R.I.P.

Please pray for the repose of the soul

of

Frère Féréol o.s.b

monk of the Abbey Sainte Madeleine du Barroux.

He accidentaly died this week.

His funeral service took place today in the monastery.

Confederate Memorial Day

In Georgia: April 26th

The restless find rest, in the lonesome, still grave,

And the bravest and best, and the truest and brave,

Whose work hath been done, work heavy and hard

They, each, every one, win highest reward

This grave is their throne, and when they lie down

In the grave, still and lone, they wear the crown

None other may wear, and the living have care

Of the still, lonesome grave, of the true and the brave

The brave are the true, and the true are the brave.

Wearers of Blue, who rest in the grave.

I of the Gray, today chant your dirge,

In the battle’s red surge, your bright lives were wrecked

Never a wave that hath not been flecked

By the whitest of foam a-crowning its crest

You fought for your home, your name and your rest

Ah, God knoweth best, the ways of this world.

The banner is furled, that waved o’er the Gray,

The banner still waves that flashed o’er the Blue

And this sacred day, you bring to still graves,

The sweet flowers of May, to crown the dead braves.

Who saved from the Gray, the Union for you.

Yours the bright Blue, that colors the skies

Stars in it for you, whose light never dies.

Mine the dark Gray and sad as a cloud,Skies and stars stay, clouds float away.

Ah! Dear Southern Dead, the Ghosts of the Gray

Whose brave blood was shed, ye are with me today.

And I am your voice. I hear what you say.

Priest of our God, the men of the Blue and the men of the Gray

Lie dead ‘neath the sod, chant the praise of the men

Who met us in fight, on stream, crag and glen,

Each heart for its right, sing the true and the brave,

Who met in the fray, cry out from the grave.

Both the Blue and the Gray, each grave is so calm

Our still voices blend, in a beautiful psalm.

Let all hatreds end, from the bright Golden Shore

We cry to the world, be brothers once more.

One banner is furled, the other still waves,

O'er us and the Brave, and from far away,

We, the Blue and the Gray, ah! together we pray,

Let never hand sever, one bright star from star,

We see it from afar, and its star-folds shall float forever and ever.

Father Abram Joseph Ryan

I am the good shepherd!

“I am the good shepherd; and I know mine, and mine know me.”

Jesus tells us that there is a mutual knowledge between Himself and His flock. They know each other. In Latin, ‘to know’ is cognoscere. The etymology of the word is ‘cum nascere’, which means ‘to be born with’. If we know Jesus Christ, we can say that we are born with Him, which is especially true through the Sacrament of Baptism. Saint Paul says that we are baptized in the death of Jesus-Christ. “We have been planted together in the likeness of his death, and we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection.”

To know, in the Bible, means more than a simple intellectual knowledge. It involves a deep intimacy and a close relationship. The book of Genesis tells us that “Adam knew his wife” The intimate act of the spouses is an image of the union between God and men. As Adam knew his wife, Jesus knows us and this knowledge is also love.

Here you would say that knowledge is not love. The first one is an act of our intellect while the second one, an act of our will. You are right and with Pascal we say that there is a huge distance between knowing God and loving Him.

But now, let us consider God. For God, to be, to love and to know are the same thing. God knows us. He loves us. It is the same thing. His love is shown in a wonderful manner through the Incarnation and the Passion. Our Lord Jesus Christ is the good Shepherd who gives his life for his flock. Now, if we are truly born with Jesus, knowing Him should mean loving Him. We cannot imagine a Christian life without the love of God, because it is absolutely impossible. To be baptized is absolutely necessary, even for babies, no matter what the theologians of the Vatican say, but baptism is just the beginning. It is the beginning of a life of love for God.

Being faithful to the promises of our Baptism, which we renewed two weeks ago during the Easter Vigil, is not easy. We are assailed by the temptations of the world and of the evil spirits. We are tempted to make compromise with the world in things regarding moral or faith. The world, with its slogan and its sophisms tries to make us think as itself, so that, little by little, we forget the true teaching of the Christ. The fact is that after a few decades of laxity in the preaching of the authentic Catholic Faith, the flock of Jesus Christ has considerably decreased. Many Catholic believe today in doctrines incompatible with the Faith and the Morale. Oh, they might be members of the Church because of their Baptism, but they are not the sheep of Jesus who listen to His voice. They do not know Him. They do not love Him even though they claim the contrary. How can you say that you love God if you despise His Authority and His teaching? Those who love God keep the word of Jesus. Those who love Him are the sheep who recognize His voice in the midst of the noise of the world.

And we, who have the grace to know Him, are we truly His sheep? Do we listen to Him? Do we keep His words, especially those regarding the commandment of Charity? It is easy to estimate that we, ourselves, are better than the others because we know the true Faith, but our confessionals are full every Sunday, thanks be to God! But that means that by ourselves we are no better than the enemies of Jesus and of the Church. We should be more grateful for what we have received and be able to humble ourselves instead of always judging and criticizing, complaining, mourning and murmuring. If you want to mourn, that’s fine, but mourn for your own sins.

And again, be grateful! God is good and loves us. We forget this truth so often. Jesus Christ is the good shepherd who gives His life for us, for me. What can I do for Him. Saint Therese of Lisieux says that “There is only one thing to do here below: to love Jesus, to win souls for Him so that He may be loved. Let us seize with jealous care every least opportunity of self sacrifice. Let us refuse Him nothing - He does so want our love!”

Let us turn to Our Mary and ask her to teach us the love of Jesus. Let us learn from her how to listen to Him.
“I am the good shepherd; and I know mine, and mine know me.” Do we really know Him?

Anniversary of the Coronation of Pope Benedict XVI

April 24th 2005

Deus, omnium fidelium pastor et rector, famulum tuum Benedictum, quem pastorem Ecclesiae tuae praeesse voluisti, propius respice: da ei, quaesumus, verbo et exemplo, quibus praeest proficere; ut ad vitam, una cum grege sibi credito, perveniat sempiternam. Per Dominum Nostrum Jesum Christum.

23 avril: Saint Georges

« On lit dans l’histoire d’Antioche que, Durant la croisade, comme les chrétiens allaient assiéger Jérusalem, un jeune homme merveilleusement beau apparut à un prêtre. Il lui dit qu’il était Saint Georges, chef des armées chrétiennes, et que si les croisés emportaient de ses reliques à Jérusalem, il serait avec eux. Et comme les croisés, assiégeant la ville, n’osaient point grimper aux échelles par crainte des Sarrasins qui défendaient les murs, Saint Georges se montra à eux, vêtu d’une armure blanche qu’ornait une croix rouge. Il leur fit signe de le suivre sans crainte à l’assaut des murs. Et eux, ainsi encouragés, ils repoussèrent les Sarrasins et conquirent la ville. »

Jacques de Voragine : La Légende dorée.

Le culte de Saint Georges s’est rapidement propagé dans tout le monde chrétien, tant en Orient qu’en Occident. Il a été choisi pour protecteur de pays comme la Géorgie et la Grande-Bretagne. De nombreuses églises lui ont été consacrées et toute âme chrétienne voit en lui l'incarnation des vertus de vaillance et de patience dans les afflictions ainsi que de confiance en l'assistance de la Grâce que le Christ, Maître du combat, a recommandées à tous les soldats de la piété.

Revenir à l'essentiel !!!

"La France tombera très bas. Plus bas que les autres nations, à cause de son orgueil […]. Il n'y aura plus rien. Mais dans sa détresse, elle se souviendra de Dieu et criera vers Lui, et c'est la Sainte Vierge qui viendra la sauver. La France retrouvera alors sa vocation de Fille aînée de l'Eglise, elle sera le lieu de la plus grande effusion de l'Esprit Saint, et elle enverra à nouveau des missionnaires dans le monde entier."

Marthe Robin en 1936

"Vous direz aux français qu'ils fassent trésor des testaments de saint Remy, de Charlemagne et de saint Louis, ces testaments qui se résument dans les mots si souvent répétés par l'héroïne d'Orléans : "Vive le Christ qui est Roi des Francs !"A ce titre seulement, la France est grande parmi les nations ; à cette clause, Dieu la protégera et la fera libre et glorieuse ; à cette condition, on pourra lui appliquer ce qui, dans les Livres Saints, est dit d'Israël : que personne ne s'est rencontré qui insultât ce peuple, sinon quand il s'est éloigné de Dieu.Ce n'est pas un rêve, mais une réalité ; je n'ai pas seulement l'espérance, j'ai la certitude du plein triomphe."

