This is a thank you note for all the folks at OLQU who made Ruth and I feel welcomed during our time at Queen.

I am sure this will be shut down shortly but know that you are in Ruth and My prayers and please stay in touch.

I am shutting down my contributions to this blog.  I will continue to Blog but no longer on the OLQU webpage.

Go to – https://onedeaconsopinion.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=46&action=edit

God Bless

Deacon Jim

We often hear the term “Precepts of the Church.” If you do a web search you will find there are several answers. I found answers ranging that say there are five, six, or even seven precepts. What is interesting was one article that said seven but only listed six and another which said seven but caveated that the last two were not listed as precepts in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) but were drawn as inferences. To be clear the CCC lists five precepts (CCC 2041).

So let’s define precept. Precepts are commands or principles intended especially as a general rule of action. They are an order issued by legally constituted authority to a subordinate official.

They are intended as guides for out life within the Church. The Precepts of the Catholic Church are a description of the 5 absolute minimum actions required of Catholics. The Church uses these precepts to remind us that Christian life requires a commitment to prayer and active participation in the liturgy and sacraments. If we fall below this bare-minimum level, we can’t rightly consider ourselves to be in full communion with the Catholic Church (CCC 2041).

What are these five bare-minimum things? The following are directly from the CCC.

“The first precept (“You shall attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation and rest from servile labor”) requires the faithful to sanctify the day commemorating the Resurrection of the Lord as well as the principal liturgical feasts honoring the mysteries of the Lord, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the saints; in the first place, by participating in the Eucharistic celebration, in which the Christian community is gathered, and by resting from those works and activities which could impede such a sanctification of these days. (CCC 2042)”

“The second precept (“You shall confess your sins at least once a year”) ensures preparation for the Eucharist by the reception of the sacrament of reconciliation, which continues Baptism’s work of conversion and forgiveness. (CCC 2042)”

“The third precept (“You shall receive the sacrament of the Eucharist at least during the Easter season”) guarantees as a minimum the reception of the Lord’s Body and Blood in connection with the Paschal feasts, the origin and center of the Christian liturgy. (CCC 2042)”

The fourth precept (“You shall observe the days of fasting and abstinence established by the Church”) ensures the times of ascesis and penance which prepare us for the liturgical feasts and help us acquire mastery over our instincts and freedom of heart.” (CCC 2043)

“The fifth precept (“You shall help to provide for the needs of the Church”) means that the faithful are obliged to assist with the material needs of the Church, each according to his own ability.” (CCC 2043)

The faithful also have the duty of providing for the material needs of the Church, each according to his own abilities. (CCC 2043)

It is very important to restate here that these actions represent the absolute minimum that you can do and still call yourself Catholic. They by no means represent the full moral, spiritual, sacramental, and liturgical life to which we are called by the Church.

Sometimes the Lord/Holy Spirit puts something on the heart and will not leave you alone until to do it.  So pardon any typos, grammar errors, because it is late but I could not go to bed before I did this.

A Not So Brief Reflection on Easter Sunday’s Gospel

On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him.” So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in. When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place. Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed. For they did not yet understand the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead. (John 20:1-9)

What does this mean? As John writes they did not understand. Do we understand?
What did it show them? Well first to those who went to the tomb they saw the body was indeed gone. Did they understand completely. Probably not because as we read on in scripture there are a number accounts of Jesus appearing to the 12 and reinforcing his teaching. There are accounts of their minds being opened.

This empty tomb, this absence of the body of the one killed on the cross and placed “in the heart of the earth” is actual tangible, proof of the truth of what Jesus said as recorded in Matthew 12; 39-40 He said to them in reply, “An evil and unfaithful 28 generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, 29 so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.” And so indeed He was and like Jonah was vomited up on a beach after his three days and nights, “this Son of Man” fulfilled his prophesy about Himself. If that is true, then we know that there is a high probability that all the rest of the things He stated about Himself must also be true.
He demonstrated the truth of his proclamation as recorded in John 10:17-18: “This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have power to lay it down, and power to take it up again. 8 This command I have received from my Father.” He shows He has the power over life and death. Death cannot hold Him.

It means Jesus in fact has the power to give to those who follow Him “eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand.” (John 10:28-29) It shows that He and God the Father are one. (John 10: 30) Since God the Father has all power over life and death (2 Kings 5:7) and Jesus and the Father are one, then Jesus also as the Son of God has power over life and death thereby giving Him the ability to lay His life down and to take it up again.

