Queenship of Mary: Our Hope and Our Kingdom

            This last Friday, August 22^nd, we celebrated the Feast of the Queenship of Mary. Our Lady, according to the teaching of the Church, was assumed – that is, brought up, body and soul – into heaven and then crowned Queen of Heaven. On the fringes of the Church, there are those who question why the Church would declare such dogmas, especially when they seem to push farther away those who cannot yet accept these points of faith. Or rather, they may ask why these doctrines are necessary for the Christian life. Mary, though, is essential to the plan of salvation and essential to the Kingdom of God by the will of God himself. Her queenship and motherhood is vital to our Christian hearts and our lives, whether we realize it or not.

            Ultimately, Mary herself is the work of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. From the first moment of her immaculate conception – no, from the foundations of the world, by God’s own ordained plans (Genesis 3:15) – throughout her pure and perfectly obedient life as a virgin, to her holy death, assumption to heaven and coronation, God had wrought this miracle, called the Blessed Virgin Mary, by his grace. To deny this miraculous work of God would be the same as to deny the creation of the world, the covenant made with Abraham, the commandments given to Moses, the people of Israel or the Ark of the Covenant. We cannot deny the work of God, or else we call him a liar.

            The Church recognizes in Our Lady the work of God himself and the cooperation of God-created freewill, existing not only for herself, but also for all of humankind. “My soul magnifies the Lord,” she sung at the blessing of the St. Elizabeth, both inspired by the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:46). In her hymn, we hear what God desired for her and for all – a love that gives all and does all for the love of God, who has given himself completely to us without partiality, condition or reservation. She took nothing for herself, but gave way to the vision of God. Like her, we are all called to such a humility in truth, so as to be icons of God, images of God, so as to be able to say with her and St. Paul, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. (Gal. 2:19,20)” St. John the Baptist’s own words apply equally well: “He must increase, but I must decrease. (John 1:22)”

            In the Assumption of Mary, we have hope in the Resurrection of Christ being applied to us at the end of time. In Our Lady, we have been given extra evidence of the graces of God to be applied not to the Son of God only, but to all who believe. In the Coronation of the Blessed Virgin, we have hope in our glorification. Thus, St. Paul wrote, “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God, […] and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him. (Rom. 8:14-17 NRSVCE)” We are heirs of the Kingdom and will receive glory, if we endure with Christ like Mary did.

            Paragraph 966 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, quoting Lumen Gentium, tells us that:

‘No creature could ever be counted along with the Incarnate Word and Redeemer; but just as the priesthood of Christ is shared in various ways both by his ministers and the faithful, and as the one goodness of God is radiated in different ways among his creatures, so also the unique mediation of the Redeemer does not exclude but rather gives rise to a manifold cooperation which is but a sharing in this one source.’

In this statement, the Church specifically is writing about Mary’s role within the life of grace, but the truth of the statement can be applied to all other Christians as well. It is clear from the Scriptures that God shares his glory, his honor and his authority with men and women on earth. Rather, it is clear from the order of nature that God shares a shimmer of his glory with the kings and queens of the earth. How much more do we believe that he will share with those heirs of his own kingdom, in the order of grace?

            The Queenship of Mary is a facet of our Catholic faith that is a great joy to the faithful, because in her we find a superabundance of the glory and honor that God desires to share with us. She was the humblest of women, and the most blessed. In her was the hope of the Messiah, her “Fiat” (Let it be done) bringing that hope to fulfillment. And, yet, she lived a simple life of love for her family and friends. She contemplated the word of the Lord continually. She sought the Lord in all ways, even to the foot of the Cross itself. After the Resurrection and Ascension of the Lord, she remained to continue the Lord’s simple call to love. In return for her completely perfect, faithful stewardship, God rewarded her with the position of the right hand of the Son that Sts. James and John so eagerly sought out of pride and vanity. (Matt. 20:21)

            In another passage of Scripture, Jesus tells his disciples that they, too, will have thrones from which they judge all twelve tribes of Israel. (Matt. 19:28) In Revelation 3:9, Jesus tells those in the church at Philadelphia that their enemies will bow down to them and learn that they are loved. Later, he says to the church in Laodicea, “To the one who conquers I will give a place with me on my throne, just as I myself conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. (Rev. 3:21 NRSVCE)”

 If this is a sharing of the power, authority, glory and honor of God, how much more do we believe for Mary, whom St. Elizabeth proclaimed as the “Mother of my Lord”? (Luke 1:43) For, she is the “Queen Mother,” just as the Davidic Kingdom calls for. King Solomon himself bowed to his own mother and had a thrown set up for her beside his own. (1 Kings 2) Jesus, as the Son of David, King of Israel forever, has set up a throne for his own mother. Now, she is our own Queen Mother, because Jesus is our King. Let us give her the honor and glory that God has already himself bestowed on her. As St. Maximilian Kolbe once said, “No one can love Mary more than Jesus has.” So, let us not be afraid to love and honor our living Queen, who is the work of God, a clear reflective glass and image of God himself, Our Lord.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us.

