On "Taking the Soup"

Maidan Radicals in Kyiv?

Some years ago an elderly Irish priest explained to me the expression they had at home when he was a child for Irish Protestants, people whose forebears had knuckled under to British oppression and abandoned their Catholic faith: "His father took the soup". It is a quaint Irish way of applying the Old Testament lesson about Esau who sold his birthright as the first born son to his younger twin Jacob for a plate of lentils. More than anything, I guess, as was the case with Esau, it bespeaks an unworthy choice. Throwing something of the sort in the face of another is hard and it is not the side of the coin I'd like to share some thoughts on this morning. We'll let the dead rest in peace and hope for God's mercy.

The other side of the coin has to do with an existential (survival, maybe) choice in the face of peril. It also has to do with facing temptation. This year in Ukraine people were forced by circumstance to move quickly from celebrating the glorious mystery of the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan by John, Theophany - the God-Man revealed in the Mystery of the Holy Trinity, to "page two" of Jesus alone in the desert, tempted by Satan. Violence got the upper hand in what had been a peaceful demonstration.

Jesus' three temptations in the desert (bread, power, subservience to the evil one) are really of epic dimensions, with implications for the Son of Man far exceeding the challenges you and I must face in life. Maybe that is why saying "he took the soup" is so telling for us ordinary folk when we fail to resist temptation. In Ukraine's case, the refusal to take this unsatisfying broth any more and saying so in the public square provoked a crisis, as certain forces could wait no longer and started beating people back for peacefully demanding right rule under law and equality before the law, among other things, in their country. I am talking about countless people like my friends in the picture up top. The matter is not easily understood in Western society where "taking the soup" in one form or another is not uncommon. I will mention only the most timely example from my homeland.

The governor of the State of New York lost it entirely this week in the face of the annual Walk for Life, with its central celebration in Washington, DC, meant to mourn the countless millions of babies in the US killed since the infamous supreme court decision Rowe vs. Wade legalized abortion. With no good sense, Gov. Cuomo ordered people who love and defend life out of "his" state. To understand how he dares spout such folly, it must be recalled that generations of Americans "have taken the soup", trading dignity, their birthright as created in the image and likeness of God, for the passing pleasures of sex without responsibility and killing fellow human beings in the process. Pope Paul VI, in his landmark encyclical "Humanae vitae" in 1968, prophesied that the contraceptive mentality would ultimately be death-dealing and only serve to corrupt human beings and society in most profound fashion. The sad state of our world only serves to underlie the fact that there is a natural law and a proper order of things to be respected even within marriage, read: openness to life.

How can we not pray for and support those who refuse "to take the soup"? Our birthright at the summit of God's creation! Our birthright, born again as we are through water and the Holy Spirit, in the eternal life-giving font of Baptism! 

On this Sunday which Roman Catholics in Ukraine have dedicated to prayer for peace, let this supplication also be in the words of today's Gospel a fervent call to turn away from the death-dealing soup which holds so many bound:

“Hearing that John had been arrested, Jesus went back to Galilee, and leaving Nazareth he went and settled in Capernaum, a lakeside town on the borders of Zebulun and Naphtali. In this way the prophecy of Isaiah was to be fulfilled:

‘Land of Zebulun! Land of Naphtali! Way of the sea on the far side of Jordan, Galilee of the nations! The people that lived in darkness has seen a great light; on those who dwell in the land and shadow of death a light has dawned.’

From that moment Jesus began his preaching with the message, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.’” [Matthew 4:12-17] 

Pray for the watchmen on the ramparts!

PROPERANTES ADVENTUM DIEI DEI

From the Office of Readings for today, the Second Reading for the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, is just too good not to share with a broader readership.

