Blog by-the-Sea

Maine Coon Links Page

The most popular page on this blog, for years, has been the Maine Coon Links page. Since it does not show up in the side bar, here is a link: Maine Coon Links Page. It is updated periodically because I still get occasional emails about it.

Let Us Not Be Distracted from the Beauty of the Resurrection Light

 It seems like it happens every year, right before Easter: There is one attack or another against Christianity.  A few years ago, right before Easter, there was a wave of headlines about the supposed finding of the tomb of Jesus.  This year, it took the form of an attack on Pope Benedict XVI. 

Here we go again.  When the mainstream media pick this time of the year to launch an attack against Christianity, I generally think it is best to just ignore it.  It can take the form of a media frenzy with reports blown out of proportion, trying to capitalize on the additional attention that Christians give to their faith at this time of the year.

At best, it takes the mind off of Christ, the penitence of Lent, His Passion and His Resurrection, at a time of year when that is where the focus of our faith should be.  At worst, it runs the risk of dissuading some people from coming into full communion with the Catholic Church when baptisms and confirmations are concentrated at the Easter Vigil.  I suppose there might have been some wishful thinking in that regard in the comment made by Rowan Williams in an interview suggesting that the Pope had lost all credibility because of the Irish sex abuse scandal.  It surely must have caught the attention of Anglo-Catholics now considering whether they will become Catholics.

But the Catholic faith is deeper than that.  It survived through centuries of papal controversies in the Middle Ages, and perhaps we should remember that the holy people in Christianity are the saints and not the clergy; the powerful people are those who pray and not those who vote; and our faith is rooted in the eternal Trinity and not in the latest headlines.

Of course some of those headlines were outrageous.  What would you expect?  It's Easter, and a lot of the mainstream media has no remaining respect for Christianity as a whole, and for Christians in particular.  That is all the more the case, I have no doubt, because of the recent pro-life opposition to the U.S. health care bill, and the roll that is likely to play in upcoming elections to unseat many of the Democratic politicians who supported a health care bill that did not do enough to protect life.

As wrong as clergy sex abuse truly is, the timing and the tone of much of the reporting ought not to outrage us so much as clue us in to its roots in a political and moral anti-Catholic bias.  It is Satan tempting during Lent, tempting us to turn our eyes away from the Lord and the beauty of our Lenten modesty, the beauty of Holy Week, the beauty of the Church's turning from the darkness of Gethsemane to the splendor of Easter light.

Don't turn away from beauty to the soiled ugliness of the press.  Its ugliness is a witness to its destiny.  What in nature is beautiful is healthy, and what is ugly inevitably reflects decay and death.  Look toward the beauty of the Easter sunrise and desire to see the Face of Christ our Lord.

Thomas Peters writes, "What was the point of this attack?  To discredit the public moral witness of the Church, that 'inconvenient voice' of truth in our time."  I think he is correct in that analysis.  Read his American Papist blog post on the subject.  Christopher Blosser has a round-up about it at The Benedict Blog.

The Holy Father needs our prayers and our support, as does the Church as a whole.  We need to defend our Church and the Papacy in the public square.  But let us not be distracted into the political fray so much that it turns our eyes away from the face of God.

A blessed Easter to you all.

Image: The Resurrection by Pieter Lastman, 1612.

I walk a desert lone . . . God makes His glory known.

This is my Father’s world,
dreaming, I see His face.

I ope my eyes, and in glad surprise cry,
“The Lord is in this place.
”
This is my Father’s world,
from the shining courts above,

The Beloved One, His Only Son,

Came—a pledge of deathless love.

This is my Father’s world,
should my heart be ever sad?

The lord is King—let the heavens ring.
God reigns—let the earth be glad.

This is my Father’s world.
Now closer to Heaven bound,
For dear to God is the earth Christ trod.

No place but is holy ground.

This is my Father’s world.
I walk a desert lone.

In a bush ablaze to my wondering gaze
God makes His glory known.

This is my Father’s world,
a wanderer I may roam

Whate’er my lot, it matters not,

My heart is still at home.

Photo: A dry riverbed on the floor of Bryce Canyone National Park, 1993.

