Vol 14 Issue 43 ~ Editor: Rev. Fr. Courtney Edward Krier
October 23, 2021 ~ Our Lady on Saturday

1.      Sacrament of Penance
2.      Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost
3.      Saint Raphael, Archangel
4.      Family and Marriage
5.      Articles and notices
Dear Reader:

Though Sunday is the Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost, there is also the commemoration of Saint Raphael, Archangel, as it is his feast (24 October). It provides an opportunity to remind Catholics the difference in belief and the difference between Catholic Sacred Scripture and non-Catholic bibles. We read about Saint Raphael in the Book of Tobias—a book that is not in the Jerusalem Bible or Masoretic Bible and therefore is not admitted as Sacred Scripture by post-Temple Jews nor in the Protestant Bible, the authors of whom chose to follow Babylonian Judaism’s lead. We know that what Our Lord taught in the New Testament is foreshadowed in the Old Testament—that our faith in God is not a new religion, but a continuation of the faith found in the Old Testament. Therefore the rejection of the Book of Tobias (and others) is destructive to having a true faith, as the Inspired Book has important teachings that one sees supported not only in the Books of the Machabees, but even in understanding the New Testament, where reference is made to the Book of Tobias by Our Lord Jesus Christ. For example, in the first chapter we read that he loaned ten talents to Gabelus, and that He fed the hungry, and gave clothes to the naked, and was careful to bury the dead (Tob. 1:20). In Matthew, chapter 25, we read after the parable of the talents—in which Christ says, Take ye away therefore the talent from him, and give it to him that hath ten talents (v. 28), He goes on to say: For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink; I was a stranger, and you took me in; naked, and you covered me: sick, and you visited me: I was in prison, and you came to me (v. 35-36). Then there is Tobias, a just man, in the second chapter losing his sight (blind) and his sight being restored in chapter 11:

And when they had adored God, and given him thanks, they sat down together. Then Tobias taking of the gall of the fish, anointed his father’s eyes. And he stayed about half an hour: and a white skin began to come out of his eyes, like the skin of an egg. And Tobias took hold of it, and drew it from his eyes, and immediately he recovered his sight. And they glorified God, both he and his wife and all that knew them. (vv. 13-16)

In John, chapter 9, we read of the man born blind whom the disciples ask: And his disciples asked him: Rabbi, who hath sinned, this man, or his parents, that he should be born blind? (v. 2) and the response of Jesus: Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents; but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. (v. 3) Jesus then spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and spread the clay on his eyes (v. 6). When the disciples bring him to Jesus, falling down, he adored him (v. 38.) These passages would have little meaning unless the witnesses would have knowledge of the references in the Old Testament—where only in Tobias does one read of a blind man receiving sight.

Again, when Tobias Senior counsels his son, he says: Give alms out of thy substance, and turn not away thy face from any poor person: for so it shall come to pass that the face of the Lord shall not be turned from thee. (4:7) Then, he continues: For thus thou storest up to thyself a good reward for the day of necessity. For alms deliver from all sin, and from death, and will not suffer the soul to go into darkness. (v.10-11) In the second Book of Machabees we read:

And so betaking themselves to prayers, they besought him, that the sin which had been committed might be forgotten. But the most valiant Judas exhorted the people to keep themselves from sin, forasmuch as they saw before their eyes what had happened, because of the sins of those that were slain. And making a gathering, he sent twelve thousand drachms of silver to Jerusalem for sacrifice to be offered for the sins of the dead, thinking well and religiously concerning the resurrection (For if he had not hoped that they that were slain should rise again, it would have seemed superfluous and vain to pray for the dead). And because he considered that they who had fallen asleep with godliness, had great grace laid up for them. It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins. (2 Machabees 12:42-46.)

This passage in Second Machabees will be recited often in November when prayers for the deceased faithful are prayed. Yet, it is not just here, but Saint Peter writes: But before all things have a constant mutual charity among yourselves: for charity covereth a multitude of sins. (1 Peter 4:8) Saint James informs: He must know that he who causeth a sinner to be converted from the error of his way, shall save his soul from death, and shall cover a multitude of sins. (James 5:20).

Further, Our Lord states: Give to him that asketh of thee and from him that would borrow of thee turn not away. (Matt. 5:42) And, to tie it together, Jesus Christ indicates that the punishment for sins can be removed when He says: Amen I say to thee, thou shalt not go out from thence till thou repay the last farthing. (Matt. 5:26)

In fact, the whole of Tobias Senior’s words could be summed up in his words: See thou never do to another what thou wouldst hate to have done to thee by another. (Tobias 4:16) These words said negatively can be stated positively in the words of Christ: All things therefore whatsoever you would that men should do to you, do you also to them.  And Our Lord adds: For this is the law and the prophets. (Matt. 7:12). This is because what Our Lord says in the New Testament is only what He had already said through Moses and the Prophets in the Old Testament—and shows that He fulfills all that the Law (Moses) and the Prophets say: Do not think that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets. I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. (Matt. 5:17).