Saint Pie X à Mgr Touchet

"Avec toute l'audace d'un homme qui sent la gravité de la situation, avec l'amour sans lequel il n'y a pas de véritable apostolat, avec la claire connaissance des réalités présentes, condition indispensable de toute rénovation, comme je crierais d'ici à tous les fils et les filles de France : "Soyez fidèles à votre traditionnelle vocation ! Jamais l'heure n'a été plus grave pour vous en imposer les devoirs, jamais heure plus belle pour y répondre. Ne laissez pas passer l'heure, ne laissez pas s'étioler des dons que Dieu a adaptés à la mission qu'Il vous confie ; ne les gaspillez pas, ne les profanez pas au service de quelque autre idéal trompeur inconsistant ou moins noble et moins digne de vous !"Mais pour cela, je vous répète, écoutez la voix qui vous crie : Priez, Orate Fratres ! Sinon, vous ne feriez qu'œuvre humaine, et, à l'heure présente, en face des forces adverses, l'œuvre purement humaine est vouée à la stérilité, c'est-à-dire à la défaite ; ce serait la faillite de votre vocation."

Cardinal Pacelli (futur Pie XII), 13 juillet 1937, à Notre-Dame de Paris.

Modesty and prudence

The following is from a conference given by the late Fr. John Hardon, S.J.

Modesty and prudence are two virtues that most persons would not think to associate, yet they stand to one another as cause to effect: Just as there can be no chastity without modesty, so there can be no modesty without prudence. Before we go any further, let us reiterate that we are dealing with Christian chastity; i.e., chastity as revealed by Our Lord Jesus Christ. Indeed, although the Latin word castitas predates Christ, chastity regarded as a virtue appears only after the Incarnation. Already among the ancient Greek philosophers like Aristotle, it was assumed that continence or the virtue of temperance in controlling the sexual appetite required the practice of prudence. But the prudence we have in mind goes far beyond, is much deeper, than what even the best minds before Christ ever conceived, to say nothing of what was expected of persons in practice.

What is modesty?

Modesty

The most basic meaning of modesty is moderation. In this sense a modest person is one who moderates his actions. In other words, a modest person is moderate or balanced. This can mean placing a moderate estimate on one’s own abilities or talents. A modest person is one who is neither bold not self-assertive. A modest person tends toward diffidence. Such descriptions we will find in any modern lexicon. In Catholic moral teaching, however, modesty is a virtue inclining a person to observe proper decorum, especially in speech, in one’s bodily movements, dress, and adornments. The key term in this definition is proper decorum. As explained by St. Augustine in his Rule for the Servants of God, “In all your movements, that nothing be evident which would offend the eyes of another.” For our purpose, proper decorum means such external behavior as would not lead another person into temptation, especially against chastity. As we have often said before, God intends us to be channels of grace to other persons. Conversely, therefore, God does not intend that we be sources of temptation to other persons.

Needless to say, modesty is rooted in the mind and in the will. That is why Lactantius once observed: “Modesty in human beings is praised because it is not a matter of nature, but of will.” We are only as modest in our behavior as we are convinced on reason and faith that our external conduct has a deep influence on every person whose life we touch. We are responsible for every person whom God even momentarily places in our life. Accordingly, we are responsible for others’ preservation and practice of modesty and chastity. This is still the mind of believing Christians, even though we live in a world that has almost forgotten how to spell the word modesty and ignores the most fundamental norms for the preservation of chastity.

If we are to understand the meaning of modesty we must first realize that, like so many other virtues, it is rooted in humility, the virtue opposed to pride. The more closely we look at modesty the more we see that it requires restraint, restraint in the instinct we all have to be appealing to others. We want others to accept us, think well of us, admire and praise us. In short, we desire to be loved. This desire helps foster and preserve the social bonds that man has by nature. Man’s nature, however, suffers from the effects of original sin. Were human nature not wounded, we would not desire to be loved at any price; we would all be modest spontaneously and easily. But human nature is wounded, subject to inordinate desires-cravings- on account of original sin, including the craving to be loved. Consequently, we are inclined to crave to be the object of others’ attention at any price. This craving leads to immodesty, wherein we become for those by whom we wish to be accepted, admired and loved occasions of sinful temptations. Certainly, the desire to be loved is not in itself a bad thing. But reason illumined by faith assures us that, on account of the effects of original sin—especially the inordinate love of self (i.e. pride) that leads to an inordinate desire to be loved—we must practice restraint, difficult as this may be at times. We dare not crave the acceptance and admiration of others except in accordance with the will of God.
As stated previously, the practice of modesty depends upon the virtue of prudence. Without Christian prudence, the practice of Christian modesty is practically impossible.

What, then, is prudence?

Prudence

In general, prudence is the virtue whereby we recognize in any situation what is good and what is evil. In this sense, prudence is a moral virtue, a moral virtue of the intellect that enlightens the mind and directs the will on what goals it should desire, and on the good means it should choose to attain that goal, as well as the evil means it should avoid. In other words, prudence is a light that guides the will with respect to what should be done and the morally good means that may be used to accomplish it.
St. Thomas Aquinas teaches that prudence is composed of no less than eight elements. These eight qualities of prudence are worth reviewing, as they are important for a correct understanding of modesty and help in the practice of Christian chastity.
First, prudence requires the memory of past experiences on what a person draws when making a moral decision. In practicing modesty, it helps to remember how past imprudence led at least to temptations, even sins against chastity, in oneself or in others.
Second, prudence demands understanding of the basic principles of morality, derived not only from reason, but also from revelation. Only a Christian believer can really understand that chastity is necessary for the practice of charity. And as every believer knows, charity is a pre-condition for reaching our eternal destiny. It is a necessary means to reaching the ultimate goal that we have as children of God. At root, immodesty is a failure in charity. It is self-love at the cost of another person’s friendship (potential or actual) with God.
Third, prudence calls for docility, that is, the willingness to learn from others. In this age of sexual promiscuity, if the young are unwilling to learn from those who are older and wiser than they, the further breakdown of a stable society is assured. In my five years on a faculty of a state university, I was constantly counseling my students, never retiring before midnight. These young people had to practice constant prudence if they wanted to maintain their chastity, to say nothing of their sanity!
Fourth, prudence is built on shrewdness. To be prudent, a man must be able to make a wise conjecture about the best course of action to follow in a particular case. Christ told us to be as simple as doves, but let us not forget the other half: to be as wise as serpents. To persevere in virtue, one must be supernaturally shrewd, cunning in anticipating how my virtue will be tested in a variety of situations. One can never be too wise in the practice of modesty, at least if the goal is to imitate Our Lord and Our Lady in their practice of chastity.
Fifth, prudence implies practicality. All the moral doctrine of Christianity is useless unless I apply the Church’s moral principles to the particular situations that arise hour after hour, day by day, especially when I associate with other persons.
Sixth, prudence entails foresight; indeed, the very word means foresight; that is, being able to provide or foresee how something should be done. Applying this to modesty, a modest person will consistently, almost instinctively, foresee how he or she should act in order to preserve his own chastity and that of others. We said earlier that modesty avoids any bodily movements that would be offensive to the eyes of others. We should immediately add that modesty also avoids anything that would be offensive to the ears of another person. In the modern West, and certainly in American society, it is almost part of our culture to arouse sexual thoughts and images through sight and sound. Our communications media not only seem to be, they are diabolically possessed with a desire to incite the sexual passions.
A whole science has come into existence called sexology. Its advocates have deeply influenced our entire system of education, from pre-school children right through secondary schools and to the universities.
I thought I would have a heart attack when a priest friend of mine, who was taking graduate courses at a university for a doctorate, told me that he was specializing in sexology. Somewhere, near the center of this ideology, we find a virulent opposition to what the sexologist calls religious moralizing. According to the sexologist, the moral teachings of all religions, but especially that of Christianity, are repressive, Christianity, the claim, inhibits the natural expression of the sexual instinct, even within the bond of marriage. Needless to say, many clergy and laymen have embraced these notions propounded by sexologists and championed by Margaret Sanger and Planned Parenthood, the institution that she founded. When, as we’ve said before, Pope Paul VI published the encyclical Humanae Vitae, the Episcopal conferences of almost all the nations of the world met in solemn session to pass judgment on the Vicar of Christ, and about half of the world’s Episcopal conferences voted against the teachings of the Bishop of Rome, while tacitly acknowledging with Sanger and her ilk that the Church’s teaching on contraception was repressive, and could in good conscience be rejected.

