Blessed Dalmatius Moner

arms-of-the-dominican-orderThis Dominican Blessed, who was noted particularly for his observance of poverty, lived in the early years of the Order and helped to establish the high reputation of the Spanish religious.

Blessed Dalmatius was born in Aragon, in 1291, and we know nothing else about his life before he entered the Order. He was a member of the province of Aragon and gave a perfect example of strict observance of the rule and the spirit of religious detachment from things of earth. All that we know about him, are a few anecdotes, none of which can be fixed with certainty as to date or place.

We read that his spirit of poverty was so extreme that he never wore a habit or cappa that was not in tatters. He picked up his wardrobe from the cast-offs of his brethren, and, since the spirit of poverty was quite rigid in this providence, the cast-off clothes must have looked a sight. Dalmatius seemed to make a virtue of this, since all the records we have make mention of it. As to food, he never ate fish or eggs, and lived on a diet of hard bread and unseasoned vegetables, to which he added a few ashes during Lent. The beds in the house were hard enough for most people, but not for him. He slept on the bare earth when he could not get into the church to pray and take an occasional nap, his head rested on the altar step.

Dalamtius is credited with several miracles, which included healing and spiritual assistance. At one time, a novice was tempted to leave the Order. Dalmatius, going about it without being told, sought out the novice and solved his difficulties. At another time, a mother whose small child had a serious eye disease came looking for Dalmatius to heal her child. The friar refused, because, he said, this affliction would save her child from serious sin, and that God was waiting till some time in the future to heal him.

During the last forty years of his life, Dalmatius lived in the cave of Saint Mary Magdalene, in the south of France, where he had gone on a pilgrimage of devotion. Here he was favored with numerous ecstasies and great spiritual insight. One time, while he was in the cave, a group of friars from his own province where lost in the woods in a bad storm. They prayed to him to help them, and a young man came with a lantern and guided them home.

Dalmatius died in his own convent in the presence of all the friars and provincials who had gathered for a chapter. He was declared blessed in 1721.

Born: in 1291 near Gerona in Spain

Died: 1341

Beatified: Pope Innocent XIII confirmed his cult in 1721

Commemoration of Our Patriarch, Saint Dominic, in Soriano

cropped-black-st-dominic.jpgThe event commemorated in this festival is the appearance in the Dominican Convent of Soriano, in the extreme south of Italy, of a miraculous picture of Saint Dominic, which is still preserved, and is held in the utmost veneration even in our own day. A certain Father Vincent of Catanzara in Calabria, in the year 1510, was thrice commanded by Saint Dominic in vision to found a Convent of the Order at Soriano, a work which he accomplished in spite of considerable obstacles which were not overcome without miraculous intervention. It had been decided that the Convent should be built on the plain, but the cross which had been planted to mark the destined site was found to have been mysteriously removed in the night to the hill on which the building was eventually erected, and where it still stands. Several years later, on September 15, A.D. 1530, just as the religious were assembling to chant Matins at midnight, the Sacristan suddenly beheld three ladies of majestic aspect enter the church, which he knew he had left locked before retiring to rest. One of them addressed him, asking to whom the church was dedicated and whether it contained a picture of its patron. The Friar replied that the church was dedicated to Saint Dominic, but that, owing to the great poverty of the Community, only a badly painted fresco of the Saint was to be found upon its walls. Then the unknown lady put into his hands a roll of canvas, which till then she had carried in her hand, and bade him take it to his Superior, who bore the title of Vicar, the little Convent not having yet been erected into a Priory. The Vicar, astonished at the sight of the picture, which proved to be a portrait of Saint Dominic, hastened to the church to thank the giver, but all three mysterious visitors had disappeared, though the outer doors still remained locked. The following night Saint Catharine of Alexandria appeared to one of the Fathers, who had a great devotion to her, and told him, in answer to his prayers, that the donor of the picture was no other than the Blessed Virgin, and that the two who had accompanied her were the patronesses of the Order, Saint Mary Magdalen and herself.

In obedience to the express command given by Our Lady to the Sacristan when bestowing the picture, it was placed over the High Altar; but, as the wall against which it hung was extremely damp, the Fathers afterwards decided on removing it to another altar, near the door of the church. The following morning, however, the picture was again found hanging over the High Altar. The Vicar, believing that it had been removed thither by the Sacristan from a desire to execute to the letter the orders given him by the Mother of God, severely reproved him, and had the picture carried back to the altar agreed upon. The next day, it once more appeared over the High Altar. Again the Sacristan was charged with obstinacy and disobedience. In vain he protested that he had never touched the picture. The Vicar ordered it to be replaced near the door, and on the following night locked the church himself and kept the keys in his own possession. Nevertheless on the third morning it was again discovered over the High Altar. Convinced at length that its removal was the work of no human hand, the Vicar allowed it to remain in the spot which Our Lady had chosen for it, and where it has ever since remained, miraculously preserved from being injured by the damp.

When the picture was exposed to public veneration, a multitude of prodigies took place, the account of which fills volumes. No less than sixteen hundred of these miracles, juridically attested, took place within the space of seventy-eight years. Pope Innocent XII., in the year 1644, granted a festival in commemoration of this event and of the vast number of miracles vouchsafed before the holy picture. On September 15,1870, just five days before the sacrilegious occupation of Rome by the troops of Victor Emmanuel, a new prodigy took place at Soriano. A wooden statue of our holy Father, Saint Dominic, of life-size, had been exposed in the sanctuary on occasion of the festival, and was to be carried in procession in the evening. This statue was suddenly seen to move like a preacher in the pulpit ; it advanced and drew back ; the right arm rose and fell; the countenance became animated, sometimes assuming a severe and threatening aspect, at other times appearing sad, or again full of sweetness and reverence as it turned towards the picture of our Lady of the Rosary. This extraordinary spectacle lasted for an hour and a half, and was witnessed by about two thousand persons. Some of the bystanders, to satisfy themselves that there was no trickery in the matter, removed all the surroundings of the statue and completely stripped the table on which it was standing. These measures only served to place the miraculous nature of the occurrence beyond the possibility of a doubt. A juridical inquiry was held by order of the Bishop of Mileto, in whose diocese Soriano is situated, and the extraordinary event was announced to the Order in a circular letter by the Most Reverend Father Alexander Vincent Jandel, who was then General. In a private letter written by his Paternity shortly afterwards he says : ” I think our holy Father, Saint Dominic, meant to warn us of the impending scourges, and to summon us to do penance; but this warning is in itself an act of mercy on the part of Him who strikes only to heal.”

