L'Incarnation, oeuvre de l'Esprit Saint ( par Dom Delatte)

En ce jour de fête de l’Annonciation où nous célébrons l’Incarnation de Notre Sauveur, voici un texte de Dom Paul Delatte qui viendra certainement nourrir notre méditation de cet inestimable mystère. Don de Dieu pour nous, il nous faut savoir l’apprécier à sa juste valeur et ne pas être avare en actions de grâce. Que Notre-Dame qui en a permis la réalisation en soit éternellement remercier !

Dans la plupart de nos études, nous sommes soutenus et encouragés par l’espoir de la découverte, l’amour de la vérité nouvelle, une curiosité légitime, le plaisir de la trouvaille et de la conquête personnelle.
Dans l’étude des choses de Dieu, et en particulier dans notre prière, il est plus sage de tempérer, peut-être même, à certaines heures, de bannir absolument cet amour de la nouveauté, cette recherche de l’inaperçu. Il n’est même pas impossible qu’il y ait pour le développement de l’âme un danger subtil dans cet amour de l’inattendu, de l’effet, de la doctrine recherchée et profonde.
Ce que Dieu nous demande, ce n’est pas le raffinement intellectuel, c’est de nous plaire dans le regard tranquille et doux ; c’est de tremper notre âme dans sa lumière et sa beauté : « Delectare in Domino et dabit tibi petitiones cordis tui. » (Ps XXXVI,4)
Nulle part cette réflexion n’est plus vraie que lorsqu’il s’agit du mystère de l’Incarnation. La donnée nous est devenue si familière et le Seigneur a pris tellement possession de toutes les avenues de notre vie : notre première enfance a connu les tendresses de Noël ; notre jeunesse en a goûté les charmes, en a entendu les invitations ; notre âge mûr en a compris les harmonies et les graves douceurs.
Nous nous sommes accoutumés – et c’est peut-être là le premier bénéfice de notre vie religieuse – nous nous sommes accoutumés à reconnaitre Notre-Seigneur Jésus-Christ dans toute région :
- sa préparation lente dans l’Ancien Testament,
- sa manifestation dans le Nouveau,
- son développement et sa croissance dans l’Eglise.

L’Incarnation s’est établie dans notre vie comme chez elle : non contente de remplir notre intelligence, elle est devenue comme un objet de contact et d’expérience.
Car c’est l’Incarnation qui rayonne et se prolonge dans la Messe, dans l’Eucharistie, dans la Communion, dans la présence réelle, dans l’exercice quotidien de l’obéissance et de la charité. Notre vie baigne en quelque sorte dans le mystère.
Le Seigneur semble avoir été jaloux d’envelopper toute notre vie, d’y multiplier sa présence, de n’y laisser aucune région vide de Lui. Son amour a pris plaisir à créer ces rencontres dans le dessein de nous maintenir face à face avec Lui, et comme pour nous préparer à l’union et à la vision sans fin.
Et pourtant nous savons que ce n’est encore qu’une initiation et un apprentissage. Alors même que le Seigneur semble déjà, selon la parole de l’Ecriture, être dès ici-bas tout en tous : « Ut si Deus omnia in omnibus » (I Cor XV,28), nous savons néanmoins que l’achèvement définitif de ce dessein de Dieu est réservé aux jours sans fin de l’Eternité. L’Incarnation n’est pas pour Dieu un moyen temporel, un procédé précaire, c’est le procédé unique, définitif, par lequel Il nous unit à Lui dans le temps et l’éternité.
Non, il ne s’agit pas de découvrir ici des choses nouvelles, des aperçus cachés : le thème est trop familier et il a été trop amoureusement étudié, et exploré, pour se prêter à des trouvailles. Il n’est question que de goûter davantage. Et pour cela revenons à cette pensée que l’Incarnation est libre, qu’elle est un bienfait libre, un mystère gracieux et qui nous vient de la pure bienveillance de Dieu. A ce point de vue, la familiarité dont nous venons de dire un mot pourrait parfois nuire à la reconnaissance. L’Incarnation ne fait pas corps avec les choses. Elle n’était pas nécessaire.
Encore que, de fait, nous ne parvenions pas à concevoir pour nous la vie en dehors de Notre-Seigneur Jésus-Christ et loin du Verve Incarné, encore que nous n’ayons jamais formulé, même mentalement, l’hypothèse où l’Incarnation et l’Eucharistie et la présence réelle n’eussent pas existé pour nous, pourtant il convient que la continuité et la familiarité du bienfait lui laissent, pour nous, son caractère de bienfait.
Et pour vous montrer une fois de plus qu’il n’entre pas dans mon dessein de dire des choses nouvelles, je me demande de quelle volonté nous vient ce bienfait.
( A suivre...)