Let’s be clear. In today’s world, a Christian believer cannot remain chaste without practicing heroic prudence. What do I mean? I mean what Our Lord taught: we cannot love both Him and the world. Either accept Christ and reject the world or, more graphically, love Christ and hate the world. Knowing the world as well as we do, we have no choice. We shall only be as chaste as we are constantly on guard against the enemies of Christ, who deny the very existence of chastity. In their vocabulary, chastity is a form of psychosis. Sexual pleasure in every form should be available to every normal man or woman-- indeed, to every child.

Seventh, prudence calls for circumspection, which means to look at or study a situation from “all around”. In other words, prudence would have us take into account the circumstances involved in what ever it is we plan to do. For the time, place, and persons involved may bear to one degree or another on the morality of our actions.
Needless to say, circumspection is indispensable if we wish to remain faithful to Christ’s teaching on chastity. Fortunately, the holy Ghost, who dwells in our hearts, is ready to provide us with the light we need to enkindle our divine instinct: what we should say or not say; how we should act or not act; what we should wear or not wear; how we should even move or not move our bodies, if we are to preserve our own chastity and be channels of grace for His virtue to everyone who enters our lives.
The last element of prudence that we will take up is caution, which entails anticipation and vigilance. In practice, this means that I will be content neither with the act itself nor the intention being good, but that I will strive to anticipate and be vigilant against the evil or harm that an otherwise good action on my part may occasion or produce in another, despite my good intention. Such anticipation can hardly be maintained apart from the assistance of the Holy Ghost dwelling one’s heart. For only God knows how a perfectly innocent act on our part may be the occasion of sin for another.

We have one more important aspect of our subject to speak on; namely, supernatural modesty and prudence. All that we have been saying so far about modesty and prudence has been founded on our Christian faith; we have not relied upon the world’s standards. A comparison between the two may now prove useful. A standard dictionary would define modesty as propriety in dress, speech, and conduct. Fine. Let’s accept this definition for now. But what is meant by propriety? Again, the dictionary will define propriety as a standard on what is socially acceptable in conduct or speech. In short, propriety is what is socially acceptable. On these premises therefore, it is the society in which a person lives that sets the standard on what is socially acceptable in conduct or speech. In short, propriety is what is socially acceptable. On these premises, therefore, it is the society in which a person lives that sets the standard for what is modest. The moment we say this, we are face to face with two norms of morality: the norm determined by society and culture in which we live, and the norm determined by our faith in Our Lord Jesus Christ. What norm do we follow? Perhaps one or the other, perhaps a little of both.

Those who practice modesty often do so with a view towards others. They do not wish to be a source of temptation for others. This is good, but incomplete. We are to practice modesty not only for the sake of others, but for our own sake as well. There is such a thing as being an occasion of sin for oneself. We believe that Our Lord’s standards of morality are fundamental to being a faithful follower of Christ. Our divine Savior could not have been more plain when He told us that we love Him only as much as we keep His commandments. I cannot over emphasize the importance of this. The essence of being a Christian consists not only in what a person believes but also in how a person behaves. Among these commandments of Our Lord Jesus Christ, none more openly and consistently conflicts with the philosophy of the world than Christ’s teaching on chastity.

St. Alphonsus, a Doctor of the Church and heavenly patron of confessors, tells us that, in his judgment, most of those who lose their souls lose them because they fail to practice chastity. If the standard of the world in this regard greatly differ from the standards of Christ, we must conclude that only a deep faith in Christ as the living God in human form and fidelity to His standards can sustain us in the practice of modesty and chastity.
Over the years in my priesthood, I have always been convinced that faith in Christ as the living God is the granite foundation for the practice of all the virtues, especially that of chastity. Volumes could be written defending on purely rational grounds why people should be chaste, but in the final analysis, you must believe Our Lord, not seeking fully to comprehend Him before accepting the truth of His words, that unless we be chaste in this world we shall never see the face of God in the world to come.
Christian chastity is a mystery and we define a mystery as that which is inconceivable before divine revelation and never fully comprehensible even after divine revelation. We will only be as chaste as our faith in Our Lord Jesus Christ—that He is the Divine Word made flesh—is strong, no more no less.
When Christ told us that without Him we could do nothing, He meant that we can do nothing in the moral order that leads us to heaven without the help of His grace. This grace is first of all light for the mind to know what God wants us to do in every circumstance of our daily lives. Put another way, the most important grace we need to practice all of the virtues, including that of chastity, is light for the mind. We must see with the eyes of faith why we ought to be chaste. This grace likewise strengthens the will that it may choose what our mind tells us is the divine will in every situation.
Not surprisingly, when Christ warned us about how we use our eyes and our hands, He did so with reference to chastity. Only a believing Christian, this is, someone deeply in love with Christ, is ready to accept what the Master tells us about chastity in the mind as a condition for chastity in the body.
For us who believe that Jesus is God, we can almost redefine modesty as chastity of the body, which is governed by a chaste mind. It is not too much to say that our loyalty to Christ, certainly in our day will only be as firm and as stable as our fidelity to the practice of chastity and modesty.
Twenty years ago, I listened to a lecture by Vance Packard, the author of Hidden Persuaders. What Vance Packard said on that occasion, I shall never forget. Almost at the heart of American society is an organized, highly financed, efficient, and savvy core of experts. Their one ambition is to persuade the people to buy what they do not need, with money they do not have. Worse still, one of the most important tools used by these persuaders is sexual stimulation. To be ignorant of this truth is to be ignorant of the society in which we live.
Christ tells us not to be afraid, for He has overcome the world. We believe that Christ was telling the truth when He told us that modesty is a precondition for chastity: either we accept this teaching and put it into practice or we will become yet another casualty in the modern deluge of sexual idolatry.

I would like to close with a quotation from, of all people, the “Little Flower”. Writing just before she entered the Carmelite order, her simple yet profound words are worth pondering: “Here was one lady that was talking about my pretty hair, another just going out the door wanting to know who that very pretty girl was. The thrill of pleasure I felt made me realize that I was full of self-love. I am always ready to sympathize with the people who lose their souls. After all, it’s so easy once you begin to stray along the primrose path of worldliness.” What is this pretty girl, also known as St. Therese of Lisieux , telling us? Either we rely on Christ to protect us from going down the primrose paths of worldly immodesty or we risk the salvation of our souls.

Regina caeli!

Regina caeli, laetare, alleluia!
Quia quem meruisti portare, alleluia!
Resurrexit, sicut dixit, alleluia!
Ora pro nobis Deum, alleluia!

V: Gaude et laetare, Virgo Maria, alleluia.
R: Quia surrexit Dominus vere, alleluia.

Oremus: Deus, qui per resurrectionem Filii tui, Domini nostri Iesu Christi, mundum laetificare dignatus es: praesta, quaesumus; ut per eius Genetricem Virginem Mariam, perpetuae capiamus gaudia vitae. Per eundem Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.

http://198.62.75.1/www2/cantgreg/cantus/regina_caeli.mp3

Dimanche de Quasimodo

Commentaire de Dom Gueranger

extrait de "L'Année Liturgique"

LE DIMANCHE DE QUASIMODO
OCTAVE DE PAQUES.

Nous avons vu nos néophytes clore hier leur Octave de la Résurrection. Ils avaient été mis avant nous en participation de l'admirable mystère du Dieu et avant nous ils devaient achever leur solennité. Ce jour est donc le huitième pour nous qui avons fait la Pâque au Dimanche, et qui ne l'avons pas anticipée au soir du Samedi. Il nous retrace toutes les joies et toutes les grandeurs de cet unique et solennel Dimanche qui a associé toute la chrétienté dans un même sentiment de triomphe. C'est le jour de la Lumière, qui efface pour jamais l'antique Sabbat; désormais le premier jour de la semaine est le jour sacré ; c'est assez que deux fois le Fils de Dieu l'ait marqué du sceau de sa puissance. La Pâque est donc pour jamais fixée au Dimanche; et ainsi qu'il a été expliqué ci-dessus, dans la Mystique du Temps pascal, tout Dimanche est désormais une Pâque.
Notre divin ressuscité a voulu que son Eglise comprit ainsi le mystère ; car ayant l'intention de se montrer une seconde fois à ses disciples rassemblés, il a attendu, pour le faire, le retour du Dimanche. Durant tous les jours précédents, il a laissé Thomas en proie à ses doutes; ce n'est qu'aujourd'hui qu'il a voulu venir à son secours, se manifestant à cet Apôtre, en présence des autres, et l'obligeant à déposer son incrédulité devant la plus palpable évidence. Aujourd'hui donc le Dimanche reçoit de la part du Christ son dernier titre de gloire, en attendant que l'Esprit-Saint descende du ciel pour venir l'illuminer de ses feux, et faire de ce jour, déjà si favorisé, l'ère de la fondation de l'Eglise chrétienne.

