The Fathers Speak

The Fathers Speak – Confession

          In the past, I have occasionally run a feature called “The Fathers Speak.”  This has included quotes taken in context from the Fathers of the Church that demonstrate Catholic doctrine.  I have compiled these and many more such quotes from the first 500 years of Christianity.  The Fathers of the Church are powerful witnesses to Christianity’s Catholicism right from the start.  I hope it will be a powerful apologetic and ecumenical tool.  The document is available for a donation of any size to Aquinas Academy.  It can be accessed by clicking here, or on the image of St. Athanasius near the top of this blog.

Local synod (council) in Antioch – A.D. 341

All who enter the church of God and hear the Holy Scriptures, but do not communicate with the people in prayers, or who turn away, by reason of some disorder, from the holy partaking of the Eucharist, are to be cast out of the Church, until, after they shall have made confession, and having brought forth the fruits of penance, and made earnest entreaty, they shall have obtained forgiveness

St. Athanasius – Letter dating A.D. 338

Therefore let us, performing our vows to the Lord, and confessing our sins, keep the feast to the Lord, in conversation, moral conduct, and manner of life…

St. Augustine – Letter 185 – A.D. 415

But if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness

Bede's Ecclesiastical History of England – A.D. 731

Note: Cuthbert died in the previous century

And such was Cuthbert’s skill in speaking, so keen his desire to persuade men of what he taught, such a light shone in his angelic face, that no man present dared to conceal from him the secrets of his heart, but all openly revealed in confession what they had done, thinking doubtless that their guilt could in nowise be hidden from him; and having confessed their sins, they wiped them out by fruits worthy of repentance, as he bade them...

Cyprian of Carthage – A.D. 200-270 – Epistle 2

You see, then, brethren, that you also ought to do the like, so that even those who have fallen may amend their minds by your exhortation; and if they should be seized once more, may confess, and may so make amends for their previous sin…

Cyril of Jerusalem – A.D. 315-386 - Catechetical Lecture 1

Put off, by confession, the old man, which waxeth corrupt after the lusts of deceit, that ye may put on the new man, which is renewed according to knowledge of Him that created him...

The present is the season of confession: confess what thou hast done in word or in deed, by night or by day; confess in an acceptable time, and in the day of salvation receive the heavenly treasure...

The Didache – circa A.D. 80

…gather yourselves together, and break bread, and give thanksgiving after having confessed your transgressions, that you may be pure. But let no one who is at odds with his fellow come together with you, until they be reconciled, that your sacrifice may not be profaned.

St. Jerome – Letter 41 against the Montanists – A.D. 385

Their strictness does not prevent them from themselves committing grave sins, far from it; but there is this difference between us and them, that, whereas they in their self-righteousness blush to confess their faults, we do penance for ours, and so more readily gain pardon for them...

Pope St. Gregory the Great – A.D. 540-604 – Pastoral Rule, Book II (Of the Life of the Pastor)

Yet, when they prepare the patience of their condescension for cleansing the sins of their neighbors in confession, they support, as it were, the laver before the doors of the temple; that whosoever is striving to enter the gate of eternity may shew his temptations to his pastor's heart, and, as it were, wash the hands of his thought and of his deed…

Miracles and the Saints

Miracles and the Saints

Image from http://www.wjhirten.com/saints-john-xxiii-and-john-paul-ii.html

As I considered this post, I thought, “What can I say about the canonization of our two newest Saints?”  Certainly, I could speak about the men themselves forever, but what could I really add to the discussion that hasn’t already been said?

Then, a couple of things happened.  First, I checked my email on Yahoo.  As always, headlines of breaking “news” scrolled past on the home page before I logged in to my In-box.  It occurred to me that by staying up to date on world affairs through Yahoo, I had recently learned that a man caught a really big fish, another man was really happy to become a grandpa, and some family cut their cable and has decided to start streaming their television from the Internet.

In the midst of these current events, I had also been asked a question by one of my students: “Why don’t miracles happen anymore like they used to in the Bible?”

Then I realized what I could write about.  To become a canonized Saint, besides living a life of heroic virtue, two verified miracles attributed to the Saint after his or her death are needed.  Without question, the heroic virtue of Popes John Paul II and John XXIII are the important elements of their lives, upon which their great achievements, as well as their miracles depend.  It is not the miracles that put them in Heaven to be used by God, but their openness to His Grace, manifested in a life of holiness.

However, since we generally can not know for certain whether a person is in Heaven, the miracles are seen as confirmation.  The Church, of course, investigates every alleged miracle thoroughly, and will only acknowledge those that can have no natural explanation.  Without question, there are many miracles the Church will not officially declare due to another possible explanation, however remote the likelihood of it.