Words from the hymn "This Is My Father's World" by Maltbie B. Babcock
Cyberhymnal

PBS Series on the Flight of the Butterfly

The PBS television series Nova just aired an episode called The Incredible Journey of the Butterflies.  It can be viewed piece by piece online, and can be ordered by DVD.  It might be of interest to people for its insights into the flight of butterflies, used as imagery for the spiritual life in St. Teresa of Avila's Interior Castle.  I post it here in the "Dove" category for its interest to an ongoing series I am writing about her flight imagery, including the dove and butterfly.

Here are a couple of her references to the flight of the butterfly, which is a subject I will get to shortly in that series:

"Later on we will speak of the little butterfly, which is never still, for it can find no true repose, yet always fertile, doing good both to itself and others." Fifth Mansion, Chapter IV.

"It seems as if we had deserted the little dove for a long time, but this is not the case, for these past trials cause her to take a far higher flight." Sixth Mansion, Chapter II.

"These sublime favours leave the soul so desirous of fully enjoying Him Who has bestowed them that life becomes a painful though delicious torture, and death is ardently longed for. Such a one often implores God with tears to take her from this exile where everything she sees wearies her.  Solitude alone brings great alleviation for a time, but soon her grief returns and yet she cannot bear to be without it. In short, this poor little butterfly can find no lasting rest. So tender is her love that at the slightest provocation it flames forth and the soul takes flight. . . . O poor little butterfly! chained by so many fetters that stop thee from flying where thou wouldst!" Sixth Mansion, Chapter VI

"Perhaps when St. Paul said, ‘He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit, ’he meant this sovereign marriage, which presupposes His Majesty’s having been joined to the soul by union. The same Apostle says: ‘To me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.’  This, I think, might here be uttered by the soul, for now the little butterfly of which I spoke dies with supreme joy, for Christ is her life."  Seventh Mansion, Chapter II

(All quotations from Interior Castle are from the translation of the Benedictines of Stanbrook online at Christian Classics Ethereal Library.)

In the PBS series, Chapter II, the narrator describes the the butterfly's difficulties in flight, given its physical characteristics, and yet Monarch butterflies can make a 2,000 mile journey from Canada to Mexico.  David Gibo of the University of Toronto explains that they do this partly by soaring in thermals, where the air, warmed by the ground, carries them higher:

"Butterflies are the worst possible body form for trying to make a long distance migration. They're simply a bad design. Every time they flap their wings they're using energy at least 20 times the rate than when they're not flapping it, so they're just burning their fuel up at a great rate, much like, say, a helicopter might. And so they have to compensate for their inadequacies by soaring.

"Soaring is gliding in rising air, much like I'm doing right now. The sun heats the ground, the ground heats the air above it. As the air heats, it expands and becomes lighter and begins to rise, and pretty soon you have a column of rising air. That's a thermal. Under good conditions you can maintain the altitude you're at or even gain altitude. A more helpful maneuver is to circle in it. And you see hawks doing this and vultures doing this all the time, circling the thermal, staying within it. And this seems like a wonderful free ride, and it is. Soaring is the key to them getting to Mexico."

Later in the show, the narrator explains that after the butterflies mate and the female lays 300 to 400 eggs, the parents will die.

Peter Lombard: The Organic Presentation of the Faith

At the last General Audience of 2009, this past Wednesday, Pope Benedict spoke about the 12th century's Peter Lombard.  Benedetto XVI Forum also posted a translation with photos.  The Daily Bulletin has the original Italian with summaries in several languages.  Asia News has an article.  The Pope spoke about Peter Lombard's life and about the 4 books of Lombard's The Sentences, which were used in theology schools until the 16th century, and were studied by the greatest theologians of the 13th century.  He said, "I wish to underscore how the organic presentation of the faith is an indispensable requirement. In fact, the single truths of the faith illumine each other, and a total unified view of these truths shows the harmony of God's plan of salvation and the centrality of the mystery of Christ."   The Pope spoke of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and its Compendium as offering today "this complete picture of the Christian Revelation that we should accept with faith and gratitude."

Christmas and the Feast of St. Stephen at the Vatican

Here are some links for Pope Benedict's Christmas Eve homily, Christmas Day Urbi et Orbi address, and his words at the midday Angelus for today's celebration of the Feast of St. Stephen.  This video is from today.

