Port-Royal, Jansenism, and St. Thérèse: The Hidden Heresy That Still Haunts Catholicism

Madame de Montpeyroux, abbess of Port-Royal Abbey

 From Sensus Fidelium:

One of the greatest spiritual battles in Catholic history was not fought over the Trinity, the Eucharist, or even the papacy. It was fought over the character of God Himself.

Is God primarily a loving Father eager to save?

Or is He chiefly a stern Judge searching for reasons to condemn?

That question gave rise to one of the most influential, and spiritually devastating, movements in Church history: Jansenism.

Although officially condemned by multiple popes, its spirit survived for centuries. It shaped convents, seminaries, confessionals, and even family life. Its influence was so pervasive in France that St. Thérèse of Lisieux spent much of her short life offering what amounts to the Church’s greatest practical answer to it.

Ironically, the story begins not with obvious heretics, but with one of the most admired convents in Europe. (Read more.)

St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus

 

St. Martha's Day

St. Martha of Bethany. It is ironic to me that she who tamed a dragon would also be the patroness of housewives. To quote from Aleteia:

Once there, Martha was immediately sought after for her association with Jesus. According to tradition, she performed many miraculous feats, including the slaying of a dragon along the Rhone river. The Golden Legend provides all the details.

At that time, in the forest along the Rhone between Aries and Avignon, there was a dragon that was half animal and half fish, larger than an ox, longer than a horse, with teeth as sharp as horns and a pair of bucklers on either side of his body. This beast lurked in the river, killing all those who tried to sail by and sinking their vessels … The people asked Martha for help, and she went after the dragon. She found him in the forest in the act of devouring a man, sprinkled him with blessed water, and had a cross held up in front of him. The brute was subdued at once and stood still like a sheep while Martha tied him up with her girdle, and the people killed him then and there with stones and lances.

(Read entire article)

Blessed John Soreth

He founded the first monasteries of Carmelite nuns. From Louange de sa gloire:

John Soreth was born at Caen in Normandy and entered Carmel as a young man. He pursued a doctorate of theology in Paris and served as regent of studies and provincial of the province. He was prior general from 1451 until his death at Angers in 1471. He restored observance within the Order and promoted its reform, wrote a famous commentary on the Rule, issued new Constitutions in 1462, and promoted the growth of the nuns and the Third Order.

Saint Titus Brandsma

Here he is in his prison uniform. Saint Titus was a towering intellect as well as a man of humor, wit and sanctity. He stood up to the Nazis; they put him in Dachau and performed experiments upon him. Before he died, he handed his rosary to the prison nurse and she was converted. He is a saint for our time.

Although neo-paganism no longer wants love, history teaches us that, in spite of everything, we will conquer this neo-paganism with love. We shall not give up on love. Love will gain back for us the hearts of these pagans.

~ Bl. Titus Brandsma, from the Carmelite Proper of the Liturgy of the Hours

Good St. Anne

Everybody needs a Jewish grandmother. There is no need too small or insignificant for St. Anne to concern herself with; she is at home among the pots and pans, in the garden, the grocery store, and especially in the labor and delivery room. I can even see her standing in the living room in the middle of a family fight, trying to intervene. She is powerful with God. Her shrine in Quebec is among the most beautiful in the world. From Abbot Gueranger:

What human lips, unless touched like the prophet’s with a burning coal, could tell the admiring wonder of the Angelic Powers, when the Blessed Trinity, passing from the burning Seraphim to the lowest of the nine choirs, bade them turn their fiery glances and contemplate the flower of sanctity blossoming in the bosom of Anne? The Psalmist had said of the glorious City whose foundations were now hidden in her that was once barren: The foundations thereof are in the holy mountains; and the heavenly hierarchies crowning the slopes of the eternal hills, beheld in her heights to them unknown and unattainable, summits approaching so near to God, that he was even then preparing his throne in her. Like Moses at the sight of the burning bush on Horeb, they were seized with a holy awe on recognizing the mountain of God in the midst of the desert of this world; and they understood that the affliction of Israel was soon to cease. Although shrouded by the cloud, Mary was already that blessed mountain whose base, i.e., the starting point of her graces, was set far above the summits where the highest created sanctities are perfected in glory and love.

