frequent use of example, simile, and story. Great truths were clothed in the attractive garb of the commonplace, easily understood. Today the art of teaching uses every applicable advance in science, with visual education and electronics playing their part in constantly changing techniques for imparting knowledge. Perhaps, to a degree, we are coming to a point where we “can’t see the forest for the trees.” It is decidedly refreshing to find an author with courage and imagination enough to address himself to expanding minds, without patronizing “baby talk” or without a surface sophistication supposedly adapted to the “modern” youth. I had the privilege and the interesting experience of working with Father Hosty while he was one of Chicago’s Diocesan Missionaries. During that time he perfected a style that passed muster with the world’s most unflattering critics – growing boys and girls. Into the following pages has gone much of the spontaneous informality of the spoken word. The reader will find a sparkle and a chuckle that trace their origin to a priest young in heart. Beyond that, however, and more important, the Master’s example has been followed. We enjoy again the effective simplicity of example, Simile, and story, making intelligible the things of God.

+ WILLIAM E. COUSINS Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago

FOREWORD

In the various sermons which He preached to the people, our blessed Lord made many strange statements. One in particular that startled me the first time I heard it was, “Unless you become as little children, you cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven.” However, when you pause to analyze it, you realize that it expresses a very beautiful thought. One of the characteristics of small children is their absolute confidence in their parents. A youngster thinks that his Dad is the greatest man in the world. There is absolutely nothing he cannot do; there is nothing he does not know. When I was in first grade at school, I used to amuse the cynical eighth graders with my claim that my father could lick Jack Dempsey. Incidentally, I can still vividly recall how my idea of my father’s pugilistic capabilities suffered a fatal revision. On the corner of the block next to ours there stood a very respectable saloon, presided over by a tremendous-looking gentleman of German ancestry. In common with all the other eight year olds in our gang, I was curious as to what was going on behind those “swinging doors.” And since prudence had never been one of my stronger virtues, I determined to investigate. Unhappily for me, the bartender did not believe in my method of research, and he chose that particular day to make an example of me. When I stuck my curly head through the door, he gave me a resounding clout in the ear. Feeling that our neighborhood reputation was at stake, I immediately informed the irate “thirst-quencher” that my father would beat him to a pulp. To tell the truth, I thought that he could, and would! You can imagine my astonishment when he countered by telling me to bring my Dad up. I could hardly wait for my father to come home from work, to tell him the good news. Shortly after I had broken the glad tidings of my matchmaking to my Dad, he took me by the hand, and we started for the saloon. I could hardly wait to see the dazed look on that bragging bartender’s face, as my father, who was five feet seven inches tall and one hundred fifty pounds in weight, towered over his prostrate form. Instead of immediately plunging into the saloon, however, my Dad showed rare judgment in peering through the window first. After he got one good look at the bartender, he turned around and said, “It’s your own fault that you got hit. Let that be a lesson to you, not to hang around saloons.” With that unusual philippic, he turned on his heels and went home. Needless to say, my father’s fistic prestige instantly dropped to zero, as far as I was concerned. I mention this simple incident from my childhood, in the foreword of this book, because it illustrates the spirit in which the following series of sermons must be received. They are not presented as homiletic gems, nor as oratorical masterpieces. The author does not labor under the vain illusion that he is a second Lacordaire or Bossuet, nor does he lay claim to the complete originality of all of the stories that are narrated, as a “springboard” for his moralizing. He humbly begs, too, the indulgence of any of his fellow priests whose stories he may have unwittingly borrowed. He firmly believes that his priest friends will be solaced by the thought that their stories will now be given even wider circulation. These talks are meant primarily for those who are young either in age or in spirit. Youngsters will overlook many failings in a preacher or speaker, if they are convinced that he is sincerely trying to tell them something, in their own language that is for their own good. Spurred on by this thought, I gladly present this little book to my youthful friends in Christ, with the humble prayer that it may bring them closer to Him who is the perfect Model of Youth.

CHASING RAINBOWS

GOOD MORNING, BOYS AND GIRLS!