From a homily by Saint John Chrysostom, bishop, For love of Christ, Paul bore every burden

Paul, more than anyone else, has shown us what man really is, and in what our nobility consists, and of what virtue this particular animal is capable. Each day he aimed ever higher; each day he rose up with greater ardour and faced with new eagerness the dangers that threatened him. He summed up his attitude in the words: I forget what is behind me and push on to what lies ahead. When he saw death imminent, he bade others share his joy: Rejoice and be glad with me! And when danger, injustice and abuse threatened, he said: I am content with weakness, mistreatment and persecution. These he called the weapons of righteousness, thus telling us that he derived immense profit from them.

  Thus, amid the traps set for him by his enemies, with exultant heart he turned their every attack into a victory for himself; constantly beaten, abused and cursed, he boasted of it as though he were celebrating a triumphal procession and taking trophies home, and offered thanks to God for it all: Thanks be to God who is always victorious in us! This is why he was far more eager for the shameful abuse that his zeal in preaching brought upon him than we are for the most pleasing honours, more eager for death than we are for life, for poverty than we are for wealth; he yearned for toil far more than others yearn for rest after toil. The one thing he feared, indeed dreaded, was to offend God; nothing else could sway him. Therefore, the only thing he really wanted was always to please God.

  The most important thing of all to him, however, was that he knew himself to be loved by Christ. Enjoying this love, he considered himself happier than anyone else; were he without it, it would be no satisfaction to be the friend of principalities and powers. He preferred to be thus loved and be the least of all, or even to be among the damned, than to be without that love and be among the great and honoured.

  To be separated from that love was, in his eyes, the greatest and most extraordinary of torments; the pain of that loss would alone have been hell, and endless, unbearable torture.

  So too, in being loved by Christ he thought of himself as possessing life, the world, the angels, present and future, the kingdom, the promise and countless blessings. Apart from that love nothing saddened or delighted him; for nothing earthly did he regard as bitter or sweet.

  Paul set no store by the things that fill our visible world, any more than a man sets value on the withered grass of the field. As for tyrannical rulers or the people enraged against him, he paid them no more heed than gnats. Death itself and pain and whatever torments might come were but child’s play to him, provided that thereby he might bear some burden for the sake of Christ.

A Prayer for Peace and Concord

This morning I received from His Beatitude The Most Reverend Sviatoslav Shevchuk, Major Archbishop of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church, a copy of his letter to the Bishops, Clergy and Faithful of the Church inviting them to come together for the Sacred Liturgy tomorrow, 22 January, day celebrating Ukraine's territorial integrity. We all understand the destructive character of the violence which has marked these days. His Beatitude frames his invitation to prayer in the light of one of this people's greatest joys since the Baptism of the Kyivan Rus' over 1025 years ago, namely the territorial integrity of a "greater" Ukraine, a key premise for the people's prosperity and self-determination as such.

In the above video, His Beatitude makes an appeal to all forces in society to put an end to the bloodshed, each doing his or her part to build up the nation. Let us hope for the best! Let us pray for God's mercy upon His people and their nation-building for the sake of generations to come!

On 22 January, that is tomorrow, I will offer Holy Mass according to His Beatitude's intention: for the Ukrainian people and the integrity and prosperity of their nation. I invite all who read this post and my Facebook friends and followers, if you can get to Mass tomorrow to do so, but in any case to pray according to His Beatitude's intention. All my priest friends, who are able, are kindly requested to add this special intention to their Mass tomorrow.

We place all in the hands of the Lord Who loves us and Who saves His people from distress.

Our Struggle Against Principalities and Powers!

"HOPELESSNESS DESTABILIZES the constancy of apostolic leadership. Esau lost his birthright for a plate of lentil stew (Gen 25: 29-34; 26: 34-35; Heb 12: 15-18). Desire for immediate pleasure renders us incapable of sacrifice. We are careless about the things of God because we grow listless. I think that sometimes in our clerical world the lentil stew is any adulation that is offered us. It’s very hard for us not to have the last word, not to utter the always definitive prophecy. We do not like being fools. We have a hard time saying “I don’t know” without feeling disturbed or showing indifference. Leading God’s faithful people sometimes requires us to forgo the urgency of answers and to remember that silence is often the best response of the wise." [Pope Francis; Jorge M Bergoglio (2013-11-18). Open Mind, Faithful Heart (pp. 84-85). The Crossroad Publishing Company. Kindle Edition.] 

