The Gospel according to Maddy

Maddy is really coming on and growing to be a beautiful little character. She adores going to Mass, loves praying to Jesus, Mary and even Newman, and certainly spurs me on with her radiant child-like Faith. Here are some recent photos of her.

Now, today's Gospel was St Luke 10: 27-37. When we're at Mass we invariably take Maddy into one of the side chapels and read from some of the books available from the church. Out of all the lovely little books, including ones on the Saints, Mary, the Nativity etc. Maddy's favourite has always been the Good Samaritan. So I was really excited today with the Gospel being this very story. So today the book in question came out of the chapel into the pew, and Maddy was very well behaved!

The story, as understood by Maddy, is about a trader called Abie. He is on his way to Jericho from Jerusalem, along a rugged rocky road. On the way a band of nasty robbers are hiding behind one of the big boulders, and overpower poor Abie, even taking his donkey and clothes. Poor Abie lies in the hot sun, bleeding and thirsty, and too weak to move. Both a Priest and a Levite hurry past without helping poor Abie. But then, a Samaritan called Saul comes along on his donkey. Samaritans and Jews don't get along at all, so Abie is so relieved to find this helpful man bandage his wounds, give him water to drink, and take him on his own donkey to Jericho. Abie leans on the Samaritan for support, but Saul doesn't mind, and is pleased to help. Once in Jericho Saul puts Abie to bed in an inn. The next morning Abie is feeling much better, and Saul says goodbye, leaving some silver coins with the innkeeper so that he can continue looking after Abie, and promising to pay back any extra when he returns.

Its sweet that Maddy loves this story so much. It seems to be one used in schools a lot to promote a Gospel of Justice & Peace. Which is all very well and good. Indeed, the story defines how we should love "thy neighbour as thyself" which is easy with our own friends and family, but set in the context of this parable, demands so much more of us. When we look at the story also in a spiritual sense, as the Fathers of the Church did, we see the Samaritan as a type of our Lord Jesus, who came down from the heavenly Jerusalem to rescue fallen humanity, dressing its wounds with great compassion and nourishing him with divine Grace. The Priest and Levite administering the old law could not hope to fulfill the law of love which our Lord ushered in, as today's Epistle says, "ministers of the new testament, not in the letter, but in the spirit: for the letter killeth but the spirit quickeneth". (2 Corinthians 3:4-9)

With this deep interpretation, we can see our Lord not only rescues Humanity from the brink of spiritual death, but takes him to the inn, which is the Church, for a full and perhaps slow recovery from the divine balm of the Sacraments. As the Good Samaritan promises, so does Our Lord; "Take care of him, and whatsoever thou shalt spend over and above, I, at my return will repay thee." In this year for Priests, it is especially heartening for our shepherds to hear these words echoed to them directly.

We should remember that in our Catholic Faith, it is not enough merely to do our duty as Catholics, as the Priest and Levite did in the Gospel parable; but rather the law of love and mercy should spill over into our everyday life. I see myself as perhaps more of an innkeeper: passively prepared to receive any gift of God's grace, and willing to help if Our Lord should present a needy cause to me, mindful of my due. But our role should shift more to the Samaritan in our attempt to imitate our Lord: in showing mercy, and refecting our love and service of God in the way we treat others completely selflessly.

Happy feast of The Assumption of Our Lady

What a Mother we have interceeding for us in heaven!
Just imagine the joy in heaven on that day when Mary arrived. The mother of Our Lord who had always humbly done the will of God, never calculating if it would inconveinience Her. Mary's plans always put the will of God first.
This is shown when at the wedding feast at cana She told the servants 'Do whatever He (Jesus) tells you.'. She recognized the Divinity of her son; who she had carried in her womb.
On the assumption her son, Our Lord would have greeted her; rewarding her for the great sacrifices and great love she always gave.


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Virgin Media Broadband

Cardinal Pell on Newman

There is an excellent article on the Newman Cause website on Cardinal Pell's thoughts of Newman following the recent announcement of his beatification, and marking the occasion of the 119th anniversary of his death. Although last year was thought to be the last pilgrimage to the graveside, solemn visits to Rednal will continue as this will always remain Newman's final resting place.