Unveiling of the Crèche: Vatican Radio has an audio report on Christmas Eve at the Vatican and the evening unveiling of the Christmas Crèche.  The Pope participated in the unveiling of the Nativity Scene from the window of the papal apartments.  Benedetto XVI Forum has photos of the crèche and the Pope's presence in his window.

Christmas Vigil Mass:    The Daily Bulletin of the Vatican Press Office has the full Italian text of the Holy Father's homily with full translations into several languages, including English.  Zenit and Benedetto XVI Forum have full English translations of the Holy Father's homily at the Christmas Vigil Mass held on Christmas Eve in St. Peter's Basilica.  Benedetto XVI Forum also has a collection of photographs.  KTO French Catholic TV has video on demand of the Mass.

In his homily, Pope Benedict spoke about the shepherds as models for how we too should respond to the birth of Christ.  They heard the message because they were awake, he said, and we too should be awake.  They went at once.  Pope Benedict said, "From them we should learn not to be crushed by all the pressing matters in our daily lives."  The shepherds set off to see what has happened.  "In the figure of Jesus Christ, in the whole of his life and ministry, in his dying and rising, we can see the Word of God and hence the mystery of the living God himself. This is what God is like."

Afterward, the Vatican issued a Note the following day on an incident in which a woman believed to have mental problems attacked the Pope and Cardinal Etchegaray during the procession at the beginning of the Mass.  The Pope was not injured, and he continued with the Mass. Cardinal Etchegaray will need surgery for a broken femur.

Urbi et Orbi: The Daily Bulletin also has the Italian text and translations into English and several other languages for the Pope's Christmas Address to the City of Rome and to the World ("Urbi et Orbi").  KTO has video on demand.  Zenit and Benedetto XVI Forum also have English translations.  Asia News has an article.  Vatican Radio has an audio report, which also discusses the Christmas Vigil Mass and the attack on the Pope that evening.

In his Urbi et Orbi address, Pope Benedict began, "The liturgy of the Mass at Dawn reminded us that the night is now past, the day has begun; the light radiating from the cave of Bethlehem shines upon us."  He spoke about the light of Christ, saying, "Wherever there is an 'us' which welcomes God’s love, there the light of Christ shines forth, even in the most difficult situations."  He concluded by speaking of the gift of being part of "the communion of the Most Holy Trinity", open to everyone, from whose heart Jesus came into the world as God with us.

Feast of St. Stephen: Benedetto XVI Forum has an English translation of the Pope's words at today's midday Angelus.  The Daily Bulletin has the original Italian text and greetings in several languages.   Asia News has an article.  Speaking of the first Christian martyr, he said, "Stephen's testimony, like that of all the Christian martyrs, shows contemporary men, often distracted and disoriented, in whom to place our trust in order to give sense to life."  Remembering Christians who are suffering for their faith in various parts of the world, the Holy Father asked that we "commit ourselves to sustaining them with prayers, and never to fall short of our Christian calling, always placing Jesus Christ in the center of our life, whom we contemplate these days in the simplicity and humility of the manger."

Contemplating the Mystery of Christ's Birth

In today's General Audience, Pope Benedict XVI spoke about the history of the celebration of Christmas joy.

Zenit and Benedetto XVI Forum have full English translations of the text.  The Daily Bulletin has the original Italian text followed by the Holy Father's greetings and comments in several languages.  Asia News has an article, and Vatican Information Service has a press release.

Here is the Holy Father's English language greeting:

"In these last days before Christmas, the Church invites us to contemplate the mystery of Christ’s Birth and to experience the joy and hope which the newborn Saviour brings into our world. Gazing on the Christ Child lying in the manger, we contemplate the love of a God who humbly asks us to welcome him into our hearts and into our world. By coming among us as a helpless Child, God conquers our hearts not by force, but by love, and thus teaches us the way to authentic freedom, peace and fulfilment. This Christmas, may the Lord grant us simplicity of heart, so that we may recognize his presence and love in the lowly Babe of Bethlehem, and, like the shepherds, return to our homes filled with ineffable joy and gladness."

