Sunday Meditation: Into the Desert with the Wild Beasts

We have entered Lent, and today is the First Sunday of Lent.  In all three year cycles, the First Sunday of Lent has Jesus enter the desert to be tempted by Satan.  Matthew’s and Luke’s versions of Jesus’s forty days of temptation similar in that they detail Satan’s forms of temptations.  In Mark’s version we have a general summary of temptations, but he offers two amazing details: Jesus lives among the wild beasts and that angels minister to Him. 

 

The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert,

and he remained in the desert for forty days,

tempted by Satan.

He was among wild beasts,

and the angels ministered to him.

 

After John had been arrested,

Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God:

"This is the time of fulfillment.

The kingdom of God is at hand.

Repent, and believe in the gospel."

~Mk 1:12-15

It’s noteworthy to observe that Matthew’s version does include the detail of the angels ministering to Jesus but no wild beasts, and Luke has neither detail.  This week Fr. Geoffrey Plant has a fine homily that explains Lent, the forty days in the desert, Satan. the temptations in the desert and the association with the temptation of Adam and Eve, and the wild beasts which allude to the beasts in Isaiah.

 

Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb,

and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat;

The calf and the young lion shall browse together,

with a little child to guide them.

The cow and the bear shall graze,

together their young shall lie down;

the lion shall eat hay like the ox.

The baby shall play by the viper’s den,

and the child lay his hand on the adder’s lair.

They shall not harm or destroy on all my holy mountain;

for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the LORD,

as water covers the sea.  (Isa 11:6-9)

 

Meditation: "He was among wild beasts, and the angels ministered to him.”

Seek out Bishop Barron’s homily on this week’s reading.  He’s got a different and perhaps more meditative understanding of the wild beasts and the angels.

Faith Filled Friday: From Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati

This is a wonderful meditation as a Lenten meditation.  It comes from a letter by Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati on what makes a truly profitable life.  I quote it from the February 2023 edition of Magnificat.

If you have not heard of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, his life is a must to learn.  He came from a rich, well-connected Italian family who secretly helped the poor with his time and money from a young age.  Whatever money he was given, he gave it away.  He was a mountain climber, a student of engineering, a Third Order Dominican, a passionate Catholic, a lover of the Eucharist, a lover of Christ, and he did all this before contracting a form of polio which killed him at the age of twenty-four.  He perhaps lived out the beatitudes as well as any young man could do.  Wherever he went, his joyful smile made friends.  I think of his as the saint of friendship.

I don’t know who he wrote this letter to, but it encapsulates the essence of his Catholic point of view.

 

May peace be in your soul….Every other gift which one possesses in this life is vanity.  It is wonderful to be alive inasmuch as our true life is the life beyond; otherwise who could bear the burden of this life if there weren’t a prize for suffering, an eternal joy; how could one explain the admirable resignation of so many poor creatures who struggle with life and often die in the breach if it weren’t for the certainty of God’s justice?  In the world which has distanced itself from God, there is a lack of peace, but there is also a lack of charity that is true and perfect love.  Maybe if all of us listened more to Saint Paul, human miseries would be slightly diminished….

 

My life is monotonous, but every day I understand better what a grace it is to be Catholic.  Poor unlucky those who don’t have faith: to live without a faith, without a patrimony to defend, without a steady struggle for the truth, is not living but existing.  We must never exist but live, because even through every disappointment we should remember that we are the only ones who possess the truth, we have a faith to sustain, a hope to attain: our homeland.  And therefore let us banish all melancholy that can only exist when the faith is lost.  Human sorrows touch us, but if they are viewed in the light of religion, and thus of self-surrender, they are not harmful but helpful, because they purify the soul of the little and inevitable stains by which we men, due to our wicked nature, dirty ourselves many times.  In this holy Lent, let us lift up our hearts and always go forward for the triumph of the reign of Christ in Society.

 

Cordial greetings in Jesus Christ.

 

            -Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati

 

From Magnificat February 2023

 

From Letters to His Friends and Family, Father Timothy E. Deeter, Tr., 2009, St Pauls Alba House, Staten Island, NY.