Finally, in John, chapter 5, the Angel that descends into the pool is accepted by the Church to be Saint Raphael. Unfortunate for the non-Catholics they have no place to turn for explanations but the pagans, being they attribute the Golden Rule to be from Buddha before Christ, and the Probatica Pool to be dedicated to the pagan Aesculapius as one Protestant Biblical Scholar writes: There are many good reasons to believe that this structure situated walking distance from the back then walls of the city of Jerusalem was a healing center dedicated to Greco-Roman god of well-being and health – Asclepius. (Dr. Eli Lizorkin-Eyzenberg)—this because they reject the Book of Tobias.

For us Catholics, to place the Feast of Saint Raphael and with it the Book of Tobias close to All Hallows Eve, All Saints and All Souls in the tradition of the Church is providential; it reminds us that our faith is the same faith because it is the Word of God, and our devotion during the triduum an expression of that faith.

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

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WHAT IS THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

What is the Sacrament of Penance?

Necessity of Receiving the Sacrament of Penance

Is there a necessity to receive the Sacrament of Confession? The Council of Trent teaches, in the XIII Session, Chapter 5:

From the institution of the sacrament of penance as already explained the universal Church has always understood that the complete confession of sins was also instituted by our Lord, [Jas. 5:16; John 1:9; (Luke 17:14)], and by divine law is necessary for all who have fallen after baptism [can. 7], because our Lord Jesus Christ, when about to ascend from earth to heaven, left behind Him priests as His own vicars [ Matt. 16:19; 18:18; John 20:23], as rulers and judges, to whom all the mortal sins into which the faithful of Christ may have fallen should be brought, so that they in virtue of the power of the keys may pronounce the sentence of remission or retention of sins. For it is evident that priests could not have exercised this judgment without a knowledge of the matter, nor could they indeed have observed justice in imposing penalties, if the faithful had declared their sins in general only, and not specifically and one by one. From this it is gathered that all mortal sins of which they have knowledge after a careful self-examination must be enumerated in confession by the penitents, even though they are most secret and have been committed only against the two last precepts of the decalogue [ Exod. 20:17; Matt. 5:28], sins which sometimes wound the soul more grievously, and are more dangerous than those which are committed openly.

This is further explained by the Roman Catechism published by the Council Fathers:

Its [Penance] exposition demands an accuracy superior to that of baptism. Baptism is administered but once, and cannot be repeated; penance may be administered and becomes necessary, as often as we may have sinned after baptism, according to the definition of the Fathers of Trent. “For those who fall into sin after baptism,” say they, “the sacrament of penance is as necessary to salvation, as is baptism for those who have not been already baptized.” [Sess. 6. de Just. cap. 14. et Sess. 14. de poenit. cap. 3. in 3 cap.]  On this subject the words of St. Jerome, which say, that penance is “a second plank,” [Hieron. ad haec verba, Ruit Hierusalem, et epistola 8.]  are universally known, and highly commended by all who have written on this Sacrament. As he who suffers shipwreck has no hope of safety, unless, perchance, he seize on some plank from the wreck; so he that suffers the shipwreck of baptismal innocence, unless he cling to the saving plank of penance, may abandon all hope of salvation. These instructions, however, are intended not only for the benefit of the pastor, but also for that of the faithful at large, whose attention they may awaken, lest they be found culpably negligent in a matter of all others the most important. Impressed with a just sense of the frailty of human nature, their first and most earnest desire should be, to advance, with the divine assistance, in the ways of God, flying sin of every sort. But should they, at any time, prove so unfortunate as to fall, then, looking at the infinite goodness of God, who like the good shepherd binds up and heals the wounds of his sheep, they should have immediate recourse to the sacrament of penance, that by its salutary and medicinal efficacy their wounds may be healed. (Rom. Cat., II, 4)

The necessity is to be found in the “forgiveness of sins” (cf. Apostles’ Creed) and the means Christ instituted for sins to be forgiven. Even perfect contrition must be accompanied by the resolve to confess one’s sins at the first opportunity—or it is not perfect contrition. The following canons of the same Session of the Council of Trent define the Sacrament of Confession as instituted by divine law and necessary for salvation for the remission of sins:

Canon 6. If anyone denies that sacramental confession was either instituted by divine law or is necessary for salvation; or says that the manner of secretly confessing to a priest alone, which the Catholic Church has always observed from the beginning and still observes, is alien to the institution and the mandate of Christ, and is a human invention: let him be anathema [cf. D.B. 916.]