The messianic peace of the mystery of Christmas commits Christians to become Jesus' instruments of peace.

In his words before praying today's midday Angelus, Pope Benedict XVI spoke about the prophecy from Micah 3:1-4 in today's readings for Mass, particularly the words "He himself shall be peace!"  That prophecy of messianic peace, he said, represents "a peace that is laboriously sought and awaited".  He said that the mystery of Christmas "commits Christians to face the barriers, the crises, often unknown and hidden, and the conflicts of their lives, with the sentiments of Jesus, to become the instruments and messengers of peace everywhere, to bring love where there is hate, forgiveness where there is offense, joy where there is sadness, and truth where there is error, according to the beautiful expressions of a famous Franciscan prayer."  After the Angelus, his English language greeting spoke about Mary's visit to Elizabeth.

Zenit and Benedetto XVI Forum have full English translations.  The Daily Bulletin has the original Italian text and greetings in several languages.  Asia News has an article.

John of Salisbury: Reason's Capacity to Know the Truth

In today's General Audience, Pope Benedict spoke about John of Salisbury from the 12th century.

Full English translations of the text have been posted by Zenit and Benedetto XVI Forum.    The Daily Bulletin has the original Italian and summaries in several languages.  Vatican Information Service has a press release, and Asia News has an article.

Here is the English language summary from the Daily Bulletin:

"In our catechesis on the Christian culture of the Middle Ages, we now turn to John of Salisbury, an outstanding philosopher and theologian of the twelfth century. Born in England, John was educated in Paris and Chartres. A close associate of Saint Thomas Becket, he was involved in the crisis between the Church and the Crown under King Henry II, and died as Bishop of Chartres. In his celebrated work, the Metalogicon, John teaches that authentic philosophy is by nature communicative: it bears fruit in a message of wisdom which serves the building up of society in truth and goodness. While acknowledging the limitations of human reason, John insists that it can attain to the truth through dialogue and argumentation. Faith, which grants a share in God’s perfect knowledge, helps reason to realize its full potential. In another work, the Policraticus, John defends reason’s capacity to know the objective truth underlying the universal natural law, and its obligation to embody that law in all positive legislation. John’s insights are most timely today, in light of the threats to human life and dignity posed by legislation inspired more by the "dictatorship of relativism" than by the sober use of right reason and concern for the principles of truth and justice inscribed in the natural law."

St. John of the Cross: "Set thine eyes on Him alone"

"Wherefore he that would now enquire of God, or seek any vision or revelation, would not only be acting foolishly, but would be committing an offence against God, by not setting his eyes altogether upon Christ, and seeking no new thing or aught beside. And God might answer him after this manner, saying: If I have spoken all things to thee in My Word, Which is My Son, and I have no other word, what answer can I now make to thee, or what can I reveal to thee which is greater than this? Set thine eyes on Him alone, for in Him I have spoken and revealed to thee all things, and in Him thou shalt find yet more than that which thou askest and desirest. For thou askest locutions and revelations, which are the part; but if thou set thine eyes upon Him, thou shalt find the whole; for He is My complete locution and answer, and He is all My vision and all My revelation; so that I have spoken to thee, answered thee, declared to thee and revealed to thee, in giving Him to thee as thy brother, companion and master, as ransom and prize."

- St. John of the Cross, Ascent of Mt. Carmel, Book II, XXII:5

Today is the feast day of St. John of the Cross.

The Crèche Reminds Us that True Joy Does Not Consist in Having Many Things

At the Angelus on this third Sunday of Advent, Pope Benedict spoke about one of the readings for today's Mass, Philippians 4:4-7 ("Rejoice in the Lord always.  I shall say it again:  rejoice!").  Blessing images of the baby Jesus, brought today by children from Rome to be placed in their families' crèches, he spoke about the true joy of Christmas:

"The blessing of the 'Bambinelli', as we say in Rome, reminds us that the crèche is a school of life, where we can learn the secret of true joy. This does not consist in having many things, but in feeling loved by the Lord, in giving ourselves to others, and in loving each other."

Zenit and Benedetto XVI Forum have full English translations.  The Daily Bulletin has the original Italian text with greetings in several languages.  Asia News and Catholic News Agency have articles.