By rising again, He proves that the ruler of the world (Satan) has no power over Him (John 14:30). Satan is the Father of sin and death. So, it is written that “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23).” This is validated by the empty tomb.
Jesus also told those who followed Him “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be (John 14:1-3).” We believe that place He prepared for is a life of eternal peace and joy. This truth as well is validated by the empty tomb.

Maybe we are like the apostles who look in and fail to fully understand what they have seen and what they have been told by Mary as recorded in other Gospels. Maybe when we first encounter Christ in some way and we study His promises recorded for us ins scripture, we too have our doubts and confusion. Apostles who came to the tomb and failed to understand fully, but as they remained faithful, as they carried out His command to go to Galilee and eventually into the whole world they started to understand the truth of what He taught.

They were given understanding after the resurrection when He said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures. And he said to them, “Thus it is written that the Messiah would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” And He did, and so did the apostles preach His name to all the nations.

Strengthened by the truth of His words, emboldened by the Holy Spirit, these flawed, once scared very human beings carried out the commandment to carry the story of salvation, the good news to the ends of the earth.

We know the tomb is empty.  So we shout  ALLELUIA .  We see the work wrought by the foundation laid down by the Apostles and what has been accomplished by those who have come afterwards.  We say Thanks Be to God.

This commission is now ours to keep. Maybe we to lack understanding, but we are to persevere in faith. Maybe we too lack courage but we have the written records of what flawed, frightened men and women did once they became acquainted with the risen Lord. In our case such encounters are available to us through His word, through prayer, through our brothers and sisters who are more mature in faith, and through the Sacraments most especially through the Holy Eucharist.

So, to the question why did He do all of this? He could have just resurrected Himself and returned to the Father. The answer is profound a simple. HE LOVES US AND DESIRES THAT WE SPEND ETERNITY WITH HIM.

The fact He went into the tomb and even more importantly He left the tomb empty today is a very powerful statement of that love.

Let me conclude this with the words of Pope St John Paul II:
“It is clearly evident that Christ’s resurrection is the greatest Event in the history of salvation, and indeed, we can say in the history of humanity, since it gives definitive meaning to the world. The whole world revolves around the Cross, but only in the resurrection does the Cross reach its full significance of a salvific Event. The Cross and Resurrection constitute the one paschal mystery in which the history of the world is centered. Therefore, Easter is the Church’s greatest Solemnity. Every year she celebrates and renews this Event, fraught with all the prophecies of the Old Testament, beginning with the “Protoevangelium” of the Redemption, and of all the eschatological hopes and expectations projected towards the “fullness of time”, which was realized when the Kingdom of God definitively entered human history and the universal order of salvation” (John Paul II, General Audience, March 1, 1989).

God Bless You All

 From The Catholic Thing:

The Lord’s Descent into Hell

An anonymous ancient homilist
Saturday, March 31, 2018

What is happening? Today there is a great silence over the earth, a great silence, and stillness, a great silence because the King sleeps; the earth was in terror and was still, because God slept in the flesh and raised up those who were sleeping from the ages. God has died in the flesh, and the underworld has trembled.

Truly he goes to seek out our first parent like a lost sheep; he wishes to visit those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. He goes to free the prisoner Adam and his fellow-prisoner Eve from their pains, he who is God, and Adam’s son.

The Lord goes in to them holding his victorious weapon, his cross. When Adam, the first created man, sees him, he strikes his breast in terror and calls out to all: “My Lord be with you all.” And Christ in reply says to Adam: “And with your spirit.” And grasping his hand he raises him up, saying: “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light.”
“I am your God, who for your sake became your son, who for you and your descendants now speak and command with authority those in prison: Come forth, and those in darkness: Have light, and those who sleep: Rise.

I command you: Awake, sleeper, I have not made you to be held a prisoner in the underworld. Arise from the dead; I am the life of the dead. Arise, O man, work of my hands, arise, you who were fashioned in my image. Rise, let us go hence; for you in me and I in you, together we are one undivided person.

*
For you, I your God became your son; for you, I the Master took on your form; that of slave; for you, I who am above the heavens came on earth and under the earth; for you, man, I became as a man without help, free among the dead; for you, who left a garden, I was handed over to Jews from a garden and crucified in a garden.

Look at the spittle on my face, which I received because of you, in order to restore you to that first divine inbreathing at creation. See the blows on my cheeks, which I accepted in order to refashion your distorted form to my own image.

See the scourging of my back, which I accepted in order to disperse the load of your sins which was laid upon your back. See my hands nailed to the tree for a good purpose, for you, who stretched out your hand to the tree for an evil one.

