Evil triumphs when good men do nothing - Edmund Burke

Saturday, May 16, 2009

St. Margaret of Cortona - 16th May 2009


They were stirring times in Tuscany when Margaret was born. They were the days of Manfred and Conradin, of the Guelphs and Ghibellines in Italy, when passions of every kind ran high, and men lived at great extremes. They were times of great sinners, but also of great saints; Margaret lived to hear of the crowning and resignation of St. Celestine V, whose life and death are a vivid commentary on the spirits that raged throughout that generation. It was the age of St. Thomas in Paris, of Dante in Florence; of Cimabue and Giotto; of the great cathedrals and universities. In Tuscany itself, apart from the coming and going of soldiers, now of the Emperor, now of the Pope, keeping the countryside in a constant state of turmoil, and teaching the country-folk their ways, there were for ever rising little wars among the little cities themselves, which were exciting and disturbing enough. For instance, when Margaret was a child, the diocese in which she lived, Chiusi, owned a precious relic, the ring of the Blessed Virgin Mary. An Augustinian friar got possession of this relic, and carried it off to Perugia. This caused a war, Chiusi and Perugia fought for the treasure and Perugia won. Such was the spirit of her time, and of the people among whom she was brought up.

It was also a time of the great revival; when the new religious orders had begun to make their mark, and the old ones had renewed their strength. Franciscans and Dominicians had reached down to the people, and every town and village in the country had responded to their call to better things. St. Francis of Assisi had received the stigmata on Mount Alverno twenty years before, quite close to where Margaret was born; St. Clare died not far away, when Margaret was four years old. And there was the opposite extreme, the enthusiasts whose devotion degenerated into heresy. When Margaret was ten there arose in her own district the Flagellants, whose processions of men, women, and children, stripped to the waist and scourging themselves to blood, must have been a not uncommon sight to her and her young companions.

Margaret was born in Laviano, a little town in the diocese of Chiusi. Her parents were working people of the place; their child was very beautiful, and in their devotion, for she was the only one, they could scarcely help but spoil her. Thus from the first Margaret, as we would say, had much against her; she grew up very willful and, like most spoilt children, very restless and dissatisfied. Very soon her father's cottage was too small for her; she needed companions; she found more life and excitement in the streets of the town Next, in course of time the little town itself grew too small; there was a big world beyond about which she came to know, and Margaret longed to have a part in it. Moreover she soon learnt that she could have a part in it if she chose. For men took notice of her, not only men of her own station and surroundings, whom she could bend to her will as she pleased; but great and wealthy men from outside, who would sometimes ride through the village, and notice her, and twit her for her beautiful face. They would come again; they were glad to make her acquaintance, and sought to win her favor. Margaret quickly learned that she had only to command, and there were many ready to obey.

While she was yet very young her mother died; an event which seemed to deprive her of the only influence that had hitherto held her in check. Margaret records that she was taught by her mother a prayer she never forgot: "O Lord Jesus, I beseech thee, grant salvation to all those for whom thou wouldst have me pray." To make matters worse her father married again. He was a man of moods, at one time weak and indulgent, at another violent to excess, and yet with much in him that was lovable, as we shall have reason to see. But with the step-mother there was open and continued conflict. She was shocked at Margaret's willfulness and independence, and from her first coming to the house was determined to deal with them severely. Such treatment was fatal to Margaret. As a modern student has written of her: "Margaret's surroundings were such as to force to the surface the weaknesses of her character. As is clear from her own confessions, she was by nature one of those women who thirst for affection, in whom to be loved is the imperative need of their lives. She needed to be loved that her soul might be free, and in her home she found not what she wanted. Had she been of the weaker sort, either morally or physically, she would have accepted her lot, vegetated in spiritual barrenness, married eventually a husband of her father's choice, and lived an uneventful life with a measure of peace."

As it was she became only the more willful and reckless. If there was not happiness for her, either at home or elsewhere, there was pleasure and, with a little yielding on her part, as much of it as she would. In no long time her reputation in the town was one not to be envied; before she was seventeen years of age she had given herself up to a life of indulgence, let the consequences be what they might.

Living such a life it soon became evident that Margaret could not stay in Laviano. The circumstances which took her away are not very clear; we choose those which seem the most satisfactory. A certain nobleman, living out beyond Montepulciano, which in those days was far away, was in need of a servant in his castle. Margaret got the situation, there at least she was free from her step-mother and, within limits, could live as she pleased. But her master was young, and a sporting man, and no better than others of his kind. He could not fail to take notice of the handsome girl who went about his mansion, holding her head high as if she scorned the opinions of men, with an air of independence that seemed to belong to one above her station. He paid her attention; he made her nice presents, he would do her kindnesses even while she served him. And on her side, Margaret was skilled in her art; she was quick to discover that her master was as susceptible to her influence as were the other less distinguished men with whom she had done as she would in Laviano. Moreover this time she was herself attracted; she knew that this man loved her, and she returned it in her way. There were no other competitors in the field to distract her; there was no mother to warn her, no step-mother to abuse her. Soon Margaret found herself installed in the castle, not as her master's wife, for convention would never allow that, but as his mistress, which was more easily condoned. Some day, he had promised her, they would be married, but the day never came. A child was born, and with that Margaret settled down to the situation.

