SPIRITUALITY 101

SPIRITUAL REFLECTION- 81

Deacon Jim Breazile o.c.d.s.

John had just completed his first 6 months in the seminary, preparing to become a priest.  After completing his degree in sociology and foreign languages at the university, he had made application for consideration of the priesthood.  He had gone through all the preliminary examinations, personal, social and psychological evaluations and had been found worthy to enter the seminary.  He knew that over the next four years, every aspect of his life would be continuously examined.  This caused him considerable concern.  His fear was that those responsible for his formation would discover that he was very weak in his faith.

John had considered his faith to be weak since his high school years.  He was constantly comparing himself with others, and always seemed not to measure up when it came to trusting God.  One day in his perusal of some readings in the seminary library, he came upon a writing of St. Francis de Sales (Love of God, Book II, ch. 14) that removed all concern from his mind. St. Francis wrote “When God gives us faith, He enters into our soul and speaks to our spirit, not by manner of discourse but by way of inspiration, proposing unto the understanding that which ought to be believed, but doing it in so sweet a manner that the will receives there from a great complacency.”  The idea of the gift of faith accompanied by an inspiration of sweetness, led John to realize that faith is not to be a struggle so much as it is to be an abandonment.  John abandoned his will into that of God, and no longer struggled. He demonstrated the adage “A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.”  John’s opinion was that if He allowed the Holy Spirit to inspire his faith, his faith would never fail. And for John it never did.

DEVOTION - Growth in love- 3^rd stage

      DEVOTIONALS- MEDITATION-SACRAMENTALS-THE ROSARY-7

THE CREED-6

Currently we are reflecting on the second article of the Apostles Creed. In our last reflection we considered some of the meaning of the expression “I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, Our Lord."  Today we will reflect on the continuation of this expression “conceived by the Holy Spirit.” The basis for our meditation is Luke’s Gospel chapter 1:26-38, commonly referred to as the annunciation.  Through ages of the Church, the role of the Holy Spirit in the incarnation has been expressed in the first words of the Angelus prayer, (prayed by Catholics every 6 hours, beginning at 6:00 A.M.)

Leader-    “The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary”

Response- “And she conceived of the Holy Spirit. “

This text of Luke’s Gospel represents the primary role of the Holy Spirit in the mystery of the Incarnation of Jesus. When the Angel Gabriel said to Mary, “Do not be afraid Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son and you shall name him Jesus…” Mary said to the Angel. “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” And the Angel said to her in reply, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.”

These words recall those of the Prophet Isaiah written after the end of the Babylonian exile (Isaiah 61:1-3). “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; He has sent me to bring glad tidings to the lowly, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release of the prisoners, to announce a year of favor from the Lord and a day of vindication by our God, to comfort all who mourn, to place on those who mourn in Zion a diadem instead of ashes, to give them oil of gladness in place of mourning, a glorious mantle instead of a listless spirit. They will be called oaks of justice, planted by the Lord to show his glory.”  When Jesus began his public ministry, he repeated these words as He read from the scroll in the synagogue of Nazareth, concluding saying, “today this passage has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

Jesus then is the Son of God Who “went forth from the Father and came into the world” (Jn 16:28). He came “to baptize with the Holy Spirit” (cf. Mk 1:8) and to institute the new reality of being reborn from above. Jesus makes reference to this mission when he tells Nicodemus, the Pharisee “Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.”  Nicodemus, confused with this saying did not understand, but Jesus clarified his statement with “Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of flesh is flesh and what is born of Spirit is Spirit. Do not be amazed that I told you ‘you must be born from above’.” (Jn 3:1-7) 

As Jesus was responsive in obedience to the will of the Father, He was also obedient to the Holy Spirit. After the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan the Gospels narrate how Christ responded to the power of the Spirit that descended upon Him “like a dove.”  It was the Spirit that drove Him into the desert (Mk 1:12) and it was the Spirit that allowed Him to be tempted by Satan (Lk 4:1-14). It was through the power of the Holy Spirit that He cast out demons and declared the presence of the kingdom of God in the world (Mt. 12:28).

Because we are baptized into the Body of Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit, we have access to the power demonstrated by Jesus in His earthly life.  Having received the Spirit of adoption we are able to cry “Abba, Father” (Rom 8:15).  Just as the Spirit’s overshadowing caused the Only-begotten to become Mary’s Son through the same overshadowing in our inmost soul we love Him as our Brother and adore Him as our God.  United with Him, we are empowered to transform this world into the kingdom of God.  This is our task as Christians. We are given this power in order that we might serve God who gives us life and breath and everything (Acts 17:25) and in whom we live and move have our being (Acts 17:28).  In Every time a Christian truly lives their Baptism in obedience to our Lord Jesus,  the power of the Holy Spirit shines forth into the world. We, like Jesus are born of the Holy Spirit, and are expected to continue His saving mission in the world in which we live.

THE NEW CATHOLIC CATECHISM:

ARTICLE NO. 904

“Christ…fulfills this prophetic office, not only by the hierarchy … but also by the laity. He accordingly both establishes them as witnesses and provides them with the sense of faith and the grace of the word” (Vatican Council II, Lumen Gentium No. 35)

To teach in order to lead others to faith is the task of every preacher and of each believer (St. Thomas Aquinas)

ARTICLE NO. 905

Lay people also fulfill their prophetic mission by evangelization, “that is, the proclamation of Christ by word and the testimony of life.” For lay people, “this evangelization …acquires a specific property and peculiar efficacy because it is accomplished in the ordinary circumstances of the world.” (Lumen Gentium No. 35)

This witness of life, however, is not the sole element in the apostolate; the true apostle is on the lookout for occasions of announcing Christ by word, either to unbelievers…or to the faithful.

PROPHETS ALL

Deacon Jim Breazile o.c.d.s.

Ó2001 DR. JAMES E. BREAZILE, deacon 
JOHN PAUL EVANGELIST OCDS

SPIRITUALITY 101

SPIRITUAL REFLECTION- 82

Deacon Jim Breazile o.c.d.s.

One day, as has occurred through the ages, a Christian child was being challenged on the playground by a non-believer concerning the honor they gave to the Blessed Virgin, mother of Jesus. The accusations were that the Christians pray to Mary instead of to Christ.  The Child retorted with determination "No, I don't pray to Mary, I simply ask her to pray for me."  I know that she is the mother of Jesus. When I was baptized, I became a member of the mystical body of Jesus, alive and present here in this world.  Because I am a member of His body, Mary is also my mother.  When I need something from Jesus, I just go to Mary, like I do my earthly mother and ask.  I ask Mary to tell Jesus what I want.  I know that her Son would have great difficulty in refusing her request.

Scripture makes it clear that if we are the sons and daughters of Jesus, we are also the sons and daughters of Mary, who conceived Him through the power of the Holy Spirit.  In our baptism, we are conceived to a new creation as members of His body. Since Mary is mother of the Head of the Church, which is Christ, she is also mother of His body. As mother of the Body of Christ, she is also mother of its members.  