Canon 7. If anyone says that in the sacrament of penance it is not necessary by divine law for the remission of sins to confess each and all mortal sins, of which one has remembrance after a due and diligent examination, even secret ones and those which are against the two last precepts of the decalogue, and the circumstances which alter the nature of sin; but that this confession is useful only for the instruction and consolation of the penitent, and formerly was observed only for imposing a canonical satisfaction; or says, that they who desire to confess all their sins wish to leave nothing to be pardoned by divine mercy; or, finally, that it is not lawful to confess venial sins: let him be anathema [cf. D.B. 917.]

The necessity, of course, applies only to those who have committed mortal sin after baptism.

An Outward Sign, Instituted by Christ, to Give Grace

As a Sacrament, Penance must meet all the requirements of a Sacrament: an outward sign, instituted by Christ to give grace (both sanctifying and actual).

Outward Sign

How do I know that my sins are forgiven? Christ said to the paralytic: Be of good heart, son, thy sins are forgiven thee. (Matt. 9:2; Mark 2:5; Luke 5:20) He said to the woman sinner: Thy sins are forgiven thee. (Luke 7:48) He is God and what He says must be the Truth, therefore one accepts that the sins of these persons were forgiven. But Christ also said to His Apostles: Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained. (John 20:23) These words can no less be true. Yet, contained within these words is a judgement to be made: forgive or retain? How would the Apostles know to forgive or retain unless those sins were revealed? Therefore the two outward conditions of the Sacrament of Penance are confession of sin and the words absolving sin: I confess . . . on the part of the sinner and I absolve . . . on the part of the priest. The early Church spoke of the laying on of hands, such as this passage from Augustine: But the laying on of hands in reconciliation to the Church is not, like baptism, incapable of repetition . . . (On Baptism, Bk. 3, c. 21) The Sacrament of Penance was, in the early Church, referred to as the laying on of hands, usually distinguished from Confirmation and Ordination through context. It is still recognizable through the priest raising his hand over the penitent in absolution. Duchesne (pp. 338ff) notes it in the reconciliation of public penitents and the reception of schismatics, heretics, and apostates into the Church, hands were formerly, and still are, imposed (Cf. Morrisroe, Imposition of Hands in CE) In reading Ambrose, Augustine, and Cyprian, this expression of the imposition of hands is frequently used in this sense. The penitent does not always observe the priest raising his hand over him or her, or making the sign of the cross over him or her, but it is an essential rite—just as the penitent expressing sorrow for the sins committed. The words the priest says while one recites their act of contrition is: I absolve thee from thy sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. These points will be discussed in greater detail next week.

(To be continued)

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The Sunday Sermons of the Great Fathers

M. F. Toal

THE GOSPEL OF THE SUNDAY

MATTHEW xxii. 15-21

At that time: The Pharisees, going, consulted among themselves how to ensnare him in his speech. And they sent to him their disciples with the Herodians, saying: Master, we know that thou art a true speaker and teachest the way of God in truth. Neither carest thou for any man; for thou dost not regard the person of men. Tell us therefore what dost thou think? Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not? But Jesus knowing their wickedness, said: Why do ye tempt me, ye hypocrites? Show me the coin of the tribute. And they offered him a penny. And Jesus saith to them: Whose image and inscription is this? They say to him: Caesar’s. Then he saith to them: Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God, the things that are God’s.

I. ST AMBROSE, BISHOP AND DOCTOR

Render to Caesar

ROMANS xiii. 1-7

1. Let every soul be subject to higher powers. For there is no power but from God.

When Paul had laid down that we must follow the law of heavenly justice (vi. 19), that he may not seem to keep it apart from the justice of the present world, he commends this to us. For unless this is fulfilled, neither can the first be fulfilled. For present justice is as it were a guide, instructing the young, so that they may follow after to the more perfect justice. For no man can be looked upon as merciful, unless he possesses justice. Paul therefore, that he may confirm the authority and reverence due to the natural law, testifies that God is its Author, and that those who administer it, have their authority from God. And therefore he adds: And those that are, are ordained of God; that no one may think that these ruling powers are but human inventions, to be lightly esteemed: for what they see are divine laws, entrusted to human authority. He then is subject to the higher powers who, through fear of God, keeps himself from doing the things they forbid.

2. Therefore he that resisteth the power resisteth the ordinance of God.

This he says against those who are strong through the power and influence they possess, or against those who believe no one can check them, and so think they can laugh at the law. These he shows that the law is God’s law; and that they shall not escape the judgement of God who escape for a time. And they that resist, purchase to themselves damnation. It is therefore manifest, that each one of us shall either be justified by his works, or condemned. For they who, knowing the law, continue to sin against it are inexcusable.

