A quotation from It's a Wonderful Life.
Strange, isn't it? Each man's life touches so many other lives. When he isn't around he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he? Clarence the Angel
Thursday, 7 June 2012
It's a Wonderful Life
A four-post day---just thinkin'
A quotation from It's a Wonderful Life.
Strange, isn't it? Each man's life touches so many other lives. When he isn't around he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he? Clarence the Angel
A quotation from It's a Wonderful Life.
Strange, isn't it? Each man's life touches so many other lives. When he isn't around he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he? Clarence the Angel
Zenit article by Dr. E. Christian Brugger
Three Cheers for the CDF: A Long Overdue Admonition
Errors in US Ethicist's Teaching Pointed Out
By E. Christian Brugger
WASHINGTON, D.C., JUNE 6, 2012 (Zenit.org).- For all the weaknesses with Catholic moral theology in the two centuries before Vatican II, one weakness it did not suffer from was a lack of consistency with the settled doctrine of the Church on matters of sex and marriage.
We all know the story that followed the Council. Pope Paul VI published Humanae Vitae in 1968. A tidal wave of dissent against its central moral judgment by Catholic theologians crashed on the Church. Since that judgment was not only connected to divine revelation but also to traditional methods of moral reasoning, most prominently Aquinas' moral theory, new methods were explored. Consequentialism, called "Proportionalism" in Catholic ethics, gained the high ground. Within a few years advocates of the new methods in Europe and the US, who included some of the most influential moralists in the Church, began questioning the exceptionless status of moral norms against masturbation, extra-marital intercourse, homosexual acts, and divorce and remarriage.
The undisputed matriarch of dissenting US Catholic ethicists is the influential emerita professor of ethics at Yale Divinity School and Religious Sister of Mercy, Margaret A. Farley. She's an old woman now and has been in the vanguard of voices calling for change in the Church for decades (she was a signatory in 1984 of the notorious "A Catholic Statement on Pluralism and Abortion," a full-page ad in The New York Times paid for by Catholics for Free Choice to support the VP campaign of pro-choice Catholic, Geraldine Ferraro… who?). She has trained and placed in academic positions a generation of gifted female Catholic ethicists sympathetic to her methods and ready to lay down their lives for her conclusions.
On June 4, 2012, the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) published a "Notification" on Farley's 2006 text,Just Love: A Framework for Christian Ethics. The Notification states that her text takes positions contrary to Catholic teaching on at least five issues: masturbation, homosexual acts, homosexual unions, the indissolubility of marriage, and divorce and remarriage. The CDF "warns the faithful" that Farley's book is inconsistent with Catholic teaching, and consequently that it cannot validly be used as an expression of the Catholic faith "in counseling and formation, or in ecumenical and interreligious dialogue."
In Farley's published reply, she says straightforwardly, "I do not dispute the judgment that some of the positions contained within [Just Love] are not in accord with current official Catholic teaching." She says that she wishes to clarify, however, "that the book was not intended to be an expression of current official Catholic teaching, nor was it aimed specifically against this teaching. It is of a different genre altogether." In other words, "current official Catholic teaching" is irrelevant to her framework for sexual ethics.
Why then is the CDF concerned about her text? Because Sister Farley is one of the most visible Catholic ethicists in the US, a member of an influential Catholic religious order, and past president of the Catholic Theological Society of America. Academics see her as a Catholic scholar. And her works are treated as (among other things) contributions to Catholic scholarship. She and likeminded colleagues draw a sharp distinction between "current official teaching" and the rich perennial tradition of Catholic theology, to which they see themselves as validly contributing. The cardinal prefect of the CDF is well aware that Sister Farley is widely considered a courageous and far-sighted and utterly integral member of the Catholic theological community. And that's how she'll be presented to credulous college freshman in classrooms throughout the English-speaking world.
The letter published in protest against the CDF Notification by the President of Farley's Religious Congregation, Sister Pat McDermott, RSM, makes transparently clear that Farley means to be seen as a Catholic scholar: "(she's a) highly respected and valued member of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas;" "has enlivened the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas and enriched the entire Church;" "assiduously attempts to present the Catholic tradition as formative of her own rich experience;" "(is) faithful to her own faith tradition and commitments;" "is an extraordinary teacher and pastoral minister who is deeply committed to the Gospel and the following of Jesus Christ;" and so on.
Readers might be interested in seeing a few characteristic quotes from Sister Farley's book "Just Love":
On Masturbation: "Masturbation… usually does not raise any moral questions at all. … It is surely the case that many women… have found great good in self-pleasuring – perhaps especially in the discovery of their own possibilities for pleasure – something many had not experienced or even known about in their ordinary sexual relations with husbands or lovers. In this way, it could be said that masturbation actually serves relationships rather than hindering them" (p. 236).
On Homosexual Activity: "My own view… is that same-sex relationships and activities can be justified according to the same sexual ethic as heterosexual relationships and activities. Therefore, same-sex oriented persons as well as their activities can and should be respected whether or not they have a choice to be otherwise" (p. 295).
On Same-Sex Marriage: "Presently one of the most urgent issues before the U.S. public is marriage for same-sex partners – that is, the granting of social recognition and legal standing to unions between lesbians and gays comparable to unions between heterosexuals" (p. 293).
On Gender Reassignment Surgery: "When transsexuals want to change bodily identity, surgically and otherwise, they do so in a way that their deepest personal identity does not change; they understand themselves, after all, as seeking to become more wholly themselves. I am reminded of the deeply poignant scene in the film Normal, when the husband (who is in the process of changing his body to a woman's body) says to his wife, "It's me. I'm still here"; and she still loves him, for "he is in my heart, he is in my heart, he is in my heart," she tells an uncomprehending minister. No one ought here pass judgment on any configuration of gender" (155).
The CDF ends its Notification with the words: "the Congregation wishes to encourage theologians to pursue the task of studying and teaching moral theology in full concord with the principles of Catholic doctrine." I fear that this paternal and salutary admonition is likely to fall on deaf ears on the girls at Yale.
[For a detailed critique of Farley's book, see William E. May, Critical Review of "Just Love: A Framework for Christian Sexual Ethics by Margaret A. Farley," National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly 8.4 (Winter 2008), 703-798.]
* * *
E. Christian Brugger is a Senior Fellow of Ethics and director of the Fellows Program at the Culture of Life Foundation; and the J. Francis Cardinal Stafford Chair of Moral Theology at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver, Colorado
WASHINGTON, D.C., JUNE 6, 2012 (Zenit.org).- For all the weaknesses with Catholic moral theology in the two centuries before Vatican II, one weakness it did not suffer from was a lack of consistency with the settled doctrine of the Church on matters of sex and marriage.
We all know the story that followed the Council. Pope Paul VI published Humanae Vitae in 1968. A tidal wave of dissent against its central moral judgment by Catholic theologians crashed on the Church. Since that judgment was not only connected to divine revelation but also to traditional methods of moral reasoning, most prominently Aquinas' moral theory, new methods were explored. Consequentialism, called "Proportionalism" in Catholic ethics, gained the high ground. Within a few years advocates of the new methods in Europe and the US, who included some of the most influential moralists in the Church, began questioning the exceptionless status of moral norms against masturbation, extra-marital intercourse, homosexual acts, and divorce and remarriage.
