"Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week" Excerpt by Pope Benedict XVI

The excerpt comes from Chapter 7, Section 3, titled "Jesus Before Pilate."  With Lent nearly upon us, now is an appropriate time to read of our Lord's trial before Pilate.  Ignatius Press is the publisher of the volume in English.

Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week follows the book Jesus of Nazareth, which follows our Lord's journey from his Baptism in the Jordan through His Transfiguration.

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In addition to the clear delimitation of his concept of kingdom (no fighting, earthly powerlessness), Jesus had introduced a positive idea, in order to explain the nature and particular character of the power of this kingship: namely, truth. Pilate brought another idea into play as the dialogue proceeded, one that came from his own world and was normally connected with "kingdom": namely, power—authority (exousia). Dominion demands power; it even defines it. Jesus, however, defines as the essence of his kingship witness to the truth. Is truth a political category? Or has Jesus’ "kingdom" nothing to do with politics? To which order does it belong? If Jesus bases his concept of kingship and kingdom on truth as the fundamental category, then it is entirely understandable that the pragmatic Pilate asks him: "What is truth?" (18:38).

It is the question that is also asked by modern political theory: Can politics accept truth as a structural category? Or must truth, as something unattainable, be relegated to the subjective sphere, its place taken by an attempt to build peace and justice using whatever instruments are available to power? By relying on truth, does not politics, in view of the impossibility of attaining consensus on truth, make itself a tool of particular traditions that in reality are merely forms of holding on to power? And yet, on the other hand, what happens when truth counts for nothing? What kind of justice is then possible? Must there not be common criteria that guarantee real justice for all—criteria that are independent of the arbitrariness of changing opinions and powerful lobbies? Is it not true that the great dictatorships were fed by the power of the ideological lie and that only truth was capable of bringing freedom?

What is truth? The pragmatist’s question, tossed off with a degree of scepticism, is a very serious question, bound up with the fate of mankind. What, then, is truth? Are we able to recognize it? Can it serve as a criterion for our intellect and will, both in individual choices and in the life of the community?

The classic definition from scholastic philosophy designates truth as "adaequatio intellectus et rei" (conformity between the intellect and reality; Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae I, q. 21, a. 2c). If a man’s intellect reflects a thing as it is in itself, then he has found truth: but only a small fragment of reality—not truth in its grandeur and integrity. We come closer to what Jesus meant with another of Saint Thomas’ teachings: "Truth is in God’s intellect properly and firstly (proprie et primo); in human intellect it is present properly and derivatively (proprie quidem et secundario)" (De Verit., q. 1, a. 4c). And in conclusion we arrive at the succinct formula: God is "ipsa summa et prima veritas" (truth itself, the sovereign and first truth; Summa Theologiae I, q. 16, a. 5c).

This formula brings us close to what Jesus means when he speaks of the truth, when he says that his purpose in coming into the world was to "bear witness to the truth". Again and again in the world, truth and error, truth and untruth, are almost inseparably mixed together. The truth in all its grandeur and purity does not appear. The world is "true" to the extent that it reflects God: the creative logic, the eternal reason that brought it to birth. And it becomes more and more true the closer it draws to God. Man becomes true, he becomes himself, when he grows in God’s likeness. Then he attains to his proper nature. God is the reality that gives being and
intelligibility.

"Bearing witness to the truth" means giving priority to God and to his will over against the interests of the world and its powers. God is the criterion of being. In this sense, truth is the real "king" that confers light and greatness upon all things. We may also say that bearing witness to the truth means making creation intelligible and its truth accessible from God’s perspective—the perspective of creative reason—in such a way that it can serve as a criterion and a signpost in this world of ours, in such a way that the great and the mighty are exposed to the power of truth, the common law, the law of truth.

Let us say plainly: the unredeemed state of the world consists precisely in the failure to understand the meaning of creation, in the failure to recognize truth; as a result, the rule of pragmatism is imposed, by which the strong arm of the powerful becomes the god of this world. At this point, modern man is tempted to say: Creation has become intelligible to us through science. Indeed, Francis S. Collins, for example, who led the Human Genome Project, says with joyful astonishment: "The language of God was revealed" (The Language of God, p. 122). Indeed, in the magnificent mathematics of creation, which today we can read in the human genetic code, we recognize the language of God. But unfortunately not the whole language. The functional truth about man has been discovered. But the truth about man himself—who he is, where he comes from, what he should do, what is right, what is wrong—this unfortunately cannot be read in the same way. Hand in hand with growing knowledge of functional truth there seems to be an increasing blindness toward "truth" itself—toward the question of our real identity and purpose.

