Keep
your eyes open!...
February 18, 2025
(Jas 5:14-16) Is
any man sick among you? Let him bring in the priests of the church and
let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.
And the prayer of faith shall save the sick man. And the Lord shall
raise him up: and if he be in sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess
therefore your sins one to another: and pray one for another, that you
may be saved. For the continual prayer of a just man availeth much.
Bishop J. Strickland:
As Pope Francis remains in serious condition in the hospital let us not
fail to pray for him. Let us pray for his eternal salvation, his
conversion to the Sacred Heart of Christ and that any suffering he
endures may draw Him closer to God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. May the mercy that flows from the side of Christ call him to deep repentance of sin and wash him in God’s forgiving love.
VATICAN NEWS: Pope rested well, appreciates prayers and best-wishes
REPORT: Pope Francis, sensing he is close to death, moves to protect his legacy
CNA: Pope receives prisoners’ prayers for recovery while hospitalized in Rome
Pope Francis
received heartfelt letters from inmates at Milan’s San Vittore prison
after his hospitalization forced the cancellation of a planned meeting
where the prisoners were to perform in a special concert.
The Holy Father knows well that
judicial sentences are served behind bars and, above all, in the heart.
That’s where he intended to enter this Monday, Feb. 17, when he was
scheduled to meet with a group of inmates from San Vittore prison at
Rome’s historic Cinecittà studios.
However, the event was canceled following his hospitalization at Rome’s Gemelli hospital.
Upon receiving official
confirmation of the cancellation from the Vatican, some inmates decided
to write letters to the pontiff. “It was a spontaneous gesture through
which they wanted to express their affection,” Eliana Onofrio,
president of the Amici della Nave association noted.
In one of the letters, an inmate
expressed his sadness, saying that “everything had been organized in
great detail” to offer Pope Francis a concert into which they had
poured all their effort and affection. The inmate considers the pope a
central figure, expressing his closeness and assuring his prayers.
Another detained person laments
being unable to meet the pope but understands this is “a necessary
pause due to his constant dedication and efforts.” Nevertheless, he
emphasizes that the pope’s health is paramount and promises prayers for
a swift recovery. He also asks Francis not to feel “distressed about
the event’s cancellation” and wishes him a speedy return to strength.
CNA: Pope Francis hospitalized: Live updates
The
Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Humility
75. A hermit said, 'Do not ignore your
neighbour for you do not know whether God's Spirit is in you or in him.
I tell you that your servant is your neighbour.'
February 17, 2025
(Heb 13:8) Jesus Christ, yesterday, and today: and the same for ever.
THE CATHOLIC THING: Vandals Within
EXCERPT SUBSTACK: On the Council and the Church By Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap.
John XXIII set the goal of Vatican II in his opening remarks. He said
that “the greatest concern of the ecumenical council is this: that the
sacred deposit of Christian doctrine should be guarded and taught more
efficaciously.” To do that he wanted the council not to “reinvent” or
“re-imagine” the Church, but instead to renew the methods, forms, and
structures of the Church according to the needs of the modern world,
always “recognizing that the substance of the ancient doctrine of the
deposit of faith is one thing, and the way it is presented is another.”
In other words, the Church of 1965 and the Church of 2025 have exactly
the same goal: the salvation of the world in the name of Jesus Christ,
through the truth of the Catholic faith. The methods and structures may
differ. But the mission has priority, and it hasn’t changed. The Church
is called to be outward-looking to convert the world, not
inward-looking and self-obsessed.
What the Council said about the Church matters, because it’s the Church
that celebrates the Council’s memory. And too many times over the past
six decades, people—including some in authority; people who should know
better—have claimed to be the Church, and then acted or taught in ways
that seem to oppose what the Church actually believes. Today is no
exception.
When people say, “we are the Church,” of course that’s true. We’re all
the Church, because the Church is the community of the faithful. But a
“community of faith” or a “community of the faithful” implies that
there’s Someone and something we have an obligation to be faithful to.
We don’t invent the Catholic faith. Nor do we own it. Nor can we revise
it according to the latest claims of social science. We receive it; we
live it in community; we witness it to others; and we pass it on
fully—as good stewards—to our children. That’s what life in the Church
means.