L'apparition du Sauveur à la petite troupe des onze, et la victoire qu'il y remporta sur l'infidélité d'un disciple, est aujourd'hui l'objet spécial du culte de la sainte Eglise. Cette apparition, qui se lie à la précédente, est la septième; par elle. Jésus entre en possession complète de la foi de ses disciples. Sa dignité, sa patience, sa charité, dans cette scène, sont véritablement d'un Dieu. Là encore, nos pensées humaines sont renversées, à la vue de ce délai que Jésus accorde à l'incrédule, dont il semblerait devoir éclairer sans retard l'aveuglement malheureux, ou châtier l'insolence téméraire. Mais Jésus est la souveraine sagesse et la souveraine bonté; dans sa sagesse, il ménage, par cette lente confrontation du fait de sa Résurrection, un nouvel argument en faveur de la réalité de ce fait; dans sa bonté, il amène le cœur du disciple incrédule à rétracter de lui-même son doute par une protestation sublime de regret. d'humilité et d'amour. Nous ne décrirons point ici cette scène si admirablement retracée dans le récit de l'Evangile que la sainte Eglise va tout à l'heure mettre sous nos yeux. Nous nous attacherons, pour la doctrine de ce jour, à faire comprendre au lecteur la leçon pieuse que Jésus donne aujourd'hui à tous, en la personne de saint Thomas. C'est le grand enseignement du Dimanche de l'Octave de Pâques; il importe de ne le pas négliger ; car il nous révèle, plus que tout autre, le véritable sens du christianisme; il nous éclaire sur la cause de nos impuissances, sur le remède de nos langueurs.

Jésus dit à Thomas : « Tu as cru, parce que tu as vu; heureux ceux qui n'ont pas vu et qui néanmoins ont cru ! » Paroles remplies d'une divine autorité, conseil salutaire donné non seulement à Thomas, mais à tous les hommes qui veulent entrer en rapport avec Dieu et sauver leurs âmes ! Que voulait donc Jésus de son disciple ? Ne venait-il pas de l'entendre confesser la foi dont il était désormais pénétré? Thomas, d'ailleurs, était-il si coupable d'avoir désiré l'expérience personnelle, avant de donner son adhésion au plus étonnant des prodiges? Etait-il tenu de s'en rapportera Pierre et aux autres, au point d'avoir à craindre de manquer à son Maître, en ne déférant pas à leur témoignage? Ne faisait-il pas preuve de prudence en suspendant sa conviction, jusqu'à ce que d'autres arguments lui eussent révélé à lui-même que le fait était tel que ses frères le lui racontaient ? Oui, Thomas était un homme sage, un homme prudent, qui ne se confiait pas outre mesure ; il était digne de servir de modèle à beaucoup de chrétiens qui jugent et raisonnent comme lui dans les choses de la foi. Cependant, combien est accablant, dans sa douceur si pénétrante, le reproche de Jésus ! Il a daigné se prêter, avec une condescendance inexplicable, à l'insolente vérification que Thomas avait osé demander ; maintenant que le disciple tremble devant le divin ressuscite, et qu'il s'écrie dans l'émotion la plus sincère: « Oh! vous êtes bien mon Seigneur et mon Dieu ! » Jésus ne lui fait pas grâce de la leçon qu'il avait méritée. Il faut un châtiment à cette hardiesse, à cette incrédulité; et ce châtiment consisterai s'entendre dire : « Tu as cru, Thomas, parce que tu as vu. »

Mais Thomas était-il donc obligé de croire avant d'avoir vu?— Et qui peut en douter ? Non seulement Thomas, mais tous les Apôtres étaient tenus de croire à la résurrection de leur maître, avant même qu'il se fût montré à eux. N'avaient-ils pas vécu trois années dans sa compagnie ? Ne l'avaient-ils pas vu confirmer par les plus divins prodiges sa qualité de Messie et de Fils de Dieu ? Ne leur avait-il pas annoncé sa résurrection pour le troisième jour après sa mort? lu quant aux humiliations et aux douleurs de sa Passion, ne leur avait-il pas dit, peu de temps auparavant, sur la route de Jérusalem, qu'il allait être saisi par les Juifs qui le livreraient aux gentils; qu'il serait flagellé, couvert de crachats et mis à mort ? (Luc, XVIII, 32, 33.)

Des cœurs droits et disposés à la foi n'auraient eu aucune peine à se rendre, dès le premier bruit de la disparition du corps. Jean ne lit qu'entrer dans le sépulcre, que voir les linceuls, et aussitôt il comprit tout et commença à croire. Mais l'homme est rarement aussi sincère; il s'arrête sur le chemin, comme s'il voulait obliger Dieu à faire de nouvelles avances. Ces avances, Jésus daigna les faire. Il se montra à Madeleine et à ses compagnes qui n'étaient pas incrédules, mais seulement distraites par l'exaltation d'un amour trop naturel. Au jugement des Apôtres, leur témoignage n'était que le langage de quelques femmes que l'imagination avait égarées. Il fallut que Jésus vînt en personne se montrer à ces hommes rebelles, à qui leur orgueil faisait perdre la mémoire de tout un passé qui eût suffi à lui seul pour les éclairer sur le présent. Nous disons leur orgueil car la foi n'a pas d'autre obstacle que ce vice. Si l'homme était humble, il s'élèverait jusqu'à la foi qui transporte les montagnes.

Or Thomas a entendu Madeleine, et il a dédaigne son témoignage ; il a entendu Pierre, et il a décliné son autorité; il a entendu ses autres frères et les disciples d'Emmaüs, et rien de tout cela ne l'a dépris de sa raison personnelle. La parole d'autrui qui, lorsqu'elle est grave et désintéressée, produit la certitude dans un esprit sensé, n'a plus cette efficacité chez beaucoup de gens, dès qu'elle a pour objet d'attester le surnaturel. C'est là une profonde plaie de notre nature lésée par le péché. Trop souvent nous voudrions, comme Thomas, avoir expérimenté nous-mêmes; et il n'en faut pas davantage pour nous priver de la plénitude de la lumière. Nous nous consolons comme Thomas parce que nous sommes toujours du nombre des disciples ; car cet Apôtre n'avait pas rompu avec ses frères; seulement il n'entrait pas en part de leur bonheur. Ce bonheur, dont il était témoin, ne réveillait en lui que l'idée de faiblesse ; et il se savait un certain gré de ne le pas partager.

Tel est de nos jours encore le chrétien entaché de rationalisme. Il croit, mais c'est parce que sa raison lui fait comme une nécessité de croire; c'est de l'esprit et non du cœur qu'il croit. Sa loi est une conclusion scientifique, et non une aspiration vers Dieu et la vérité surnaturelle. Aussi cette toi. comme elle est froide et impuissante! comme elle est restreinte et embarrassée ! comme elle craint de s'avancer, en croyant trop ! A la voir se contenter si aisément de vérités diminuées (Ps. XI), pesées dans la balance de la raison, au lieu de voler à pleines ailes comme la foi des saints, on dirait qu'elle est honteuse d'elle-même. Elle parle bas, elle craint de se compromettre ; quand elle se montre, c'est sous le couvert d'idées humaines qui lui servent de passeport. Ce n'est pas elle qui s'exposera à un affront pour des miracles qu'elle juge inutiles, et qu'elle n'eût jamais conseillé à Dieu d'opérer. Dans le passé comme dans le présent, le merveilleux l'effraie ; n'a-t-elle pas eu déjà assez d'effort à faire pour admettre celui dont l'acceptation lui est strictement nécessaire? La vie des saints, leurs vertus héroïques, leurs sacrifices sublimes, tout cela l'inquiète. L'action du christianisme dans la société, dans la législation, lui semble léser les droits de ceux qui ne croient pas ; elle entend réserver la liberté de l'erreur et la liberté du mal; et elle ne s'aperçoit même pas que la marche du monde est entravée depuis que Jésus-Christ n'est plus Roi sur la terre.