Queen of Angels, pray for us.

Queen of Patriarchs, pray for us.

Queen of Prophets, pray for us.

Queen of Apostles, pray for us.

Queen of Martyrs, pray for us.

Queen of Confessors, pray for us.

Queen of Virgins, pray for us.

Queen of all Saints, pray for us.

Queen conceived without original sin, pray for us.

Queen assumed into heaven, pray for us.

Queen of the most holy Rosary, pray for us.

Queen of families, pray for us.

Queen of peace, pray for us.

Amen. +

            -- Taken from the Litany of Loreto

Martyrs: Faith in the Living One

            The world seems to be in flames right now, as I write this. War and disease are ravaging many parts of the world. Especially in mind, though, are those Christians who are being killed by the sword in Syria and Iraq. They are victims of violence and hatred, and, yet, they are witnesses to hope, to love, to grace and to life. There is one who once died and who rose again from the dead – the one Jesus Christ. That One who conquered death, the “Living One,” is he who holds “the keys of Death and Hades,” and who tells us, “Do not be afraid. (Rev. 1:17-18 NRSVCE)”

            All human life is precious, infinitely and immeasurably valuable. God shows no partiality in whom he deems valuable. “’Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked,’ says the Lord, ‘but rather that they should turn from their ways and live?’ (Ezek. 18:23)” God takes no pleasure in death, not of any sinner, nor of the saint. Not even of the death of Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father was pleasurable. God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is not a god of insatiable desire for blood. He is a God of insatiable desire for love: “[…] live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Eph. 5:2 NRSVCE)”

            Martyrs are witnesses, as the Greek word means (μάρτυς). They are witnesses in the highest regard to the truth of reality itself, that all things have their being and their end in Christ; he is the all in all, the alpha and the omega. Pope St. John Paul II once wrote the following about martyrs in his encyclical, Fides et Ratio (Faith and Reason):

The martyrs know that they have found the truth about life in the encounter with Jesus Christ, and nothing and no-one could ever take this certainty from them. Neither suffering nor violent death could ever lead them to abandon the truth which they have discovered in the encounter with Christ. […] This is why their word inspires such confidence: from the moment they speak to us of what we perceive deep down as the truth we have sought for so long, the martyrs provide evidence of a love that has no need of lengthy arguments in order to convince.  (32)

Here, St. John Paul II pinpointed the active motive of martyrs in Christ, that they die out of love for God, having faith in the “Living One” who has given his life, so that they might live. “I am the Resurrection and the Life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,” Christ said. (John 11:25) Those who have had faith and give their lives in witness to the truth, are giving witness to their encounter with Christ, who is Truth and Love itself. The Church has had many witnesses who have shed their blood out of love. This act of faith is the sweet aroma, the “fragrant offering” to God; that is, their love of God above all else, including life itself.

            Among some holy examples of martyrdom are Sts. Peter, Lawrence and Maximilian Kolbe. In their day, and even now, they are witnesses to the encounter with a loving God. By their light, we see and know that truth calling to our inmost being.

            St. Peter, prime apostle and friend of our Lord, was told by Christ himself that one day he, too, would die as Christ did. At Christ’s last appearance in St. John’s Gospel, we read that Christ directly asked Peter, “Do you love me?” to which Peter replied, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you. (John 21:15)” Jesus asked Peter this three times. Upon receiving the same answer three times, Jesus then told Peter, “’Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go. […] Follow me.’ (John 21:18,19 NRSVCE)” St. John tells us that by saying this, Jesus signified how St. Peter would die. Later, after many years of feeding the sheep of Christ’s church, he died at the hands of the Romans, by being crucified up-side-down. It is believed he requested the inverted crucifixion, because he did not believe himself worthy to die exactly as our Lord died, by crucifixion right side up.

            St. Lawrence was a deacon in the mid-third century, under Pope Sixtus II. Pope Sixtus II was martyred first, along with six other deacons of the Church in Rome. It is reported that the prefect of the Emperor demanded St. Lawrence bring remaining riches of gold or silver used during the Mass to him for Caesar. Yet, when St. Lawrence appeared before the prefect, he presented the maimed, lame, poor and ill and said, “These are the riches of the Church.” He was then martyred by way of being roasted to death upon a gridiron. While roasting, he allegedly said, “I’m well done. Turn me over.” The Church has highly honored him as a great witness to the Gospel of Christ, having died with the joy of Christ in his heart and in his deeds.

