“Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord” We heard these words two weeks ago on the First Sunday of Advent.  Since then, this response used for the Responsorial Psalm has been coming up over and over in my mind and heart, and when a passage sticks around like that, it is good to pay attention to it.

On the one hand, from the historical context, these words express the joy of the Jewish people as they journeyed to the Temple in Jerusalem, the place where God dwelt.  To be in that place was a source of great joy, the anticipation of which would serve to motivate pilgrims on the often-difficult journey to arrive at that destination.  On the other hand, this response also indicates the joy we have as pilgrims on the way to House of the Lord, which is of our final home in Heaven.  When on a journey, the thought of home brings us joy, and it serves as a motivator to keep moving forward, knowing of the peace that we will find when we finally rest at home.  

A third and more immediate way of understanding these words is the joy that we should have as Catholics to come to the House of the Lord which is our church.  For each Catholic church or chapel is the New Temple of God, more important because God dwells there, truly and substantially in the Eucharist, Jesus’s Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity.  How much more joy should there be in our hearts when we have the privilege of coming to church?

Perhaps this can be a good point of examination for us on this Gaudete Sunday, the Sunday in which we are instructed, rather commanded to “rejoice in the Lord always” (Phil. 4:4) for He is near.  Not just is He near in the coming celebration of Christmas in two weeks, but He is near to us in each tabernacle, inviting us to come to Him and to be in His presence.  When we are getting ready for Mass each Sunday, is there a joyful anticipation in our hearts that we are going to see our King?  As we drive to church, is there joy in our hearts?  Or, do we find that we have a sense of reluctance and resignation about having to go to Mass?  While at Mass, are we thinking about other things we want to do, other places we would rather be, as opposed to rejoicing in being in the House of the Lord?

In these final two weeks before Christmas, let us spend some time reflecting on the joy (or lack thereof) we should have when coming to and being in the House of the Lord.  Doing so will prepare us to really look forward to coming to Mass on Christmas, seeing it not just as something to get done, but truly as the highlight to which we look forward, joyful that we will get to meet the newborn King and receive His life in the greatest gift possible, the Eucharist.

I would also like to issue a little Advent challenge, if you are willing to accept it!  Since our culture pushes to celebrate Christmas before December 25, we as Catholics have to work hard to maintain a sense of peace and eager expectation for the coming of the Lord.  In the midst of all of the noise, we need silence.  Why not come to the House of the Lord, our church, to find that silence, to be with Christ Himself, who is “the reason for the season.”  Make an effort to make a visit to Jesus in the tabernacle a few times before Christmas apart from coming to Mass.  As we come to Him and make time for Him, even if for just a few minutes, He will give us the gift of His peace and an increase of joy in His love for us, a joy that will prepare our hearts to receive Him not only when we celebrate Christmas, but each time we come to the House of the Lord.

Father Alford     

If you have attended Mass at the Cathedral regularly, or at most parishes in our diocese, you may have noticed that some women wear a veil from the moment they walk in the door of the church until they leave. You might have wondered what this is all about, or thought that Vatican II did away with women veiling during Mass. I have heard some stories from older parishioners of the nuns who made every girl wear a head covering as they attended Mass at their Catholic school – even if that meant a tissue or napkin out of their purse! I am sure that this was not a pleasant experience for some young ladies who did not understand what wearing a veil was all about. 

There is evidence for women wearing veils during prayer in the bible. St. Paul wrote, “A man, on the other hand, should not cover his head, because he is the image and glory of God, but woman is the glory of man … For this reason, a woman should have a sign of authority on her head, because of the angels” (1 Corinthians 11:7-10). Of course, it is true that women are also the image and glory of God, and St. Paul wrote more about this issue than in the few verses I quoted. Essentially, Paul is referring to an analogy that permeates the scriptures to describe God’s relationship with his people: the relationship of a marriage. Earlier in this passage, St. Paul wrote, “The head of every man is Christ, the head of a woman is her husband, and the head of Christ is God” (1 Corinthians 11:3). 

Christ is the head of the Church, and Christ is the spouse of the Church. A husband and wife stand in place of Christ and his Church as a sign – a Sacrament – of God’s relationship to the Church. So, when he instructs a woman to wear a veil, he is asking her to stand as a symbol of the Church as the bride of Christ. Admittedly, this symbolism may seem like a bit of a stretch for our modern parishioners, as Paul is also mixing in certain cultural elements which no longer apply today. As it stands now, the Church does not require women to cover their heads in Church, although many women, especially in non-Western cultures, still choose to do so. 