Sunday in Albis

The mission of Our Lord Jesus Christ is now almost finished. He has paid the price of our Redemption with His own blood and overcome death by His Resurrection. Now comes the time for Him to return to His Father. He has just one thing to do before leaving this world, which is bringing to completion the formation of His Apostles, the men He has chosen to be the pillars of His new Church. A few days ago, He gave them the power to offer His Body and His blood. They might not have understood exactly what the meaning was in the words Jesus used during the last Supper. Their faith still needed to be confirmed, which would be done soon. They still needed to learn about their future mission. They were not yet ready, for they were not even sure if their Master had really risen from the dead as the holy women told them. They remained hidden with the doors shut for fear of the Jews.
Then He comes and tells them: Peace be to you! Peace! This is the sign of the presence of God in a soul or in a place. Those who have been in a Benedictine monastery for a retreat or just for a stay know what it is about. Pax – peace – is the motto of the sons of Saint Benedict and when you are among them, you can really feel it.
But peace, which is one the twelve fruits of the Holy Spirit, is not only for the monks. It is given to all souls which accept Jesus Christ within themselves. It is a tranquility and a state of rest which banishes uneasiness and anxiety. It does not remove the hardship of this life but it makes us accept it with serenity. It is not a life without the Cross, but the loving acceptance of the Cross which gives peace.
We worry too often, but it is because of a lack of faith. If we had more faith in God’s providence, if we acknowledged that He is a good Father who takes care of us, we would not worry so much. We would understand that our trials, our concerns and our hardships are finally little things in comparison with the eternal glory that God wants to offer to us. When Saint Bernard of Clairvaux was facing any event in his life, he used to say: Quid hoc ad aeternitatem? What does it matter for eternity?
Nothing or anyone can make us lose our eternity except our own sins. This should be the object of our worries along with the damnation of sinners. Saint Dominic was sometimes seen by his brothers during the night, going to the altar of the convent and crying. One day, a brother asked him: Father, why do you cry like this? Saint Dominic answered: Have you ever thought about where the sinners go for all eternity? The Saint had a great concern for the salvation of souls and was certainly sad because of the damnation of many, but even his sadness did not remove the deep peace he enjoyed.
The Saints are really luminous examples to follow by the simplicity of their lives. They go directly to the essential and that gives them peace.
Christ offers His peace to His Apostles and then He instructs them. How true it is that we must have peace in our souls in order to receive well the teachings of our Master. Worrying impedes us from listening well and from receiving the word of God well. For this reason, the Scripture warns us: If thou wilt have true and everlasting life, keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile; turn away from evil and do good; seek after peace and pursue it. (Ps 33) Peace can be obtained by doing good, and once again, by being careful with the sins of the tongue! The sin of detraction is more serious than you would like to believe. Do you usually tell your own sins to others? Why then do you tell the defects of someone else behind his back so easily? Most of the time, such a behavior is motivated by jealousy, resentment or anger and this reveals a lack of peace. Someone who enjoys the true peace of God has absolutely no reason to speak guile. Seek after peace and pursue it!
Let us consider seriously this invitation of the Scripture. Peace is a precious good that certainly everybody would like to have. But to enjoy it depends on us opening our souls to Our Lord Jesus Christ. We have to follow Him from His Passion to His Resurrection. Then we will hear Him tell us: Peace be to you!
In this time of Easter, let us learn again from Our Blessed Mother how to receive the peace of her Son. With her, let us seek for the only thing necessary with confidence. She, who was witness of the Passion of her Son kept peace in her soul, because she knew that it was the work of our Redemption that was completed, and she accepted this in spite of the terrible sufferings she endured.
Regina pacis, ora pro nobis!