            St. Maximilian Kolbe is a modern-day martyr, having died at the hands of the Nazis in Auschwitz. He was declared, by Pope Paul VI, as a confessor of the faith and “martyr of charity.” Pope St. John Paul II declared and canonized him clearly a martyr of the faith at the hands of those seeking the destruction of all faith. In the first half of the twentieth century, Maximilian Kolbe gave his life to Christ as a priest, and fought diligently against the fierce forces of Nazism and other godless philosophies in the world.

After the Nazis invaded Poland, Maximilian Kolbe resisted all efforts of the Nazi persecution and kept spreading the faith of the Church with zeal. He was arrested and brought to Auschwitz in 1941. There, one day, a Nazi commander demanded the life of ten random inmates in vengeance for an attempted escape. One man, who was selected from among Kolbe’s peers, immediately upon being chosen cried out, “My wife and my children!” At that moment, Kolbe stepped out of line, in faith, though risking immediate execution. He walked up to the commander and requested to take the man’s place in death. The commander was stunned silent, but ultimately agreed. Kolbe then spent the next two weeks in a starvation bunker, all the while leading the other prisoners in prayer and hymns, until he was the last remaining. The guards eventually grew impatient and killed him by injection of carbolic acid, which he readily accepted. All of this was recorded by a Nazi translator and guard at the bunker. Kolbe died out of love for his neighbor, for Christ, the Church and the Blessed Virgin.

Right now, the Christians and other whole groups of people in Iraq and Syria are being murdered and martyred in the name of religion. The failure on the murderers’ parts is that they do not realize whom they are persecuting. “Saul, Saul! Why are you persecuting me?” Jesus said to St. Paul before his conversion. They are persecuting the Living One, who has gained victory over all, and now shares that victory with us who believe. Those who have died in faith have gone on to be with the Resurrection and the Life. They have gone on to be glorified because of their love. For us who remain, let us do all we can, especially to pray, for those who continue to be persecuted, for their strength and the grace that they may endure. We must not be afraid, just as Christ taught us. Let us, too, pray for the persecutors, for their conversion of heart from these horrific atrocities they commit. Nothing else will change them except the encounter with the God of Love.

Sts. Peter, Lawrence and Maximilian Kolbe all gave us pure lights of faith, hope and love. Let us remember them as we seek the grace of God, and ask for their intercession on behalf of all those unjustly killed. Let us, too, be reminded that the call of Christ to follow him is no mere story to make us feel good or even to teach the morality of love; the call of Christ is to die for sake of love, in every real sense and every real sacrifice – to hand over to him our entire beings.

But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies. For while we live, we are always being given up to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may be made visible in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you.

-- 2 Corinthians 4:7-12 NRSVCE

St. Peter, pray for us.

St. Lawrence, pray for us.

St. Maximilian Kolbe, pray for us.

All you Martyrs in Christ, pray for us.

Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us sinners.

Amen. +

Sacrifices of the Will: Obedience

        Obedience is not usually a word readily accepted or swallowed in modern society. We want most things to be for our benefit, for our comfort and for our convenience. We want things “our way.” Obedience is often laid aside in efforts to achieve dreams or goals that we believe are good, and which may actually be ultimately good. Despite our own desires, though, obedience as a virtue is something to be striven for, because it simply is essential to the bond of perfection, Love. Whatever our state in life -- religious, married, single, homeless, working, etc. -- obedience will allow us to live within the Spirit of Christ, that of self-sacrifice, self-giving. 

        Of course, there is always obligatory obedience, which is directed towards our superiors or those in power over us, whether it be, first, God, then parents, employers, bishops or emperors. This obligatory obedience is the bare minimum of our Christian life, as 1 John 2:4 reads, “Whoever says, “I have come to know [God],” but does not obey his commandments, is a liar, and in such a person the truth does not exist. (NRSVCE)” As for the obligation to mere earthly rulers, St. Peter wrote, "For the Lord's sake accept the authority of every human institution, whether of the emperor as supreme, or of governors, as sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right. (1 Pet. 2:13-14 NRSVCE)" 

        This call to obedience is even facing the reality of evil or of sinful, faulty rulers. We read of Jesus specifically telling his disciples this: "The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat; therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach. (Matt. 23:2-3 NRSVCE)" God has simply put some leaders, teachers and rulers over us, and we have a duty, not to them, but to God, who is in control of all things, and works all things together for our good.