Earlier, St. Paul said that a woman should cover her head “because of the angels.” What does this mean? According to one author I read (Peter Kwasniewski), this is a reference to Isaiah when he had a vision of heaven. Here is the passage: “I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and his train filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim; each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory” (Isaiah 6:2). The angels who stand in the presence of God veil themselves using two wings as a sign of reverence, awe, and respect for the God of Israel. In this way, it is a symbol of submission and obedience to God. In this way, the veil is meant to be an exterior expression of an interior disposition of obedience and submission to God. 

I have heard a similar explanation during my years in the seminary, and it’s helpful to understand in the context of our Catholic liturgy. In the Mass, we typically veil certain objects and locations to show reverence and honor to sacred places and things. Many churches have a veil over the tabernacle, which holds the Body of our Lord, as a way to show respect to his Real Presence. In the Cathedral, you can’t see the veil unless the doors are propped open, but our tabernacle has a veil hanging inside between the door and the Eucharist. Traditionally, the chalice at Mass has been veiled before it is used at Mass. In wedding Masses, most brides choose to wear some sort of veil to cover their head, which symbolizes purity and reverence for her husband. In the temple of Israel, the Holy of Holies was covered by a veil which hung from floor to ceiling. 

Most women who wear veils today wear some sort of lace mantilla, but the same idea applies to any kind of hat or scarf which can be used to cover one’s head. I have heard a few stories of young ladies being reprimanded by older women for wearing a head covering in church, thinking that it is a symbol of repression. This is a misunderstanding of the tradition of covering one’s head. In some cultures, it is certainly true that men force women to wear a veil because they see them as lesser members of society. This is not the case in Christian cultures. Mary is almost always depicted wearing some sort of veil, which symbolizes both her great dignity and great humility as the Mother of God. 

An organization called “Veils by Lily” is a great resource for more information about veiling at Mass, along with a good variety of veils for purchase. I used this website in writing this article. Ladies veiling their head during Mass is a pious custom which many find to be a good way to show their love for Jesus. This practice is a beautiful tradition in which the Church still sees great value, but does not currently require at Mass. 

Feast Day: December 6th | Bishop, Wonderworker | Patronage: Children, Sailors, Merchants, Broadcasters, Repentant Thieves, Brewers, Pharmacists, Unmarried | Attributes: Vested as a Bishop, Holding Gospel-Book, Three Gold Coins/Balls; Blessing with Right Hand.

There is an amazing tale told of St. Nicholas, who, being bishop of Myra (in southwest Turkey, a port-city visited by St. Paul 300 years before), attended the Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D., and at one particularly strident moment stood before Arius, the priest from Alexandria, who argued that Christ was not fully divine, unequal to God the Father, not eternally begotten, but the first and highest of the Father’s Creation. Nicholas, it is said, stood before the heretic and slapped him in the face. Or maybe punched him. Or maybe it had been that Nicholas knocked Arius to the floor and was stripped of his episcopal regalia and imprisoned by the other bishops for such an unseemly outburst during a Church council. But then, the following morning, he was found in his cell not only wearing his vestments again (in particular, art often depicts him wearing the omophorion, an ancient precursor to the pallium that archbishops now receive) but also carrying the book of the Gospels. It is said that Mary appeared to him restoring his vestments, with Our Lord Himself placing in Nicholas’ trustworthy hands the Holy Gospels. The other bishops were admonished, Nicholas was exonerated, and Arius condemned as a heretic.

Now, this particular story was not written down until a thousand years after the Council of Nicaea, and different lists that date back closer to the time of that council differ on whether Nicholas is included among the bishops in attendance. Of course, since he lived until 345 A.D., Nicholas would have lived during the tumultuous years before and after that great convocation of bishops.  Also, with Athanasius (himself quite the strident defender of the faith) and others considered the leaders of the council, perhaps it is not surprising, especially given the lack (and costliness) of documents at that time, that there would be disagreement between the few, and fragmentary, documentation we do have. (This is true not only of Church documents, but also in the Roman Empire at large. Our records of those years are spotty.)

But perhaps we can uphold the core of this tradition without ever tracking down a parchment that recounts Arius getting knocked flat by a righteously angered Bp. Nicholas. Nicholas’ parents died while he was a priest, or early in his episcopal care, for the people of Myra. Already known for his holiness and generosity, he turned to the Scriptures to find what the Lord was calling him to do with the large inheritance he received from his parents. Hearing “give to the poor and come follow me”, he began his famous incognito visits, distributing funds and food to those who needed them under cover of darkness. This was how he saved the three sisters from prostitution – tossing bags of gold through their window in the middle of the night. Not only does this kind of charity fit with a Church known across the ancient world for its defense of the dignity of women, but it is also told of no other character in antiquity. It stands out among many other stories of the heroism of saints, and so must link back to the actual heroic generosity of Good St. Nicholas. Other legends with similar distinctiveness speak of Nicholas’ being imprisoned before the legalization of Christianity under Constantine, and also providing for the city during famines whether by miracles or plain, audacious, leadership.