3. For princes are not a terror to the good work, but to the evil.

Princes here mean rulers, who are created (creantur) to bring order into our common life, and restrain what is opposed to it, having their authority from God; so that the rest may be under the rule of one. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? Do that which is good; and thou shalt have praise from the same. Praise from authority is made visible when a man is shown to be innocent,

4. For he is God’s minister to thee, for good.

It is here made clear to us that rulers are given to us that evil may not be done. But, if thou do that which is evil, fear; for he beareth not the sword in vain; that is, he inspires the fear that should he be ignored, he will punish. For he is God’s minister; an avenger to execute wrath upon him that doth evil. For since God has decreed a future judgement, and also wishes that no man shall perish, He has appointed rulers in this world so that, making them an object of fear and awe, they may become a pedagogue to all men (Gal. iii. 24), teaching them what they must observe, so that they shall not incur the punishment of the judgement to come.

5. Wherefore be subject of necessity; not only for wrath, but also for conscience’ sake.

Rightly therefore does he tell them that they must be subject, not only for wrath’s sake, that is, out of fear of present punishment: for wrath brings forth punishment: but also because of the judgement to come. For should they escape punishment in this life, it awaits them in the life to come, where, their own conscience accusing them, they shall be punished.

6. For therefore also you pay tribute. For they are the ministers of God, serving unto his purpose.

Therefore, he says, the tribute must be paid, or what are known as the public taxes, to show submission; through which men may know that they are not their own masters, but live under an authority which is from God. For they are subject to their own ruler, who holds God’s place, as they are to God; as the prophet Daniel says: The Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men. And he will give it to whomsoever it shall please him (iv. 14). Hence the words of the Lord: Render, He says, to Caesar, the things that are Caesar’s. They must therefore be subject to him as they are to God, and the proof of their submission is given when they pay him tribute.

7. Render therefore to all men their dues.

For the powers also are debtors to the lesser citizens, that they may give them judgement and justice according to their merits. Tribute, to whom tribute is due; custom, to whom custom. He commands that we pay first what is due to the ruling authority, for there the need is greater: Fear, to whom fear. We should show reverential fear to authority; for fear prevents transgression; then to our parent, or to our earthly master, that they may give thanks for their son or for their Christian servant. Honour, to whom honour. Honour may also be shown to those who are seen to be eminent in the world, so that, seeing the modesty of the servants of Christ, they may praise rather than speak ill of the Gospel way of life. Owe no man anything, but to love one another. He wishes us if, it is possible, to be at peace with all men, to love our brethren while holding them in due honour. Amen.

II. ST JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, BISHOP AND DOCTOR

Let Every Soul be Subject to Higher Powers

ROMANS xiii.1-9

1. On this subject of obedience to those who govern Paul has spoken in his other epistles also; exhorting servants to be obedient to their masters and subjects to obey their rulers (Tit. ii. 9; iii. 1). He does this, to show that Christ had not introduced His laws for the overthrow of the common order of government, but to make it more perfect, and to teach men not to submit themselves to useless and unnecessary wars. It is enough that we have to suffer the snares laid against truth, without adding trials that are without sense and without profit. See how opportunely he turns to speak of these things. For after he had required of them. (Ch. xii) the practice of much perfection and wisdom, teaching us to be well disposed to enemies as well as to friends, to be helpful to the fortunate as well as to the unfortunate, and to those in need, in a word, to all men, and had taught them a manner of life worthy of angels, had emptied them of violence of feeling, rebuked folly and refined their thoughts in all things; he then begins to address them on these questions also.

For if we are to return the opposite to those who do us injuries, it is even more fitting that we should obey those who confer benefits upon us. This however he places near the end of his exhortation; meanwhile he does not go into the considerations I have spoken of, but only to those that command us to do these things as a duty. And to show that these considerations apply to all, and also to priests and monks and not simply to men of the world, he makes this plain from the beginning: Let every soul be subject to higher powers; even if he is an Apostle, even if he is an Evangelist, or a prophet, or whatever else he may be: for this subordination does not interfere with the service of God.

And he does not say, Obey, but, Be subject. And the first justification of such a piece of legislation, and one befitting the minds of the faithful, is that it has been ordained by God. For, he continues, there is no power but from God. What are you saying? Is every ruler therefore appointed by God. I do not say that, he answers. My discourse to you now is not about individual rulers, but about what we must do in fact. That there are governments, those who rule and those who are ruled, that all things do not proceed simply and without order, with people borne hither and thither in confusion like the waves, all this is, I say, the work of God’s wisdom. Therefore he did not say: There is no ruler who is not from God, but speaking of the power here involved, he argues: For there is no power but from God; and those that are, are ordained of God.