I slept on the cross and a sword pierced my side, for you, who slept in paradise and brought forth Eve from your side. My side healed the pain of your side; my sleep will release you from your sleep in Hades; my sword has checked the sword which was turned against you.

But arise, let us go hence. The enemy brought you out of the land of paradise; I will reinstate you, no longer in paradise, but on the throne of heaven. I denied you the tree of life, which was a figure, but now I myself am united to you, I who am life. I posted the cherubim to guard you as they would slaves; now I make the cherubim worship you as they would God.

The cherubim throne has been prepared, the bearers are ready and waiting, the bridal chamber is in order, the food is provided, the everlasting houses and rooms are in readiness; the treasures of good things have been opened; the kingdom of heaven has been prepared before the ages.”

Prayer:
Almighty, ever-living God, whose Only-begotten Son descended to the realm of the dead, and rose from there to glory, grant that your faithful people, who were buried with him in baptism, may, by his resurrection, obtain eternal life.
(We make our prayer) through our Lord.
(Through Christ our Lord.)
– Prepared by Pontifical University Saint Thomas Aquinas

Brothers and Sisters,

For those like myself, who are not familiar with the veneration of this relic, or even the relic itself (me again), here is an amazing story……………..and it matches to head wounds shown on the Shroud.

The article below seems to offer a sound provenance for the Sudarium.

In any case I found the article interesting and informative. I hope you do as well.

Have a blessed Easter.

The Sudarium of Oviedo:
Its History and Relationship to the Shroud of Turin
Mark Guscin, B.A. M.Phil.
Copyright 1997
All Rights Reserved
Reprinted by Permission

1: Physical Description and History

One of the relics held by the cathedral in the town of Oviedo, in the north of Spain, is a piece of cloth measuring approximately 84 x 53 cm. There is no image on this cloth. Only stains are visible to the naked eye, although more is visible under the microscope. The remarkable thing about this cloth is that both tradition and scientific studies claim that the cloth was used to cover and clean the face of Jesus after the crucifixion. We are going to present and look into these claims.
Such a cloth is known to have existed from the gospel of John, chapter 20, verses 6 and 7. These verses read as follows, “Simon Peter, following him, also came up, went into the tomb, saw the linen cloth lying on the ground, and also the cloth that had been over his head; this was not with the linen cloth but rolled up in a place by itself.” John clearly differentiates between this smaller face cloth, the sudarium, and the larger linen that had wrapped the body.

The history of the sudarium is well documented, and much more straightforward than that of the Shroud. Most of the information comes from the twelfth century bishop of Oviedo, Pelagius (or Pelayo), whose historical works are the Book of the Testaments of Oviedo, and the Chronicon Regum Legionensium.

According to this history, the sudarium was in Palestine until shortly before the year 614, when Jerusalem was attacked and conquered by Chosroes II, who was king of Persia from 590 to 628. It was taken away to avoid destruction in the invasion, first to Alexandria by the presbyter Philip, then across the north of Africa when Chosroes conquered Alexandria in 616. The sudarium entered Spain at Cartagena, along with people who were fleeing from the Persians. The bishop of Ecija, Fulgentius, welcomed the refugees and the relics, and surrendered the chest, or ark, to Leandro, bishop of Seville. He took it to Seville, where it spent some years.

Saint Isidore was later bishop of Seville, and teacher of Saint Ildefonso, who was in turn appointed bishop of Toledo. When he left Seville to take up his post there, he took the chest with him. It stayed in Toledo until the year 718. It was then taken further north to avoid destruction at the hands of the Muslims, who conquered the majority of the Iberian peninsula at the beginning of the eighth century. It was first kept in a cave that is now called Monsacro, ten kilometres from Oviedo. King Alfonso II had a special chapel built for the chest, called the “Cámara Santa”, later incorporated into the cathedral.

The key date in the history of the sudarium is the 14th March 1075, when the chest was officially opened in the presence of King Alfonso VI, his sister Doña Urraca, and Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, better known as El Cid. A list was made of the relics that were in the chest, and which included the sudarium. In the year 1113, the chest was covered with silver plating, on which there is an inscription inviting all Christians to venerate this relic which contains the holy blood. The sudarium has been kept in the cathedral at Oviedo ever since.

2: Analysis of the Sudarium

The sudarium of Oviedo

All the credit for the investigations carried out on the sudarium must go to the Investigation Team of the Spanish Centre for Sindonology, under the leadership of Guillermo Heras. The medical part of the investigation was done by Dr. José Villalaín.