Rupert of Deutz "Inspires Us to Draw Near to Christ"

In today's General Audience, Pope Benedict spoke about Rupert of Deutz, a 12th century theologian who wrote prolifically about the theological issues of his day and also wrote sometimes of "his mystical experiences, as when he confides about the ineffable joy of having perceived the presence of the Lord" combining "the rational study of the mysteries of the faith with prayer and contemplation, considered the summit of all knowledge of God."

Zenit and Benedetto XVI Forum have full English translations of the text.  The Daily Bulletin has the original Italian text with summaries and greetings in several languages.  Vatican Information Service has a press release.  In his French greeting, he congratulated KTO French Catholic TV on this month's celebration of 10 years of broadcasting, extending an apostolic blessing to those who run the TV channel and to its viewers.

Here is the English language summary:

"In our catechesis on the Christian culture of the Middle Ages, we now turn to Rupert of Deutz, an outstanding theologian of the twelfth century. Rupert experienced at first hand the conflict between the Empire and the Church linked to the investiture crisis, and he played a significant role in the principal theological debates of his day. He forcefully defended the reality of Christ’s real presence in the Eucharist, and insisted that the origin of evil is to be found in man’s mistaken use of freedom, not in the positive will of God. Rupert also contributed to the medieval discussion of the purpose of the Incarnation, which he set within a vast vision of history centred on Christ. His teaching on the dignity and privileges of the Virgin Mary, presented within a broad ecclesiological context, would prove influential for later theology and find an echo in the doctrine of the Second Vatican Council. Rupert’s ability to harmonize the rational study of the mysteries of faith with prayer and contemplation makes him a typical representative of the monastic theology of his time. His example inspires us to draw near to Christ, present among us in his Word and in the Eucharist, and to rejoice in the knowledge that he remains with us at every moment of our lives and throughout history."

Jesus the Divine Word; Mary the Most Beautiful Flower Germinated from the Word of God

In his words at today's midday Angelus, Pope Benedict spoke about St. John the Baptist as a historical figure.  He then mentions that in today's Gospel reading for Mass (Luke 3:1-6), "after this ample historical introduction, the subject matter becomes 'the Word of God', presented as a power that comes from above and descends on John the Baptist. . . . Jesus himself is the Divine Word made flesh in the virginal womb of Mary."  He spoke about Mary as "the most beautiful flower germinated from the Word of God", and he mentioned the struggle "between the desert and the garden, between the sin that parches the earth and the grace that waters it so that it produces abundant fruits of holiness."

Zenit and Benedetto XVI Forum have full English translations of the text.  The Daily Bulletin has the original Italian and greetings in several languages.  Asia News has an article.

Maria Durch Ein Dornwald Ging

From the Thomanerchor of Leipzieg, the carol's name means "Mary Walks through a Field of Thorns".  Hat tip Le Petit Placide.

William of Saint-Thierry: "Love Itself Brings Knowledge."

In today's General Audience, Pope Benedict spoke about 12th century William of Saint-Thierry.  Zenit and Benedetto XVI Forum have full English translations.  The Daily Bulletin has the original Italian text and summaries in several languages.  Vatican Information Service has a press release, and Asia News has an article.

Here is the Holy Father's English language summary:

"In our catechesis on the Christian culture of the Middle Ages, we now turn to William of Saint-Thierry, an outstanding monastic theologian and a close friend of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux. William took active part in the twelfth-century movement of monastic renewal and, after serving as abbot of Saint-Thierry, he entered the Cistercian monastery of Signy. A central theme of his writings is the nature and power of love, seen as the ultimate vocation and the driving force of the human spirit. For William, this innate human drive finds perfection in the love of the triune God, the source and goal of all love. As the culmination of a process of purification and integration of the affections, the love of God brings supreme human fulfilment, and a profound experiential knowledge of both God and the world about us. In William’s celebrated phrase, Amor ipse intellectus est – love itself brings knowledge. By contemplation of the mysteries of the faith, we grow in the image of God and, by uniting our will to his, we become one with him. May the example and teaching of William of Saint-Thierry strengthen our desire to love God above all things and to let that love overflow in love of our neighbour. May we thus discover authentic joy and the foretaste of eternal bliss."