What is truth? Pilate was not alone in dismissing this question as unanswerable and irrelevant for his purposes. Today too, in political argument and in discussion of the foundations of law, it is generally experienced as disturbing. Yet if man lives without truth, life passes him by; ultimately he surrenders the field to whoever is the stronger. "Redemption" in the fullest sense can only consist in the truth becoming recognizable. And it becomes recognizable when God becomes recognizable. He becomes recognizable in Jesus Christ. In Christ, God entered the world and set up the criterion of truth in the midst of history.

Truth is outwardly powerless in the world, just as Christ is powerless by the world’s standards: he has no legions; he is crucified. Yet in his very powerlessness, he is powerful: only thus, again and again, does truth become power. In the dialogue between Jesus and Pilate, the subject matter is Jesus’ kingship and, hence, the kingship, the "kingdom", of God. In the course of this same conversation it becomes abundantly clear that there is no discontinuity between Jesus’ Galilean teaching—the proclamation of the kingdom of God—and his Jerusalem teaching. The center of the message, all the way to the Cross—all the way to the inscription above the Cross—is the kingdom of God, the new kingship represented by Jesus. And this kingship is centered on truth. The kingship proclaimed by Jesus, at first in parables and then at the end quite openly before the earthly judge, is none other than the kingship of truth. The inauguration of this kingship is man’s true liberation.

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Appeal for the Preservation of the Integrity of the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum

Most Holy Father, we the undersigned:

1. Express our profound gratitude to Your Holiness for your personal liturgical example to the Universal Church. You are a true homo liturgicus whose love for the sacred liturgy is an inspiration; it teaches more clearly than words the centrality of the liturgy in the life of the Church.

2. Thank Your Holiness for your gift to the Church of your 2007 Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum. Since 2007 it has brought forth many fruits, including greater unity in the Church of Christ and a widespread enrichment of the liturgical life of the Church.

3. Note with sadness the continuing and real opposition to the implementation of Summorum Pontificum in many dioceses and on the part of many members of the hierarchy, the suffering and distress this continues to cause many of Christ’s faithful and the obstacle this opposition is to an effective reconciliation within the Church.

4. Note with anxiety the apparent signs that a forthcoming Instruction on Summorum Pontificum will, in some way, take away from what you have legally established in that Motu Proprio and from its wide application in the generous spirit so eloquently explained by Your Holiness in the letter accompanying it: “Let us generously open our hearts and make room for everything that the faith itself allows.”

5. Express our grave concern that any restrictive measures would cause scandal, disunity and suffering in the Church and would frustrate the reconciliation you so earnestly desire, as well as impede further liturgical renewal and development in continuity with Tradition, which is already so great a fruit of your pontificate.

6. Express our hope, our desire and our urgent appeal that the good Your Holiness personally initiated through Summorum Pontificum not be allowed to be hindered by such restrictions.

7. Turn to you with filial trust and as obedient sons and daughters, Most Holy Father, and ask that you urgently consider our concerns and intervene if you judge it necessary.

8. Assure Your Holiness of our continuing prayers, of our deep affection and of our loyalty.

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First Holy Communion Invitations

First Holy Communion Invitations


Winter seems to be flying by, and Spring will be here before you know it. Springtime is one of my favorite times of the year in Church, as the youth of the community receive their First Communion. It is a joy to witness for family, friends, and the entire church community, as our sons and daughters create their connection with Christ and the Church. To help with your Holy Communion planning, I am pleased to introduce Communion invitations from Storkie Express.

With over 20 years of experience, Storkie is committed to providing families with stylish invitations and announcements. Storkie’s mission is to provide high quality custom-printed stationery at affordable prices, and a top-notch customer experience. Storkie has the best selection of Communion thank you cards and Communion announcements around, featuring over 400 unique invitation designs. And for their exclusive dynamic designs, you can personalize the color combinations, in addition to all of the wording, fonts, and layout.

Storkie’s turnaround time is the fastest in their industry with most orders shipping in just 1 to 2 days. Whether you are an early bird getting everything together or you are down to the last minute, Storkie will ensure that you can get your child’s invitations in the mail quickly.