So when a certain wise man said: A prudent wife is properly from the Lord (Prov. xix. 14), he means that God made marriage, not that He has united in matrimony each man to each woman. For we see many joined one to another for evil, and not in lawful marriage, and we do not hold this to be the work of God. But as Christ Himself has said: He who made man from the beginning, made them male and female; and he said: For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife (Mt. xix. 4), and this is what that wise man was explaining. For since equality of honour often leads to strife, He has made many kinds of ruling and many kinds of subjection; as for instance, that of man and wife, of father and son, of youth and age, of slave and free, of ruler and ruled, of teacher and pupil. And why should this not be in the society of men, since He has done the same in our body. For not even here has He made all the members of equal dignity; some are of less, others of greater dignity, some command, others are commanded. The same is to be seen among dumb creatures; as among bees, among cranes, and among herds of wild cattle. Even the sea is not without this good order; for here and there are many kinds of fish, each led by one, and it is in this way they make their long peregrinations. For anarchy everywhere is evil, and a cause of confusion. After telling us from where the power of ruling came, He continues: Therefore he that resisteth the power resisteth the ordinance of God.

See what he has brought us to, and how he makes us fearful, showing us that this subjection is a matter of duty. So that the faithful may not say: You are lowering us, and making us appear contemptible, subjecting us to temporal rulers who are to possess the kingdom of heaven, he shows us that they are not subjecting themselves to rulers, but to God: for he who is subject to princes, is subject to God. But he does not say this; namely, that he is subject to God who is obedient to princes; but makes us fearful through the contrary to this, and gives it a more precise form by saying that he who does not obey the ruler is resisting God, Who has decreed this law. And this he is eager to show everywhere, that we are not doing a favour by obeying them, but doing our duty.

And in this way he both drew unbelieving rulers to the service of God, and those who believed. For there was then much talk on all sides, accusing the Apostles of sedition, and of new ideas, and of doing and saying everything in order to overthrow the common laws. When you therefore show that our common Lord has laid this command on all who are His, you will close the mouth of those who speak ill of us as innovators, and you will speak with greater confidence because of the truth of our beliefs.

2. Do not therefore, he says, be ashamed of such subjection. For it is God Who has laid down this law, and He is swift and avenging against those who despise it. For it is no light penalty he will exact of you if you disobey, but the greatest; and nothing will save you should you resist it. And from man also you will suffer the severest punishment; and there will be no one to defend you, and you will provoke God the more. He conveys all this when he says: And they that resist purchase to themselves damnation. Then following on this fear, he shows us the gain there is in this, persuading us by reasoning in these words: For princes are not a terror to the good work, but to the evil. Since he had cut deep, and had frightened them, he undoes this and comforts them, like a wise physician using soothing medicines, encouraging them and saying: ‘Why need you fear; why tremble; he will not correct you for doing what is good; there is nothing to fear for one who is given to virtue?’

And then he goes on: Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? Do that which is good; and thou shalt have praise from the same. See how he joins him in friendship to the ruler; showing that he praises him even from the seat of authority. See how his wrath has left him: For he is God’s minister to thee, for good. So far is he from being fearful, he says, that he even praises thee; so far is he from interfering with you, he will even help you. Since therefore you have in him one who both praises you and helps you, why not be subject to him? He also makes it easier for you to practice virtue, by punishing evildoers and rewarding and showing favour to the good, co-operating with the will of God: and because of this he is here spoken of as minister. But remember: I am giving you counsel concerning Christian living; and he is saying the same things to you through his laws. I exhort you not to be grasping or rapacious, he sits in judgement to punish these same things. He is therefore a fellow worker and our helper, and sent by God for this purpose. He is therefore to be reverenced, and for a twofold reason: that he is sent by God, and that he is sent for such a purpose.

But, if thou do that which is evil, fear. It is therefore not the ruler causes this fear, it is our own depravity. For he beareth not the sword in vain. See how he places him before us, as an armed soldier, setting him up as a terror to wrongdoers. For he is God’s minister: an avenger to execute wrath upon him that doth evil. That you may not shrink hearing again of punishment and retribution and the sword, he again says that he is fulfilling God’s law. And what if the ruler is himself unaware of this?

Nevertheless God has so ordered it. If therefore he is God’s minister, vindicating virtue, driving out vice, as is God’s will, why resist one who does so much good, preparing the way at the same time for the good you may do? For there are many who first practised virtuous living out of fear of authority, who afterwards embraced it from the fear of God. There are those of grosser mind who do not grasp at the things to come as they do those of the present life. He therefore who prepares the soul of many, whether through fear or through rewards, so that they become more disposed to the word of doctrine, he is justly called God’s minister.

Wherefore be subject of necessity; not only for wrath, but also for conscience’ sake. What does, not only for wrath mean? It means that not submitting to authority, you not only become an enemy of God, and bring many evils upon yourself both from God and man; but also be subject to him because he is your benefactor in things of the greatest value, as the guardian and administrator of the civil order. For a thousand blessings are conferred on states by rulers through their laws; and if you were to remove them, everything would fall to ruin, and nothing would be left standing; neither cities nor towns nor homes nor public buildings nor anything. All would be overthrown, and the weak devoured by the strong. And even if some wrath did not descend on those who do not obey, for this one reason should you be subject to temporal authority: that you may not seem either ignorant or ungrateful towards one who has done so much for your well-being.