Sermon de Bossuet (extrait)

PREMIER SERMON POUR LE VENDREDI SAINT

SUR LA PASSION DE NOTRE-SEIGNEUR JÉSUS-CHRIST

Posuit Dominus in eo iniquitatem omnium nostrum.
Dieu a mis en lui seul l'iniquité de nous tous. (Isa. LIII, 6.)

Il n'appartient qu'à Dieu de nous parler de ses grandeurs; il n'appartient qu'à Dieu de nous parler aussi de ses bassesses. Pour parler des grandeurs de Dieu, nous ne pouvons jamais avoir des conceptions assez hautes; pour parler de ses humiliations, nous n'oserions jamais en avoir des pensées assez basses; et dans l'une et dans l'autre de ces deux choses, il faut que Dieu nous prescrive jusqu'où nous devons porter la hardiesse de nos expressions. C'est en suivant cette règle, que je considère aujourd'hui le divin Jésus comme chargé et convaincu de plus de crimes que les plus grands criminels du monde. Et c'est pourquoi parlant du Sauveur, le prophète Isaie dit : « Nous l'avons vu, comme un lépreux : » Vidimus eum tanquam leprosum (Isa LIII,4) c'est-à-dire non seulement comme un homme tout couvert de plaies, mais encore comme un homme tout couvert de crimes dont la lèpre était la figure. O saint et divin Lépreux ! O juste et innocent accablé de crimes ! je vous regarderai dans tout ce discours courbé et humilié sous ce poids honteux, dont vous n'avez été déchargé qu'en portant la peine qui leur était due.

C'est sur vous, ô croix salutaire, arbre autrefois infâme, et maintenant adorable, c'est sur vous qu'il a payé toute cette dette; c'est vous qui portez le prix de notre salut, c'est vous qui nous donnez le vrai fruit de vie. O croix, aujourd'hui l'objet de toute l'Eglise, que ne puis-je vous imprimer dans tous les cœurs! remplissez-moi de grandes idées des humiliations de Jésus; et afin que je puisse mieux prêcher ses ignominies, souffrez auparavant que je les adore en me prosternant devant vous et disant : O Crux !

La plus douce consolation d'un homme de bien affligé, c'est la pensée de son innocence ; et parmi les maux qui l'accablent, au milieu des méchants qui le persécutent, sa conscience lui est un asile. C'est, mes frères, ce sentiment qui soutenait la constance des saints martyrs; et dans ces tourments inouïs qu'une fureur ingénieuse inventait contre eux, quand ils méditaient en eux-mêmes qu'ils souffraient comme chrétiens, c'est-à-dire comme saints et comme innocents, ce doux souvenir charmait leurs douleurs et répandait dans leurs cœurs et sur leurs visages une sainte et divine joie.

Jésus, l'innocent Jésus n'a pas joui de cette douceur dans sa passion, et ce qui a été donné à tant de martyrs a manqué au Roi des martyrs. Il est mort, et on lui a pour ainsi dire peu à peu arraché la vie avec des violences incroyables ; et parmi tant de honte et tant de tourments, il ne lui est pas permis de se plaindre, ni même de penser en sa conscience qu'on le traite avec injustice. Il est vrai qu'il est innocent à l'égard des hommes ; mais que lui sert de le reconnaître, puisque son Père, d'où il espérait sa consolation, le regarde lui-même comme un criminel? C'est Dieu même qui a mis sur Jésus-Christ seul les iniquités de tous les hommes : le voilà, cet innocent, cet Agneau sans tache, devenu tout à coup ce bouc d'abomination, chargé des crimes, des impiétés, des blasphèmes de tous les hommes. Ce n'est plus ce Jésus qui disait autrefois si assurément : « Qui de vous me reprendra de péché (Jn VIII,46) ?» Il n'ose plus parler de son innocence, il est tout honteux devant son Père, il se plaint d'être abandonné ; mais au milieu de ces plaintes, il est contraint de confesser que cet abandonnement est très-équitable. Vous me délaissez, ô mon Dieu ! Eh ! mes péchés l'ont bien mérité : Longe a salute mea verba delictorum meorum (Ps XXI,2). C'est en vain que je vous prie de me regarder ; les crimes dont je suis chargé ne permettent pas que vous m'épargniez. Frappez, frappez sur ce criminel ; punissez mes péchés, c'est-à-dire les péchés des hommes, qui sont véritablement devenus les miens. Ne croyez pas, mes frères, que ce soit ici une vaine idée. Non, le mystère de notre salut n'est pas une fiction, le délaissement de Jésus-Christ n'est pas une invention agréable, cet abandonnement est effectif ; et si vous voulez être convaincus qu'il est traité véritablement comme un criminel, prêtez seulement l'oreille au récit de sa passion douloureuse.

