Ave Maria!

Fr. Angelo Geiger shows how to Stand Fast in Holy week when the culture around us is not so holy. Using the example of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, celebrated yesterday on Palm Sunday, where the crowds went from shouting “Hosanna” to “Crucify him” he points out that we should expect this kind of treatment ourselves and thus not be surprised when every Lent our culture comes out with things like Discovery Channel’s “The Lost Tomb of Jesus,” Gay Marriage initiatives in Connecticut, the blasphemous chocolate Jesus in New York. Come learn to stand fast with Fr. Angelo as he describes how Jesus stood fast for us on Calvary.

Ave Maria!

Links:

• More lame attempts at debunking Our Lord
• Connecticut Pols Cross Church-State Lines
• NAKED JESUS DISPLAY CANCELLED

The post Video – Fr. Angelo – Standing Fast #4: Holy Week first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Homily #080615 ( 00min) Play – Fr. Bonaventure highlights how deep the mercy of Christ is for His sheep in the account presented in the Gospel today. He points out that this mercy and compassion which leads Our Lord to die for His sheep is the key mark that distinguishes a good pastor from bad and motivates the good ones to feed their sheep with the true, unchanging doctrine entrusted to the apostles and their successors. From this basis he launches into a critique of modern culture and politics that fall far short of the mark.
Ave Maria! Mass readingss
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Homily #080816 ( 11min) Play – On this feast of St Steven of Hungary Fr. Angelo preaches on the need to take responsibility for our actions and also how these actions effects others especially our children.
Ave Maria! Mass readings
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Homily #090628 ( 18min) Play – Fr. Bonaventure explains in the Gospel account of the healing of the woman with the hemorrhage that Jesus is not a Guru but one who has power from God to work miracles of bodily and spiritual healing and even to heal the general culture of Paganism.
Ave Maria! Mass readings

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Homily #091209 ( 06min) Play – Today is the feastday of St. Juan Diego who cooperated with Our Lady in the conversion of the Aztec people and so overcame one of the most depraved cultures in the history of man. As our own culture slides to new depths, let us ask St Juan Diego to pray for us that we can cooperate as he did.

Ave Maria! Mass readings
1: Isa 40:25-31
R: Ps 103:1-4,8,10
G: Mt 11:28-30

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The post Dec 09 – Homily – Fr Bonaventure: St Juan Diego, Mary’s Cooperator first appeared on AirMaria.com.

In my last post I promised more on the Holy Sepulcher and the Holy Grail and their relation to an Easter catechesis and the tradition of chivalry. There is much there to reflect on, much to be researched and assimilated, so it will take at bit more time.

Meanwhile, however, I thought I would point out that in the Office of Readings this week we have been reading from the the Jerusalem Catechesis, or otherwise known as the Catechetical Lectures of St. Cyril of Jerusalem (+386).  The Catechesis consists in twenty-three lectures, the first eighteen of which were delivered to the candidates for baptism during Lent and the last five to the newly baptized during Easter, and is an excellent example of the mystogogia. In fact, at the end of the prologue for Lectures St. Cyril makes sure his readers understand that his instructions are only for those whose Baptism is imminent, and is to be seen neither by the other catechumens nor heathens.

St. Cyril admonishes the candidates for Baptism to shun all “secret hypocrisy,” in order to be fit for the Lord’s true service.   He compares the penetration of our souls by the judgment of God to a military review of recruits by one who levies for war.  He bestows his seal only upon those in whom He discerns a good conscience, in view of which the devils tremble and the holy angels recognize.  St. Cyril says:  ”You are receiving not a perishable but a spiritual shield. Henceforth you are planted in the invisible Paradise . . .  it is God’s to grant grace, but yours to receive and guard it. Despise not the grace because it is freely given, but receive and treasure it devoutly” (Lecture 1, 3-4).  This is even before Baptism, hence prior to the mystagogia, but the saint is already admonishing the new recruits to be prepared for war and especially to to protect the paradise of their own souls.

During the mystogogia proper, when St. Cyril discusses the doctrine of the Eucharist:

Consider therefore the Bread and the Wine not as bare elements, for they are, according to the Lord’s declaration, the Body and Blood of Christ; for even though sense suggests this to you, yet let faith establish you. Judge not the matter from the taste, but from faith be fully assured without misgiving, that the Body and Blood of Christ have been vouchsafed to you (Lecture 22, 6).

But he goes beyond the content of the doctrine and emphasizes to the newly baptized that the Eucharist has been prepared for those who have been anointed by the Lord, and thus they have been sealed against the afflictions of the evil spirits.  The Lord has set a “mystical and spiritual Table,” in opposition to table of corruption set against us by the enemy. Our hearts have been strengthened, he say,s and the “face of our souls” made to shine.

And your cup intoxicates me, as very strong. You see that cup here spoken of, which Jesus took in His hands, and gave thanks, and said, This is My blood, which is shed for many for the remission of sins (Lecture 22, 6-7, 9).

This is the Holy Grail that we seek.  At the beginning of the mystogogia proper, St. Cyril speaks of the relation between the catechesis prior to baptism and that that is about to take place:

And these things were done in the outer chamber. But if God will, when in the succeeding lectures on the Mysteries we have entered into the Holy of Holies , we shall there know the symbolic meaning of the things which are there performed. Now to God the Father, with the Son and the Holy Ghost, be glory, and power, and majesty, forever and ever. Amen (Lecture 19, 11).

We are not only searching, but we have already arrived.  We are in an in-between time, indeed.

The Easter octave is about to come to a close with the celebration of Divine Mercy Sunday.  At that Mass we will pray:

O Lord our God, may we be healed now and forever by these sacred rites which You instituted to protect us in our new life of grace.