The stains on the sudarium show that when the cloth was placed on the dead man’s face, it was folded over, although not in the middle. Counting both sides of the cloth, there is therefore a fourfold stain in a logical order of decreasing intensity.

From the composition of the main stains, it is evident that the man whose face the sudarium covered died in an upright position. The stains consist of one part blood and six parts fluid from a pleural oedema. This liquid collects in the lungs when a crucified person dies of asphyxiation, and if the body subsequently suffers jolting movements, can come out through the nostrils. These are in fact the main stains visible on the sudarium.  These stains in the nasal area are also superimposed on each other, with the different outlines clearly visible. This means that the first stain had already dried when the second stain was formed, and so on.

A specially modeled head was used by Dr. Villalaín to recreate the stains

Dr. Villalaín had a specially modelled head made to reconstruct the process of staining and drying, and was thus able to calculate the time that elapsed between the formation of each stain.
The cloth was not wrapped entirely round the head because the right cheek was almost touching the right shoulder. This suggests that the sudarium was put into place while the body was still on the cross. The second stain was made about an hour later, when the body was taken down. The third stain was made when the body was lifted from the ground about forty five minutes later. The body was lying at the foot of the cross for about forty-five minutes before being buried. The marks (not fingerprints) of the fingers that held the cloth to the nose are also visible.

How the sudarium was wrapped around the head

The experiments with the model head and the study of the stains also show that when the man died his head was tilted seventy degrees forward and twenty degrees to the right. This position further suggests that the man whose face the sudarium covered died crucified.

There are smaller bloodstains at the side of the main group. It would appear that the sudarium was pinned to the back of the dead man’s head, and that these spots of blood were from small sharp objects, which would logically be the thorns that caused this type of injury all over Jesus’ head.
The medical studies are not the only ones that have been carried out on the sudarium. Dr. Max Frei analysed pollen samples taken from the cloth, and found species typical of Oviedo, Toledo, North Africa and Jerusalem. This confirms the historical route described earlier. There was nothing relating the cloth to Constantinople, France, Italy or any other country in Europe.

An international congress was held in Oviedo in 1994, where various papers were presented about the sudarium. Dr. Frei’s work with pollen was confirmed, and enlarged on. Species of pollen called “quercus caliprimus” were found, both of which are limited to the area of Palestine.

Residues of what is most probably myrrh and aloe have also been discovered, mentioned directly in the gospel of john, 19:39-40, “Nicodemus came as well…and he brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes…They took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, following the Jewish burial custom.”

The stains were also studied from the point of view of anthropology. The conclusion was that the face that had been in contact with the sudarium had typically Jewish features, a prominent nose and pronounced cheekbones.

Finally, the very fact that the cloth was kept at all is a sign of its authenticity, as it has no artistic or monetary value at all. All the studies carried out so far point in one direction, with nothing to suggest the contrary the sudarium was used to cover the head of the dead body of Jesus of Nazareth from when he was taken down from the cross until he was buried.

3: Coincidence with the Shroud
The sudarium alone has revealed sufficient information to suggest that it was in contact with the face of Jesus after the crucifixion. However, the really fascinating evidence comes to light when this cloth is compared to the Shroud of Turin.

The first and most obvious coincidence is that the blood on both cloths belongs to the same group, namely AB.

The length of the nose through which the pleural oedema fluid came onto the sudarium has been calculated at eight centimetres, just over three inches. This is exactly the same length as the nose on the image of the Shroud.

If the face of the image on the Shroud is placed over the stains on the sudarium, perhaps the most obvious coincidence is the exact fit of the stains with the beard on the face. As the sudarium was used to clean the man’s face, it appears that it was simply placed on the face to absorb all the blood, but not used in any kind of wiping movement.

A small stain is also visible proceeding from the right hand side of the man’s mouth. This stain is hardly visible on the Shroud, but Dr. John Jackson, using the VP-8 and photo enhancements has confirmed its presence.

The thorn wounds on the nape of the neck also coincide perfectly with the bloodstains on the Shroud.

Dr. Alan Whanger applied the Polarized Image Overlay Technique to the sudarium, comparing it to the image and bloodstains on the Shroud. The frontal stains on the sudarium show seventy points of coincidence with the Shroud, and the rear side shows fifty. The only possible conclusion is that the Oviedo sudarium covered the same face as the Turin Shroud.

4: The Temporal Aspect the sudarium before the Shroud

The sudarium has no image, and none of the facial stains of dried or drying blood visible on the Shroud, especially the stain on the forehead in the shape of an inverted three. The stains on the sudarium were made by a less viscous mixture.