Somebody, let me blame Fr. Z, called my attention to this book as a free offer (Why not?). It gave me a little insight or rather served as an additional confirmation of a suspicion. 

Not long ago I finished an Italian best seller on the Holy Father (which I cannot recommend). What troubled me about that book is that for all its pages it simply held the Pope "hostage". The author of that book is a contemporary of mine, who obviously bought all the same tired books which for laziness or wariness I had refused to read as a 20 year old. He trots out a Pope after his own image and likeness. We've seen this again and again since the Holy Father's election. Not only terrorists are big on hostage-taking; it seems to be a favorite pastime with journalists and popular writers as well.

The book "Open Mind, Faithful Heart" is topical Francis and not somebody else's apology for himself laced with Francis "proof texts". What does that change? Well, basically nothing... For me, it points out something which I hadn't really thought enough about, and namely how hard the struggle is for the successor of Peter, how hard it is for him to fulfill the ministry he inherits from the prince of the Apostles, as entrusted to him by Christ Himself, and namely, to confirm the brethren.

St. Paul learned through personal experience that the battle could not be won through enlightened discourse out there with the movers and shakers on the Areopagus. Pope Francis gets my prayers today in a very special way. My specific intention would be that the faithful be enabled to see that the "seas" are no less stormy for him than they were for any of his predecessors since Pius XII. The Pope's "honeymoon" with the liberal press is indeed a strangle hold; it needs to end.

Psalm 10

Prayer for Deliverance from Enemies

1 Why, O LORD, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? 2 In arrogance the wicked persecute the poor— let them be caught in the schemes they have devised.

3 For the wicked boast of the desires of their heart, those greedy for gain curse and renounce the LORD. 4 In the pride of their countenance the wicked say, “God will not seek it out”; all their thoughts are, “There is no God.” 5 Their ways prosper at all times; your judgments are on high, out of their sight; as for their foes, they scoff at them. 6 They think in their heart , “We shall not be moved; throughout all generations we shall not meet adversity.” 7 Their mouths are filled with cursing and deceit and oppression; under their tongues are mischief and iniquity. 8 They sit in ambush in the villages; in hiding places they murder the innocent. Their eyes stealthily watch for the helpless; 9 they lurk in secret like a lion in its covert; they lurk that they may seize the poor; they seize the poor and drag them off in their net. 10 They stoop, they crouch, and the helpless fall by their might. 11 They think in their heart, “God has forgotten, he has hidden his face, he will never see it.”

12 Rise up, O LORD; O God, lift up your hand; do not forget the oppressed. 13 Why do the wicked renounce God, and say in their hearts , “You will not call us to account”? 14 But you do see! Indeed you note trouble and grief, that you may take it into your hands; the helpless commit themselves to you; you have been the helper of the orphan. 15 Break the arm of the wicked and evildoers; seek out their wickedness until you find none. 16 The LORD is king forever and ever; the nations shall perish from his land. 17 O LORD, you will hear the desire of the meek; you will strengthen their heart, you will incline your ear 18 to do justice for the orphan and the oppressed, so that those from earth may strike terror no more. [Harper Bibles (2011-11-15). NRSV Catholic Edition Bible (pp. 495-496). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.]

Looking to the East!

At the risk of repeating myself, I feel compelled to underline a thought or conviction, which comes from first-hand experience here in the Byzantine world of Ukraine, and namely, that Divine Worship also according to the Roman Rite should be oriented. When speaking of the single "offender" within my usual space, that means that the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite (preparation of the gifts and Eucharistic Prayer) ought to take place with everyone in church, including the celebrant, facing toward the Lord, ad Orientem.