Or c'est pour ceux dont la foi est si faible et si près du rationalisme, que Jésus ajoute aux. paroles de reproche qu'il adressa à Thomas, cette sentence qui ne le regardait pas seul, mais qui avait en vue tous les hommes et tous les siècles : « Heureux ceux qui n'ont pas vu, et qui ont cru ! » Thomas pécha, pour n'avoir pas eu la disposition à croire. Nous nous exposons à pécher comme lui, si nous n'entretenons pas dans notre foi cette expansion qui la mêlerait à tout, et lui ferait faire ce progrès que Dieu récompense par des flots de lumière et de joie au cœur. Une fois entrés dans l'Eglise, le devoir pour nous est de considérer désormais toute chose au point de vue surnaturel; et ne craignons pas que ce point de vue, réglé par les enseignements de l'autorité sacrée, nous entraîne trop loin. « Le juste vit de la foi » (Rom. I, 17) ; c'est sa nourriture continuelle. La vie naturelle est transformée en lui pour jamais, s'il demeure fidèle à son baptême.

Croyons-nous donc que l'Eglise avait pris tant de soins dans l'instruction de ses néophytes. qu'elle les avait inities partant de rites qui ne respirent que les idées et les sentiments de la vie surnaturelle, pour les abandonner sans remords dès le lendemain à l'action de ce dangereux système qui place la foi dans un recoin de l'intelligence, du cœur et de la conduite, afin de laisser plus librement agir l'homme naturel? Non, il n'en est pas ainsi. Reconnaissons donc notre erreur avec Thomas; confessons avec lui que jusqu'ici nous n'avons pas cru encore d'une foi assez parfaite. Comme lui, disons à Jésus : « Vous êtes mon Seigneur et mon Dieu ; et j'ai souvent pensé et agi comme si vous n'étiez pas en tout mon Seigneur et mon Dieu. Désormais je croirai sans avoir vu ; car je veux être du nombre de ceux que vous avez appelés heureux. »

Ce Dimanche, appelé vulgairement le Dimanche de Quasimodo, porte dans la Liturgie le nom de Dimanche in albis, et plus explicitement in albis depositis, parce que c'était en ce jour que les néophytes paraissaient à l'Eglise sous les habits ordinaires. Au moyen âge, on l'appelait Pâque close : sans doute pour exprimer qu'en ce jour l'Octave de Pâques se terminait. La solennité de ce Dimanche est si grande dans l'Eglise, que non seulement il est du rite Double, mais qu'il ne cède jamais la place à aucune fête, de quelque degré supérieur qu'elle soit.
A Rome, la Station est dans la Basilique de Saint-Pancrace, sur la Voie Aurélia. Les anciens ne nous ont rien appris sur les motifs qui ont fait désigner cette Eglise pour la réunion des fidèles en ce jour. Peut-être l'âge du jeune martyr de quatorze ans auquel elle est dédiée l'a-t-il fait choisir de préférence, par une sorte de rapport avec la jeunesse des néophytes qui sont encore aujourd'hui l'objet de la préoccupation maternelle de l'Eglise.

IN BED WITH ISLAMISTS

This is an interesting article from the Washington Times ( April 11th 2007)

For almost four decades, Muslims have been the fastest-growing segment of the population in Western Europe. As a consequence, the Muslim vote is becoming ever more important. This first became apparent in the September 2002 general elections in Germany, when Socialist candidate Gerhard Schroeder beat Conservative opponent Edmund Stoiber with the slightest of margins -- barely 8,864 votes. Germany is home to almost 700,000 Turkish-German voters -- in addition to nearly 3 million non- (or rather not-yet-) voting Turkish immigrants. The Muslims voted overwhelmingly for Mr. Schroeder. They did so again in 2005, though then the native, or "German-German," vote went to the right to such an extent that it resulted in a narrow victory for Christian-Democrat candidate Angela Merkel. As time goes by, however, it will become ever more difficult to counter the Muslim voting bloc.

Last year the Muslim vote tipped the balance toward the left in the local elections in both the Netherlands and Belgium. The Institute for Migration and Ethnic Studies of the University of Amsterdam found that 84 percent of the Turkish immigrants in the Netherlands voted for the left, as did 90 percent of the Moroccans. In Antwerp, Belgium's largest port, the anti-Islamist Vlaams Belang party won 33.5 percent in October's local elections. Sociologist Jan Hertogen calculated that without the immigrant vote the VB would have polled 40.4 percent and would have beaten the Socialists. Most of the immigrants who came to Europe during the past decades were attracted by the generous welfare benefits that Western Europe lavishly bestows on the "underprivileged."

Today, as more and more young Muslims reach voting age, European parties have begun to cater to Islamist causes. Left-wing politicians in Europe introduce separate swimming hours for women in public pools, impose halal food on cafeterias and demand that schools banish the Holocaust from history lessons. Pundits who predict that Western Europe is about to witness a shift to the anti-immigrant right are mistaken. This trend will be over by the end of the decade, when the impact of the immigrant vote will move European politics dramatically to the left. The right's chances of winning elections are dwindling. The anti-immigrant right realizes this. As Filip Dewinter, the Antwerp VB leader, said after last year's elections: "I am a realist. The number of potential voters for our party is declining year by year... In the past ten years the number of new Belgians in Antwerp -- half of whom are Moroccans -- has doubled. ... If the number of foreigners in Antwerp continues to grow by 1.5 percent a year, as it currently does, then in 20 years from now there will be more people of foreign than of indigenous extraction in this city."

The Muslim vote is also bound to have a major impact on the upcoming French presidential elections on April 22. More than 10 percent of the French electorate is Muslim. Since Muslims are the youngest part of the population, representing almost a quarter of those under 20 years of age, their political importance will only grow. In some French cities already half the inhabitants are Muslims. This makes it all but impossible for the right to win in urban constituencies -- unless virtually all the indigenous "French-French" cast a right-wing vote. Nicolas Sarkozy, the candidate of the ruling center-right UMP party, seems convinced that many indigenous French might, indeed, do this. Hence, he is speaking out loudly against an Islamist takeover of French urban neighborhoods, such as the Parisian suburbs. If Mr. Sarkozy's strategy proves to be the right one, it shows that many French have come to realize that these elections offer the last chance to preserve something of the old France. Some politicians on the European far-right, however, seem convinced that the Islamization of Western Europe has become inevitable. Like the parties of the left, they hope to counter electoral decline by striking a deal with the Islamists. This explains why last week Jean-Marie Le Pen, the leader of the anti-immigrant National Front in France, emphasized that, unlike Mr. Sarkozy, he does not want to "clean the suburbs out with a high pressure hose." Mr. Le Pen told the Muslim youths in the suburbs: "You are the branches of the French tree. You are as French as can be." We are on the eve of a crackup of the so-called European far right between pro-Islamists and anti-Islamists. This rift was one of the reasons why the Austrian Freedom Party fell apart. Within the French NF, too, traditionalist Catholics feel less and less at ease with the pro-Arab policies of those who consider America to be a greater threat to Europe than North Africa and who prefer Hamas over Israel. One might argue that anti-Semitism is at play here. But it might also be just the same political opportunism that has affected the left.

Merci à T.M. pour l'article ;) A bientôt en France !

A tribute

A friend of mine sent me this video:

A tribute to our young officers!

La louve abattue

Le Loup vient et s’assied, les deux jambes dressées,

Par leurs ongles crochus dans le sable enfoncées.

Il s’est jugé perdu, puisqu’il était surpris,

Sa retraite coupée et tous ses chemins pris,

Alors il a saisi, dans sa gueule brûlante,

Du chien le plus hardi la gorge pantelante,

Et n’a pas desserré ses mâchoires de fer,

Malgré nos coups de feu, qui traversaient sa chair,

Et nos couteaux aigus qui, comme des tenailles,

Se croisaient en plongeant dans ses larges entrailles,

Jusqu’au dernier moment où le chien étranglé,

Mort longtemps avant lui, sous ses pieds a roulé.

Le Loup le quitte alors et puis il nous regarde.

Les couteaux lui restaient au flanc jusqu’à la garde,

Le clouaient au gazon tout baigné dans son sang ;

Nos fusils l’entouraient en sinistre croissant.

Il nous regarde encore, ensuite il se recouche,

Tout en léchant le sang répandu sur sa bouche,

Et, sans daigner savoir comment il a péri,

Refermant ses grands yeux, meurt sans jeter un cri.



Alfred de Vigny

Surrexit Dominus vere, Alleluia!

The Lord is risen indeed, Alleluia!

Dear Brethren,

We confess the resurrection of Our Lord Jesus-Christ and we proclaim that it is the central mystery of our Faith. It is important to realize that He is risen in His flesh. Saint Augustine gives us the reason: “ Jesus-Christ is risen in the flesh in order to remain what He has always been to us: the Light. He does not take a new body, but His own body, in order to prove with more evidence that we will rise in our flesh.”

