Thursday, April 8, 2010

Prayers today: Your people praised your great victory, O Lord. Wisdom opened the mouth that was dumb, and made the tongues of babies speak, alleluia (Wis 10:20-21)

Father, you gather the nations to praise your name. May all who are reborn in baptism be one in faith and love. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,who liveth and reigneth world without end. Amen. Alleluia.


St.Julia Billiart (1751-1816)




From a family of well-to-do farmers, young Marie Rose Julia Billiart showed an early interest in religion and in helping the sick and poor. Though the first years of her life were relatively peaceful and uncomplicated, Julie had to take up manual work as a young teen when her family lost its money. However, she spent her spare time teaching catechism to young people and to the farm labourers. A mysterious illness overtook her when she was about 30. Witnessing an attempt to wound or even kill her father, Julie was paralysed and became a complete invalid. For the next two decades she continued to teach catechism lessons from her bed, offered spiritual advice and attracted visitors who had heard of her holiness. When the French Revolution broke out in 1789, revolutionary forces became aware of her allegiance to fugitive priests. With the help of friends she was smuggled out of Cuvilly in a haycart; she spent several years hiding in Compiegne, being moved from house to house despite her growing physical pain. She even lost the power of speech for a time. But this period also proved to be a fruitful spiritual time for Julie. It was at this time she had a vision in which she saw Calvary surrounded by women in religious habits and heard a voice saying, "Behold these spiritual daughters whom I give you in an Institute marked by the cross." As time passed and Julie continued her mobile life, she made the acquaintance of an aristocratic woman, Francoise Blin de Bourdon, who shared Julie's interest in teaching the faith. In 1803 the two women began the Institute of Notre Dame, which was dedicated to the education of the poor as well as young Christian girls and the training of catechists. The following year the first Sisters of Notre Dame made their vows. That was the same year that Julie recovered from the illness: She was able to walk for the first time in 22 years. Though Julie had always been attentive to the special needs of the poor and that always remained her priority, she also became aware that other classes in society needed Christian instruction. From the founding of the Sisters of Notre Dame until her death, Julie was on the road, opening a variety of schools in France and Belgium that served the poor and the wealthy, vocational groups, teachers. Ultimately, Julie and Francoise moved the motherhouse to Namur, Belgium. Julie died there in 1816. She was canonized in 1969.


The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke (24.35~48)

Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognised by them when He broke the bread. While they were still talking about this, Jesus Himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have." When He had said this, He showed them His hands and feet. And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, He asked them, "Do you have anything here to eat?" They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and He took it and ate it in their presence. He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms." Then He opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, "This is what is written: 'The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in His Name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things."


A realization
(Homily by Fr. E.J. Tyler)

At the time of my writing this, abortion laws are being passed in Spain — a country where the majority of citizens are at least nominally Catholic. It is said that the rate of abortion is much the same in Catholic countries as in others. The Catholic Church is the largest in body among the Christian denominations, and theoretically ought be a giant in influence. But it is a sleeping giant in terms of its grassroots membership. The fact is that the majority of Catholics do not go to Mass each Sunday, and it is misleading to quote the number of baptized Catholics because it can give the impression that that number represents the number of believing, convinced Catholics. The same can be said and with even greater emphasis about the number of Christians in the world. England and Australia could be called Christian countries in the sense that most of their citizens regard themselves as in some sense Christian. But for all the influence the Christian element has on society, those two countries would be better termed secular societies. What is lacking? Of course, the answers to that question are multiple, but one thing that is lacking is simply a realization of the truth of the doctrines of the Christian faith. Cardinal Newman often drew a distinction between a notion and a realization. A person may have a notion of, say, Christ or the Church, while another may have a realization of Christ or the Church. For the former, Christ is just a notion, an image, a thought. He is not a living fact. His reality may not be positively denied, but it is not positively apprehended. He is a figure of the past and the past is gone. For the latter, Christ is a real person and the Church is truly his body, the locale and means of his living presence. Christ is not just a figure of the past, for he lives now in his full humanity and divinity. He is accepted as being truly alive. This is a realization. The former is a mere notion. Religion will never be a real force in our lives as long as it is a mere notion. The Christian must truly realize that Jesus Christ suffered, died and truly rose. He lives now and is with us.