For therefore also you pay tribute, he says. For they are the ministers of God, serving unto this purpose. Without speaking of any single benefit bestowed on states by their rulers; such as good order, peace, the other services, those rendered by the army, those rendered by public ministries, he chooses one fact to explain the whole case. You testify that he is your benefactor, he says, from this that you pay him a wage. See the wisdom and intelligence of the blessed Paul. For what seemed a burden and oppressive, namely, the tribute, is shown as a proof of their care for us. For what reason, he asks, do we pay tribute to a king? Is it not because he is provident; is it not for his work of governing that we pay him a reward? And we would not pay it, did we not know from the beginning we had gained by his care for us. It was for this that of old it was decided by common consent, that those who rule us should be paid by us; because neglecting what is personal to them, they take on the common care, and to this devote their whole time, and so what concerns us is safe.

3. Speaking therefore of the things that are without, he turns again to his previous arguments; for in this way he could better attract the believer; and so he again shows us that this is God’s will, and on this he ends his counsel, saying: For they are the ministers of God. Then, referring to their task, and to the strain of the life they lead, he adds: Serving unto this purpose. For this is their life, their concern: that you may enjoy peace. And so in another Epistle he commands them not only to be subject to them, but also to pray for them, and in the same letter he shows that this is to the profit of all, adding: That we may lead a quiet and peaceable life (I Tim. ii. 1). For they contribute in no small measure to the settled condition of our present life, keeping watch, keeping enemies at bay, suppressing disturbances in cities, putting an end to strife everywhere. Do not say to me that some have misused this power, look rather at the good of the established order, and you will see how great is His wisdom who established these things from the beginning.

Render therefore to all men their dues. Tribute, to whom tribute is due; custom, to whom custom, fear, to whom fear; honour, to whom honour. He still insists on the same things; that we must render not only money, but likewise honour and awe. But how is it that he said above (v. 3): Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? Do that which is good; but here says: Render fear? He means here extreme honour (awe), not the fear arising from an evil conscience, to which he referred above. Neither did he say, give, but Render, and adds: their dues. For you are not doing this as a favour. It is a debt due; and if you do not pay it, then suffer the penalty of the unjust. Do not think you are lowering yourself, or that you offend your principles if you stand up in the presence of the ruler, or uncover your head. For if Paul commanded this when rulers were pagan, much more should this be done now that they believe in God.

But if you say that greater dignities have been conferred upon you, learn then that it is not now your time: For now you are a stranger, and a sojourner (Ps. xxxviii. 13). There will be a time when you shall appear more resplendent than all present things. Now your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ shall appear, then shall you be seen in glory with Him (Col. iii. 3, 4). Do not seek your recompense in this perishable life, and if you must stand in awe of a ruler’s presence, do not think this unworthy of your dignity. For God wills it so, that a ruler set up by Him may have his own power. And if he who is not conscious to himself of wrongdoing stands in fear before him, much more shall he who has done evil be shaken by fear. And you do yourself the more honour by this: for it is not by rendering this honour you are lowered, but by not rendering it. And the: ruler himself will respect you the more, and give praise to your Master; though he be himself an unbeliever.

Owe no man anything, but to love one another. Again he turns to the mother of all good, to the teacher of what we have been speaking of, to the cause of all virtue and says, that this also is a debt we owe; not one to be paid like tribute, or custom, but to be paid without ceasing. For he would have it that it is never paid folly; rather he would have it ever repaid, yet never paid in full, but ever owing. Such is the nature of this debt, that one is ever giving, yet ever owing. For telling us how we ought to love, he shows us also the gain of loving: For he that loveth his neighbour, he says, hath fulfilled the law.

Nor are you to think that this is a favour; for this is a debt. You owe your brother love because of your spiritual relationship to him. And not for this reason only, but because we are members one of another (Eph. iv. 25); and if this love dries up, then the whole body breaks up. Therefore love thy brother. For if you gain so much from loving him, that you fulfil the whole law, you owe him love, because you have gained so much through him.

For: Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not bear false witness. Thou shalt not covet. And, if there be any other commandment, it is comprised in this word: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. He does not simply say, it is fulfilled, but, it is comprised; that, in short, the whole substance of the commandments is contained in these few words: for love is the beginning and end of virtue. It is its root, its substance, its crown. If then, it is its beginning, and its fulfilment, what is equal to it?

O taste and see that the Lord is sweet (Ps. xxxiii. 9). Let us give ourselves therefore to His love, and delight in it. For so shall we even now behold His kingdom, and live the life of angels, and while dwelling on earth, shall be no less than those who dwell in heaven. And after we have gone from here, we shall stand before the sublime tribunal of Christ and enjoy his ineffable glory; and to this may we all come, through the grace and loving kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost be there glory, honour, praise now and forever, and through out all ages and ages. Amen.