The undisputed matriarch of dissenting US Catholic ethicists is the influential emerita professor of ethics at Yale Divinity School and Religious Sister of Mercy, Margaret A. Farley. She's an old woman now and has been in the vanguard of voices calling for change in the Church for decades (she was a signatory in 1984 of the notorious "A Catholic Statement on Pluralism and Abortion," a full-page ad in The New York Times paid for by Catholics for Free Choice to support the VP campaign of pro-choice Catholic, Geraldine Ferraro… who?). She has trained and placed in academic positions a generation of gifted female Catholic ethicists sympathetic to her methods and ready to lay down their lives for her conclusions.
On June 4, 2012, the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) published a "Notification" on Farley's 2006 text,Just Love: A Framework for Christian Ethics. The Notification states that her text takes positions contrary to Catholic teaching on at least five issues: masturbation, homosexual acts, homosexual unions, the indissolubility of marriage, and divorce and remarriage. The CDF "warns the faithful" that Farley's book is inconsistent with Catholic teaching, and consequently that it cannot validly be used as an expression of the Catholic faith "in counseling and formation, or in ecumenical and interreligious dialogue."
In Farley's published reply, she says straightforwardly, "I do not dispute the judgment that some of the positions contained within [Just Love] are not in accord with current official Catholic teaching." She says that she wishes to clarify, however, "that the book was not intended to be an expression of current official Catholic teaching, nor was it aimed specifically against this teaching. It is of a different genre altogether." In other words, "current official Catholic teaching" is irrelevant to her framework for sexual ethics.
Why then is the CDF concerned about her text? Because Sister Farley is one of the most visible Catholic ethicists in the US, a member of an influential Catholic religious order, and past president of the Catholic Theological Society of America. Academics see her as a Catholic scholar. And her works are treated as (among other things) contributions to Catholic scholarship. She and likeminded colleagues draw a sharp distinction between "current official teaching" and the rich perennial tradition of Catholic theology, to which they see themselves as validly contributing. The cardinal prefect of the CDF is well aware that Sister Farley is widely considered a courageous and far-sighted and utterly integral member of the Catholic theological community. And that's how she'll be presented to credulous college freshman in classrooms throughout the English-speaking world.
The letter published in protest against the CDF Notification by the President of Farley's Religious Congregation, Sister Pat McDermott, RSM, makes transparently clear that Farley means to be seen as a Catholic scholar: "(she's a) highly respected and valued member of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas;" "has enlivened the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas and enriched the entire Church;" "assiduously attempts to present the Catholic tradition as formative of her own rich experience;" "(is) faithful to her own faith tradition and commitments;" "is an extraordinary teacher and pastoral minister who is deeply committed to the Gospel and the following of Jesus Christ;" and so on.
Readers might be interested in seeing a few characteristic quotes from Sister Farley's book "Just Love":
On Masturbation: "Masturbation… usually does not raise any moral questions at all. … It is surely the case that many women… have found great good in self-pleasuring – perhaps especially in the discovery of their own possibilities for pleasure – something many had not experienced or even known about in their ordinary sexual relations with husbands or lovers. In this way, it could be said that masturbation actually serves relationships rather than hindering them" (p. 236).
On Homosexual Activity: "My own view… is that same-sex relationships and activities can be justified according to the same sexual ethic as heterosexual relationships and activities. Therefore, same-sex oriented persons as well as their activities can and should be respected whether or not they have a choice to be otherwise" (p. 295).
On Same-Sex Marriage: "Presently one of the most urgent issues before the U.S. public is marriage for same-sex partners – that is, the granting of social recognition and legal standing to unions between lesbians and gays comparable to unions between heterosexuals" (p. 293).
On Gender Reassignment Surgery: "When transsexuals want to change bodily identity, surgically and otherwise, they do so in a way that their deepest personal identity does not change; they understand themselves, after all, as seeking to become more wholly themselves. I am reminded of the deeply poignant scene in the film Normal, when the husband (who is in the process of changing his body to a woman's body) says to his wife, "It's me. I'm still here"; and she still loves him, for "he is in my heart, he is in my heart, he is in my heart," she tells an uncomprehending minister. No one ought here pass judgment on any configuration of gender" (155).
The CDF ends its Notification with the words: "the Congregation wishes to encourage theologians to pursue the task of studying and teaching moral theology in full concord with the principles of Catholic doctrine." I fear that this paternal and salutary admonition is likely to fall on deaf ears on the girls at Yale.
[For a detailed critique of Farley's book, see William E. May, Critical Review of "Just Love: A Framework for Christian Sexual Ethics by Margaret A. Farley," National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly 8.4 (Winter 2008), 703-798.]
* * *
E. Christian Brugger is a Senior Fellow of Ethics and director of the Fellows Program at the Culture of Life Foundation; and the J. Francis Cardinal Stafford Chair of Moral Theology at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver, Colorado
Owls in the Daytime
I have seen many, many owls in my life of various types. But, until the other day, I had never seen an owl out in the daytime in the wild. A large Barn Owl swooped over a small stream, next to a field. I was amazed. Talking with some local people here in Norfolk, I discovered that seeing the English Barn Owl in the daytime was not that unusual. The last time I had seen such a large owl was in Missouri, in August of 2011. Both that bird, which flew very low over the sidewalk by my garage, and this bird, had wing spans of over three feet. These birds create an impression of power and agility.
However many local people here tell me that a sighting of the Barn Owl in the day is common, I find it disturbing. As a child, we had an enormous Western Screech Owl living in our garage. He was there all day, sleeping. I have seen Barred Owls, which are the Hoot Owl, but only at night. The Eastern Screech Owl also was in the Midwest when I grew up.Norfolk is home to many types of birds, including hawks or harriers of several varieties, some of which I saw today above the fields. I am told there are Short-Eared Owls here as well, but as I am not out at night, I have not seen one. The Barn Owl seems to be the only owl which is appears in the daytime. Comments on owls and other Norfolk or any birds are welcomed.
On Friendship
One subject I have not written about concerning love is friendship. Now, this is a lost art, as the virtual world has created online relationships which are very different from the friendships of old. Some online relationships are merely extensions of friendships made elsewhere, as in college, or the workplace.
What I am referring to here are face-to-face friendships, found and created by shared interests. Many people have friends, especially when married, who are either the husband's friends or the wives friends. My parents had friends in common. They went out together dancing, played bridge together, were in the choir and had choir picnics at the home, went to concerts together, and so on. Some of their friends, in fact, most, were not only Catholics, but from the same parish. Some of their friends were good neighbors, one couple they have known for 70 years.
In this day and age of mobility, friends usually are kept via the phone or Internet if one moves. But, I am discovering a problem when some of my older friends, who are treasures indeed, do not use social networking. They are only comfortable with the phone and face-to-face relationships.
I am all for this, but when one is traveling either for a job or pleasure, friendships with those outside the social networking must rely on trust and that special thing which means that no matter how far away or how long one has not seen or heard from a friend, meeting is like only being away for one day. One can pick up where one left off very quickly with good friends. Such friendships are based on mutual respect.
I have been blessed with friends, mostly Catholics, who are either academics, or moms, or homeschooling moms, or involved in the Church. However, some of my good friends are single women, who are highly intelligent and deeply spiritual. These women, traditional and orthodox, even though we cannot get to the Latin Mass, are guides and real sisters. We may not see each other often, but we can pick up where we left off. Sadly, sometimes, these relationships end in death, as I am entering into the age where people become ill and die.
I hope the art of friendship has not been lost. My dearest friends are, like me, idea people, who love to discuss religion, theology, philosophy, prayer, and who do not gossip or talk about clothes, getting their nails done, hair, weight loss or gain, vacations or other people's business (ugh).
