Saint Joan of Arc - Feast Day May 30th

Jeanne le Pucelle (Joan of Arc), one of five children of Jacque d’Arc and Isabelle Romée, was born on January 6^th, 1412 – the Feast of the Epiphany – in the village of Domremy in the northeast of France.

Along with her siblings, Joan was carefully trained in the various household duties.  Near the end of her life, Joan would declare, “In sewing and spinning, I fear no woman.”  Though she would one day be hailed as the savior and national heroine of France, she was at heart a simple, well-brought up, peasant girl who was never afforded the opportunity of learning to read or write.

Almost nothing for certain is known of her childhood, except for glimpses of her piety and behavior gleaned from the testimony given during her “Process of Rehabilitation” (Nullification trial), 25 years after her death. In these few testimonies we see a young girl who had a pronounced love of prayer, attendance at the Holy Mass, frequent reception of the Sacraments, solicitude toward the sick and the poor.  Neighbors of the family testified that “She was so good, that all the village loved her.”

During Joan’s early life, the “Hundred Years War” was going on between England and France, with entire French provinces being lost.  The weak and ineffective French government offered no real resistance. Eventually, most of France (north of the Loire River) was in the hands of the English. The “Dauphin” (crown prince) of France, Charles VII believed his situation was hopeless, so he spent himself in frivolous pastimes removed from the fighting lines.

At the age of 14, Joan began to hear voices that she believed were divine messages. The first of these came to her, accompanied by a bright light, while she worked in the family’s garden. From that day on, she kept a vow of virginity and strove heroically to live a Godly life.  Over the next two years, the visions grew more frequent, and included St. Michael the Archangel, St. Margaret, and St. Catherine of Alexandria. At length, these heavenly visitors revealed to Joan that her divine mission was to save France.  God was calling her to take Charles to be crowned king at Rheims – and to drive the English from the country. After being ridiculed in her first attempt to gain access to the Dauphin, Joan protested, but the voices insisted, “It is God Who commands it!”

In 1429, Joan was finally granted permission to see the Dauphin.  He was unsure of her, so he disguised himself and had her brought in.  Though she had never met him previously, Joan immediately identified him. 

Thanks to Joan’s faithfulness, Charles was crowned king on July 17^th, 1429.  In a failed battle the following year, Joan was taken prisoner by the Burgundians.  Charles and his ministers never made any effort to free her and return her to France.  Later, the Burgundians turned Joan over to the English, who had her tried and condemned as a sorceress and heretic by a court of the Inquisition. On May 29^th, 1431, Joan was officially condemned and at 8:00am the following day, she was burned at the stake, with her last word being the Holy Name of Jesus.  25 years later, a re-trial (process of rehabilitation) was convened by order of the pope at Avignon. Joan was vindicated, and her original trial condemned.

 Joan was beatified on April 18^th, 1909, by Pope St. Pius X, and canonized on May 16^th, 1920, by Pope Benedict XV, establishing May 30^th as her feast day.  She is venerated as the patron saint of prisoners, people ridiculed for the Faith, soldiers, and people in need of courage.

St. Joan of Arc, Pray for us that we may bravely live our Catholic Faith!

"Joan of Arc is a wild and wonderful thing enough, but she is much saner than most of her critics and biographers. We shall not recover the commonsense of Joan until we have recovered her mysticism."

–G.K. Chesterton, Illustrated London News

[Image: Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres: Joan of Arc at the Coronation of Charles VII]

It's Time for Your Medicine

 

I know that Lent isn't "just about giving up things," but...

It very much is...ALSO...about giving up things. Mortification and penance are important medicines for our souls. We're sinners, and the giving up of things -- such as we do with fasting and abstinence -- is part of the "prescription" assigned by the Church and enshrined in Scripture.

Let's not be too easy on ourselves this Lent. It's not "self-abuse" to examine our lives and decide to forego one, two, or several "good things" out of love for God and in order to "medicate" our souls.

Lent begins this Wednesday.

Take some dedicated time today and decide what you will set aside until the celebration of the Resurrection of the Lord.

The Church requires fasting (an actual reduction in the amount of food we consume) on only two days; Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Abstinence from the eating of meat (warm-blooded flesh) is required on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and on all Fridays of Lent.

That is the MINIMUM.

Your own freely chosen sacrifices are your love-offering to God.

We all need the good fruits of Holy Penance.

[photo credit: https://commons.wikimedia.org/.../File:Envy-fasting...]

 “THE HOLY FAMILY IS IN DANGER OF INSULT; NOT EVEN BECAUSE IT IS HOLY, BUT MERELY BECAUSE IT IS A FAMILY.” 

~ G. K. Chesterton – New Witness, December 10th, 1920 

Read that again please and take note of the date on which it was published. The longer I am a student of Mr. Chesterton’s writings, the more often I find myself marveling that he seems to be—in a sense—timeless. 