This, together with the fact that the fingers which held the sudarium to Jesus’ nose have left their mark, point to a short temporal use of the cloth and eliminate the possibility of its contact with the body after burial.

Jewish tradition demands that if the face of a dead person was in any way disfigured, it should be covered with a cloth to avoid people seeing this unpleasant sight. This would certainly have been the case with Jesus, whose face was covered in blood from the injuries produced by the crown of thorns and swollen from falling and being struck.

It seems that the sudarium was first used before the dead body was taken down from the cross and discarded when it was buried.

This fits in with what we learn from John’s gospel, which tells us that the sudarium was rolled up in a place by itself.

5: Conclusions
The studies on the sudarium and the comparison of this cloth with the Shroud are just one of the many branches of science which point to both having covered the dead body of Jesus. The history of the Oviedo cloth is well documented, and the conclusions of this for the dating of the Shroud need no further comment.

Holy Week is the most solemn and glorious week in Christianity, the pinnacle of the liturgical year. It is more sacred than Christmas! This is because Holy Week commemorates the final week of Our Lord’s life, the very purpose for which Christmas happened.

Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday (when Jesus made his final entrance into Jerusalem) and culminates with Easter Sunday. As Holy Week progresses to its final days the solemnity heightens. Beginning at sundown on Holy Thursday ending at sundown on Easter, this three-day period is referred to as the Easter Triduum, also known as the Sacred Triduum, or Paschal Triduum.

Simply put the term Triduum simply means a liturgical celebration lasting three days. The Sacred Paschal Triduum is the three most solemn days of the liturgical year; Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil. These most holy days form the greatest festival recounting of the last three days of Jesus’ life on earth.

We celebrate the Paschal Mystery, beginning with the passion, suffering, and death of the Lord Jesus. This is followed by His time in the tomb, then followed by his resurrection, the triumph of the holy cross, and Christ’s decisive victory over sin and death. In short, we celebrate our salvation which was accomplished when the Lamb of God laid down his life in atonement for our sins.

“Though chronologically three days, they are liturgically one day unfolding for us the unity of Christ’s Paschal Mystery” (USCCB).

The following is drawn from an article entitled Everything You Need to Know about the Sacred Triduum, by Gretchen Filz, dated April 5, 2017 which appeared on the Get Fed website, a service of the Catholic Company.

The evening Mass on Holy Thursday or Maundy Thursday, is referred to as The Mass of the Lord’s Supper. This is where the Church relives the institution of the Eucharist and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass at the Last Supper, as well as the institution of the priesthood, which took place the evening before Jesus was crucified.

After the homily there is an optional washing of the feet ceremony, where the priest washes the feet of others to signify his role as servant, just as Jesus did with his disciples. Extra hosts are consecrated at this Mass to be used on Good Friday when no Mass will be celebrated.

The Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday concludes with a procession of the Blessed Sacrament to the “altar of repose,” a place where the consecrated host is kept other than the main altar where Mass is normally celebrated.

Good Friday is a mandatory day of fasting and abstinence. This is the day of the crucifixion, the day Jesus died for the sins of the world. The parish altar looks very different on Good Friday, it is plain and bare. There is no consecrated Host in the Tabernacle at the main altar of the church; it was carried away on Holy Thursday night to the “altar of repose” to signify Jesus’ death. The candle by the Tabernacle is blown out, and the Tabernacle doors are left open to show that it is empty. Jesus is gone. This is quite dramatic, highlighting that Good Friday is a solemn day of prayer and mourning.

The ceremony on Good Friday is not a Mass, but rather a communion service using the consecrated hosts from Holy Thursday. It often takes place at 3pm, the hour that Jesus breathed his last on the cross. Veneration of the Cross also takes place at this service, processing to kneel before a cross and either touching it or kissing it. Often the priest will begin the service prostrate in front of the altar. NOTE: Schedule for OLQU is Stations of the Cross at 3PM and Liturgy at 7PM.

On Holy Saturday, Christ is in the tomb. There is no daytime Mass on Holy Saturday. It is still a day of fasting and sorrow, the final one before the Easter Vigil begins that evening. We remember, with Mary and the disciples, that Jesus died and was separated from them for the first time as he lay in the tomb. The faithful often continue their Good Friday fast through Holy Saturday.

Easter Vigil / Easter Sunday – A vigil Mass is held after nightfall on Holy Saturday, or before dawn on Easter Sunday, in celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. This is called the Easter Vigil, the most glorious, beautiful, and dramatic liturgy for the Church.