Prayer

O God, who hast vouchsafed to enlighten Thy Church by the merits and teachings of Thy blessed Confessor, our holy Father, Saint Dominic, grant at his intercession that it may never be destitute of temporal help, and may always increase in spiritual growth. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Commemorations

First Vespers:

Ant. O great Father, Saint Dominic, at the hour of death take us to thyself and while here regard us always graciously.

  1. Pray for us Blessed Dominic,
  2. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Lauds:

Ant. The body of a virgin, the mind of a martyr, the labors of an apostle, have at the end of thy course purchased for thee, O Mendicant of Christ, the reward of life.

  1. The just man shall blossom like the lily.
  2. And shall flourish forever before the Lord.

Second Vespers:

Ant. O light of the Church, doctor of patience, ivory of chasity, freely hast thou dispensed the water of wisdom: herald of grace, unite us to the blessed.

  1. Pray for us Blessed Dominic,
  2. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Prayer:

Let us Pray: O God, who didst vouchsafe to enlighten Thy Church by the merits and teachings of Blessed Dominic, Thy Confessor and our Father, grant through his intercession, that it may never be destitute of temporal help, and may always increase in spiritual growth. through Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

Blessed Mark of Modena

dogMark was born in Modena and entered the convent of the order there in young manhood. He observed the rules with great fidelity, and became noted both for his learning and his holiness, which is a sentence that would fit into nearly every Dominican biography written, and tells us nothing in particular about Mark as a person. However, when we recall the times in which he lived , it becomes clearer to us that anyone who kept the Dominican Rule in its entirety is truly to our notice . The abuses which stirred Savonarola to thundering speech in the pulpits of Ferrara and Florence could not have been absent from all of Italy. It look solid virtue to hold out against the opulent worldliness of the times, and Mark of Modena apparently did a thorough job of it, since he has been beatified.

Mark was made prior of the convent of Pesaro, and the only miracle we have on record (he is supposed to have performed many) took place at his convent. A woman’s little boy had died, and she pleaded with Mark to restore the child’s life. After praying for awhile, Mark turned to her and said, “Madam, your little boy is in paradise. Do not try to get him back again, for his second loss will be worse than this one.” However, she insisted on his working the miracle, and he did so. The child returned to life, and, ten years later, covered with disgrace and opprobrium, died a second time, leaving his mother in worse grief than ever.

Mark of Modena died in 1498, the year that the city of Florence burned Savonarola at the stake. It was a time of terrible happenings in Italy and all Europe. The people of Modena mourned the death of Mark, and went to pray at his tomb. Many of their needs were answered there, and a number of prodigies were reported in connection with the translation of his relics to the Rosary chapel of the church. The bells were said to have rung by themselves, and sweet perfume filled the air. Until recently, his relics were still exposed yearly for veneration during the week of Whitsunday.

Born: in Modena at the beginning of the 15th century

Died: in at Pesaro in 1498

Beatified: by Pope Pius IX in 1857

Pop Quiz Time! ~ Sister Dollie Wilkinson, OPoc

popquizIn a recent conversation with my husband one morning, while we were discussing what to fix for dinner, the thought never occurred to me that there would be no food to fix that evening. Despite food stuff in my cabinet and freezer, I knew that a quick trip to the store would surely provide items that I could turn in to a tasty meal. But what if there were no pantry staples, no meats, or no fresh fruits or vegetables in my fridge? What if I had no money to buy items at the store, or there were no stores around, and all my neighbors or friends also had no food to eat or share? Sounds almost like a plot for an apocalypse movie, where mankind has suffered a crisis, and the modern conveniences we once took for granted were gone. Now also imagine that everything you own, you must carry on your back. Men, women, children…….no one is spared from this hardship. And you are told this is for your salvation, as a means to end suffering and save your people. After walking for a few days, with very little food, would you grumble and complain? This is just what the Israelites did in Exodus 16:2-15:

“The whole congregation of the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” Then the LORD said to Moses, “I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day. In that way I will test them, whether they will follow my instruction or not. On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather on other days.” So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “In the evening you shall know that it was the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, and in the morning you shall see the glory of the LORD, because he has heard your complaining against the LORD. For what are we, that you complain against us?” And Moses said, “When the LORD gives you meat to eat in the evening and your fill of bread in the morning, because the LORD has heard the complaining that you utter against him–what are we? Your complaining is not against us but against the LORD.” Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to the whole congregation of the Israelites, ‘Draw near to the LORD, for he has heard your complaining.'” And as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the Israelites, they looked toward the wilderness, and the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud. The LORD spoke to Moses and said, “I have heard the complaining of the Israelites; say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread; then you shall know that I am the LORD your God.'” In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat.”

Kind of an ungrateful lot, them Israelites! They were led out of Egypt, so they would be saved. And here they are complaining because they don’t have enough to eat. Are we not the same though? How many of us go about our day, whining and complaining over something which turns out to be minor? I know that I do, until I stop and realize how many blessings there are in my life. So, did Moses’ people stop, and praise the Lord for all they have to be grateful for? No, just the opposite. They whined to Moses, saying maybe it would have been better to stay in Egypt, where at least they had food. But our Father, in His infinite mercy, heard their complaints and told Moses, “I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day.”. So though the people did not bring their petitions to the Lord, he heard their cries and provided food enough for them to eat, but only for one day. Why just the one day? To test the Israelites, to see if they were ready to follow and obey His commandments. So the Lord sent birds in the evening, and manna in the morning,

“In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat.””

