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October 10, 2013

St. Wenceslaus of Bohemia & St. Louis of France
Two of Our Stained Glass Saints

St. Wenceslaus Statue We recently celebrated the feast day of St. Wenceslaus, our parish patron. In addition to our statue of him in the back of church, we can see the good king depicted in one of our beautiful stained glass windows. He holds a banner and a shield with his red eagle heraldry for he remains a spiritual leader and defender of his people. Do you know which other luminous saints are featured in our stained glass windows?

Next to St. Wenceslaus’ window stands another holy European monarch, St. Louis IX, the 13th century king of France. (This is the Louis that Missouri’s largest city is named after.) St. Louis was regarded as the first among equals by the kings and rulers of Europe, not only because he commanded the largest army and ruled the wealthiest kingdom, but also because of his admirable character.

Each day, Louis welcomed 13 guests from among the poor to dine with him, and a large number of poor were fed near his palace. During Advent and Lent, all who presented themselves were provided a meal, with Louis himself often serving them. Throughout his kingdom, Louis founded hospitals, visited the sick, and kept lists of the needy, whom he assisted regularly. He chose St. Francis as his patron and imitated him in caring for lepers.

When his kingdom came into possession of the believed Crown of Thorns, Louis carried the holy relic in procession barefooted. (This event is depicted in our window.) To house this and other relics connected to Christ’s Passion, Louis had the Gothic Sainte Chapelle built in Paris. It remains one of the most beautiful churches in the world.

Louis’ domestic reforms promoted justice. Before his reign, disputing parties could opt for a “trial by battle,” basically a court sanctioned and regulated duel. St. Louis replaced this with a form of examination of witnesses and encouraged the use of written records in court. His personal reputation for fairness caused the rulers of Europe to choose him to arbitrate the quarrels between them.

Abroad, Louis led two unsuccessful crusades to recapture the Holy Land from the Muslims. In these campaigns more died from disease than battles, including Louis himself, at age 44. St. Louis was canonized 27 years later, making him France’s only canonized king. His feast day is August 25th.

Good King St. Louis, pray for us!

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How Tall Was Jesus?

October 9, 2013

Based upon the Shroud of Turin, Jesus grew to an adult height of between 5’8″ to 6’1″. (It’s actually a much trickier problem than just measuring the shroud image from head to toe.) On the other hand, in a resurrected body, I suspect someone can be whatever height he or she would like.

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The Parable of the Princess’ Guardian

October 2, 2013

Once upon a time, a king had a daughter. Though she was a princess, she was young and immature and needed to grow in many ways. So the king appointed one of his oldest friends to be her guardian, teacher, and guide. The guardian was never far from her, but the princess never felt unfree. The guardian was a great and subtle teacher, often imparting important lessons to her without the princess even noticing. When the princess’ false friends would suggest bad paths her guardian would provide better counsel. Some of these false friends envied the princess and did not want to see her reign–they would attack her in every conceivable way, but her guardian would come to her defense. Out of love for the king and his princess, the guardian’s greatest hope was to raise her up so that he could someday bow down to her as a queen.

The king in this parable is God, the princess (or prince) is you, and the guardian appointed to guard, teach, and guide you is your guardian angel.

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What We’re Missing When We Leave Mass Early

October 2, 2013

If we leave right after Communion

we miss the moment to pray, “Thank you.”

If we leave before the final blessing

we miss out on the gift of God’s favor.

If we leave before the final song

we miss the chance to sing to our Beloved.

If we leave before everyone else

we miss the opportunity to meet them.

If we’re leaving before the Mass is over

we’re missing out on what the Mass is all about.

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Join the G.K. Chesterton Club

September 30, 2013

G.K. Chesterton (1874-1936) was a prolific British author and columnist, a convert to the Catholic Faith and a married layman whose cause for canonization has just been opened. I often allude to him because his often-witty wisdom is enduringly insightful for our world and souls today.

Thursday, October 10th I will be hosting a gathering of The G.K. Chesterton Club of La Crosse in Eastman. All are welcome. We will meet at the rectory around 7:10 PM for conversation and beverages. Even if you have never heard of Chesterton before, a fruitful experience is guaranteed. These are the readings we will be discussing:

“The Continuing Power of Christianity” (3.5 pgs.)
“Self-Expression and Political Views” (3 pgs.)
“The Alternative to the Family” (3.5 pgs.)