 

For a young man, he knew the range of human experience: “Human sorrows touch us, but if they are viewed in the light of religion, and thus of self-surrender, they are not harmful but helpful, because they purify the soul of the little and inevitable stains by which we men, due to our wicked nature, dirty ourselves many times.”  I don’t know how old he was when he wrote that, but there is no way I could have envisioned that in my twenties. 

Let me close with his ending exhortation: “In this holy Lent, let us lift up our hearts and always go forward for the triumph of the reign of Christ in Society.”

Here is a little film clip of his life.

 

I hope he is finally canonized in my lifetime.  He is someone I really admire.

Sunday Meditation: The Temptations in the Desert

Jesus goes into the desert.  That is an important fact.  But why is it the Spirit leading Him to be tempted? 

At that time Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert

to be tempted by the devil.

He fasted for forty days and forty nights,

and afterwards he was hungry.

The tempter approached and said to him,

"If you are the Son of God,

command that these stones become loaves of bread."

He said in reply,

"It is written:

One does not live on bread alone,

but on every word that comes forth

from the mouth of God."

 

Then the devil took him to the holy city,

and made him stand on the parapet of the temple,

and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down.

For it is written:

He will command his angels concerning you

and with their hands they will support you,

lest you dash your foot against a stone."

Jesus answered him,

"Again it is written,

You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test."

Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain,

and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence,

and he said to him, "All these I shall give to you,

if you will prostrate yourself and worship me."

At this, Jesus said to him,

"Get away, Satan!

It is written:

The Lord, your God, shall you worship

and him alone shall you serve."

Then the devil left him and, behold,

angels came and ministered to him.

~Mt 4:1-11 

 

Fr. Geoffrey explains the readings.

 

 

Can you withstand these three temptations?

Music Wednesday: Miserere Mei Deus

Yes, I know.  It’s supposed to be Music Tuesday, but today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, and I wanted to commemorate it with a perfect music piece for the day.  It’s Gregorio Allegri’s Miserere mei, Deus, a polyphonic choral piece composed around 1638.  Wikipedia explains it better than I can.

 

 Miserere (full title: Miserere mei, Deus, Latin for "Have mercy on me, O God") is a setting of Psalm 51 by Italian composer Gregorio Allegri. It was composed during the reign of Pope Urban VIII, probably during the 1630s, for the exclusive use of the Sistine Chapel during the Tenebrae services of Holy Week, and its mystique was increased by unwritten performance traditions and ornamentation. It is written for two choirs, of five and four voices respectively, singing alternately and joining to sing the ending in 9-part polyphony.

You can read the history of the piece in that Wikipedia entry.  It’s interesting.

So this is the penitential 51^st psalm set to song, and one that should be prayed repeatedly during Lent.  This rendition, conducted and arranged by Edward Higginbottom is just stunningly beautiful. 

 

The lyrics are listed but I’ll present them here.  First in Latin.

 

Miserere mei, Deus: secundum magnam misericordiam tuam.

Et secundum multitudinem miserationum tuarum, dele iniquitatem meam.

Amplius lava me ab iniquitate mea: et a peccato meo munda me.

Quoniam iniquitatem meam ego cognosco: et peccatum meum contra me est semper.

Tibi soli peccavi, et malum coram te feci: ut justificeris in sermonibus tuis, et vincas cum judicaris.

Ecce enim in iniquitatibus conceptus sum: et in peccatis concepit me mater mea.

Ecce enim veritatem dilexisti: incerta et occulta sapientiae tuae manifestasti mihi.

Asperges me hysopo, et mundabor: lavabis me, et super nivem dealbabor.

Auditui meo dabis gaudium et laetitiam: et exsultabunt ossa humiliata.

Averte faciem tuam a peccatis meis: et omnes iniquitates meas dele.

Cor mundum crea in me, Deus: et spiritum rectum innova in visceribus meis.

Ne proiicias me a facie tua: et spiritum sanctum tuum ne auferas a me.

Redde mihi laetitiam salutaris tui: et spiritu principali confirma me.