So why did God test these people? Remember when you were in school? What was the most dreaded part of your day? I’m guessing for many of you, it was knowing you had a test that day. For me, I always detested having a pop quiz. You know that test that teachers like to randomly give you, with no warning and thus no way to study and prepare for. Well, this is what the Lord is doing for the people Moses led out of Egypt. He gave them a pop quiz……a test of faith. How many of us could have passed that test? If we go back to the movie scenario, and you find yourself wandering in the wilderness, no food, very little water, and the only things you own you carry on your back, would you complain to each other, or would you have a strong enough faith to seek help from the Lord?
Every day of your life is a pop quiz from God!  We wake in the morning, some with an agenda set in stone, others with a more flexible schedule. And because we are human, inevitably there are going to be problems and issues that trouble our day. How do we handle these perplexing problems? We could complain to a co-worker, a friend (I do this one quite a lot), or a family member, or…….we could take our worries and troubles to the Lord in prayer. We may not be wandering in the wilderness, but we are still our Father’s children. He will take care of us, if we only have the courage to ask.

Blessed Francis Posadas

Seal_of_the_Dominican_OrderFew Dominicans have had more difficulty getting into the Order than Blessed Francis de Posadas, and he was one of the glories of the convent of the Scala Coeli, in Cordova. It is embarrassing for us to read that the reason for his exclusion was plain and simple snobbery on the part of the superiors of the convent of St. Paul, in Cordova.

Francis was born of a poor young couple who were war refugees, and who had been shunted from place to place until, when Francis was very small, his father’s health failed, and he died in Cordova. The young widow tried several types of work, and finally she was reduced to selling eggs and vegetables at a street stand. She tried to educate her child, for she knew he was very talented, but, without money, it simply was not possible to send him to school. She encourage him to go to the Dominican Church of St. Paul, and he served Mass there every morning from the time he was six or seven years old.

While he was still a very tiny child, he used to gather the other children together for rosary processions or other devotions. The smile of God seemed to rest upon him. For all his poverty, he was a very happy and attractive child, like by everyone; and he was a natural leader among his fellows. Twice during his childhood, he was miracuously saved from death. This fact and his undoubted piety, should have seemed sufficient reason for admitting him into a religious order. However, by the time Francis was old enough, there were two reasons to make his entry difficult: his mother had remarried, and the step-father would not permit him to enter. The Dominicans, moreover, would not have him. They said that they did not want the son of a street peddler.

Francis had friends in the Order, but the prior of the house he wished to enter took a violent dislike to him. It was several years before the young man could overcome the resistance of this man, who, having some influence with the provincial, was stubbornly determined that Francis should not be allowed to enter. Even when the fathers in the convent of Scala offered to take the boy and train him in Latin- so that he could qualify for clerical studies-the vindictive dislike of the prior followed him and almost prevented his acceptance.

Francis was finally accepted, made his novitiate, and gradually overcame all dislike and distrust by his charming manner and his unquestioned talents as student and preacher. After his ordination, he was sent out to preach, and he earned the reputation of being a second St, Vincent Ferrer. His talents as a preacher were rivaled only by his gifts as a confessor. He not only could read hearts and discover sins that had been willfully concealed, but sometimes he was called to one place or another by an interior spirit and shown someone badly in need of the sacraments.

Francis hated the thought of holding authority in the Order. When appointed prior of one of the convents, he remarked that he would much sooner be sentenced to the galleys. He twice refused a bishopric, and he skillfully eluded court honors.

Several remarkable conversions are credited to Francis Posadas. His last tears were a series of miracles wrought in the souls of his penitents. People followed him about to hear him preach, regarding him as a saint and miracle worker. One of his most noted converts was a woman more than one hundred years old- a Moor- with no intention of deserting Mohammedanism.

Francis of Posadas was the author of a number of books which he wrote to assist him in his apostolate. One was a life of St. Dominic. and several were biographies of other saintly people.

After a life filled with miracles, Francis died in 1713. Being forewarned of his death, he made private preparations, but to the last minute he was busy in the confessional before dying suddenly. By the time of his death, not only the Dominicans of Cordova, but the people of all Spain were happy to have him as a fellow countryman. He was beatified a century after his death, in 1818.

Born: Cordona in Spain in 1644

Died: In 1713 of natural causes

Beatified: He was declared Blessed by Pius VII in 1818

Blessed John of Massias

John Masias was born in Ribera, in Spain, and, when very small, he was left as orphan. He was adopted by a kindly uncle who set him to heJohn of Massiasrding his sheep. The little boy was naturally pious, and passed his spare time in sayingthe Rosary. Our Lady and the Christ Child appeared to him several times, and he was often visited by his patron, St. John the Eveangelist, who once showed him a vision of heaven, telling him: “This is my country.”

When John was about twenty, he went to Mass in the church of the Dominicans in a neighboring city. For the moment, it seemed to him that vocation was joining the Friars Preachers now, but St. John appeared to him, telling him he must go elsewhere. In 1619 he embarked for the Indies, where many Spaniards were going, either to convert the natives or to seek a fortune. After a long and hazardous journey, he arrived in Lima.

There were at the time four convents of the Friar Preachers in Lima: the College of St. Thomas; the house of St. Rose, where Sister Rose of St. Mary had died just five years before; Santo Domingo or Holy Rosary, where the holy lay brother, Martin de Porres, was performing such astounding miracles; and the convent of St. Mary Magdalen, which was small and poor. John decided to enter St. Mary Magdalen and, in 1622, he received the habit of a lay brother there. On the night of his profession, devils appeared to tempt and reproach him. He was attacked bodily, and, although he was called on Jesus, Mary and Joseph for help, the demons continued what was to become twelve years of torture, by actually throwing him from one cloister to another.

John was appointed assistant to the porter, and lived in the gatehouse. There the poor came for food, and the rich for advice. He became adept at begging for the poor, always managing to find enough for the more than two hundred people who came daily for help. He had little use for the wealthy and curious, and would sometimes baffle them by simply disappearing while they were looking at hi,. Also, legend relates that he had a little burro that he would send out by itself, with a note asking for what was needed in one of the empty panniers on its back. Told where to go, the burro made his route faithfully; and if the rich man on whom he called was ungracious, or even hid himself to avoid giving alms, the little burro made quite a noise, and it quickly brought the desired results.

Rays of light streamed from the blessed’s face as he taught the catechism to the poor, or prayed by himself in the gatehouse. He said an amazing number of rosaries and made no less than twenty daily visits to the Blessed Sacrament. He is said to have liberated more than a million souls in purgatory, many of whom came back , while he was at prayer , to thank him for his help.

