"The Call of St. Matthew" by Caravaggio

This is a reflection I compiled and used for a youth event.  The teens seemed to like it, and it opened them up to the beauty of Catholic art and being able to pray with art.

Purgatory

‎"Purgatory is not, as Tertullian thought, some kind of supra-worldly concentration camp where man is forced to undergo punishment in a more or less arbitrary fashion. Rather it is the inwardly necessary process of transformation in which a person becomes capable of Christ, capable of God and thus capable of unity with the whole communion of saints. Simply to look at people with any degree of realism at all is to grasp the necessity of such a process. It does not replace grace by works, but allows the former to achieve its full victory precisely as grace. What actually saves is the full assent of faith. But in most of us, that basic option is buried under a great deal of wood, hay and straw. Only with difficulty can it peer out from behind the latticework of an egoism we are powerless to pull down with our own hands. Man is the recipient of the divine mercy, yet this does not exonerate him from the need to be transformed. Encounter with the Lord is this transformation. It is the fire that burns away our dross and re-forms us to be vessels of eternal joy." - Pope Benedict XVI, "Eschatology"

Doubting Thomas by Nickel Creek

One of my favorite songs by one of my favorite bands:

ICHTHUS

Where did the fish symbol for Christianity come from?




Some people might think it comes from Christ instruction to be fishers of men (Mark 1:17).  Or possibly from some reference to the multiplication of the loaves and fish (John 6, Mark 8). This, however, is not the case.


The Greek word for fish is ICHTHUS. This is an acronym for Jesus. Iesous CHristos THeou Uios Soter - this translates as "Jesus Christ, Son of God , Saviour."


The story goes that during the persecution of Christians in the early Church, a Christian might draw the upper arch of the fish with his foot in the dirt as a test.  If the person he was with drew the bottom arch, completing the fish, then he was also a Christian.  

Above: Ancient Christian ichthys carved into marble in the ruins of Ephesus, Turkey.

Catholic Nun Commercial

Gotta love this:

RealPlayer

Dear Catechists, 


One of my recently discovered and favorite tools is RealPlayer.  It allows you to easily download YouTube and other videos so you can play them anytime or burn them onto a DVD.  You can start building your video clip library for various topics, if you haven't already.  Download RealPlayer here.


-Monica

Imagine

Why The Smells?

Where did the Catholic liturgical tradition of incense develop and what does it mean? 


Incense was originally practical, used like a perfume.  In pagan custom, it was used to honor the gods, kings, and the Roman emperor.  Incense was adopted from secular and pagan custom in Old Testament times as a form of honor or worship of God.   Moses and Aaron both offer incense to God and the book of Exodus contains a formula for incense to be used only in worship of Yahweh.  

The sweet smell of incense and its rising smoke gave it a kind of natural symbolism. It became the image of something pleasing to God. The rising smoke came to symbolize a person's or people's prayers rising up to God. So in Psalm 141 we have the plea, "Let my prayer come like incense before you."

In the book of revelation, John sees the elders burning incense to God "which are the prayers of the holy ones (Rev. 5:8)

Today incense represents our prayer and worship to God, as well as a sign of sanctification or a setting aside of something for sacred use.  

Largest incensor EVER:


The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela has long been a site for pilgrimages, where the remains of St. James, patron of Spain, are kept.  This cathedral also contains the botafumeiro, a flying thurible suspended from the ceiling.  This thing is incredible!!  Watch this video from Pope Benedict XVI's visit there last Novemeber:

Its original, practical purpose was as an air-freshener for the large crowds of pilgrims.  It weighs 176 lbs.  and is 5 ft tall, with a peak swing at a height of some 200ft off the cathedral floor at speeds in excess of 40mph!!!

Gospel of the Poor

Stained glass windows were titled in the middle ages the "Gospel of the Poor" or the "Poor Man's Bible."  In the middle ages most people were illiterate.  Stained glass windows and other artwork were created to tell the stories of Scripture for those who could not read.

Catholics Come Home

The Four Gospel Writers

Another common Christian symbol that you may find in Catholic churches are these four:
      
A man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle - these represent the four Gospel writers, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.  Christian tradition has long associated the Gospel writers with the four "living creatures" that surround the throne of God in Revelation 4:7.  Matthew is represented by the man, Mark the lion, Luke the ox, and John the eagle, which reflect the style and content of their particular Gospel.

