-St. Benedicta of the Cross, 20th century

Last night I received this comment on an old post. Read it, friends, and weep:

God loves you fully for who you are – your sexuality is an expression of the love in your soul and heart and God does not require that you repress it unless you really want that (i.e. as a monk)…brother you are trying to be accepted by the church but the true acceptance comes from God – the church’s reasons to oppose gay love are history, fear, self-repression and bigotry–the church has got it wrong and in time will correct it – in the meantime
are rejected and treated as half people – please promise you will try to talk to somebody more open – perhaps Jesuits- please realize God made you as you are and loves you—
- another Gay Catholic who is a practicing Catholic and has a loving partner.

So much compassion, and so much confusion. The author appears to assume the following things:
• - That I don’t believe God loves me, SSA and all.
• - That all sexual feelings are expressions of love.
• - That the only way to be celibate is through “repression”.
• - That rejecting the behavior of gay people (or anyone else) implies a rejection of the people themselves.

So many Catholics have been tricked into believing that they can take the parts they love about Catholicism and leave the parts they don’t. This would be the case if the Church were a philosophy, or a political creed, or a theory. The Church is none of those things.

The Church is — among other things — the instrument by which God communicates His truth to the world. Like Christ, she is both human and divine. Her humanity means that she is full of knaves and imbeciles1 as well as saints, just like the rest of the world. It means that her members, who of all people should know better, have often done unspeakable and horrific things, and often done them in the name of Christ.

But she is also divine, and because of this, there is one thing she has never done: she has never erred in her official teachings on a matter of faith and morals, Nor has she ever changed one of these teachings. I challenge you to find one instance, just one, of such an error or such a change. (Citations required, please.)

This unchangeability is our salvation. As soon as we begin to sift through Catholic moral teaching and select the ones that please us, we have ceased to believe in the Church as she has always been understood, and have replaced her with something that is designed to suit us. We have changed her foundation from rock to sand.

We have, in short, set ourselves up as the ultimate authorities. I’ve lived with myself all my life, dear readers, and by this time I know very well that I’m not an ultimate anything. Thank God for the Church, my compass, my anchor, my North Star. However far I wander, she will always leads me back to sanity; because she does not move.

Please pray for this man and all those like him, who have been led so far into the wilderness that they no longer know they are lost.

1 q.v. Hilaire Belloc: “[The Church is] an institute run with such knavish imbecility that if it were not the work of God it would not last a fortnight.”

Dear brothers and sisters,

With great joy and emotion I come among you this morning for a well timed visit just a few days before celebrations of the Birth of Our Lord. I extend a warm greeting to all present, especially the Minister of Justice, Paula Severino, and chaplain, whom I thank for his words of welcome addressed to me on your behalf. I greet the Prison director, Dr. Canton Caramel, his co-workers, prison guards and volunteers who devote themselves to the activities of this Institute. And I especially greet the inmates, to whom I express my closeness.

“I was in prison and you came to me” (Matthew 25:36). These are the words of the Last Judgment, as told by the Evangelist Matthew, and these words of the Lord, in which he identifies with the prisoners, express the full meaning of my visit with you today.

…I have come to tell you simply that God loves you with infinite love, and you are always the same children of God. The only-begotten Son of God, The Lord Jesus, experienced prison, He was subjected to trial before a court and suffered the most cruel death sentence.

…Dear brothers and sisters, human and divine justice are very different. Of course, men are not able to apply divine justice, but should at least look at it, trying to grasp the deep spirit that animates it, to enlighten human justice, to avoid – as unfortunately often happens – the inmate becoming an outcast. In fact, God is the one who proclaims justice with force, but at the same time, heals all wounds with the balm of mercy.

The parable of the Gospel of Matthew (20:1-16) on day-laborers in the vineyard helps us understand the difference between human and divine justice, because it clearly explains the delicate relationship between justice and mercy. The parable describes a farmer who takes on workers for his vineyard. He does so, however, at different times of day, so that some work all day while others just one hour. When the time comes for payment, the master arouses wonder and ignites a debate among the workers. The issue regards the generosity – considered an injustice by those present – of the vineyard owner, who decides to give workers the same wages to both the workers from the morning and those from late afternoon. From a human point of view this decision is an authentic injustice, from God’s point of view, it is an act of kindness, because divine justice gives to each his own, and also includes mercy and forgiveness.

…in Him justice and charity coincide: there is no just action that is not also an act of mercy and forgiveness and at the same time, there is no act of mercy that is not perfectly just.