For some years she accepted her lot, though every day what she had done grew upon her more and more. Apart from the evil life she was living, her liberty loving nature soon found that instead of freedom she had secured only slavery. The restless early days in Laviano seemed, in her present perspective, less unhappy than she had thought; the poverty and restraint of her father's cottage seemed preferable to the wealth and chains of gold she now endured. In her lonely hours, and they were many, the memory of her mother came up before her, and she could not look her shadow in the face. And with that revived the consciousness of sin, which of late she had defied, and had crushed down by sheer reckless living, but which now loomed up before her like a haunting ghost. She saw it all she hated it all, she hated herself because of it, but there was no escape. It was all misery, but she must endure it; she had made her own bed, and must henceforth lie upon it. In her solitary moments she would wander into the gloom of the forest, and there would dream of the life that might have been, a life of virtue and of the love of God. At her castle gate she would be bountiful; if she could not be happy herself, at least she could do something to help others. But for the rest she was defiant. She went about her castle with the airs of an unbeaten queen. None should know, not even the man who owned her, the agony that gnawed at her heart. From time to time there would come across her path those who had pity for her. They would try to speak to her, they would warn her of the risk she was running; but Margaret, with her every ready wit, would laugh at their warnings and tell them that some day she would be a saint.

So things went on for nine years, till Margaret was twenty-seven. On a sudden there came an awakening. It chanced that her lord had to go away on a distant journey; in a few days, when the time arrived for his return, he did not appear. Instead there turned up at the castle gate his favorite hound, which he had taken with him. As soon as it had been given admittance it ran straight to Margaret's room, and there began to whine about her, and to tug at her dress as if it would drag her out of the room. Margaret saw that something was amiss.

Anxious, not daring to express to herself her own suspicions, she rose and followed the hound wherever it might lead; it drew her away down to a forest a little distance from the castle walls. At a point where a heap of faggots had been piled, apparently by wood-cutters, the hound stood still, whining more than ever, and poking beneath the faggots with its nose. Margaret, all trembling, set to work to pull the heaps away; in a hole beneath lay the corpse of her lord, evidently some days dead, for the maggots and worms had already begun their work upon it.

How he had come to his death was never known; after all, in those days of high passions, and family feuds, such murders were not uncommon. The careful way the body had been buried suggested foul play; that was all. But for Margaret the sight she saw was of something more than death. The old faith within her still lived, as we have already seen, and now insisted on asking questions. The body of the man she had loved and served was lying there before her, but what had become of his soul? If it had been condemned, and was now in hell, who was, in great part at least, responsible for its condemnation? Others might have murdered his body, but she had done infinitely worse Moreover there was herself to consider. She had known how, in the days past, she had stirred the rivalry and mutual hatred of men on her account and had gloried in it who knew but that this deed had been done by some rival because of her? Or again, her body might have been Lying there where his now lay, her fatal beauty being eaten by worms, and in that case where would her soul then have been? Of that she could have no sort of doubt. Her whole life came up before her, crying out now against her as she had never before permitted it to cry. Margaret rushed from the spot, beside herself in this double misery, back to her room, turned in an instant to a torture-chamber.

What should she do next? She was not long undecided. Though the castle might still be her home, she would not stay in it a moment longer. But where could she go? There was only one place of refuge that she knew, only one person in the world who was likely to have pity on her. Though her father's house had been disgraced in the eyes of all the village by what she had done, though the old man all these years had been bent beneath the shame she had brought upon him, still there was the memory of past kindness and love which he had always shown her. It was true sometimes he had been angry, especially when others had roused him against her and her ways; but always in the end, when she had gone to him, he had forgiven her and taken her back. She would arise and go to her father, and would ask him to forgive her once more; this time in her heart she knew she was in earnest--even if he failed her she would not turn back. Clothed as she was, holding her child in her arms, taking no heed of the spectacle she made, she left the castle, tramped over the ridge and down the valley to Laviano, came to her father's cottage, found him within alone and fell at his feet, confessing her guilt, imploring him with tears to give her shelter once again.

The old man easily recognized his daughter. The years of absence, the fine clothes she wore, the length of years which in some ways had only deepened the striking lines of her handsome face, could not take from his heart the picture of the child of whom once he had been so proud. To forgive was easy; it was easy to find reasons in abundance. Had he not indulged her in the early days, perhaps she would never have fallen. Had he made home a more satisfying place for a child of so yearning a nature, perhaps she would never have gone away. Had he been a more careful guardian, had he protected her from those who had lured her into evil ways long ago, she would never have wandered so far, she would never have brought this shame upon him and upon herself. She was repentant, she wished to make amends, she had proved it by this renunciation, she showed she loved and trusted him; he must give her a chance to recover. If he did not give it to her, who would?

So the old man argued with himself, and for a time his counsel prevailed. Margaret with her child was taken back; if she would live quietly at home the past might be lived down. But such was not according to Margaret's nature. She did not wish the past to be forgotten, it must be atoned. She had done great evil, she had given great scandal; she must prove to God and man that she had broken with the past, and that she meant to make amends. The spirit of fighting sin by public penance was in the air; the Dominican and Franciscan missionaries preached it, there were some in her neighborhood who were carrying it to a dangerous extreme. Margaret would let all the neighbors see that she did not shirk the shame that was her due. Every time she appeared in the church it was with a rope of penance round her waist; she would kneel at the church door that all might pass her by and despise her; since this did not win for her the scorn she desired, one day, when the people were gathered for mass, she stood up before the whole congregation and made public confession of the wickedness of her life.

