8 June 2012: The Father revealed by the Son

Many religions invoke God as ‘Father’. The deity is often considered the ‘father of gods and of men’. In Israel, God is called Father since he is Creator of the world. Even more, God is Father because of the covenant and the gift of the law to Israel, ‘his first-born son’. God is also called the Father of the king of Israel. Most especially he is ‘the Father of the poor’, of the orphaned and the widowed, who are under his loving protection. Jesus revealed that God is Father in a novel sense: he is Father not only in being Creator; he is eternally Father by his relationship to his only Son who, reciprocally, is Son only in relation to his Father: “No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” (Mt 11:27) Thus the apostles confess Jesus to be the ‘Word’: In the beginning was the ‘Word’, and the ‘Word’ was with God, and the ‘Word’ was God; as the image of the invisible God; as the radiance of the glory of God, the very stamp of his nature (Jn 1:1; Col 1:15; Heb 1:3). Following this apostolic tradition, the Church confessed at the first ecumenical council at Nicaea (325) that the Son is ‘consubstantial’ with the Father, that is, only one God with him. The second ecumenical council, held at Constantinople in 381, kept this expression in its formulation of the Nicene Creed and confessed ‘the only-begotten Son of God, eternally begotten not made, consubstantial with the Father’. ‘The Incarnation of God’s Son reveals that God is the eternal Father and that the Son is consubstantial with the Father, which means that, in the Father and with the Father, the Son is one and the same God.’ Henceforth, Christ is “seated at the right hand of the Father: By ‘the Father’s right hand’ we understand the glory and honor of divinity, where he who exists as Son of God before all ages, indeed as God, of one being with the Father, is seated bodily after he became incarnate and his flesh was glorified.” Being seated at the Father’s right hand signifies inauguration of the Messiah’s kingdom, fulfillment of the prophet Daniel’s vision concerning the Son of Man: “To him was given dominion and glory and kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is everlasting, which will not pass away, and his kingdom one that will not be destroyed. After this event the apostles became witnesses of the kingdom [that] will have no end.” Ref: “Catechism of the Catholic Church”, Nos. 238, 240, 241, 242, 262, 663, 664 The Mystery of the Trinity “O Lord our Lord, how glorious is your name over all the earth.” (Ps 8:2) These words bring us trembling and adoring before the great mystery of the Most Blessed Trinity. Before him, we must more than ever humbly accept the call of the wise man when he says: “Never be rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be quick to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth; therefore let your words be few.” (Eccl 5:2) God is the only reality beyond our powers of measuring, observing, controlling, gaining exhaustive knowledge. That is why he is God. If this be true for the Godhead in general, it is all truer for the mystery of the Trinity, of God himself. But it is not a matter of three separate Gods (a blasphemy), nor of simply diverse impersonal modes of presenting himself on the part of one Divine person. This would mean radically impoverishing the richness of his interpersonal communion. This Christian novelty: ‘the Father’ loved us so much as to give us his Only Begotten Son; through love, ‘the Son’ poured out his blood for our sake; and ‘the Holy Spirit’ was actually “given to us” in such a way as to bring into us that same love with which God loves us. (cf Rom 5:5) Ref: Cf “Prayers and Devotions from Pope John Paul II”, pp445-6 The hiddenness of the Holy Spirit’s Work You have only to go on as you are doing, but explain yourself in a way that would distress those without experience of this state of prayer [ie, heartfelt]. You say that you do nothing, and yet you are always doing something or you would be in a state of pure idleness; but your soul acts so gently that you do not perceive your interior acts of consent and adherence to the Holy Spirit. The stronger these inspirations are, the less you should act; you should merely follow what is drawing you and allow yourself to be drawn gently on ... Your manner of behaving in times of storm and upset enchants me: submission, total self-abandonment without reserve, being content with lack of contentment when God wills it. In those conditions one advances more in one day than in a hundred filled with sweetness and consolations. Your total, continual and universal self-abandonment to God through a sentiment of confidence and union with Jesus Christ, always doing the will of his Father, is the most divine and surest method of success in everything; try to communicate it to everyone. Finally, if there is some little act of reparation to be made to our neighbor, let us never fail in this duty, but take the opportunity to conquer generously our pride and human respect. Ref: “The Fire of Divine Love: Readings from Jean-Pierre de Caussade”, Edited by Robert Llewelyn, 1995, p45 Examining our motives To be people who act for the right intention, we must examine the motives of our actions. Let us consider in the presence of God what impels our behavior. Why for example do we omit to carry out apostolate? Because we are afraid of what people will say? Our Lord gives a clear rule: “When you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you” (Mt 6:2); ie, never advertise our good deeds nor ponder at length what we have done well. “Your left hand must not know what your right hand is doing.” (Mt 6:3-4) Nothing we do goes unnoticed by our Father God. Ref: Cf F Fernandez, “In Conversation with God”, 2:397 Our Lady -- “O Mother, Mother! With that word of yours, ‘Fiat’ -- ‘Be it done’ -- you have made us brothers of God and heirs to his glory. Blessed are you! (St Josemaria Escrivá, “The Way”, 512) • Dedication of Our Lady du Val, of the Order of Citeaux, seven leagues from Paris, under Louis XIII on the 18th of April, 1616 — Manuscripts of Church. (“Catholic Gems or Treasures of the Church” Historical Calendar; www.bethlehemobserver.com) • Our Lady of Alexandria church, in Egypt built by St Peter, patriarch of this city. — Baronius, ann. 310. (“Catholic Gems or Treasures of the Church” Historical Calendar; www.bethlehemobserver.com) • Our Lady of Alexandria, Egypt (4th Century). (www/divinewill.org/feastsofourlady.htm); (www.iskandar.com/ourlady/ourladyfeasts.html); (www.starharbor.com/santiago/m feasts.html); (www.marylinks.org/Mary-Calendar.htm); (www.miraclehunter.com/marian_apparitions/calendar/index.html) • The Immaculate Heart of Mary. (www.marylinks.org/Mary-Calendar.htm) • Madonna of Ludmierz: Principal Marian shrine of Tatra Mountain, Poland. (John Paul II, “Witness to Hope”, 1999, p316)