How many of you have ever seen a rainbow?

Well! I’m glad to see that so many of you have, because I don’t like to talk about something that you don’t know anything about.

Isn’t a rainbow beautiful, as it sparkles in the sunlight? It looks like a huge, glittering bar of gold, stretching from one end of the sky to the other. Let me tell you something interesting about a rainbow.

Many, many years ago, when I was just about your age (I know what some of you are probably thinking right now—”Boy, what a memory he must have!”), I was told that if I could ever get to the end of the rainbow, I would find a pot of gold there. How many of you were told the same thing? Just what I suspected—they’re still passing out the same old story! Well, anyway, I made up my mind that when I got older (because at that time I wasn’t even allowed to cross the streetcar tracks alone), I would follow a rainbow to where it led, and make myself an easy fortune by picking up the pot of gold. As you can probably guess, just from looking at me, I didn’t even discover a pot of lead. When I got older, I found out that the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow was just another fairy tale—that there was nothing else at the other end of the rainbow but a lot of wet ground.

Boys and girls, I haven’t told you of my sad discovery simply to make you feel bad. I know how much most of you could use a few million dollars. The reason I mentioned it is this—I want to tell you about another kind of rainbow that also leads to a pot of gold.

What I am going to tell you about now, though, isn’t a fairy tale. It is absolutely true—and if you follow this rainbow that I am going to describe, it won’t lead you to an ordinary pot of gold or even to a gold mine. It will lead you to something far more wonderful than all the gold mines in the world put together.

To save you a lot of guessing, and to satisfy your curiosity right away, let me tell you what that rainbow is. That rainbow is the teachings of our Lord that you find in your Catechism—and to be sure that we are able to follow that rainbow, without getting lost, our Lord has given us a very simple, easy-to-understand map, called the Ten Commandments. If you follow those ten guideposts, you can’t get off the right track.

Some of those commandments are easy to follow right now. As a matter of fact, I don’t imagine that there are very many of you who are having much trouble keeping the ninth commandment, for example. On the other hand, you may be finding it rather difficult to keep the commandment which forbids you to steal (even when you can get away with it), or the commandment that insists that you obey your parents. When you get older, perhaps some other commandment, like the sixth commandment, will be very difficult.

We shouldn’t be surprised, though, if the road to the end of the rainbow is hard to follow, and kind of rocky at times. After all, you generally don’t have a rainbow until after a storm of some kind.

I’m sure that by this time every one of you can tell me what the pot at the end of the rainbow will be. Just to make sure, let’s find out by asking—

That’s right! It’s heaven, of course. Our Lord Himself will be our pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, and do you know that the most wonderful part about heaven is this—we can never, never spend our prize or lose it! We’ll have it forever and ever!

—————————-

Father Krier will be in Eureka on April 23. Because of the restrictions on interstate travel, there is no possibility presently to travel outside Nevada. (Needles will still have regularly scheduled Mass)

————————-

For those who purchase through Amazon, please help support the work here at Saint Joseph’s by going through this link:  http://smile.amazon.com/ch/94-2855162

—————————–

The topics of Faith and Morals will correspond to the Roman Catholic Faith in Tradition and the Magisterium. The News will be of interest. The commentaries are for the reader to ponder and consider. The e-mail address will be for you to provide thought for consideration. The donations will be to support the continuation of this undertaking.

While the Newsletter is free of charge it is not free of cost. Please consider supporting St Joseph’s Catholic Church with a tax – deductible donation by clicking the secure link: Donate

  Or if you prefer send a check to

Catholic Tradition Newsletter

c/o St Joseph’s Catholic Church

131 N. 9^th St

Las Vegas, NV 89101

Visit us on the Worldwide Web: http://stjosephlv.org

e-mail news and comments to: tcatholicn@yahoo.com

To unsubscribe, please type, “unsubscribe”‚ in subject line.
With God’s blessing and my prayers. In His Service, Father Courtney Edward Krier…

[Message clipped]  View entire message