John XXIII described the Catholic Church as the “mother and teacher” of
all nations— not a religious corporation or the Elks Club at prayer;
but the glory of Jesus Christ alive and risen, and God’s light to the
world. Above all, the Church is the mystical Body of Christ and the new
Israel; the new, messianic People of God with Jesus as their head. The
Church is also the new royal priesthood, with all Christians living in
fundamental equality through Baptism, but like a family, having a
diversity of duties and organized in a hierarchy of roles.
Europe
has lost its nobility. Ugliness is invading all sectors of society.
Pretentiousness and pride are serious evils. The search for truth no
longer exists. Evil and good are confused. A liar is no longer ashamed
of himself; in a way he proudly shows off. Words are transformed into
instruments of economic and financial war. People live in confusion.
New words are created, but above all one must not give them a precise
definition. People no longer know what a man or a woman is. Sex is no
longer an objective reality. The family, marriage, and the human person
have been redefined ceaselessly.
—Cardinal Robert Sarah, The Day Is Now Far Spent
US IMMIGRATION EDITORIALS
The
Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Humility
74. A hermit said, 'I would rather be defeated and humble than win and be proud.'
February 14, 2025
(Mat 5:11-12) Blessed
are ye when they shall revile you, and persecute you, and speak all
that is evil against you, untruly, for my sake: Be glad and rejoice for
your reward is very great in heaven. For so they persecuted the
prophets that were before you.
THE PILLAR: Facing ongoing pressure, more religious orders leave Nicaragua
ZENIT.ORG: Nicaragua:
regime expropriates convent of Poor Clare nuns, after expelling them
and expropriating also a seminary
In a new wave of
repression against the Catholic Church, the Nicaraguan government has
expelled approximately 30 Clarisas nuns from their convents in Managua
and Chinandega, forcing them to leave with only a few belongings. This
latest move under President Daniel Ortega’s regime deepens an already
dire situation for the Church in Nicaragua, which has faced mounting
persecution in recent years.
The expulsion of the nuns comes just days after the government seized
the San Luis de Gonzaga Seminary in the Diocese of Matagalpa on January
20. Dozens of seminarians were present at the time of the confiscation,
with police ordering them to leave immediately and return home. The
seminary, a vital institution for training future priests, served
multiple dioceses, including Matagalpa and Siuna. Its forced closure
signals yet another effort to dismantle Catholic institutions in the
country.
This is not an isolated incident. Just days before the seminary
takeover, the government also seized the Pastoral Center La Cartuja in
Matagalpa. Witnesses reported that paramilitary forces stormed the
facility, forcibly removing dozens of faithful who were attending a
spiritual retreat.
The suppression of Catholic institutions has accelerated dramatically,
with priests, religious orders, and even bishops becoming direct
targets of Ortega’s government. Since his return to power, the Diocese
of Matagalpa alone has lost over 60 percent of its clergy. Nationally,
Nicaragua has seen a 20 percent reduction in its Catholic clergy due to
arrests, expulsions, and forced exile.
Under Ortega’s
rule, religious freedom has eroded, with the Catholic Church bearing
the brunt of government hostility. Since 2022, the government has
ramped up efforts to silence the Church through a series of restrictive
measures, including banning public religious processions, shutting down
Catholic charities and schools, and expelling missionaries and
religious congregations. Catholic media outlets have also been heavily
censored or outright closed.
Perhaps the most high-profile case of persecution was that of Bishop
Rolando Álvarez of Matagalpa, who was initially sentenced to 26 years
in prison for alleged treason. After serving a year behind bars, he was
exiled to Rome in early 2024. His appointment as apostolic vicar,
Father Frutos Valle, was also arrested, further highlighting the
regime’s determination to crush any form of dissent within the Church.
Meanwhile, Pope Francis has continued to offer words of support to Nicaragua’s embattled Catholic community. In a pastoral letter dated December 2, 2024,
he reminded Nicaraguan Catholics: “Do not forget the loving Providence
of the Lord, who accompanies us and is our only sure guide.”