7 June 2012: Who is the Holy Spirit?

God himself. The third Person of the Blessed Trinity; sent to each of us by the Father and the Son. Their greatest gift; he remains always with us, abides in us. St Paul gives the clearest description of the work of the Holy Spirit whose fruits are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (cf Gal 5:22-3) These qualities are ideal in every walk of life and in all circumstances: at home, with your teachers and friends; in the factory or at the university; with all people you meet. The Prophet Isaiah also attributed special gifts to the Holy Spirit: “a spirit of wisdom and understanding, a spirit of counsel and of might, a spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord” (Is 11:2). St Paul is right in saying: “If we live by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit.” (cf Gal 5:25) Gifts and qualities such as these make us equal to any task and capable of overcoming any difficulties. Yet our lives remain our own, and the Spirit acts on each of us differently; in harmony with our individual personality and characteristics which we have inherited from our parents and from upbringing received in our homes. Because he is so near to us, yet so unobtrusive, we should turn to the Holy Spirit instinctively in all our needs and ask him for his guidance and help. The Spirit comes to help us in our weakness. What more could be done for us? What more can we expect of God than that? Ref: Cf “Prayers and Devotions from Pope John Paul II”, 1984, pp214-5 The Sign of the Cross This is the ritual gesture used principally at Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist reflecting the conjunction of the paschal mystery invoking the Trinity. As early as the third century, Tertullian (ca 230) attests to tracing of the sign of the cross on the forehead as a personal gesture of piety to sanctify the deeds of daily life. From their earliest development, initiation rites attest to tracing of the sign of the cross on the forehead. At present, this form is used in the rites of becoming a catechumen and of welcome of children to be initiated. It developed as a Mass gesture later, in the form of placing the right hand on forehead, breast, then both shoulders, to accompany the celebrant’s speaking the formula invoking the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It is now used in two places in the ‘Order of the Mass’: before the greeting after the entrance procession and at the end of the liturgy to accompany the final blessing. This form is customarily used when one begins or ends prayers of personal devotion. Ref: “Our Sunday Visitor’s Catholic Encyclopedia”, 1991, p889 The Sign of the Cross reminds us of the Holy Trinity ‘In the name of the Father, ...’ In saying these words when we make the sign of the cross, add, mentally, ‘who created me in his image, and for heaven’. These words are a meditation in themselves: ‘who created me’, out of nothing, by his almighty power. Still more by his love in electing me instead of so many others who would have served him better. ‘In his image’ -- how beautiful and precious, then, must my soul be in the sight of the angels? The living portrait of God, and like another God upon earth -- ‘I have said, you are gods.’ And for heaven-- to be happy there forever, body and soul, full of glory and wonderful joy. Such are some of the thoughts which may occupy our mind when, in making the sign of the cross, we add the words, ‘Who created me in his image for heaven’. These thoughts will excite suitable affections. Ref: Cf “Practical Meditations” by a Father of the Society of Jesus, 1964, p313 The Sign of the Cross reminds us of the Holy Trinity ‘... and of the Son, ...’ Similarly, add to these words, ‘who has redeemed me by his blood, with so much love’. Redeemed from the slavery of the devil, from eternal damnation to which sin had subjected me, and from which only the Son of God could deliver me. ‘Who has redeemed me’, not with silver or gold, but with ‘his blood, with every drop of his blood’. ‘And with so much love’: purest and most disinterested love possible, since being the Infinite God, he had nothing to gain by loving me. We can easily draw practical conclusions from such thoughts. Being redeemed by the Son of God, we belong to him, no longer to ourselves. Therefore, we must live for him; and glorify by holiness of our life and ardor of our zeal, other souls redeemed by him. Having died for us, our confidence must be great that he will refuse us nothing. Ref: Cf “Practical Meditations” by a Father of the Society of Jesus, 1964, pp313-4 The Sign of the Cross reminds us of the Holy Trinity ‘... and of the Holy Spirit’. Again, add -- ‘who has sanctified me, and adopted me as the child of God’. ‘Sanctified’ by his mysterious operations in the Sacraments, particularly in Baptism and Confirmation; by his divine inspirations and graces, especially by the grace of my vocation. ‘And adopted as the child of God’: in the fullest sense and with all privileges of a true adoption. These thoughts will remind us of the solemn obligations of our Baptism, Confirmation, and vocation. They will make us docile and obedient to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit, and true children of God. We may thus derive great benefit from making the sign of the cross this way: In the name of the Father, ‘who has created me in his image and for heaven’; and of the Son, ‘who has redeemed me with his blood and with so much love’; and of the Holy Spirit, ‘who has sanctified me and adopted me as the child of God’. I desire to begin and end this day, this action, etc. with the Sign of the Cross. Ref: Cf “Practical Meditations” by a Father of the Society of Jesus, 1964, pp314-5 Our Lady -- “Our Lady of sorrows. When you contemplate her, look into her heart: she is a mother with two sons, face to face: him ... and you.” (cf St Josemaria Escrivá, “The Way”, 506) • Our Lady of Marienthal (Germany, 13th Century). (www.divinewill.org/feastofourlady.htm); (www.iskandar.com/ourlady/ourladyfeasts.html); (www.marylinks.org/Mary-Calendar.htm); (www.miraclehunter.com/marian_apparitions/calendar/index.html) • Our Lady of the Valley or Marienthal (Germany). (http://mariedenazareth.com) • Our Lady of the Valley of the Cistercian Order. (maryfest.htm / www.starharbor.com/santiago/m_feasts.html); (www.marylinks.org/Mary-Calendar.htm); (www.miraclehunter.com/marian_apparitions/calendar/index.html) • Our Lady, Queen of Apostles. (“Our Sunday Visitor’s Catholic Encyclopedia”, 1991, p630)