How justly is the mother named Anne, which signifies grace, she in whom for nine months were centered the complacencies of the Most High, the ecstasy of the Angelic Spirits and the hope of all flesh! No doubt it was Mary, the daughter, and not the mother, whose sweetness so powerfully attracted the heavens to our lowly earth. But the perfume first scents the vessel which contains it, and even after it is removed, leaves it impregnated with its fragrance. Moreover, it is customary to prepare the vase itself with the greatest care; it must be all the purer, made of more precious material, and more richly adorned, according as the essence to be placed in it is rarer and more exquisite. Thus Magdalene enclosed her precious spikenard in alabaster. The Holy Spirit, the preparer of heavenly perfumes, would not be less careful than men. Now the task of blessed Anne was not limited, like that of a material vase, to passively containing the treasure of the world. She furnished the body of her who was to give flesh to the Son of God; she nourished her with milk; she gave to her, who was inundated with floods of divine light, the first practical notions of life. In the education of her illustrious daughter, Anne played the part of a true mother: not only did she guide Mary’s first steps, but she cooperated with the Holy Ghost in the education of her soul, and the preparation for her incomparable destiny; until, when the work had reached the highest development to which she could bring it, she, without a moment’s hesitation or a thought of self, offered her tenderly loved child to him from whom she had received her. (Read more.)

St. Anne, Beauty of Judea, Mother of the Virgin, pray for us!

(Artwork by Leonardo da Vinci)

St. James the Greater

This is the day to make a mystical pilgrimage to Compostela, to kneel at the tomb of the son of Zebedee, the tomb of Santiago, whose name was the battle cry of Spain. Here is an article from a few years ago by Mary Jo Anderson:

Today is the feast day of Saint James the Greater. Millions of pilgrims have trekked across four ancient pilgrim paths that thread through Europe, converging in  the Pyrenees, then across northwestern Spain to the tomb of  St. James at his shrine in Santiago de Compostela (St. James of the Starry Field). 

Modern pilgrims walk the Camino, “The Way of St. James,” in the footsteps of great pilgrims of the past, including St. Godric of Norfolk, El Cid, St. Francis of Assisi, John of Gaunt, and Lorenzo de Medici. Henry II, father of Richard the Lionhearted, offered to make the pilgrimage in expiation for the murder of St. Thomas Becket. Historians credit the forging of a common European identity to  the Camino de Santiago. Through the centuries Christian pilgrims have built great monasteries, abbeys, and hospitals along these roads, along with a shared culture—art, architecture, fashion, literature, and faith. 

Pilgrimage fervor suffered when the Reformation split Europe, dividing European identities and loyalties. Interest surged again in the 1980s; today more than a quarter million pilgrims a year set off for Santiago where archeologists have found inscriptions for the Apostle’s two disciples, and where Christians believe the Son of Zebedee himself lies in a silver casket.

The apostle James, along with his brother John, and Simon Peter were Jesus’ confidantes. They alone among the apostles were present at the Transfiguration and in the Garden of Gethsemane. James preached in Spain after the disciples went forth following the Resurrection. He was beheaded by Herod Agrippa in 42 A.D., the first apostle to die, the first apostle martyred. His followers returned James’ body to Spain, burying his remains in Galicia in the northwestern corner of the peninsula. And there the apostle lay forgotten until 813, when most of Spain groaned under the Saracen boot. 

A Muslim storm burst from North Africa over most of Iberia in 711 A.D. taking Christians captive, pillaging towns and swarming north over the Pyrenees into France. By 800, Christians had been backed into the northernmost region and a humiliating tribute of a 100 virgins per year was demanded of local governors. 

The twelfth-century collection of history, verse, liturgy, and travelogue about the Camino, known as Codex Calixtinus, records a legend that Charlemagne himself had a vision of a knightly protector who identified himself as St. James (Sant Iago, Santiago), the apostle of Jesus Christ:

Look you, my body is in Galicia, but no man knoweth where and the Saracens oppress the land…the starry sky signifies you shall go to Galicia at the head of a great host and after you all peoples shall come in pilgrimage even till the end of time…and your name shall abide in the memory of man until the Day of Judgment. 

The warrior emperor was to liberate the roadway that ran to the tomb. In Galicia, James’ burial crypt had been rediscovered in 813 and a small chapel was built (by Bishop Teodomir) to protect it. Myth or miracle, a rout now known as the Battle of Clavijo was fought in the year 844  by desperate Christians with their backs against the mountains, led by Ramiro 1 of Asturias. Suddenly, there appeared a heavenly horseman, sword aloft, who slew every Muslim in his path: Santiago Matamoros. Inspired by their champion, the faithful began the reconquest of Spain. 