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OCTOBER 24

St. Raphael the Archangel

1. The name of this Archangel signifies, “God heals.” Raphael accompanied Tobias on a trip, freed Raguel’s daughter Sara from an evil spirit, and healed the blindness of the elder Tobias. Raphael is one of the seven spirits that stand before the throne of God (cf. Tob. 12:15; Apoc. 1:4-8:2). He is honored as the patron of travelers and of the sick.

2. “O God, who didst send the blessed archangel Raphael to accompany thy servant Tobias on his journey” (Collect). The story is contained in the book of Tobias. The father wanted to send his son to collect a debt in Medea. A young man offered to be the youth’s guide on the long journey. They spent their first night on the bank of the Tigris and, when Tobias was washing his feet, a large fish swam up, frightening him. His companion called to him to pull it out on the land: “The fish . . . is worth the bowelling; heart and gall and liver of it thou must keep by thee, sovereign remedies all” (Tob. 6:4). The two young men traveled to the home of Raguel, a relative of Tobias, whose daughter, Sara, pleased Tobias, and, after Raphael had delivered her from an evil spirit, he married her. During the two-week celebration of the marriage, the angel went alone to Medea and collected the debt. Then the three returned to the home of the elder Tobias. The latter’s blindness was cured by the medicine Raphael had prescribed, and joy then reigned in the home. Father and son offered their mysterious companion half of their new-found wealth; “but he, with a finger on his lip, bade them give their thanks to the God of heaven. . . . He it is that has shown mercy to you. . . . Come, let me tell you the whole truth of the matter. . . . When thou, Tobias, wert praying, and with tears, when thou wert burying the dead … I, all the while, was offering that prayer of thine to the Lord . . . he has chosen me for his messenger. . . . I am the angel Raphael, and my place is among the seven who stand in the presence of the Lord.” Thereupon, the angel disappeared, but the family lay prostrate for three hours, praising God (cf. Tob. 12:6-15). The ways of God are full of mystery. The elder Tobias had been subjected to many tribulations but had persevered in serving God faithfully. At length God had sent His messenger, Raphael, to change all his sorrows into joys. “How great a Lord is ours, how magnificent his strength!” (Gradual.)

“From time to time, an angel of the Lord came down upon the pool, and the water was stirred up” (Gospel). Here again the liturgy is thinking of Raphael, the angel who helps and heals. For us the waters of the pool are a symbol, the image of baptism and of the grace of the Holy Spirit who sanctifies the baptismal water; by His angel he stirs up the water, that is, He makes it capable of conferring life. “The first man who stepped into the pool after the stirring of the water, recovered from whatever infirmity it was that oppressed him” (Gospel). Gratefully we think of the moment when we were baptized. “Angels for my witness, I will sing of thy praise . . . giving thanks, Lord, to thy name” (Alleluia verse).

3. In the liturgy we are the ones led by the angel of God to a distant country, heaven. He leads wisely and safely; if there is danger he saves us from it, and then admonishes: “Bless the Lord of heaven and thank Him before all the living, because He has shown mercy to you,” by calling you to Christ, so that one day you may be taken into the company of the angels and saints. We are the sick people of the Gospel story; we are the ones expecting a cure during the Holy Sacrifice. We beg St. Raphael to make his guidance and help effective in us.

Joyfully, in the celebration of the Eucharistic Sacrifice, we become conscious of our fellowship with the adoring angels. We call upon them to praise the Lord with us: “Bless the Lord, all you angels of his; angels of sovereign strength, that carry out his commandment, attentive to the word he utters” (Introit). “Thy majesty is praised by Angels, adored by Dominations, feared by Powers; . . . the celestial virtues join with the blessed Seraphim in one glad hymn of praise. We pray thee let our voices blend with theirs as we humbly praise thee, singing: Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts. Thy glory fills all heaven and earth. Hosanna in high heaven!” (Preface.) Holy Communion enables us to behold and desire the eternal, blessed communion with the praising angels.

Collect: O God, who didst send the blessed archangel Raphael to accompany Thy servant Tobias on his journey, grant that we Thy servants may ever be guarded by his care and strengthened by his aid. Amen.

(Benedict Baur)

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LETTERS TO JACK

WRITTEN BY A PRIEST TO HIS NEPHEW

By the

RIGHT REV. FRANCIS C. KELLEY, D.D., LL.D.

(1917)

XV

THE ENTHUSIAST

BY the Enthusiast have nations been born and by his hand have tyrants died. He has deluged the world with blood; but he has planted and watered the peace that gives life and plenty. He has done evil; but, too, he has loved justice. His name is a curse; but it has also been honored as a blessing. . . . He has crushed out the name of God, yet he has paused again to invoke it.