But this did not please her old father. He had hoped she would lie quiet and let the scandal die; instead she kept the memory of it always alive. He had expected that soon all would be forgotten; instead she made of herself a public show. In a very short time his mind towards her changed. Indulgence turned to resentment, resentment to bitterness, bitterness to something like hatred. Besides, there was another in the house to be reckoned with; the step-mother, who from her first coming there had never been a friend of Margaret. She had endured her return because, for the moment, the old man would not be contradicted, but she had bided her time. Now when he wavered she brought her guns to bear; to the old man in secret, to Margaret before her face, she did not hesitate to use every argument she knew. This hussy who had shamed them all in the sight of the whole village had dared to cross her spotless threshold, and that with a baggage of a child in her arms. How often when she was a girl had she been warned where her reckless life would lead her! When she had gone away, in spite of every appeal, she had been told clearly enough what would be her end. All these years she had continued, never once relenting, never giving them a sign of recognition, knowing very well the disgrace she had brought upon them, while she enjoyed herself in luxury and ease. Let her look to it; let her take the consequences. That house had been shamed enough; it should not be shamed any more, by keeping such a creature under its roof. One day when things had reached a climax, without a word of pity Margaret and her child were driven out of the door. If she wished to do penance, let her go and join the fanatical Flagellants, who were making such a show of themselves not far away.

Margaret stood in the street, homeless, condemned by her own, an outcast. Those in the town looked on and did nothing; she was not one of the kind to whom it was either wise or safe to show pity, much less to take her into their own homes. And Margaret knew it; since her own father had rejected her she could appeal to no one else; she could only hide her head in shame, and find refuge in loneliness in the open lane. But what should she do next? For she had not only herself to care for; there was also the child in her arms. As she sat beneath a tree looking away from Laviano, her eyes wandered up the ridge on which stood Montepulciano. Over that ridge was the bright, gay world she had left, the world without a care, where she had been able to trample scandal underfoot and to live as a queen. There she had friends who loved her; rich friends who had condoned her situation, poor friends who had been beholden to her for the alms she had given them. Up in the castle there were still wealth and luxury waiting for her, and even peace of a kind, if only she would go back to them. Besides, from the castle what good she could do! She was now free; she could repent in silence and apart; with the wealth at her disposal she could help the poor yet more. Since she had determined to change her life, could she not best accomplish it up there, far away from the sight of men?

On the other hand, what was she doing here? She had tried to repent, and all her efforts had only come to this; she was a homeless outcast on the road, with all the world to glare at her as it passed her by. Among her own people, even if in the end she were forgiven and taken back, she could never be the same again. Then came a further thought. She knew herself well by this time. Did she wish that things should be the same again? In Laviano, among the old surroundings which she had long outgrown, among peasants and laborers whom she had long left behind, was it not likely that the old boredom would return, more burdensome now that she had known the delights of freedom? Would not the old temptations return, had they not returned already, had they not been with her all the time, and with all her good intentions was it not certain that she would never be able to resist? Then would her last state be worse than her first. How much better to be prudent, to take the opportunity as it was offered, perhaps to use for good the means and the gifts she had hitherto used only for evil? Thus, resting under a tree in her misery, a great longing came over Margaret, to have done with the penitence which had all gone wrong, to go back to the old life where all had gone well, and would henceforth go better, to solve her problems once and for all by the only way that seemed open to her. That lonely hour beneath the tree was the critical hour of her life.

Happily for her, and for many who have come after her, Margaret survived it: "I have put thee as a burning light," Our Lord said to her later, "to enlighten those who sit in the darkness.--I have set thee as an example to sinners, that in thee they may behold how my mercy awaits the sinner who is willing to repent; for as I have been merciful to thee, so will I be merciful to them." She had made up her mind long ago, and she would not go back now. She shook herself and rose to go; but where? The road down which she went led to Cortona; a voice within her seemed to tell her to go thither. She remembered that at Cortona was a monastery of Franciscans. It was famous all over the countryside; Brother Elias had built it, and had lived and died there; the friars, she knew, were everywhere described as the friends of sinners. She might go to them; perhaps they would have pity on her and find her shelter. But she was not sure. They would know her only too well, for she had long been the talk of the district, even as far as Cortona; was it not too much to expect that the Franciscan friars would so easily believe in so sudden and complete a conversion? Still she could only try; at the worst she could but again be turned into the street, and that would be more endurable from them than the treatment she had just received in Laviano.

Her fears were mistaken. Margaret knocked at the door of the monastery, and the friars did not turn her away. They took pity on her; they accepted her tale though, as was but to be expected, with caution. She made a general confession, with such a flood of tears that those who witnessed it were moved. It was decided that Margaret was, so far at least, sincere and harmless, and they found her a home. They put her in charge of two good matrons of the town, who spent their slender means in helping hard cases and who undertook to provide for her. Under their roof she began in earnest her life of penance. Margaret could not do things by halves; when she had chosen to sin she had defied the world in her sinning, now that she willed to do penance she was equally defiant of what men might think or say. She had reveled in rich clothing and jewels; henceforth, so far as her friends would permit her, she would clothe herself literally in rags. She had slept on luxurious couches; henceforth she would lie only on the hard ground. Her beauty, which had been her ruin, and the ruin of many others besides, and which even now, at twenty-seven, won for her many a glance of admiration as she passed down the street, she was determined to destroy. She cut her face, she injured it with bruises, till men would no longer care to look upon her. Nay, she would go abroad, and where she had sinned most she would make most amends. She would go to Montepulciano; there she would hire a woman to lead her like a beast with a rope round her neck, and cry: "Look at Margaret, the sinner." It needed a strong and wise confessor to keep her within bounds.