Here is a sampling of a few of their beautiful Communion invitations for girls:

And here are a few of their unique Communion invitations for boys:

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St. Peter Julian Eymard on the Mass

"Hear Mass daily; it will prosper the whole day. All your duties will be performed the better for it, and your soul will be stronger to bear its daily cross. The Mass is the most holy act of religion; you can do nothing that can give greater glory to God or be more profitable for your soul than to hear Mass both frequently and devoutly. It is the favorite devotion of the saints"

(St. Peter Julian Eymard)

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The Most Rev. Manuel Ureña Pastor, Archbishop of Saragossa, Spain Says Tridentine Latin Mass

This is the first time that a diocesan Bishop from Spain has said the Traditional Latin Mass publicly since the promulgation of Summorum Pontificum. The Mass was attended by 1,200 faihtful, including various government representatives. 

Via Una Voce Málaga.

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Ecumenism is not the Mission of the Church

"Ecumenism is not the Church's mission. The Church is not ecumenical, she is missionary. The goal of the missionary Church is to convert. The goal of the ecumenical Church is to find what is true in errors and to remain at this level. It is to deny the truth of the Church" (Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, Apr 14, 1978)

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Who Can Baptize?

Who Can Baptize?

The Church teaches very unequivocally that for the valid conferring of the sacraments, the minister must have the intention of doing at least what the Church does. This is laid down with great emphasis by the Council of Trent (sess. VII). The opinion once defended by such theologians as Catharinus and Salmeron that there need only be the intention to perform deliberately the external rite proper to each sacrament, and that, as long as this was true, the interior dissent of the minister from the mind of the Church would not invalidate the sacrament, no longer finds adherents. The common doctrine now is that a real internal intention to act as a minister of Christ, or to do what Christ instituted the sacraments to effect, in other words, to truly baptize, absolve, etc., is required. This intention need not necessarily be of the sort called actual. That would often be practically impossible. It is enough that it be virtual. Neither habitual nor interpretative intention in the minister will suffice for the validity of the sacrament. The truth is that here and now, when the sacrament is being conferred, neither of these intentions exists, and they can therefore exercise no determining influence upon what is done. To administer the sacraments with a conditional intention, which makes their effect contingent upon a future event, is to confer them invalidly. This holds good for all the sacraments except matrimony, which, being a contract, is susceptible of such a limitation.
Source: Catholic Encyclopedia

For the aforementioned reason, non-Catholic baptisms may not be valid.  The individual should receive a conditional Baptism.  For more information, see our post on the Sacrament of Baptism.

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Bishop Fellay on the Errors of Assisi III

From the sermon of His Grace Bishop Fellay on the Feast of the Epiphany 2011

In theory they know, in theory they believe. But in reality, do they believe? Do they really believe that Our Lord is God? Do they really believe that peace among men, among nations, is in His hand? Do they really believe in all the immediate, direct consequences of His divinity? …Are they all going, like the Magi, the Three Kings, to adore the true God and to look to Him for that peace and to ask Him for it? Are they going to the King of Peace: Rex Pacificus?

Oh, how history repeats itself, alas!

Yes, we are deeply indignant, we vehemently protest against this repetition of the days at Assisi. Everything that we have said, everything that Archbishop Lefebvre had said at the time [of the first World Day of Prayer for Peace in Assisi in 1986], we repeat in our own name. It is evident, my dear brothers, that such a thing demands reparation. What a mystery!

Yes, to adore: what does that mean? To adore means first of all: to recognize, to recognize the divinity. Adoration is given to God alone. And recognizing His divinity immediately implies submission; a declaration of submission to the sovereignty of God. It is to recognize that God has every right over us, that we are really entirely dependent, absolutely dependent upon God for our existence, our life, our ability to act, think, desire, and will. Every good, every good thing that happens to us, comes from the goodness of God. And this is true—not only for believers, not only for Christians—this is true for every creature, absolutely every creature.

God, the Creator of all things, visible and invisible, is also the One who governs this world, the One who sustains all things by the power of His Word, the One in whom everything has its stability! Lord of life and death, of individuals and nations! Almighty, eternal God, to whom all honor and glory is due! Yes, to adore is to put oneself in this posture of humility which acknowledges God’s rights.

Let us go, then, let us go to Our Lord; even though He hides His Divinity, even though He is a tiny Child in the arms of His Mother, He is truly God! He is true God, sent by the mercy of the good God to save us. For He was made man, and in becoming a man he became the Savior, and His name, given by God Himself, is Jesus: the Savior! The only name that has been given under heaven by which we can be saved. The only Savior! The only Holy One, “Tu solus Sanctus” [as we say in the Gloria], who comes to bring us something unheard of: the invitation to God’s eternal happiness.