EWTN VATICAN: Bishop Álvarez: ‘I Always Believed In My Liberation And What Sustained Me Was Prayer’
NEWS REPORT: Nicaragua blasts Vatican after exiled bishop’s TV appearance
The
Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Humility
69. The hermits said, 'If an angel really appears to you, do not accept
it as a matter of course, but humble yourself, and say, "I live in my
sins and am not worthy to see an angel.'"
February 12, 2025
(Rom 13:7) 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.
EXCERPT VATICAN.VA: Letter of the Holy Father Francis to the Bishops of the United States of America
4. I have followed closely the major crisis that is taking place in the
United States with the initiation of a program of mass deportations.
The rightly formed conscience cannot fail to make a critical judgment
and express its disagreement with any measure that tacitly or
explicitly identifies the illegal status of some migrants with
criminality. At the same time, one must recognize the right of a nation
to defend itself and keep communities safe from those who have
committed violent or serious crimes while in the country or prior to
arrival. That said, the act of deporting people who in many cases have
left their own land for reasons of extreme poverty, insecurity,
exploitation, persecution or serious deterioration of the environment,
damages the dignity of many men and women, and of entire families, and
places them in a state of particular vulnerability and defenselessness.
5. This is not a minor issue: an authentic rule of law is verified
precisely in the dignified treatment that all people deserve,
especially the poorest and most marginalized. The true common good is
promoted when society and government, with creativity and strict
respect for the rights of all — as I have affirmed on numerous
occasions — welcomes, protects, promotes and integrates the most
fragile, unprotected and vulnerable. This does not impede the
development of a policy that regulates orderly and legal migration.
However, this development cannot come about through the privilege of
some and the sacrifice of others. What is built on the basis of force,
and not on the truth about the equal dignity of every human being,
begins badly and will end badly.
9. I exhort all the faithful of the Catholic Church, and all men and
women of good will, not to give in to narratives that discriminate
against and cause unnecessary suffering to our migrant and refugee
brothers and sisters. With charity and clarity we are all called to
live in solidarity and fraternity, to build bridges that bring us ever
closer together, to avoid walls of ignominy and to learn to give our
lives as Jesus Christ gave his for the salvation of all.
CATHOLIC VOTE: Catholic teaching on Immigration: integration and the common good
What do the Church and its great minds, such as St. Thomas Aquinas, teach on the political issue of immigration?
The Catechism of the Catholic Church provides a nuanced perspective on
immigration, balancing the duty to welcome the stranger with the
responsibility of governments to protect their citizens and promote the
common good. Contrary to the perception that Catholic teaching demands
an open-border policy, the Catechism outlines important qualifications
for managing immigration.
Paragraph 2241 of the Catechism emphasizes that “the more prosperous
nations are obliged, to the extent they are able, to welcome the
foreigner in search of the security and the means of livelihood which
he cannot find in his country of origin.” However, this welcome is not
without limits. Nations are not required to accept an unlimited number
of immigrants, especially if doing so imposes undue burdens on their
citizens. The text underscores that public authorities must ensure that
natural rights are respected while balancing their responsibility to
protect their own populations and the common good of the country.
Decisions regarding immigration policy fall properly to those who hold
political authority, to whom the power to govern belongs by office, not
to those in the Church’s hierarchy, who do not hold the office of
governing a nation. The Catechism underscores the rightful authority of
those in political power to regulate immigration, stating, “Political
authorities, for the sake of the common good for which they are
responsible, may make the exercise of the right to immigrate subject to
various juridical conditions.” Finally, the Catechism places reciprocal
obligations on immigrants, stating that they are obliged to “respect
with gratitude the material and spiritual heritage of the country that
receives them, to obey its laws and to assist in carrying civic
burdens.” Thus, immigration is not a unilateral or unconditional right
but requires respect and obedience to the laws of the nation in
question and an integration into that nation that is ordered toward the
common good.