Nor was this done only to atone for the past. For years the old cravings were upon her; they had taken deep root and could not at once be rooted out; even to the end of her life she had reason to fear them. Sometimes she would ask herself how long she could continue the fight; sometimes it would be that there was no need, that she should live her life like ordinary mortals. Sometimes again, and this would often come from those about her, it would be suggested to her that all her efforts were only a proof of sheer pride. In many ways we are given to see that with all the sanctity and close union with God which she afterwards attained, Margaret to the end was very human; she was the same Margaret, however chastened, that she had been at the beginning. "My father," she said to her confessor one day, "do not ask me to give in to this body of mine. I cannot afford it. Between me and my body there must needs be a struggle until death."

The rest of Margaret's life is a wonderful record of the way God deals with his penitents. There were her child and herself to be kept, and the fathers wisely bade her earn her own bread. She began by nursing; soon she confined her nursing to the poor, herself living on alms. She retired to a cottage of her own; here, like St. Francis before her, she made it her rule to give her labor to whoever sought it, and to receive in return whatever they chose to give. In return there grew in her a new understanding of that craving for love which had led her into danger. She saw that it never would be satisfied here on earth; she must have more than this world could give her or none at all. And here God was good to her. He gave her an intimate knowledge of Himself; we might say He humored her by letting her realize His love, His care, His watchfulness over her. With all her fear of herself, which was never far away, she grew in confidence because she knew that now she was loved by one who would not fail her. This became the character of her sanctity, founded on that natural trait which was at once her strength and her weakness.

And it is on this account, more than on account of the mere fact that she was a penitent, that she deserves the title of the Second Magdalene. Of the first Magdalene we know this, that she was an intense human being, seeking her own fulfillment at extremes, now in sin, now in repentance regardless of what men might think, uniting love and sorrow so closely that she is forgiven, not for her sorrow so much as for her love. We know that ever afterwards it was the same; the thought of her sin never kept her from her Lord, the knowledge of His love drew her ever closer to Him, till, after Calvary, she is honored the first among those to whom He would show Himself alone. And in that memorable scene we have the two traits which sum her up; He reveals Himself by calling her by her name: "Mary," and yet, when she would cling about His feet, as she had done long before, He bids her not to touch Him. In Margaret of Cortona the character, and the treatment, are parallel. She did not forget what she had been; but from the first the thought of this never for a moment kept her from Our Lord. She gave herself to penance, but the motive of her penance, as her revelations show, was love more than atonement. In her extremes of penance she had no regard for the opinions of men; she would brave any obstacle that she might draw the nearer to Him. At first He humored her; He drew her by revealing to her His appreciation of her love; He even condescended so far as to call her "Child," when she had grown tired of being called "Poverella." But later, when the time for the greatest graces came, then He took her higher by seeming to draw more apart; it was the scene of "Noli me tangere" repeated.

This must suffice for an account of the wonderful graces and revelations that were poured out on Margaret during the last twenty-three years of her life. She came to Cortona as a penitent when she was twenty-seven. For three years the Franciscan fathers kept her on her trial, before they would admit her to the Third Order of St. Francis. She submitted to the condition; during that time she earned her bread, entirely in the service of others. Then she declined to earn it; while she labored in service no less, she would take in return only what was given to her in alms. Soon even this did not satisfy her; she was not content till the half of what was given her in charity was shared with others who seemed to her more needy. Then out of this there grew other things, for Margaret had a practical and organizing mind. She founded institutions of charity, she established an institution of ladies who would spend themselves in the service of the poor and suffering. She took a large part in the keeping of order in that turbulent countryside; even her warlike bishop was compelled to listen to her, and to surrender much of his plunder at her bidding. Like St. Catherine of Siena after her, Margaret is a wonderful instance, not only of the mystic combined with the soul of action, but more of the soul made one of action because it was a mystic, and by means of its mystical insight.

Margaret died in 1297, being just fifty years of age. Her confessor and first biographer tells us that one day, shortly before her death, she had a vision of St. Mary Magdalene, "most faithful of Christ's apostles, clothed in a robe as it were of silver, and crowned with a crown of precious gems, and surrounded by the holy angels." And whilst she was in this ecstasy Christ spoke to Margaret, saying: "My Eternal Father said of Me to the Baptist: This is My beloved Son; so do I say to thee of Magdalene: This is my beloved daughter." On another occasion we are told that "she was taken in spirit to the feet of Christ, which she washed with her tears as did Magdalene of old; and as she wiped His feet she desired greatly to behold His face, and prayed to the Lord to grant her this favor." Thus to the end we see she was the same; and yet the difference!