DEVOTION - Growth in love- 3^rd stage

      DEVOTIONALS- MEDITATION-SACRAMENTALS-THE ROSARY-8

THE CREED-7

The Apostles Creed continues from our last reflection with "born of the Virgin Mary." This reflection introduces us to a mystery that is closely associated with the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus.  If He were to be fully human, in order that He stand before the Father in our place, it would be necessary for Him to be born of a human body.  The Lord could have chosen any means He wished to create a human body for His Son but to alleviate any question of His humanity, he was conceived by a human mother, born and nourished by her through his life time.

The dilemma for us would be the difficulty of original sin that is passed from person to person through the ages since Adam through the generation of children. Yet we know that Jesus, the Anointed One, was also to be divine, and could not reside in the presence of sin of any kind.  This necessitated His birth from a pure source, unstained by the sin of Adam. This difficulty is expressed in the 51^st Psalm, known as the Miserere (or prayer of repentance) of David. Verse 7 expresses it "True, I was born guilty a sinner, even as my mother conceived me." 

The solution to this dilemma is provided in Luke's Gospel in two phases.  First when the Angel Gabriel addressed her as "Hail Mary full of grace," (Lk. 1:28) He is declaring her purity from sin. No one conceived since the sin of Adam could be considered full of grace, as all are conceived into sin.  At the time of the sin of Adam and Eve in the garden, God had promised that an "Eve" would be the enemy of evil when He stated to the serpent, "I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your offspring and hers. He will strike at your head, while you strike at his heel." (Genesis 3:15).  It is clear that Jesus came into the world to destroy the evil of Satan. In accomplishing this the woman (the new Eve, Mary) was to be the enemy of Satan. Jesus was the redeemer, who reversed the role of Satan in the world, and destroyed His power. In her state, "full of grace" Mary is seen as at enmity with serpent.

The problem of the holy Conception being flawed by inheritance of original sin was solved by the conception of Mary in her mothers womb under divine protection against the sin of Adam. The mystery of this protection is referred to as the Immaculate Conception of Mary.  The mystery of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, as do all mysteries, resides outside of science and therefore is not, nor could not be explained by science.  Our faith tells us that God as Creator of science, can intervene into His creation as He wills.  This intervention for Mary is no more miraculous than the original creation of Adam and Eve without sin (in the image and likeness of God Himself and without the knowledge of good and evil). 

The second phase of the dilemma is and secondly when he stated, "the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Holy Spirit  will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God." (Lk 1:35)  If Jesus were to be conceived through normal sexual relations with a man, then not only would the problem of original sin again arise, but the offspring would not be the Son of God, but the son of man.

Mary's pure and Immaculate Conception is seen as a new creation of mankind. As Adam and Eve were created without sin in the first creation, Mary, to be the mother of God (Theotokos) is also created without sin in the second creation.  Just as through God's mercy Adam and Eve were created without sin, so through the Death of Jesus, Mary's Son enabled His Mother to receive the benefits of His victory over Satan in advance by protecting her from sin.

God Himself, through the "power of the Holy Spirit" was the means by which the life of our Savior was conceived in Mary's womb. This action also takes us back to the original creation of Adam from the dust of the earth, in which the Holy Spirit (the breath of God) gave life to Adam.

With the death of Jesus the perfection of Mary is available to all of us.  The grace received in our Baptism is adequate for us to become at enmity with Satan, to overcome his rule in the world and in our life, and for us to be sinless.  It is necessary that we, like the Blessed Mother, live in accord with our baptismal promises and live the will of the Father in Heaven who created us.

THE NEW CATHOLIC CATECHISM:

ARTICLE NO. 908

By his obedience unto death (Phil 2:8-9) Christ communicated to his disciples the gift of royal freedom, so that they might “by the self-abnegation of a holy life, overcome the reign of sin in themselves”: (Vatican II, Lumen Gentium Article No. 36)

     That man is rightly called a king who makes his own body an obedient subject and, by governing himself with suitable rigor, refuses to let his passions breed rebellion in his soul, for he exercises a kind of royal power over himself. And because he knows how to rule his own person as king, so too does he sit as its judge. He will not let himself be imprisoned by sin, or thrown headlong into wickedness. (St. Ambrose)

ARTICLE NO. 909

 “Moreover, by uniting their forces let the laity so remedy the institutions and conditions of the world when the latter are an inducement to sin, that these may be conformed to the norms of justice, favoring rather than hindering the practice of virtue. By so doing they will impregnate culture and human works with a moral value.”(Lumen Gentium Article No. 36)

CHRISTIAN ROYALTY

Deacon Jim Breazile o.c.d.s.

Ó2001 DR. JAMES E. BREAZILE, deacon 
JOHN PAUL EVANGELIST OCDS

SPIRITUALITY 101

SPIRITUAL REFLECTION- 83

Deacon Jim Breazile o.c.d.s.

Catherine of Siena in her "The Dialogue- Prologue" writes, "O eternal Father, I accuse myself before you, asking that you punish my sins in this life. And since I by my sins am the cause of the sufferings my neighbors must endure, I beg you in mercy to punish me for them."  In Chapter 1, article 3, she writes, "Then eternal Truth seized her desire and drew it more strongly to Himself. Just as in the Old Testament when sacrifice was offered a fire came and drew to Himself the sacrifice that was acceptable to Him, so the gentle Truth did to that soul. He sent the fiery mercy of the Holy Spirit and seized the sacrifice of desire she had made of herself saying; 'Do you not know my daughter, that all the sufferings the soul bears and can bear in this life are not enough to punish one smallest sin? For offence against me, infinite Good, demands infinite satisfaction?' 

Article 4, "I have shown you, dearest daughter, that in this life guilt is not atoned for by any suffering simply as suffering, but rather by suffering born with desire, love and contrition of heart.  The value is not in the suffering but in the soul's desire. Likewise, neither desire not any other virtue has value or life except through my only-begotten Son, Christ crucified, since the soul has drawn life from him and in virtue follows his footsteps.  In this way and in no other is suffering of value.

So you see, said gentle Truth, those who have heartfelt contrition, love for true patience, and that true humility which considers oneself worthy of punishment and unworthy of reward suffer with patience and so make atonement." (Pages 28 and 29, Classics of Western Spirituality, Catherine of Siena, The Dialogue, Paulist Press, N.Y., 1980)

DEVOTION - Growth in love- 3^rd stage

      DEVOTIONALS- MEDITATION-SACRAMENTALS-THE ROSARY-9

THE CREED-8

"Suffered under Pontius Pilate" continues the apostles Creed.  The suffering of Jesus is central to the forgiveness of sin.  The suffering and death of our Lord Jesus not only was instrumental in bringing justice and mercy of the Father out of eternity into time, but it also gave a new meaning to human suffering.  Physical, mental, psychological and spiritual suffering entered the history of man with the sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.  The mystery of evil had traditionally been viewed as a punishment for personal sin against a good God.  The suffering of the innocent, however, remained an unexplained mystery. It was assumed in any case that the basis of suffering was because "someone sinned." "As he passed by he saw a man blind from birth. In Jn 9:1-4 in reference to the man born blind, Jesus provides an answer to this question, and provides us with another puzzle. "His disciples asked him, 'rabbi, who sinned this man or his parents, that he was born blind?' Jesus answered, 'Neither he nor his parents sinned, it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him. We have to do the works of the one who sent me while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work'."