Our Gospel today (Luke 24:35-48) records, let us say, the transformation in the Apostles of their notion or memory of Christ into a realization of his living reality. He had gone from this world under terrible circumstances, and his body lay in the tomb. His life was over and finished, and with it so were the hopes and dreams of his loyal disciples. All they now had was a memory — recent, devastating, appalling, and crippling — but a memory nevertheless. All they could look forward to was a receding memory of the Master. In due course, perhaps they could pick up again and live according to his teaching and his memory, and spread his teaching as they knew it. More disciples would follow — as had been the case with John the Baptist. The Baptist had gone, and his disciples had recovered his body from Herod’s precincts and had buried it. Years later there would be many disciples of John scattered here and there and the infant Church would come across them. It could have been supposed that the legacy of Jesus of Nazareth would live on in a similar manner. His teaching about God and the way to him would be preserved and perhaps put into writing as had the teaching of many of the ancient prophets. But he would become a memory — we might almost say, a notion. But no, this is not what happened and the reason for it was that they saw him, met him, spoke with him and even felt him in his physical reality after he had risen from the dead. He was apprehended as a living reality. No holy man had raised him from the dead — as he had raised others from the dead during his public ministry. He raised himself from the dead. I freely lay down my life, he had told them, and I shall freely take it up again. This he did. He took up life again, but it was a new and glorious life and they saw him in the flesh. Our Gospel gives us the account of their meeting with him. They saw and spoke with him as a group, despite their complete scepticism about the reports they had received during that first day. They gathered around him and watched him even eat. They were filled with a profound realization of the living Jesus, risen now from the dead and glorious.

What we, each of us must do is strive to realize the living fact of Jesus Christ. We do not see him but he is real, he lives and he is always near. He is our Saviour and we ought strive to be filled with the realization that he, our Friend, Brother, Saviour and God, is more real than we ourselves. Our entire reality depends on him because it is through him that all things exist. On this basis we can proceed to shape our lives according to Christ’s teaching. Indeed, as Cardinal Newman used to say, this world is a mere veil when compared with the unseen, and in the first instance that unseen reality behind the veil is Jesus Christ. Let us be real, and not nominal, Christians then, with a lively faith that is made up not of mere notions but of realizations.


From a family of well-to-do farmers, young Marie Rose Julia Billiart showed an early interest in religion and in helping the sick and poor. Though the first years of her life were relatively peaceful and uncomplicated, Julie had to take up manual work as a young teen when her family lost its money. However, she spent her spare time teaching catechism to young people and to the farm labourers. A mysterious illness overtook her when she was about 30. Witnessing an attempt to wound or even kill her father, Julie was paralysed and became a complete invalid. For the next two decades she continued to teach catechism lessons from her bed, offered spiritual advice and attracted visitors who had heard of her holiness. When the French Revolution broke out in 1789, revolutionary forces became aware of her allegiance to fugitive priests. With the help of friends she was smuggled out of Cuvilly in a haycart; she spent several years hiding in Compiegne, being moved from house to house despite her growing physical pain. She even lost the power of speech for a time. But this period also proved to be a fruitful spiritual time for Julie. It was at this time she had a vision in which she saw Calvary surrounded by women in religious habits and heard a voice saying, "Behold these spiritual daughters whom I give you in an Institute marked by the cross." As time passed and Julie continued her mobile life, she made the acquaintance of an aristocratic woman, Francoise Blin de Bourdon, who shared Julie's interest in teaching the faith. In 1803 the two women began the Institute of Notre Dame, which was dedicated to the education of the poor as well as young Christian girls and the training of catechists. The following year the first Sisters of Notre Dame made their vows. That was the same year that Julie recovered from the illness: She was able to walk for the first time in 22 years. Though Julie had always been attentive to the special needs of the poor and that always remained her priority, she also became aware that other classes in society needed Christian instruction. From the founding of the Sisters of Notre Dame until her death, Julie was on the road, opening a variety of schools in France and Belgium that served the poor and the wealthy, vocational groups, teachers. Ultimately, Julie and Francoise moved the motherhouse to Namur, Belgium. Julie died there in 1816. She was canonized in 1969. (AmericanCatholic.org)