Alternatively, here are the readings as a PDF file.

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Insights Into The Rich Man & Lazarus

September 29, 2013

● The name Lazarus means “one who has been helped.”

● Though presumably well known while he lived, the rich man’s name is never mentioned. St. Augustine says this is because God did not find the rich man’s name written in heaven.

● The rich man has traditionally been given the name “Dives” (the Latin word for “rich.”)

● Purple was the ancient world’s most expensive clothing color; it took 240,000 sea snails and a complex process to produce one ounce of “Royal Purple” dye.

● Being rich, in and of itself, is not a sin; Abraham, David, and Joseph of Arimathea were all rich and friends of God.

● Dives’ sin was his loveless indifference to a person in need he could have easily helped.

● Dives did not use his mammon to win friends like last week’s Gospel teaches.

● Dogs’ saliva has healing properties. In licking Lazarus’ (salty) wounds the dogs did him more good than Dives ever did.

● Dives couldn’t have missed Lazarus lying at his gate. In fact, Dives apparently even knew his name: “Send Lazarus…”

● Even after his condemnation for failing to serve Lazarus, Dives asks that Lazarus serve him; he asks Abraham to send Lazarus to “cool my tongue” and “to my father’s house.”

● St. Peter Chrysologus sees envy behind Dives’ requests: “He does not ask to be led to Lazarus but wants Lazarus to be led to him.”

● St. Augustine speculates that Dives and his brothers used to make fun of the prophets and doubted there was any existence after death.

● Those who do not see that Moses and the prophets speak about Jesus Christ are also unconvinced by Jesus’ rising from the dead.

● St. Jerome suggests that Dives’ five brothers are the five senses he served and loved so much.

● Even after he is condemned, Father Abraham still calls Dives “Son.” St. Ephraim notes that Abraham, who showed strangers kindness & asked mercy for Sodom, was unable to have mercy on one who showed no mercy.

● Abraham represents God, who forgives only the merciful, but who loves even those who are separated from him forever.

Posted in Parables, Rich Man & Lazarus, St. Augustine | 2 Comments »

The Story of Good King Wenceslaus

September 28, 2013

Today, Saturday, September 28^th is the feast day of St. Wenceslaus. Wenceslaus I (also known as Vaclav) was born around 907 A.D. and killed on September 28, 935. Wenceslaus is usually described as being exceptionally pious and humble and as a highly-educated and intelligent young man for his time. His father was a second generation Christian and the king of Bohemia (the western two-thirds of today’s Czech Republic.) His mother, however, was a staunch pagan.

When Wenceslaus was 13, his father died. His mother then ruled as regent and persecuted the Christians. Wenceslaus had been raised by his devout, Christian grandmother, St. Ludimila. His mother, fearing her mother-in-law’s influence, promptly had her murdered. At age 18, Wenceslaus took the throne and exiled his mother. His promotion of Christianity and efforts at peace with Germany angered his nobles. They conspired against him with his younger brother and set upon with blades at the doors of a church. Wenceslaus was immediately hailed as a martyr, his tomb became a pilgrimage site, and he became venerated as the patron saint of Bohemia. The Christmas carol “Good King Wenceslaus,” written in 1853, is based on his reputation as a just and holy king.

Good King St. Wenceslaus, pray for us!

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“Good King Wenceslaus”

September 28, 2013

Written by John Mason Neale in 1853

Good King Wenceslaus looked out on the Feast of Stephen¹
When the snow lay round about, deep and crisp and even.
Brightly shone the moon that night, though the frost was cruel,
When a poor man came in sight, gath’ring winter fuel.²

“Hither, page,³ and stand by me, if thou know’st it, telling:
Yonder peasant,⁴ who is he? Where and what his dwelling?”
“Sire, he lives a good league⁵ hence, underneath the mountain,
Right against the forest fence, by Saint Agnes’ fountain.”

“Bring me flesh⁶ and bring me wine, bring me pine logs hither.⁷
Thou and I will see him dine, when we bear them thither.”⁸
Page and monarch forth they went, forth they went together,
Through the rude wind’s wild lament, and the bitter weather.