Because of the solidarity of all created persons through the incarnation of Christ, sin serves as the root cause of all suffering. It is clear that suffering, even of the innocent, can often be seen to be caused by sinful acts of persons against themselves and against others. Jesus however, makes it clear that innocent suffering is not always the result of sin.  Nothing would support this idea any more than the suffering of Jesus, the most innocent of all innocents.  Jesus who could not sin, accepted suffering with abandonment of all power or protection that was at his disposal, accepted voluntarily, with full, resolve and with love of those who caused his suffering. Jesus drank the "cup" that His Father gave Him (Jn 18:11), "for our sins and for the sins of the whole world"(1 Jn 2:2).

The suffering of Christ transformed the way Christians view suffering.  Suffering is no longer viewed as a penalty, but to bring glory to God the Father (Jn 9:1-4). Personal suffering, united with the suffering of Christ is "filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the church." (1 Col. 1:24).  Through the suffering of Christ, suffering of individual Christians provides for the universal salvation.  The suffering of each individual is therefore not seen as a waste, but of a treasure of great value.  Any suffering, even the slightest can be united with that of Christ and through this union become redemptive.

One might say that Christ's "suffered under Pontius Pilate," made it all right to suffer.  No longer should suffering be an excuse for depression or feelings of being abandoned by God.  Suffering is an opportunity to serve Christ in a special way by extending His salvation to the whole world through our personal suffering.

THE NEW CATHOLIC CATECHISM:

 ARTICLE NO. 949The Communion of Saints

Communion in faith.  The faith of the faithful is the faith of the Church, received from the apostles. Faith is a treasure of life which is enriched by being shared.

ARTICLE NO.

Communion of the sacraments. “The fruit of all the sacraments belongs to all the faithful. All the sacraments are sacred links uniting the faithful with one another and binding them to Jesus Christ, and above all Baptism, the gate by which we enter into the Church. The communion of saints must be understood as the communion of the sacraments….The name ‘communion’ can be applied to all of them, for they unite us to God….But this name is better suited to the Eucharist than to any other, because it is primarily the Eucharist that brings this communion about (Roman Catechism I, 10,24)

ARTICLE NO. 950

Communion of chrisms. Within the communion of the Church, the Holy Spirit” distributes special graces among the faithful of every rank” for the building up of the Church. (Lumen Gentium 12) Now, ”to each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” (1 Cor 12:7)

ARTICLE NO. 951

“They had everything in common.”  “Everything the true Christian has is to be regarded as a good possessed in common with everyone else. All Christians should be ready and eager to come to the help of the needy…and of their neighbors in want.”(Roman Catechism 1:10,27) A Christian is a steward of the Lord’s goods (Lk 16:1,3)

ARTICLE NO. 952

Communion in charity. In the sanctorum communio, “None of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself.” (Rom 14:7) “If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.” (1 Cor 12:26-27) “Charity does not insist on its own way.” (1 Cor 13:4; cf. 10:24) In this solidarity with all men, living or dead, which is founded on the communion of saints, the least of our acts done in charity redounds to the profit of all. Every sin harms this communion.

COMMUNION OF SAINTS

Deacon Jim Breazile o.c.d.s.

Ó2001 DR. JAMES E. BREAZILE, deacon 
JOHN PAUL EVANGELIST OCDS

SPIRITUALITY 101

SPIRITUAL REFLECTION- 84

Deacon Jim Breazile o.c.d.s.

A tourist visiting a street market in Mexico stopped at a stand that sold holy icons.  In searching through the wares, the tourist found a basket of crosses and crucifixes.  Indicating to the owner that they would like to make a purchase, the vendor said, "which one do you want, just a plain one, or one with the little man on it?"  This expression startled the tourist.  They had never thought of the crucifix as "one with the little man on it."  Of course, this is what gives meaning to the cross. Many men had died on crosses through the ages, but there was only one "little man," who was also a  divine person depicted on the crucifix. This "little man," brought redemption to the world and Glory to God.  Needless to say, the tourist bought the crucifix, which had become a treasure rather than just another ornament.

DEVOTION - Growth in love- 3^rd stage

      DEVOTIONALS- MEDITATION-SACRAMENTALS-THE ROSARY-10

THE CREED-9

                The Apostles Creed continues with "Was Crucified." In reciting the Creed, we often flow through these words without reflection on what they really mean.  On occasion, Jesus would refer to "His hour," as though there was to be a time for fulfilling His mission on earth.  At the wedding of Cana in Galilee, when His mother, Mary approached Him and informed Him that the bridal party had no more wine, Jesus said to her, "Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come."   One might take "His hour," to mean that it was not time to begin His mission of glory. 

Interpretation of this statement of Jesus to His mother is more clear if we remember that glory has its day; evil has its hour.  It seems strange that Jesus might refer to a time when His hour of evil has not come until we remember the central mission through which glory was to have its day, was an hour of evil. Included in this mission to give glory to the Father, Jesus refers to his "hour" of crucifixion.  It was through His suffering a death by crucifixion that redemption, the overcoming of evil was achieved.

                Jesus often referred to an hour of glory in which He would be "raised up," into the glory of heaven. This was fulfilled in His resurrection and ascension to the right hand of the Father.  The "raising up," however, included the necessity of first being raised up on a cross.  He refers to His crucifixion in his conversation with the Sanhedrin Pharisee Nicodemus when He said, "And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life."  (John 3:14-15) In the book of Numbers (21:4-9), The people guided by Moses, due to the hardship of the desert life rebelled against Moses. The Lord punished them by sending seraph serpents that bit the people so that many of them died. When the people realized that they were being punished for their sins, they appealed to Moses to intercede with the Lord for protection against this punishment. The Lord asked Moses to have a serpent of bronze and mount it on a pole placed so that the people could look at the bronze serpent and they would recover from the bite of the serpent.

                It may seems strange that the crucifixion of Jesus, raised upon the "pole" in crucifixion parallels the bronze serpent raised upon a "pole" of healing.  The sense of this parallel, however, lies in the fact that the bronze serpent had no venom.  The bronze serpent was pure, and in its purity, God's healing power could be transmitted, by sight, to the afflicted people.  In the same way, Christ, who brings glory to the Father through the healing power of His grace to overcome the evils of sin, had no sin in Him.  Only through the purity of the sinless Christ could the sin of mankind, which He had taken upon Himself, be redeemed.