One thing is irrefutable. Nicholas was loved and heralded as a saint very soon after his death. Within a century or two pilgrimages were taking place to his tomb, and other priests were taking his name as their own, choosing him as their patron. If I may link a few things together, though we have no writing of St. Nicholas himself, it is eminently logical that as daring, sacrificial, and Christ-like a bishop as Nicholas, would have spoken and acted much like his more famous confrere, Athanasius. Defending the divinity and humanity of Christ, Whom He emulated with a boldness that has not dimmed through the long centuries since.

– Fr. Dominic Rankin cannot help but notice that Nicholas’ risking his own life, his livelihood, even his episcopacy, is itself only an emulation of Christ, Who not only risked, but truly gave away his own life, livelihood, and all earthly esteem in order to give His followers eternal life. When I receive Christ’s Body and Blood am I similarly disposed to risk my own body and blood to love in that same way?

If you have been paying attention to the Catholic media in the United States over the past year or so, you are probably aware of the three-year Eucharistic Revival that is underway here in our county.  But perhaps it is not so clear why this effort is underway.  I found the following description from the official Eucharistic Revival website to be an excellent summary:

The difficulties and challenges over the last few years have shed lights on the Church’s need for healing, unity, formation, and conversion. More than 30 percent of Catholics have not returned to the pews post-pandemic, and recent data reveals that the majority of Mass-going Catholics do not believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. The past decade has also seen the rise of the “nones” among the millennial generation, with more than 40 percent now self-identifying as “unaffiliated” with any religion. Many young Catholics find the faith to be irrelevant to the meaning of their lives and challenges.

Since the Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith, we have great faith that a renewal of our understanding and love for the Eucharist is necessary for the Church as we move forward.

The first year of the Eucharistic Revival is to be a Year of Diocesan Revival, and it officially began on Corpus Christi this past June.  In our diocese, we have chosen to make a slight adjustment to the timeline and have decided to have our diocesan Year of the Eucharist begin this coming Thursday, December 8.  Given that our diocese is under the patronage of the Immaculate Conception, this seems to be a fitting time for us to begin.  It also just so happens that this coming year will mark the 100^th Anniversary of the transfer of the See city of our diocese from Alton to Springfield.  To mark that milestone, Bishop Paprocki will kick off our diocesan Year of the Eucharist with Mass at Ss. Peter and Paul Parish in Alton, the church that served as the Cathedral when the diocese was located in Alton.  The year will conclude with Mass at our own Cathedral Church on December 8, 2023.  Please also mark your calendars for October 28, 2023, as we will be hosting an all-day diocesan Eucharistic Congress at the BOS Center here in Springfield.  That day will highlight various activities and speakers, including Bishop Robert Barron and Dr. Scott Hahn.  The day will conclude with a grand Eucharistic celebration involving thousands from throughout our diocese.

As we begin this year, I acknowledge there is a lot that is yet to be determined about how we will observe this special time.  But we know that the Lord will bless it since the goal is for us to draw closer to His greatest gift of Himself in the Eucharist.  Perhaps the most important thing for us to do now is to pray for the success of this year, and who better to turn to than to our Blessed Mother whose feast day on December 8 will mark the bookends of this Year of the Eucharist.  I am therefore issuing an invitation to add an additional Hail Mary to the three that so many of you have been saying for our parish since last January.  As a reminder, those three Hail Mary’s are for: 1) the clergy of the Cathedral Parish, 2) for the parishioners of the Cathedral Parish, and 3) for yourself individually.  With this 4^th Hail Mary, let us ask Mary’s intercession that this Year of the Eucharist might be fruitful for our diocese, our parish, and ourselves!

Father Alford     

This is a great question, and one that Christians have been talking about since the beginning of the Church. St. Paul tells us that we are justified by faith, and Christ himself told us that unless we are born again of water and the Spirit, one cannot enter the kingdom of God (John 3:5). Here Jesus refers to the sacrament of baptism. But, at the same time, Jesus told the good thief on the cross, “Today, you will be with me in paradise.” The good thief was probably never baptized, but he did express explicit faith in Jesus. This example proves that even if someone has not received the sacrament of baptism, God is able to give sanctifying and saving grace by another means. In the early Church, there were many martyrs who died as Catechumens, meaning they were still in the preparation phase and had not yet been baptized. The Church has said that these martyrs received a “baptism of blood.” They were not literally baptized, but received salvation by their faith and their witness to Christ. Other people, such as the good thief already mentioned, have received a “baptism of desire” in which they explicitly expressed faith, but for some reason, had not actually been baptized. 