I have friends of all ages as well. My younger friends keep me focused on the world in which they live, and keep me young at heart. These friends are real blessings.
May God bless you with good and holy friends who help you move towards God and eternal life.
What I am referring to here are face-to-face friendships, found and created by shared interests. Many people have friends, especially when married, who are either the husband's friends or the wives friends. My parents had friends in common. They went out together dancing, played bridge together, were in the choir and had choir picnics at the home, went to concerts together, and so on. Some of their friends, in fact, most, were not only Catholics, but from the same parish. Some of their friends were good neighbors, one couple they have known for 70 years.
In this day and age of mobility, friends usually are kept via the phone or Internet if one moves. But, I am discovering a problem when some of my older friends, who are treasures indeed, do not use social networking. They are only comfortable with the phone and face-to-face relationships.
I am all for this, but when one is traveling either for a job or pleasure, friendships with those outside the social networking must rely on trust and that special thing which means that no matter how far away or how long one has not seen or heard from a friend, meeting is like only being away for one day. One can pick up where one left off very quickly with good friends. Such friendships are based on mutual respect.
I have been blessed with friends, mostly Catholics, who are either academics, or moms, or homeschooling moms, or involved in the Church. However, some of my good friends are single women, who are highly intelligent and deeply spiritual. These women, traditional and orthodox, even though we cannot get to the Latin Mass, are guides and real sisters. We may not see each other often, but we can pick up where we left off. Sadly, sometimes, these relationships end in death, as I am entering into the age where people become ill and die.
I hope the art of friendship has not been lost. My dearest friends are, like me, idea people, who love to discuss religion, theology, philosophy, prayer, and who do not gossip or talk about clothes, getting their nails done, hair, weight loss or gain, vacations or other people's business (ugh).
I have friends of all ages as well. My younger friends keep me focused on the world in which they live, and keep me young at heart. These friends are real blessings.
May God bless you with good and holy friends who help you move towards God and eternal life.
Wednesday, 6 June 2012
Catholics as idolaters and polytheists
Now, both the low church Protestants and the atheists, including some of the anarchists below, would be shocked to know that they have in common the idea that we are idolaters par excellence. The academic craze for atheism in the West sees us real Catholics are worshiping fools, believing in superstitious nonsense and irrational. In my own family, I am seen as one of those ladies in a mantilla, saying my rosary in the back of Church, with no brain. That strange grouping accounts for the half-billion who think we are deranged and medieval.
Whatever.
 |
| Ishtiaq Masih killed in Pakistan in 2009 for being a Christian |
The other billion are the Muslims who call Christians polytheists because of our belief in the Trinity.
God the Father, the loving Abba, who Christ revealed to us, the First Person in the Blessed Trinity is no Allah.
The Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, Jesus Christ, True God and True Man, is not God to the Muslims.
The Third Person of the Blessed Trinity, the Holy Spirit, given to us through the sacraments of baptism and confirmation, is not on the Islamic radar.
 |
| Occupy Rome, October, 2011 |
We do not obey and as I did, pass up opportunities of grace. All you Catholic polytheists and idolaters get off your sofas and spread the Good News, while we still are able to do so freely.
.
Tuesday, 5 June 2012
Against a popular private revelation-part two
I shall just highlight one more point from the website which is getting Catholic followers. This supposed mystic is dangerous and her revelations are protestant in theology. Many errors can be found. I listed three earlier, and another one to address is obvious. The person states that Jesus gives a plenary indulgence to those who say a prayer for seven days. No. Jesus does not give indulgences, the Church does. Obviously, this seer does not see the Church as the arbiter of grace and merit-only the Church's has the power to forgive sins and deal with punishment due to sin, as Christ gave that power to St. Peter, see John 20:23. Again, the seer circumvents Catholic teaching and tradition regarding the sacraments, in this case, Confession. Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained. DR
The consistent view of this false prophet is that such graces as the seal of Confirmation, discussed in the last post, and now the forgiveness of sin or the temporal punishment or penances due to sin, is outside the provenance of the hierarchy, the Teaching Magisterium, the Tradition of the Church.
If any Catholic follows the teaching of this woman, they have moved out of the mainstream of Catholicism and need to consider their souls. I wrote part two in the title, but there are several more posts of the same theme on this blog. These points hold significance for many, many people.
The consistent view of this false prophet is that such graces as the seal of Confirmation, discussed in the last post, and now the forgiveness of sin or the temporal punishment or penances due to sin, is outside the provenance of the hierarchy, the Teaching Magisterium, the Tradition of the Church.
If any Catholic follows the teaching of this woman, they have moved out of the mainstream of Catholicism and need to consider their souls. I wrote part two in the title, but there are several more posts of the same theme on this blog. These points hold significance for many, many people.
Against a popular private revelation--part one
Two months ago, I wrote of the dangers of private revelation. Today, I have learned of another person who is into a false prophet online who publishes items about the Second Coming. In 45 minutes, I found 22 errors, including serious doctrinal errors. Catholics who cannot be bothered to spend time reading the Catechism of the Catholic Church, or encyclicals, or commentaries on The Creed, seem to be drawn to private revelations which are based on a protestant theology and which fall into Gnosticism. Gnosticism is one of the most prevalent heresies alive and well in our times. The need for some people to feel holy, to want secret or arcane knowledge, or who would rather seek out seers and people seeing apparitions presents a problem for the Church, especially in England and Ireland. For some reason, this tendency to follow false prophets seems more prevalent here than in other countries. To seek out false seers is a sin of pride. To desire secret knowledge is a form of pride.
The website is full of errors. I have several sheets of errors which I have passed out to four people, and now I find another person has fallen into the seduction of looking for revelation outside the Catholic Church.
I am going to list only four of the serious errors. If anyone wants to entire list, I can e-mail it to them.
First, there is no further revelation from God after the last word of the Book of Revelation. This is a teaching of the Catholic Church found in the CCC in section 65, 66 67, and Lumen gentium 12, with regard to private revelations. We call the set revelation in the Catholic Church "the deposit of faith".
Secondly, the Second Coming happens at the end of the world and does not introduce a time, such as a thousand years of peace. I can refer readers to the Catholic Encyclopedia online and to the early Councils of Florence, Trent, Also, we have Scripture clearly stating "Knowing this first, that in the last days there shall come deceitful scoffers, walking after their own lusts, Saying: Where is his promise or his coming? for since the time that the fathers slept, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they are wilfully ignorant of, that the heavens were before, and the earth out of water, and through water, consisting by the word of God. But the heavens and the earth which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of the ungodly men. The Lord delayeth not his promise, as some imagine, but dealeth patiently for your sake, not willing that any should perish, but that all should return to penance. But the day of the Lord shall come as a thief, in which the heavens shall pass away with great violence, and the elements shall be melted with heat, and the earth and the works which are in it, shall be burnt up." 2 Peter 3:3-5,7,9-10
and "The Sacred Scriptures inform us that there are two comings of the Son of God: the one when He assumed human flesh for our salvation in the womb of a virgin; the other when He shall come at the end of the world to judge all mankind. This latter coming is called in Scripture the day of the Lord. The day of the Lord, says the Apostle, shall come, as a thief in the night; and our Lord Himself says: Of that day and hour no one knoweth." Catechism of Council of Trent, The Creed, Article VII
Also, the CCC 1040 on the Second Coming is clear.