Seven hundred years later Queen Isabella finally recovered all of Spain from Muslim rule. She immediately pawned her jewels to finance Christopher Columbus. Isabella, who built hospitals for pilgrims along the Camino, knew that Christianity must evangelize any lands beyond the horizon, lest Mohammed’s forces dominate the world.  Today’s politically correct agenda overlooks Isabella’s urgent hope. But there is confirmation of her intent in a letter from Columbus to an official “Treat the Natives with the utmost kindness. Protect them from all wrong and insult…and ever bear in mind that their majesties are more desirous of the conversion of natives than any riches to be derived from them.” (Read more.)

The Blessed Martyrs of Guadalajara

There were many atrocities perpetrated upon priests and religious in Spain during the bloody Civil War of the 1930's. In 1936, three Carmelite nuns were shot. Today is their feast, and here is their story:

Sr Maria Pilar of St Francis Borgia, the eldest of the martyrs at 58, was born Jacoba Martinez García in 1877.  Her elder sister was a Carmelite nun but as a teenager, Jacoba said she didn’t believe it was possible that God might also want her to be a nun, since she herself did not want it!  It seems she changed her mind when she attended the Profession of her sister and she entered the monastery of St Joseph in Guadalajara at the age of 20.  She had a great devotion to the Eucharist and referred to the Blessed Sacrament as “El Vivo”, the Living One.  When war broke out, she was aware of the danger to which the community was exposed and was heard to say “If they martyr us, we will go singing, like the Compiègne martyrs.”

Sr Maria Angeles of St Joseph was born Marciana Valtierra Tordesillas in 1905 and was aware of a religious vocation from childhood. Her entry into the convent was delayed until she was 24, as she had to care for her widowed father and an aunt.  When her aunt died, her father gave her permission to enter Carmel.  In the process for beatification, the sisters testifying agreed that they could not remember Sr Maria Angeles committing a single fault in her Carmelite life.  She was devoted to being faithful in small things and once said “We must see if we can be faithful enough for God to grant us the grace of martyrdom.” Again, she once said, “How marvellous to be martyrs but I am not worthy of that grace.”  There are two prayers written by Sr Maria Angeles which express her desire for martyrdom.

The youngest of the martyrs, Sr Teresa of the Child Jesus and of St John of the Cross was born Eusebia García in 1909.  Like Maria Angeles, she was devoted to God from a very young age.  She was influenced by reading the autobiography of St Thérèse of Lisieux, whose name she would adopt in Carmel, and like Thérèse she wanted to enter Carmel from the age of 14.  She was granted permission to enter at 16.  Also like Thérèse, she had to overcome a difficult temperament.  Her sisters in Carmel testified that she tried hard to correct her faults and to be charitable.   Like Sr Maria Pilar, she had a great devotion to praying before the Blessed Sacrament, which she fondly called ‘sunbathing’.  She also made known her desire for martyrdom.

From the outbreak of the civil war, the Carmelite nuns of Guadalajara suffered from disturbances, with children throwing stones at the monastery and passers-by shouting insults. The sisters had not been politically involved in events in any way; they did not even vote in the elections of 1936. They suffered solely because they were nuns.  On July 22^nd1936, militia arrived in Guadalajara.  The Carmelite sisters feared that their monastery might be set on fire and so decided to leave it, going out two by two in modest secular clothes to find various safe houses.  The next day, some of the community who had taken refuge in a hotel, left it to join some of their other sisters in a boarding house.  The landlady was frightened as she now had 12 religious sheltering there, and told them only three could stay.  Sr Teresa suggested that three of them could go to the house of a lady she knew nearby.

Sr Maria Pilar, Maria Angeles and Teresa left the house together and ran down the street.  This, in addition to their modest dress, attracted attention and a woman standing with a group of militia was heard to say, “Go on, they are nuns!”  When the sisters arrived at the house, they found no one at home and so stayed in the doorway.  The militia had followed them and opened fire.  Sr Maria Angeles died instantly, while Sr Maria Pilar was badly wounded. She was taken to a Red Cross hospital where she died some hours later, repeating “Father, forgive them, they do not know what they are doing.”  Sr Teresa escaped the first hail of bullets but was apprehended by militia soon afterwards. They pretended to look after her but led her to a cemetery where they demanded that she shout “Long live Communism! Long live Russia!” Instead, she shouted “Viva Christo Rey!”(Long live Christ the King!) and was shot. (Read more.)

 (More HERE, via The Inn at the End of the World)

"Soeur Espagne, sainte Espagne... tu as choisi!
Onze évêques, seize-mille prêtres massacrés... et pas une apostasie!"

~ Paul Claudel, "Aux martyrs espagnols"