A related question is what happened to the Jews who lived before Jesus. After all, they never received the sacrament of baptism, either! I think St. Joseph is a good example to consider. The Scriptures calls him a “just man,” and considering that he was entrusted with caring for God himself, he must have been very holy. However, it is likely that he died before Jesus instituted the sacrament of baptism. Sometimes Church authors refer to the “sacraments” of the Old Covenant. This refers to the rituals and symbols that God gave the Israelites in the various covenants of the Old Testament. For Jews, a major symbol of the Covenant was circumcision, and it has been understood that God also gave sanctifying grace through these “sacraments.” They are not in the same category as the seven sacraments which Christ gave the Church, but they were still occasions on which God gave grace to his people. The sacrifices were only a prefigurement of the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross. God gave grace in the Old Testament, because he foresaw the merits of Christ’s death on the cross. The Jews were (and can be today) justified by faith, through the Covenants that God has given their people. So, St. Joseph is certainly in heaven, as are all of our Fathers in the faith such as Abraham, Moses, and David. 

When faithful Jews died, the gates of heaven were not yet open, so they went to some sort of spiritual “waiting area” until the Savior would open the gates of heaven again. The event of Jesus coming to retrieve these just ones is sometimes called the “harrowing of hell,” referring to the line in the Creed when we say that Jesus “descended into hell.” This is not the same hell that we typically think of today, which is a state of eternal separation from God. Rather, it was the place the dead went while heaven was not accessible. 

A more challenging question to consider is about those who have never known about Jesus, or have known about the Gospel, but not in a compelling way. Plus, what about babies who died without the benefit of baptism? In short, the Church hopes and prays for the salvation of all people, even those who do not explicitly know Christ. They too can be saved by a sort of “baptism of desire,” although only in an implicit way, because they do not know that baptism and faith are necessary for salvation. Some people are seeking to live the truth in their lives, but have not yet seen that Jesus is the Truth. God can give graces in ways that we are not aware of. Other religious traditions such as indigenous religions, Buddhism, and Hinduism are not completely devoid of truth or goodness. They can be understood as a preparation to receive the fullness of religious truth through Jesus Christ. God can certainly use these other religious practices as occasions to give saving grace. 

A traditional way of understanding the Church’s role in salvation is in this Latin phrase: “Extra ecclesiam nulla salus.” This translates as, “Outside the Church, there is no salvation.” A few have incorrectly interpreted this to mean that only baptized Catholics can be saved. This is obviously not true, based on the story of the good thief. This phrase means that whenever God gives grace to a person, it always comes through the Church, the Body of Christ. Ideally, this is through the seven sacraments. But if God were to give grace to a truth-seeking atheist, this grace also comes through Christ and the Church. In every Mass, the Church prays for the salvation of the whole world. I like Eucharist Prayer IV, which includes this prayer to God the Father: “Lord, remember now all for whom we offer this sacrifice: Francis our Pope, … your entire people, and all who seek you with a sincere heart. Remember also those … whose faith you alone have known.” 

The Catechism says in #994, “It is Jesus himself who on the last day will raise up those who have believed in him, who have eaten his body and drunk his blood.” We can understand this to mean that even people who implicitly believed in him can also be raised up on the last day. Of course, I do not mean to diminish in any way the value of the sacraments that Jesus gave us. He especially gave us Baptism as a systematic way to receive his sanctifying grace and forgiveness of our sins. In a world as big and messy as it is, the structured sacramental economy that we have can give us reassurance that we indeed are in the state of grace, and that we have concrete encounters with Christ through the Church. 

Feast Day: December 13^th | Virgin and Martyr | Patronage: Writers; Salesmen; Martyrs; the Blind; Throat Infection; Epidemics; Mtarfa, Malta; and Perugia, Italy | Imagery: Holding a cord, eyes on a dish, a lamp, or swords. A woman: hitched to a yoke of oxen; in the company of Saints Agatha, Agnes of Rome, Barbara, Catherine of Alexandria, and/or Thecla; kneeling before the tomb of Saint Agatha.

This coming year in our diocese, and in all the dioceses of our country, we are setting out on a renewal based on the Eucharist, a Eucharistic Revival, as the USCCB has called it. This first year in the diocese of Springfield, IL, we will begin on December 8^th, (asking the patroness of our diocese, Our Lady in her Immaculate Conception, to bring us to Jesus). By starting on that day, we beg Mary to teach us to “do whatever He [Jesus] tells” us, to “show unto us the Blessed Fruit of thy womb, Jesus”, Our Lord Jesus present personally, truly, in the Blessed Sacrament. Mary, of course, is the Queen of all the saints and angels, and the more we come to know and befriend the saints, the more we find that they also only ever point us towards Jesus. So, this coming year, we are going to take the saints as our guides and encouragers in this great project of our Church, that each of us would encounter Jesus anew and ever more deeply in His gift to us of Himself in the Eucharist.