One day a certain ship captain came to the gatehouse and asked to look around. John took him by the arm and led him to the crucifix, warning him to look well on it and think of his sin. Terrified, the captain fell to his knees, confessing that he was an apostate religious, thirty years away from the sacraments, and he begged for a priest. On another occasion, the brothers were building a flight of steps and, having measured a beam wrong, they were annoyed because it did not fit. John took the beam in his hands and stretched it to fit their needs. These, and many other miracles, led people to venerate him as a saint during his lifetime. His recreation was to talk of the things of God with the other holy lay brother, Martin de Porres

At the time of his death, Our Lady, St. Dominic, his patron, St. John and many other saints, came to accompany him to heaven. They were seen by some of the brothers.

Born: March 2, 1585 at Ribera del Fresno, Estramadura, Spain

Died: September 16, 1645 in Lima, Peru of natural causes

Beatified: In 1837 by Pope Gregory XVI

Jesus’ Cross: Barbaric Baggage or Blessed Beacon? ~ Br. Jay Van Lieshout, Postulant

are we there yetSymbols: since the dawning of human society, we have used symbols to convey thoughts, ideas and concepts.  We have developed a whole system by which we can pass on ideas and information from person to person, from generation to generation: spoken language where complex patterns of sounds recreate the stories and emotions of our daily lives, the written word where lines and squiggles are phonic representations and signals of rhythm and inflection.  We humans have filled our universe with the echoes of our history, our knowledge, our emotions, our joys, our pain, our hate and our love; from sounds fading into the ether to our graffiti marks in the hard surfaces of our environment or on leaflets of skin and cellulose.  But still the greatest and most powerful, and often the simplest, of all human symbols is the image.  Whether it is a handprint on the wall of a subterranean cavern to say “I was here”, or an emoticon of a smiling face, recognition is immediate and the attached emotions are clear and powerful.

For Christians, the most powerful of all symbols is a simple set of two lines intersected to form a cross. Simple, elegant in design and filled with emotion;  one simple icon that conveys more in a single flash of viewing than has been scribbled in 2000 years; or is it?  During his homily for the Feast of the Exultation of the Holy Cross, the Arch Bishop talked about a new offshoot of Christian teaching in which the cross is stripped of much of its power and is relegated to nothing more than a barbaric symbol of execution; no more fulfilling of prophecy, no more sacrificial lamb of salvation, no more looking to the cross, being healed and given life- just a symbol of meaningless death and the potential death of a symbol.

Needless to say I was appalled and my mind filled with screams of “what about” this or that; for a moment I felt like Peter staring at Jesus after hearing one of His parables.  Once the dust settled it was time to contemplate, to stare at the cross and ask “ok, so why should you be so important to a Christian, why should you be so venerated, why should you be such a powerful symbol of our faith?”

Our journey begins with the Old Testament reading for the feast.  A typical Moses in the wilderness story, God is leading the Israelites to the promised land, Moses is co piloting, the masses are in the proverbial back seat whining “I’m hungry, I’m thirsty, she’s touching me, it’s hot, are we there yet, when are we gonna get there?”  God the Father gets mad, sends some venomous snakes, cleans house and then tells Moses to make a bronze serpent, put it on a pole and if anyone gets bitten, they are to look at the serpent and live.  Seemingly another old story which doesn’t really fit anywhere so let’s just attached to one of the Sundays and hope no one notices.  But is it really just that?    Instant message from God: “ Think Symbols”.

This recount of the journey of the Israelites is more than just a simple story if you think in terms of the symbolic.  We have the people of God wandering the desert looking for the Promised Land, the Eden here on earth where the people and God live in harmony.  This is a straight forward enough analogy of our daily spiritual journey where each of us seeks to be closer to God and find the joy and freedom from our transgressions.  There is Moses, God’s man on Earth, trying to teach and lead God’s people to this Earthly Eden, a man with power and knowledge who is often at his wits end on what to do with this stubborn flock of well meaning but unruly sheep.  Then there are the serpents, a symbol for yetzer ha-ra,, the Hebrew version of Satan, the provocateur sent by God, but unlike the modern Christian view of Satan, this is a minion under God’s control, it is the ambition in each human and hot desire in each of us, the DRIVE with which we can do great things for the good of all as God so desires, or by which we can do evil and so turn away from God; it’s our choice for He has given us free will.    And lastly there is the Serpent on a Stick (it almost sounds almost like some ancient fast food delicacy), a Hebrew version of the caduceus, the rod of Alcepius, the Greek god of healing, seen in most medical offices today, and for the Hebrew a symbol which when looked upon restores life to the bitten.

The stage is set, the symbols defined, it’s time for lights, camera, and action!  Moses is attempting to lead his people along the path of righteousness; back to God, to the promised ancestral homeland, to Eden on earth, all the while God the Father is watching the trials and tribulations from a good distance.  Enter stage left, yetzer ha-ra whose venomous bit leads some people astray and they become lost, confused, crazed.  God then tells Moses to erect a standard, a serpent on a pole for the people to see.   Some people choose to turn their back to this  desert lighthouse, they wander away and by their actions separated from God and die.  Others who look on this symbol, this beacon from God are healed, are redirected toward the right path, returning to God and the life that the Father gives to his people; they have been saved.  And cut.  And thus the message has been delivered, turn your eyes from God, choose sin and die or look to God, see His light, follow the path of righteousness and LIVE.

And so let us return our focus on the cross, this symbol of Christianity; how does veneration of the cross of Christ relate to Moses’ serpent on a stick?  Like Moses, Jesus was sent by the Father to guide His people back along the path of righteousness; Moses’ standard had been destroyed, the people were wandering like lost sheep.   Yetzer ha-ra had filled their hearts with ambition and they ran about in a frenzied state as if they had been bitten by venomous vipers.  Jesus called out to these sheep and some saw and heard his call and so followed Him out of the wilderness, others ignored his call and wandered farther and farther away, only to fall prey to the poison and die.  Now Jesus knew there still were other lost sheep who did not hear his call; and He also knew that the sound of his voice would echo and fade into the ether with time.  So God the Father told him to erect a standard that would stand for all time as a beacon to guide the lost sheep back to His flock.  I sign post to the Promised Land where the flock may safely graze on the fine grasses of Eden.   A sign where the fires of yetzer ha-ra are soothed with a healing balm of love so great that the ultimate gift of a life for the life of another life is given.  And so Jesus does as His Father willed, and willingly was nailed to a post, was erected and hung for all to see His choice to yetzer ha-ra’s temptations: to shed his blood and give his life so that all who look to him may be healed and LIVE.