6 June 2012: The Father and the Son revealed by the Spirit

Before his Passover, Jesus announced the sending of ‘another Paraclete’ (Advocate), the Holy Spirit. At work since creation, having previously ‘spoken through the prophets’, the Spirit will now be with and in the disciples, to teach them and guide them ‘into all the truth’. The Holy Spirit is thus revealed as another divine person with Jesus and the Father. The eternal origin of the Holy Spirit is revealed in his mission in time. The Spirit is sent to the apostles and to the Church both by the Father in the name of the Son, and by the Son in person, once he had returned to the Father. The sending of the person of the Spirit after Jesus’ glorification reveals in its fulness the mystery of the Holy Trinity. The apostolic faith concerning the Spirit was confessed by the second ecumenical council at Constantinople (381): ‘We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life, who proceeds from the Father.’ By this confession, the Church recognizes the Father as ‘the source and origin of the whole divinity’. The eternal origin of the Spirit is connected with the Son’s origin: ‘The Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity, is God, one and equal with the Father and the Son, of the same substance and also of the same nature ... Yet he is not called the Spirit of the Father alone, ... but the Spirit of both the Father and the Son.’ The Church Creed from the Council of Constantinople confesses: ‘With the Father and the Son, he is worshipped and glorified.’ The Latin tradition of the Creed confesses that the Spirit “proceeds from the Father ‘and the Son (filioque)’”. The Council of Florence in 1438 explains: The Holy Spirit is eternally from Father and Son; he has his nature and subsistence at once (‘simul’) from the Father and the Son. He proceeds eternally from both as from one principle and through one spiration ... And, since the Father has through generation given to the only-begotten Son everything that belongs to the Father, except being Father, the Son has also eternally from the Father, from whom he is eternally born, that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Son. Ref: “Catechism of the Catholic Church”, Nos. 243, 244, 245, 246 The Christian’s relations with the Holy Trinity ‘Our relations with God the Father’ What is a Christian? A person who enjoys a special relationship to God the Father, whose child he or she became in holy Baptism. What Jesus Christ is by ‘nature’, the Christian is by ‘adoption’. He receives by spiritual regeneration, according to his capacity, what the Word received in his eternal generation. “You have received”, says St Paul, “the spirit of adoption of sons, whereby we cry Abba, Father” (Rom 8:15). The son of a poor man adopted by a powerful monarch and invested with all the privileges of a legitimate son, would be conferred a great honor! Yet this is but a faint image of our adoption by God in Baptism. What are our obligations towards so generous and loving a Father? Surely, to love him with all our hearts, and to prove our love -- first, by avoiding all that could displease him, even the most trivial faults or failure in our norms; second, by trying to please him more and more by the practice of virtue; and third, by striving diligently in the perfection of our state, in the words of Jesus Christ: “Be perfect therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Mt 5:48) Ref: Cf “Practical Meditations” by a Father of the Society of Jesus, 1964, p311 The Christian’s relations with God the Son A Christian has many special relationships with God the Incarnate Son. He is Jesus Christ’s brother by his very nature; and by baptism, a member of his mystical body. “Now you are the body of Christ”, says St Paul, “and member of member” (1 Cor 12:27). But this is not all. In Holy Communion we become incorporated with him, in his own words: “He that eats my flesh, and drinks my blood, abides in me, and I in him.” (Jn 6:57) Living with his life, we are, says St Peter, “made partakers of the divine nature” (2 Pet 1:4). What can be more blessed and glorious! What must we do in return for these great privileges? St John tells us in very memorable words: “He that said he abides in him, ought himself also to walk even as he walked.” (Jn 6:57) Thus, we shall live St Cyprian’s meaningful words: ‘The Christian is another Christ.’ Ref: Cf “Practical Meditations” by a Father of the Society of Jesus, 1964, pp311-2 Our relations with God the Holy Spirit Through baptism a Christian becomes the ‘living temple’ of the Holy Spirit, a truth which St Paul always refers to: “Know you not, that your members are the temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you?” (1 Cor 6:19) It is worthy to note that the ceremonies used in baptism are the same as those for consecration of churches. St Paul draws the practical conclusion from this great truth. After saying the above, he immediately adds, “Glorify and bear God in your body” (1 Cor 6:20). Make your body an instrument for the glory of God; keep it free from all stain, adorn it with virtue and good works, as an altar is dressed and tended. Ref: Cf “Practical Meditations” by a Father of the Society of Jesus, 1964, pp312-3 Our Lady “Be Mary’s, and you will be ours.” (cf St Josemaria Escrivá, “The Way”, 494) “Sweet Mother, lead us to that madness that will make others fall madly in love with our Christ. “Sweet Lady Mary, may Love not be in us a flash in the pan, or a will-o’-the-wisp, such as decomposing corpses sometimes produce. May it be a true devouring fire, which sets alight and burns everything it touches.” Ref: St Josemaria Escrivá, “The Forge”, 57 Struggle “Humility and obedience are the indispensable conditions for acquiring good doctrine.” (St Josemaria Escrivá, “The Forge”, 132) • Institution of the nuns of the Visitation of Our Lady, founded at Annecy in Savoy, in the year 1610 by St Francis of Sales, Bishop of Geneva, and St Jane Frances Fremiot de Chantal, who was the first nun. — Henri de Maupas du Tour, 2' partie, cn. 1. (“Catholic Gems or Treasures of the Church” Historical Calendar; www.bethlehemobserver.com) • Institution of the Nuns of the Visitation of Our Lady, by St Francis de Sales (1610). (www/divinewill.org/feastsofourlady.htm); (www.iskandar.com/ourlady/ourladyfeasts.html); (www.marylinks.org/Mary-Calendar.htm) • Founding of the Nuns of the Visitation of Our Lady by St. Francis de Sales 1610. (www.miraclehunter.com/marian_apparitions/calendar/index.html); (maryfest.htm / www.starharbor.com/santiago/m_feasts.html) • St. Francis de Sales founds the Nuns of the Visitation of Our Lady. 1610. www.marylinks.org/Mary-Calendar.htm

5 June 2012: The dogma of the Holy Trinity

‘The Trinity is One.’ We do not confess three Gods, but one God in three persons, the ‘consubstantial Trinity’. The divine persons do not share the one divinity but each of them is God whole and entire: ‘The Father is that which the Son is, the Son that which the Father is, the Father and the Son that which the Holy Spirit is, ie, by nature one God.’ The Fourth Lateran Council (1215) declared, “Each of the persons is that supreme reality, viz, the divine substance, essence or nature”. “The divine persons are really distinct from one another. God is one but not solitary. ‘Father’, ‘Son’, ‘Holy Spirit’ are not names designating modalities of the divine being, for they are really distinct from one another: ‘He is not the Father who is the Son, nor is the Son he who is the Father, nor is the Holy Spirit he who is the Father or the Son.’ They are distinct in their relations of origin: ‘It is the Father who generates, the Son who is begotten, and the Holy Spirit who proceeds. The divine unity is Triune.’ ‘The divine persons are relative to one another.’ It does not divide the divine unity. The real distinction of the persons from one another resides solely in the relationships which relate them to one another: ‘In the relational names of the persons the Father is related to the Son, the Son to the Father, and the Holy Spirit to both. While they are called three persons in view of their relations, we believe in one nature or substance.’ Indeed ‘everything (in them) is one where there is no opposition of relationship. Because of that unity the Father is wholly in the Son and wholly in the Holy Spirit; the Son wholly in the Father and wholly in the Holy Spirit; the Holy Spirit is wholly in the Father and wholly in the Son.’ Ref: “Catechism of the Catholic Church”, Nos. 253, 254, 255 The divine works and the Trinitarian mission ‘O blessed light, O Trinity and first Unity!’ God is eternal blessedness, undying life, unfading light. God is love: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God freely wills to communicate the glory of his blessed life. Such is the ‘plan of his loving kindness’, conceived by the Father before the foundation of the world, in his beloved Son: ‘He destined us in love to be his sons’ and ‘to be conformed to the image of his Son’, through ‘the spirit of sonship’. This plan is a ‘grace [which] was given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages began’, stemming immediately from Trinitarian love. It unfolds in the work of creation, the whole history of salvation after the fall, and the missions of the Son and the Spirit, which are continued in the mission of the Church. The whole divine economy is the common work of the three divine persons. For the Trinity has only one and the same nature; only one and the same operation: ‘The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are not three principles of creation but one principle.’ ... each divine person performs the common work according to his unique personal property. Thus the Church confesses, following the New Testament, one God and Father ‘from’ whom all things are, and one Lord Jesus Christ, ‘through’ whom all things are, and one Holy Spirit ‘in’ whom all things are. It is above all the divine missions of the Son’s Incarnation and the gift of the Holy Spirit that show forth the properties of the divine persons. As a common and personal work, the whole divine economy reveals what is proper to the divine person, and their one divine nature. Hence, the whole Christian life is a communion with each of the divine persons, without in any way separating them. Everyone who glorifes the Father does so through the Son in the Holy Spirit; everyone who follows Christ does so because the Father draws him and the Spirit moves him. The final end of the whole divine economy is entry of God’s creatures into the perfect unity of the Blessed Trinity. Even now we must be a dwelling for the Most Holy Trinity: “If a man loves me”, says the Lord, “he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him, and make our home with him.” (Jn 14:23) “By