Similarly, St. Thomas Aquinas makes the common good the ultimate
principle by which to judge whether and how immigrants should be
allowed into a nation. In the Summa Theologiae, in the Prima Secundae,
Question 105, article 3, St. Thomas distinguishes between peaceful and
hostile interactions with foreigners. “Man’s relations with foreigners
are twofold: peaceful, and hostile,” he writes, asserting that nations
have the right to determine which immigrants benefit the common good
for the country. St. Thomas argues that states can reject those deemed
harmful, such as criminals or enemies, to protect their citizens and
society. He also affirms that immigration matters need to be regulated
by law, ensuring a fair and ordered process.
EXCERPT SAINT POPE JOHN PAUL II: Message of the Holy Father John Paull II for the 90th World Day of Migrants and Refugees 2004
As regards immigrants and refugees, building conditions of peace means
in practice being seriously committed to safeguarding first of all the
right not to emigrate, that is, the right to live in peace and dignity
in one's own country. By means of a farsighted local and national
administration, more equitable trade and supportive international
cooperation, it is possible for every country to guarantee its own
population, in addition to freedom of expression and movement, the
possibility to satisfy basic needs such as food, health care, work,
housing and education; the frustration of these needs forces many into
a position where their only option is to emigrate.
Equally, the right to emigrate exists. This right, Bl. John XXIII
recalls in the Encyclical Mater et Magistra, is based on the universal
destination of the goods of this world (cf. nn. 30 and 33). It is
obviously the task of Governments to regulate the migratory flows with
full respect for the dignity of the persons and for their families'
needs, mindful of the requirements of the host societies. In this
regard, international Agreements already exist to protect would-be
emigrants, as well as those who seek refuge or political asylum in
another country. There is always room to improve these agreements.
The
Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Humility
68. The devil appeared to a monk disguised as an angel of light and
said to him, 'I am the angel Gabriel, and I have been sent to you.' But
the monk said, 'Are you sure you weren't sent to someone else? I am not
worthy to have an angel sent to me.' At that the devil vanished.
February 10, 2025
(Rom 12:2) And
be not conformed to this world: but be reformed in the newness of your
mind, that you may prove what is the good and the acceptable and the
perfect will of God.
USCCB: A Catholic Primer on In Vitro Fertilization
WORD ON FIRE: Despite Appearances, IVF is NOT Pro-Life
NEWS HEADLINE: Pentagon strips travel reimbursement for troops seeking abortions, fertility treatment
CONCLUSION: The Christian Family, In Vitro Fertilization, and Heroic Witness to True Love by Bishop Michael F. Burbidge
The Christian
family is called to a heroic witness to true love in every generation,
and in a particular way in our time. The human person bears within
himself or herself the very image and likeness of God who is love (cf.
1 Jn. 4:8), and by looking to and relying upon the God who offers true
hope and the possibility of everlasting happiness, all persons may
enjoy the fulfillment of their good and natural desires in the fullness
of time. The Christian family has a powerful spiritual ally in the
Church, whose members are called to walk with those couples
experiencing infertility, offering them life-giving and restorative
options, while also addressing those moral injustices that would make
impossible our experience of true happiness.
God wills our perfection and
sanctity, so that we all may have a future full of hope (cf. Jer.
29:11). God is ever calling each one of us to deeper trust and
relationship with him, despite our challenges and our tendency in this
life to fall short of perfection. We are each called to live as saints,
as brothers and sisters who share a universal call to holiness, which
requires following God’s commandments and the Gospel of Life. When we
have failed to do so, God never abandons us. As Pope Francis has
written, “God never tires of forgiving us; we are the ones who tire of
seeking his mercy." God always stands ready to embrace us in his love
and allows us to begin anew.
I ask all people of faith and
goodwill to pray for those married couples experiencing infertility,
for the efficacy of life-affirming fertility care, for an openness to
God’s love and an ever-deeper experience of the virtues, and for the
grace to accept whatever God’s will may be. The threats posed by IVF to
human dignity and human rights are sometimes very obvious and at other
times quite subtle, but nevertheless knowable to all and of particular
concern for those of faith. I ask all people of goodwill to engage in
greater thoughtful and rational reflection on the costs associated with
the IVF industry, which are evident by human reason. Finally, I ask
elected officials to come together to work toward the highest good
possible to ensure that law is ordered to the good of all human persons
and, particularly, the good of the family.