Most of the saints I will look at this year will be those specifically mentioned in the Roman Canon, the Eucharistic Prayer given the most prominence, and having an amazing pedigree, in our Church. Before seminary I had not paid much attention to the different Eucharistic Prayers that the Church gives the priest to pray. There are four primary ones and multiple others for various occasions, though we are probably most familiar with the Second Eucharistic Prayer (the one that compares the calling-down/overshadowing/epiclesis of the Holy Spirit upon the offerings to “the dewfall”) and the Third Eucharistic Prayer (the one that begins “You are indeed Holy, O Lord, and all you have created rightly gives you praise”, and allows the priest to include after Mary, Joseph, and “Your blessed Apostles and glorious Martyrs” the Saint of the day or a Patron Saint).

But the First Eucharistic Prayer (called the Roman Canon, because it was the prayer that developed especially in Rome during the first five hundred years of the Church’s history), is the one that has had the longest history in the Roman Catholic Church (though there are similarly longstanding Canons/Eucharistic Prayers/Anaphora’s [a word meaning “carrying-up”] found in Eastern Rite Liturgies and the Eastern Churches). Some parts of this prayer stretch back to the very beginning of the Church, as we will find throughout this year, and it has been said by every Roman Catholic priest who celebrated the Mass since Gregory the Great in 590 A.D.! This same prayer was recited by Augustine of Canterbury when he brought England to Christ, and Boniface went to Germany. St. Stephen and later St. Elizabeth, heard it at Mass in Hungary, St. Francis in Italy, and St. Margaret in Scotland. It was this same prayer that was offered to God if you had gone to Mass with Thomas Aquinas, Joan of Ark, John Fisher, Isaac Jogues, Andrew dun Lac and his Companions in Vietnam, Alphonsus Liguori, Maria Goretti, Therésè of Lisieux, Padre Pio, or Mother Theresa. 

But this great and ancient prayer is not marked as much by all of those saints, but double listing of some of the saints of the early church (think of “… John and Paul, Cosmas and Damien …”) and this week we celebrate one of the women listed in the second such litany: St. Lucy. Named after the Latin word for light, [“lux/lucis”, compare with the English words “lux”, “lucid”, “lucifer”, “lumen”], we beautifully begin this year-long project with a saint of light. St. Lucy was a young woman living in the 300s in Sicily. She and her mother, Eutychia, took a pilgrimage to Catania to visit the tomb and shrine of St. Agatha (there Eutychia was cured of her lengthy illness, and Lucy found that she, like Agatha, was being called to consecrate herself as a virgin to Christ). Like Agatha, who had been martyred 50 years before Lucy only 50 miles away, that decision angered the suitors who wanted Lucy’s hand (and dowry) in marriage, and when persecution against Christians arose in that Roman territory in the 3^rd century A.D., Lucy was also maltreated and then martyred. 

How can Lucy begin our delving into the mystery and gift of the Eucharist? Perhaps she teaches us the simplest, but most profound, of truths: the Eucharist is a gift, and must be received. If we receive a gift but never unwrap it, have we really received it?! If we receive Christ, but never return the favor, have we really opened our heart to Him?! When you or I receive Holy Communion, do we listen to Christ then and there to hear how He asks us to give ourselves back? Or do we go on with our day just exactly as we were planning to before?

– Fr. Dominic Rankin often asks himself, and the Lord in prayer, why receiving Holy Communion does not seem to do much to him? Shouldn’t there be results? Where is the joy? Why haven’t I been transformed yet? St. Lucy shows us that the fault lies not with Christ’s gift to me, but my lackluster self-gift back to Him.

A couple of months ago, at our October Pastoral Council Meeting, one of our agenda items was to consider having some sort of parish party, a time for our parishioners to come together for a time of celebration.  As we looked at dates, a few dates in Advent were proposed, thinking that might be a nice season to do something.  One of our members humbly and very insightfully brought up the point that the Advent Season is more of a penitential season, one that is more subdued in nature as we prepare for the birth of Jesus at Christmas.  Wouldn’t having a celebration at the parish send a conflicting message?  What a helpful comment that was as it really helped me to remember the proper focus on Advent, a season which has been so overlooked in a society which basically celebrates Christmas from Thanksgiving until Christmas Day, then moves on.  In reality, Advent has a distinct character of being a season of expectation, one which prepares us to celebrate the Season of Christmas, which only begins on Christmas Day, instead of ending that day as our society is so used to doing.