They buried her in the church of St. Basil in Cortona. Around her body, and later at her tomb, her confessor tells us that so many miracles, physical and spiritual, were worked that he could fill a volume with the record of those which he personally knew alone. And today Cortona boasts of nothing more sacred or more treasured than that same body, which lies there still incorrupt, after more than six centuries, for everyone to see.

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Friday, May 15, 2009

National March for life 2009 Blog

Hello Blogger friends,

Once again the main stream media has turned a blind eye to the prolife National March for Life rally in Ottawa. 10000 people stood out in the lawns of parliament and marched down the road in pouring rain and gusty winds to support the most basic of all human right the right to be born, yet we were all ignored.

In order to shout out from the rooftops that We as Canadians say that the Abortion discussion is not closed and we do Stand for Life from conception to natural death, With the help of a photographer firend, I have put up a new Blog

Crime Against Humanity

Please do visit the blog, leave your comments and pass it on to your friends.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Exodus 2009 - National March for Life Ottawa

Hi All,

I just got home at 9:30 pm from the Exodus 2009 - National March for Life Ottawa. It was a tremendous witness for what we as Christians belive in 'Life begins at Conceptions and ends at natural death'.

It was raining in the morning during the speeches and during the march. While this was a slight inconvenience, it did leave for beautiful pictures as the sun was not casting bright shadows and the road provided a lovely refelction.

After the march the rain stopped and than at 3:00pm which as you all know is the HOur of Divine Mercy the sun came out shining brightly down on us. It was as if heaven was weeping during the march for the poor murdered unborn children and then at the Hour of Mercy our Lord Jesus smiled down and poured out His Mercy on all of us and on our nation.

I will be positng pictures and probably opening a new blog or web site to cover the event with all the photographs which me brother in Chirst Efstathios Fillis took with his camera. Keep an eye posted for them.

It was a great pleasure to see the Archbishop of Toronto, Archbishop of Ottawa, Archbishop of Quebec as well as the Archbishop of the Polish Catholic church present amonst many other preists and religious sisters giving witness.

Call of St. Matthias by St.John Chrysostom

Because he was a witness to the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Saint Matthias was chosen by the other apostles to take the place of Judas (Acts 1;15-26).  This commentary on the call of St. Matthias comes from a homily on the Acts of the Apostles by Satnt John Chrysostom (Hom 3, 1.2.3: PG 60, 33-36, 38).  It is used in the Roman office of readings for the Feast of Saint Matthias on May 14.
 
In those days, Peter, stood up in the midst of the disciples and said... As the fiery spirit to whom the flock was entrusted by Christ and as the leader in the band of the apostles, Peter always took the initiative in speaking: My brothers, we must choose from among our number. He left the decision to the whole body, at once augmenting the honour of those elected and avoiding any suspicion of partiality. For such great occasions can easily lead to trouble.

Did not Peter then have the right to make the choice himself? Certainly he had the right, but he did not want to give the appearance of showing special favour to anyone. Besides he was not yet endowed with the Spirit. And they nominated two, we read, Joseph, who was called Barsabbas and surnamed Justus, and Matthias. He himself did not nominate them; all present did. But it was he who brought the issue forward, pointing out that it was not his own idea but had been suggested to him by a scriptural prophecy. So he was speaking not as a teacher but as an interpreter.

So, he goes on, we must choose from those men who lived in our company. Notice how insistent he is that they should be eyewitnesses. Even though the Spirit would come to ratify the choice, Peter regards this prior qualification as most important.

Those who lived in our company, he continued, all through the time when the Lord Jesus came and went among us. He refers to those who had dwelt with Jesus, not just those who had been his disciples. For of course from the very beginning many had followed him. Notice how it is written that Peter himself was one of the two who had listened to John, and followed Jesus.

All through the time when the Lord Jesus came and went among us, beginning with the baptism of John – rightly so, because no one knew what had happened before that time, although they were to know of it later through the Spirit.

Up to the day, Peter added, on which he was taken up from us – one of these must be made a witness along with us of his resurrection. He did not say “a witness of the rest of his actions” but only a witness of the resurrection. That witness would be more believable who could declare that he who ate and drank and was crucified also rose from the dead. He needed to be a witness not of the times before or after that event, and not of the signs and wonders, but only of the resurrection itself. For the rest happened by general admission, openly; but the resurrection took place secretly, and was known to these men only.

And they all prayed together, saying: You, Lord, know the hearts of men; make your choice known to us. “You”, not “we”. Appropriately they said that he knew the hearts of men, because the choice was to be made by him, not by others.

They spoke with such confidence, because someone had to be appointed. They did not say “choose” but make known to us the chosen one; the one you choose, they said, fully aware that everything was pre-ordained by God. They then drew lots. For they did not think themselves worthy to make the choice of their own accord, and therefore they wanted some sign for their instruction.

St. Matthias the Apostle - 14th May 2009


Let us read what Dr. Plinio Has to say about St. Matthias the Apostle

Matthias was one of the 72 disciples of Our Lord; he was chosen to replace Judas Iscariot in the College of the Twelve Apostles. There is not much information about him. 

According to a Greek tradition, he preached the Gospel in Cappadocia and in regions bordering the Caspian Sea. Tradition tells us he suffered martyrdom in present day Ethiopia, where he was stoned, and then beheaded. 