A third point concerns sacramental theology. The seer claims that Christ gives a seal to those special people who listen to her and follow Christ. Yes, Christ does give a seal and it is given in the Sacrament of Confirmation. We are then sealed, if we are confirmed in the Catholic Church, with an indelible mark as Catholics. From the CCC, which refers to the Catechism of Council of Trent. The seer consistently undermines sacramental theology by speaking of such things as seals and grace outside of the sacramental life of the Church. This is a protestant view. I shall do one more later.
1295By this anointing the confirmand receives the "mark," the seal of the Holy Spirit. A seal is a symbol of a person, a sign of personal authority, or ownership of an object.106 Hence soldiers were marked with their leader's seal and slaves with their master's. A seal authenticates a juridical act or document and occasionally makes it secret.107
The website is full of errors. I have several sheets of errors which I have passed out to four people, and now I find another person has fallen into the seduction of looking for revelation outside the Catholic Church.
I am going to list only four of the serious errors. If anyone wants to entire list, I can e-mail it to them.
First, there is no further revelation from God after the last word of the Book of Revelation. This is a teaching of the Catholic Church found in the CCC in section 65, 66 67, and Lumen gentium 12, with regard to private revelations. We call the set revelation in the Catholic Church "the deposit of faith".
Secondly, the Second Coming happens at the end of the world and does not introduce a time, such as a thousand years of peace. I can refer readers to the Catholic Encyclopedia online and to the early Councils of Florence, Trent, Also, we have Scripture clearly stating "Knowing this first, that in the last days there shall come deceitful scoffers, walking after their own lusts, Saying: Where is his promise or his coming? for since the time that the fathers slept, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they are wilfully ignorant of, that the heavens were before, and the earth out of water, and through water, consisting by the word of God. But the heavens and the earth which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of the ungodly men. The Lord delayeth not his promise, as some imagine, but dealeth patiently for your sake, not willing that any should perish, but that all should return to penance. But the day of the Lord shall come as a thief, in which the heavens shall pass away with great violence, and the elements shall be melted with heat, and the earth and the works which are in it, shall be burnt up." 2 Peter 3:3-5,7,9-10
and "The Sacred Scriptures inform us that there are two comings of the Son of God: the one when He assumed human flesh for our salvation in the womb of a virgin; the other when He shall come at the end of the world to judge all mankind. This latter coming is called in Scripture the day of the Lord. The day of the Lord, says the Apostle, shall come, as a thief in the night; and our Lord Himself says: Of that day and hour no one knoweth." Catechism of Council of Trent, The Creed, Article VII
Also, the CCC 1040 on the Second Coming is clear.
A third point concerns sacramental theology. The seer claims that Christ gives a seal to those special people who listen to her and follow Christ. Yes, Christ does give a seal and it is given in the Sacrament of Confirmation. We are then sealed, if we are confirmed in the Catholic Church, with an indelible mark as Catholics. From the CCC, which refers to the Catechism of Council of Trent. The seer consistently undermines sacramental theology by speaking of such things as seals and grace outside of the sacramental life of the Church. This is a protestant view. I shall do one more later.
1295
Partisan Gap Widens in the States
There is a new poll on partisan gaps in the States. Here is the link and a graph. Not surprised...this president has caused even more of a split, as his rhetoric and attacks on the Constitution are divisive.
The June Sky in the North
Mars is obvious in the southwestern part of the sky. I saw it this evening. late about 10:45. Bootes, the Herdsman, is the big constellation in the sky. Arcturus and Izar are visible plainly, the first being very bright.
Corona Borealis is clear as well, the great Northern Crown. Another clear constellation is Draco. In England, if it is not raining, like tonight, these constellations are clear.
Tomorrow, in some parts of the world, the great, second, and last transit of Venus will occur. One must not look directly at the sun. There are many websites on this rare event explaining how to look at Venus crossing the sun without damaging one's eyes.
At the end of the month, one can see Jupiter and Venus together in the pre-dawn sky. Right now, in Walsingham, as I am writing this, it is 41 degrees Farenheit. I am not going to stand outside and look at the stars any longer! However, I did see the full moon rising. This was an extraordinary experience, as I was standing in a country field, waiting for the lighting of the beacon and a display of fireworks, when the move took all my attention.
Enjoy the sky this month.
At the end of the month, one can see Jupiter and Venus together in the pre-dawn sky. Right now, in Walsingham, as I am writing this, it is 41 degrees Farenheit. I am not going to stand outside and look at the stars any longer! However, I did see the full moon rising. This was an extraordinary experience, as I was standing in a country field, waiting for the lighting of the beacon and a display of fireworks, when the move took all my attention.
The Walsingham Beacon
Tonight I saw the Walsingham Beacon, as I was standing outside in a cold field with a friend and about another 100 Norfolk visitors. The beacon was lit for the Jubilee and as I noted the other day, about 4,000 beacons across Great Britain were all lit at the same time,10:00 p.m. At the same time, fireworks of a great variety and colour exploded next to the Beacon.
For my American readers, the Beacon was a remembrance of the original Anglo-Saxon beacons, lit at the invasions of the Danes. See post below for a beacon celebrating the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria.
Of course, Tolkien used this tradition in his books and above is the clip from the movie.
Monday, 4 June 2012
A Brave Bishop in England at the National Shrine
I am in Walsingham and missed the Mass at noon where Bishop Davies gave this homily. However, here is the text from the website.
The Deputy Prime Minister was recently reported as saying he could not understand why Christians and other people of faith saw a legal redefinition of marriage as a matter of conscience: it would not he claimed impinge on religious freedoms. Experience, of course, might make us cautious of such assurances, even those given by a Deputy Prime Minister, that this agenda will not threaten religious freedom. However, our concern is not only with religious freedom but also with the enormous good which marriage represents as foundational to family-life. Today we see a government, without mandate, disposing of any credible consultation, seeking to impose one of the greatest acts of “social engineering” in our history by uprooting the legal definition of marriage. Marriage lies at the very foundation of the family. For all generations to follow one generation of politicians is setting out to demolish in the name of an “equality agenda” the understanding of marriage that has served as the timeless foundation for the family. The government is seeking to do this at the very moment when marriage as an institution has been more weakened than ever before. Yet it asks: why are people of faith concerned?
Letters and Homilies
‘The Future of Humanity Passes by Way of the Family’
Homily for the National Association of Catholic Families
National Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham
“The future of humanity passes by way of the family”
We gather during this celebration of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee. We rejoice with many today not only in the Queen’s constitutional role carried out with unfailing dedication but also in her Christian witness of faith and prayer. However, it is significant that a family stands always at the centre of our constitution, at the heart of our national life. The Crown passes by way of a family! It was, of course, in this Norfolk countryside almost a millennium ago that a simple house was built to remind all generations of the centrality and holiness of the family revealed by God’s plan in the Holy Family of Nazareth. True, it was a monarch, King Henry VIII, not noted for his reverence for marriage, who saw both house and shrine destroyed four centuries ago. Yet Walsingham has now visibly returned in its Catholic and Anglican witness. Here we will always be reminded in Blessed John Paul II’s unforgettable words that, “the future of humanity passes by way of the family” (Familaris Consortio n. 86). It is a self-evident truth which too often is obscured in our consciousness today that the future of humanity, the future of society, depends on the family.