So is veneration of the cross important to the followers of Christ or is it just a remnant of some barbaric medieval church tradition?  The cross is a reminder of our free will, of our choices in life, of our transgressions we have committed, of those we might commit and of the grace of God given to use when we repent and not only seek forgiveness, but give it in equal and overflowing measure.  The cross is the symbol of what we need to be reminded of each and every minute of each and every day.  To me the spirit of the cross is best reflected by the words of Kierkegaard “Father in Heaven! Hold not our sins up against us but hold us up against our sins so that the thought of You when it wakens in our soul, and each time it wakens, should not remind us of what we have committed but of what You did forgive, not of how we went astray but of how You did save us!”  The cross, like the brass serpent on a pole IS the fundamental symbol of Christ’s mission, of God’s gift to His people, the perfect example of how we are to live, a statement that we are so loved that Christ gave his life so that we might look to him and find life everlasting!  So I ask each and everyone one of you, should we as Christians, bitten by yetzer ha-ra, look to the cross as THE symbol of our faith?  Verily I tell you only if you wish to LIVE!

 

The Feast of OUR LADY OF SORROWS ~ Rev. Deacon Br. Joshua Hatten, OPoc

eyes crying Our Lady of SorrowsMy beloved friends, the reason we call to mind and celebrate this feast is for us to take the time to reflect upon, and  to call to mind, the great sufferings of our Mother, our Lady,  the Mother of God, The Blessed Virgin Mary, which she endured with great compassion.

Traditionally, the church recognizes the SEVEN GREAT SORROWFUL EVENTS the Blessed Virgin Mary had to face with a martyrdom of spirit.  They are:

1) The Prophecy of St. Simeon when our Lord was presented at the temple.

2) The Holy Family’s flight into Egypt.

3) The three days that our Lord was missing, before finding  him  in HIS FATHER’S HOUSE.

4) Our Mother meeting her Son, Our Lord, on his was to Calvary.

5) Our Lady, with St John and St Mary Magdelene at the foot of the cross – watching her son’s physical agony and physical death.

6) The taking of our Lord down from the Cross of Redemption.

7) And our Lord’s entombment and burial.

These are but seven events that we recognize in our Lady’s life… but can we begin to fathom those things she pondered in her heart over the 33 years of being Jesus Christ’s mother??  Can you imagine your child, being destined to save the world by HIS DEATH?  Can you place your mind in our Lady’s mind as the years passed, filled with motherly love and at the same time knowing what was to come?

St Simeon was certainly right when he told Mary “and a sword shall pierce your own heart, too.”  My dear!!  What a sword indeed!!  Her only son, GOD ALMIGHTY – and Mary, knowing all that was to come, gives us, in my opinion, the greatest example of total faith in Christ.  When at the wedding at Cana, she gives us the penultimate instruction:  “DO WHATEVER HE TELLS YOU.”

Take the time today, and every day, to remind yourself that our Lady not only had a motherly love for Jesus – but she also loved and adored and believe on Him as her Lord and Savior.  Her God, the Almighty.

Personally, I believe that as much as we may love anyone – family, friends and even foes, it cannot be greater than the love of the Blessed Virgin Mary for Jesus – her son, her redeemer and her God.  So, on this feast day, let us open our minds and our hearts to take time to solemnly reflect upon these, albeit unfathomable, sorrows of our intercessor and Mother.

Let us ponder these events in our own hearts.  let us keep in mind this sword that pierced our Lady’s own soul. (Saint Luke 2:33).   And let us pray for our Mother to intercede for us during our own great sufferings – something she too well understands, and because of which, extends her hands toward us to offer her intercession, her holy prayers and mother love for even us who are  sinners.  For Mary truly can say “Look around and see… is any suffering like my suffering?” (Lamentations 1:12)

In spite of her trials and tribulations, and the unimaginable fears and horrors that she faced, Our Lady NEVER lost hope.  She never faltered in her love, compassion and complete faith in her God and her Son.

She is truly our greatest example in following Christ, no matter HOW HEAVY THE CROSSES WE MUST BEAR.  Remember her words:  “DO WHATEVER HE TELLS YOU.”

O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.  O most holy Virgin, Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ: by the overwhelming grief you experienced when you witnessed the martyrdom, the crucifixion, and death of your divine Son, look upon me with eyes of compassion, and awaken in my heart a tender commiseration for those sufferings, as well as a sincere detestation of my sins, in order that being disengaged from all undue affection for the passing joys of this earth, I may sigh after the eternal Jerusalem, and that henceforward all my thoughts and all my actions may be directed towards this one most desirable object. Honor, glory, and love to our divine Lord Jesus, and to the holy and immaculate Mother of God. Amen.

 

 

May God bless you.  +

A Holy Cross~by Fr. Bryan Wolf

obama-administration-no-christians-allowed1Today we celebrate The Exaltation of the Holy Cross.  Symbolic of the discovery of the Cross upon which Christ was crucified by St. Helena in 326, today is a holy day which transcends many Christian denominations. Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans, and Eastern Orthodox among others, proclaim the significance of the Holy Cross. For Christians the Cross becomes the symbol in which to reconcile ourselves to God. The Catholic practice of “making the sign of the Cross” itself becomes a prayer.  Indeed, there is no other more recognizable symbol of Christianity than the Cross.  From car bumper stickers, to jewelry, to cemetery markers and gravestones; even to ornate and sublime churches of every kind- we can easily know who is Christian.  Is this becoming a problem?

In the beginning of Christianity many suffered for their belief and faith in Christ. Many became martyrs, and eventually, saints. Throughout history, even to modern times, many have been persecuted for their Christian faith. During World War II, more than 2600 Catholic priests were executed in the Dachau Nazi Concentration Camp alone. Rebel organizations throughout Central America have used the kidnapping and execution of vowed religious as a means of intimidation. Coptic Christians in Egypt have recently witnessed their churches being damaged, looted and burned.  Most recently extremist there paraded three captured nuns from a Franciscan school they burned, like prisoners of war. So dire are the circumstances in Egypt, that for the first time in 1600 years this past August, prayers and Mass were suspended at the Virgin Mary Monastery for fear of violence.