During the last 40 days we have mortified our flesh! For what reason? Is it because it is evil? Certainly not! We have mortified our flesh, because we are weak creatures who have lost their supremacy over their faculties, mind and body. Original sin made us slaves of the flesh and its works lead to death, as Saint Paul says. The works of the flesh can take on different appearances. For some, it is gluttony, and impurity which make them similar to the animals. For others, it is the sins of the tongue: detraction, gossip, calumnies, lies or blasphemes. We don’t blush at the mention of them as we do for the first ones, and yet they can be so much more grave, because they hurt the virtues of religion, justice or charity. Our Lord showed great severity toward those who are accustomed to these sins. Here, In America, you like to have modesty and dress codes, which is good, but sometime I think that courtesy, honesty or politness codes would not be useless. Let us keep in our minds that we obtain virtues more by the qualities of the heart than by codes, which are certainly good by useless without the spirit.

The works of the flesh can assume many faces according to each one of us, but they all lead to death if we do nothing to suppress them. They alter our nature. The corporeal wounds of the body of Our Savior are the visible representations of the spiritual wounds which disfigure our souls. We would be horrified if we could see the aspect of a soul in the state of sin. But look at Jesus, torn by the scourges: these is the works of the flesh! They lead to death!

And Jesus accepted that He would be led to death. He did it, because it was the way chosen by God to defeat death and to bring back life. As His body recovered all its beauty, and even more, our soul can recover the original beauty of its Baptism by a good confession. And if we are faithful during this life, our body, too, will be glorified in the future life. We will rise in our flesh. We will rise in our flesh if we know now how to submit it to our reason, which has to be submitted to God first. This is the work of the restoration of our nature for which Jesus came into the world. The work of the first Adam has failed. The new Adam now regains His Kingdom.

Dear Brethren, Easter is a victory! It is the victory of Our Lord Jesus Christ. It is our victory because we are with Him. It is the victory of good over evil and of justice over iniquity. It is the victory of Truth over lies and of courage over cowardice. It is the victory of life over death and of light over darkness. It is the victory of the harmony of the Divine order over the chaos of the new order of the ages.

Be sure, dear Brethren, that this victory is not only eternal and spiritual but already now temporal and historical as a consequence of the Incarnation. Our Lord assumed our very nature. By the Redemption, He restored it in all its dimensions. He did not rise only in spirit, but in His flesh. The death and the Resurrection of Our Lord really had, and still have, a cosmological and universal impact. It is indeed a new Creation. Satan was definitively defeated on the Cross and he realized that, though too late for him, on the morning of the Resurrection. In a desperate effort, he tries now to take back what Christ has recovered. But it is too late ! The fullness of time has already come.

Now the Church leads us toward the end of time for the final victory. With Her Lord and Spouse, she is already victorious over the world. This is for us a great joy, especially today, when we celebrate the Day of the Resurrection. “This is the day which the Lord hath made: let us be glad and rejoice therein.” And let us sing with Our Lady of victories, as we honor her in Wigratzbad where is our European seminary, the eternal Magnificat of love and thanksgiving.

I have called you friends!

Sermon for Holy Thursday

One of my favorite parts of the rite of Ordination of priests is definitively the chant “jam non dicam” which takes place toward the very end of the ceremony. It expresses in an admirable Gregorian melody, full of unction and tenderness, the feelings of the Heart of Jesus when He instituted the Sacrament of Holy Orders. It was the first Ordination ever done, the day before His Passion.

“ Jam non dicam vos servos, quia servus nescit quid faciat dominus ejus. Vos autem dixi amicos. – I will not now call you servants: for the servant knows not what his lord does. But I have called you friends!”

Could there be more beautiful words for a new priest to hear on the day of his Ordination? After many years of preparation, most of the time filled with the joy given in the service of the Lord, sometimes in the darkness and in the midst of streams of doubt, discouragement and temptation, he has the consolation to hear his Lord calling him: “my friend!” At this time, the trials of the seminary are already far behind him, and the prospect of his future task does not even phase him. He simply enjoys this very moment when Jesus makes him one of His priests and calls him His friend.

There is a tradition in the seminary: on the day of his tonsure, the seminarian receives a little crucifix. I remember our good Father Gaudray, spiritual director in our seminary of Wigratzbad, who used to repeat many times – I guess he still continues to say this now – that it is a good tradition, but there is another one that we can begin. We can give to the new priest, on the day of his Ordination, a great crucifix, because the cross he will have to carry now is much bigger than the cross he had to carry in the seminary. With 59 years of priesthood now, Father Gaudray knows well of what he speaks.

Priests are indeed the friends of Jesus. We had the opportunity during Lent to meditate on the notion of friendship. Friendship involves a communication of the good between friends and creates between them a unified spirit. So, when Jesus made the Apostles his first priests, He wanted to share with them His greatest good: His sacrifice!

Let us well understand, dear Brethren: the institution of the priesthood took place along with the institution of the Holy Eucharist, because priesthood is for Eucharist. It is its first and principal raison d’etre. And the Eucharist is a sacrifice; it is the sacrifice of Our Lord Jesus Christ, continually renewed every time a priest says again the words that Jesus said during the Last Supper: “This is my body – This is the chalice of my blood”

This is the testament of Jesus: His body and His blood! He had nothing more to give us than Himself and we have nothing more to expect from Him than Himself. It is through His priests that He made it possible for us to receive Him. You should never forget this truth. Whatever the personal holiness of a priest, he has been chosen by Jesus and called His friend. Even Judas, when he betrayed His Master, was called ‘friend’. God never takes back what He gave once!
Dear brethren, I would like to offer this Mass tonight, in reparation of sins committed against the virtue of charity. Not against sins committed everywhere in the world, but our sins, as members of Saint Francis de Sales church. You claim to be faithful to the Tradition of the Church, but you forget the most important testimony of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the most important commandment which He gave us before His Passion: that we love each other as He has loved us. Without this charity, all your devotions, prayers and sacrifices are nothing but hypocrisy. Today, you receive Our Lord from the hand of your priests, and tomorrow you will speak behind their backs! Do you not realize that it is paradoxical? Do you not understand that you cease to keep the word of God by doing this? Do you not see that it is just folly to do this since God knows and sees everything you do, that you say and what you think and that even your gossip will eventually end up in landing in the ears of the people you speak about, sooner or later. I have no illusion tonight and I know that no matter what we say about charity, there will always be Christians among us who will miss the most important detail of our religion. Jesus had no illusion and knew that among his friends, one would betray Him. This is the way it is. But I also know that we have holy people among us and I would like to give thanks to God for their holiness.

May Our Blessed Mother whom charity never failed help us to understand that we are loved by a God who humbled Himself for us. With her, let us give thanks for the sacrifice of her Son and for the Institution of Priesthood and Holy Eucharist. They are both gifts from the heart of Jesus for the poor sinners that we are.
Amen!

Quand passent les "Caperutxa" !

UN HOMME VETU DE ROUGE, LE VISAGE CACHE PAR UNE CAGOULE ROUGE,
MARCHE DANS LA FOULE.

COMME IL Y A 500 ANS LE CONDAMNE MARCHAIT VERS SON SUPPLICE.
IL SOUFFRAIT ET SON ANGOISSE ETAIT GRANDE,
CAR IL SAVAIT QUE PARFOIS LA FOULE SE SUBSTITUAIT AU BOURREAU,
ET QU'ALORS LA MORT ETAIT PLUS HORRIBLE.
UN MOINE DOMINICAIN S'EST SOUVENU QUE JESUS AUSSI FUT SUPPLICIE
ET IL EUT PITIE DE CES CONDAMNES.
LUI ET QUELQUES AUTRES DECIDERENT D'AIDER CES HOMMES ET DE
LES ACCOMPAGNER A LEUR EXCECUTION, POUR LES PROTEGER.
C'EST AINSI QUE FUT CREEE L'ARCHICONFRERIE DE LA SANCH.
AUJOURD'HUI ENCORE PERPIGNAN COMMEMORE CES EVENEMENTS
LE JOUR DU VENDREDI SAINT.

This procession takes place every year on Good Friday in Perpignan ( south of France ). The " Confrérie de la Sanch " was founded in 1416 at Saint Jacques Church, which is now the Church of the Fraternity of Saint Peter. It was inspired by Saint Vincent Ferrier.

Le grand mystère de la Passion...

ou l'Amour de Dieu pour les hommes !

Sacramentum Caritatis ( 3e partie )

Poursuivons notre réflexion tirée de la lecture de l'Exhortation Apostolique de Benoît XVI ! Nous en étions restés au paragraphe 51.