                Jesus made it clear that the overcoming of sin required suffering and death. Because this was the "way" in which the Father had chosen for His mission, it is the "way" that we are to follow Him in overcoming our personal sins. A suffering (penance) and death (mortification) must take place if we individually are to overcome the sins of our lives.  The crucifix was to the world a sign of contradiction. It was to be applied to the accursed, used as a most cruel method of torture and death for the lowly, the lawbreakers, the criminals of the world, applied to the cruel torture and death of the pure, holy and sinless Son of God.  Paul's letter to the Galatians 3:13 expresses it in this way. Christ ransomed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written," Cursed be everyone who hangs on a tree."

                The image of Christ in the agony of  crucifixion is central to Christianity.  It is the "Gospel," the good news of Paul. Paul did not write a narrative that we refer to as a Gospel, but one that He refers to as the Gospel.  The entire convergence of the good news for Paul is the crucifixion.  It is because of this that the Christian cross through the ages is a crucifix. It has the image of Christ's body nailed to the cross of contradiction.  A Christ without the cross is easy to follow. We may prefer to image Christ as risen, sitting in glory at the right hand of the Father, and certainly He is there.  We may enjoy meditating on Christ, the teacher. In our meditation it is peaceful to join Him standing on the hill of the Beatitudes with crowds of disciples all around listening. And certainly this is an important image of Christ.  The only true image of Christ of salvation, however, is Christ crucified. 

1 Peter 2:21; "For this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his footsteps." It is there, on the cross that He draws all of us to Himself and redeems our sins. To join Him there is often quite discomforting.  It requires a great deal of strength and determination to bring our sins to the foot of the cross and in true repentance, remorse and repugnance for offending Him bow hour heads in humility for the suffering of His purity required by our sin.  Knowing this, however, He assures us of forgiveness and explains that His is cross is bearable.  In Matthew 11:28-30, we hear His assuring words; "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart, and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy and my burden light."

THE NEW CATHOLIC CATECHISM:

ARTICLE No. 962 - “We believe in the communion of all the faithful of Christ, those who are pilgrims on earth, the dead who are being purified, and the blessed in heaven, all together forming one Church; and we believe that in this communion, the merciful love of God and his saints is always [attentive] to our prayers” (Paul VI, Credo of the People of God, No. 30).

TRI-LEVEL CHURCH

Deacon Jim Breazile o.c.d.s.

Ó2001 DR. JAMES E. BREAZILE, deacon 
JOHN PAUL EVANGELIST OCDS

SPIRITUALITY 101

SPIRITUAL REFLECTION- 85

Deacon Jim Breazile ocds

In the 1952 there was a young soldier in Korea, who survived deadly war primarily by his wits.  He was exposed to great cruelty in the war that raged in that  nation, and thought he has seen all the cruelty that man could impose upon another person. One day, however, he happened upon a village in which he saw 10 men hanging from trees.  They had been crucified by the North Korean army because they would not inform them of enemy movements in the area.  It was obvious that the crucifixion had been followed by a great deal of beating and torture, as each of the 10 had been stripped, and flayed so that their ribs could be seen. The blood that had come from the nails that held their hands and feet to the trees witnessed that they were alive when hung. The blood that pooled below each indicated that the torture had occurred after the crucifixion. 

At the time the young soldier was not a Christian.  He had never developed a faith in Christ and knew little about Him except that He had died of crucifixion and torture.  Later, He saw a crucifix in a Catholic church.  This was a larger than life crucifix, that clearly demonstrated the agony of death.  The young man joined that church, and later, after receiving the gift of faith in the crucified Christ and the Trinity, he dedicated his life to bringing the suffering and the lame to that Cross for healing and redemption.

DEVOTION - Growth in love- 3^rd stage

      DEVOTIONALS- MEDITATION-SACRAMENTALS-THE ROSARY-11

THE CREED-10

Because the crucifixion seems such an unusually cruel method of death for the Messiah, we will continue to reflect on the term "crucified."  As we have seen in the last reflection, there is much more to the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus, than just an agonizing death on a wooden cross.  It is obvious that it is not just the pain and His suffering that makes the crucifixion of Christ special. It is this extra that Jesus brought to the torture of the crucifixion that makes it meaningful to Christians. It might be imagined that the pain of nails would have been the greatest suffering a person could experience. Many persons however, have suffered terrible cruelty by their fellow man that would be similar to or even more severe than the physical pain suffered by Christ on the cross. There were of course the two thieves who were crucified with Him. Tradition has it that Peter was crucified, and because of his humility asked to be crucified upside down, as he did not deserve to share in the death of his Lord.  In 1597, in Nagasaki, Japan, a company of Japanese and European Christians were crucified because of their preaching the Christian faith. Ignatius, bishop of Antioch was killed in the Roman arena by wild beasts, Many Christians met death as living human torches, for the entertainment of pagan onlookers. St. Lawrence suffered roasted to death on a grill.  Isaac Joques and John de Brebeus were priests, who in 1646 were dismembered by Mohawks with tomahawks.  Man is capable of devising methods of torture that would easily exceed the pain of crucifixion.

                What makes the crucifixion of Christ different from that of all other suffering that man could devise resides in who He is.  Jesus has two natures, human and divine, but He has only one, divine personality.  Because of sin, human personalities are damaged by concupiscence. Each human person is limited by their personality.  It is personality that allows some to be leaders and others to be followers. Personality makes heroes and makes cowards.  Personality determines the degree to which we can, through empathy, share in another persons suffering.  It is personality that can, within minutes, change sympathy and empathy into hatred, or love. Because Christ had a divine personality, he was not limited as are those with a human personality. Through His divine personality residing in a human body, Jesus had solidarity with all other humans. His solidarity was not limited to only those humans who lived in His time, but with all human persons who had ever been created, and would ever be created.  Through His divinity, the solidarity of Christ with mankind is eternal. It reaches back to Adam, and forward to the last person who will exist on earth.

                The purpose of Christ's divine person, united to human nature, not only suffered the pain of His crucifixion, but beginning in the Garden of Gethsemane, suffered all the pain suffered by all mankind through all ages.  Although this suffering would seem to be overwhelming in itself, Christ also suffered additional pains.  He placed Himself before the Father Creator, as Man, and accepted the guilt of all  sins through the ages.  As He came to redeem all sin, He stood in our place and accepted both the responsibility and the suffering due for all sins of all time.

                The significance of all this is difficult for us to fathom. But we receive some insight into what this suffering means to Paul. He refers to this suffering on the Cross in his letter to the Colossians 1:24. There he writes "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh; I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the church."  This revelation goes right to the core of the meaning of human suffering. Paul understood, through divine revelation that what he suffered in his flesh, when joined with the suffering of Christ on the cross unites with the salvational power of divinity crucified.  This causes Paul to rejoice because no form or intensity of human suffering need be wasted.  Through faith, our suffering; mental, psychological, physical and spiritual can be joined with the Christ on the cross., Through that crucifixion, Christ uses our suffering to bring redemption to the souls of the world.