Docebo iniquos vias tuas: et impii ad te convertentur.

Libera me de sanguinibus, Deus, Deus salutis meae: et exsultabit lingua mea justitiam tuam.

Domine, labia mea aperies: et os meum annuntiabit laudem tuam.

Quoniam si voluisses sacrificium, dedissem utique: holocaustis non delectaberis.

Sacrificium Deo spiritus contribulatus: cor contritum, et humiliatum, Deus, non despicies.

Benigne fac, Domine, in bona voluntate tua Sion: ut aedificentur muri Ierusalem.

Tunc acceptabis sacrificium justitiae, oblationes, et holocausta: tunc imponent super altare tuum vitulos.

 

English translation (Douay Rheims)

 

Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy great mercy.

And according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my iniquity.

Wash me yet more from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

For I know my iniquity, and my sin is always before me.

To thee only have I sinned, and have done evil before thee: that thou mayst be justified in thy words and mayst overcome when thou art judged.

For behold I was conceived in iniquities; and in sins did my mother conceive me.

For behold thou hast loved truth: the uncertain and hidden things of thy wisdom thou hast made manifest to me.

Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be cleansed: thou shalt wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow.

To my hearing thou shalt give joy and gladness: and the bones that have been humbled shall rejoice.

Turn away thy face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.

Create a clean heart in me, O God: and renew a right spirit within my bowels.

Cast me not away from thy face; and take not thy holy spirit from me.

Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation, and strengthen me with a perfect spirit.

I will teach the unjust thy ways: and the wicked shall be converted to thee.

Deliver me from blood, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall extol thy justice.

O Lord, thou wilt open my lips: and my mouth shall declare thy praise.

For if thou hadst desired sacrifice, I would indeed have given it: with burnt offerings thou wilt not be delighted.

A sacrifice to God is an afflicted spirit: a contrite and humbled heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

Deal favourably, O Lord, in thy good will with Sion; that the walls of Jerusalem may be built up.

Then shalt thou accept the sacrifice of justice, oblations and whole burnt offerings: then shall they lay calves upon thy altar.

 

Perhaps you can visit this choral several times during Lent.  The lyrics are part of the video.  You can pray it as you listen.

Lent and What Jesus Saw from the Cross

I want to introduce one of my Lenten reads for this year.  Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent.  I hope you got your ashes across your forehead today.  You don’t have to be Catholic to receive ashes from a Catholic church.  Ashes are not a sacrament but a sacramental, and so anyone can receive them.  What’s a sacramental?  According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “sacramentals are sacred signs which bear a resemblance to the sacraments” but “do not confer the grace of the Holy Spirit” (CCC 1667-1670).  That’s rather theological, so let’s just summarize it as an action or outward sign that helps you get closer to God.  Ash Wednesday is a reminder that one is dust (“Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return") and a calling to repent (“Repent, and believe in the Gospel"). 

So this starts Lent where one is called to self-denial, penance, increased prayer, and alms giving.  This Lent I’m giving up the usual deserts and snacks and alcoholic beverages.  Someone also suggested one give up buying all “wants” and make purchases only of necessities.  I thought that was a brilliant self-denial, and so this year I will limit purchasing things only to things that are basic needs.  That’s going to be hard to do with limiting myself from buying books, but it will be a good test.

During Lent I increase devotional and spiritual reads, and a few weeks ago I mentioned I was going to read Compassionate Blood by Fr. Romanus Cessario, O.P. on meditations of Christ’s passion through the words of St. Catherine of Siena.  Now that’s a relatively short read.  A lengthier read is going to be What Jesus Saw from the Cross, published in 1930 by the French Dominican Antonin-Gilbert Sertillanges, O.P. 

The book is basically just what the title implies, a meditation on what Jesus saw looking out while hanging on the cross.  It’s objective is stated in the Prologue:

St. Paul exhorts us to “to on Jesus Christ, and in his words, understood in the spiritual sense in which he intended them, are of immeasurable importance.  However, there is perhaps another sense in which it is not impossible, nor without importance, to put on Jesus Christ.