EXAUDI: In Vitro Fertilization: The Catholic Church and the Message of the Last Three Popes
The Catholic
Church maintains a clear position regarding in vitro fertilization
(IVF), considering it morally unacceptable. This position is based on
the conviction that human procreation must be the result of a natural
conjugal act between a man and a woman united in marriage.
In 1987, the Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith issued the instruction “Donum Vitae”, which
specifically addresses IVF. This document points out that the
fertilization of the egg in a test tube separates procreation from the
conjugal act, which raises serious ethical and moral questions. In
addition, it condemns heterologous artificial fertilization, that is,
that which uses gametes from a donor outside the marriage, considering
it contrary to marital unity and the right of the child to be conceived
within marriage.
Subsequently, in 2008, the
instruction “Dignitas Personae” was published, which reaffirms and
updates the Church’s teaching on these techniques. This document
stresses that in vitro conception results from a technical action that
precedes fertilization, and is not obtained or desired as the
expression and fruit of a specific act of the conjugal union. It also
underlines that in the context of IVF techniques, the number of
sacrificed embryos is very high, exceeding 80% in the most important
centers, which raises serious ethical concerns about respect for human
life from its inception.
Over the years, the Popes have reiterated this teaching:
- John Paul II: In the encyclical “Evangelium vitae” (1995), he
condemns the use of human embryos and fetuses as biological material
for experimentation or transplantation, a practice that often involves
the creation of embryos through IVF for research purposes.
- Benedict XVI: In the encyclical “Caritas in Veritate” (2009), he
warns about practices such as IVF, embryo research and cloning,
pointing out that they are born and promoted in a culture that believes
it has unraveled every mystery, reaching the root of life, which can
lead to improper manipulation of human life.
- Francis: Although he has not issued specific documents on IVF, he
has emphasized on various occasions the importance of respecting human
life from conception and has expressed concern about practices that
exploit human life in its most vulnerable stages.
The
Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Humility
67. The hermits said, 'We become more humbled when we are tempted,
because God, knowing our weakness, protects us. But if we boast of our
own strength, he takes away his protection, and we are lost.'
February 7, 2025
(Rom 5:3-5) And
not only so: but we glory also in tribulation, knowing that tribulation
worketh patience; And patience trial; and trial hope; And hope
confoundeth not: because the charity of God is poured forth in our
hearts, by the Holy Ghost who is given to us.
SAINT PAUL MIKI:
"At this point, I don't think any of you will believe that I want to
disguise the truth. I therefore declare to you that there is no way to
salvation other than that followed by Christians. Since it teaches me
to forgive my enemies and all those who have done me wrong, I forgive
with all my heart all those who have caused my death, and I beg them to
receive Christian baptism."
THE PILLAR: Bishops try to unify Congo amid strife
CRUX: Catholic leader highlights desperation as eastern DRC war intensifies
In a February 3 statement, members
of the Episcopal Conference of the Congo, CENCO expressed their
spiritual closeness with the people of eastern Congo so battered by
conflict.
“It is with great sadness and deep
concern that we follow the deterioration of the security situation in
the provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu, particularly worsened by
the capture of the city of Goma by the AFC/M23 rebel coalition,
supported by Rwanda, and their advance towards the city of Bukavu,” the
statement reads.
They voiced “great sadness and much
concern” at the violence in the statement signed by Archbishop Fulgence
Muteba Mugalu of Lubumbashi, the president of the National Episcopal
Conference of Congo (CENCO).
“The intensification of fighting
between the FARDC (Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo)
and the AFC/M23 rebels, along with their respective allies, has caused
enormous loss of human life,” the bishops said.
They complained that the fighting
has led to looting in the city of Goma and surrounding towns and has
exacerbated the mass displacement of populations already impoverished
by the recurrent conflicts that these provinces have endured for nearly
thirty years.
“The situation is so grave and the
emotion so overwhelming that we felt compelled to take a moment of
silence and reflection to better understand its dimensions and discern
the future course of action.” “We wish to express our fraternal
closeness and solidarity with Bishop Willy Ngumbi of Goma Diocese, and
Archbishop François Xavier Maroy, Metropolitan Archbishop of Bukavu, as
well as with the entire People of God living in these afflicted
regions,” the Church leaders said.