We have entered into the Holy of Holies, and that sanctuary is the Heart of Christ, whose mercy and grace is poured out as blood and water from His side.  We are healed and protected in Him, and in the Heart of His Holy Mother.  The true knighthood of Christ is the protection of these mysteries, first of all within our own Hearts.  That ultimately is the meaning of the crusade for the Holy Sepulcher and the Quest for the Holy Grail.  More on this next time.

Filed under: Blessed Virgin Mary, Catholicism, Chivalry, Culture, Knaves, Knights, Literature, Marian Chivalry, Prayers, Religion, Spirituality Tagged: Baptism, Easter, Easter Triduum, Eucharist, Holy Grail, Holy of Holies, Holy Sepulcher, Holy Week, Jerusalem Catechesis, Mystagogia, St. Cyril
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The post Mystagogia first appeared on AirMaria.com.

The Holy Father has been taking a beating lately on behalf of his sinful sons in the priesthood.  “The pope will have much to suffer,” Our Lady told the children at Fatima.  This has been realized in every pope since the time of the apparitions, but we wonder if Our Lady had these days and this pope particularly in mind.

None of us should be particularly surprised or even disturbed by the assaults of the enemies of the Church.  This is nothing new or unexpected.  For if in the green wood they do these things, what shall be done in the dry? Our Lord said on the day he died (Lk23:31).  History has played itself out, just as he predicted.

It is the height of hypocrisy for secularists to act horrified by unnatural vice within the Church when they are its biggest advocates.  But it is even worse for a wolf to cloth himself in the robes of a shepherd.  We have put the rope in our enemies’ hands.

En route to Portugal on Tuesday, Benedict was asked if the suffering of John Paul contained in Fatima’s third secret could be extended to encompass the suffering of the church today concerning the clerical abuse scandal.

Benedict affirmed it could, arguing that the Fatima message doesn’t respond to a particular situation or time but offers a “fundamental response” to the constant need for penance and prayer.

“In terms of what we today can discover in this message, attacks against the pope or the church don’t come just from outside the church,” he told reporters. “The suffering of the church also comes from within the church, because sin exists in the church. This, too, has always been known, but today we see it in a really terrifying way.”

The evil within the Church is especially terrifying because it has not done more to restore our militancy.  Where has been the outrage?  Why did the Church not protect the innocent once pastors knew what was happening?  Leon Podles has written on the subject of anger and the sex scandal.  Katie van Schaijik at The Linde has an interesting commentary on Podles’ article.

The ethics of chivalry originally arose out of the need to moderate the ferociousness of masculine aggressiveness.  Today it needs to be restored in order to validate masculine authority and the role of fathers.  This is not to say that the moderation of chivalry is not necessary today.  Militancy and Chivalry are not necessarily identical and there are many divisions within the Church that exist because of arrogance and a lack of charity.  But child molestation is a no-brainer.

The way of Chivarly is the hard road.  It admits of no extremes and makes demands on all sides.  No rest for the weary.  No convalescing for the wounded.  On your feet and fight.  On your feet and tend to the needy.

Here is an interesting take on the culture of Twitter which is appropriate to this subject.  Fight the good fight, with the emphasis on good.

Filed under: Blessed Virgin Mary, Catholic, Catholic Action, Catholic Church, Catholicism, Chivalry, Culture, Knights, Manliness, Religion, Spirituality Tagged: Benedict XVI, Fatima, Katie van Schaijik, Leon Podles, The Linde
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MaryCast Specials #81 ( 10min) Play – Dr. Mark Miravalle explains why we need devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. This segment focuses on the relevancy of this devotion to today’s culture and society.

To ask questions regarding Mary, email Dr Mark Miravalle: marycast@airmaria.com

Ave Maria!

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The post Video – Why Devotion to Immaculate Heart of Mary pt3/3 – Dr. Miravalle: Mcasts81 first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Homily #100905 ( 35 min) Play – In today’s Gospel Our Lord tells us that we must love Him above all things and be well prepared in our engagement with the world. He tells us this in the form of two parables, the building of the tower and the king who contemplates going into battle. Fr. Bonaventure explains this in the context of Catholic action, where our preparation consists in building up our love of, and trust in, God who has forces vastly stronger than the enemy and that action starts with prayer and contemplation and only secondarily with physical action. Father also outlines the many ways that we are in true, open and explicit battle with the modern culture and philosophy, always relating it back to its spiritual nature.
Ave Maria! 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time – Mass: OF, – Readings:
1st: wis 9:13-18
Resp: psa 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14-17
2nd: phm 1:9-10, 12-17
Gsp: luk 14:25-33

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The post Sep 05 – Homily – Fr Bonaventure: Preparing for Battle first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Homily #100926 ( 32min) Play – In today’s Gospel we have the story of Lazarus and the rich man. Fr. Bonaventure uses this to emphasize the impossibility of compromising the culture of Christ with that of death. He mentions that many Fathers of the Church call this a factual story and so we should take it very seriously. The rich man’s sin was not so much the indulging in extravagant pleasure but doing so when Lazarus was literally dying from poverty. On the contrary Lazarus went to heaven not so much because he suffered but in his misery did not condemn the rich man but prayed for him. The rich man did not have regard for the unique dignity of his fellow man while Lazarus did. The rich man thus followed the culture of death that lead to eternal death while Lazarus followed the culture of life and entered eternal life. Father relates this to modern forms of this same culture of death.
Ave Maria! 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Mass: OF, – Readings:
1st: amo 6:1, 4-7
Resp: psa 146:7, 8-9, 9-10
2nd: 1ti 6:11-16
Gsp: luk 16:19-31

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