The vigil is divided into four parts and can last up to three hours: 1) the service of light, 2) the liturgy of the Word, 3) the liturgy of Baptism, and 4) the liturgy of the Eucharist. This is also the Mass where many in RCIA are brought into full communion with the Catholic Church.

Easter Sunday is what we’ve all been waiting for! The 40 days of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving during Lent was in preparation for this day, when our hearts and souls can drink in deeply the culmination of the Pascal mystery: The Resurrection.

“Therefore, Easter is not simply one feast among others, but the ‘Feast of feasts’, the ‘Solemnity of solemnities’, just as the Eucharist is the ‘Sacrament of sacraments’. St. Athanasius calls Easter ‘the Great Sunday’ and the Eastern Churches call Holy Week ‘the Great Week’. The mystery of the Resurrection, in which Christ crushed death, permeates with its powerful energy our old time, until all is subjected to him.” (CCC #1168, 1169)

This is a wonderful reflection on God’s mercy and how He provides us the graces that we need to accomplish whatever task he gives us.  I am always awed by the wisdom of the Saints of the early Church.

From a sermon by Saint Bernadine of Siena, priest
The faithful foster-father and guardian
There is a general rule concerning all special graces granted to any human being. Whenever the divine favor chooses someone to receive a special grace, or to accept a lofty vocation, God adorns the person chosen with all the gifts of the Spirit needed to fulfill the task at hand.

This general rule is especially verified in the case of Saint Joseph, the foster-father of our Lord and the husband of the Queen of our world, enthroned above the angels. He was chosen by the eternal Father as the trustworthy guardian and protector of his greatest treasures, namely, his divine Son and Mary, Joseph’s wife. He carried out this vocation with complete fidelity until at last God called him, saying: Good and faithful servant enter into the joy of your Lord.

What then is Joseph’s position in the whole Church of Christ? Is he not a man chosen and set apart? Through him and, yes, under him, Christ was fittingly and honorably introduced into the world. Holy Church in its entirety is indebted to the Virgin Mother because through her it was judged worthy to receive Christ. But after her we undoubtedly owe special gratitude and reverence to Saint Joseph.

In him the Old Testament finds its fitting close. He brought the noble line of patriarchs and prophets to its promised fulfillment. What the divine goodness had offered as a promise to them, he held in his arms.

Obviously, Christ does not now deny to Joseph that intimacy, reverence and very high honor which he gave him on earth, as a son to his father. Rather we must say that in heaven Christ completes and perfects all that he gave at Nazareth.

Now we can see how the last summoning words of the Lord appropriately apply to Saint Joseph: Enter into the joy of your Lord. In fact, although the joy of eternal happiness enters into the soul of a man, the Lord preferred to say to Joseph: Enter into joy. His intention was that the words should have a hidden spiritual meaning for us. They convey not only that this holy man possesses an inward joy, but also that it surrounds him and engulfs him like an infinite abyss.

Remember us, Saint Joseph, and plead for us to your foster-child. Ask your most holy bride, the Virgin Mary, to look kindly upon us, since she is the mother of him who with the Father and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns eternally. Amen.

In a recent homily I exhorted people to get involved in the public square.  Well so does the Church.

Probably one of the most forgotten documents to come out of Vatican II is the Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity.

I do not know why that is but it seems we may be returning to a time where it is up to the Clerics and Religious to carry the message of the Gospel.   I read the decree many years ago and basically set it aside.

While in diaconal formation I attended an event in Birmingham, AL and heard a man speak.  The man was Charlie Osburn a Catholic Lay Evangelist. You can do a web search.  He was a dynamic speaker and author.  In many ways he reminded me of the travelling evangelists of my youth.  Charlie had an interesting line.  He said that when he travelled to speak he always had two things handy, one was his bible, and the second was a copy of the Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity. Told by his bishop that he was to become the first Catholic evangelist in his diocese, he started the International School of Catholic Lay Evangelization as a direct response to Pope Paul VI’s document On Evangelization in the Modern World.  Charlie went from being a restaurant/bar owner in Pensacola Florida to a full time Lay Evangelist.

Both the Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity and Evangelization in the Modern World call on the laity to evangelize the temporal order.  Paragraph 17 of Evangelization in the Modern World states “One cannot fail to stress the evangelizing action of the family in the evangelizing apostolate of the laity.”  The Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity in paragraph 2 declares that the laity “share in the priestly, prophetic, and kingly office of Christ” and as such have “their own assignment in the mission of the whole people of God.”  One of the tasks is to “have the Gospel spirit permeate and improve the temporal order.”