THE NEW CATHOLIC CATECHISM:

ARTICLE No. 966

Since the Virgin Mary’s role in the mystery of Christ and the Spirit has been treated, it is fitting now to consider her place in the Mystery of the Church. “The Virgin Mary … is acknowledged and honored as being truly the Mother of God and of the redeemer….she is ’clearly the mother of the members of Christ’…since she has by her charity joined in bringing about the birth of believers in the Church, who are members of its head.”(Vatican II, Lumen Gentium Article No. 53) “Mary, Mother of Christ, Mother of the Church.”(Paul VI, Discourse, November 21, 1964)

MOTHER OF THE CHURCH

Deacon Jim Breazile o.c.d.s.

Ó2001 DR. JAMES E. BREAZILE, deacon 
JOHN PAUL EVANGELIST OCDS

SPIRITUALITY 101

SPIRITUAL REFLECTION- 86

Deacon Jim Breazile ocds

An Arabian proverb tells of a man riding toward Syria leading his camel through the desert. The animal became frightened and began to rear and kick, foam and roar. The camel chased the man to a precipice, where as he fell down, he grasped a shrub.  Holding with both hands, he looked up and saw the terrible camel, below him he saw a dangerous serpent ready to bite him if he were to fall.  He saw two mice at his side, one white and one black.  To his terror, they were gnawing at the root of the shrub holding him. The man, frozen with fear, seeing no way out of his predicament suddenly discovered a golden fruit on a small branch of the shrub. He instantly extended his hand and tasted it.  Its sweet flavor made him forget all his dangers.

The man is every man.  The serpent at the bottom of the precipice is death, the camel is life's troubles and anguish.  You are handing from a branch between life and death. The two mice are day and night. In this situation you see the fruit of life's pleasures.They cause you to forget life's anxieties, death's threats, and the quick passing of days and nights during which you enjoy the sweet fruits of life on the very brink of doom.

The Christian has an answer to the proverb.  Through our Baptism, we join into the death of Christ, from which we gain everlasting life, where there is no fear, no anxiety, no threat of dying for all eternity.

DEVOTION - Growth in love- 3^rd stage

      DEVOTIONALS- MEDITATION-SACRAMENTALS-THE ROSARY-12

THE CREED-11

The next expression of faith of the Apostles Creed, "died and was buried," lies at the basis of the hope of all Christians. There is no doubt concerning His death and burial.  Although there are variations in the way they express this reality, all four Gospels give witness to His death and burial.  It seems strange to the world that Christians celebrate the death of the One who was sent to bring salvation.  At the time, there were many who doubted the meaning of His death.  Luke (24:13ff) describes the disappointment of two of His disciples, who were returning home from Jerusalem to Emaus.  They were downcast when Jesus joined them. Since they did not recognize Him, He engaged them in conversation about their conversation.  They were astounded that he, obviously a Hebrew, didn't know what had happened to Him in Jerusalem. They said, (24:21)  "But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel; and besides all this it is now the third day since this took place." In 24:26, He said to them, "was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and enter into his glory?" (24:27)Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the scriptures.

In John's gospel (19"33-34) , give assurance of His death as follows: "But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs, but one soldier thrust his lance into his side and immediately blood and water flowed out. Coincident with His death, an event occurred across the valley in the Temple, that speaks to the significance of His death.  This event is recorded in the Synaptic Gospels, because it has great significance to the Christian faith (Matt 27:51; Mk 15:38 and Lk 23:45).  Within the temple there were two great tapestries (veils) .  There was an outer tapestry before the entrance to the Holy Place of worship and a second great tapestry that separated the Holy of Holies from the Holy Place.  Only the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies, behind the "veil," where God resided on the "Mercy Seat," the propitiatory of the ark of the covenant.

With the entrance of the lance of the soldier into the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Holy of Holies on Mt. Calvary, across the valley the temple veil was torn to expose the Holy of Holies of the Temple. Mark and Matthew are careful to emphasize that it was torn from top to bottom. Luke indicates that it was torn "down" the middle. It was not torn from bottom to top, as might occur if men had done it, but from top to bottom, by the power of God. The significance of this incident in which the Holy of Holies was now open to all who would see lies that the basis of the mission of Christ to bring all souls to the Father.

The tearing of the veil has many implications to our faith, only a few can be considered here.  It is clear that with the sin of Adam, an impenetrable barrier (a dark veil) separated humanity from divinity.  There was no longer direct communication between God and man, as had occurred with Adam.  Through the ages, God had communicated His love and His commandments through the prophets.  In the end, He sent His only Son (Hebrews 1:2). Jesus not only communicated the Fathers will in what he taught and how He lived, but even in His death.  With His death, He removed the threat of death, because the Way that He left for us leads to union with God.

The death of Christ sealed a new covenant between God and mankind. Just as Gods chosen people were led into life from slavery through the paschal lamb, Jesus, the new Paschal Lamb, through His death brings a new life into humanity.  The new life of the paschal lamb, however, provided only a passage into another life upon earth, from slavery of Egypt into the freedom of the promised land.  The death of Christ as the New Paschal Lamb provided passage into eternal life with the Lord.

Just as astounding as the opening of the Holy of Holies so that God and man have direct communication, the opening of the Sacred Heart of Jesus gave rise to a flow of water and of blood.  The Church recognized this as the conception of the Christian church. Through the water of Baptism, and the Body and Blood of the Eucharist, even though Jesus died and has left us, He remains with us in His Sacramental presence through the Church.

Rejoicing in the effect of the death of Christ on our lives in this world, Paul quoting Hosea (13:14) sings; "Death is swallowed up in victory, Where, O death is your victory, Where, O death is your sting?" (1 Cor. 15:54-55)

THE NEW CATHOLIC CATECHISM:

ARTICLE No. 971

“All generations will call me blessed”: “The Church’s devotion to the Blessed virgin is intrinsic to Christian worship.” (Lk 1:48 Paul VI, Marialis Cultis No. 56) The church rightly honors “the Blessed Virgin with special devotion. From the most ancient times the Blessed Virgin has been honored with the title of ‘Mother of God,’ to whose protection the faithful fly in all their dangers and needs….This very special devotion… differs essentially from the adoration which is given to the incarnate Word and equally to the father and the Holy Spirit, and greatly fosters this adoration.” (Vatican II, Lumen Gentium No. 69) The liturgical feasts dedicated to the Mother of God and Marian prayer, such as the rosary, an “epitome of the whole Gospel,” express this devotion to the Virgin Mary. (Paul VI, Marialis Cultis No 42 and Sacrosanctum Concilium No. 103)

THEOTOKOS THEOTOKOS, MOTHER OF GOD

Deacon Jim Breazile o.c.d.s.

Ó2001 DR. JAMES E. BREAZILE, deacon 
JOHN PAUL EVANGELIST OCDS

SPIRITUALITY 101

SPIRITUAL REFLECTION- 87

Deacon Jim Breazile o.c.d.s.