Now horrifically, the world is confronted by ISIL. Before I continue, I need to convey a little research here. This Islamic terrorist organization, is just that- a terrorist organization. It is not representative of Islamic peoples or the message of their founding prophet Muhammad; for even he considered Jesus a fellow prophet of God and Muhammad preached peace. First known as ISIS (The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria), they desire now to be referred to as ISIL- the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (the Levant being an old French term which refers to all the lands of the Eastern Mediterranean region.) – or to be simple known as The Islamic State.  Their means of influence are barbaric and brutal; so much so that even al-Qaeda, as reported by The Washington Post, has distanced themselves and severed political ties. According to the Human Rights Watch, “they (ISIL) stand to a global jihadist principle for the purification of Islamic and Muslims lands, even to the point of excess for their defense.”

“Open Doors”, a world wide Christian organization based in The Netherlands, tracks Christian persecution throughout the world. Releasing their 2014 list of countries in which Christians are at risk of biased attacks all, except for North Korea, are in Islamic countries. At the top of the list- Syria, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Yemen, Egypt and Sudan.  To dispel the appearance of a “holy war against Christians” ISIL itself maintains “Christians have options”, as reported by Catholics Online. “To avoid death, Christians may convert to Islam or pay a jizya.” A Jizya, is a monetary tax under Islamic law which allows “infidels” (someone who does not profess Islam) to remain in an Islamic country. Usually their homes are marked with a red cross, which itself can bring violence.

Without dispute, we have all witnessed the violence and brutality of late. From the barbaric beheading of journalists to the marched execution of Syrian soldiers in the desert. There indeed does seem to be a holy war brewing. Or more exactly in the words of a Bishop friend of mine, “an unholy war”.

What does this all have to do with The Exaltation of the Holy Cross?  It is a stark reminder of what may need be endured for our Christian faith.  Each day we must affirm our faith and evangelize for our faith. To live by and profess the message of our Lord, Jesus Christ.  Whether it is in the face of radical Islamic extremists or radical Christian extremists, such as the Westboro Baptist Church.  There are fundamental extremists in all denominations who have lost the basic message of their religions- God is peace.

At all peril, we must hold true to the message of the Cross. We must carry our own individual crosses, as Christ carried his before us, (and he helps us carry ours now.) There is indeed a war brewing. A war in which we will be challenged to the foundation of our faith. We pray for God’s mercy and peace. We pray for God’s justice. Indeed, we may find ourselves being God’s instrument of intervention for those who are persecuted and oppressed. For today, it is becoming more apparent that that is the reality behind The Holy Cross.

“Onward Christians soldiers, marching as to war. With the Cross of Jesus, going on before.”

“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven; for in the same way the prophets were persecuted who were before you.” Matthew 5:10-12

 

Saint John Chrysostom

john-chrysostomJohn was born in Antioch, Syria in 349 to Greco-Syrian parents. Pope Benedict XVI describes his mother, Anthusa, as a Christian, and his father as a high ranking military officer. John’s father died soon after his birth and he was raised by his mother, who instilled in him a very human sensitivity and a deep Christian faith.[i]

He was baptized in 368 or 373 and tonsured as a reader (one of the minor orders of the Church).  As a result of his mother’s influential connections in the city, John began his education under the pagan teacher Libanius. From Libanius, John acquired the skills needed for a career in rhetoric, as well as a love of the Greek language and literature.  As he grew older, however, he became more deeply committed to Christianity and went on to study theology under Diodore of Tarsus, founder of the re-constituted School of Antioch.[ii] He lived with extreme asceticism and became a hermit in about 375; he spent the next two years continually standing, scarcely sleeping, and committing the Bible to memory.  He continued living in this way for six years.   As a consequence of these practices, his stomach and kidneys were permanently damaged and poor health forced him to return to Antioch.[iii]

He was ordained as a deacon in 381 by Saint Meletius of Antioch. Further, he was ordained as a  priest in 386 by Bishop Flavian I of Antioch who was also not then in communion with Rome. Over the course of twelve years, he gained popularity because of the eloquence of his public speaking, especially his insightful expositions of Bible passages and moral teaching. The most valuable of his works from this period are his homilies on various books of the Bible, whose aim was induce repentance and conversion.[iv] He emphasized charitable giving and he was concerned with the spiritual and temporal needs of the poor. He also spoke out against abuse of wealth and personal property

One incident that happened during his service in Antioch illustrates the influence of his homilies. When Chrysostom arrived in Antioch, the bishop of the city had to intervene with Emperor Theodosius I on behalf of citizens who had gone on a rampage mutilating statues of the Emperor and his family. During the weeks of Lent in 387, John preached twenty-one homilies in which he entreated the people to see the error of their ways. These made a lasting impression on the general population of the city: many pagans converted to Christianity as a result of the homilies.[v]

In 397, John was requested, against his will, to take the position of Archbishop of Constantinople. He deplored the fact that Imperial court protocol would now assign to him access to privileges greater than the highest state officials.  During his time as Archbishop he adamantly refused to host lavish social gatherings, which made him popular with the common people, but unpopular with wealthy citizens and the clergy. His reforms of the clergy were also unpopular with these groups. He told visiting regional preachers to return to the churches they were meant to be serving, and he set about to be an example:  the austerity of the episcopal residence was meant to be an example for all:  clergy, widows, monks, courtiers, and the rich.[vi]

His time in Constantinople was more tumultuous than his time in Antioch. Theophilus, the Patriarch of Alexandria, wanted to bring Constantinople under his sway and opposed John’s appointment to Constantinople. Being an opponent of Origen‘s teachings, he accused John of being too partial to the teachings of Origen.

Theophilus had excommunicated four Egyptian monks, known as “the Tall Brothers,” over their support of Origen’s teachings. They fled to. and were welcomed by, John. He made another enemy in Aelia Eudoxia, the wife of the eastern Emperor Arcadius, who assumed (perhaps with justification) that his denunciations of extravagance in feminine dress, and extravagance,  were aimed at herself, and he considered such to be pagan.[vii]

Depending on one’s outlook, John was either tactless or fearless when denouncing offences in high places. An alliance was soon formed against him by Eudoxia, Theophilus and others of his enemies. They held a synod in 403 (the Synod of the Oak) to charge John, in which his connection to Origen was used against him. It resulted in his deposition and banishment.[viii]

He was called back by Arcadius almost immediately, as the people became “tumultuous” over his departure. There was also an earthquake the night of his arrest, which Eudoxia took for a sign of God‘s anger, prompting her to ask Arcadius for John’s reinstatement.