The article I think serves to refute some of the liberal highjacking of Newman's thoughts. Rather than anticipating some sort of rupture with the Church's thought, Newman taught us the true place of human conscience as something which serves absolute Truth, which is important to note in an ages which, according to Pope Benedict, marks a "dictatorship of relativism".

If you check back tomorrow, the complete text will be online. For now there is an excellent summary of the Cardinal's points here.

Picture above: St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Bishop of Geneva, and Patron of Catholic Journalists. This portrait hangs above the altar in Newman's private chapel at the Birmingham Oratory

Newman Cause Response to the Tablet

I don't read the Tablet, but I do enjoy reading things which refute its liberal tendencies. This time from the prestigious Newman Cause Website.

Two New Papal Documents

It has come to my tired attention (I am currently on nights) that the Pope has released two important documents this last couple of weeks. The first, is his third Encyclical Caritas in Veritate which I think has a really nice catchy title. Charity in Truth. I have been interested in the deterioration of modern society's definition of Love, so am particularly pleased that the Holy Father has reiterated the reasons for this:

Truth needs to be sought, found and expressed within the “economy” of charity, but charity in its turn needs to be understood, confirmed and practised in the light of truth. In this way, not only do we do a service to charity enlightened by truth, but we also help give credibility to truth, demonstrating its persuasive and authenticating power in the practical setting of social living. This is a matter of no small account today, in a social and cultural context which relativizes truth, often paying little heed to it and showing increasing reluctance to acknowledge its existence. (Paragraph 2)

I am still only on chapter 2, but wanted to link to it now so that people can be drawn into the document's riches.

The second document I have come across is a shorter Motu Proprio called Ecclesiae Unitatem, which concerns the reorganisation of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei into the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The reasons for this centre around the desire of the Holy Father to bring back into full communion with the Church, the Priestly Fraternity SSPX. It seems to emphasise the fact that negotiations are purely doctrinal and little to do with the Extraordinary Form of the Mass, which has since been released from special indults described by Ecclesia Dei.

Obviously the Holy Father is very busy. The Encyclical obviously has most relevance to the Church as a whole, but we must not underestimate the importance of trying to discuss Vatican II in light of increased rootedness in Tradition: I could not possibly say whether the talks with SSPX will be successful, but at least it shows a readiness on the part of the Church to debate the whole context of Vatican II as a pastoral council, and since liberals within the Church seem so determined to turn it into a super-dogma council, it is useful to have another perspective which challenges the status quo.

Te Deum

In thanksgiving for the coming beatification of Cardinal Newman:

Te Deum laudamus: te Dominum confitemur. Te aeternum Patrem omnis terra veneratur. Tibi omnes Angeli; tibi caeli et universae Potestates; Tibi Cherubim et Seraphim incessabili voce proclamant: Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus, Dominus Deus Sabaoth.

O God, we praise Thee, and acknowledge Thee to be the supreme Lord.
Everlasting Father, all the earth worships Thee.
All the Angels, the heavens and all angelic powers,
All the Cherubim and Seraphim, continuously cry to Thee:
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts!

Pleni sunt caeli et terra maiestatis gloriae tuae. Te gloriosus Apostolorum chorus, Te Prophetarum laudabilis numerus, Te Martyrum candidatus laudat exercitus. Te per orbem terrarum sancta confitetur Ecclesia
Heaven and earth are full of the Majesty of Thy glory.
The glorious choir of the Apostles,
The wonderful company of Prophets,
The white-robed army of Martyrs, praise Thee.
Holy Church throughout the world acknowledges Thee:

Patrem immensae maiestatis: Venerandum tuum verum et unicum Filium; Sanctum quoque Paraclitum Spiritum. Tu Rex gloriae, Christe. Tu Patris sempiternus es Filius.
The Father of infinite Majesty;
Thy adorable, true and only Son;
Also the Holy Spirit, the Comforter.
O Christ, Thou art the King of glory!
Thou art the everlasting Son of the Father.