Again this year in Ukraine, I had the privilege of celebrating Christmas according to both the Gregorian (25 Dec.) and the Julian (7 Jan.) Calendars. I hope the Pan-Orthodox Synod in 2015 addresses the very important issue of calendar and that we all might be able to sanctify the year with the major feasts on the same days. Meantime, I am personally enriched by the opportunity to experience both. That means for me a much more intense encounter with the Byzantine Liturgy at Christmas time, this year again as celebrated by the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church.

For much less than the space of my lifetime, the Roman Rite has partially forgotten our millennial tradition of everyone praying together facing toward Christ, something which has not been lost to the Byzantine tradition. It is at these times that I understand very clearly just how much your average Roman Catholic Parish has lost. As any hardworking parish priest can affirm, liturgy albeit the "Source and Summit" is not everything. Catechesis has been sorely neglected over these decades as well, producing or contributing to the laxity, but there is no denying that the discursive style of most parish liturgy is diseducative. Any child will tell you that contemporary liturgy is made up by Father of a Sunday or Saturday, with or without the help of the ladies on the liturgical commission, who know next to nothing about what the Church has always and everywhere believed and taught.

I am profoundly grateful to be able to celebrate Mass here in the chapel of the Nunciature with respect for the rubrics ad Orientem. Most priests and bishops, with a bit of study and a little self-push to overcome inertia, would be wonderfully surprised by the benefits of this small change. Obviously, much more needs to be done. In the absence of the regular and worthy celebration of the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, I guess you could say that here in Ukraine one can also draw mutual enrichment from the "other lung", in this case, from the Byzantine tradition.

Let us pray that the Lord will show us His mercy and shine His Face upon us from on high!

PROPERANTES ADVENTUM DIEI DEI

From Above, Yes.

23 After they (Peter and John) were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. 24 When they heard it, they raised their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth, the sea, and everything in them, 25 it is you who said by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor David, your servant: ‘Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples imagine vain things? 26 The kings of the earth took their stand, and the rulers have gathered together against the Lord and against his Messiah.’ 27 For in this city, in fact, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, 28 to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. 29 And now, Lord, look at their threats, and grant to your servants to speak your word with all boldness, 30 while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” 31 When they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness. [Acts 4:23-31] (Harper Bibles (2011-11-15). NRSV Catholic Edition Bible (p. 1018). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.)

I am thinking that more of us should be adhering closer to the Acts of the Apostles as our "road map". Although I am tempted to illustrate on two big issues, I will make just one statement on this Feast of the Baptism of the Lord.

The powerful verses cited above with their multiple references to other passages in Scripture stand at odds to much analysis and discussion simply because they are essential. If the first Christians found themselves in conflict, well, it was over the Name. These verses leave no doubt concerning Who, namely Jesus, is prime.

By the grace of our Baptism in the waters made holy by the Author of Baptism Himself, let us all pray for boldness on this Sunday. May we all find the courage to live and act always for the sake of His Name!

To Be Fed by Him

"Until this comes to pass, until he gives us the sight of what will completely satisfy us, until we drink our fill of him, the fountain of life — while we wander about, apart from him but strong in faith, while we hunger and thirst for justice, longing with a desire too deep for words for the beautiful vision of God, let us fervently and devotedly celebrate the anniversary of his birth in the form of a servant.

  We cannot yet contemplate the fact that he was begotten by the Father before the dawn, so let us hold on to the fact that he was born of the Virgin in the night. We do not yet understand how his name endures before the sun, so let us acknowledge his tabernacle placed in the sun.

  Since we do not, as yet, gaze upon the Only Son inseparably united with His Father, let us remember the Bridegroom coming out of his bride-chamber. Since we are not yet ready for the banquet of our Father, let us acknowledge the manger of our Lord Jesus Christ."

St. Augustine

from the Office of Readings for Jan. 5