My dear Jack:

Last night you said something about “Enthusiasm for one’s work”, and being an “Enthusiast”. It set me thinking. I have heard so many things of the kind that I really must tell you today what I think of the Enthusiast; for I am his friend and admirer, but not the defender of his faults. You can only copy him if you are a genius. If you are not that, you are, however, in the happy position of being able to work up to the good and leave the bad alone.

Who is the Enthusiast? He is the conqueror and the king, the leader in every movement, whether good or bad, the blazer of every trail, the pathfinder into every jungle. His keel has furrowed the unknown seas, his alpenstock has marked the sides of every mountain and glacier, his spade has dug deepest into the earth, his mind has tried to encompass every problem, his zeal has converted millions to truth or perverted millions to error. Today he soars on wings into the air, seeking new outlets to his unquenchable fury of action. He has done all of the world’s things yet done that were worth doing. He is Progress personified.

Yet, over the desert his bones have whitened. The kindly moss has covered his dead body in the great forests, to hide the ugliness of its decay. The sea gives up neither its treasures nor its dead—so he is sleeping forever in the peaceful depths. He has encrimsoned the world’s battlefields, and has found graves deep down where men take gold and silver from the bowels of the earth. Yet he lives and never learns. It is well it should be so. Progress would cease were he to think too deeply and learn too much from what he has suffered.

By the Enthusiast have nations been born and by his hand have tyrants died. He has deluged the world with blood; but has planted and watered the peace that gives life and plenty. He has done evil; but, too, he has loved justice. His name is a curse; but it has also been honored as a blessing. They have hanged him in chains to the gallows; and they have wept and would not be consoled, because they had led him forth to die. Yet he has often won more in dying thus than life could have given him. His eye has dropped tears for misery and has shot fires of joy for destruction. He burned the precious books of Alexandria, but gathered the Vatican’s treasures of literature and art. He has swept whole tribes from a continent, but behold that continent becomes a new world to beckon the old onward and upward to the heights of achievement. He has crushed out the name of God, yet has he paused again to invoke it.

Of all men he is the most loved and the most hated; but he is hated oftener than he is loved, for the world must forget much about him to love him at all; must forget especially that he trampled on some of its cherished ideals. While he lives the Enthusiast must be disliked, because he is, of necessity, both thoughtless and selfish. He thinks too deeply of his work to realize his own lack of thought for others. He is too bound up with the problems that fill his own brain, to worry about either the problems or the cares of his neighbors. Therefore does the world think him selfish. But he is ultimately neither thoughtless nor selfish. He has the record of his world benefactions for centuries, to prove his love for his kind; and his record of unceasing suffering and pain, extending just as far back into history, to prove his disinterestedness.

It has been charged that the Enthusiast has been loyal only to his own dreams. But one cannot have a dream at all, without the substantial upon which to base it. The baby’s dreams are of the smiles it has seen on mother’s face, which is his entire universe; but these it has actually seen. The Enthusiast has seen his world, has had his impressions, has shaped his thoughts. It is in these his dreams are founded and his ends directed. He is loyal to the great things.

The Enthusiast is not alone a dreamer.  He is the world worker, who labors not for pay, but for the very love of it.  Money could never have made a Columbus, and only a Columbus could have discovered a continent. Civilization would be without masterpieces and mastermen if the Enthusiast were bound by the laws of labor unions. His work sets itself no time limit and permits none to be set for it.  His strength comes and goes.  It is fed by fires from the soul that burn only fitfully. He works while they burn and then he produces. He stops when the fires smoulder. His dreams are the fires which give him strength for action.

The real Enthusiast belongs to no nation, but to all nations, since his work is for all. The good he does, the discoveries he makes, the evil he causes, all belong to the world at large, which cannot avoid the consequence of having produced him, whether good or bad. The disgrace of a Robespierre belongs to France, but the Revolution he fostered shed the world’s blood and is still the world’s problem. Voltaire went farther than Sans Souci and Frederick the Great with his cynical friendship.  The circles shot out by his fall into the waters of doubt have long ago touched even the Arctic. Michelangelo’s genius is not only the adornment of Italy, but the inspiration of all nations. O ‘Connell liberated two peoples: his own from injustice; and the enemies of his own from the slavery of being tyrants.

The Enthusiast cannot die while the earth lives; since every generation must have him to depend upon for the step in advance which God seems to destine each generation to take.

To have “Enthusiasm for one’s work” is good: but it is not pleasant to be a real Enthusiast. It is a pain.

(To be continued.)

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Father Krier will be in Pahrump, Nevada, (Our Lady of the Snows) November 11. He will be in Albuquerque, New Mexico, (Saint Joseph Cupertino) November 16. On November 18, he will be in Eureka, Nevada.

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