I offer this as a way of inviting us to enter into this season with the mind of the Church, not the mind of the culture.  This can be a very difficult thing to do because of how overwhelming the Christmas theme is around us over these next four weeks.  We will be offering some recommendations throughout the Advent Season on ways to maintain that proper perspective through the rich devotional life that the Church proposes for us.

Perhaps a good place to start would be participating in our annual Immaculate Conception Novena which takes place each night at 7:00 pm beginning November 30.  Each night we will include Eucharistic Adoration, a Liturgy of the Word with a preached homily on a different Marian title, praying of the Rosary, Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, and the Novena Prayer.  Our themes for this year will be titles related to Mary as Queen.  Mary is a great model for us of how to celebrate this season well.  She carried Jesus in her womb these final four weeks before His birth.  What eager expectation and joy there must have been in her heart as she looked forward to the night that the world would change forever. 

Here is the schedule of topics and preachers for this year’s Novena:

Wednesday, November 30 – Queen of Angels – Very Reverend Brian C. Alford
Thursday, December 1 – Queen of Patriarchs – Deacon Larry Smith
Friday, December 2 – Queen of Prophets – Reverend Paul Lesupati
Saturday, December 3 – Queen of Apostles – Reverend Monsignor David Hoefler
Sunday, December 4 – Queen of Martyrs – Most Reverend Thomas John Paprocki
Monday, December 5 – Queen of Confessors – Reverend Dominic Vahling
Tuesday, December 6 – Queen of Virgins – Deacon Rob Sgambelluri
Wednesday, December 7 – Queen of Families – Reverend Dominic Rankin
Thursday, December 8 – Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception (Novena concludes with the 5:15 pm Mass for the Solemnity)

Father Alford 

Feast Day: December 4^th| Father and Doctor of the Church | Patron of Theology Students, Icon Writers, Hymnographers, Poets, and Pharmacists.

“Iconoclasm.” Not a word we throw around every day, nor even consider all that often. It was a movement in the 700s and 800s, primarily in the Eastern Roman Empire (thus, often referred to as “Byzantine Iconoclasm”), that questioned the place of icons, really any religious imagery, in Christian worship and devotion. If God commands the Israelites to “make no graven image”, why do Christians dare to do so? Shouldn’t the great culture, and great emperor, of Byzantium have better subjects than the poor, unthinking Christians, bowing and venerating images? Does Islam, quickly becoming a real threat on the eastern border of the empire, and which decried the use of images and icons as idolatry, have a point? Have the Christians grown attached to their devotions and fallen from true worship, (and perhaps are afflicted because of it)? As the emperors began to exert their authority to destroy icons and “purify” the worship in churches under their dominion, many Christians were horrified to see the images of the saints, of the Mother of God [theotokus], and of Christ emptied from their churches and burned, but did the emperor perhaps have a point (and all the power)? Into this crisis stepped one of the final Fathers of the Church, and one of its first Doctors, St. John Damascene (of Damascus). He wrote three letters to the emperor, the first of which I offer an excerpt to us today:

This is the word the Lord hath commanded, saying: Set aside with you first fruits to the Lord; let every one that is willing and hath a ready heart, offer them to the Lord: gold, and silver, and brass, violet and purple, and scarlet twice dyed, and fine linen, goat’s hair, and ram’s skins dyed red, and violet, and coloured skins, selimwood, and oil to maintain lights, and to make ointment, and most sweet incense, onyx stones and precious stones for the adorning of the ephod and the rational: Whosoever of you is wise let him come and make that which the Lord hath commanded: to wit, the tabernacle,’ etc.

Behold, then, matter is honoured, and you dishonour it. What is more insignificant than goat’s hair, or colours, and are not violet and purple and scarlet colours? And the likeness of the cherubim are the work of man’s hand, and the tabernacle itself from first to last was an image. ‘Look,’ said God to Moses, ‘and make it according to the pattern that was shown thee in the Mount,’ and it was adored by the people of Israel in a circle. And, as to the cherubim, were they not in sight of the people? And did not the people look at the ark, and the lamps, and the table, the golden urn and the staff, and adore? It is not matter which I adore; it is the Lord of matter, becoming matter for my sake, taking up His abode in matter and working out my salvation through matter. For the Word was made Flesh, and dwelt amongst us. It is evident to all that flesh is matter, and that it is created. I reverence and honour matter, and worship that which has brought about my salvation. I honour it, not as God, but as a channel of divine strength and grace. Was not the thrice blessed wood of the Cross matter? and the sacred and holy mountain of Calvary? Was not the holy sepulchre matter, the life-giving stone the source of our resurrection? Was not the book of the Gospels matter, and the holy table which gives us the bread of life? Are not gold and silver matter, of which crosses, and holy pictures, and chalices are made? And above all, is not the Lord’s Body and Blood composed of matter?