How far the logic of God is from our own! And how different is our way of acting from His! The Lord invites us to understand and observe the true spirit of the law, to give it fulfillment in love for those in need. “Love fulfills the Law,” writes St. Paul (Romans 13:10): the more our justice is animated by love for God and neighbor, the more perfect it will be…

Dear friends, today is the fourth Sunday of Advent. May the Birth of the Lord, now approaching, rekindle hope and love in your heart. The birth of the Lord Jesus, which we will commemorate in a few days, reminds us of His mission to bring salvation to all men without exception. His salvation is not imposed, but comes to us through acts of love, mercy and forgiveness that we ourselves create. The Child of Bethlehem will be happy when all men will return to God with a renewed heart. We ask in silence and prayer each one of us to be freed from the prison of sin, vainglory, and pride: everyone needs release from this interior prison to be truly free from evil, from anxiety and death. Only that Child lying in the manger is able to give full freedom to all this!

I want to finish by telling you that the Church supports and encourages any efforts to guarantee everyone a decent life. Be sure that I am close to each of you, your families, your children, your young, your old and I carry you all in my heart before God. May the Lord bless you and your future!

When I was a happy mother of four, seriously considering and deeply desiring another child, an odd feeling overcame me. Over several days, my excitement at the idea of a new little soul became mixed with feelings of discouragement and fear. It began to dawn on me that I was barely good enough “mommy material” for the four treasures I already had, and that any further parenting would be irresponsible. It came to a head one evening: I remember standing in my kitchen, full of fear and anxiety, telling myself that I had no business – no business! – having another baby. Not now, not ever.

All my shortcomings and sins came to the forefront of my mind, and I stood there reeling from the truth of it:

I can’t cook.
I can’t grocery shop.
I can’t bring the kids out alone without help.
I have nooooo patience.
I am not crafty in the least.
I can’t sew.
I can’t throw a party.
I’m not athletic or outdoorsy.
I don’t know how to make a pretty home.
I don’t know how to make anything fun.
I am lazy and a procrastinator.
I’m used to being served, not serving.
I am sarcastic and cranky.
I am a complainer.
I like to be alone.
I hate to be interrupted or inconvenienced.
I am not particularly good with children.

In that moment, I knew all of these things. And I was discouraged. Any one of these reasons could be enough for a woman to convince herself that it’s imprudent to have another child. In fact, you might just be saying to yourself now, “My gosh, that woman shouldn’t have one child, much less eight!”

But see, there’s the thing: Moms of big families are told constantly by other women that “I couldn’t do what you do!” or “You must have so much patience!” or “You must have a real way with children!” They think we were given a special gift or have a mutant gene that they do not possess. But they have no idea how much we are just like them. In fact, most of the women who say those things to me are better suited to raise a large family than I.

As I stood there in the kitchen that night, a moment of grace overtook the moment of discouragement. How many times had I told others, “Discouragement is not from Christ, as Christ only encourages. Discouragement is from the devil!” I remembered it then, and my fears and anxieties were banished. Only the devil himself, the one who hates human beings to his rotten core, would taunt me with the notion that my lack of gourmet skills should preclude new life in my marriage. I saw the evil of it then, and I called him out. I still cussed a lot back then, and I am pretty sure I told the devil what he could do with his putrid flood of discouraging thoughts. Yeah, that was a good moment.

Since that day, five eternal souls have been created in our family, four of whom my husband and I have the privilege of raising on this earth. And, while I can’t claim to have conquered all the deficiencies and vices on my list (not even close! drat!), the existence of all my children has moved me along the path of holiness. Because that’s how it works: The souls in your life are gifts, each of whom is meant to sanctify you in a particular way. My little sanctifiers are the artisans who change and mold me in all the ways God knows I need, and they are their father’s and their siblings’ artisans, too.

That my family exists as it does is living proof that “with God, all things are possible” – even Leila Miller mothering eight great kids.

Deo gratias.

The banner which was put up midway through October in honor of Respect for Life month shows a picture of a mother kissing a newborn baby with the words “Choose Life” followed by the phone number 1-800-848-Life for a pro-life help hot line. Father Stanley Gomes, director of Campus Ministry, told the Cardinal Newman Society he intends to keep the banner up for two more weeks.

But the student newspaper The Setonian says the banner has elicited “mixed reviews,” even quoting one student who said, “We are a college whose primary focus should be about providing a quality education to its students, not making a bold political statement before prospective students and families can even drive inside the gates and see what we have to offer.”