Cliquer ici pour la première partie:

http://defidecatholica.blogspot.com/2007/03/sacramentum-caritatis.html

Cliquer ici pour la seconde partie:

http://defidecatholica.blogspot.com/2007/03/sacramentum-caritatis_14.html

Participation active et inculturation

Le Saint Père revient ensuite sur le sujet de la participation active des fidèles, rappelant que « la Constitution conciliaire Sacrosanctum Concilium exhortait les fidèles à ne pas assister à la liturgie eucharistique comme des spectateurs étrangers et muets, mais à participer de façon consciente, pieuse et active à l’action sacrée. »

Une quinzaine d’années avant le Concile, le pape Pie XII encourageait vivement cette participation des fidèles. Car c’est précisément l’un des effets de notre baptême que de nous rendre capable de participer à la Sainte Liturgie. « Que les fidèles considèrent donc à quelle dignité le bain sacré du Baptême les a élevés, et qu’ils ne se contentent pas de participer avec l’intention générale qui convient aux membres du Christ et aux fils de l’Eglise » écrivait-il.

Certes, cette participation se doit d’être intérieure et en esprit – nous y reviendrons avec le propos de Benoît XVI – mais elle n’exclue pas la participation extérieure, et en cela, elle est bien conforme à notre nature humaine qui fait de nous des êtres à la fois spirituels et corporels. Pie XII avait déjà donné des recommandations sur les moyens de promouvoir cette participation. Il est ainsi très souhaitable que les fidèles aient un missel et qu’ils sachent l’utiliser ; les prêtres y veilleront. Les fidèles seront ensuite encouragés à répondre « d’une façon bien réglée aux paroles du prêtre » ou encore à « se livrer à des chants en rapport avec les différentes parties du Sacrifice. » Il y a très certainement toute une éducation à faire afin que chacun puisse reconnaître la grandeur du Sacrifice et puisse ensuite y participer de la façon la plus convenable autant qu’il est possible de le faire. Il est malheureusement vrai que lorsque les prêtres négligent leur préparation avant de monter à l’autel, les fidèles ne sont guère portés à faire des efforts. Qu’il le veuille ou non, le prêtre, liturge par excellence de par sa fonction et de par son être même, est un exemple que l’on suit…pour le meilleur ou pour le pire. On comprendra dès lors l’importance capitale d’une bonne formation liturgique du clergé. Pie XII demandait que « le jeune clergé soit formé à l’intelligence des cérémonies sacrées et à la compréhension de leur majestueuse beauté » non pas pour seul motif d’érudition, « mais surtout pour qu’il s’adonne, dès le cours de sa formation, à une très intime union avec le Christ-Prêtre et devienne un saint ministre des choses saintes. » Le prêtre est en effet d’abord « un saint ministre des choses saintes. » S’il en est conscient, alors il formera ses ouailles et les encouragera à s’unir au sacrifice qu’il offre chaque jour à l’autel : « Orate fratres… Priez, mes Frères, pour que mon sacrifice, qui est aussi le votre, puisse être agréé par Dieu le Père Tout-Puissant. » Alors les fidèles s’uniront de bouche et de cœur pour chanter la gloire de Dieu et répondre ainsi au souhait de l’Eglise qui désire voir ses enfants unis dans une même prière, expression de la même foi.

Tout en encourageant la participation active des fidèles, il faudra se garder d’une certaine confusion qui peut en résulter si elle n’est pas bien comprise. Tous en effet, ne sont pas ministres ordonnés. Participer activement à la Liturgie ne signifie pas usurper les fonctions du prêtre ou de tout autre ministre ordonné. Car c’est bien « en vertu de l’Ordre sacré qu’il a reçu, que le prêtre représente Jésus-Christ, Chef de l’Eglise » comme le réaffirme Benoît XVI. Certes le Pape nous rappelle que le prêtre, et lui seul, préside la célébration eucharistique. Mais il est bien plus qu’un président d’assemblée. Il est, lorsqu’il célèbre la messe, Jésus-Christ in persona, Prêtre et Victime. Il a ce pouvoir unique et inouï de dire : « Prenez et mangez en tous car ceci est mon corps ! Prenez et buvez-en tous, car ceci est le calice de mon sang. » Et, disant cela, en vertu du pouvoir reçu au jour de son ordination, il réalise, au nom du Christ, ce qu’il dit ; il ré-actualise l’unique Sacrifice de notre Rédempteur. Grandeur du prêtre !

Le Pape nous offre ensuite un paragraphe (54) qui n’est pas sans nous rappeler le style de son prédécesseur, tant pour la forme que pour le fond. Il est fait mention des « affirmations fondamentales du Concile Vatican II » que l’on peut trouver dans la Constitution sur la Liturgie Sacrosanctum Concilium (paragraphes 37 à 42). Il s’agit de la délicate question de l’inculturation. Le Saint Père, à la suite du Concile laisse la porte ouverte « à certains aménagements appropriés aux divers contextes et aux différentes cultures. » Nous ne nions pas ce principe, mais nous ne pouvons qu’appeler à une grande prudence pour son application. Le Pape reconnaît lui-même l’existence d’abus qui ne doivent pourtant pas entacher « la clarté de ce principe. » Principe clair en lui-même…admettons ! En revanche ses applications pratiques ne le sont certainement pas tout autant. Le paragraphe 38 de la Constitution conciliaire affirme : « Pourvu que soit sauvegardée l’unité substantielle du rite romain, on admettra des différences légitimes et des adaptations à la diversité des assemblées, des régions, des peuples, surtout dans les missions, même lorsqu’on révisera les livres liturgiques ; et il sera bon d’avoir ce principe devant les yeux pour aménager la structures des rites et établir les rubriques. »
« Pourvu que ceci soit sauvegardé… on pourra faire cela ! » Voilà un grand principe des réformes liturgiques des dernières années qui engendre bien souvent une grande confusion. Il est demandé que soit sauvegardée « l’unité substantielle » du rite romain. Cela signifie-t-il que l’on puisse en changer les « accidents » ? Mais qu’est ce qui est substantiel et qu’est ce qui est accidentel dans un rite ? Un rite se doit d’exprimer de façon humaine des réalités divines et mystérieuses. Le rite est à la fois signes de ces réalités, mais il est aussi mystère en lui même. Si l’on amplifie trop l’aspect humain, le signe devient une fin en lui même et l’on en vient à en oublier la réalité. Nombreux sont ainsi les Catholiques, pourtant fidèles, qui vont encore à la messe, mais qui ignorent qu’ils assistent alors au renouvellement non sanglant du Sacrifice de la Croix. Le rite devient alors l’expression de l’assemblée qui se célèbre elle-même. Certes, Dieu n’est pas rejeté de cette assemblée, mais tout de même : quelle dévaluation de sa Grandeur ! Le rejet du mystère ne peut qu’aboutir à une forme de naturalisme liturgique.

On pourra faire remarquer que l’excès inverse peut être tout aussi dommageable. S’il ne reste plus rien d’humain dans un rite, alors que pouvons-nous en saisir ? N’y a t’il pas danger de voir les églises se vider si le rite n’est plus qu’un ensemble de gestes et de paroles incompréhensible pour le commun des mortels ? La liturgie serait alors réservée à une petite élite suffisamment instruites des choses d’En-haut pour pouvoir en goûter la saveur.

Conscient du fait qu’il faille éviter ces deux écueils, Benoit XVI, à la suite de Jean-Paul II et du Concile, semble naviguer entre deux eaux, sans vouloir choisir un cap précis. Le Concile crée officiellement les laboratoires liturgiques au paragraphe 40 alinéas 2 : « Pour que l’adaptation se fasse avec la circonspection nécessaire, faculté sera donné par le Siège apostolique à l’autorité ecclésiastique territoriale de permettre et de diriger, le cas échéant, les expériences préalables nécessaires dans certaines assemblées appropriées à ces essais et pendant un temps limité. »
C’est pour le moins surprenant ! Les fidèles sont-ils des cobayes de laboratoire que l’on peut utiliser pour des expériences liturgiques ? Certes, on n’avait pas attendu l’aval du Concile pour commencer les expériences liturgiques, mais jusqu’alors les autorités romaines, tout en encourageant le Mouvement Liturgique, bon en soi, veillaient à en réfréner les abus. Ainsi, Pie XII reconnaissait que « l’Eglise est un organisme vivant » et que par conséquent, « la Liturgie sacrée croît, se développe, évolue, et s’accommode aux formes que requièrent les nécessités et les circonstances au cours des temps. » Mais il avait soin aussi de « réprouver l’audace tout à fait téméraire de ceux qui, de propos délibérés, introduisent de nouvelles coutumes liturgiques ou font revivre des rites périmés, en désaccord avec les lois et rubriques maintenant en vigueur. »

On pourra objecter que la situation n’est plus la même, puisque les rubriques et lois actuelles laissent justement une plus grande liberté dans le domaine liturgique. Ainsi il n’y aurait plus « d’audace téméraire » à faire ce qui est désormais licite. Posons alors la question : le problème liturgique actuel ne serait-il pas précisément lié à cette liberté d’initiative accordée par le Saint Siège ? Attention, nous ne disons pas qu’il faille y voir la cause du désastre liturgique ; mais nous ne pouvons nous empêcher de penser qu’il existe bien un lien.