Either reject the honour and worship of all these things, or conform to ecclesiastical tradition, sanctifying the worship of images in the name of God and of God’s friends, and so obeying the grace of the Divine Spirit. If you give up images on account of the law, you should also keep the Sabbath and be circumcised, for these are severely inculcated by it. You should observe all the law, and not celebrate the Lord’s Passover out of Jerusalem. But you must know that if you observe the law, Christ will profit you nothing. You are ordered to marry your brother’s wife, and so carry on his name, and not to sing the song of the Lord in a strange land. Enough of this! Those who have been justified by the law have fallen from grace.

Let us set forth Christ, our King and Lord, not depriving Him of His army. The saints are His army. Let the earthly king strip himself of his army, and then of his own dignity. Let him put off the purple and the diadem before he take honour away from his most valiant men who have conquered their passions. For if the friends of Christ are heirs of God and co-heirs of Christ, and are to be partakers of the divine glory and kingdom, is not even earthly glory due to them? I call you not servants, our Lord says; you are my friends. Shall we, then, withhold from them the honour which the Church gives them? You are a bold and venturesome man to fight against God and His ordinances. [St John Damascene, “On Holy Images”, Part I.]

– Fr. Dominic Rankin has to ask himself two questions this week: In what ways have I also forgotten God, who reveals Himself in matter? Have I also lost my sacramental view of the world, that takes Christmas seriously, and believes that God makes Himself evident to my eyes, darkly now, but will in heaven, truly and fully?! And, digging deeper, would I rather listen to the voice of the world, that says “This is all there is.”, or our days’ emperors “Forget your medieval devotions. Fill your eyes with media, with what it popular, with what is easy.”, or the Evil One, “God isn’t real. You can’t really hear His voice. Why bother? Why struggle? Why try again?” Christian obedience is not just listening to God. It is also not-listening, not obeying, the lies that attack our faith, our Church, and Our Lord.

“In all circumstances, give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thess. 5:18) These words from St. Paul express a fundamental attitude that we as Christians should constantly seek to foster in our lives.  I proposed gratitude as a way of beginning to reflect on the topic of stewardship, but gratitude should be present at every point in the journey of discipleship and stewardship.  When we actually exercise our stewardship, giving of our time, talent, or treasure, are we doing so with an attitude of gratitude, or do we harbor some resentment, begrudgingly offering what is mine?  After we have exercised our stewardship, do with thank the Lord?  By this I do not mean that we should say: “Thank goodness that is over!  Now I can get back to what I want to do.”  Rather, do we thank Him for the good that He will work in us and in those we support through our generosity?  

As our country prepares to celebrate Thanksgiving Day this coming Thursday, now could be a good time for us to do an examination of our lives, asking the Lord to reveal to us if we are people of gratitude.  Perhaps some questions to consider might be:

• Do I tell God thank you for my blessings every day?  Or do I just tell Him how difficult my life is, rattling off my problems?
• Do I express gratitude to others for the good that they have done for me or for others?  Or do I question their motives, or think that I deserve it?
• What is my general outlook on my life?  Is it positive or negative?  A negative view of ourselves is often a sign that we are lacking in gratitude.
• How do I view others around me?  Am I grateful that God has placed them in my life?  Or am I inclined to notice their weaknesses, harbor grudges about how they have treated me, make judgments about them?
• Do I find myself being envious of what others have, how they look, what they do, etc.?  An excessive preoccupation with others can be a sign of lack of gratitude for what God has given us.
• If somebody were to describe me, would they see me as a grateful, and thus joyful person?  Or would they see me as somebody who always seems to complain, somebody who is always negative?
• Do I thank God even for the crosses in my life, believing that “all things work for the good for those who love God”? (Rom 8:28)

This list is not necessarily exhaustive, but hopefully it can helpful so that we can understand where we are at.  If you are like me, going through this exercise is a little discouraging, because I know I lack the gratitude the Lord invites me to have.  But there is good news – growth and progress are possible!  Do not let that discouragement bring us down, but let’s give thanks to God for shining His light to reveal where we are, and also giving us the encouragement to begin again.  Next Sunday begins a new liturgical year, and perhaps we can make a spiritual resolution to be more grateful to God for everything in our lives – our blessings, our crosses, our opportunities, our time, our money, those around us, our family, our faith, our parish.  We have so much to be grateful for, so let us bring that gratitude to the Lord even now as your read this, and ask the Lord for the grace to live the command of St. Paul more fully in the year ahead, to give thanks in all circumstances!