         There exist some very saintly examples of obedience to earthly authority, despite having other plans in mind for even God’s privately revealed will. The first and foremost is Jesus himself. Was it not he who said, “Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” towards his parents in search of him? And, yet, the very next few verses tell us that he left with his parents and “was obedient to them. (Luke 2:49-51)”

More recently, Blessed Mother Teresa waited years and years from her superiors in the convent to go and serve the poorest of the poor in Calcutta, though she heard clearly God’s call to do so. St. Maria Faustina was reminded that her obedience to her confessor pleased Jesus much more than if she obeyed his voice, from private revelations, and so first sought approval through that confessor. She always conformed herself to obedience of the Church first, as have all saints, since God has set up that authority on earth for our salvation. Jesus himself was obedient unto death; why, then, would we believe we should follow him in any other way?

        Voluntary obedience, on the other hand, is a means of exercising and practicing that virtue to obtain it within a shorter period of time, as well as to strengthen that virtue within us. St. Francis de Sales wrote that “we call that obedience voluntary to which we oblige ourselves by our own choice, and which is not imposed on us by another. (Introduction to a Devout Life, “On Obedience”)” If we want to offer up to God small sacrifices of our will, we should constantly exercise voluntary obedience, whether others are aware of it or not. In fact, it would be better if others did not know about our voluntary obedience. For then God will repay us in secret much more.

         St. Francis de Sales gave us a wonderful description of voluntary obedience:

That you may learn effectually to obey your superiors, condescend easily to the will of your equals, yielding to their opinions in what is not sin, without being contentious or obstinate. Accommodate yourself cheerfully to the desires of your inferiors, as far as reason will permit; never exercise an imperious authority over them so long as they are good. It is an illusion to believe that we should obey with ease if we were religious, when we feel ourselves so backward and stubborn in what regards obedience to those whom God has placed over us. (ibid.)

Quite simply, obedience to others who are not directly in authority over us is an act of love that will also help us to grow in the Spirit of God. If, for example, it is a spouse who requests something of us, no matter how inconvenient or annoying, we should obey as if it were Christ himself asking us. I am certain that by constantly submitting to one another, love will grow fervently, and all selfish ambition will halt. There will be no bitterness, because all will be for Love, for God. We can practice the same, though, for a friend, an enemy, a colleague, an irritating neighbor, or the unknown person in line at the market.

Of course, obedience should always submit first to the obedience of the Gospel and, therefore, to the teachings of the Church, who has been granted authority by Christ himself to rule over us for our salvation and spiritual health. Voluntary obedience can be practiced, though, towards those such as parents, who exist already as an obligatory authority, by going beyond the necessary; that is, to obey in every little thing. Especially, we should always regard the directives of our confessor as God’s will, no matter if we agree or disagree with the penance given or the advice. Listen, as if it were God’s own pleasant directive, speaking through that confessor.

Certainly, do not think that voluntary obedience is a saying “Yes” to everyone who has a request of us. We must always obey the greater authority, and meet our vocations in life granted by God. For one act of simple, voluntary obedience might cause disobedience in another area of our lives. This is not to make one constantly worry, but simply a reminder to be prayerful about all that we undertake. “Undertake nothing without consulting God,” as St. Ignatius of Loyola once said. Let us pray, then, for the increase of the virtue of obedience in the Spirit of Christ, to grow in the Way that he first walked, that we, too, might walk in newness of life.

“An ordinary action performed through obedience and love of God is more meritorious than extraordinary works done on your own authority.”

--St. Louis de Blois

“And Samuel said, ‘Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obedience to the voice of the Lord? Surely, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.’”

-- 1 Samuel 15:22 NRSVCE

Taste and See

            Love is a palpable, tangible reality. Love can be consumed, with our physical bodies, our flesh and blood, our whole being. It exists between old friends, family members, a married couple, or our Christian family.  It exists in the generosity to the poor man on the side of the road. It exists in feeding a hungry child, in the care of an elderly parent, or the fervent prayer for the sinner. Love can be consumed for our life, our faith, our health and our souls.

            Love is not just a feeling or an act of compassion. It is not altruism, nor any other philosophy or mental construct. Love is a person. He came in the flesh. He gave that flesh for the life of the world. His blood was poured out on the soil of the earth, the dust from which we were made and to which we will return.