Some parts of his doctrine were conserved by Clement of Alexandria. This sentence is attributed to the Apostle:
“We must combat the flesh, taking what advantages we can without giving it blameworthy delights. Regarding the soul, we should develop it through intelligence and faith.”

Comments of Prof. Plinio: 

We can imagine what was, or what could have been the life of St. Matthias. There are many persons in the Gospel about whom little is said. However, by examining the nature of the mission of the person, we can reconstitute his or her personality. So, the little that is said about them invites us to compose their personalities.

The most illustrious example of this is St. Joseph. There is almost nothing said about him. We know his mission, however, and that he accomplished it successfully. Essentially what the Gospel tells us is that he was a just man, nothing else. But there are a thousand things that we can envisage regarding St. Joseph by the fact that he was chosen to be the worthy Spouse of Our Lady. We can understand, therefore, much about him, even though the Gospel is silent. 

An analogous sketch can be made of St. Matthias. The Apostolic College suffered an enormous blow with the treason of Judas. It was, perhaps, the most significant blow ever received by the Catholic Church throughout the centuries. The place of Judas became empty. It was necessary to replace him with someone who, by his virtue, would make reparation to Divine Justice for the sin and evil committed by Judas. This new Apostle needed to be excellent along the same lines wherein Judas was evil; he should be the anti-Judas. He should be admirable and laudable in those very points where Judas was execrable and abominable. So, to achieve this contrast, we should picture St. Matthias as the Apostle of detachment from material goods, the Apostle of honesty and loyalty. Considering him in opposition to Judas reveals some aspects of his mission and of his character. 

He left a beautiful statement regarding the kind of combat we should make against the vices of the flesh. He says that we should take advantage of the correct tendencies of the flesh and avoid making any concession to what is evil. It is a consideration that primarily applies to the lay Catholic who is turned to a normal life in the world. He is not called to lead the life of an austere religious man, but to enjoy the honest pleasures of life, without any dishonest concessions.

These words translate what St. Matthias saw in the example of his Divine Master. Indeed, Our Lord used to go to refined banquets such as at the wedding of Canaan or at the house of Lazarus, or at the Last Supper. He also took pleasure in the exquisite perfume that Mary Magdalene poured on His Feet. He partook of these pleasures, of course, with an extreme temperance, giving to each the correct place it deserved for the glory of God, without any concession to evil. That is to say, the words of St. Matthias describe Our Lord’s behavior in face of life. It provides a very good orientation for Catholics. 

In this balanced attitude toward life to which St. Matthias counsels us, we can also see the opposite of Judas who had an unbalanced craving for money, a strong avarice. By yielding to this vice, he became a thief, pilfering money destined for Our Lord and the Apostles as well as for the poor. This vice went so far as to induce him to sell his Lord and his God for thirty silver coins. This is one example that shows us St. Matthias’ vocation as opposed to the actions of Judas. 

It does not give a complete picture of his life, but pierces the veil of silence that surrounds him. Only at the Last Judgment shall we know how he fully accomplished his vocation, which before God wiped out the stain left by Judas in the primitive Church.

Let us ask St. Matthias to intercede for us and give us loyalty, honesty, detachment and equilibrium in face of the sufferings and pleasures of life. 

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

National walk for life in Ottawa

On the 14th May 2009 is the annual National walk for life in Ottawa. The capital of Canada. As you my reader may not know, Canada allows abortions right upto the ninth month. I ask you to pray for my newly adopted home country that her leaders may change these terrible murderous laws. Canada also allows homosexual unions and terms them as marriage. Please pray for us. 

Feast of Our Lady of fatima - 13th May 2009

Today is the feast of Our Lady of Fatima. Let us read the commentary by Dr. Plino


From a certain point of view, the contemporary era is one of mysteries. The Second World War, for example, was a war of mysteries. No war has been so shrouded in mysteries than WWII. To cite only two examples:

How can the fall of France to Germany be explained? France had built the supposedly impregnable Maginot Line, which was a kind of Chinese Wall to protect itself from any German invasion. Why didn’t the French people, one of the most intelligent and courageous peoples in the world, protect their borders with Belgium? But they did not, and the Germans invaded France from there. It is even more difficult to explain given that the Germans had already invaded France in WWI in exactly the same way, through Belgium.

Another mystery surrounds the capture of Rudolph Hess on his way to Scotland. Hess was a Deputy Führer and considered the heir to Hitler. At a certain moment, the news reported that he was in a small plane flying over England and Scotland, the plane crashed, he parachuted out, and broke his leg on landing. Since he could not walk, he was captured. What was a man of the importance of Hess doing on such a dangerous flight, unprotected, at a time when England and Germany were at war? A mystery.

Another mystery of our era regards the Fatima message. At Fatima in 1917 Our Lady confided a secret message to Sister Lucy to be revealed to the world at a certain prescribed time. This secret message was linked to a public one, which she gave the three young seers. She confided the secret to Lucy, who was supposed to reveal it or give to others to reveal at a certain moment. It is a prodigiously important mission, to have a message from Our Lady. Our Lady wanted to warn mankind about some very important things. This was the reason for the secret.

Our Lady left one of the seers on earth to be in charge of this secret and either speak out at the proper moment and make it known, or tell someone in authority that the moment to reveal it had arrived. I have never heard of anything like this in the 20 centuries of the History of the Church. A person received a message from Our Lady in 1917, and until today, 1977, 60 years later, the secret has not been revealed.