the grace of Baptism ‘in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit’, we are called to share in the life of the Blessed Trinity, here on earth in the obscurity of faith, and after death in eternal light. “Now this is the Catholic faith: We worship one God in the Trinity and the Trinity in unity, without either confusing the persons or dividing the substance, for the person of the Father is one, the Son’s is another, the Holy Spirit’s another; but the Godhead of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is one, their glory equal, their majesty co-eternal. (“Athanasian Creed”) “Inseparable in what they are, the divine persons are also inseparable in what they do. But within the single divine operation each shows forth what is proper to him in the Trinity, especially in the divine missions of the Son’s Incarnation and the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Ref: “Catechism of the Catholic Church”, Nos. 257-260, 265-267 The Mystery of the Trinity “O Lord our Lord, how glorious is your name over all the earth.” (Ps 8:2) These words bring us trembling and adoring before the great mystery of the Most Blessed Trinity. Before him, we must more than ever humbly accept the call of the wise man when he says: “Never be rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be quick to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth; therefore let your words be few.” (Eccl 5:2) God is the only reality beyond our powers of measuring, observing, controlling, gaining exhaustive knowledge. That is why he is God. If this be true for the Godhead in general, it is all truer for the mystery of the Trinity, of God himself. But it is not a matter of three separate Gods (a blasphemy), nor of simply diverse impersonal modes of presenting himself on the part of one Divine person. This would mean radically impoverishing the richness of his interpersonal communion. This Christian novelty: ‘the Father’ loved us so much as to give us his Only Begotten Son; through love, ‘the Son’ poured out his blood for our sake; and ‘the Holy Spirit’ was actually “given to us” in such a way as to bring into us that same love with which God loves us. (cf Rom 5:5) Ref: Cf “Prayers and Devotions from Pope John Paul II”, 1984, pp445-6 • The chronicle relates that in the year 1428, Our Lady of Haut, in Hainault, restored a child to life, who had been dead several days, that he might receive baptism; that he lived five hours after receiving that sacrament, and then melted away by degrees, like snow, in the presence of seventy persons. — Justus Lipsius (History of Our Lady of Hal, ch. 21). (“Catholic Gems or Treasures of the Church” Historical Calendar; www.bethlehemobserver.com) • Our Lady of Haut, Hainault, France (1428). (www/divinewill.org/feastsofourlady.htm); (www.iskandar.com/ourlady/ourladyfeasts.html); (www.miraclehunter.com/marian_apparitions/calendar/index.html) • Another feast of Our Lady of Haut (in Hainaut, France). (maryfest.htm / www.starharbor.com/santiago/m_feasts.html)

4 June 2012: Formation of the Trinitarian Dogma

From the beginning, the revealed truth of the Holy Trinity has been at the very root of the Church’s living faith, principally through Baptism. It finds expression in the rule of baptismal faith, formulated in the preaching, catechesis and prayer of the Church. Such formulations are already found in the apostolic writings such as this salutation taken up in the Eucharistic liturgy: ‘The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.’ During the first centuries the Church sought to clarify its Trinitarian faith, to deepen its own understanding and to defend it against errors that were deforming it. This clarification was done by the early councils, aided by the theological work of the Church Fathers and sustained by the Christian people’s sense of the faith. The Church uses (1) the term ‘substance’ (rendered also at times by ‘essence’ or ‘nature’) to designate the divine being in its unity; (2) the term ‘person’ or ‘hypostasis’ to designate the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in the real distinction among them; and (3) the term ‘relation’ to designate the fact that their distinction lies in the relationship of each to the others. Ref: “Catechism of the Catholic Church”, Nos. 249, 250, 252 Believing in God Is the First Truth “I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth.” This is ‘the first truth of the faith’, the first article of our Creed. Creatures give testimony of God the Creator. The more man lets himself be carried away by the eloquence of creatures, their richness and beauty, the more need to adore the Creator grows in him and ought to grow in him. On our knees before the Lord, let us prostrate ourselves and adore. These are not extravagant words. They confirm the perennial ways of the fundamental logic of the Faith and of the thought about the cosmos as well; about the macrocosmos and microcosmos. The Faith confirms itself in a particular way as ‘reasonable worship’. I ask you to think about this disproportion which really exists in gigantic areas of contemporary civilization. The better man knows the cosmos, the less he seems to feel obliged to ‘bend the knee’ and ‘prostrate himself’ before the Creator. Need we ask why? Do people think that knowledge of the world and enjoyment of effects deriving from it make man master of creation? But should men not think, rather, that what man knows, the astonishing richnesses of the microscosmos and dimensions of the macrocosmos, he finds, as it were, ‘ready-made’; and that what he produces on that basis he owes to the wealth of raw materials in the created world? Could contemporary man not think there may be a fundamental ‘injustice’ toward the Creator in the entire direction of development of