The Deputy Prime Minister was recently reported as saying he could not understand why Christians and other people of faith saw a legal redefinition of marriage as a matter of conscience: it would not he claimed impinge on religious freedoms. Experience, of course, might make us cautious of such assurances, even those given by a Deputy Prime Minister, that this agenda will not threaten religious freedom. However, our concern is not only with religious freedom but also with the enormous good which marriage represents as foundational to family-life. Today we see a government, without mandate, disposing of any credible consultation, seeking to impose one of the greatest acts of “social engineering” in our history by uprooting the legal definition of marriage. Marriage lies at the very foundation of the family. For all generations to follow one generation of politicians is setting out to demolish in the name of an “equality agenda” the understanding of marriage that has served as the timeless foundation for the family. The government is seeking to do this at the very moment when marriage as an institution has been more weakened than ever before. Yet it asks: why are people of faith concerned?
One of England’s greatest and clearest thinkers the now Blessed John Henry Newman famously distinguished what he called “notional assent” from “real assent.” It seems that most people in public life give a notional assent to the value of the family as that first and vital cell of society – and never more so than in those moments of social disturbance such as the riots of last summer. However, what is needed is not just a notional agreement to the importance of family but a real assent to the place of the family in our society as securing the well-being of generations to come. This involves the recognition of what marriage uniquely is. A recognition comes not only from faith but from reason which clearly sees that it is from the family that “citizens come to birth and it is with within the family that they find the first school of the social virtues which are the animating principle of the existence and development of society itself” (Familaris Consortio n 42). In this way it is in the family that the future of society will be decided. So far from weakening and confusing the foundation of the family we invite our political leaders to give back to the institution of marriage and the family the recognition and confidence it deserves.
Here in Walsingham where across so many centuries of our history the sacredness of marriage and family were recognised in the example of the Holy Family of Nazareth, we wish to affirm in the words of Blessed John Paul II that “the Creator of all things has established marriage as the beginning and basis of human society” (Familaris Consortio 42)). May the gift of marriage and the family be held sacred by us all for the sake of every generation to come.
Amen.
Our Lady of Walsingham, pray for us and for your priests, seminarians, and for my readers today
This post is a bit later as usual as I was travelling and stupidly forgot that the Queen's Jubilee has created four days of limited train and virtually no bus services.
However, I am in the north, in the Holy Shrine of Walsingham, which is the National Shrine of England. The town is a mixture today of Anglo-Catholics, Catholics and even some Presbyterian group which is against the procession and protestant services (I can't use the term Mass), which are happening. The protesters are pointing out that the Bible does not support the Eucharist, devotion to Mary, or all the lovely statues here. Well, if Presbyterians look at Tradition seriously, they would not be Presbyterians.
The police are out in force, which is a really odd thing to see in Walshingham. I am not worried about the Presbyterians getting violent, although they are very zealous.
Christianity comes and goes, flowing in and out of Walsingham, the shrine which even Henry could not completely destroy despite the martyrs, whose blood was shed here.
Every Catholic, at least once in his or her lifetime, should visit Walsingham. I was here last year as well. The Anglican shrine sadly causes some confusion, as Catholics go there thinking it is the Catholic shrine, which is out on the outskirts.
The Anglican shrine even has so-called holy water.
What is most wonderful to me is that the Ordinariate in England is dedicated to Our Lady of Walsingham. I am making this little pilgrimage for all my Ordinariate friends, my son, the priests who are on my prayer list. and for your, dear readers. May God bless you all.
I just finished the Consecration to Mary of St. Louis de Montfort again. Pray I can get to Confession. It is not as easy as one would like in Walsingham.
Sunday, 3 June 2012
By The Grace of God
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The phrase Dei Gratia, is part of the title of the monarch of Great Britain. By the grace of God, she reigns. Now, Americans have a hard time with this overlap of religion and politics. And, this weekend's amazing celebration of the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth I, brings out all the pomp and circumstance, religion and nationalism.
The existence of a monarch, who does not represent a political party, is a great symbol of unity for the people of Great Britain.
I find it interesting that the nation is responding so wonderfully to this celebration. For some, it is just a long, four day weekend. For others, it is a real day of celebration.
Only Anglophiles could handle such an evening of pure monarchism. But, we were all reminded by one of the readings, that it is only by the Grace of God that this present, and all monarchs reign. How appropriate this reading was in this ancient home of the Benedictines, Sherborne Abbey. By the way, some of you may not know that St. Stephen Harding, one of the founders of the Cistercian Order, came from Sherborne.
By the way,the other day I wrote about the engraved windows at Moreton. Laurence Whistler has one at Sherborne Abbey as well. I had forgotten this until I was in the Abbey Saturday night. More connections. I had seen it years ago and knew about both sites, but this window was forgotten by me. Life is full of small threads....
The Treasure Which Is Montacute and Blessed Margaret Pole
I have been visiting a friend I have known since 1991, which is a treat, as she is a very spiritual person and we can talk about God and the Holy Spirit working in our lives.
On Saturday, we went to Montacute, as we both have National Trust Memberships. This is, I think, the fourth time I have been there. Montacute is one of my favorite houses and set of gardens in England. I love this period of history. Out of all the treasures, the real beauty, for me, is the National Portrait Gallery's show of paintings. I love the Long Gallery, the longest in England, and have my "must sees" there. The must sees today included Blessed Margaret Pole, so my week began with her and ended with her. How is that for synchronicity? How blessed was I to start the week in Sussex where Blessed Margaret's Mass was celebrated in the Arundel and Brighton Diocese, and then to see her fantastic painting at Montacute? I did not even know her portrait was there until I visited this time. I wanted to see St. Thomas More's famous portrait, which I did , and I wanted to see Sir Walter Raleigh's and Bess Throckmorton's. I saw the two famous men, but Bess's portrait was not there. However, to see the Last Plantagenet was not an accident. I shall claim her, now, as a personal patron.
I have seen the gardens in several seasons, including winter. Today, the yellow irises were glorious and the famous hedge cut to strange Tudor and Jacobean shapes. Some houses are more peaceful and pleasing than others. Montacute leads my list of peaceful houses and restful gardens, and I highly recommend going soon, as the roses, except for the White Rugosas, have not yet bloomed. My only sligh t disappointment was that there were no sheep in the wilderness area, a first for me there. I wonder, are there no more sheep at Montacute?
Another highlight was the millefleurs tapestry of the 15th century. I cannot help but re-print here an entire article on this outstanding example of the thousand flowers genre of tapestries. I think Blessed Margaret is happy knowing her portrait is in such good company, even though she was definitely not appreciated by the reigning Monarch when she was alive.
| The Montacute Tapestry History, heraldry and horticulture Apollo, June 1993 |
One of the rarest treasures of the National Trust is a millefleurs tapestry of a French knight on horseback at Montacute House in Somerset. The tapestry has nothing to do with Montacute, having arrived there recently and by chance, but the knight was involved in a turning point of European history, and the tapestry made at the end of his life in 1481 celebrates his triumphs in fifteenth century war and politics.