Tu ad liberandum suscepturus hominem, non horruisti Virginis uterum. Tu, devicto mortis aculeo, aperuisti credentibus regna caelorum. Tu ad dexteram Dei sedes, in gloria Patris. Iudex crederis esse venturus.
When Thou tookest it upon Thyself to deliver man,
Thou didst not disdain the Virgin's womb.
Having overcome the sting of death, Thou opened the Kingdom of Heaven to all believers.
Thou sitest at the right hand of God in the glory of the Father.
We believe that Thou willst come to be our Judge.

Te ergo quaesumus, tuis famulis subveni: quos pretioso sanguine redemisti. Aeterna fac cum sanctis tuis in gloria numerari.
We, therefore, beg Thee to help Thy servants whom Thou hast redeemed with Thy Precious Blood. Let them be numbered with Thy Saints in everlasting glory.

V. Salvum fac populum tuum, Domine, et benedic hereditati tuae.
R. Et rege eos, et extolle illos usque in aeternum.
V. Save Thy people, O Lord, and bless Thy inheritance! R. Govern them, and raise them up forever.

V. Per singulos dies benedicimus te.
R. Et laudamus nomen tuum in saeculum, et in saeculum saeculi.
V. Every day we thank Thee. R. And we praise Thy Name forever, yes, forever and ever.

V. Dignare, Domine, die isto sine peccato nos custodire.
R. Miserere nostri, Domine, miserere nostri.
V. O Lord, deign to keep us from sin this day. R. Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us.

V. Fiat misericordia tua, Domine, super nos, quemadmodum speravimus in te.
R. In te, Domine, speravi: non confundar in aeternum.
V. Let Thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, for we have hoped in Thee. R. O Lord, in Thee I have put my trust; let me never be put to shame.

St John Fisher

This is eternal life: That they may know Thee, the only true God,
and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent.

St John 17:3

A wonderful feast for England and Wales is that which commemorates the two great martyrs of the Protestant revolution under King Henry VIII: St John Fisher, who was Cardinal and Bishop of Rochester for 33 years; and St Thomas More, who was a layman, father, and High Chancellor of England.

The above quote was spoken by St John Fisher as his final words before being beheaded. It deserves particular meditation, and has pride of place in this feast's liturgy as the Alleluia. Both these saints were imprisoned in the Tower of London by the King when they refused to approve of his illegitimate marriage to Anne Boleyn. They were surely both a fine example for the many people who subsequently died for the Catholic faith in this country. Furthermore, they are a shining beacon for us too, in a time when speaking out in defence of our Faith is considered imprudent or downright dangerous.

In the new Calender of the Church, this feast has been moved to June 22nd to coincide with the date St John Fisher was martyred in 1535. But when the pre-1965 liturgy is used, an older calender is employed which places the date for the feast as July 9th (closer to St Thomas More's execution of July 6th the same year). Therefore this year, to mark the occasion in the most solemn way, I have helped organise a High Mass in the parish church of St John Fisher in West Heath. (Pictured on this post)

The interesting thing about this church is the modern architecture. It was built in 1962 - 1964 and was thus designed for the 1962 missal! There features a sanctuary with marble altar rails, an eastward facing altar, a pulpit, a baldachino and 'big six' candlesticks. The building is in a hexagonal shape with stained glass windows depicting Jesus as Good Shephard, Teacher, King and Redeemer. It also features several side chapels, a grand organ loft above the west entrance, and a double sacristy to accomodate servers and priests.

By the time the church was consecrated in 1972 the liturgy had changed a great deal, and I suppose the sanctuary no longer seems 'fit for purpose' in that regard. However, over the years the church has never suffered the unfortunate reorderings that many have, with only a moveable free-standing altar to give the game away, which means it is a perfect venue for the Traditional Latin Mass.

For more on this event on Thursday, see my LMS Blog.

RIP Michael Jackson

Let's pray for Michael's soul and for his friends and family....



We were born in 1982 the year of 'thriller', both danced and sang to his songs with our siblings!!
My brother Damian (RIP) used to write his own Michael Jackson lyrics as a young boy.
His songs have influenced so many.
May he finally be at peace.