his civilization and mentality? “Come let us go down on bended knees before Him who has created this.” Ref: Cf “Prayers and Devotions from Pope John Paul II”, 1984, pp112-3 Our faith rests on the Trinity Christians are baptized in the ‘name’ of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: not in their ‘names’, for there is only one God, the almighty Father, his only Son and the Holy Spirit: the Most Holy Trinity. The mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is central to the Christian faith and life; the mystery of God in himself. Thus, the source of all other mysteries of faith, the light that enlightens them. The most fundamental teaching in the ‘hierarchy of the truths of faith’. The whole mystery of salvation is identical with the history of the way and means by which the one true God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, reveals himself to men ‘and reconciles and unites with himself those who turn away from sin’. The Trinity is a mystery of faith in the strict sense, one of the ‘mysteries that are hidden in God, which can never be known unless they are revealed by God’. Ref: “Catechism of the Catholic Church”, Nos. 233, 234, 237 Going (and returning) to the Trinity through Mary St Alphonsus of Liguori says that the main role Christ entrusted to Mary is the dispensing of mercy, in which service Mary employs all her prerogatives. St Josemaria Escrivá adds: “When I was young I wrote (with the conviction that coalesced around my daily visits to ‘Our Lady of the Pillar’): ‘To Jesus one goes and to him we return through Mary.’ (“Libro de Aragon”) If our welcome to divine intimacy is possible because of the Son, it is only right that in reaching the Son we return to his Mother, Mary. Neither are we surprised that Christians, who go with Mary to Jesus, also ‘return’ to him, if unfortunately they had wandered away.” (“Libro de Aragon”) In this maternal task, Mary’s mission is not to mitigate divine justice. Isn’t God always good and merciful? Our Mother’s mission, rather, is to ready our hearts to receive the graces her Son has in store for us. That is why it is always helpful to return to her when we prepare ourselves to receive the sacrament of penance. The Virgin always provides the shortest and most secure path to God; a most pleasant path that does not demand special conditions. She welcomes us in any shape, even if we can barely take a step. That is when she proves to be closest to us, ‘awakening in Christians a supernatural desire to act “as members of the household of God” (Eph 2:19)’. She bestows on us the gift of being ushered into the divine family. “Turn to our Lady -- daughter, Mother, and Spouse of God and our mother as well -- and ask her to obtain more graces for you from the blessed Trinity: graces of faith, hope, love, and contrition. ... (cf St Josemaria Escrivá, “The Forge”, 227) Ref: F Fernandez-Carvajal, ‘et al’, “Children of God”, 1997, pp60-62 • Our Lady of the Hill, at Fribourg, where many miracles are wrought. — Triple Couronne, n. 85. (“Catholic Gems or Treasures of the Church” Historical Calendar; www.bethlehemobserver.com) • Our Lady of the Hill, Lombardy, Italy (4th Century). (www/divinewill.org/feastsofourlady.htm); (www.iskandar.com/ourlady/ourladyfeasts.html) • Our Lady of the Hill. Fribourg, Switzerland; Lombardy, Italy. 4th Century. (www.marylinks.org/Mary-Calendar.htm) • Our Lady of the Hill. At Fribourg, Switzerland 4th century. (www.miraclehunter.com/marian_apparitions/calendar/index.html); (maryfest.htm / www.starharbor.com/santiago/m_feasts.html) • Our Lady of the Holy Letter. (www.miraclehunter.com/marian_apparitions/calendar/index.html) • Our Lady, Queen of Apostles. Moveable feast -- Saturday after Ascension Thursday. (www/divinewill.org/feastsofourlady.html); (www.iskandar.com/ourlady/ourladyfeasts.html); (www.starharbor.com/santiago/m feasts.html); (www.miraclehunter.com/marian_apparitions/calendar/index.html) • Queen of the Apostles (“Regina Apostolorum”). Moveable feast -- Saturday within the Octave of Ascension Thursday [19 May 2012]. (www.marylinks.org/Mary-Calendar.htm); (www.starharbor.com/santiago/m feasts.html) • Queen of the Apostles. Harrison Blvd, Pasay City MM PHL. (www.miraclehunter.com/marian_apparitions/calendar/index.html)

3 June 2012: Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

Sunday after Pentecost The Holy Trinity is the greatest of all mysteries. The feast is the complement and gathering up into one all feasts of the ecclesiastical year. A mystery beyond our comprehension, the finite being incapable of understanding the infinite; but we must adore it with deepest humility, most tender love, and most lively gratitude. It is the source of all good to us. Let us recall all that we owe to the love of the Three Persons of the Most Holy Trinity. “I believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. ...” (“The Apostle’s Creed” in “Handbook of Prayers”, Fr Charles Belmonte and Fr James Socias [eds], 1988, p65) Omnipotence, and the work of creation, which implies omnipotence, is the special attribute of the Father, the first principal from which the two other Persons proceed. To him, then, I owe my existence, my preservation, and all that has conduced to my preservation. Without him I should always have remained nothing. God saw from all eternity, in the nothingness out of which we were created, millions of possible beings, who would have served him better than we have done, and glorified him more. Why, then, has he created us instead? Out of a gratuitous love of predilection. ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love.’ This love has preserved us from so many dangers in which others have perished. We enjoy so many favors both of nature and grace. Love begets love. What return have we made to so loving and generous a God and Father? Perhaps we have loved him so little and served him grudgingly. The love of God the Son for us has been manifested in a still more striking manner, ie, by that of ‘redemption’, which has not only ransomed us from slavery and death; but reinstated us in all our primitive rights. Suppose the son of a king should offer his life for a criminal? This is what the Son of God has done for each one of us. “He debased himself” (cf Phil 2:7-8), taking the form of a slave, becoming obedient unto death, even death of the cross. St Paul concludes, ‘That they also who live may not now live to themselves, but unto him who died for them’. Have we given this proof of our love and gratitude to him? The love of the Holy Spirit manifests itself in our sanctification and adoption. He sanctified us in our Baptism, purifying our soul from all stain, filling it with divine charity, and all prerogatives of sanctifying grace which raise us to the dignity of adopted sons and heirs of God, and co-heirs of Jesus Christ. “The charity of God is poured forth in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who is given to us.” For the “Spirit himself gives testimony to our spirit that we are the sons of God; and if sons, heirs also, heirs indeed of God and joint-heirs with Christ” (Rom 8:16-7). He has also sanctified us in our Confirmation, and in partaking of the other Sacraments. How many undeserved benefits have I received and even despite my great unworthiness! ‘What shall I render to the Lord’, to the Three Persons of the Blessed Trinity, ‘for all the things that he has rendered to me?’ Ref: Cf “Practical Meditations” by a Father of the Society of Jesus, 1964, pp308-10 The intercession of Mary Let us close these thoughts with an old prayer: ‘Hail, Mary, daughter of God the Father; hail, Mary, Mother of God the Son; hail, Mary, Spouse of God the Holy Spirit. Hail, Mary, temple and sanctuary of the Most Holy Trinity, conceived without stain of original sin from the very first instant of your virginal being. Greater than you, only God!’ Through Mary’s intercession and personal relationship with each of the Persons of the Blessed Trinity, we can acquire a deeper knowledge of the richness of this mystery which is understandable only through a life of prayer. Through her we will find the strength to correspond to what God wants to share with us. Ref: J P Debicki, “The Blessed Trinity”, Scepter Booklets, 18 Sign of Peace At Mass, the priest asks Jesus not to look upon our sins, but to grant us the Peace He promised to the Apostles: ‘Peace I leave with you; My Peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.’ We join the priest and respond, ‘Amen’. St Anthony in a Homily said: “The Resurrection of Christ is the source of lasting peace. His place must always be in the center of our hearts.” “Jesus came and stood in their midst. ‘Peace be with you’, He said. Then He showed His Hands and His Side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.” (cf Jn 20:19-21) “The Latin for peace is ‘Pax,’ a three-letter word that symbolizes the Triune and one God (the Holy Trinity). The letter ‘P’ stands for ‘Pater’, ‘Father’; the letter ‘a’, first letter of the alphabet stands for the first-born, the Son of God; ‘x’, a consonant made up of two sounds ‘k’ and ‘s’, stands for the Holy Spirit [or ‘X’ “The Great Unknown”, in St Josemaria Escrivá, “Christ is passing by”, 173-87], proceeding from both the Father and the Son.” Ref: St Anthony’s Sermons, “Seek First His Kingdom”, in Bob and Penny Lord, “Miracles of the Eucharist”, Vol. II:305-6 First Communion of Bernadette Soubiros On this day in 1858, Bernadette made her First Communion in the Hospice chapel, Lourdes. (G Menotti, “Lourdes”, p15) • Our Lady of “Sosopoli”, in Pisidia. This image distilled a miraculous oil as is testified by Germanus, patriarch of Constantinople, in a letter read at the second council of Nice, assembled for the defence of holy images. — Art. 4, of the Council of Nice. (“Catholic Gems or Treasures of the Church” Historical Calendar; www.bethlehemobserver.com) • Our Lady of Sosopoli. Pisidia, Italy 14th century. (www.miraclehunter.com/marian_apparitions/calendar/index.html) ; (maryfest.htm / www.starharbor.com/santiago/m_feasts.html); (www/divinewill.org/feastsofourlady.htm); (www.iskandar.com/ourlady/ourladyfeasts.html); (http://mariedenazareth.com) • “Madonna della Sosopoli / Sasopoli”. Italy. 14th Century. (www.marylinks.org/Mary-Calendar.htm) • Our Lady of the Star, at Aquileia, in Italy. This church is so-called, because it is affirmed that a star was seen in open day on the head of St Bernardine of Siena, when, preaching at Aquileia, he applied to the Blessed Virgin that passage of the Apocalypse where it is said that there were twelve stars on her head. — See his life in Surius. (“Catholic Gems or Treasures of the Church” Historical Calendar; www.bethlehemobserver.com) • Our Lady of the Star. Aquiles / Aquileia, Italy. 15th Century. (www.marylinks.org/Mary-Calendar.htm); (www/divinewill.org/feastsofourlady.htm); (www.iskandar.com/ourlady/ourladyfeasts.html); (www.starharbor.com/santiago/m feasts.html) • Our Lady of Grace (Montreal, Canada) (maryfest.htm / www.starharbor.com/santiago/m_feasts.html) • “Notre Dame de Grace”. Montreal, Canada. (www.marylinks.org/Mary-Calendar.htm) • Our Lady of the Holy Letter. (www.marylinks.org/Mary-Calendar.htm) • Our Lady, Health of the Sick (Kevelær, Germany). (www.starharbor.com/santiago/m feasts.html); (www.marylinks.org/Mary-Calendar.htm)

2 June 2012: The greatest promise of Mary

