Life of St. Antony, by St. Athanasius

You can read The Life of St. Antony by clicking on this link: http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/2811.htm.

I hope you can all come/join in online for Abbot Joseph's presentation on this excellent early Christian text.

"If you would be perfect, go and sell that you have and give to the poor; and come follow Me and you shall have treasure in heaven."  Matt 19:21

Keeping Vigil with Fr. Joseph Francavilla and Chef Sandy Greeley

Keeping Vigil: Understanding our Lenten Journey
Rt. Rev. Joseph Francavilla and Chef Sandy Greeley
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Our Lady of Hope, Potomac Falls, VA

How Do You Spell That?

As requested, Dr. Brendan McGuire has given us a glossary of the terms he used in his lectures on "The Making of Catholic Spain."  

For all of you confused as how to spell "Abd al-Rahman " and Tariq ibn al-Ziyad"", please feel free to peruse his glossary here.

St. Leo the Great on Fasting

An excellent exhortation for Lent from Saint Leo the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church.

Now is the time in which the souls of all men should be stirred with greater fervor towards spiritual perfection, and inspired with greater confidence: now when the return of that day on which we were redeemed invites us once more to the fulfillment of all our sacred duties, so that purified in body and soul we may celebrate the supreme Mystery of the Passion of Our Lord . . . Accordingly, with great solicitude has this divine means been given us, so that these forty days of reflection may assist us to restore the purity of our souls, and so that during them we may, by good works, make satisfaction for our past sins, and by devout mortification, purge ourselves of them.

As we are therefore beginning this sacred season, dedicated to the purification of the soul, let us be careful to fulfill the Apostolic command that “we cleanse ourselves from all defilements of the flesh and of the spirit,” (2 Cor 7:2) so that restraining the conflict that exists between the one and the other substance, the soul, which in the Providence of God is meant to be the ruler of the body, may regain the dignity of its rightful authority.

We must then so moderate our rightful use of food that our other desires may be subject to the same rule.  For this is also a time for gentleness and patience, a time of peace and serenity, in which having put away all stains of evil doing, we strive after steadfastness in what is good.

Be you certain, Dearly Beloved, that the devil, the enemy of all virtue, will look with envy upon these pious practices, to which we trust you freely give yourself; and he will bring against them all the force of his malice, so that from piety itself he may weave snares against piety: so that those he could not destroy through despair he will seek to undo through vain glory.  Whose purpose will that most wicked enemy not dare to attack?  Whose self denial does he not seek to undo, when . . . he attempted his deceits even against the Savior of the World?  Let us therefore, Dearly Beloved, be watchful against the deceits of the devil, not alone against the enticement of gluttony, but even in our very purpose of fasting.

Enter then with pious devotion upon these holy days of Lent; and prepare for yourselves the works of mercy, that you may merit the Divine Mercy.  Extinguish the fires of anger, wipe away all hate . . . give way to each other in the simplicity of true humility.”  Let offenses be forgiven.  Let harshness be changed to mildness, disdain to gentleness, discord into peace . . . so that our fasting may be pleasing to God.  To Him we shall offer a true sacrifice of self denial and devotion if we keep ourselves from all iniquity; being helped in all things by Almighty God, Who with the Son and Holy Spirit is One in Divinity, One in Majesty, unto ages of ages.  Amen.  (excerpts from a sermon of P. St. Leo the Great)

Pope Benedict XVI's Lenten Message 2012

The Pope has a lovely reflection on Hebrews 10:24 for Lent this year - "Let us be concerned for each other, to stir a response in love and good works."

A snippet:

"Christ himself commands us to admonish a brother who is committing a sin (cf. Mt 18:15). The verb used to express fraternal correction - elenchein – is the same used to indicate the prophetic mission of Christians to speak out against a generation indulging in evil (cf. Eph 5:11). The Church’s tradition has included "admonishing sinners" among the spiritual works of mercy. It is important to recover this dimension of Christian charity. We must not remain silent before evil. I am thinking of all those Christians who, out of human regard or purely personal convenience, adapt to the prevailing mentality, rather than warning their brothers and sisters against ways of thinking and acting that are contrary to the truth and that do not follow the path of goodness. Christian admonishment, for its part, is never motivated by a spirit of accusation or recrimination. It is always moved by love and mercy, and springs from genuine concern for the good of the other."

Read the whole message here: http://www.zenit.org/article-34255?l=english.

Handout of Recipes for First Portion of Keeping Vigil

 If you are interested in the menu and recipes that will be highlighted at "Keeping Vigil" with Fr. Joseph Francavilla and Chef Sandy Greeley, please click here. 

Dying to your desires - the importance of the fast

Having been anointed with holy ashes, we now fix our gaze upon the cross of the Son of God, and guided by the light of the paschal fire, we begin our preparation for the Resurrection of the Savior of the World.  As we considered on Monday, no one will reach the hoped-for day of the Resurrection, who has not first willingly entered into the tomb.  If you seek to rise with Christ, you must first die with Him. 

But how are we to accomplish this spiritual death?  The answer is simple, and yet so hard for our fallen nature: we must die to our own human desires; we must renounce the enticement of the body, that having willingly accepted the death which our first parents dealt to all of mankind, we may begin to live the life of God. 

The Pope's Recent Words on Evangelization

Just yesterday on February 23, the Pope made some off-the-cuff remarks that will really resonate with Institute followers, as reported by the Vatican Information Service.