Shortly after his death, a French religious community prayed for Pope John Paul II’s intercession on behalf of one of their sisters, who was dying from Parkinson’s Disease, the same ailment the late pope had died from.  The 47 year-old sister woke up completely healed.

More recently, a woman in Costa Rica had been told by her doctors, after suffering a brain aneurism, that she had only days to live.  She prayed for John Paul’s intercession and was miraculously cured.

If you frequented Catholic news sites or radio stations, you may have heard these stories, but most people to this day never have.  Pope Francis dispensed with the requirement for Pope John, who was canonized with only one approved miracle.

My point, however, is that even with the canonizations upcoming, here are three bona fide miracles that have gone essentially totally unreported by the secular press.  And these are not alone.  Miracles, healings the sort of which we read about in the Bible, occur all the time.  A study of Catholic history (from a decent source) reveals innumerable and incredible miracles that have happened from the time of Jesus to our present day.

So why do I have students asking me why miracles never happen anymore?  You would think, for example, that if a man’s foot was crushed and scheduled for amputation, and if his wife, the day before the scheduled operation, put a holy card of a Saint in the cast and prayed for healing; and if the doctors found the leg in perfect health and did not need to remove it; that would be news.  I would expect it to be on every news show, and headlining every news Web site.

But no, an event like that is completely ignored, to make room, perhaps, for a story about a family who has decided to give up cable television.

Our Faith should not need signs and miracles to sustain it, but God gives us these great gifts, presumably, for a reason.  They are a great display of His great power, and in many ways, the continuation of Jesus’s life and ministry.  They also confound atheists and contradict the current materialistic dominant world view.

We wouldn’t want miracles to become the center of our Faith, or turn the humble servants of God into televangelists, but they are a part of our Christian reality.  We should share them with our children, and our atheist friends.  And we should thank God for using them to raise heroes of the Faith to the altar, so that we can have sure role models and intercessors as we strive to follow Jesus more closely.

Saints John XXIII and John Paul II, pray for us!

A Tribute to John Paul II

The Santa Controversy

The Santa Controversy

 

Above icon available from http://www.monasteryicons.com/

“Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.”  These famous words are part of a poetic response to a young girl’s innocent question.  To us they seem mere sentimentality, but I wonder if there is real wisdom there for parents dealing with the “Santa Controversy.”

What I refer to is the challenge many Catholic parents face regarding how to handle Santa during the Christmas season.  I’ve heard arguments on both sides of the debate recently.  On one side are people who say the traditions regarding Santa help open children to wonder at things that go beyond what they can see.  It is also a proper use of myth to direct children to ultimate Truths, when Santa is subordinated to and directed toward the birth of Jesus.

On the other side are those who would say that by going along with the popular culture’s version of Santa, we are lying to children.  If we tell them to believe in Santa, the Tooth Fairy, and the Easter Bunny, and later they learn that these things are not real, will that not undermine what we have taught them about God?  (Though I would say that if parents’ teachings about Santa can in any way be compared to their teachings about Christ, their spiritual life probably needs a bit of a jump start.)

I have heard many good points on both sides of the issue, and though I have a few thoughts to add to the discussion, I can not pretend to have any more of the answer to the dilemma than anyone else.

In our home, we do hang stockings for Santa, but we do not promote the culture’s understanding of him as a jolly fat man who lives in the North Pole with flying reindeer and a workforce of elves.  (Though given the exposure our children get from the prevailing culture, I know that they may hold some of those assumptions, but we have not taught them.)

We celebrate the feast day of St. Nicholas on December 6, and our children know that he was a fourth century bishop who was imprisoned for his faith, later released, and was known for his charity to the poor and to children, especially at Christmas.

We teach the historical truths about St. Nicholas, and emphasize his love for Our Lord and desire to serve Him and His people.  (There is a nice animated video we use: Nicholas: The Boy Who Became Santa.)  We do not emphasize Santa during the season beyond that, and we try to participate in activities that direct attention on the Nativity.

Why, then, do we hang the stockings, and why do we not directly dispel the parts of the customary tale that are not true?  Are we not participating in the deception of our children?

It’s true that I like the wonder our children display at seeing their stockings, which always include at least one major religious item in them.  Long after they stop believing those stockings are filled by a fat man in a red suit (unless I invest in some red pajamas), I suspect we will continue the tradition.

I intend to explain to my children that the gifts they receive from “Santa” are from him, as a representative of the Communion of Saints who celebrate with them the birth of the Lord.  St. Nicholas was a generous man, devoted to Christ, who loved Christmas.  It is in his honor that we have filled their stockings all these years as a reminder that the people of God, and the worship of God, are not confined to this world.

This is not the “right way” to handle the Santa Controversy, but it is our way.  I pray that it helps our children in their love of God.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.  He is alive, in the presence of God, and he gifts you this Christmas and always with his prayers, that one day he may celebrate Christmas with you, in Heaven.