According to legend, Satan one day asked to be in the Lord's presence.  The Lord told Satan that he could talk to Him, but he could not see Him because the good Lord could not be in the presence of sin.  Satan accepted the conditions, and God asked Satan what he wanted.  Satan said, "I am puzzled by the fact that you so readily forgive the sins of man, over and over again, no matter how serious the sin, or how frequently the sin is committed. " "Yes," said the Lord, "I forgive the sins of man when he is repentant of his sins and confesses them to my priests. For Jesus left this power with the Church when he breathed my Love into the Apostles in the upper room and said, "Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, Whose sins you retain are retained. (Jn 20:23)  Why does that puzzle you?" Satan replied; "Why do you not then forgive my sins?"  The Lord replied, "You have never been repentant and you have never confessed to my Church. This is why you must remain in hell for all eternity."

To ignore sin and the means by which God forgives sin is the greatest of arrogance. Hell is the reward for such arrogance.

DEVOTION - Growth in love- 3^rd stage

      DEVOTIONALS- MEDITATION-SACRAMENTALS-THE ROSARY-13

THE CREED-12

      The Apostles Creed continues with "He descended to the dead."  Some expressions of the creed use the expression, "He descended into hell."

In Hebrew there is no word for what Christians think of as hell. There is however, a place for the dead, called sheol. In Hebrew, sheol is also called shahath (a pit) as is referred to in Psalm 16:9-10, "Therefore my heart is glad, my soul rejoices; my body also dwells secure, for you will not abandon me to sheol, nor let your faithful servant see the pit.”  A synonym for sheol is the underworld, derived from the concept that the universe consists of three levels, the heavens, the material world and the place of the dead. The Greek translation derives the idea of sheol in two expressions. One is as "to be corrupt." On the basis of this expression, Acts 2:25-32 and 13:35-37 apply this idea to Christ's resurrection, "Nor will you suffer our Holy one to see corruption."

For the people of the Old Testament, sheol for the Hebrew is a place that can not be avoided, a place of decay and darkness where there is no hope. In Job 17:13-15, we read, "If I look for the nether world as my dwelling, if I spread my couch in the darkness, if I must call corruption "my father," and the maggot, "my mother" and "my sister," where then is my hope and my prosperity, who shall see? There is no work, no thought, no knowledge, no wisdom in sheol, and God is not praised, as indicated in Psalm 6:5-6 "For who among the dead remembers you? Who praises you in sheol?" Isaiah 38:38, "For it is not the nether world that gives you thanks, nor death that praises you; neither do those who go down into the pit await your kindness."

Sheol, however, does not entail the absence of God, and therefore does not equate with the Christian concept of hell.  In Deuteronomy 32:22, we see that Gods extends into the "netherworld" and  Psalm 139:9 indicates that even in sheol, one does not escape God's presence; "If I ascend into the heavens you are there. If I lie down in sheol, you are there too."

Today hell describes a place for the dead. These dead, however differ from those conceived to be in sheol, because they also suffer the absence of God. Scriptures often use the word Gehenna (Matt. 5:29-30; 10;28) or Tartarus (2 Peter 2:4) Gehenna refers to a valley in which ritual sacrifice (the valley of slaughter of Jeremiah 7:32) or a Topheth, a fireplace or a place where human bodies were burned in ritual sacrifice. It is such a place “where their worm never dies and their fire is not quenched.” (Mark 9:48). This is the place an eternal fire (Mt. 18:8), prepared for the devil and his followers (Mt 25:41) serves as the final destination of those who have rejected God during this life and have no share in the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:10; Galatians 5:19-21), cf Mt. 5:20).

It is clear that Jesus, after his death did not enter hell. Hell is best defined as the absence of God.   He did, however, enter the place of the dead. We read in 1 Peter 3:18b-19; “Put to death in the flesh, he was brought to life in the spirit. In it he also went to preach to the spirits in prison.”  In light of the background above, it is this passage that is the basis for saying that after Jesus died, he descended to the dead. “He descended to the dead (or into Hell) expresses that the redemption of Jesus extended back to Adam, and included all who had died since, to the time of Jesus’ death.

This expression of the creed acknowledges that the gates of heaven are opened and that death does not interrupt life, but changes it so that what we desire most in this life, we will have for the rest of eternity.  If we choose God, we will have Him. If we choose not to have God we will not have Him. The reason hell is so devastating is that we will know for all eternity what we have rejected, just as in heaven, we will know what we have accepted. 

THE NEW CATHOLIC CATECHISM:

ARTICLE No. 972

After speaking of the Church, her origin, mission, and destiny, we can find no better way to conclude than by looking to Mary. In her we contemplate what the Church already is in her mystery on her own “pilgrimage of faith,” and what she will be in the homeland at the end of her journey. There, “in the glory of the Most Holy and Undivided Trinity,” in the communion of all the saints,” (Vatican II, Lumen Gentium No. 69) the Church is awaited by the one she venerate as Mother of her Lord and as her own mother.

In the meantime the Mother of Jesus, in the glory which she possesses in the Church as it is to be perfected in the world to come. Likewise she shines forth on earth, until the day of the Lord shall come, a sign of certain hope and comfort to the pilgrim People of God, (2 Pet 3:10)

PATHFINDER

DEACON JIM BREAZILE

Ó2001 DR. JAMES E. BREAZILE, deacon 
JOHN PAUL EVANGELIST OCDS

SPIRITUALITY 101

SPIRITUAL REFLECTION- 88

Deacon Jim Breazile o.c.d.s.

Michelangelo was one of the greatest artists of all time.  The Pope summoned him one day and asked him to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Michelangelo took a pencil and paper and spent weeks making drawings. Finally he climbed up the scaffolding and began to paint.  He spent days, weeks, and months up there making more drawings on paper and then painting them on the ceiling.   He was enraptured in the work he was doing and inspired to paint as the Lord would have him paint, was not aware of time.  Finally one day the Pope came and shouted from below the scaffolding, "Michelangelo when are you going to finish?" "When I can," replied the artist. "You started months ago," said the Pope, "and it would appear that you have just begun." The artist replied, "Your Holiness, I am not working for time but for eternity."

So it is with us as we sketch and paint the pattern of our lives in this world. We have the danger of being caught up in time, to meet deadlines at home and work, to sleep adequate numbers of hours, to exercise enough for fitness.  We even worry about the passage of time, looking forward to tomorrow, filling in our planner, so that we won't forget what we are going to do, and where we are going. The fact is we are all living in eternity, and the only important choice is where do we want to be.  If we wish to be with the Lord and live our lives accordingly, eternity in heaven begins now.  If we do not wish to be with the Lord and live our lives accordingly, eternity in hell begins now.