One great problem facing the Church today is the lack of knowledge of the faith, 'religious illiteracy' . . .  With such illiteracy we cannot grow. ... Therefore we must reappropriate the contents of the faith, not as a packet of dogmas and commandments, but as a unique reality revealed in its all its profoundness and beauty. We must do everything possible for catechetical renewal in order for the faith to be known, God to be known, Christ to be known, the truth to be known, and for unity in the truth to grow.  We cannot, Benedict XVI warned, live in ‘a childhood of faith.’  Many adults have never gone beyond the first catechesis, meaning that ‘they cannot - as adults, with competence and conviction - explain and elucidate the philosophy of the faith, its great wisdom and rationality’  in order to illuminate the minds of others. To do this they need an ‘adult faith.’  This does not mean, as has been understood in recent decades, a faith detached from the Magisterium of the Church. When we abandon the Magisterium, the result is dependency “on the opinions of the world, on the dictatorship of the communications media.” By contrast, true emancipation consists in freeing ourselves of these opinions, the freedom of the children of God. We must pray to the Lord intensely, that He may help us emancipate ourselves in this sense, to be free in this sense, with a truly adult faith ... capable of helping others achieve true perfection ... in communion with Christ.

Click here to read the entire news story.

St. Polycarp - Martyr for the Faith

Today is the Feast of St. Polycarp - the Institute hosted a lecture on St. Polycarp in 2010.  Feel free to listen again and re-read The Martyrdom of St. Polycarp.

Link to ICC Media Options - Click Here 

Listen Online - Click Here
Read The Martyrdom of St. Polycarp - Click Here

The Prayer of St. Polycarp:
O Lord God Almighty, the Father of your beloved and blessed Son Jesus Christ, by whom we have received the knowledge of You, the God of angels and powers, and of every creature, and of the whole race of the righteous who live before you, I give You thanks that You have counted me, worthy of this day and this hour, that I should have a part in the number of Your martyrs, in the cup of your Christ, to the resurrection of eternal life, both of soul and body, through the incorruption [imparted] by the Holy Ghost. Among whom may I be accepted this day before You as a fat and acceptable sacrifice, according as You, the ever-truthful God, have foreordained, have revealed beforehand to me, and now have fulfilled. Wherefore also I praise You for all things, I bless You, I glorify You, along with the everlasting and heavenly Jesus Christ, Your beloved Son, with whom, to You, and the Holy Ghost, be glory both now and to all coming ages. Amen.

Dying with God: Where Did All the Time Go?

In today’s production oriented society, it is not uncommon to hear our fellow laborers exclaim at the end of a long and exhausting work day, “Where did the day go?”  At the end of the calendar year, it has become commonplace to hear our fellow citizens say, “Where did the year go?”  And when Christmas and Easter arrive each year, it is unfortunately all too common to hear our brethren in Christ say, “Where did Advent and Lent go?”  Will it happen that at the end of our lives, we will echo these sad sentiments to our children, and say with tears in our eyes, “Where did my life go?”  Let it not be so with us!  With only a few days remaining before Lent, let us begin our reflection upon this most solemn season, in order that this Lent may be for us the journey of our lives.  Why does the Church impose this season of repentance?  Why do the followers of Jesus make acts of reparation for forty days?  To answer these questions properly, we must again return to the story of salvation history, and consider our own lives in light of God’s grand plan for mankind.

Our Bishops - Figures of Athanasius

For those who attended or have listened to our recent presentation on the Hammer of the Heretics, this gives some interesting food for thought.  Check out a recent National Review article entitled "Obama, Athanasius, and the Bishops," by William F. Gavin. 

Article link here:http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/291180/obama-athanasius-and-bishops-william-f-gavin

Pope Benedict XVI's Prescient Knowledge on U.S. and limits to religious freedom

Just a month ago, our Holy Father spoke to some U.S. bishops and warned them - and us - of the threats to religious freedom in the U.S. that we are seeing now in dramatic fashion.  For his remarks, please visit:

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/document.php?n=1059

Want to learn more about the Arians?

In his presentation yesterday evening, Christopher Check gave a great overview of the Arian heresy and recommended, for those wanting to learn more, Cardinal Newman's Arians of the Fourth Century.

You can read it for free online here.

Handouts from "Hammer of the Heretics: Athanasius and the Council of Nicaea"

For an outline of the lecture on St. Athanasius and the Council of Nicaea, click here.

For a map of the geographic area in which St. Athanasius lived, click here.

Resources recommended by Deacon Keith Fournier during Ethics presentation

I hope you all find these helpful - these are most of the reference materials Deacon Keith Fournier mentioned in his lectures on Ethics.  Most can be found online (don't forget the two bookshops who sponsor the Institute, The Catholic Shop and The Paschal Lamb of you're looking for print versions).

Galatians 5:1: " For freedom Christ has set us free; stand fast therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery."

Click on the titles of each to go to the web version:

Letter to Diognetes
Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church
Catechism of the Catholic Church
Documents of the Second Vatican Council
Sources of Christian Ethics, by Servais-Théodore Pinckaers O.P.
First Grace, by Russell Hittinger
Gospel of Life, by Blessed John Paul II
Splendor of Truth, ibid.
Faith and Reason, ibid.

CDF - Note on Year of Faith

CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH

Note with pastoral recommendations for the Year of Faith

Introduction

With the Apostolic Letter of 11 October 2011, Porta fidei, Pope Benedict XVI declared a Year of Faith. This year will begin on 11 October 2012, on the 50^th anniversary of the opening of the Second Ecumenical Vatican Council, and will conclude on 24 November 2013, the Solemnity of our Lord Jesus Christ, Universal King.