The Pope told by his brother

His childhood, the war, his vocation, his passion for music, his faith: Joseph Ratzinger's life told through the eyes of his brother Georg

Catholic Coke

JUST FOR FUN  :)

Statues

Almost every Catholic Church holds statues or paintings of the saints.  Why is this?  Well, a couple reasons:

1) The saints remind us of our own call to holiness, our call to be saints.  

2) The statues of saints remind us to pray for their intercession.

3) In the Eucharist we are in "communion" with the whole Communion of Saints - all those in Heaven, Purgatory, and the Church Militant on Earth.

How do we know who the statue represents?  Sometimes it can be hard to tell without asking the local pastor.  Many saints, however, are depicted with signs that let you know.

St Joseph is usually holding a Lily and the Christ Child:

St. Peter, with keys (Matthew 16:19 "I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven" Jesus said to Peter):

St. Michael is obvious, usually crushing Satan under his feet.

Martyrs are often depicted in the form of their martyrdom.  Lucy with eyes on a dish, Sebastian with arrows through him, etc.

If you see four statues together, chances are these are depicting the four Gospel writers, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.  John is always the youngest looking one, often with no beard.  

Crucifix

Ever wonder why every Catholic church is required to have a Crucifix above the altar?  A couple reasons:

1) The Crucifix helps us call to mind the sacrifice of Christ on the cross that is made present at every Mass, and that we participate in in the Eucharist.

2) In the book of Revelation, John has a vision of Heaven in which he sees a "Lamb as if it were slain" obviously representing Christ, the paschal lamb of sacrifice.  Remember in the Eucharist we are experiencing a little taste of Heaven.

Cathedral Architecture

The architecture of Catholic churches is meant to point to the things of our Faith. Have you ever noticed that most traditional churches are built in the form a cross (cruciform):

The people, the body of Christ, sit in the "body" of the church.  The altar, where the Eucharist is consecrated, and the priest, acting en persona christi capitas (in the person of Christ, the head), are at the "head" of the church.

In the past, churches were always built facing East, for the rising sun, symbolizing Christ and His Resurrection.

Churches with high ceilings are build to show the greatness and grandeur of God, which I'm sure you can feel when you enter any of our large cathedrals or churches.

Have you ever noticed how many churches have stairs that you must climb to enter the front doors?  

This is to remind the people that we are climbing up to meet God in the Mass.  We are raising up to share in a taste of Heaven.  "Heaven kisses Earth" as Matt Maher says in this wonderfully catechetical song:

Day Late, Dollar Short

For those of you who haven't heard, yesterday the press conference was held announcing Archbishop Chaput's move from Denver to Philadelphia.  This is a video some of the young people presenting gifts to their new archbishop:

Baptismal Font

At the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Houston, TX, they have a beautifully catechetical baptismal font.  The font is octagonal (8 sides) which symbolizes the eight days of creation (The eighth day of creation is the resurrection of Christ which occurred on a Sunday, Saturday being the 7th day of the week, and began the "new creation").  Around the base of the font are golden images of symbols and foundations for the sacrament through out the Scriptures.

• The Holy Spirit, as a dove, over the waters of creation
• Noah and the flood
• Moses parting the Red Sea
• Christ's baptism by John the Baptist in the Jordan River
• The crucifixion
• The burial of Christ
• The Resurrection of Christ
• The Sacrament of Baptism

BEAUTIFUL

The Pelican

In times where the young did not have enough food to eat, the mother pelican was said to pluck its own breast to feed its young by its own blood.  For this reason it had long been seen as a symbol for Christ, especially a Eucharistic symbol.   You will often see pelicans depicted in Catholic churches as the examples below:








St. Thomas Aquinas, in his hymn Adoro te Devote (Humbly We Adore Thee), calls Christ the "Loving Divine Pelican."  The hymn happens to be one of my favorites:

The hymn is Latin, here are the English lyrics.  Such a catechetical hymn!

Sign of God's Presence

BEAUTIFUL CHURCHES ARE SIGN OF GOD'S PRESENCE ON EARTH

Yesterday at Castel Gandolfo, the pope's summer residence, Benedict XVI reminded a group of pilgrims to take note of the beauty we find in our cathedrals and abbeys.  