The knight has been identified as Jean de Daillon, Seigneur du Lude and Governor of the Dauphine, by the coat of arms in the top left hand of the tapestry - 'Quarterly, in the first and last azure, a cross engrailed argent; in the second and third, gules fretty or, a canton argent charged with a crescent sable; and as an inshield, gules, six escutcheons or.' Jean de Daillon's parents were of noble extraction, the crosses of Daillon he inherited from his father and quartered them with the crescents of his mother's family, but they were not eminent and no text explains why, as a child, Jean came to be a playmate of the dauphin - the future Louis XI. They understood one another well. If Jean of necessity outdid Louis in charm, and Louis was the master of intrigue, they shared the same self-interest. In his letters to Daillon the King repeated what must have been a childhood catchphrase, part affectionate, part cynical, 'Take care of Maitre Jean and I'll take care of Maitre Louis'. |
| Both men spent their youth as knights at arms. In the 1440's they were in the south suppressing the rebellions of Jean IV d'Armagnac and the Swiss. Daillon's first lordship, however, was gained not by war but by his marriage in 1434 to Renee de Fontaines, which made him Seigneur de Fontaines. In 1445 he became Chamberlain to the dauphin and Captain of Roussillon in the Dauphine. At this point Louis began to feel that his father Charles VII did not appreciate him sufficiently and he grew impatient to be king. Daillon joined his intrigues and was banished from court in 1446. It was around this time that he appropriated the lands and insignia of an ancient Angevin family called Mathefelon. Although the family was not extinct, La Cropte (including Melsay and Leval) fell into Daillon's hands and their arms - six gold escutcheons on a red ground - were added as an inshield to Jean de Daillon's arms. Their first appearance in this form was on the seal of a document dated 1451, and this is how they appear in the Montecute tapestry. In 1457 Daillon, who already had a part of the lands of Lude on the upper Loire, seized the rest from Guy de Carne and became Seigneur du Lude, his chief title from then on. Two years later he married Marie de Laval (the date of his first wife's death is not known) with whom he had two sons, Jacques, who inherited Lude, and Francois who inherited La Cropte, and three daughters Jeanne, Louis and Françoise. Daillon was back at the court of CharlesVII at this time, having left the dauphin in 1452 and made his peace with the king. He was made Captain of a hundred lances and took part in the battle of Castillon which finally drove the English from France and put an end to Henry VI's lingering claims to the French throne. With the restoration of peace Daillon was reorganising the army. Meanwhile Louis was living in Flanders under the protection of Duke Philip the Good of Burgundy, both men waiting for Charles VII to die. When he finally did so in 1461, Louis XI was crowned at Rheims and entered Paris in triumph with Philip of Burgundy at his side. But Jean de Daillon took no part in these festivities and had to wait until 1466 before he and Louis XI were reconciled. He then returned to his natural position as Louis' confidant, and earned from him the nickname 'Maitre Jean des habilites.' He managed to achieve a happy balance between the king's interests and his own aggrandisement. Comines described him as 'Monseigneur du Lude who got on so well with the king on all occasions and who so loved doing well for himself.' He was Baillif of Cotentin from 1470-3, Governor of Perche and Alencon, and then Governor of the Dauphine from 1474. That year he also acted as Louis' ambassador to negotiate the Treaty of Perpignan with the king of Aragon (which re-stored Rousillon to neutral status after its occupation by French and Spanish armies). The following year at the opposite end of France he served as ambassador to the Flemish Count of St. Pol, to try and fix this powerful noble's vacillating loyalties away from Burgundy and onto the French side. Louis XI's aim was to restore his war-battered kingdom and to outwit his rivals by intrigue whenever possible rather than force. The degree of his success can be measured by the term 'universal spider' always applied to him by the Burgundian chroniclers. The turning point for Burgandy and France was the 1475 Settlement of Puligny. Charles the Bold remained embroiled on his eastern frontiers and was killed fighting the Swiss at Nancy in January 1477, leaving his vast possessions in the hands of his young daughter Mary. Comines has described in vivid terms the delirious joy with which Louis XI received the news, and the messengers who brought it were led by none other than Jean Daillon himself, 'who knew the king could be generous to those who brought good tidings.' Jean de Daillon did benefit from this turn of events, both personally when the confiscated lands of the Duke of Nemours (Conde, La Ferte-Milon, Luzarches and Domfront) came into his hands, and as a lieutenant of the king as he pursued his campaign against the Flemish border towns. Arras, after much privation, fell in May 1477 and Jean de Daillon Became Lieutenant du Roi for the city and made out of it '20,000 crowns and 2 martens skins.' In nearby Tournai, which had been the independent fief of its archbishop, another intimate of Louis XI led in the troops and Cardinal Archbishop Clugny fled to Bruges. Daillon confided to Comines that he hoped to become Governor of Flanders 'and be made of gold.' This did not happen. Although France annexed Picardy and Artois, Flanders and the Low Countries remained fiercely loyal to the Burgundian connection, and when the Duchess Mary married Archduke Maximillian of Austria in August 1477 their freedom from France was guaranteed. It was at this point that the tapestry was commissioned as a gift from the city of Tounai to Jean de Daillon in repayment for 'certain kindnesses' (one hopes this was not a euphemism for extortion). The first official entry in the archives of Tournai is dated 1 April 1481: To William Desreumaulx, tapestry weaver, who had agreed with Monsieur du Lude, Governor of the Dauphine, to make a tapestry of verdure for a room, the said tapestry being a gift and present made to the said gentleman by the city, in recognition of divers past favours and acts of friendship he has made to the aforesaid city…. on the price of which agreement, it has been ordered to be paid to the said William to advance and expedite the work of the said tapestry the sum of 70 livres. It is likely that the original commission for the tapestry was made some years before the date of this entry in the archives. In 1479 Jean de Daillon left Artois to become Governor of Tours and the work may have slowed down considerably with his departure. But certainly the tapestry was sufficiently advanced in February 1480 to be taken as a model by the magistrates and merchants of Tournai, who then wished to offer to Monseigner du Baudricourt 'a verdure tapestry with silk as good and valuable as that which Monseigneur du Lude has had made in this town.' A further payment to William Desreumaulx refers to the tapestry given to the Lord of Lude 'which he has had made in several and divers pieces measuring no less than 457 square ells', and Jerome de Callonnne was sent as inspector for the magistrates to 'the workers who made the tapestry in several different workshops, where he had to ensure that the materials used I in its making were of the right quality, and received payment for his great pains.' All of which indicates that the Montacute tapestry was originally one of a series. Jean de Daillon never received the tapestry which sanctified his fierce and acquisitive life in art form. He died in Roussillon in 1481, and in December 1482 the Tournai archives recorded receipt of letters from his widow, asking that the tapestry be handed over to Pasquier Grenier on behalf of herself and her children. Delivery was finally made in April 1483 when the Bishop of Sens, brother of the widow, made a visit to Tournai which proved rather expensive for the magistrates, and took possession of the tapestry for his sister. What of the other dramatis personae involved in its making? William Desreumaulx was one of the leading master craftsmen of Tournai, but Pasquier Grenier was a great merchant entrepreneur who first flourished when Philip the Good was Duke of Burgundy. He was based in Tournai and probably contributed greatly to its rise to pre-eminence among the Flemish tapestry towns in the second half of the fifteenth century. Commissions for tapestries from the court and other wealthy patrons were entrusted to him. He could employ the artist designers and distribute the work among ateliers specialising in the style required and offering the best terms. In 1459 he delivered a series of the Life of Alexander the Great, and in 1461 the Passion of Christ. The story of Esther and Le Chevalier de Cygne both followed in 1462. In 1472 he was responsible for the Trojan War series bought by the by the city of Bruges for Duke Charles the Bold. Pasquier Grenier was also a wine merchant, well acquainted with the trade routes of northern Europe and the workings of the great ports of Bruges and Antwerp. He