St. Boniface and the Christmas Tree

       St. Boniface and the Christmas Tree

          Millions of people have begun flocking to stores to buy their Christmas trees.  It's a nice tradition of the holiday season, but many have stripped it of its religious significance and many more have no idea where the tradition came from.

          I've known people who refuse to have a Christmas tree because they claim it is a pagan tradition.  While it is true that paganism does play some part in the history of the Christmas tree, it is a thoroughly Christian custom.

          We can trace the Christmas tree to St. Boniface in the eighth century.  Boniface was an English Benedictine missionary sent to evangelize the pagan tribes of Germany.

          The pagans of southern Germany used trees in their worship and in a famous, historically documented story Boniface used this to bring about their conversion.  At the time of Christmas in the year AD 723, Boniface saw that a young man was to be sacrificed under Odin's oak.  Boniface responded by taking an axe to the sacred tree. Not only was Boniface not struck dead, legend has it that at his first blow, a miraculous wind blew the tree over.  The people recognized the power of the true God and mass conversions began.

          Boniface took the customs of the local people surrounding tress and “baptized” them.  It was customary for people to bring trees into their homes around the time of the winter solstice, so Boniface decided this custom could be transformed into one that honored the true God.

          At Christmas, the people brought in evergreen trees, symbolizing peace and life, and pointing toward Heaven, and decorated them to honor the birth of the Lord.

          The rest, as they say, is history.  The tradition spread to England and eventually to the United States and the Christian West.  So this year as we trim our trees, may they point our eyes Heavenward, and may we use these beautiful gifts of nature to be offerings to the true God, the Baby born among nature's beasts in a stable so many years ago.

All-Hallowed's Eve

All Hallowed’s Eve

 

          Halloween is just around the corner.  It can pose some interesting challenges for us as Christians.  Some completely shun the holiday because they say it is the celebration of a pagan festival.  Some don’t give any thought to it and figure it’s just an innocent opportunity for kids to have fun and ruin their oral hygiene.

          Growing up, that was the approach we took, and there was an innocence to that which I think was beneficial.  However, even since I was a kid I’ve noticed the character of Halloween change in our society.  It has gotten more morbid, and there is a growing fascination with a darker, even demonic character to the event.

          Certainly this is not true everywhere, and Charlie Brown and his Great Pumpkin still have a place in the popular culture of Halloween.  But a disturbing trend among kids has been an interest in things like vampires and the occult, and Halloween has tapped into that recently.  That sort of thing is no joke and every parent, Christian or not, has to be vigilant in protecting their children from such things.

          Add to that the designation of “Christmas” as a dirty word by secular society, and it can all become pretty offensive to those of us trying to raise our children in the Faith.  So what are we to do?  I can’t give any authoritative answers, but I’ll share what we have done with some success thus far.

          First of all, we reclaim Halloween as a Christian celebration, All-Hallowed’s Eve.  The following day, November 1, is All Saints Day, a Holy Day of Obligation, and a day infinitely more important than October 31, although ignored by the secular culture.  We remind the kids how important All Saints Day is, and that we’ll be going to Mass.  All-Hallowed’s Eve is important in its relation to All Saints Day, like Christmas Eve is important in relation to Christmas Day.  We finish off our celebration by taking the kids to a cemetery to pray for the dead on All Souls Day, November 2.

          Our kids dress up like saints when they go trick-or-treating.  They love telling the neighbors who they are.  Now our kids are young, so they go out with us.  I imagine the challenges will be multiplied when they want to trick-or-treat with their friends instead.  We have a great neighborhood, with many parents enjoying the evening out with their kids, and of course, ours are confronted with witches, goblins and haunted houses.  We just do our best to explain that different people celebrate in different ways.  They’re at the age now where they accept that since they are having so much fun the way we celebrate.  Our hope is that when they are old enough to question what haunted houses have to do with saints, they will also be old enough to understand that they are Catholics living in a secular culture, and that the culture will not always do things the way they do, but that God has called them to be a light in this world.  We are hopeful, as just this week our oldest son responded to a store’s Halloween display by saying, “They don’t know that Halloween is about God, not spooky things.”

          I know that many people have approached this dilemma with better ideas than we have, and please email me with any ideas you have.  There are a couple of online resources that may be of help.  You can download pro-life pumpkin cut outs on the Internet to turn your Jack-O-Lantern into a tool for evangelization.  Also, the web site nightoflight.org has many resources and ideas for celebrating All-Hallowed’s Eve in a Catholic way.

Novena to Honor Martyrdom of John the Baptist

Novena to Honor John the Baptist: Martyr for Marriage

Image from http://acta-sanctorum.blogspot.com/2010/06/nativity-of-saint-john-baptist.html

 

http://www.catholicvote.org/a-novena-for-21st-century-catholics/