Le pécheur a mérité par son crime d'être livré aux mains de trois sortes d'ennemis. Le premier ennemi, c'est lui-même ; son premier bourreau, c'est sa conscience : Torqueatur necesse est, sibi seipso tormento (Saint Augustin). Ce n'est pas assez de lui-même; il faut en second lieu, chrétiens, que les autres créatures soient employées pour venger l'injure de leur Créateur. Mais le comble de sa misère , c'est que Dieu arme contre lui sa main vengeresse et brise une âme criminelle sous le poids intolérable de sa vengeance. O Jésus! ô Jésus! Jésus que je n'oserais plus nommer innocent, puisque je vous vois chargé de plus de crimes que les plus grands malfaiteurs ; on vous va traiter selon vos mérites. Au jardin des Olives, votre Père vous abandonne à vous-même ; vous y êtes tout seul, mais c'est assez pour votre supplice; je vous y vois suer sang et eau. De ce triste jardin, où vous vous êtes si bien tourmenté vous-même, vous tomberez dans les mains des Juifs, qui soulèveront contre vous toute la nature. Enfin vous serez attaché en croix, où Dieu vous montrant sa face irritée, viendra lui-même contre vous avec toutes les terreurs de sa justice et fera passer sur vous tous ses flots. Baissez, baissez la tête ; vous avez voulu être caution, vous avez pris sur vous nos iniquités ; vous en porterez tout le poids, vous paierez tout du long la dette, sans remise, sans miséricorde.

Il le veut bien, il n'est que trop juste; mais, hélas ! de son chef il ne devait rien ; mais, hélas ! c'est pour vous, c'est pour moi qu'il paie. Joignons-nous ensemble, mes frères, et faisons quelque chose à la décharge de ce pleige innocent et charitable. Eh ! nous n'avons rien à donner, nous sommes entièrement insolvables ; c'est lui seul qui doit tout porter sur ses épaules. Et du moins donnons-lui des larmes, et donnons-lui du moins des soupirs, et laissons-nous du moins attendrir par une charité si bienfaisante. Vous en allez entendre l'histoire ; et plût à Dieu, mes frères, qu'elle soit interrompue par nos larmes, qu'elle soit entrecoupée par nos sanglots !

Sermon for Holy Thurday

Today is a very particular day for a priest, and it is not without emotion that I offer now the Holy Sacrifice. More than anyone else, a priest has to follow Our Lord Jesus Christ closely into the great mystery of His Passion and the reason is because of the Sacrament of Holy Orders that he has received and that makes him another Christ.
Sacerdos alter Christus! The priest is another Christ! It is something that we, priests and you, the faithful should always keep in mind, because the negation of the supernatural character of the priesthood is a poison that paralyzes the mystical Body of Christ and impedes the circulation of the grace within its members. We have heard so often during the more recent past decades that a priest is an ordinary man like everybody else. How wrong and fatal is this statement!
A priest is a very particular person chosen by Our Lord Jesus Christ for a very particular mission. This mission requires special means and without them it is impossible to accomplish it. The reason lies in the essence of this mission. It is nothing else than the participation in the priesthood of the only High Priest, Our Lord Jesus Christ. On the day of his ordination, the Bishop gives an extraordinary power to the priest: “Receive the power to offer the Sacrifice to God and to celebrate Masses for the living and the dead.” While the Bishop imposes his hands for the second time on his head, the new priest hears: “Receive the Holy Ghost, whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them, and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained.”
Offering the Sacrifice and forgiving sins is not a power given by nature, nor by a delegation of the Christian people. It can be given only by the One who has this power. The Sacrament of Holy Orders realizes a substantial change in those who receive it. This change is not visible, but is still real. And it is good that this invisible change is expressed by visible signs, such as the wearing of clerical clothes.
After the ordination the priest is no longer just himself, but, He is Christ. He can, and he must, speak in the name of Jesus. Hoc est Corpus meum – This is my Body. Ego te absolvo – I absolve you! At the altar and in the confessional, the priest is truly Jesus Christ. But he still has to imitate Jesus throughout his life. The ‘Hoc facite in meam commemorationem’ – Do this for the commemoration of me –truly concerns the renewal of the Sacrifice, but it should be an invitation for all priests to conform their whole life to the life of Jesus. It is more explicit after the washing of the feet. If then I being your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that as I have done to you, so you do also.