            That Love is inseparable from the physical reality of this world, to which our own flesh and blood belong. We are no dualists or Gnostics, claiming that our souls or minds are better than our bodies, because that Love is the Resurrection and the Life. He is our true food, our true drink. And now, he still gives that flesh for the life of the world – the Most Holy Eucharist. We can consume him, his body, blood, soul and divinity. If we let him, he will come in and sup with us, and we with him.

            “I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, O Lord, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.”

            Can we ask for anything more than you, Jesus?

Sacrifices of the Will: Forgiveness

           Jesus’ love is so great for us that it is unfathomable. We are so far from the love that he is, and the ocean of mercy that he continually offers us. And, yet, he calls us to lives of love and mercy. He calls us to be merciful, as he is merciful. He calls us to love, as he has loved us. This is most evident in our necessity as Christians to forgive others, as he has forgiven us.

            What pain, though, it is to forgive others sometimes. Must we really forgive, for example, the murderer of our children, the ex-spouse who destroyed our family, the bad confessor who hurt me, the person who started me on a path to addiction, the parent who abused me, or the person who stole all my money? Must we forgive those who continually abuse me? What about the person who sat at the red light too long, or the one who scratched my car, the person who burnt my meal, or the spouse that forgot to complete that chore? Yes, and more. We must forgive it all.

            “As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. (Col. 3:12-13 NRSVCE)” There is no waiver in “must.” St. Paul is very clear about forgiveness being a necessity for those of us who have been forgiven ourselves.

Forgiveness requires compassion, first, because we will never be able to forgive the one who hurt us without first seeing their need for love and for mercy, too. As evil as they may be, they are just as much as us, if not more, in need of the mercy of God, the healing of God to be made whole. They are broken, and sick, in need of a Physician. If we do not see the person with the eyes of Christ, the eyes of compassion, we will always see them as the one who harmed our selves or our loved ones.

Forgiveness takes kindness, because we must show kindness to the person who hurt us, despite the pain and havoc they may have caused. This is what forgiveness means, not to feel better about the person, but to treat them with kindness and to not hold against them their sin. Does that mean being friends with them, to spend time with them, to even speak with them? Not always. There are some occasions in which the person committing the sin against us is not repentant. In that case, it may be better for them and us that we remove ourselves from their presence. It may even be the case of having to send them to prison or jail. Regardless, though, we are called to have kindness toward them. That means working for their good, and not their harm.

Forgiveness takes humility, because we must allow ourselves to truthfully recognize our place before God, and to submit ourselves to love. Humility will overcome our stubborn wills. More so, we will be able to love as Christ loved. He humbled himself, even to the point of death on the Cross, without regard even to the fact that he was God in the flesh. (Phil. 2:5-8) There was no point too low. We must do the same. We must follow him into the path of love, where we will have to put aside all the things we believe we deserve or are owed. Sometimes, we must continue to be abused, praying constantly for God’s grace to change the offender’s heart.

Meekness is required in the same light that humility is, but it would be more of the fruit of that humility. I mean that, since meekness is the virtue of having power under self-control, it will display itself in forgiveness by overcoming the desire to have justice or vengeance. We are always wanting our selves to be vindicated or to receive justice, and often we seek it on our own time, by our own methods. Forgiveness allows us to give all justice and vengeance over to God, who is Judge of all, and who will reward everyone according to their deeds, without partiality. (Rom. 2:6-11)

Patience will allow us to love the offender, and to pray for our enemies, so that they may be converted, healed, and forgiven by God, too. Patience will allow us to endure the pain that we may receive when the offender does not want to be forgiven or change their ways. Patience will certainly help us to endure and to overcome the obstacle of time and lack of strength we have while being humble, meek and compassionate. “Longsuffering” is another word for patient, as the older translations of 1 Corinthians 13 read: “Love is longsuffering and kind.” “Suffering” is not part of this alternate word of “patient” for no reason! Forgiveness takes renouncement of our wills in almost every way, and it is painful to give up that will.

Perhaps we have forgiven others and have been granted the grace to hold no grudges. There is one more person we must forgive – our self.  We must do this, too. If we have confessed our sins, and God has forgiven us, then there is a necessity on our part to accept that forgiveness. C.S. Lewis once said that if we do not forgive ourselves when God has forgiven us already, then we are prideful and hold ourselves up as judges over God himself.

The real issue, though, is that our adversary often does not allow us peace of mind regarding our own sins. “Satan” actually means “accuser.” He is called this for the very reason that he is always accusing us of our sin, always reminding us of it. He will not let it go. He does not want us to let the sin go. He does this, because he wants us to lose hope – hope in God’s grace, mercy and love, especially, but also hope in our position as children of God. He wants us to forget that we are children of the Most High.