The Pope made this invitation: "Be attentive in allowing yourselves to be swept up by the beautiful ideal that inspired the builders of cathedrals and abbeys, when they built these striking signs of the presence of God on our earth. May that ideal become yours and may the Holy Spirit, who sees the depth of hearts, inspire you to pray in these places, rendering thanks and interceding for humanity of the third millennium!"

Cathedrals and many other Catholic churches contain beauty that is meant to point to God and to the truths of our Faith.  Our churches are often times rich with meaning and symbols that we may not often take note of.  I would like to spend the next few posts calling to mind some of our common art and symbolism.

Evening Prayer of St. Augustine

Watch Thou, O Lord,
with those who wake,
or watch, or
weep tonight,
and give Thine angels
charge over those who sleep.

Tend Thy sick ones, O Lord Christ.
Rest Thy weary ones.
Bless Thy dying ones.
Soothe Thy suffering ones.
Pity Thine afflicted ones.
Shield Thy joyous ones.
And all for Thy love's sake.
Amen 

The Laity

Summary of Church History

This is a great little summation of Church history.  A good reference.

Bible in a Minute

Downs Syndrome Miracle

This is an excerpt from the book, Let the Fire Fall, by Michael Scanlan, TOR, Servant Publications:

"One afternoon while walking through the lobby of a hotel in Grand Rapids, Michigan, I became aware of a disturbance in one corner of the room. I walked in that direction in that casual way we use to check out disturbances in public places without announcing our curiosity. A boy of about four was screaming and rolling around on the floor in some kind of a fit. 

Several people were trying to help the parents control the child. A crowd was gathering. It was a bad situation. 

Then the Lord spoke to me. 

“I want you to pray with that boy for a complete healing,” he said. It wasn’t an audible voice. But I heard the Lord say this as clearly as I have ever heard anything. 

I suspected that the boy had Downs’ Syndrome. I was astonished. Down’s Syndrome is a genetic defect that always causes moderate to severe mental impairment and physical disability. Every cell in that boy’s body had an extra chromosome. Every one of the billions of cells in his body was defective, and I was supposed to pray for a complete healing. 

But I had heard the Lord. I took a deep and uneasy breath and went over to the parents; I told them that I wanted to pray for their son. I wanted to imply that the idea was mine, not the Lord’s, in case nothing happened when I prayed. 

I put my hands on the child and prayed. He calmed down immediately. I was filled with a sense that at that moment the Lord began to restore him completely. 

He was. In the weeks and months following that event, the boy’s development accelerated. The doctors could not find any explanation for it. When they ran the tests they could find no trace of Down’s Syndrome. I still hear from the parents telling me how well he is doing."

-- Michael Scanlan, TOR Steubenville, Ohio 

I highly recommend reading his book, Let the Fire Fall.

Thomas Tallis

Good Catholic Joke

Four mothers having lunch.
Mother 1: My son is a priest. When he enters the church, everyone says, Good morning Father. (And she's very proud)
Mother 2: My son is a bishop; everyone says, Good morning Your Excellency. (And she's very very proud)
Mother 3: My son is a cardinal; everyone says, Good morning Your Eminence. (And she's extremely proud).
All 3 look at Mother 4 and see what she has to say.
Mother 4: Oh, my son is not a priest. He's just a layman. And he's 350 pounds & 7 foot 6. And when he enters the church, everyone says, OH MY GOD!!!

Feast Day of St. Bonaventure

Happy feast day of St. Bonaventure!  St. Bonaventure, a Franciscan and doctor of the Church from the 13th century, is a favorite of Pope Benedict XVI.