We may put on Christ in imagination, placing ourselves not at the foot of the cross, nor before it, but upon it, with head bowed beneath the inscription, wearing the crown of thorns, pierced by the nails, feeling the cold, rough wood between our shoulders.  In short, we can make our own the sphere of vision and the emotions that were His, seeing with His eyes and feeling with His heart, remembering, judging, and foreseeing with Him so that, still in this same sense of imaging that we have changed places with Him, it is no longer we who live but Christ who lives in us.

It was in Jerusalem that this thought came to me, while I stood (as I frequently did) on a spot which is uniquely suggestive of such reflections.

Now that’s enticing.  Then I read the first chapter, “The View from the Cross,” and it blew me away.  Here’s a sample:

Having established the site of Calvary and described the Cross, the question still remains, in what direction was the Sufferer facing?  There are mystical authors who orient the Cross to the west—that is to say, they “disorient” it.  Their idea is that the look which regenerates is turned toward us, Israel and the Old Law being forsaken.  This theory, besides being a priori and not free from partiality, finds no confirmation in the situation of Calvary.

As you pass out of the Gate of Ephraim you are facing Mount Gareb, of which Calvary is a small foothill: to turn the gibbet to the west would be to make it face the hills and to hide it from the people.  The idlers of the gate and the loiterers of the esplanade, the passerby who met in great numbers at the crossroads, the folk that clustered everywhere about, the dwellers in the tents set up in the open air for the feast, all these would have been foiled.  The public example made of the victim would have been thwarted; furthermore, the erection of the gibbet and the management of the execution would have been made difficult.  In every way, it would have been a bad arrangement.

No, Jesus faced the gate by which He had come forth, through which came His insulters and those who were greedy for a spectacle.  He offered Himself to those who hated and mocked Him.  He lent Himself to the convenience of His executioners. 

And, if reasons of appropriateness must be added, the new Man looked toward the beginnings, toward the end of the earth from which came civilization together with the light.  He faced as the apse of a church faces, having before His eyes the rampart of a world beyond which He had passed, although He had not forsaken it.  His final glance saluted the Temple, His Father’s house, and the rising sun.

That is excellent prose.  I assume the original French was just as finely written.  For some reason the book doesn’t list the translator, but it does say it was translated in 1948.  A great subject, outstanding writing, intense spirituality, profound meditation, all through the thoughts of a Dominican friar—this is going to be a great read.  I’ll try to post again as I get deeper into the book.

Faith Filled Friday: Compassionate Blood by Fr. Romanus Cessario, O.P

For those looking for a devotional book to read for Lent, the monthly Catholic magazine, Magnificat, has put out a devotional this season, Compassionate Blood, written by Fr. Romanus Cessario, O.P. Fr. Romanus using the thoughts and words of my dear St. Catherine of Siena creates a meditation on Christ’s Passion.  Here’s what the ad blurb says:  

“What do we learn from this description of the suffering Christ? What does Catherine teach us about the transformation that brings the world stillness on Good Friday from noon until three o’clock?

“The answer is simple: We discover that because of his enormous love, Christ’s sufferings and death cause the transformation of all that exists, the transformation we call Christian salvation….

The transformation that Catherine announces is one that creates in those persons who remain united with Christ a new ground for love, a new sort of loving…. The transformation affects both our persons and our actions.”

Father Romanus Cessario, O.P.

Senior Editor of Magnificat

Of course given St. Catherine is my patroness, as soon as I saw the flyer in this month’s edition of Magnificat I went and ordered it right away.  It just came in the mail today.  Flipping through the pages, it looks like a great little read, especially if you’re looking to learn something about St. Catherine’s theology.  And remember St. Catherine of Siena is one of the doctors of thechurch.  It’s 86 pages not including the footnotes and about the size of a well-constructed paperback.  Here’s an image of the book.

You can order it here  for $9.95, three dollars off the regular price.  I don’t know when the sale ends, so hurry if you are interested.  March 1^st is Ash Wednesday, and if you order now it should arrive before then.  