Part of improving the temporal order is insuring that just policies are enacted by our government officials and existing laws are enforced justly and equitably.  Now we can debate what those policies should be, their priorities, and how they are to be implemented, but to do this requires involvement in the public square, i.e. politics.

The following is an article from the National Catholic Register on this very topic.

Minnesota Archbishop: Catholics Belong in the Public Square
Archbishop Bernard Hebda said it is the duty of the laity to represent the Catholic faith in the public arena.
CNA/EWTN News
MINNEAPOLIS — Archbishop Bernard Hebda of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis said it is the duty of the laity to represent the Catholic faith in the public arena, especially pointing to the current debate surrounding immigration.
“Within the Church, it is the laity who are called upon to ‘especially assist with their Christian wisdom’ the shaping of the temporal order in order to both further the common good and prepare the way for the Gospel,” said Archbishop Hebda, citing the “Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity” from the Second Vatican Council.
The archbishop’s call to action in a March 8 column for The Catholic Spirit comes in preparation for the second of three “Capitol 101” workshops, focusing on educating and encouraging the Minnesota faithful to better participate in the legislative process.
The first session was held by the Minnesota Catholic Conference Feb. 26, and follow-up sessions will be held March 16 and April 17. At the workshops, attendees are able to meet Minnesota senators and representatives and learn about relevant policies and the legislative process.
Outside of the event, the Minnesota Catholic Conference has encouraged Catholics to offer an hour of adoration or a Rosary for lawmakers and ask for the intercession of St. Thomas More, patron of statesmen.
The first workshop coincided with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishop’s “National Catholic Call-In Day in Support of Dreamers,” which took place Feb. 23.
The call-in day encouraged Catholics to contact their representatives in Washington, D.C., asking them to work toward a fair and compassionate solution for “Dreamers,” immigrants who were brought to the United States illegally as children.
A program known as “Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals” (DACA) had offered protection for these individuals, but the policy is set to expire. The U.S. bishops have called for a solution that protects “Dreamers” from deportation and provides a path to citizenship.
“Many of the Dreamers, through no fault of their own, had been brought here as infants or toddlers; the United States is accordingly the only home that they have known, and the prospect of deportation to an unknown country is devastating,” said Archbishop Hebda.
While political philosophies and perspectives differ, he said, it is always the obligation of Catholics to aid the process of peace.
He quoted the U.S. bishops’ document “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship,” which says, “Catholics may choose different ways to respond to compelling social problems, but we cannot differ on our moral obligation to help build a more just and peaceful world through morally acceptable means so that the weak and vulnerable are protected and human rights and dignity are defended.”
Noting that America’s Founding Fathers sought to protect the practice of faith in public life, the archbishop rejected the argument by some that separation of church and state means that religion should be excluded from the public square.
“They misread our Constitution as requiring a division between personal belief and public action, or between moral principles and political choices.”
Archbishop Hebda expressed gratitude for the success of the first “Capitol 101” workshop and encouraged participation in the next two workshops, noting it is a responsibility of every Catholic to pray for the vulnerable and build a just community.
“All of us share the responsibility of striving to build a just community in which the weak and vulnerable are protected and human rights and dignity are defended. Let us pray for one another in undertaking this important work.”

Father Dwight Longenecker is a Catholic Priest of the Diocese of Charlotte, SC.  He is also a former Anglican Priest who came over to the Catholic Faith prior to the establishment of the Personal Ordinariate.  He is a blogger, speaker, author and a defender of orthodoxy.  Entries on his blog, Standing on My Head,  often appears of in Patheos.

The following appeared on-line March 12, 2018.

12 Things to Remember if You Keep Sinning the Same Sin

One of the things that gets people down the most when they are really trying to make spiritual progress is when they keep falling into the same sin over and over again.
We’re sorry. We think we’re not going to do it again.
Then we do.
We’re filled with guilt, regret and shame.
It’s easy to want to give up.
We get frustrated and tell ourselves its not really a sin anyway or if it is it’s not serious.
Here are twelve things to remember if you if you keep falling into the same sin.
1. Perfection is the work of a lifetime.
Did you think you were going to become a saint overnight? This is a problem with us Americans. We like the instant fix, the painless solution and the easy way out. Pope St John Paul II said, “Chastity is the work of a lifetime”. Nothing great ever comes easily. Becoming a saint is like becoming an Olympic athlete or a concert pianist. It doesn’t happen quickly.
2. Don’t be so hard on yourself.
Yes, by all means set a high standard. Don’t be too easy on yourself, but also don’t be tough on yourself. If you continue trying then you’re doing the right thing. It’s an old cliche, but it’s true: “It doesn’t matter how often you fall. It matters how often you get up.” As long as you’re still on the path and getting up it doesn’t matter that much if you stumble.