"But if you wish to know how these things come about,
ask grace not instuction,
desire not understanding,
the groaning of prayer not diligent reading,
the Spouse not the teacher,
God not man,
darkness not clarity,
not light but the fire
that totally inflames and carries us into God
by ecstatic unctions and burning affections.
The fire is God,
and his furnace is in Jerusalem;
and Christ enkindles it
in the heat of his burning passion,
which only he truly perceives who says;
My soul chooses hanging and my bones death.
Whoever loves his death
can see God
because it is truly beyond doubt that
man will not see me and live.
Let us, then, die
and enter into the darkness;
let us impose silence
upon our cares, our desires and our imaginings.
With Christ crucified
let us pass out of this world to the Father
so that when the Father is shown to us,
we may say with Phillip:
It is enough for us.
Let us hear with Paul:
My grace is sufficient for you.
Let us rejoice with David saying:
My flesh and my heart have grown faint;
You are the God of my heart;
and the God that is my portion forever.
Blessed be the name of the Lord forever
and all people will say:
Let it be; let it be.
Amen."
-St. Bonaventure

Blind Men and the Elephant

American poet John Godfrey Saxe (1816-1887) based this poem, "The Blind Men and the Elephant", on a fable that was told in India many years ago.   I believe it is a great analogy for how people misunderstand Scripture by reading parts and/or taking passages out of context.

It was six men of Indostan
To learning much inclined,
Who went to see the Elephant
(Though all of them were blind),
That each by observation
Might satisfy his mind

The First approached the Elephant,

And happening to fall

Against his broad and sturdy side,

At once began to bawl:

“God bless me! but the Elephant

Is very like a wall!”

The Second, feeling of the tusk,

Cried, “Ho! what have we here

So very round and smooth and sharp?

To me ’tis mighty clear

This wonder of an Elephant

Is very like a spear!”

The Third approached the animal,

And happening to take

The squirming trunk within his hands,

Thus boldly up and spake:

“I see,” quoth he, “the Elephant

Is very like a snake!”

The Fourth reached out an eager hand,

And felt about the knee.

“What most this wondrous beast is like

Is mighty plain,” quoth he;

“ ‘Tis clear enough the Elephant

Is very like a tree!”

The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear,

Said: “E’en the blindest man

Can tell what this resembles most;

Deny the fact who can

This marvel of an Elephant

Is very like a fan!”

The Sixth no sooner had begun

About the beast to grope,

Than, seizing on the swinging tail

That fell within his scope,

“I see,” quoth he, “the Elephant

Is very like a rope!”

And so these men of Indostan

Disputed loud and long,

Each in his own opinion

Exceeding stiff and strong,

Though each was partly in the right,

And all were in the wrong!

Moral:

So oft in theologic wars,

The disputants, I ween,

Rail on in utter ignorance

Of what each other mean,

And prate about an Elephant
Not one of them has seen!

All His Graces

"God the Father made an assemblage of all the waters and he named it the sea (mare).  He made an assemblage of all His graces and He named is Mary (Maria)."  - True Devotion to Mary, 23

In Christ Alone

Owl City wrote a great blog post last October about choosing Christ.  Check it out!

"Our Lord if very glad and happy that we should pray, and he expects it and wants it; for, through his grace, when we pray he makes us like him in quality as we are like him in nature, and this is his sacred will, for this is what he says; ‘Pray earnestly even though you do not feel like praying, for it is helping you even if you do not feel it doing any good, even is you see nothing, yes, even if you think you cannot pray; for in dryness and in barrenness, in sickness and in weakness, then your prayers give me great pleasure, even if you feel that they are hardly pleasing to you at all.  And it is so in my sight with all your trustful prayers.’  For the sake of the reward and the unending thanks which he wished to give us, he longs to have us praying continually before him.  God accepts the good intentions and efforts of those who serve him, whatever we are feeling; that is why he is pleased when we try hard and through our prayers and through living well, with his help and grace, we incline towards him with all our strength (but reasonably and prudently) until we possess him we seek in the fullness of joy, that is, Jesus.  And he revealed that in the fifteenth showing, where these words stand foremost: ‘You shall have me as you reward.’"  

-Julian of Norwich, Catholic anchoress and mystic from the 14th Century

Chi-Rho

The Chi-Rho symbol is an ancient symbol that the early Christians used in their art, on burial grounds and in their places of worship to mark out a particular place or person as belonging to the Christian faith.  The symbol is made by the overlapping of the first two letters of the Greek spelling of Christ (in Greek, Christos: chi-rho-iota-sigma-tau-omnicron-sigma).

Great Pro-Life Homily

CatholicTV.com has a lot of great videos.  Here is one from the the Verizon Center Mass for the March for Life in Washington D.C.  Father Mark Ivany gives a great homily (around the 49.30 minute mark).

iConfess