“Sire, the night is darker now, and the wind blows stronger.
Fails my heart, I know not how, I can go no longer.”
“Mark my footsteps, my good page, tread thou in them boldly.
Thou shalt find the winter’s rage, freeze thy⁹ blood less coldly.”

In his master’s steps he trod, where the snow lay dinted.¹⁰
Heat was in the very sod¹¹which the saint had printed.
Therefore, Christian men, be sure, wealth or rank possessing:
Ye¹² who now will bless the poor shall yourselves find blessing.¹³

¹ The feast of St. Stephen, the 1^st Christian martyr, is December 26^th.
² “fuel” = tree branches
³ “Hither, page” = Come here, young male servant
⁴ “Yonder peasant” = That distant farmer over there
⁵ “league” = a distance of one to three miles
⁶ “flesh” = meat
⁷ “hither” = to here
⁸ “thither” = to there
⁹ “thy” = your
¹⁰ “dinted” = compressed
¹¹ “sod” = ground
¹² “Ye” = You (all)
¹³ We will be blessed if we follow in the footsteps of saints like St. Wenceslaus who themselves follow in the footsteps of Christ.

Posted in Saintly People, St. Wenceslaus | 1 Comment »

Ten Neat Facts About St. Padre Pio

September 23, 2013

St. Padre Pio, received the stigmata, the visible wounds of Christ, in his hands, feet, and side, like St. Francis of Assisi before him.
His wounds’ blood smelled of flower perfume.
He heard confessions 10 or 12 hours a day.
He could read the hearts of penitents, telling them the sins they had forgotten or concealed.
Often attacked, he had others “praise Jesus” to confirm they were not demons in disguise.
He had the gift of bilocation, the ability to be present at places far from where he was.
Allied planes were repeatedly prevented from bombing his Italian town during WWII because of the appearance of a flying friar.
On June 25, 1950, he was seen attending to the death of a fellow monk in Milwaukee. When asked about it he said, “If Christ multiplied the loaves and fishes, why cannot he multiply me?”
Before dying on September 23, 1968, at the age of 81, all his wounds healed without scars, just as he had foretold they would fifty years prior.
On June 16, 2002, over 500,000 attended his canonization by Pope John Paul the Great.

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A Rose Novena to St. Therese of Lisieux

September 22, 2013

Today, September 22nd, is the day to begin your nine-day novena to St. Therese, the Little Flower. Here’s a prayer you can use:

O Little Therese of the Child Jesus, please pick for me a rose from the heavenly gardens and send it to me as a message of love. O Little Flower of Jesus, ask God today to grant the favors I now place with confidence in your hands…

(State your personal intentions)

St. Therese, help me to always believe as you did, in God’s great love for me, so that I might imitate your “Little Way” each day. Amen.

Our Father…
Hail Mary…
Glory Be…

(After this novena, don’t be surprised if you find a rose.)

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St. Augustine on the Parable of the Dishonest Steward

September 21, 2013

Why did the Lord Jesus Christ present this parable to us? He surely did not approve of that cheat of a servant who cheated his master, stole from him and did not make it up from his own pocket. On top of that, he also did some extra pilfering. He caused his master further loss, in order to prepare a little nest of quiet and security for himself after he lost his job.

Why did the Lord set this before us? It is not because that servant cheated but because he exercised foresight for the future. When even a cheat is praised for his ingenuity, Christians who make no such provision blush. I mean, this is what he added, “Behold, the children of this age are more prudent than the children of light.” They perpetrate frauds in order to secure their future.

In what life, after all, did that steward insure himself like that? What one was he going to quit when he bowed to his master’s decision? He was insuring himself for a life that was going to end. Would you not insure yourself for eternal life?

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Simon’s Missed Opportunity — Thursday, 24th Week in Ordinary Time—Year I

September 19, 2013

Simon the Pharisee missed his opportunity. He invited Jesus to his house, but neglected to provide him water for his feet, oil for his head, or a kiss of greeting. Maybe Simon was preoccupied and the oversight was accidental, or maybe the discourtesy was intended, but in any case Simon failed to minister to Jesus from head to toe, he missed this chance to show him love.