The peace was short-lived. A silver statue of Eudoxia was erected near his cathedral. John denounced the dedication ceremonies. He spoke against her in harsh terms.  Once again he was banished, in 404, this time to the Caucasus in Armenia.[ix]

Faced with exile John Chrysostom wrote an appeal for help.   Pope Innocent I protested at this banishment, but to no avail. Innocent sent a delegation to intercede on behalf of John in 405, but he was unable to prevail against the emperor.[x]

In Armenia, John continued to win fame for his preaching and his counsel, further enraging his enemies.  This convinced the emperor to send him further into exile, into a deeper wilderness on the Black Sea.  Never in good health, he was forced to march long distances under horrible weather conditions, and it was in route to this more distant exile, in the city of Comana, at the age of sixty, that he died in 407.  There his relics remained until 438 when, thirty years after his death, they were transferred to Constantinople during the reign of the Empress Eudoxia‘s son, the Emperor Theodosius II (408–450).  Theodosius went to greet John’s coffin upon its entry into Constantinople, and begged forgiveness for his mother.[xi]   As a result of his death, the pope and the Western Church broke off communion with the sees that had persecuted John, and restored this communion only when they had repented.[xii]

John came to be venerated as a saint soon after his death. His disciple, Saint Proclus, Patriarch of Constantinople (434-447), during services in the Church of Hagia Sophia, preached a homily praising his teacher. He said, “O John, your life was filled with sorrow, but your death was glorious. Your grave is blessed and reward is great, by the grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, O graced one, having conquered the bounds of time and place! Love has conquered space, unforgetting memory has annihilated the limits, and place does not hinder the miracles of the saint.”

These homilies helped to mobilize public opinion, and the patriarch received permission from the emperor to return Chrysostom’s relics to Constantinople, where they were enshrined in the Church of the Holy Apostles.

Most of John’s relics were looted from Constantinople by Crusaders in 1204 and taken to Rome, but some of his bones were returned to the Orthodox Church on 27 November 2004 by Pope John Paul II.[xiii]   They are now enshrined in the Church of St. George, Istanbul.

However, the skull of Saint John, having been kept at the Vatopedi Monastery on Mount Athos in northern Greece, was not among the relics that were taken by the crusaders in the 13th century. In 1655, at the request of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, the skull was taken to Russia, for which the monastery was compensated in the sum of 2000 rubles. In 1693, having received a request from the Vatopedi Monastery for the return of Saint John’s skull, Tsar Peter the Great ordered that the skull remain in Russia, but that the monastery was to be paid 500 rubles every four years. The Russian State Archives document these payments up until 1735.

The skull was kept at the Moscow Kremlin, in the Cathedral of the Dormition of the Mother of God, until 1920, when it was confiscated by the Soviets and placed in the Museum of Silver Antiquities. In 1988, in connection with the 1000th Anniversary of the Baptism of Russia, the head, together with other important relics, was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church and kept at the Epiphany Cathedral, until being moved to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior after its restoration.

However, today, the Vatopedi Monastery posits a rival claim to possession of the skull of Saint John Chrysostom, and there a skull is venerated by pilgrims to the monastery as that of St John.

The right hand of Saint John is preserved on Mount Athos, and numerous smaller relics are scattered throughout the world.

Churches of the Western tradition, including the Roman Catholic Church, some Anglican provinces, and parts of the Lutheran Church, commemorate him on 13 September. Some Lutheran and many Anglican provinces commemorate him on the traditional Eastern feast day of 27 January. The Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria also recognizes John Chrysostom as a saint (with feast days on 16 Thout and 17 Hathor).   The Eastern Orthodox Church commemorates him as a “Great Ecumenical Teacher”, together with Basil the Great and Gregory the Theologian. These three saints, in addition to having their own individual commemorations throughout the year, are commemorated together on 30 January, a feast known as the Synaxis of the Three Hierarchs.

There are several feast days dedicated to him:

27 January, Translation of the relics of Saint John Chrysostom from      Comana to Constantinople

30 January, Synaxis of the Three Great Hierarchs

13 September, Repose of Saint John Chrysostom

13 November, Saint John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople

Saint John Chrysostom is remembered because of his eloquence in  preaching and public speaking, and was given the name “Chrysostom” because of it.  The name “Chrysostom” is Greek for “golden-mouthed.”  His writings bear witness to this today.  An anonymous copyist left in writing that his writings “cross the whole globe like flashes of lightening.”[xiv]  John is known in Christianity chiefly as a preacher, theologian and liturgist. Among his homilies, eight directed against Judaizing Christians remain controversial for their impact on the development of Christian anti-Semitism.[xv] His straightforward understanding of the Scriptures – in contrast to the Alexandrian tendency towards allegorical interpretation – meant that the themes of his talks were practical, explaining the Bible’s application to everyday life.

John’s homilies have been one of his greatest lasting legacies.[xvi]   Chrysostom’s extant homiletical works are vast, including many hundreds of exegetical homilies on both the New Testament (especially the works of Saint Paul) and the Old Testament (particularly on Genesis). Among his extant exegetical works are sixty-seven homilies on Genesis, fifty-nine on the Psalms, ninety on the Gospel of Matthew, eighty-eight on the Gospel of John, and fifty-five on the Acts of the Apostles.[xvii]   The homilies were written down by the audience and subsequently circulated, revealing a style that tended to be direct and greatly personal, but was also formed by the rhetorical conventions of his time and place. In general, his homiletical theology displays much characteristic of the Antiochian school (i.e., somewhat more literal in interpreting Biblical events), but he also uses a good deal of the allegorical interpretation more associated with the Alexandrian school.[xviii]

John’s social and religious world was formed by the continuing and pervasive presence of paganism in the life of the city. One of his regular topics was the paganism in the culture of Constantinople, and in his homilies he thunders against popular pagan amusements: the theatre, horse races, and the revelry surrounding holidays.[xix]

John’s homilies on Saint Paul‘s Epistles proceed linearly, methodically treating the texts verse by verse, often going into great detail. He shows a concern to be understood by laypeople, sometimes offering colorful analogies and practical examples. At other times, he offers extended comments clearly intended to address the theological subtleties of a heretical misreading, or to demonstrate the presence of a deeper theme.