Jesus said to his disciples, “Very truly, I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not have a permanent place in the household; the son has a place there forever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. (John 8:34-36 NRSVCE)” Having been forgiven by Christ himself, the Holy One of God who has remained and reached perfection by his obedience, we are set free. So, in our Baptism, we are regenerated, washed clean and made children of God. In the confessional, upon hearing the words “I absolve you of your sins,” we are made clean again and set free from slavery.

The accuser desires only to drag us back to slavery. He wants us to believe we will most certainly fall back into slavery, into the sin that clings so closely and seeks our destruction. No! More than that, he wants to make us believe we are slaves still, and not sons and daughters of God. In fact, though, we are children of God, the Almighty, who gives us his Spirit, to empower us and to give us true life, free from the sin that corrupts our hearts and eats away the life of our souls.

We must, then, always fight against all sorts of evil in order to forgive not only ourselves, but also those who have done great evil against us and our loved ones. There is no limit to God’s forgiveness. As Pope Francis recently said, “God never tires of forgiving, but it is us who tire of asking for his forgiveness.” So, we must continually seek his forgiveness. Then, we must continually give what we have received from God. For, if we do not forgive others their faults, our hearts are closed to the grace of God, and he cannot give to us the forgiveness that he so longs to pour out upon us in his mercy. Yet, he runs after us and urgently seeks us, to show his love and to take us up into his arms. As a shepherd seeks a lost sheep, as a poor widow seeks one lost coin, he longs for us, and chases us.

But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

--Luke 6:35-37 NRSVCE

For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

-- Matthew 6:14-15 NRSVCE

He who knows how to forgive prepares for himself many graces from God. As often as I look upon the cross, so often will I forgive with all my heart. (390)

--St. Faustina

Let no one mourn that he has fallen again and again; for forgiveness has risen from the grave.

--St. John Chrysostom

The Sacraments of God: Every Created Thing

            Orthodoxy, keeping right faith, is truly a balancing act. There are so many paradoxes; if any one thought is emphasized too much, then the faith becomes unorthodox and diseased rapidly. Soon, a slew of cancerous lies is filling the soul of the individual or group of believers who ran with one side of the story.  By God’s will, he has kept the gates of Hell from prevailing against his Church and led her into all truth, as he promised. Some outside the Church, though, have claimed she has fallen into disease by worshiping the creation instead of the Creator. What then? Should we be pagan, or Puritan? The Catholic Church has taken the ancient way, though, and done neither. She has kept to reason and truth, to worship God and receiving his grace by seeing creation as a sacramental reality.

             “Ever since the creation of the world [God’s] eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made,” St. Paul wrote in Romans 1:20 (NRSVCE). Holy Scripture clearly tells us that God’s creation was meant to be a sign and an instrument of God himself. St. Paul continues in the passage about how some, though, instead of recognizing the God to whom the creation points, have made their own gods and worshipped their own passions. They have “worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator. (Rom. 1:25)”

            Throughout the history of the Church, there have been times at which those who have wanted to keep orthodox have attempted to debase and to rid the “creature” in an attempt to put distance between God and his creation, so as to worship him alone. They rid themselves of all objects like icons, relics, candles, incense, and liturgical garments. They rejected the art the Church has guarded, whether in the Sistine Chapel or in the Eucharistic monstrance of the local parishes. They rid themselves, finally, of all Sacraments of the Church. In doing so, they rid themselves of many created things that God has willed to use in order communicate himself, his love and his grace to draw us to himself.

            A sacrament is any thing (person, place, action, object) that communicates a hidden reality. Both the Greek and the Latin words for “mystery” are from where we get our English word “sacrament.” A sacrament is a mystery because the obvious and visible of the thing itself give way to the invisible reality of God and his goodness. Some sacraments are stronger in degree of communicating hidden realities. A few sacraments are so strong that they communicate God himself.

            Both the Canticle of Daniel and Psalm 148 are clear examples in Holy Scripture of what a sacrament in creation looks like. “Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord. Praise and exalt him above all forever. Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord. You heavens, bless the Lord. […] Sun and moon […] Stars of heaven […] Every shower and dew […] you winds […] Fire and heat […] Cold and chill, bless the Lord. (Dan. 3:57-88 NAB) All created things point in praise of the Creator. Psalm 36:6 praises God’s “righteousness like the mighty mountains, and [his] judgments are like the great deep [oceans].”