could organise the necessary supplies of wool, silk, gold and silver and could wait - because of his own capital and banking credit - for deferred payment. This procedure had already been established in the golden days of Arras under Duke Philip the Bold (d. 1404) when Hughes Walois and Jean Cosset joined the commerce in wine and tapestry. Each year for twenty years Cosset provided one or several tapestries which he contracted from different workshops. He even set up an atelier at the Duke's fairy-tale palace of Hesdin in Picardy to make a series, 'Douze pairs de France', in situ. The Italian connection was at Bruges in the hands of patron/entrepreneurs such as Giovanni Arnolfini and Tommaso Portinari. As for the English connection, since 1393 when Richard II and his uncles of York, Lancaster and Gloucester all received tapestries from Philip the Bold, the Dukes of Burgundy had wooed the English with tapestries. When the ducal line died out and the French wars were over, Henry VII decided to buy his own tapestries. In September 1486 he gave his protection to 'Paschal and Jean Grenier merchants of Tournai in France' and allowed them to import into England 'cloths of Aras, tapysserie werk and carpets'. In March 1488 he told the Bishop of Exeter, Guardian of the Privy Seal, that he had bought from Jean Grenier '2 alter clothes and 11 pieces of cloth of Arras of the history of Troy', expected at the port of Sandwich, and asked the Bishop to ensure that Grenier had to pay no customs duties. Henry VII's Trojan War tapestries were a copy of those commissioned in 1472 by the city of Bruges for Charles the Bold, which were also organised by Pasquier Grenier and woven in Tounai. The surviving examples show interesting stylistic links with the Montacute tapestry. The richly decorated caparison of Jean de Daillon's horse is very like those of the Greek and Trojan warriors, including the unusual leather cabochon behind the rider on the horse's back. The standard which Daillon carries with it's appropriate ravening wolf and long fluttering pennants corresponds in style to the standards of the Greek warriors - their favoured animal was a lion. Even the monogrammed pennants also appeared in the tapestry of the Fall of Troy, now lost. Fifteenth-century tapestries often contained a monogram, and very few can be easily identified as the initials of the patron. In the Montacute tapestry the 'J' which appears on the pennants and the horse's caparison could well stand for Jean but the 'E' is unlikely to be simply the second letter of his name, any more than it would be in modern initials. Nor does it correspond with either of his wives' initials. After the fall of Constantinople in 1453, Philip the Good adopted the mysterious monogram EE, which was variously explained as the initials of a lady love, of which he had many, or a secret motto. Possibly it stands for Eques Ecclesiae, in reference to his unfulfilled longing to be a crusader - and by the same token the Montacute initials could be Jean Eques, enhancing the whole atmosphere of the tapestry which, did one not know otherwise, is that of 'a verray parfit gentil knight'. No similar tapestries of a knight on horseback survive, and it is impossible to estimate how many there may once have been. In the inventory of Henry VIII's possessions at Hampton Court is listed 'One odde pece of Tapistrie having on it a man pictured in harneys (armour) on horseback'. And his other collections included two pieces 'having a man armed on horseback with a border of bells at the top' (bells feature in other early sixteenth-century tapestries attributed to Tournai and in the Montacute tapestry they adorn the horse). Pierre de Rohan, Marechal de Gie, had a series of tapestries in his chateau at Verger in one of which he appeared like Daillon, in armour on a superbly decorated horse. The inexplicable initials on the standard and the horse are two 'F's facing one another. The background is not a millefleurs, but is decorated with his insignia - a pilgrim's staff and cockle shell. Armorial tapestries had been in vogue since the beginning of the fifteenth century. The early ones were sometimes simply saddlebags or bedcovers. In Brussels so many knights had ordered armorial tapestries and then proved unable to pay for them that the ateliers were selling them off, until in 1411 an injunction forbade them to do so without the consent of the owners. When the great chancellor of the Dukes of Burgundy, Nicholas Rolin (d. 1462), had his armorial tapestry made the background was covered with the keys of Rolin and the castles of his wife Guigone de Salins, while the centre contained the Lamb of God with the symbols of the Crucifixion. The first known armorial tapestry to feature a millefleurs background was commissioned by Philip the Good from Jehan le Haze of Brussels (an important tapissier like William Desreumaulx of Tournai) and paid for in 1466: 'For 8 pieces of verdure tapestry worked in gold, silver and silk and fine woollen thread; and in the centre of each of the said pieces are the arms and crested helm with wreath and lambrequins of the said seigneur, and in the corner of each the device of monseigneur and four pairs of EE coupled'. Another superb armorial millefleurs that still survives contained the arms of John Dynham (who contrived to serve every English king from Henry VI to Henry VII). It has the order of the garter surrounding his arms and since he received this in 1487 or '88 the tapestry may have been made mark the honour. Although it has its precursors, the tapestry of Jean de Daillon is now unique in combining a millefleurs background with a knight on horseback complete with arms, monogram and insignia. Millefleurs or verdue tapestries were very popular and many survive. They are distinguished by the flower-scattered back-ground which obviates normal perspective and proportions. The style continued into the early sixteenth century and survived alongside more apparently sophisticated tapestries where people move realistically through landscapes and buildings. Millefleurs tapestries vary greatly, from highly stylised flowers repeated in strips to exquisitely individual and botanically identifiable plants. In Brussels in 1476 a dispute between weavers and artists resulted in a transaction whereby weavers established their right to design 'trees, boats, animals and grasses for their verdures', but were obliged to employ professional artists for the rest of the design. No doubt similar rules applied in the other tapestry weaving centres, and rendered possible a degree of mass production in popular lines such as armorial millefleurs. Philip the Good's millefleurs at Berne has the pattern repeated twice, but the flowers are finely observed and recognizable. There is no repetition of the pattern in Jean de Daillon's tapestry, and all but a few of the flowers identifiable. The background teems with heavy-headed poppies and trumpetty daffodils, scillas, wallflowers and thistles, while a few plants appear only once or twice, such as the honeysuckle under the horse's reins, and the fritillary behind its tail. Jean de Daillon as he appears in the chronicles of France was a man of some charm and great greed, but in such a tapestry he can be nothing less than a figure of high romance. |
Thank you to http://www.teachingthinking.net/flowersinart/apollo.html
We are soldiers of Christ
The need to destroy evil is the subject of this post. Evil cannot be ignored or tolerated. It must be defined and addressed. In these days of relativism and individualism, false tolerance and the acceptance of evil in our midst, it is difficult to explain to Catholics that they must stand against evil and not merely do nothing.
I had a long series earlier in May on the heresy of Quietism. The opposite is accepting the fact that through Baptism and especially Confirmation, we are all soldiers of Christ.
Sorry, there is no pacifism in the struggle against evil in the Church. Either we are doing something, albeit this could be quiet, yet sustained prayer and fasting, like the call of the contemplatives, or we lose the battles. And, what are these battles? We fight for the salvation of souls. Our soul and those of our families, our friends, our fellow parishioners, those with whom we come into contact make up the battlegrounds against evil and for good. The goal of humanity is eternal life with God.
I am challenging all who read this blog today to ask themselves, each one of you, "What am I doing to combat evil and bring about good in this world, with a view to eternity?"
We start with ourselves. We allow God to be God. We open ourselves up to God and His Grace, His Plan, His Love. Then, we step out in Faith, Hope, Love and all the virtues to bring light into the darkness.
Be not afraid.
Visiting England, the land of the martyrs, is inspiring. We are surrounded by the "cloud of witnesses". We know what to do and how to do it. We merely need to say "yes" to God and give Him our lives, daily.
Saturday, 2 June 2012
Post-script, script-post on the Sacred Heart
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A real post-script, pun intended. I thought of another Sacred Heart thread in my life. My parish was, in Sherborne, Dorset, when the family lived there, Sacred Heart and St. Aldhelm.