In an interview with the Cardinal Newman Society, Fr. Gomes said he is aware of the controversy. “You see, even at a Catholic university like this one, students and even some intellectuals are not clear why we would put something like this up,” he said. “They think it’s a political statement. That’s how the world sees it but our idea is to celebrate life.”

Fr. Gomes said, “Some of the negative comments are that it’s an institution of learning, and they’re asking why are you making a political statement. But some students say it’s about time that we should celebrate our identity as a Catholic university and we should do this stuff more.”

Fr. Gomes said he expects more negative responses but he is undeterred. “I’m not afraid. We’re Catholic people. God loving. People loving people,” he said. “Even those who oppose us, we embrace them all.”

The University began honoring this month on the first Sunday of October with a special prayer during the day’s masses.

Fr. Gomes said he sees he believes good will come of the banner for those who support it and even those who don’t. “This is a very pro-woman, pro-motherhood banner,” he said. “As an institution of higher learning we need to face complicated matters. We need to face touchy matters. Students need to be given the chance to deal with life’s difficult issues, to face challenges of the world. Bringing our faith and reason together helps us act as an intellectual and faithful member of the church.”

And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.”

There are two ways of looking at Halloween.  Sure, from a Christian perspective it’s not especially great to have the kidlets dressing up as the devil and whatnot.  On the other hand, look at it from the devil’s perspective.  You revolted against God and fell from heaven in this primordial struggle against God Almighty Himself.  In your titanic pride you had high hopes of establishing yourself supreme in the universe.  You committed your greatest act of terrorism against God when you convinced His own precious Adam and Eve to revolt against Him.  You brought death into the human race and you thought you had it made when God, as it appeared to you, insanely chose to become human.  On Good Friday you finally had Him in your hand and you killed Him with all the savagery your fallen angelic mind could invent.  And now, for two thousand years, you’ve been watching your revolt crumble as the Risen One turned all your schemes into life for your victims and mockery for you.  Now, so far from ruling the universe, your face is on some stupid mask worn by a 6-year-old and the creatures you hoped to destroy are writing meditations like this one to pull your pointy nose and remind you that the Christ you killed has defeated you utterly.  Memo to Satan: Happy Halloween, loser!

Thou destroyest those who speak lies;
the Lord abhors bloodthirsty and deceitful men.
But I through the abundance of Thy steadfast love
will enter Thy house,
I will worship toward Thy holy temple
in the fear of Thee.

There are two ways of reading today’s psalm.  One way is to see it as the straightforward boast of somebody who believes God loves him and hates his enemies.  However, another way of seeing the psalm is through the lens of baptism.  When we do, we discover that whole psalm is about one person.  I am the liar, the bloodthirsty, the deceitful man.  And in baptism, that man was destroyed — crucified with Christ.  But that is not the end of the story.  By the abundance of His steadfast love, I am also graced to enter His house through the Resurrection of Christ.  Now I and all who are in Christ worship in the holy Temple that is His Body, the Church.  Thanks be to God for His mercy!

And all spoke well of Him, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth; and they said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?”

Monsters of pride, such as Hitler, can gain a following if they tell their egotistical audience “We share a common destiny of Greatness!” But if we perceive there’s no Pride-building project going on, we will often repudiate even the humble.  Thus, when Jesus humbly and truly announces that He is the fulfillment of Scripture, people initially speak well of Him: after all, He might be an up-and-comer in the Pride Game to whom we can hitch our wagon!  But then He shoots this prideful hope down and starts to praise foreigners and not us!  The room temperature drops considerably at that.  It dropped for the Apostles too, when they followed in Jesus’ footsteps and emptied themselves of all that they had to become rich toward God.  People thought they were throwing their lives away.  God thought they were delightfully humble and made them the foundation of the Church and judges over the twelve tribes of Israel.

And Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”

It is possible to take a statue of Mary holding the infant Jesus and re-sculpt it so that it depicts only Mary. But then one is driven to answer, “Why bother, since Mary only matters to us insofar as she was the Mother of Jesus?” However, an even more vexing challenge would be to chisel away at Mary until the Infant Jesus is left floating in the air. No one has ever accomplished this. And for good reason, the interrelationship of Mother and Son is part of the warp and woof of the Incarnation and of salvation itself. No Mary, no humanity for the Second Person of the Trinity; no humanity, no ability to die on the cross; no death, no resurrection; no resurrection, no salvation for you and me. Ergo, no Mary, no salvation. Thank you, Blessed Mother, for saying “yes” to God!