High Mass in Birmingham Parish

Even before the council it would be unusual for there to be a full Solemn High Mass in the ordinary parishes. It is with eager anticipation that I therefore draw your attention to this event on Thursday July 9th at 7pm! It will be the patronal feast of the church of St John Fisher in West Heath in the old calender and therefore a fitting occasion.

Please see my LMS blog for more details.

Sacred Heart of Jesus

Cogitationes Cordis ejus in generatiónem:
ut éruat a morte ánimas eórum et alat eos in fame.

The thoughts of His Heart are to all generations: to deliver their souls from death and feed them in famine.

(Introit for today - Psalm 32: 11-19)

The Sacred heart is many things: It is an image, it is a feast, it is a popular devotion in Catholicism. But above all things, it is an indicator towards an important theological foundation of Christendom. In the encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII asserts that;

It is altogether impossible to enumerate the heavenly gifts which devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus has poured out on the souls of the faithful, purifying them, offering them heavenly strength, rousing them to the attainment of all virtues.(Paragraph 2)

His predecessor, Pius XI, was even so bold as to say;

Is not a summary of all our religion and, moreover, a guide to a more perfect life contained in this one devotion? Indeed, it more easily leads our minds to know Christ the Lord intimately and more effectively turns our hearts to love Him more ardently and to imitate Him more perfectly. (Miserentissimus Redemptor)

Therefore it seems clear that this devotion is particularly relevant for thinking of our religion in this day and age. So what is this devotion all about?

The perfect way to visualise the basis of the devotion is through the Gospel accounts. St John records in his account of the Gospel (7:37-39);

on the last and great day of the festivity, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, 'If any man thirst, let him come to Me, and let him drink that believeth in Me. As the Scripture saith: Out of his heart there shall flow rivers of living waters.' Now this He said of the Spirit which they should receive who believed in Him.

This vision given by our Lord reaches its perfect fulfilment on the cross, where in the moments after His death the centurion pierces His side with a lance, sending forth a stream of blood and water. The symbolism behind this has been taken to reflect the waters of Baptism which cleanse our soul, and the blood of the new covenant given to us in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, which instils in us divine Grace, uniting us to Christ's sacrifice and atonement. Through His pierced side, the Holy Spirit thus flowed upon His Church.

But let me take a step back. For the Sacred Heart this year has been instituted as the beginning of a year dedicated to the Priesthood. Pope Benedict has chosen the feast of the Sacred Heart, today, to inaugurate this year. That is why I have chosen the image above: Jesus arrayed in sacerdotal vestments thus symbolising His Divine Priesthood. This consists of Him being the perfect mediator between God and Man, since He is God made incarnate, in the flesh. By sharing in our humanity, Jesus shows us a perfect example of Divine Love. The ministry of the Priesthood is closely connected to this for a variety of reasons which I'm sure we will learn more about in this coming year. From my point of view, the way the Priest makes present the reality of Christ, calvary, the real presence of Our Saviour in the Mass, on the Altar. Furthermore, the Liturgy shows us an image of the Priest in our everyday lives: feeding us with Christ's Love in a tender and sober way, especially evident in the distribution of communion on our tongues like lambs in his flock.

In the image above, Christ is represented on the Cross, for it is here that he makes manifest his Divine Love in the most perfect way, recalling that His institution of the Priesthood and the Eucharist began before the crucifixion during the Last Supper as part of one single act (see the way Mary Magdelene holds the precious Chalice at his feet). Christ is therefore crowned as King in heaven but also victim, the image of the suffering servant of Isaiah's prophecy, symbolised in St John's apocalypse by the lamb standing, as it were, slain.

Through His merits, which He has earned for us on the Cross, we partake in the Holy Trinity and become objects of a love which is constantly outpoured, ready to be received. As we are reminded in the classic image - his heart is burning with love for us, like the Just Father for his Prodigal Son. This love is without condition, and we cannot earn it. We can, obviously, partake by praising the Father for sending us such a gift. We resign our weakness and our failing to His Sacred Heart in confession. He urges us to reciprocate His love in this manner, but moreover by displaying His love in our own everyday lives. It all begins with Christ and His Sacred Heart.