And, JonathanCatholic put this prayer on Father Z and I am putting it here--excellent reminder.
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, to Thee I consecrate and offer up my person and my life, my actions, trials, and sufferings, that my entire being may henceforth only be employed in loving, honoring and glorifying Thee. This is my irrevocable will, to belong entirely to Thee, and to do all for Thy love, renouncing with my whole heart all that can displease Thee.
I take Thee, O Sacred Heart, for the sole object of my love, the protection of my life, the pledge of my salvation, the remedy of my frailty and inconstancy, the reparation for all the defects of my life, and my secure refuge at the hour of my death. Be Thou, O Most Merciful Heart, my justification before God Thy Father, and screen me from His anger which I have so justly merited. I fear all from my own weakness and malice, but placing my entire confidence in Thee, O Heart of Love, I hope all from Thine infinite Goodness. Annihilate in me all that can displease or resist Thee. Imprint Thy pure love so deeply in my heart that I may never forget Thee or be separated from Thee.
I beseech Thee, through Thine infinite Goodness, grant that my name be engraved upon Thy Heart, for in this I place all my happiness and all my glory, to live and to die as one of Thy devoted servants.
Amen.
- St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
- St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
More gardens, more flowers
However, I want to concentrate on one of the most beautiful poppies I have ever seen. This large poppy, a photo found here from another garden, took my breath away.
The famous Gertrude Jekyll, of gardening design fame, had some influence at Barrington Court.
Most may think that high summer is the best time to visit English gardens, but I highly recommend Spring.
Cor Ad Cor Loquitur
As it is the Month of the Sacred Heart, I thought I would highlight several churches which include chapels to that devotion. I have been to all of these churches in my lifetime, most more than once.
The first is, of course, the Gesu in Rome, where the famous Batoni painting, on the right of this blog, holds the honor of being the first depiction of the Sacred Heart. I attended a Mass there said by Blessed John Paul II.
The second is the Church of the Circumcision of the Lord in Valletta, Malta, which has a chapel with an exact copy of the painting. The chapel also holds a letter from St Ignatius of Loyola. The Batoni painting is small, but dynamic. I went there almost daily when I lived in Valletta.
The third is the famous Chapel of the Sacred Heart at the Maryvale Institute in Birmingham, which has yet another depiction of the Batoni painting, but in glass. This has been in England for over 150 years and the chapel is the first ever dedication to the Sacred Heart in England. I was there last week.
The fourth is the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Davenport, Iowa, my hometown, the first Cathedral ever dedicated to that devotion in America. I grew up going there for special feasts and it was my place for daily Mass when I was working.
The fifth is the Brompton Oratory, dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary but containing a chapel of the Sacred Heart. I was married at the Oratory, as it was my parish and I went to daily Mass there..
The sixth is the Basilica of the Sacred Heart at Notre Dame, my alma mater. I was there almost daily.
The seventh is the Ordinariate, which although dedicated to Our Lady of Walsingham, also honors Newman as a patron, and his hearts from his crest are on their pin. I have many friends in the Ordinariate.
The last connection to the Sacred Heart is not a church, but a person, Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman, not only one of my personal patrons, but the subject of my current study, and in the past, as well.
I wonder if I shall think of some other Sacred Heart threads in my life?
Friday, 1 June 2012
It's a small world after all
Gendercide in America-No Protection for Females in the Womb
Yesterday, I could not face writing about this, but I must. The American Democratic Party is now supporting gendercide. The Dems in the House did not get enough votes for the bill banning the selection of girl fetuses for destruction. How are we different than any non-Christian, Marxist society? We are not.
That Planned Parenthood is behind this refusal to ban the murder of females is clear.
If we needed another proof that the feminist movement failed to really help women, here is one test.
Check out this article, from which I take a snippet, the second one below. The Chinese have an army of over one million men. The fact that many men in China cannot find mates, find wives, leads them to a more aggressive life-style. The lack of females in a society not only kills traditional marriage, lowers the birth-rate, but allows a society based on war to develop. Sparta killed their girls. I borrow this photo from The Economist, which in 2010, called any society which supported gendercide, "unbalanced" and full of the "ancient prejudice" against girls and women.
In January 2010 the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) showed what can happen to a country when girl babies don’t count. Within ten years, the academy said, one in five young men would be unable to find a bride because of the dearth of young women—a figure unprecedented in a country at peace.
The number is based on the sexual discrepancy among people aged 19 and below. According to CASS, China in 2020 will have 30m-40m more men of this age than young women. For comparison, there are 23m boys below the age of 20 in Germany, France and Britain combined and around 40m American boys and young men. So within ten years, China faces the prospect of having the equivalent of the whole young male population of America, or almost twice that of Europe’s three largest countries, with little prospect of marriage, untethered to a home of their own and without the stake in society that marriage and children provide.
Sad that the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave should have fallen so low into a barbaric mind-set. From LifeSiteNews, this quotation shows that we are now of the same ilk as China with regards to girls. We have joined the ranks of barbarians.
Tom McClusky, Senior Vice President for Family Research Council Action, said he was “deeply saddened” by PRENDA’s demise.
That Planned Parenthood is behind this refusal to ban the murder of females is clear.
If we needed another proof that the feminist movement failed to really help women, here is one test.
Check out this article, from which I take a snippet, the second one below. The Chinese have an army of over one million men. The fact that many men in China cannot find mates, find wives, leads them to a more aggressive life-style. The lack of females in a society not only kills traditional marriage, lowers the birth-rate, but allows a society based on war to develop. Sparta killed their girls. I borrow this photo from The Economist, which in 2010, called any society which supported gendercide, "unbalanced" and full of the "ancient prejudice" against girls and women.
In January 2010 the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) showed what can happen to a country when girl babies don’t count. Within ten years, the academy said, one in five young men would be unable to find a bride because of the dearth of young women—a figure unprecedented in a country at peace.
The number is based on the sexual discrepancy among people aged 19 and below. According to CASS, China in 2020 will have 30m-40m more men of this age than young women. For comparison, there are 23m boys below the age of 20 in Germany, France and Britain combined and around 40m American boys and young men. So within ten years, China faces the prospect of having the equivalent of the whole young male population of America, or almost twice that of Europe’s three largest countries, with little prospect of marriage, untethered to a home of their own and without the stake in society that marriage and children provide.
Sad that the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave should have fallen so low into a barbaric mind-set. From LifeSiteNews, this quotation shows that we are now of the same ilk as China with regards to girls. We have joined the ranks of barbarians.
Tom McClusky, Senior Vice President for Family Research Council Action, said he was “deeply saddened” by PRENDA’s demise.
“That anyone on either side of the political aisle would vote against a bill preventing gendercide in the United States is profoundly troubling,” said McClusky.
“We are heartened that a strong majority of House members voted to ban performing or coercing abortions for the purpose of eliminating unborn babies of an undesired sex – usually, girls,” said NRLC Legislative Director Douglas Johnson. “Shamefully, President Obama, and a minority of 168 House members, complied with the political demands of pro-abortion pressure groups, rather than defend the coerced women, and their unborn daughters, who are victimized by sex-selection abortions.”
NRLC pointed out in a release Thursday that the Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) had warned legislators that it would score the PRENDA vote as a vote against “women’s health.”
“So, for PPFA, abortion for sex selection is just another menu option, except where it is illegal – and PPFA vehemently opposes making it illegal,” said the pro-life group.
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