            The pinnacle of creation, though, is humankind. We are made in his image, both male and female (Gen. 1:27). In us existed the perfect image of God prior to the entrance of sin. We were meant to be the perfect icon of the Creator, and through us, we were to draw up the whole creation in worship of him. Though we fell from grace, we did, however, retain part of that image of God even after having sinned. As St. Thérèse pointed out in her autobiography, The Story of a Soul, even a hard-hearted sinner like Pharaoh can be an instrument of God to be a kind of sacrament: “For the scripture says to Pharaoh, ‘I have raised you up for the very purpose of showing my power in you, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.’ (Rom. 9:27 NRSVCE)”

            And, yet, through all of the muck and mess that we’ve made of the world, there is still a greater Sacrament in creation – the greatest Sacrament of all. It is not all of the great signs and wonders that God did for Israel, though they be sacramental in nature: the Arc of the Covenant, Moses’ staff, the tablets of the Commandments, the priestly sarifices, the pillar of fire, the burning bush. These were all great instruments of God’s power, his grace, his mercy and his presence.  Even Israel, the nation itself, was a kind of sacrament of God in the world, being an instrument of God’s holiness and salvation.

            The greatest sacrament of all is the Word made Flesh. Jesus Christ “is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. (Col. 1:15 NRSVCE)” It is he who communicates to us all of God, perfectly and without fault. He it is who communicates all life, all holiness. In his image, his own flesh and blood, he gives us all of God and his complete salvation, all fullness of grace. “O happy fault, that gained for us so great, so glorious a Redeemer!” is the praise we cry in the Easter Exsultet each year. He is the one who redeemed and restored the image of God to humankind. In him, and through him, we can become like God. He is the only Sacrament in complete totality, to communicate (the Word) the reality, the truths, of God and his mysteries.

            Next to him stands his bride, the Church. She is the body of Christ, as he is the head. She stands firm as another sacrament, to give life, and to be the presence of Christ to the world. She alone has been given his authority, his glory, his holiness, and his reign. She carries within her his fullness: “And [God] has put all things under his feet and has made [Christ] the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. (Eph. 1:22-23 NRSVCE)”

            The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us, “The Church both contains and communicates the invisible grace she signifies. It is in this analogical way that the Church is called a sacrament. (774)” Later, in paragraphs 1118 and on, we read that, in the Church, the seven sacraments instituted by Christ himself (Baptism, Communion, Confirmation, Marriage, Holy Orders and Anointing of the Sick) are the gifts of Christ to his Church “for her” and “by her.” In these sacraments of the Church, performed by her, she is an instrument of the very grace that God gives to her. The Church is a sacrament, because she is an instrument of that grace that she signifies as the bride of Christ, as his Body; she is an instrument of Christ’s very action.

            Through the Sacraments of the Church, Christ is the one who acts. They are the signs and the instruments of his saving grace; they are the works of his hands. It is he who baptizes, he who washes clean, he who forgives, he who feeds us, he who binds us in matrimony and love, he who heals us, he who gives us the gifts of the Spirit and the authority of his priesthood (CCC, 1127). In instituting these Sacraments, he has given us perfect means of witnessing and receiving the act of God, through signs of invisible realities. These Sacraments give to us the Way, the Truth, and the Life. We should never disregard them as mere symbols, mere religious acts of piety or as empty rituals. They are the saving power of God, who has chosen the things of this world to bring about his salvation.

            Now, because of the Redemption won for us and the whole creation by Christ, the True Sacrament, we are able to return all created things to right order and to a right relationship with God. Romans 8:28-33 tells us that the whole of creation is eagerly awaiting the final redemption of humankind in the Resurrection, and is waiting for freedom from the corruption it was subjected to by our sin. By our “royal priesthood,” and as the Church, the body of Christ, we too are eagerly awaiting that day, and now work towards it by being instruments of God’s salvation and redemption.

            Here and now, we can help to bring all things to right relationship toward him, in love. In this, every created thing can become a sacramental of God, whether it be our Rosaries, our holy water, our candles, icons, medals, relics or crucifixes. They are all meant to be tools of God to draw us to him, and to even bring his healing, his graces to our lives. Simpler things can even become sacramental in nature, though: even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched St. Paul were used to heal the sick and possessed (Acts 19:12).

There is nothing left behind in God’s work of redemption. Our whole lives and all of creation can be lifted up to God and can be an instrument of God for whatever purpose he wills, to put right the love relationship between his creation and himself. Let us love him with all that we have. And let us remember the highest gifts he has given to us, his Church, in her seven Sacraments to initiate and continue this work of redemption and healing. For without them, all other sacramentals would be lost, because they are the very work of the Word of God, Christ Jesus our Lord.

Perfection Rhymes with Confession?