Faith Filled Friday: “Redemption” by Johnny Cash

This is the perfect Lenten song.  From the first time I heard this song and no matter how many times I’ve heard it, it still overwhelms me.  This is Johnny Cash at his finest and most authentic.  This song just hits you right in the gut.

I have to post the lyrics as well.

Redemption

From the hands it came down

 From the side it came down

 From the feet it came down

 And ran to the ground

 Between heaven and hell

 A teardrop fell

 In the deep crimson dew

 The tree of life grew

And the blood gave life

 To the branches of the tree

 And the blood was the price

 That set captives free

 And the numbers that came

 Through the fire and the flood

 Clung to the tree

 And were redeemed by the blood

From the tree streamed a light

 That started the fight

 'Round the tree grew a vine

 On whose fruit I could dine

 My old friend Lucifer came

 Fought to keep me in chains

 But I saw through the tricks

 Of six-sixty-six

And the blood gave life

 To the branches of the tree

 And the blood was the price

 That set captives free

 And the numbers that came

 Through the fire and the flood

 Clung to the tree

 And were redeemed by the blood

From his hands it came down

 From his side it came down

 From his feet it came down

 And ran to the ground

 And a small inner voice

 Said "You do have a choice."

 The vine engrafted me

 And I clung to the tree

And the blood gave life

 To the branches of the tree

 And the blood was the price

 That set captives free

 And with the numbers that came

 Through the fire and the flood

 I clung to the tree

 And were redeemed by the blood

From his hands it came down

 From his side it came down

 From the feet it came down

 And ran to the ground

"Redemption" is track #11 on the album American Recordings. It was written by Shakur, Tupac Amaru / Rouse, Ricky. Read more: Johnny Cash - Redemption Lyrics | MetroLyrics

Wow, I foundd it hard to believe Tupac Shakur gets a songwriting credit on this, but there it is.  It’s a great song. 

Faith Filled Friday: Ashes on the Subway

This apparently is a true story from Sister Theresa Aletheia Noble’s blog, Pursued by Truth about a priest who was robbed on the subway on Ash Wednesday.  It’s really very funny, and the good Sister has a nice Lenten reflection on it.

A Jesuit priest who used to say Mass at our convent was on the subway making his way to visit his mother on Ash Wednesday.

At one stop a young man entered the subway car and told the priest to hand over his wallet. When the priest explained that he did not have a wallet with him, the young man made him empty his pockets.

The priest pulled out his train pass, some change, and a little silver box. The young man demanded to know what was inside the box.

The priest said, “Well, I am a Catholic and it is Ash Wednesday so I am bringing some blessed ashes to someone who is sick.”

The young man responded, “Oh, I am Catholic, can I have some ashes?”

So the priest opened the little box, said the prayer and traced the cross on the man’s forehead.

The young man left at the next stop.

Read Sister Theresa’s little homily on how we all feel like this thief, here.  

Faith Filled Friday: A Personal Note on the Departure of our Pastor

I’ve been bummed out all week, ever since the pastor at my church, Fr. Richard Veras of St. Rita’s on Staten Island, announced he was being transferred.  They have this rule in the New York City dioceses that a priest is assigned for six year terms to a parish, with the option of remaining for two terms or twelve years.  After that he must be reassigned unless he’s of retirement age.  For the past year I was worried about this.  I wasn’t sure which year Fr. Veras came to St. Rita’s but I suspected he was coming up on his six year term. One the one hand I figured they would give him a second term, since that is typically the case, but on the other hand I knew that Fr. Veras is special and I’m sure the dioceses would want him to serve in a higher capacity.  So at the end of Mass this past Sunday when just before dismissal he had us sit down for an announcement, and when he said that with such a solemn and glum expression, I had a feeling.  The feeling was correct.  He was being reassigned to a high school (Our Lady of Lourdes) in Poughkeepsie, NY where there was some important—I can’t remember exactly, going in one ear and out the other—need for his services.  Though the congregation seemed somewhat surprised, they gave him a round of applause.