The entire life of Jesus can be concentrated into one word: charity! Everything is charity in Jesus. Everything must be charity in the life of the priest. Everything must be charity in the life of every Christian. Charity will lead us to the Cross. We know it. Now let us accept it!
Let us pray tonight for priests. Let us pray for all the priests. We hear too often criticisms against priests. This finally reveals a lack of faith in their priesthood. For sure priests are human, and as such, have to carry the weight of their own infirmity, as well as those who criticize them and who, by doing so, certainly do not show a great example of charity. But beyond their human frailties, we should recognize the gift of God which they carry.
I, personally, know that I am not perfect. This is why I need your prayers and not your criticisms. And I am sure that this is the case for all the priests everywhere in the world. I also know that if we all live according to the teaching of our Divine Master by fulfilling the great Commandment of God, we will be blessed. Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est! Where charity and love are, there is God!
May Our Lady keep us in the love of God, so that He can be here with us. This is the grace we ask now!

Sermon for Palm Sunday

The contrast is huge between the first part of the Liturgy when Our Lord is acclaimed as the Messiah and the second part when He enters into the great mystery of His Passion. On one side, we see the ineffable love of God for men. On the other, we see the murderous folly of men. On one side, we see the constancy of God who has decided to save mankind at the highest cost possible, by the effusion of the Precious Blood of Jesus who came precisely for this Hour. On the other, we see the fickleness of men who acclaim the Son of David one day and crucify Him another day.
If we had to draw a picture of humanity on this day of the Crucifixion, the painting would not be very agreeable to look at. What do we have? Hatred, jealousy, betrayal, falsehood, conspiracy, contempt, cupidity… in the best of cases cowardice and indifference! Where now is the crowd which acclaimed the Messiah during His triumphant entrance into Jerusalem? Where are they, those who pretended to die for Jesus? Where are they, those who have been healed, helped and forgiven by Jesus during the last three years?