Ainsi, sous prétexte d’inculturation, le Pape abandonne sa prérogative en matière liturgique au profit des autorités locales – la plupart du temps, les Conférences épiscopales. Certes, le Pape peut déléguer, nous ne remettons pas cela en question, mais les résultats sont bien malheureux.

Je terminerai ce sujet par un exemple. Le Mandatum – lavement des pieds – du Jeudi Saint est un rite cher aux fidèles car il exprime de façon très sensible et humaine l’Amour du Christ pour les hommes. Le célébrant, qui représente le Christ, lave les pieds de douze hommes, qui représentent les Apôtres. Le Pape Jean Paul II avait pris soin de rappeler que l’on doit prendre uniquement des hommes pour cette cérémonie, puisque les Apôtres étaient des hommes. Cela avait engendré une polémique dans l’archidiocèse d’Atlanta lorsque Monseigneur Donoghue, alors en charge, avait voulue appliquer les directives romaines. En signe de protestation, une association de féministes avait organisé une cérémonie pastiche en face de la cathédrale à l’occasion de laquelle douze représentantes de la gente féminine eurent les pieds lavés.
L’année suivante, nous changions d’Archevêque, et le nouvel arrivant semblait plus sensible aux problèmes d’inculturation. La question du choix exclusif d’hommes pour le lavement des pieds avait été soulevée lors d’une réunion des prêtres du diocèse. L’Archevêque répondit alors qu’il ne voulait d’aucune façon manquer de respect au Saint Père, mais qu’il était nécessaire de tenir compte des particularités et de la culture locales. Aussi décida t’il que pour la messe du Jeudi Saint à la cathédrale, il serait choisit 6 hommes et 6 femmes. N’est-ce pas tronquer la réalité signifiée par le rite du lavement des pieds, en étroite connexion avec l’institution du Sacerdoce, au profit d’une inculturation qui en l’occurrence ne se justifiait absolument pas ? Certes, il ne s’agit que d’un exemple, mais cet exemple me semble parfaitement illustrer l’incohérence liturgique de la pratique actuelle. Il y a encore beaucoup à faire en ce domaine. Puisse Dieu nous donner sa grâce afin que nous puissions humblement et vaillamment poursuivre l’œuvre de restauration.

A suivre...

"We are all culpable in the death of Christ"

This is an interview of Jim Caviezel about the Passion of Christ that many of you have probably already seen, but I found it interesting to watch during this Holy Week... just to remind us of certain things.

The Quest for Christian perfection

We are pigmies

Father Jerome dislodges many of our ideas about the spiritual life when he writes: “ How boring are the preachers and books of devotions which such affirmations as:
- If we are not more holy, it is because we don’t know how to do this or that, such as to renounce ourselves etc…
- If we don’t make any progress in the love of God, it is because we are not enough fervent or generous enough etc…”

And Father Jérôme asks: “ Why do we always blame our deficiencies, as if they were the unique and supreme cause of our mediocrity? Why don’t we admit that mediocrity is wanted by God for most of us? ”

This is most unusual to hear. We are usually accustomed to hearing that mediocrity is the consequence of a lack of charity and the fruit of a certain spiritual laziness. Now, Father Jérôme tells us that it can be the will of God. At this point, dear Brethren, let us understand clearly. Father Jerome is certainly not speaking about the mediocrity of those people who do the 'bare minimum' that is required to tend to their souls. These people are the ones who try to find a compromise between God and the world. Christian perfection is absolutely not their concern. They are just trying to find pleasures on earth without committing any mortal sins if it is possible. With five or ten minutes a day of prayers, they think that God will be happy with this and they don’t even recognize the very poor state of their spiritual life or how great the danger of damnation is to them. If such souls are present in this church today, I implore them to meditate on this verse from the book of Apocalypse: “But because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold, not hot, I will begin to vomit thee out of my mouth.” May they open the ear of their soul and begin to return to God before it is too late. There is nothing worse than lukewarmness in the spiritual life, because it makes our will weak and predisposes us to mortal sin. It characterizes itself by a certain nonchalance regarding our eternal destiny. And the fact is that a soul who does not desire heaven will certainly never reach it.

But for now, we are speaking with Father Jérôme about another kind of mediocrity. It is the mediocrity of souls who really want to serve God and are concerned for their salvation. They aspire to holiness, and they are already holy if they are in state of grace, nevertheless, they are still overhelmed by the weight of their infirmities. They desire heaven and think about it, but they are still too constrained by earthly things. They would like to take off toward the heights of contemplative life, and yet they are nailed down to the floor of terrestrial realities. They!?… it could be us, if, hopefully, we do not belong to the first category of mediocrity.

This observation can bring trouble or sadness in a soul. “What? In spite of all my efforts and desire to love and serve God, I am still imperfect!” Then, a certain feeling of guilt can occur. “Well, it is certainly my fault!” Maybe! It is true that we can always do better. But let not this thought of sadness or discouragement encumber your mind. In fact, behind a true desire for perfection, pride can hide itself. It is probably for this reason that God wants us to remain in a certain state of mediocrity, so that we can be humble.

Father Jérôme continues: “ God’s aim is to make the most of us, not giants in the order of the Divine grace, but just pigmies. This is what, along with our deficiencies and failures, makes our lives so weighty. God could give us His grace in torrents, but, instead, He gives it to us drop by drop. He leads us in the way of ‘the minimum’ and of spiritual poverty. This is the only true explanation. We are the little people of whom the Prophet Isaiah speaks.”

We are not giants in the order of Divine grace. We have to accept it and to recognize our smallness. We have to accept that we must live with our “humiliating passions” as Saint Francis de Sales says. He advices us: “Do not be surprised by the unbidden things of your life and that you have so much difficulties to tell. God permits them to make you humble, with a true humility, which means you can recognize yourself as miserable and foul. It can be fought only by impetus toward God. Make a positive act by a contrary aspiration and override it.”

We need also patience, according to Our Lord Himself who says in the Gospel of Saint Luc: “In your patience you shall possess your souls.” Saint Francis de Sales explains that “the virtue of patience is the one that assures the most perfection. We should have patience toward others, but also toward ourselves, especially concerning the delay of our perfection, because we need to suffer our own imperfections in order to obtain perfection.”

Patience, along with courage, is particularly necessary, because we have to begin again every day our journey of spiritual progress. The book of Ecclesiasticus says: “ When a man has done, then shall he begin.” Every day that God gives us must be used for our sanctification. Every morning we have to start again to work for it. “What we have done until now is good, Saint Francis de Sales says again, but what we are about to begin will be better. And when we achieve it, we will start something else which will be better, and then, another one, until we leave this world to begin another life which never ends because nothing better could come. "

Dear brethren, we have meditated during this Lenten season on Christian perfection. With Saint Francis de Sales and Father Jérôme throughout the Sundays of Lent and with Saint Ignatius of Loyola during last week of recollection we thought about the end of our life and the means to use in order to reach it. God is our end. His Son is the Way, the only Way, to go to Him. In Him we can find the perfection we are seeking. In His Sacred Heart, we can draw the love we need which makes us perfect. It is again Saint Francis de Sales who encourages us, saying that in the expectation of the eternal life, “we have to raise our hearts toward God and carry on His Holy work, confiding in Our Lord. He wants to give us everything that is necessary for its execution and asks us only for our consent and our fidelity.”

This week, we have the grace to be able, through the Divine Liturgy, to follow Our Lord during His Passion. His Passion is the summary and the achievement of everything we have said previously since the beginning of Lent. At this point, there is nothing more to add, we just have to watch how much God loves us.

May Our Blessed Mother who stood near the Cross of her Son take us with her on this journey toward the Calvary. It will be a journey of pains and agony, but also a journey of hope toward the immensity of the Divine Love of our God. Let us not miss it.