We, however, are offered Simon’s opportunity every day, for the members of Christ’s body are in our midst. When we serve and greet them, his high and his lowly, we are serving and loving him. Whatever you do for one of the least brothers of his, you do for him. (Matthew 25:40)

Posted in Homily, Jesus Christ, Service, Weekday Homilies | Leave a Comment »

Popes or Presidents Quiz

September 19, 2013

There have been 266 papal reigns, from Pope St. Peter to Pope Francis, and 44 U.S. presidential tenures, from President Washington to President Obama. Take this quiz to see how well you know your popes from your presidents.

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The Ever-Timely G.K. Chesterton — Wednesday, 24th Week in Ordinary Time—Year I

September 18, 2013

Today’s readings remind me of things said by G.K. Chesterton (1874-1936,) the British journalist, writer, husband, and convert to the Faith, whose cause for canonization has just been opened.

In the Gospel, the same critics who rejected John the Baptist, who came “neither eating food nor drinking wine,” as too extreme are rejecting Jesus for being too lax, on account of his “eating and drinking.” This is akin to something Chesterton noticed about criticisms of Christianity while he was still a non-believer. Christianity was supposedly too meek, and the cause of countless wars. It was condemned for its penitential austerity, and condemned for its opulence. The Church imprisoned women, yet was criticized as being “too feminine.” The Church promoted celibacy against the good of marriage, and it promoted marriage, forcing the shackles of marriage and family upon us. The Church feared sexuality, and Catholics had too many children. (Though this was a century ago, similar arguments are still made today.) Chesterton eventually concluded that Christianity was sane and all its critics mad—in various ways.

Why did Chesterton go on to become a Catholic? Partly because he did not see how the Bible could be wielded as a weapon against the Catholic heritage:

The ordinary sensible skeptic or pagan is standing in the street (in the supreme character of the man in the street) and he sees a procession go by of the priests of some strange cult, carrying their object of worship under a canopy, some of them wearing high head-dresses and carrying symbolical staffs, others carrying scrolls and sacred records, others carrying sacred images and lighted candles before them, others sacred relics in caskets or cases, and so on. I can understand the spectator saying, “This is all hocus-pocus”; I can even understand him, in moments of irritation, breaking up the procession, throwing down the images, tearing up the scrolls, dancing on the priests and anything else that might express that general view. I can understand his saying, “Your croziers are bosh, your candles are bosh, your statues and scrolls and relics and all the rest of it are bosh.” But in what conceivable frame of mind does he rush in to select one particular scroll of the scriptures of this one particular group (a scroll which had always belonged to them and been a part of their hocus-pocus, if it was hocus-pocus); why in the world should the man in the street say that one particular scroll was not bosh, but was the one and only truth by which all the other things were to be condemned? Why should it not be as superstitious to worship the scrolls as the statues, of that one particular procession? Why should it not be as reasonable to preserve the statues as the scrolls, by the tenets of that particular creed? To say to the priests, “Your statues and scrolls are condemned by our common sense,” is sensible. To say, “Your statues are condemned by your scrolls, and we are going to worship one part of your procession and wreck the rest,” is not sensible from any standpoint, least of all that of the man in the street.

What is the “pillar and foundation of truth?” Most Protestants would say “the Bible,” yet Sacred Scripture (in today’s first reading from St. Paul’s 1st letter to Timothy) answers “the Church.” The Bible cannot be trusted more than Catholic Church, which wrote and canonized its books (not to mention taught, revered, and preserved them for two millennia.)

(May the works and prayers of G.K. Chesterton aid us in the world today.)

Posted in Catholic Church, G.K. Chesterton, Homily, Reflection, Weekday Homilies | Leave a Comment »

The Angel’s Puzzle

September 18, 2013

The Lord Jesus recently hosted a dinner party in Heaven to which he invited some of his friends. As they reclined at table, an angel serving in the kitchen became curious as to who was in attendance and snuck the briefest of glances. It wasn’t long enough to immediately identify those around the table, but his angelic intellect was able to intuit a number of facts about them. From this, the angel deduced who the famous saints and blesseds were and where they sat with Jesus.

Can you solve the angel’s puzzle?

The Heavenly Banquet

Puzzle Solution [Highlight to Reveal]: (By Seat Number) 1. St. John the Baptist 2. St. Paul 3. Blessed John Paul II 4. St. Peter 5. Blessed John XXIII 6. St. Mary Magdalene 7. The Blessed Virgin Mary 8. The Lord Jesus Christ (Other valid, though more obscure, answers are possible.)

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