There were just a few – a few among thousands – who remained with the Crucified until the end. Dear brethren, let us be honest! We think, and maybe we claim, that we are the true disciples of Jesus since we are faithful to the authentic teaching of the Church and because we worship according to her very venerable Liturgy. A few minutes ago we all acclaimed Jesus: Hosanna filio David! Now, who among us can seriously and sincerely assure that he would not have been on the side of the cowards and deserters or even on the side of the executioners on the day of the condemnation of Jesus?
Yes, men are truly inconsistent and irresolute. One day we claim during the Stations of the Cross that we are sorry for our sins that have crucified Jesus. We publicly proclaim that we love Him more than anything else. Then we crucify Him again by returning to our sins. The weakness of our judgment and the revolt of our passions can explain this for a part, but it does not excuse us since we have a remedy. Christian asceticism is a work of mortification that allows us to control our passions and to strengthen our will in order to make it conform to God’s will. We would be guilty if we neglected this part of the Christian life. We cannot be called disciples of Jesus if we are not crucified with Him. The old man has to die, as Saint Paul says, but this death is a long and plodding one.
Now I would like to leave the personal level for the political level. Today’s liturgy proclaims the Kingship of Our Lord as we sang during the procession: Gloria, laus, et honor, tibi sit Rex Christe! Glory, praise and honor to You, O Christ our King! For sure, the Kingdom of Christ is not of this world. But this does not mean that it has nothing to do with this world. On the contrary, the world must recognize the Kingship of Christ. The States, the Governments, the national and international institutions and organizations must recognize it. The Church urges them to do this and the Popes, especially Pius VI who condemned the French Revolution and the Declaration of Human rights, which denied and a rejected the supremacy of Christ. Therefore, the call was for Catholics to be involved in this battle.
This battle begins certainly with our own spiritual life. Being holy is the best way to bring the Kingdom of Christ on earth. But being holy means the accomplishment of your duties according to your state of life. For the Catholics who live in the world, it means to be engaged in the world by being missionaries and a visible witness for Christ, unless you live in a place where there are persecutions. The calls of the Popes have been followed by many, and are at the origin of many associations of lay people.
We have now to continue the work, and if I say this, it is because I have noticed a certain hesitation in this matter among many traditional Catholics, especially here in America. Basically they say that the world is evil, so we have to protect ourselves from it. The result is a certain retrenchment which certainly does not promote the mission. The intention might be good but it is not the right answer to secularism. We are supposed to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Let your light shine before men! These are the words of Our Lord.
I am sometimes impressed, and ashamed for us, Catholics, when I see the zeal of the followers of certain sects or other denominations. They are truly missionaries, but unfortunately they spread a false doctrine. There are many evangelical preachers, some young single persons or couples, or even families who give one or more years of their life to go to another country, especially in South America, to ‘evangelize’ people. And look how many people from Latin America turn away from the Catholic Church and join other denominations. Do you think that it is not your concern? Then you are associated by your passivity in their apostasy.

Dear Brethren, the world is in war against Jesus and is Kingdom. It is one thing – and for sure a good thing – to acclaim Jesus as Our King when we are at church. But we also have to stand near the Cross when He is crucified. We cannot remain closed in our houses when souls are in perdition outside. We cannot keep the word of God just for ourselves. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!
The call for the restoration of the Kingship of our Lord over the society is a call for a new missionary impulse. In a time when the old Christendom has collapsed and when the new secular society is about to give way to a strong and conquering Islam, it is more than ever necessary to reawaken the zeal that has animated our Elders. Christendom has not been built without sufferings, tears, sweat and blood, but it has been the result of an extraordinary wave of charity that fears nothing. The faithful Catholics must be on the battlefield. It is for Christ the King that we want to fight and to give our lives if necessary.

May Our Lady give us the ardor that we need. May she lead us on to the Calvary where the true battle takes place. May she help us to be faithful until the end and to never give up.

Amen.

Procession de la Sanch

I mentionned in the last post the procession which takes place every year on Good Friday in Perpignan. Here is a video that shows the beginning of the procession.

Impressive, atmospheric, just a little frightening, the long black or red hooded and robed figures of the Procession de la Sanch march slowly through the streets of Perpigan to the solemn beat of black veiled tambourines The Procession de la Sanch, which takes place every ’Vendredi Saint’, (Good Friday), opens the celebration of the Easter Holy week. In 1416, Vincent Ferrier founded the brotherhood of “La Sanch” (the blood) in the church of St Jaques in Perpignan. The origin of La Sanch was to assist and accompany the condemned to their execution. The wearing of the black and red hooded robes was to prevent prisoners being recognized and ‘lynched’ in the streets as pay back for crimes committed. The procession as a whole commemorates the Passion and the Agony of Christ. At the head of the parade walks a penitent dressed in red, intermittently ringing an iron bell as he leads the penitents, carrying ‘misteris’ (full-size representations of the different scenes of the Passion) through the streets of Perpignan. The procession takes place in silence – some walk bare-foot, others are on their knees…... only the sound of the tambourine, and the occasional peal of the bell breaks the eerie atmosphere, along with the Goigs, traditional Easter songs which accompany the march. Night processions also take place in the evening at Collioure and Arles-sur-Tech.

Procession de la Sanch 2007
Uploaded by gothalonia

A little interview

A young boy had recently a work to do for his Cathechism Class. The task was to ask a few questions to a priest about his vocation. Our young reporter contacted me and I gladly answered. Giving testimony of a vocation is giving testimony of the One who calls and an occasion of thanksgiving.