DEVOTION - Growth in love- 3^rd stage

      DEVOTIONALS- MEDITATION-SACRAMENTALS-THE ROSARY-14

THE CREED-13

Our reflection on the apostles Creed continues with, "On the third day He rose again." On several occasions, Jesus had informed His apostles of His resurrection. In Mark 8:31we read; "He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and rise after three days."   It seemed that they really had not heard him, or understood what he had said as at a later time we read in Mark 9:9-10; "As they were coming down the mountain, he charged them (Peter, James and John)  not to relate what they had seen to anyone, except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead.. So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what rising from the dead meant."

"Do not be amazed! You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified, He has been raised; he is not here. Behold the place where they laid him" (Mark 16:6).  This message of the angel at the tomb caused the women to be afraid, seized with trembling and bewilderment, they said nothing to anyone.  The fulfillment of  the prophesy of His resurrection was a shock, not only to those who crucified Him, but to those He had foretold.  It required the inspiration of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost to make clear to the Church the reality and meaning of His resurrection.  On that day Peter, speaking the faith of the Church, expressed the basic element of the Creed, "the man Jesus, whom you have killed by crucifixion died and has risen from the dead."(Acts 2:23-24)

The grave of Jesus was a loss of hope for those who were "hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel. " (Lk 24:21)  They were so focused on their loss, that they had forgotten His promise of the resurrection.  This was, however, remembered by his enemies, for they begged that a guard be set over the tomb to prevent his followers from stealing the body and claiming a resurrection (Matt. 17:64). Barely managing any hope, the followers of Christ during His life clung together in fear, hidden away behind locked doors in His death. (Jn 20:19)

But the light of eternal life streamed from the cave of death. Jesus rose as conqueror of death and sin. "There was a great earthquake as the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, approached, rolled back the stone, and sat upon it" (Matt 28:2). And the guard that had been set, reported the resurrection to the chief priests who conspired to cover up the truth.(Matt 28:11-15)

In this reflection we ask, does Jesus rise from the grave of our sorrow, grief and worries in our daily life? Does He especially rise from the misery of our sins?  In response to our prayers of sorrow and repentance Gods love descends upon us like the angel of the resurrection. Contrition for our sins causes great earthquakes within us that lead to transformation of our life.  The crucified, risen Jesus answers our repentance as surely as did His own divine soul claim renewed possession of His stricken body; for  it was He "Who was handed over for our transgressions, and was raised for our justification." (Romans 4:25)

The Church often quotes in her liturgy, "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it," (Ps. 117:24). In this exclamation, we are filled with joy and hope in all avenues of our lives.  Grief from the loss of a loved one is eased because of our knowledge that the Lord, preceding them in death, came to life, and that they have the choice of following Him through the grave to everlasting life. Anxiety from the loss of a job or security in the world is eased by the knowledge that Jesus gave all and lost all, to regain His life in eternity.  The fact that we share in His victorious life allows the Christian to relax in peace, as the world continues in turmoil around them.  The battle of our life goes on, but it has been fought and won by Christ.  What we need is to join with Him and the battles of life become an opportunity to grow in peace and happiness.

THE NEW CATHOLIC CATECHISM: ARTICLE No. 977  “We Believe in one Baptism for the Forgiveness of Sins.”

Our Lord tied the forgiveness of sins to faith and Baptism: “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation.  He who believes and is baptized will be saved.” (Mk 16:15-16)  Baptism is the first and chief sacrament of forgiveness of sins because it units us with Christ, who died for our sins and rose for our justification, so that “we too might walk in newness of life.” (Rom 6:4)

HOLY BATH

DEACON JIM BREAZILE o.c.d.s.

Ó2001 DR. JAMES E. BREAZILE, deacon 
JOHN PAUL EVANGELIST OCDS

SPIRITUALITY 101
SPIRITUAL REFLECTION- 89
Deacon Jim Breazile o.c.d.s.

Mary was the matriarch, not only of her family, but of the entire community.  If there was anyone who had a problem, they knew they could take it to Mary and receive understand, and a reasoned, workable solution. It didn't seem to matter what the problem was. If it had to do with something as simple as ingredients for a new recipe, Mary had just the right answer to bring excellence to whatever was being prepared.  If the problem dealt with private personal problems, everyone could count on Mary, not only for confidentiality, but for a thorough understanding and advice.  A primary characteristics of Mary were her quiet, joyful expressions of love, her laughter and her smile. Some would visit Mary just to feel good about themselves.  They knew that she cared for them and loved them. 

When Mary's daughter asked one day where she obtained the wisdom, the understanding, the desire and the knowledge to serve people so well.  Mary's answer was simple. She said, "When I realized that the Lord loves me, I smiled. When I came to understand how much He loves me, I laughed.  When I came to know what He has prepared for me in Heaven, I understood that if I began to live with Him, He would live in me and provide me with all that I would need to know Him, to love Him and to serve Him. He lives here with me. It is like having Heaven in my house."

Mary's live reflects the effect of sure knowledge that the risen, glorified human Jesus is in heaven and from there shares His divinity with all who believe in Him.

DEVOTION - Growth in love- 3rd stage
    DEVOTIONALS- MEDITATION-SACRAMENTALS-THE ROSARY-15
THE CREED-14

'He ascended into heaven'; is an article of the Apostles Creed that brings fulfillment to the virtue of hope for the Christian.  Just as Jesus, in his glorified human body, ascended into heaven, so to our mortal bodies can one-day join His in heaven. 

Luke ends his Gospel and starts the Acts of the Apostles with the ascension (Lk. 24:51 and Acts 1:9) "As he blessed them he parted from them and was taken up to Heaven" and "When he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight." Not only did the Apostles see the ascension, but they recalled that Jesus had foretold that He would ascend.

In John's Gospel 13:3, we read "fully aware that the Father had put everything into his power and that he had come from God and was returning to God," we see a prediction of the ascension. In John 14:28, You heard me tell you, "I am going away and I will come back to you. If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I." Again in Johns Gospel, 15:5, Jesus tells his disciples, "But now I am going to the one who sent me," and again in 16:10, "because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see me"

Later, when Mary of Magdala saw Jesus at the tomb, she did not know Him. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?" (John 10:17) Jesus said to her, "Mary!" (10:16) Upon hearing Him speak her name she recognized him, calling Him Rabouni or teacher. Then Jesus said to her, "stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the father. But go to my brothers and tell then, I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God."  In this way, Jesus foretold His ascension. 

When we think of Jesus we most often consider His life and death in regard to His role as Savior. We know that He was God, but took human flesh, and became fully human in order that He could redeem the great insult of the sin of man against divinity. (Philippians 2:6-11)  As we have considered in previous reflections; it was necessary that He be divine, in order that He could find pardon of insult to divinity. At the same time he must have been fully human in order that he could stand in the place of humankind in repentance for sin.  It is true that Jesus did all this because of the love of God for each of us. We also consider that His resurrection from the dead was a sign to us that through His redemptive suffering and death, our human bodies become immortal. Paul reflects on this in his 1st letter to the Corinthians, where he sings glory to the Lord because death has been overcome. Paul writes "the dead will be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed, First this which is corruptible must cloth itself with incorruptibility and this which is mortal must cloth itself with immorality.'  (15:52b-53)

All this is the Good News of Christ.  If we are faithful to Christ and follow in His way, His truth and His life, we will live forever.  The surprise for us is that we can live with Him in heaven sharing as fully as is possible the inner life of the Holy Trinity for all of eternity.  This gift, resulting from Christ sharing in our humanity, bringing us a share in His divinity is beyond human dreams. Adam and Eve could have dreamed of such a life, but didn't have it even when they visited face-to-face with God in the Garden of Eden.

