Our Suffering Brethren

Let us keep on mind all who have been martyred recently, including those in Egypt and Sudan.

The Gifts of the Magi

A beautiful explanation of the strange and mystic gifts. To quote:

But amazingly, that may not be the most ominous part of this story.  Instead, go back and compare Isaiah 60:6Matthew 2:11.  Isaiah says that they'll be bringing gold and frankincense: gold, the gift you offer a King, and frankincense, the incense you offer to God.  Properly understood, Isaiah's telling us the crux of the New Testament.  A God-King will enter the world, and be worshiped by Jews and Gentiles alike.  The Magi are the first fulfillment of this, as they (quite literally) walk by faith to come and worship Jesus.  But look at the third gift which Matthew mentions: myrrh.  It's used for embalming (and in fact, Nicodemus uses it to embalm Jesus, in John 19:39).  It's a shocking gift, like giving a baby a specially-engraved tombstone.  And immediately we see the shocking twist of the New Testament: the prophesied God-King is coming, but He's not coming to rule over an earthly Kingdom.  He's coming to Die.

Devotion to the Holy Name and the Holy Face

Fr. Mark explores the Carmelite-Benedictine connection, saying:

In the spring of 1851 the Benedictines of Perpetual Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Monastery of Arras, being already devoted to the Holy Face through the influence of Saint Gertrude the Great, gave the Carmel of Tours several reproductions of the image of the Holy Face venerated in Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome. (From the Carmel of Tours the devotion would reach the Carmel of Lisieux where it became a profound influence on Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus and of the Holy Face, Doctor of the Church.) This particular image of the Holy Face became famous after an astonishing miracle that took place in January 1849, during the exile of Blessed Pope Pius IX at Gaeta.

The Roman Miracle of the Holy Face: Epiphany 1849 

It was customary on the feast of the Epiphany to expose for the veneration of the faithful the "Veronica's Veil" preserved with other sacred relics in the Vatican Basilica. The "Veil" was darkened by age, and the features of Our Lord's sacred countenance were no longer visible. On the third day of the exposition of the relic, before the eyes of numerous witnesses, the image of the Holy Face took on vivid colours and, in the midst of an unearthly light, became clearly visible, and this for three hours. The expression on the Holy Face was one of profound sorrow and of love. Alerted to the prodigy, the Canons of Saint Peter's ordered the bells rung, summoning the faithful to see the miraculous sign. A Notary Apostolic was called to take the depositions of the eyewitnesses; he drew up a document attesting to the miracle, which was then placed in the archives of the Vatican Basilica.

Darkness and Light

A homily on St. John of the Cross by Father General.

Who Will Speak His Name?

We must never be afraid to speak the name of Jesus. Tradition is more than propriety or decorum.

Fr Robert Barron notes in this clip that with Jesus we have to “resist the temptation to domesticate him” as a man with “interesting spiritual insights.” He reminds us that Jesus was a man of Whom his followers were “amazed and afraid,” and to this day, we will all have to take stock of our impression of Him and His mission.

I have the greatest affection for Elizabeth—her obstinacy towards Rome not withstanding. But I think that this short video provides a fascinating time capsule of sorts that will allow us to decide whether we’re going to defend “principles” and “ideals” or the Name of Jesus Himself on Whom civilization must be ordered. If she, as “Defender of the Faith” will not stand by the Holy Name—and others follow suit—then our post-Christian culture only risks further annihilation until another people emerges to do as He asks.

The Sufferings of the Infant Jesus

Anyone who has ever visited our house knows that we have a special devotion to the Child Jesus. The Infant of Prague statue by the door is a dead give away, I guess. Once a business associate of my husband's was coming by and a friend suggested that we temporarily move the statue so as not to appear to be fanatics. My mother, however, said: "Never be ashamed of Jesus," and so the statue stayed. It turns out the associate was a gentleman of Italian descent and the Infant reminded him of his home and his beloved mama. "The more you honor Me, the more I will bless you," as Little Jesus told the Carmelite Father Cyril.

Saints and mystics who have pondered the Divine Infancy tell us that it was not all sweetness and light. From the first moment of His earthly existence, the Incarnate God began atoning for the sins of the world. The Child Jesus had to suffer from poverty, cold, and exile. According to the English Oratorian priest Father Frederick Faber in his book Bethlehem, Our Lord's awareness of the sins of the world caused Him a "spiritual agony," in addition to the foreknowledge of His coming Passion.

As He was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, so, in the eyes of the Father and in the terrible realities of His own heart, He was the Crucified Jesus even from the days of Bethlehem. His sufferings exceeded all martyrdoms, even in each single hour of His infant life. (Father Faber)

The Virgin Mother

Father Angelo on the great Miracle.

So the erroneous idea that the Virgin Birth takes away from the reality of the humanity of Christ is almost as old as the Church.  It is not a blinding insight from Theology of the Body, but a tired, old decrepit error.