How can people hope to be able to receive His blessings when they insult Him, when they ignore Him, when they diminish Him? It is madness! How can anyone hope for peace among men when he makes a mockery of God?

And here modern thinking makes truly bizarre sorts of projections: it pretends that all religions, ultimately, adore one and the same true God. That is absolutely false; it is even in Revelation; we find it already in the psalms, in Psalm 96:5, “All the gods of the Gentiles are devils!” They are devils. And Assisi will be full of devils! This is Revelation, this is the Faith of the Church; this is the teaching of the Church!

Now where is continuity? Now where is rupture? What a mystery!

Yes, my dear brothers, if we want to be saved, there is only one way, and that is the way of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

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On the Transcendence of the Resurrection: Why Do We Forget the Mystery of Our Lord's Rising From the Dead

Take a minute and re-read that title again.  One word at a time.

We so often hear and reminded that our Lord Jesus Christ rose from the Dead.  As the Creed professes most solemnly, "Credo in unum Deum...Crucifíxus étiam pro nobisÑ sub Póntio Pílato passus et sepúltus est.  Et resurréxit tértia die, secúndum Scriptúrus..." [I believe in one God...Who suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.  On the third day He rose again in accordance with the Scriptures...]

You profess our Lord's death and resurrection in all of your actions.  All of our prayers are grounded in the central point of our Faith - that our Lord Jesus Christ, being truly dead and buried, by His own divine authority raised Himself from the dead.  Our Lord was truly dead.  Do we realize this?  Do you internalize this?

Let's take a minute and read from Fulton J. Sheen's "The Life of Christ" to better understand the transcendence of this historical event of unparalleled importance. 

In the history of the world, only one tomb has ever had a rock rolled before it, and a soldier guard set to watch it to prevent the dead man within from rising: that was the tomb of Christ on the evening of the Friday called Good.  What spectacle could be more ridiculous than armed soldiers keeping their eyes on a corpse?  But sentinels were set, lest the Dead walk, the Silent speak, and the Pierced Heart quieken to the throb of life.  They said He was dead; they knew He was dead; they would say He would not rise again; and yet they watched!  They openly called Him a deceiver  But, would He still deceive?  Would He Who "deceived" them into believing they won the battle, Himself win the war for life and truth and love?  They remembered that He called His Body the Temple and that in three days after they destroyed It, He would rebuild It; they recalled too, that He compared Himself to Jonah and said that was Jonah was in the belly of the whale for three days, so would He be in the belly of the earth for three days and then would rise again.

We continue to fail to marvel at the Resurrection.  It was our Lord's disciples, who upon hearing the news, ran to the tomb to see for themselves that the Master was risen.  The King of the world had conquered even death itself.  The world which was shaken to its core on Good Friday, upon which its Creator gave up His Life.

We must approach the Resurrection every time with the joy of the disciples and the fervent desire to see our Lord that St. Mary Magdalene had.  As she exclaimed, "They have taken the Lord and I know not where they have laid Him."  How do you read those words?  Do they incite into your heart the deep burning desire like Magdalene to see the Lord?  How would you have reacted to below the Lord and Savior of the world stand before you in glory who only three days before you saw descend lifeless from the Cross into the arms of His weeping Mother?

We forget the glory of the Resurrection.  This year we should already look ahead to Lent.  We have just celebrated the Nativity of the Savior.  We continue to recall now the Octave of His Epiphany and will soon begin to journey with Him to the Cross through Lent.  Make this Lent a bitter one of penance so that you may best rejoice in the Master's Resurrection.  He who has not done penance is not fit to celebrate in the Feast of Easter.



May the sounds and sentiments of the Gloria on Easter Morning resonate in your heart each time you hear someone say that the Lord is risen.  Indeed He is truly risen, alleluia.  Never forget the Cross that He bore for you.  Never forget the glory of our Lord, who is the firstborn from the Dead.  The Lord is risen, alleluia.  Let your hearts rejoice and be glad.

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Carmelite Fathers of Munster, IN

Image: Father Casimir A. Borcz, OCD

What do you now about this community?  How Traditional are they?  I have heard of their community but am looking to find others with first-hand experience to describe them.

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