What he wrote in 1920 could just as easily have been written by someone this week, as we all know that the family is under attack. Perhaps more subtly at times the attack on the family takes the form of disregard. As corporate, educational, and governmental entities cancel the words husband, wife, mother, father, son, and daughter, one can easily imagine that the very word family will also be jettisoned. 

Of course, the attack on the family is an attack on God, who is revealed to us as a family—The Most Holy Trinity. Jesus Christ is conceived in the womb of Blessed Mary and is born into a family. Jesus sends the Apostles forth to baptize us into His family, the Church. 

So yes, as Mr. Chesterton said, the Holy Family endures insult “merely because it is a family.”

Single, Married, Available, or...

"Satan, it would seem, does not act in an arbitrary manner when trying to tempt us. Rather, he is more of a master hunter carefully setting traps, or a skilled fisherman who carefully studies behavior in order to choose the most effective bait. Satan is calculating and clever."
   ~ Msgr. Charles Pope, in First the Bait, Then the Hook – a Sober Meditation on Temptation

I was in a conversation with a young, Catholic friend just the other day.  This young man is, by all accounts, a solid Catholic, committed to purity and chastity in accord with his current single state in life.

At one point in our conversation, Tom (not his real name) was referring to an exchange between himself and another young Christian, and said "I told her I wasn't single..." (though, to be sure, he is indeed single). Perhaps he meant that he wasn't presently looking for a girlfriend-boyfriend relationship.

The more I have mentally replayed and considered this part of our conversation, the more concerned I am about what I see as a subtle and dangerous trap being set against Catholic young people (and against all Christians) regarding sexuality, marriage, chastity, purity, and the single state.

As I thought about this, I recalled hearing similar statements from good, Christian, young people; referring to themselves as "not single," even though it was clear they were not married.  I've also heard young people say "I'm single again," even though they have actually been single their entire lives to that point.  And, of equal concern, I have seen such young people list themselves on Social Media as "Married," though they are single. Finally, some have described themselves, saying "I'm available," in response to which one might ask, "Available for what, exactly?"

Here are my main points of concern regarding this particular incursion  of secular humanism into Catholic Christian culture:

1. It is an attack on marriage.  This re-defining of "single" and "married" serves to desensitize us as to what these terms have always meant -- especially as to how they have traditionally been used and applied in the Teaching of the Church.  It follows then, that it is also an attack on the single state, on celibacy, and ultimately on chastity and purity.  It subtly, or not so subtly, encourages a belief that being single is a negative situation in need of remedy -- or at least something to hide from view ("I'm not really single right now").  As pertains to Chastity and Purity, if one is "not single," then is it really wrong to indulge in those things rightly reserved for married persons? Satan loves to blur the lines.

2. It is, further, an attack on the Indissolubility of Marriage, taught by the Catholic Church as revealed Truth.  Again, by means of desensitizing young people, the idea of moving in and out of being "single right now," breaks down the young Christian's resistance to divorce and multiple "marriages."  By the time these young people are really and truly married, they will have already had the experience of being "single", "not single right now", "married", and "available again", many times -- so what's the big deal if this marriage doesn't work out? Satan loves rationalization.

3. It devalues the individual person, and promotes the hook-up culture.  This perversion of truth teaches young people that being single means being available.  Again I ask, available for what?  It leads young people to see themselves as being of little or no value until and unless someone saves them from their "availability." Satan loves to leave you hanging.

4. It confuses the differences and distinctions among casual friendship, dating, and courtship.  Everything becomes a "pretend marriage." See: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/column/the-difference-between-courtship-and-dating-1276
Satan loves confusion.

I encourage everyone, especially young Catholics (and other Christians) to study Pope St. John Paul ll's "Theology of the Body."  Learn about the great gifts God has given to each of us, and the high value He places on each of us.  Learn to be thankful and joyful "in your own skin," so that you do not fall into the trap of believing that your importance and worth depend on being "not single."  

Finally, I encourage everyone to remember that "words have meaning," and there is a very real danger to our culture and even to our souls when we blur those meanings.

Don't Touch Them! They Are Not Yours!

The hit-pieces against Pope Francis, for daring to wash the feet of non-Christians, have been circulating widely since Thursday. In a very juvenile post on the *Toronto Catholic Witness,* the claim is made that the Holy Father violated his own reform of liturgical law, by washing the feet of people who are *not people of God.*

While "People of God" may be seen in an exclusive sense; referring only to those within the communion of the Church, it can also be seen in a more general sense in which it is meant that God is truly the Father of all; and thus all people --whether they know and acknowledge it or not -- belong to Him.