Please know of my gratitude for all of you, and the blessing of being entrusted with the stewardship of this parish and your souls.  I give thanks to God for all of you every day!

Father Alford

Feast Day: November 23^rd | Patron of Motorcyclists! 

This week we turn to a saint that most of us haven’t gotten to know very well, St. Columbanus. Much of the account of his life I will draw from a monk that lived at one of the monasteries that he founded, and who lived only a few decades later, Br. Jonas. Just one note, realize that St. Columbanus was born in Ireland, in the 600s, and because the faith was so strong there, he took upon himself to (re)evangelize Western Europe. We often think that the faith spread linearly out from Jerusalem, to Rome, and then to the north and west from there, but Columbanus shows the reverse also happening. Something similar is always happening in the Church; lands that were once strong in the faith grow worldly and fall-away, but the lands that received the Gospel from them, with zeal and love, bring it back to their fathers in the faith. Enough of me, let us read what Br. Jonas tells of the early days of St. Columbanus [“The Life of St. Columban”, by the Monk Jonas, #9-11, (7^th century)]:

After he had been many years in the cloister he longed to go into strange lands, in obedience to the command which the Lord gave Abraham: “Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, into a land that I will shew thee.” Accordingly he confessed to the venerable father, Congall, the burning desire of his heart and the longing enkindled by the fire of the Lord, concerning which the Lord says: “I am come to send fire on the earth ; and what will I, if it be already kindled?”‘ [*King James Version translation of Luke 12:49, The Vulgate, which is quoted here, reads “quem volo ut ardeat”]. But he did not receive the answer which he wished, for it was hard for Congall to bear the loss of so great a comfort. At length, however, the latter began to conquer himself and to think that he ought not to consider his own need more than the necessities of others. Nor was it done without the will of the Almighty, who had educated His novice for future strifes, in order that He might win glorious triumphs from his victory and secure joyful victories from the phalanxes of slaughtered enemies. 

The abbot accordingly called St. Columban and although sorrowful, he considered the good of others before his own good, and bestowed upon him the bond of peace, the strength of solace and companions who were known for their piety. Having collected a band of brethren, St. Columban asked the prayers of all, that he might be assisted in his coming journey, and that he might have their pious aid. So he started out in the twentieth [*or thirtieth, MSS differ] year of his life, and under the guidance of Christ went to the seashore with twelve companions. Here they waited to see if the mercy of the Almighty would allow their purpose to succeed, and learned that the spirit of the all-merciful Judge was with them. So they embarked, and began the dangerous journey across the channel and sailed quickly with a smooth sea and favorable wind to the coast of Brittany. Here they rested for a while to recover their strength and discussed their plans anxiously, until finally they decided to enter the land of Gaul. They wanted zealously and shrewdly to inquire into the disposition of the inhabitants in order to remain longer if they found they could sow the seeds of salvation; or in case they found the hearts of the people in darkness, go on to the nearest nations.

Accordingly, they left Brittany and proceeded into the Gallic lands. At that time, either because of the numerous enemies from without, or on account of the carelessness of the bishops, the Christian faith had almost departed from that country. The creed alone remained. But the saving grace of penance and the longing to root out the lusts of the flesh were to be found only in a few. Everywhere that he went the noble man preached the Gospel. And it pleased the people because his teaching was adorned by eloquence and enforced by examples of virtue.

So great was his humility and that of his followers, that just as the children of this world seek honor and authority, so they, on the contrary vied with one another in the practice of humility, mindful of that saying: “He that humbleth himself shall be exalted,” and of the text in Isaiah: “But to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.” Such piety and love dwelt in them all, that for them there was only one will and one renunciation. Modesty and moderation, meekness and mildness adorned them all in equal measure. The evils of sloth and dissension were banished. Pride and haughtiness were expiated by severe punishments. Scorn and envy were driven out by faithful diligence. So great was the might of their patience, love and mildness that no one could doubt that the God of mercy dwelt among them. If they found that one among them was in error, they strove in common, with equal right, to restrain the sinner by their reproaches. They had everything in common.

– Fr. Dominic Rankin will return to obedience again this week. For now, let it suffice to say that we find in Columbanus’ obedience to his superior – though so difficult at the time – in God’s providence was actually the necessary foundation for the other virtues that he would need to bring the Gospel to Gaul. You can’t have one virtue; they all come together! But also, that lesson learned in his own life, was exactly the lesson that he would teach the Gauls, building upon the foundation of obedience to the Christian creed, up to the joy of a real relationship with God in His Church. Isn’t it often the case that a hard-earned lesson that God has taught us comes back to be exactly what we’re called to give to another?!