We might think that this is the full story of the ascension, but this is only the beginning. Christ told His apostles of other effects of His ascension that are utterly astounding. First He said that he would prepare a place for us and secondly He said that when He ascended he would send the Holy Spirit, to show us the way to follow Him. In later reflections we will consider how magnanimous these gifts are in our spiritual lives.

What a loving God He is. His Gifts are beyond imagination.

THE NEW CATHOLIC CATECHISM: ARTICLE No. 981 "The Power of the Keys"

After his Resurrection, Christ sent his apostles "so that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations." (Lk 24:47) The apostles and their successors carry out this ministry of reconciliation; not only by announcing to men God's forgiveness merited for us by Christ, and calling them to conversion and faith; but also by communicating to them the forgiveness of sins in baptism, and reconciling them with God and with the Church through the power of the keys, received from Christ. (2 Cor 5:18)

[The Church] has received the keys of the Kingdom of heaven so that, in her, sins may be forgiven through Christ's blood and the Holy Spirit's action. In this Church, the soul dead through sin comes back to life in order to live with Christ, whose grace has saved us. (St. Augustine, Sermo 214, 11:P.38, 1071-1072

CREATIONS REDEMPTION
DEACON JIM BREAZILE o.c.d.s.

Baptism's Holy grandiosity
Strengthening mortal virtuosity
But life retains fractuosity
Concupiscence creates curiosity 
Sins intruding strenuosity
Saints bow to dark tortuosity
Of rejected hard won generosity

How repair such stupendous loss
Except through blood of Holy Cross
Through Sacrament's healing of ugly dross
Empowered Apostles with divine ethos
Won through Jesus redemptive pathos
To rescue from sins pervading chaos
Restored order to created cosmos

Ó2001 DR. JAMES E. BREAZILE, deacon 
JOHN PAUL EVANGELIST OCDS

SPIRITUAL REFLECTION- 90
Deacon Jim Breazile o.c.d.s.

There was in Florence a worldly and vain girl who with her daring dresses dragged many young men into sin. One day going over her wardrobe she found an old crucifix, and while glancing at it she seemed to hear a voice coming from His wounds saying; "Christ died for your sins." She burst into tears, gave up the world and started a truly edifying life. However, after a few years she forgot about the crucifix and returned to her sinful life.
She learned from her first experience and this time, so as not to find any more cucifixes, she burnt all the ones she could find. However, Christ did not abandon her. One day while looking at herself in the mirror, instead of her pretty face she saw Christ's countenance, sad, disfigured and bloody on the Cross. She reformed, did penance for her sins, and so as not to neglect her sacrifice and virtue, she always kept a crucifix in front of her. She persevered and became a saint. She is known as Saint Mary of the Angels.

It is possible that we may abandon Christ, but it is not possible that Christ will abandon us. He sits this day in heaven, where in His crucified, risen, glorified body, He is a constant reminder of God's love for us. There, he not only intercedes with the Father on our behalf, but He intercedes with us on behalf of His Father. If we open our heart, mind, spirit and soul to His presence, we can hear His voice. Once we listen to what He has to say to us, we have the are free to turn away from the voices of the world and chose life with Him.

DEVOTION - Growth in love- 3rd stage
DEVOTIONALS- MEDITATION-SACRAMENTALS-THE ROSARY-16
THE CREED-15

[He] "sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;" (Hebrews 1:3; 8:1) is the next article of our faith expressed by the Apostles Creed. Meditation on this mystery leads us to a contemplative union with the risen glorified human body of Jesus Christ, Gods only Son, our Lord in Heaven. We can now understand that not only did He become man in order to stand in our place and redeem our relationship with divinity, but also by emptying Himself (His kenosis) He could lower Himself to humanity in a tangible way. This emptying of Himself, a humbling of divinity, if one could consider a God with human virtues, made it possible for Him to raise up fallen humanity to a divine state.

Paul speaks of this "humbling of divinity," in his letter to the Philippians (2:8-10); "He humbled Himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth." An important point that Paul makes here, that should be considered a part of our daily spirituality is the expression, "even death on a cross." It is evident that the glorified, risen Jesus Christ retains the marks of crucifixion on His body. He is the "Lamb that seemed to have been slain" that John saw in his vision of heaven (Revelation 5:6). He had the marks of crucifixion on His body.

The significance to our spirituality of this expression, "even death on a cross," is that Christ took those wounds with Him into heaven. He sits now beside the Father as our glorified, wounded savior to be a constantly reminder to all in heaven of Gods great eternal love for us. Because He suffered, died and rose again, "He is always able to save those who approach God through Him, since He lives forever to make intercession for them."(Heb 7:25).

The wounds in the Body of Christ, risen and glorified, as well as those of His Mystical Body, the Church on earth are forever fresh. The suffering of the world that He took upon Himself is still very real and present. It is our task, as members of His glorified, risen, Body, to bring healing to this suffering. Each of us is an instrument of His healing love. Each day in our prayers, we should make a resolution to seek out those wounds and bring His healing love to them. When we begin to feel the weakness of our human nature in our service to Him, envision His resurrected, glorified human body. United with Him can overcome all obstacles to live His glory on earth.

Our service to Him requires a personal kenosis, an emptying of ourselves of concern for ourselves and allowing Him to fill us with His grace and love. These are two vital step toward spiritual perfection; first an emptying and then a filling, both actions of the will that seeks perfection in love.

THE NEW CATHOLIC CATECHISM: ARTICLE No. 1003 "I Believe in the Resurrection of the Body" - Risen with Christ.

United with Christ by Baptism, believers already truly participate in the heavenly life of the risen Christ, but this life remains "hidden with Christ in God." (Col 3:3; Phil 3:20) The Father has already "raised us up with him and made us sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus." Nourished with his body in the Eucharist, we already belong to the Body of Christ. When we rise on the last day we "also will appear with him in glory." (Col 3:4).

WE ARE RISEN
DEACON JIM BREAZILE o.c.d.s.

It is a Holy life we live
It is the life that Jesus gives
In Baptism we have died with Him
In Baptism we have rose again
Unite with Him Who is in Heaven
We are His holy bread unleavened

In Him is Holy Purity
In Him we have our surety
He prepares for us a Heavenly place
Where we live today by Holy grace
Nourished in Eucharistic Banquet
Divinity to us He does transmit

Ó2001 DR. JAMES E. BREAZILE, deacon 
JOHN PAUL EVANGELIST OCDS