‘The gates of hell will be closed on the First Saturdays of each month. Nobody will go to hell on those days. However, the gates of Purgatory will be open. So many souls will be able to reach heaven. It is the result of the merciful Love of My Son -- It is the reward of these souls who venerate My Immaculate Heart.’ Ref: “Imprimatur:” Local bishop of Hungary. Taken from the “Revue de Coeur Immacule Reine de la Paix”, Vol. I, No. 4 The Fruits of the Holy Spirit These fruits enrich the Christian’s life and manifest God’s glory: “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit” (Jn 15:8), Jesus said at the Last Supper. St Paul specifies twelve fruits: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, modesty, chastity, continence, self-control, faithfulness (cf Gal 5:22). Love or charity is the most excellent fruit. “There is no sign or mark which distinguishes the Christian and the lover of Christ greater than the care of our brothers and sisters and zeal for the salvation of souls.” (St John Chrysostom, “Homilies on the incomprehensible”, 6, 3) This fruit is “followed necessarily by joy since the lover rejoices in union with his beloved”. (St Thomas, “Summa Theologiae”, I-II, 70, 3) Joy is the result of love. Therefore, the Christian is distinguished by his joy which persists through sorrow and failure. “To rejoice under trial, to smile in sufferings, to sing in our heart ever more clearly, the longer and sharper the thorns ... all this for the sake of love ... this is, together with love, the fruit that the divine Vinedresser wishes to gather from the branches of the mystic Vine. ... fruits which only the Holy Spirit can produce in us.” (A Riaud, “The Action of the Holy Spirit in souls”, Madrid) “Love and joy leave in the soul the peace of God which passes all understanding” (Phil 4:7); “tranquility in order” (St Augustine, “The City of God”, 19, 13, 1). A false peace based on disorder is, eg, where parents yield to the children’s whims. Or in a city where criminals are tolerated on the pretext of not wishing to upset anyone. Peace, the fruit of the Holy Spirit, is the absence of unrest. The will rests in the stable possession of good. This peace supposes a constant battle waged upon the disordered tendencies of one’s own passions. Only in heaven shall we find fulness of love, joy and peace. Here we have a foretaste of eternal happiness according to our fidelity. In the presence of obstacles, the souls which are docile to the Paraclete produce the fruit of patience. They silently bear with serenity the physical and moral sufferings we all experience in life. “Charity is the bond which unites brothers, the cement of peace, the crossbeam which gives solidity to unity ... Only take patience from it, however, and it will remain desolate; take from it the sap of suffering and of resignation and it will lose its roots and its vigor.” (St Cyprian, “The good of patience”) Longanimity is like patience by which we wait serenely without valid complaint or bitterness and for as long as God wishes. Longanimity is the perfect unfolding of the virtue of hope. Goodness is a virtue which makes us desire the good of others. The soul feels itself beloved by God, frees it from jealousy or envy. It sees children of God whom He loves and for whom Christ has died. True charity is love transformed into deeds. “Charity is beneficent.” (1 Cor 13:4) Kindness is precisely that virtue which inclines us to do good to others. (cf A Riaud, “The Action of the Holy Spirit in souls”, Madrid) It inspires us to bring peace and joy wherever we go. Gentleness is intimately united to goodness and perfection. It opposes barren outbursts of anger which really are a sign of weakness. Charity is not irritable or resentful (cf 1 Cor 13:5) but always gentle and refined. Faithfulness follows gentleness. A faithful friend is precious; his excellence, beyond measure. (cf Sir 6:15) Fidelity is one way of living justice and charity. The three last fruits refer to the virtue of temperance which produces modesty, continence and chastity as influenced by the gifts of the Holy Spirit. A modest person always appreciates his or her talents, knowing them to be God’s gift for serving others. Modesty reflects simplicity and inner order. In continence and chastity, the soul is extremely vigilant to avoid what might damage interior and exterior purity. These fruits can be gathered even amidst great temptations, if one avoids the occasion and struggles with determination, knowing that the grace of God will never be lacking. Let us draw near the Most Blessed Virgin, “the Mother of fair love, of fear, of knowledge and of holy hope. Come to me, you who desire me, and eat your fill of my produce. For the remembrance of me is sweeter than honey and my inheritance sweeter than the honeycomb.” (Sir 6:19-20) Ref: Cf F Fernandez, “In Conversation with God”, 2:579-84 To fight once more -- “Our Lord, with his arms outstretched, is continually begging for your love.” (St Josemaria Escrivá, “The Forge”, 404) • Our Lady of Edessa, in Asia Minor. It is asserted that this image, placed beneath the gateway of a church, spoke to St Alexis, and made known to the people the merit of that saint. Thence it was removed to Rome, where it is highly honored. — Thomas Blosius, lib. ix. c. 9. (“Catholic Gems or Treasures of the Church” Historical Calendar; www.bethlehemobserver.com) • Our Lady of Edessa. Turkey. 400. Statue that spoke to St Alexis. (www.marylinks.org/Mary-Calendar.htm); (www/divinewill.org/feastsofourlady.htm); (www.iskandar.com/ourlady/ourladyfeasts.html); (www.miraclehunter.com/marian_apparitions/calendar/index.html) • Our Lady of Edessa (Asia Minor, 400). (http://mariedenazareth.com); (maryfest.htm / www.starharbor.com/santiago/m_feasts.html) • Our Lady of Edessa. Turkey. 400. Statue that spoke to St. Alexis. www.marylinks.org/Mary-Calendar.htm • Installation of the Robe of the Mother of God (Orthodox). www.marylinks.org/Mary-Calendar.htm