During these 60 years, the decadence in customs predicted by Our Lady in Fatima has risen to an unimaginable degree. The Communism foreseen by Our Lady took power in Russia and spread throughout the world. And this enigmatic messenger has remained quiet. On one occasion, she did have some words to say. It was when a remarkable display of aureole borealis was visible across Europe in 1938, a year before World War II began. When this occurred, Sister Lucy from her cloister in Spain spoke out and said that this was the sign given by God that a chastisement of mankind was imminent. Then, afterwards, again she was quiet. Time is passing, world events have reached a crucial stage, but she remains silent. It is a mystery hanging over the secret.

What we can realize is that a message with these special conditions must be a very important one, a key-revelation of human history.

Can one at least conjecture the content of this message? Nothing forbids one from doing so. There are certain indications that lead one to conclude that this secret is an addendum to the revelations of Fatima that are already known. Both messages were given on the same occasion, by the same person to the same person. Also, several parts of the known message of Fatima are not entirely clear and seem to require further explanation. Now then, a confidential addendum to a known message normally addresses the same topic. Someone who writes a letter and adds a post-scriptum usually touches on some aspect of the letter’s topic. The unity of the revelation of Our Lady induces one to suppose that this would be the case with regard to the message she gave.

These are the topics addressed in the known message: an enormous sin committed by mankind that becomes increasingly worse; a chastisement being prepared for that sin. She foretold that if mankind would convert, then “Russia will be converted, and there will be peace. If not, Russia shall spread her errors throughout the world, promoting wars and persecution of the Church; the good will be martyred, the Holy Father will have much to suffer, various nations will be annihilated.”

We can see that Russia plays a decisive role in the message. It brings either the reward or the chastisement for mankind. Therefore, this part leads one to think that the secret also relates in some way to Russia and its errors, that is, Communism. You can see that there is a mystery about Russia. One could suppose the secret would give a word of clarification on it.

The progressivists and revolutionaries do not like to speak about Fatima. Almost no progressivist priest gives a sermon on Fatima. There is a kind of tacit prohibition to speak about it. It seems they suspect that something in the secret would oppose their movement. Do they know the secret?

It is currently said that the secret is given to each new Pope to read. So, the Pope knows it, and also has the right to reveal it to anyone he chooses. To whom would Paul VI possibly have given the secret to read? We can easily conjecture that it would not be to anyone on the right. He probably revealed it to elements of the left. So, one can suppose that Progressivism knows about it and does not want to speak about it.

What we have, then, is this situation: Our Lady wants the secret to be revealed; her enemies want to keep it hidden. Why does Our Lady permit her adversaries to contradict her will? A mere glance from her would suffice, and all the devils would flee in terror. An Angel could appear to Sister Lucy and open the door of her convent like the Angel that opened the door of the prison of St. Peter, and order her: “Leave this place and announce the secret.” Why doesn't Our Lady exercise her power over the Devil? Why doesn’t God send an Angel to liberate Sister Lucy? Here we have another mystery. There is a mysterious design of God whereby He allows the Devil to obscure the light of Fatima.

It is an invitation for the sons and daughters of Our Lady to try to understand the secret by a reasonable analysis. This is what we are doing here.

Let me go a step further. The reason for a secret to be held back with this extraordinary care must be that it is extraordinarily harmful to the enemy. What secret could be so damaging to the enemy? What things, if said in 1917, could be harmful for the Church, and if said today, could cause the defeat of the enemies of the Church? The answer to this question can shed light on the secret’s content.

In 1917 Our Lady could have told Lucy to reveal the secret at that time. But she did not, because this would have damaged the Church. So, in the secret is something that was harmful to the good then, and is harmful to the evil today. What would that be?

A probable answer to this question could be the decadence that has entered the Catholic Hierarchy today as a chastisement of mankind. If this situation would have been revealed in 1917, it would have caused scandal and countless apostasies. But if it were revealed now, it could certainly damage Progressivism.

Imagine if this were the secret:

“My children, in the near future a time will come when a weakened and disoriented Communism will lose its influence over public opinion, but it will be supported and re-installed by the Pope, Cardinals, countless Bishops, priests, and religious men and women. You must resist them! To fight for the Papacy and the Hierarchy is to fight against the bad orientation they are giving the Church.”

This could be the secret.

Isn’t it true that this could produce an extremely healthy reaction among Catholics and in Russia that could change the situation? I certainly think so.

How will the secret be revealed? Will Sister Lucy be the necessary messenger to reveal the secret? These are other mysteries. Our Lady told Jacinta that Sister Lucy would go to Heaven. I do not know if she has to reveal the secret, or if the secret could be revealed by another source. At any rate, her existence is extremely valuable to prevent a false secret from being presented as the true one. I think the enemies could very well invent a false secret. The only guarantee we have for this not to happen is her witness.

Some time ago during Paul VI’s pontificate, a news item reported that a thief entered the Vatican and stole, among other things, the sealed envelope that contained the secret of Fatima from the special room where it was kept. As far as I know, the report was never denied. So it can be that the secret is no longer with Sister Lucy but somewhere else, with this thief. If this is true, then Our Lady can find a way for this envelope to be found and opened. This could be the atomic bomb of Our Lady. She would be reserving it to drop on the public at a certain moment. We should ask her to use this weapon she has held in reserve for so long.