They extended condolences to those who have lost loved ones, saying they died in an “unnecessary war.”
ACIAFRICA: Pope Francis Calls for End to Violence in DR Congo, Appeals for Protection of Civilians
ORTHODOX REPORT: Congo: Orthodox Diocese of Goma faces crisis as rebels seize city
CATHOLIC HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE
Without electricity and water: Catholic parish in Goma welcomes 2000 displaced people
As fighting rages on in Eastern DR Congo, Catholic charity steps up humanitarian response
“Many people are fleeing their villages,” says missionary in DR Congo
The
Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Humility
63. A brother asked a hermit, 'What is humility?' He answered,
'To do good to them that do evil to you.' The brother said,
'Suppose a man cannot attain that standard, what is he to do?'
The hermit answered, 'He should run away, and choose silence.'
February 5, 2025
(Rev 12:10-12) And
I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying: Now is come salvation and
strength and the kingdom of our God and the power of his Christ:
because the accuser of our brethren is cast forth, who accused them
before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the
Lamb and by the word of the testimony: and they loved not their lives
unto death. Therefore, rejoice, O heavens, and you that dwell therein.
Woe to the earth and to the sea, because the devil is come down unto
you, having great wrath, knowing that he hath but a short time.
LIFESITE: Archbishop Viganò: Trump’s victory marks beginning of counter-revolution against Deep State, Deep Church
VIDEO: Fr. Charles Murr Reveals ACTUAL Church Teaching On Immigration
CATHOLICS FOR CATHOLICS: USCCB, The Bishops And Federal Funding: An Open Letter From Bishop Strickland
CRISIS MAGAZINE: Billions in Blood Money
EDITORIAL EXCERPT: Trump and the Vatican: war in progress
The
policies that the Church has supported, either by proposing them itself
or by remaining silent about their negative aspects, have caused great
damage. Think, for example, of the deaths caused by health
totalitarianism during the pandemic and, following it, through the
adverse effects. Or look at unemployment, the economic crisis, the
social tensions caused by the green economy, with farmers protesting in
the streets across half of Europe against the governments’ insane
provisions or with car manufacturers closing or relocating their
factories. Or refer to the complete lack of common sense in applying
gender ideology in sports competitions between males and females, such
as at the Paris Olympics, in communal bathrooms, often required by law,
and in prisons. Think also of abortion, not in the sense that the
Church has declared it admissible, but because on this issue its voice
has become feeble and almost absent, preferring to intervene on
immigrants and the environment.
In the meantime, however, the global liberal system extended the right
to birth, inserted it into the Constitution as in France, declared it a
human right as in the European Parliament, and many countries provided
by law for the distribution of abortion pills by mail. When, thanks to
the appointments made by Trump in his first term, the Supreme Court
abolished the previous legislation for unconstitutionality and gave the
individual States back the competence in the matter, the Vatican simply
took note. Now Trump is freeing the pro-lifers who are imprisoned, but
the Church had not mobilized any protest in their defense. Not a word
has been heard, I don’t say of apologies but at least of rethinking or
course correction, from the ecclesiastical leaders, no bishop has said
he regretted having closed the churches and sanctuaries in obedience to
the WHO, of having supported the self-interested lies of paid
virologists, of having forced his priests (even today those who refuse
to get vaccinated are opposed and discriminated against in the
dioceses),
Pope Francis has not corrected his slogan “Getting vaccinated is an act
of love” and regarding gender ideology both ecclesial practice and
official declarations and recent documents clearly say that the Church
is not willing to fight any battle on the subject. Homosexuality is now
accepted as something natural – “God loves us as we are” -, the legal
recognition of homosexual couples is also there, Cardinal Cupich says
he is in favor of the adoption of minors, the blessing of homosexual
couples foreseen by Fiducia supplicans opens the door to gender because
they are dissocialized, with the authority of the Dicastery for the
Doctrine of the Faith, the body and the person.
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The
Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Humility
62. A hermit said, 'I never push myself up above my station; and I am
untroubled when I am put in a low place. All the time I try to
pray God to strip me of my unregenerate nature.'