            Perfect: the word has a lot of connotation in modern society. Mostly, it isn’t used among humans to refer to the behavior of other humans. In fact, it may refer to many other things other than behavior: machines, technology, vehicles, and last but not least, the opposite sex and their appearance. These uses are far from the “perfect” we read about in Scripture, the Saints and the writings of the Church. “Perfection” seems, to the world, a lofty idea, only achievable by external improvements of evolutionary advances and technological inventions. The “perfection” that Christ and his Church speak about, though, is internal, of the heart, and one starting at imperfection, first.

            Imperfection is the starting place of perfection, because we are all in need of the God who abundantly loves us; we are all in need of grace. The world begins a pursuit of perfection with pride. Christ begins with humility. The world attempts to build mini versions of the Tower of Babel over and over again: “Look at what we can do. Look at the achievements! Look at the advances we can make! One day, we will be in Paradise … several generations from now.” Instead, Christ says, “If you wish to be perfect, go and sell all of your goods, and then come follow me,” and, “If you will be exalted, humble yourself.”

            Christ told this parable to those who trusted in their own self-righteousness:

Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted. (Luke 18:10-14 NRSVCE)

Perfection, then, does not begin with self-pride and self-righteousness. It does not begin with the thought that we are already holy, that we are capable of great things, or that we can make ourselves righteous by our own strength. It begins with the recognition that we are in need of grace to accomplish anything, and that “apart from [Christ] you can do nothing. (John 15:5)” The beginning of perfection is in recognizing our complete poverty in and of ourselves. Even the Ever-Virgin, Immaculately Conceived proclaimed her need of God, her poverty: “My spirit rejoices in God, my Savior. (Luke 1:47)”

Christ repeatedly proclaimed that his first coming was to “seek and to save the lost,” and to heal those who were ill and blind, those living in darkness. “I have come to call not the righteous but sinners. (Mark 2:17)” He came to heal our wounds. So, after his resurrection, the first thing he did was give the authority of forgiving sins to his apostles: “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained. (John 20:22,23 NRSVCE)”

The one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church is a living paradox: she is holy, and yet filled with sinners on earth. This is because Christ is the one who makes her holy, through his Sacraments, each time he forgives and washes her members. Christ knows our weakness. He knows our need of his strength, his power, his grace, and especially his mercy. In giving us the Sacrament of Reconciliation, he gave us the means of being healed, and to receive a clean heart from God. (Psalm 51; James 4:8; 5:14-16) “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness,” wrote St. John in his first epistle. (1:8,9 NRSVCE)

There is only one way to perfection, then. That is, to recognize our utter poverty without God, and to confess our sins to him and before others. In doing so, we will be justified. And from there, we can begin building our house on solid foundation – Christ, who is the rock bottom. Only he can help us to live the Christian life. Only he can help us to overcome our faults and our habitual sins, our vices. Only he can heal us of all the evil in our hearts.

Perfection consists in always going to Christ, the source of holiness, and being filled with his Spirit, constantly relying on him to work in and through us, without excuse, without despair, without pride. We must always humble ourselves, each day, in his presence and in the presence of others, so that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit may exalt us to the highest places of love and holiness to which he has called us. He wants us to be great; he wants us to be perfect. Sometimes, it just takes confession and forgiveness to start anew. Always, though, it takes humility.

“My grace is sufficient for you. In your weakness, my power is made perfect.” -- Jesus to St. Paul, 1 Cor. 12:9

“To acknowledge one's sin, indeed-penetrating still more deeply into the consideration of one's own personhood-to recognize oneself as being a sinner, capable of sin and inclined to commit sin, is the essential first step in returning to God.”

--St. John Paul II, “Reconciliation and Penance,” (13).

"Holiness is a disposition of the heart that makes us humble and little in the arms of God, aware of our weakness, and confident -- in the most audacious way -- in His Fatherly goodness."

--St. Therese of the Infant Jesus

”The more a person loves God, the more reason he has to hope in Him. This hope produces in the Saints an unutterable peace, which they preserve even in adversity, because as they love God, and know how beautiful He is to those who love Him, they place all their confidence and find all their repose in Him alone.”

“He who trusts himself is lost. He who trusts God can do all things.”

--Saint Alphonsus de Liguori

St. Alphonsus de Liguori, Doctor of the Church, pray for us.

St. Paul, you murdered a man and called yourself worst of all sinners. Yet, you were forgiven and made holy by Christ our Lord. You persevered by his Cross and Resurrection. Pray for us, that we may praise God with you and all the saints and angels forever.

Amen. +