One of the recurring features of John’s homilies is his emphasis on care for the needy.[xx]  Echoing themes found in the Gospel of Matthew, he calls upon the rich to lay aside materialism in favor of helping the poor, often employing all of his rhetorical skills to shame wealthy people to abandon conspicuous consumption:

It is not possible for one to be wealthy and just at the same time.  Do you pay such honor to your excrements as to receive them into a silver chamber-pot when another man made in the image of God is perishing in the cold?[xxi]

Beyond his preaching, the other lasting legacy of John is his influence on Christian liturgy. Two of his writings are particularly notable. He harmonized the liturgical life of the Church by revising the prayers and rubrics of the Divine Liturgy, or celebration of the Holy Eucharist. To this day, Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches of the Byzantine Rite typically celebrate the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom as the normal Eucharistic liturgy, although his exact connection with it remains a matter of debate among experts.[xxii]  These same churches also read his Catechetical Homily (Hieratikon) at every Easter, the greatest feast of the Church year.[xxiii]

John’s influence on church teachings is interwoven throughout the current Catechism of the Catholic Church (revised 1992). The Catechism cites him in eighteen sections, particularly his reflections on the purpose of prayer and the meaning of the Lord’s Prayer:

Consider how [Jesus Christ] teaches us to be humble, by making us see that our virtue does not depend on our work alone but on grace from on high. He commands each of the faithful who prays to do so universally, for the whole world. For he did not say “thy will be done in me or in us”, but “on earth”, the whole earth, so that error may be banished from it, truth take root in it, all vice be destroyed on it, virtue flourish on it, and earth no longer differ from heaven.[xxiv]

 

Christian clerics, such as R.S. Storr, refer to him as “one of the most eloquent preachers who ever since apostolic times have brought to men the divine tidings of truth and love”, and the 19th-century John Henry Newman described John as a “bright, cheerful, gentle soul; a sensitive heart.” [xxv]

The Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches honor him as a saint and count him among the Three Holy Hierarchs, together with Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzus. He is recognized by the Eastern Orthodox Church  and the Catholic Church as a saint, and at the Council of Chalcedon in 451 he was named as a Doctor of the Church.  Pope St. Pius X, in the twentieth century, named him patron of preachers.[xxvi]

[i] Pope Benedict XVI, Church Fathers, (San Francisco, CA: Ignatius Press, 2008) p. 98.

 

[ii] Pope Benedict XVI, Church Fathers, (San Francisco, CA: Ignatius Press, 2008) p. 98.

 

[iii] Pope Benedict XVI, Church Fathers, (San Francisco, CA: Ignatius Press, 2008) p. 98.

 

[iv] Pope Benedict XVI, Church Fathers, (San Francisco, CA: Ignatius Press, 2008) p. 99.

 

[v] Pope Benedict XVI, Church Fathers, (San Francisco, CA: Ignatius Press, 2008) p. 99.

 

[vi] Pope Benedict XVI, Church Fathers, (San Francisco, CA: Ignatius Press, 2008) p. 102.

 

[vii] Pope Benedict XVI, Church Fathers, (San Francisco, CA: Ignatius Press, 2008) p. 103.

 

[viii] Pope Benedict XVI, Church Fathers, (San Francisco, CA: Ignatius Press, 2008) p. 103.

 

[ix] Aquilina, Mike, The Fathers of the Church, (Huntington, IN: Our Sunday Visitor, Inc., 1999) p. 178.

 

[x] Aquilina, Mike, The Fathers of the Church, (Huntington, IN: Our Sunday Visitor, Inc., 1999) p. 178.

 

[xi] Aquilina, Mike, The Fathers of the Church, (Huntington, IN: Our Sunday Visitor, Inc., 1999) p. 179.

 

[xii] Aquilina, Mike, The Fathers of the Church, (Huntington, IN: Our Sunday Visitor, Inc., 1999) p. 179.

 

[xiii] Pope John Paul II. “Letter to the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, His Holiness Bartholomew I. Available online.  Accessed 14 October 2011.

 

[xiv] Pope Benedict XVI, Church Fathers, (San Francisco, CA: Ignatius Press, 2008) p. 97.

 

[xv] Laqueur, Walter Laquer, The Changing Face of Antisemitism: From Ancient Times To The Present Day, (Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press, 2006) p. 48.

 

[xvi] Pope Benedict XVI, Church Fathers, (San Francisco, CA: Ignatius Press, 2008) p. 99.

 

[xvii] Catholic Encyclopedia

 

[xviii] Pope Benedict XVI, Church Fathers, (San Francisco, CA: Ignatius Press, 2008) p. 99.

 

[xix] Aquilina, Mike, The Fathers of the Church, (Huntington, IN: Our Sunday Visitor, Inc., 1999) p. 181.

 

[xx] Aquilina, Mike, The Fathers of the Church, (Huntington, IN: Our Sunday Visitor, Inc., 1999) p.  181.

 

[xxi] Aquilina, Mike, The Fathers of the Church, (Huntington, IN: Our Sunday Visitor, Inc., 1999) p. 181.

 

[xxii] Parry, David; David Melling (eds.) The Blackwell Dictionary of Eastern Christianity. (Oxford: Blackwell Press, 2011).

 

[xxiii] Parry, David; David Melling (eds.) The Blackwell Dictionary of Eastern Christianity. (Oxford: Blackwell Press, 2011).

 

[xxiv] Newman, John Henry, “St. Chrysostom” in The Newman Reader (Rambler:1859) available online (see esp. chapter 2). retrieved October 13, 2011.

 

[xxv] Newman, John Henry, “St. Chrysostom” in The Newman Reader (Rambler:1859) available online (see esp. chapter 2). retrieved October 13, 2011.

 

[xxvi] Aquilina, Mike, The Fathers of the Church, (Huntington, IN: Our Sunday Visitor, Inc., 1999) p. 179.