Thus, my response to these attacks is best summed up by these words from the Gospel:

“And I have other sheep, that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will heed my voice. So there shall be one flock, one shepherd.” 
(Jn 10:16, RSVCE)

My view is that Pope Francis believes that a very good way of bringing these other sheep into the fold, is to touch them -- literally and physically -- with the mercy and love of Jesus Christ.

I’ve just been so busy...

When I was just a boy, there were so many wonderful adults in my life; grandparents, uncles and aunts, older cousins, and neighbors who seemed more like family. Though I didn't realize it, due to my young age and mindset, these people were in my life because they loved me, and made a conscious decision to be available to me; I was important to them.

As I grew older, into my 20s and 30s, I gave in to the tendency, or temptation, to leave these relationships unattended. I was busy now. I had things to do, and just didn’t have time to keep up all of those contacts. I had time for school, for work, for the things that seemed most important, but not for the people I was letting slip out of my consciousness.

I would, from time to time -- possibly from pain of guilt -- stop in an see one of these “old folks.” I clearly remember my all too infrequent visits to my grandmother. She lived only a mile or so from me, yet I know I didn’t visit her more than several times a year. I would always say something like “I should stop in more often, but I’ve just been so busy lately...” Grandma would smile a little, give me a kiss, and say “Oh, you have plenty to do, you don’t have much time for old people like me.”

I’d feel badly for a minute, and then rationalize that Grandma was just being dramatic, and feeling sorry for herself. I didn’t let it dawn on me that she may have been trying to teach me something very important.

Now that I am one of the “old folks,” I am learning what I think my grandma was trying to teach me. The lesson is more painful now, but I am learning it nonetheless.

During the course of my life I have had the great blessing of being close to many people. I have been a friend, a teacher, a youth leader, a mentor, a coach, a Godfather, an uncle, and a brother.

For many of those years, the people whose lives intersected with mine remained in close contact. We talked -- either in person, or by phone -- often. Christmas and New Year’s were sure to be times when we connected. With some, it even happened on birthdays.

Lately, more and more of these younger friends are drifting out of contact. Now and then I will hear from one of them, usually by text-message, and they begin by saying something like “I was going to call you, but I’ve just been so busy lately...”

At the age of 63, I’ve learned many lessons in my life. One of them is that, as busy as I might be, I have time for the people for whom I make time. I am now learning how much it hurts when people whom you love drift away.

I have not written this for sympathy. In fact, I nearly did not write it at all. I decided to write this in hopes that I might help someone else (or maybe even a few someone elses) to learn what I believe my grandma was trying to teach me.

Make time for those who have loved you and have been there for you in the past. Those people were put into your life as blessings, and you now have the opportunity to be a blessing to them in return.

If you’re too busy for that, you really are too busy. Only you can change that.

An old saying goes “Make new friends, yet keep the old; One is Silver, and the Other is Gold.”

May His Blood be Upon Us, and Upon the Whole World

"Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and the Blood, the Soul and Divinity, of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins, and those of the whole world."

I am as certain as I can possibly be that I was graced with a vision of sorts this morning, prior to the beginning of the 8:00am Mass at St. Patrick Oratory in Green Bay, Wisconsin (which is served by the Institute of Christ the King, Sovereign Priest). 

I am not joking; so don't expect a punch line. I am, as they say, "as serious as a heart attack." Parts of this I will need to omit, as those parts would impinge upon the rights of others to privacy and confidentiality.

The substance of it is this: As I entered the Church proper, I looked up at the very large, wooden crucifix, suspended behind and above the high altar. 

This photo, taken at St. Patrick's Oratory, is from 2014

Those of you who know me well, also know that I am critical (some would say hypercritical) of things artistic -- as well as being a symmetry freak. So, as I looked up, I nearly gasped -- the "blood" that's painted as coming from the feet of Our Lord, had been -- it seemed clearly to me -- painted over, a bright, sort of "wet-look" red -- like a glossy red nail polish. Right away, I went into my critical mode, thinking such things as "Who in the heck did THAT? Why did they have to do that? Why didn't they just leave it alone; it doesn't match the blood on the hands."

Then, suddenly, I was overcome with an inspiration to pray the chaplet of the Divine Mercy for a particular intention -- that shall remain private. I immediately did so, now sensing that what I was seeing was not simply someone's touch-up painting work. I finished the final "Amen" of the chaplet, just as the corporate Rosary -- which is prayed before each Mass at the Oratory, was beginning. Thus, I was able to pray the Rosary as well, for this same intention.

During the rosary, sensing that my prayer had been answered, I looked back up at the Crucifix, and nearly gasped again; the color of the painted blood on the feet of Our Lord looked, once again, like that of dried blood.

I am not at all given to "seeing things," and those who know me personally, know that I am among the strongest skeptics when these sorts of things are spoken of. That said, I know what I saw today; and -- thankfully -- I believe that I know why I saw it.

"For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, Have Mercy on us, and on the whole world." Amen.