February 2, 2025
(Mal
3:1-2) Behold I send my angel, and he shall prepare the way before my
face. And presently the Lord, whom you seek, and the angel of the
testament, whom you desire, shall come to his temple. Behold, he
cometh, saith the Lord of hosts. And who shall be able to think of the
day of his coming? and who shall stand to see him? for he is like a
refining fire, and like thc fuller's herb:
FATHER JEFFREY F. KIRBY: Mary makes haste to be beside us and walk with us
CHURCHPOP: Candlemas: Unpacking the Jewish Roots of the Feast of the Presentation & Why it Matters for Catholics
DEACON GREG KANDRA: Scripture Reflection for the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord
CARMELITE QUOTES: Blessed Marie-Eugène
At the Nativity, the manifestation of the Word in this world is a
manifestation of light: a radiance appears in the heavens, a star
guides the Magi, and angels on earth sing, “Peace to those on whom
God’s favor rests” [Lk 2:14]. Amid this symbolic outpouring of
light—illuminated by it as well—we find St. Joseph and the Blessed
Virgin.
The life that once dwelled within her does not leave the Virgin; that
life is now in the Incarnate Word, whom she contemplates. And now,
through the veil of the flesh she gave Him, souls will also be able to
contemplate Him as she does. We love to picture her as the first to
gaze upon the divine eyes of the Infant God as they open to the world.
We recall St. John of the Cross’s crystalline fountains, the caverns of
stone—Mary knows them first.
The lights of the Nativity are confirmed by events: here come the
shepherds and the Magi, making the angel’s words true. Then, on the day
of the Presentation, come Simeon’s song and the prophecy of Anna. All
of this becomes for the Virgin a confirmation of what she already
knew—yet can one ever know these mysteries fully? And so, Mary gives
thanks to God!
But another word confirms a second light: “A sword will pierce your own
soul also” [Lk 2:35]. She already knows Isaiah’s prophecy of the Man of
Sorrows, and in her Son’s eyes, she has glimpsed the mystery of
Redemption. Here, then, is its confirmation.
What will this sword be? She does not yet know the details, but the
word alone is enough for the mystery of Redemption to shine in her
prayer. Mary knows—and she offers her Son after having first given
herself completely. She knows she is sending Him to suffering and
death; she knows God will ask this of her.
All her prayer in Nazareth is gathered here—silent, mysterious, filled
with both light and suffering, already overshadowed by the Passion. No
details are revealed, only a vast sorrow in which the weight of sin is
most deeply felt. The Virgin’s participation in the Passion will be
entirely interior, as ours must be; it is her Gethsemane. And through
this suffering—the suffering of the Mother of the Word—she brings forth
souls to life.
A MOMENT WITH MARY: By divine will, the Mother gives Jesus to mankind
In the episode of the Presentation we can glimpse the meeting of
Israel's hope with the Messiah. We can also see in it a prophetic sign
of man's encounter with Christ. The Holy Spirit makes it possible by
awakening in the human heart the desire for this salvific meeting and
by bringing it about.
Nor can we neglect the role of Mary
who gives the Child to the holy old man Simeon. By divine will, it is
the Mother who gives Jesus to mankind.
In revealing the Savior's future,
Simeon refers to the prophecy of the "Servant" sent to the chosen
people and to the nations. To him the Lord says, "I have taken you by
the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a
light to the nations" (Is 42:6). And again: "It is too light a thing
that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to
restore the preserved of Israel; I will give you as a light to the
nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth" (Is 49:6).
In his canticle, Simeon reverses
the perspective and puts the stress on the universality of Jesus'
mission: "For my eyes have seen your salvation which you have prepared
in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and for glory for your people Israel" (Lk 2:30-32).
How can we fail to marvel at these
words? "And his father and mother marveled at what was said about him"
(Lk 2:33). But this experience enabled Joseph and Mary to understand
more clearly the importance of their act of offering: in the temple of
Jerusalem they present the One who, being the glory of his people, is
also the salvation of all mankind." -Pope Saint John Paul II
The
Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Humility
61. A hermit said, 'In every trial do not blame other people but
blame yourself, saying, "This has happened to me because of my sins."'
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