3. Be objective about your problem.
The amount of guilt and shame you feel is not necessarily a precise indicator of the seriousness of the sin. We tend to feel more guilty and ashamed of the sins of the flesh because they are so dangerous and seem so dirty. Your lack of prayer or your disrespect of other people may be more serious than the sins you are very ashamed of. Your pride and arrogance may be more of a spiritual block than the sins of the flesh. This is not to excuse sins of the flesh, but the emotions of guilt and shame we feel about them sometimes blocks awareness of other sins that do not make us feel ashamed. Be objective in your examination of conscience and don’t wallow in your guilt and shame. Instead, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, get going to the confessional and trust in God’s mercy.
4. Get clear about mortal and venial sin.
For it to be mortal sin it has to be grave matter. That means it has to be a serious sin, which by its very nature cuts you off from God’s love. Secondly, you have to know it is a mortal sin and there has to be an element of deliberation and decision about it. You have to say, “I know this is a grave sin, but I’m going to do it anyway.” When you stumble and fall keep that in mind. If you do commit a mortal sin simply turn to God immediately and make a true act of contrition. If you do this with the intention of going to confession as soon as you can, you are on the path back to God.
5. Habitual sin sometimes has deep psychological roots.
This doesn’t let you off the hook, but it does mean that your culpability or guilt could be lessened. If you suffer from a genuine addiction problem and can’t overcome a particular sin go and get some professional help. Therapists and counsellors can assist you in finding the root cause of the addiction. If you can’t quit a particular sin you may have an addiction problem. Lots of people do without realizing it or else they deny it. Think it through. You might need some extra help. That’s okay. You don’t mind going to the dentist for tooth decay. Don’t be ashamed to go to a priest if you have soul decay.
6. Take the deliverance ministry seriously.
If you are trapped in a particular sin you may be oppressed by an evil spirit. When I say “evil spirit” I don’t necessarily mean a demon. It could be an evil spirit of a human origin–a traumatic memory, a poisonous relationship from the past or some unknown diabolical or humanly evil factor. If you feel there is an evil spirit dimension to your problem use simple prayer and fasting therapy. Keep Fridays as a fasting day and focus on the Lord’s prayer as a deliverance prayer. If need be ask a local priest for prayers of deliverance when you go to confession. Be careful though because many priests are not familiar with this ministry. You might have to search for the right one.
7. How temptation works.
First there is the thought that you might do a particular thing. Then comes the surge of desire. Then comes a stronger urge in which you argue with yourself. By then it’s too late. Resist the temptation as soon as the thought comes to you. Remember the deliverance ministry and do a self deliverance. Rebuke Satan and you can even say out loud, “Go away Satan.”
8. Use sacramentals.
The St Benedict medal, the scapular, the rosary, the Sacred Scriptures–all these are weapons in the spiritual battle. Learn how to wield them and use them actively.
9. Pray that you will see the sin for what it really is.
You will not rid yourself of the sin until you are truly disgusted by it. Imagine being addicted to bacon cheeseburgers. You will only kick the habit when you get to the point where you see a picture of a bacon cheeseburger and say, “Ughhh! Why would I want to eat that greasy lump of dead animal stuck between that gooey bun dripping with that revolting ketchup?” So pray that your desires will be purified and you will be attracted to all that is beautiful, good and true.
10. Find a good confessor and stay with him.
The serious penitent returns to the confessor and builds a relationship so he can see that progress is being made. If your parish priest isn’t that person find one who is and value him. He’ll help you overcome the sins that keep troubling you.
11. Don’t give up.
Whatever you do, don’t give up. Don’t tell yourself that your sin is not a sin. That way destruction lies. Instead face up to the sin and keep up with the struggle. It’s the beautiful struggle! Don’t give up!
12. Remember God is on your side.
Too many Catholics are on some kind of weird guilt trip as if God is in the business of watching people so he can give them a smack when they get out of line. Believe me. God is in exactly the opposite business. “God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.” (Jn 3:17) Will you try to get it into your head that God is looking for every opportunity to forgive you–not for every opportunity to condemn you? He is not willing for any to perish. Take heart.

Read more at http://www.patheos.com/blogs/standingonmyhead/2018/03/12-things-remember-keep-sinning-sin.html#j3Tr2ud3hlTBLlD4.99