What makes Fr. Veras special?  Well, first he writes, and perhaps I’m prejudice for writers but anyone who writes has formulated his thoughts into a coherence.  If you know the Catholic magazine, Magnificat, he’s a frequent contributor.   In fact if you have the current special Lenten edition, he’s in there.  Second, he’s written books.  I haven’t read any to endorse them, but here on Amazon you can see his two published works.  I’ll now have to buy one and check it out. 

Third he brings the community together around the church.  One of the first things he did when came was gather together all the reminisces of one of his predecessors, who was the pastor for several decades at St. Rita’s, and put it together into a book.  It was a decade’s long look at the life and times at the parish.  He organized parish trips and retreats and dinners.  The school is thriving and highly ranked.  He’s a leader in the regional Communion and Liberation Movement and he’s gotten some of the local high school kids to be a part of it.  Fourth he instituted a Lenten series where every Friday night during Lent he brings in a speaker or dramatist or musician which reflects our faith.  It’s wonderful and it now makes the newspaper as a major article.  Here’s the article for this year’sseries. 

The former Swiss Guard for Pope John Paul II now CEO was last week’s speaker and packed the church.  He was a great speaker.  Tonight is a dramatic monologue of St. Francis of Assisi performed by a professional actor.  I know people who come to these Lenten events from out of state.  You have to understand, we are a small, humble parish.  It takes a special person to entice speakers and musicians to come, and I’m pretty sure he’s not paying them.  Here’s a picture of our humble church looking down the nave.  It’s a flat roof, flat ceiling with a skylight and mundane stain glass windows that are way up on top where you can’t even see much of them.  Fr. Veras has put St. Rita’s on the map.

Fourth, coming to mass is special.  People say hello to each other, know each other, welcome each other.  I only know people by face, but they say hello to me too.  The rosary group, the prayer groups, the charitable events all pull people together around the parish.  The musical director is excellent and an opera singer in her other job.  Both the children’s choir and the adult choir have plenty of volunteers.  For Easter and Christmas we get additional musicians and singers.  They did a great Little Drummer Boy rendition with a really good drummer, who was probably ten years old, this past Christmas.  I met a person a few years ago and when I said I belonged to St. Rita’s parish he said he heard how something special was happening there.  He wondered what and I couldn’t answer him at the time.  But it’s been Fr. Veras.

Fifth, and finally the most important to me, Fr. Veras gives the best homilies.  At my son’s baptism he gave a wonderful homily connecting the baptism to the Old Testament.  Remember, my wife and her family are Jewish, and I know they felt a little uncomfortable.  He connected their tradition as it grew into the Christian tradition and made everyone feel at ease.  My mother’s cousin, who is an elderly priest and attended the baptism said afterward Fr. Veras was magnificent.  Here’s  a confession.  When I go to mass and it’s not Fr. Veras celebrating, I’m disappointed, especially if I expected him.  Besides being insightful on the scripture reading, he connects the readings with life, either his life or someone he encountered or read about.  And the central core of his preaching is that through friendship and love and community we encounter Christ.  It’s not just that He is present.  He is always present, but that through contact with others, through our sacrifice, we encounter Him tangibly.  Whether it was someone who saved another during the holocaust or a new born who was saved from an abortion or feeding the destitute at a soup kitchen, you physically encounter Christ.

I know I’m not doing his sermons complete justice.  You have to understand that I’ve only returned to the Church these last six years, which completely overlaps Fr. Veras’s tenure.  I’ve been a sinner, even an atheist and agnostic.  I’m not going to say the transformation was due solely to Fr. Veras.  No, there’s a multiplicity of reasons, including reading through the devotion of lots of Catholic bloggers on the internet, some of you who may be reading this now.  But Fr. Veras was a most important part of it.

I did find a picture of him on the web.  Here he is, a most humble man. 

On my recent Ash Wednesday post I said I was looking forward to Lent.  Well, if you’re looking forward to Lent, it’s probably not hard enough.  Now I can taste the bitterness of true Lenten sacrifice.

Lord, I thank you for the six years I was blessed to have Fr. Veras as pastor, and may his new assignment be means to enlighten many more people.  May his future be bright and may we carry his spirit forward with the transition.  In Christ I pray.