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Scripture today: Acts 3:11-26; Psalm 8:2ab and 5-9; Luke 24:35-48

Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognised by them when he broke the bread. While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, Peace be with you. They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have. When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, Do you have anything here to eat? They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it in their presence. He said to them, This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms. Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. (Luke 24:35-48)

A realization At the time of my writing this, abortion laws are being passed in Spain — a country where the majority of citizens are at least nominally Catholic. It is said that the rate of abortion is much the same in Catholic countries as in others. The Catholic Church is the largest in body among the Christian denominations, and theoretically ought be a giant in influence. But it is a sleeping giant in terms of its grassroots membership. The fact is that the majority of Catholics do not go to Mass each Sunday, and it is misleading to quote the number of baptized Catholics because it can give the impression that that number represents the number of believing, convinced Catholics. The same can be said and with even greater emphasis about the number of Christians in the world. England and Australia could be called Christian countries in the sense that most of their citizens regard themselves as in some sense Christian. But for all the influence the Christian element has on society, those two countries would be better termed secular societies. What is lacking? Of course, the answers to that question are multiple, but one thing that is lacking is simply a realization of the truth of the doctrines of the Christian faith. Cardinal Newman often drew a distinction between a notion and a realization. A person may have a notion of, say, Christ or the Church, while another may have a realization of Christ or the Church. For the former, Christ is just a notion, an image, a thought. He is not a living fact. His reality may not be positively denied, but it is not positively apprehended. He is a figure of the past and the past is gone. For the latter, Christ is a real person and the Church is truly his body, the locale and means of his living presence. Christ is not just a figure of the past, for he lives now in his full humanity and divinity. He is accepted as being truly alive. This is a realization. The former is a mere notion. Religion will never be a real force in our lives as long as it is a mere notion. The Christian must truly realize that Jesus Christ suffered, died and truly rose. He lives now and is with us.

Our Gospel today (Luke 24:35-48) records, let us say, the transformation in the Apostles of their notion or memory of Christ into a realization of his living reality. He had gone from this world under terrible circumstances, and his body lay in the tomb. His life was over and finished, and with it so were the hopes and dreams of his loyal disciples. All they now had was a memory — recent, devastating, appalling, and crippling — but a memory nevertheless. All they could look forward to was a receding memory of the Master. In due course, perhaps they could pick up again and live according to his teaching and his memory, and spread his teaching as they knew it. More disciples would follow — as had been the case with John the Baptist. The Baptist had gone, and his disciples had recovered his body from Herod’s precincts and had buried it. Years later there would be many disciples of John scattered here and there and the infant Church would come across them. It could have been supposed that the legacy of Jesus of Nazareth would live on in a similar manner. His teaching about God and the way to him would be preserved and perhaps put into writing as had the teaching of many of the ancient prophets. But he would become a memory — we might almost say, a notion. But no, this is not what happened and the reason for it was that they saw him, met him, spoke with him and even felt him in his physical reality after he had risen from the dead. He was apprehended as a living reality. No holy man had raised him from the dead — as he had raised others from the dead during his public ministry. He raised himself from the dead. I freely lay down my life, he had told them, and I shall freely take it up again. This he did. He took up life again, but it was a new and glorious life and they saw him in the flesh. Our Gospel gives us the account of their meeting with him. They saw and spoke with him as a group, despite their complete scepticism about the reports they had received during that first day. They gathered around him and watched him even eat. They were filled with a profound realization of the living Jesus, risen now from the dead and glorious.

What we, each of us must do is strive to realize the living fact of Jesus Christ. We do not see him but he is real, he lives and he is always near. He is our Saviour and we ought strive to be filled with the realization that he, our Friend, Brother, Saviour and God, is more real than we ourselves. Our entire reality depends on him because it is through him that all things exist. On this basis we can proceed to shape our lives according to Christ’s teaching. Indeed, as Cardinal Newman used to say, this world is a mere veil when compared with the unseen, and in the first instance that unseen reality behind the veil is Jesus Christ. Let us be real, and not nominal, Christians then, with a lively faith that is made up not of mere notions but of realizations.

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