Benedicam Dominum in omni tempore: semper laus ejus in ore meo ! (Ps 33)

How and when did Christ call you to be priest?
I guess he called me from the beginning even though I did not realize it to any great degree. I did not grow up in a family that went to Mass, but I remember some catechism classes when I was a kid. I liked it and Jesus probably talked to my heart at this time. But it was years later that I realized that I might have a vocation.

What made you decide to follow Christ’s call?
My desire to become a priest began with my first Latin Mass attendance. I was a student at this time and I used to go to Mass only on very rare occasions. So it was the Liturgy which made me think about the priesthood. At this time I also read the life of Father Charles de Foucauld and I was very impressed by this man who renounced everything in order to follow Our Lord in the desert. I think this also had an influence on my choice. Then a retreat with the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius confirmed this desire.

When and where were you ordained?
I was ordained on July 1st 2000. In the traditional calendar, it is the Feast of the Precious Blood. What a beautiful day for an Ordination! It took place in the South of Germany, a beautiful place named Wigratzbad. It is a place of pilgrimage, since a woman, Antonia Radler, heard Our Lady asking that we pray for peace during World Word II. According to a private revelation that she had received, a Seminary would be founded there at the request of Rome. I don’t know if this prophecy is authentic or not, but the fact is that when the Fraternity of Saint Peter was founded, Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) asked the Bishop of Augsburg to welcome our new Seminary.
I studied my philosophy and theology there for almost 7 years and I am very grateful for that.

The beautiful countryside near Wigratzbad

Where have you worked as a priest?

Saint Martin du Canigou, near Perpignan

After my Ordination, I returned to my country, in France, for my first assignment in a beautiful place: Perpignan, a town located between the Pyrenees Mountains and the Mediterranean Sea, a few miles from Spain. It is the French part of Catalonia, a land full of traditions. One of the most famous is the huge procession which takes places in the streets of the city each year on Good Friday, in honor of the Passion of Our Lord. This procession was instituted by Saint Vincent Ferrier at the end of the XIV century. The church from where the procession begins, was built at the same time, and is precisely the church of the Fraternity of Saint Peter where I served for two years.
After a year of transition in Saint-Etienne, I came to the U.S and was appointed as assistant pastor at Saint Francis de Sales church in Mableton, Georgia. I am now chaplain for the Latin Mass community of Arkansas since last August.

For which part of being a priest are you most thankful to God?
Well, it is difficult to tell. In fact, I would say that I am thankful simply for being a priest. It is not an easy task, but what a blessing! I think often about the beautiful words of Jesus that we sing at the end of an Ordination: Jam non dicam….
I will not now call you servants: for the servant knoweth not what his lord doth. But I have called you friends because all things, whatsoever I have heard of my Father, I have made known to you. (John 15:15)
Yes, I am thankful for the very particular friendship that Jesus wants to share with his priests. It leads us to Golgotha, but also to a real and deep joy.

Thanks be to God!

Let us be the men of the New Covenant!

Sermon for the 4th Sunday in Lent

Today’s liturgy evokes the change of Alliance that Our Lord made by His sacrifice. Once, there was an Alliance, the one of Mount Sinai as Saint Paul calls it. It was a precious gift from God and yet was still imperfect. It brought forth children in bondage. This Alliance could not offer salvation to men who were born as slaves of sin. The Law did not have the power to free them and to give them the grace. It was good but imperfect according to the epistle to the Hebrews: The law brought nothing to perfection…. (Heb 7:19) The old Alliance was figurative and transitory in the expectation of the New and definitive one. It prepared the establishment of the New Covenant and prepared the Jews to receive it. As Saint Thomas Aquinas explains, the ceremonies of the Old Law betokened Christ as having yet to be born and to suffer. They certainly express the same faith as ours, which did not change with the promulgation of the new Alliance. Saint Thomas says again that our faith in Christ is the same as that of the fathers of old; yet, since they came before Christ, whereas we come after Him, the same faith is expressed in different words, by us and by them.
So there is only one faith which saves, but two different ways to express it, whether according to that which it was before or after the work of Redemption performed by Jesus. Both laws are ordained to the same end which is man’s subjection to God, and there is but one God of the New and of the Old Testament.[1] But they are well distinct. The law was our pedagogue in Christ…. (Gal. 3:24) as Saint Paul says. The new one is now a law of perfection and of charity, which does not mean that these notions were strangers to the just of the Old Testament, but they had not yet been clearly manifested. That would be the mission of the Redeemer to teach us His new Commandment: A new commandment I give unto you: That you love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another. (John 13:34) And in fact, it is interesting to notice that Saint Thomas Aquinas explains that the just of the Old Testament already belonged to the new one: As to those under the Old Testament who through faith were acceptable to God, in this respect they belonged to the New Testament: for they were not justified except through faith in Christ, Who is the Author of the New Testament.

Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the free woman (gal. 4,30)

Having Faith means belonging to the New Testament, which is the Testament of Charity. We will have the occasion to meditate on this during Holy Week. We have the grace to live now under the regime of the new Alliance and to benefit from the fruits of the Redemption given by the Church. We have received the fullness of the Revelation and we have the necessary and sufficient means of salvation which are basically the teachings of the Church and the Sacraments. Now we have to correspond to this fantastic grace by listening to the teachings of the Church and to use well the Sacraments. We are urged to practice the great commandment of charity, which is not optional but is the essence of our religion.
The first charity we can have is to be in the state of grace and we have no excuse if we are not. We have no excuse, because if we lost the grace, it is because of a mortal sin, which is a personal act deliberately committed. Nothing, absolutely nothing, can justify such an offense against God. In strict justice, if we are in the state of mortal sin, we deserve eternal damnation, and there is no way to avoid it unless we are justified again. In our present situation, justification involves the use of the Sacrament of penance.
God can certainly give his grace to those who cannot benefit from the Sacraments. For example: because they are in a place where there is no priest, but this is not our case. Consequently, not using the Sacrament of penance when you are in the state of sin is persevering in the commitment of the greatest injustice.
Now, if you are in the state of grace, you have to persevere by living a holy life. Here again, the New Law gives us everything we need for this. This Law has been sealed by the Sacrifice of Jesus and is perpetuated by the renewal of the sacrifice every day on the altar. The miracle of the multiplication of the bread that we have read in today’s gospel, announces the establishment of the Alliance. There is no better way to express our attachment to this Alliance than to participate in the sacrifice of Jesus and to unite ourselves to it. This participation is perfect when we receive Holy Communion, since there is no higher state of union on earth.
But be aware of something: your Communions must be true. I mean, you must have the good dispositions required to receive it. A new commandment I give unto you: That you love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another. (Jn.13:34) Receiving Holy Communion and not fulfilling this commandment would be a lie. Unfortunately, it is not rare to see in our traditional communities such things as rivalries. Rivalries are perhaps inevitable, because Satan attacks us, but it still does not excuse us from not fulfilling the Law of God.
Did my neighbor trespass against me? Did he commit an injustice toward me? Well, Deo gratias! Rejoice! Be happy! Do not be happy for his sin, of course, but for being able to suffer something for Christ. What a fantastic opportunity to live the Beatitudes! What a great opportunity to live in a very practical and concrete manner the great commandment of the new Law. The old precept of the Old Law, eye for eye, tooth for tooth (Matt.5:38) is now over and a new one has been promulgated: Love your enemies! (Matt.5:44) We cannot consider ourselves as members of the New Alliance if we do not put into practice this commandment! The lack of charity of others is not and cannot be an excuse for our own lack of charity. Where there is no love, it is my duty to bring love there and not wait to expect others to do it. If they do, it will be very good. But if they do not, I am just more urged to do it. Satan might try to bring discord and to stir up rivalries and jealousies, but ultimately it is my responsibility to not listen to him, but to keep the words of God.
With the coming of the Passion Time, let us not forget the elementary precepts of our holy religion. We are members of the New Alliance as long as we keep the Law of grace in our hearts and fulfill the commandment of charity. Jesus died on the Cross in order to permit us to do this. It is up to us to accept His sacrifice by sacrificing ourselves on the altar of Charity, or to refuse it by sacrificing Charity on the altar of our selfishness.

May Our Blessed Mother help us to make the good choice!

[1] Ia-IIae Q107 art 1