In one of his famous dreams, St. John Bosco saw the enemy entering the Vatican; the Pope, followed by a multitude of Bishops, priests, religious men and women were leaving the Vatican, immersed in a cloud of smoke that became increasingly dense. The Pope was acting like a mad man in the dense fog of smoke. Then, an Angel appeared and spoke to the Pope, advising him to fight against the invading enemy. The Pope followed the counsel and returned to the Vatican. The smoke disappeared, and the enemy was defeated.

One is induced to ask if this dream has a symbolic sense. Does it represent a Pope who abandons the Catholic cause, and the Church that enters a period of confusion and obscurity?

The question is: Is the secret of Fatima related to such a situation? If it is, then instead of a policy of flight and conciliation, shouldn’t the Vatican adopt a strategy of a strong fight against the enemies of the Church who are within?

You can see how the dream of St. John Bosco and the secret of Fatima may be harmoniously linked.

I end these comments on the mystery of Fatima by suggesting that you pray to Our Lady to find a way to reveal her secret.

Monday, May 11, 2009

St. Ignatius of Laconi - 11 May 2009

His feast is celebrated MAY 11 The second of nine children born to Matthew Peis and Anna Maria Sanna first saw the light of day on December 18, 1701. In baptism, he received the name Francis Ignatius Vincent, but was known as Vincent. The family was economically poor, cultivating a small plot of land in the village of Laconi on the island of Sardinia. Difficulties had marked Anna Maria's pregnancy with Vincent which prompted her to dedicate the unborn child to Francis of Assisi, promising that, in return for a safe delivery, the child would enter the Franciscan Order. The Peis family provided for the religious education of Vincent who received the sacraments of confirmation and Eucharist on May 17, 1707. Vincent loved to go to church which he called "my home." Noticing the youngster's prayerful attitude, people called him "the little saint."

Vincent felt drawn to the contemplative life and would openly speak of his vocation to become a Franciscan. However, his father would not permit him to pursue religious life because the survival of the family depended on Vincent's help. During adolescence, Vincent fell seriously ill. He promised that, if he recovered, he would become a Capuchin. Despite Vincent's recovery, Matthew continued to oppose his son's resolve. Toward the end of 1712, Vincent confronted his parents with the vow he had made to enter the Capuchins, and their resistance vanished. On November 2, 1721, the 20-year-old Vincent, together with his father, traveled to Cagliari. At St. Anthony Friary, situated on the hill called Buoncammino, Vincent made his request to Francis Mary of Cagliari, the Capuchin provincial minister. The minister's response was a quick, cold "no." The provincial judged that Vincent's frail constitution was too much of an obstacle for living the austere, rigorous life of a Capuchin. The family had recourse to the Marquis of Laconi, Don Gabriel Aymerich, protector of the Peis family, asking that he intervene on Vincent's behalf. On the follow

ing day, the marquis and the provincial minister met and decided to allow Vincent to enter the Capuchins.

On November 10, 1722, at the isolated novitiate of St. Benedict the Abbot, Vincent laid aside the traditional Laconese costume, was invested with the Capuchin habit, and given the name, Ignatius. Louis of Nureci was his novice director. Firmly founded in the tradition of unquestioning obedience and humble service, Ignatius professed vows a year later, after which, he ministered as cook and fuller. For the last 40 years of his life, he served as questor for the friary of Buoncammino.

Ignatius was illiterate, his grammar poor and his dialect rough. Still, everyone welcomed him because they recognized his holiness. He always set out on his quest with rosary in hand and eyes cast down. There was hardly a house in Cagliari, especially in the poorer district of Stampace, that hadn't welcomed the brother. People would give alms to Ignatius more out of personal devotion to him than out of charity. Despite their own need, even the poor would offer some gift. Ignatius would courteously refuse their offering, telling them, "Take this offering for yourselves right now; give it to me sometime in the future when I ask you for it." Despite being held in high esteem by others and being referred to as the "holy friar," Ignatius was very self-effacing. Conscious of his own human weakness and the shortcomings of his natural temperament, Ignatius focused on his need of God's pardon and mercy. He never sought personal prestige or recognition. His words, though unpolished, always reflected a faith perspective. To those who came to him for comfort, he would advise, "Trust God." In numerous instances, God's healing power was channeled through this "apostle of the streets."

Ignatius had a deep devotion to the Virgin Mary. Once, while assigned as cook at Iglesias, as he was drawing water from the well the keys to the friary storeroom fell into the well. Ignatius knelt down and devoutly recited three "Hail Mary's". When he retrieved the bucket, the keys were found inside. Although blind for the last two years of his life, Ignatius was still actively engaged in ministry until just a few months before his death. Ignatius died on May 11, 1781 at the friars' infirmary at Buoncammino. He was buried in a separate vault next to the chapel of Our Lady of the Angels at the Buoncammino friary. His tombstone reads: "cum sanctitatis acclamatione." Due to a number of factors: the political events affecting the island‹especially the French Revolution and the suppression of religious orders‹and the conflicting interests of some of the Capuchin superiors of Cagliari, the cause for beatification was not begun until July 16, 1844. It was Pius XII who beatified Ignatius on June 16,1940 and canonized him on October 21, 1951.