Highlights from the encyclical “Of Human Life” promulgated fifty years ago today.  Do you think Blessed Paul VI was prescient?

17. Responsible men can become more deeply convinced of the truth of the doctrine laid down by the Church on this issue if they reflect on the consequences of methods and plans for artificial birth control. Let them first consider how easily this course of action could open wide the way for marital infidelity and a general lowering of moral standards. Not much experience is needed to be fully aware of human weakness and to understand that human beings—and especially the young, who are so exposed to temptation—need incentives to keep the moral law, and it is an evil thing to make it easy for them to break that law. Another effect that gives cause for alarm is that a man who grows accustomed to the use of contraceptive methods may forget the reverence due to a woman, and, disregarding her physical and emotional equilibrium, reduce her to being a mere instrument for the satisfaction of his own desires, no longer considering her as his partner whom he should surround with care and affection.

18. It is to be anticipated that perhaps not everyone will easily accept this particular teaching. There is too much clamorous outcry against the voice of the Church, and this is intensified by modern means of communication. But it comes as no surprise to the Church that she, no less than her divine Founder, is destined to be a “sign of contradiction.” She does not, because of this, evade the duty imposed on her of proclaiming humbly but firmly the entire moral law, both natural and evangelical.

Since the Church did not make either of these laws, she cannot be their arbiter—only their guardian and interpreter. It could never be right for her to declare lawful what is in fact unlawful, since that, by its very nature, is always opposed to the true good of man.

20. The teaching of the Church regarding the proper regulation of birth is a promulgation of the law of God Himself. And yet there is no doubt that to many it will appear not merely difficult but even impossible to observe. Now it is true that like all good things which are outstanding for their nobility and for the benefits which they confer on men, so this law demands from individual men and women, from families and from human society, a resolute purpose and great endurance. Indeed it cannot be observed unless God comes to their help with the grace by which the goodwill of men is sustained and strengthened. But to those who consider this matter diligently it will indeed be evident that this endurance enhances man’s dignity and confers benefits on human society.

I encourage you to read the entire document (it is not very long).  A nicely done article from yesterday regarding HV‘s context (historical) and reception (hysterical) can be found here.

Blessed Paul VI will be canonized October 14th, due in no small measure, undoubtedly, to this encyclical and the terrible suffering he endured because of defending the truth in it.

This is the Lord’s plea through His prophet Micah (6:1-4, 6-8).  For all that He has done for His people, Yahweh must deal with an obstinate and disobedient flock.

Not much has changed in the intervening millennia.  Today, more and more, it is not even a matter of questioning or ignoring God — would there be at least belief!  That there even is a God (or “higher power” or “something out there” ) is placed into question or outright dismissed entirely.  The ongoing push for expulsion of Christianity from the public square (it has already been accomplished in the public schools) is a reason for dismay and for concern (pray for religious freedom!).

The remedy comes at the end of the reading:

You have been told, O man, what is good,
and what the LORD requires of you:
Only to do the right and to love goodness,
and to walk humbly with your God.

Easier said than done.  What have we been “told”?  What does the Lord “require”?  We have the Scriptures, Tradition, and the Magisterium?  But the number who know what is authentically taught by the Church continues to decrease.

What is “right”?  What is “goodness”?  With the dictatorship of moral relativism, this is an open question (at best — for some the poles have switched: good is now evil and evil is good) to the lukewarm, the easily swayed, the poorly catechized, the doubter, the unbeliever.  “Walk humbly”?  Humility is not treated as the safeguard of the virtues (the “gem casket” as St. Basil the Great put it) especially with our political leaders or in the swamp of social media.

Visit of the Queen of Sheba to King Solomon  (detail), by Edward Poynter, 1890.

At the judgment the queen of the south will arise with this generation
and condemn it. (from today’s Gospel: Mt 12:38-42)

When will we heed the warnings and get right with God?

Through Jeremiah (23:1-6), God warns the religious leaders that they will come to a bad end for not being faithful teachers and guides to His people.  The Lord himself says that He will gather up the lost remnant of the flock and provide faithful shepherds, promising a “righteous shoot”  to “reign and govern wisely” and to “do what is just and right in the land.”

In the gospel (Mk 6:30-34) we find out who that promised shepherd is: Jesus!

When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd,
his heart was moved with pity for them,
for they were like sheep without a shepherd;
and he began to teach them many things. (v. 34)

As bad as the Old Testament religious leaders could be, they did not have an exemplar like Jesus.  What a wonderful gift it is to be able to look to Christ and His Church for the authentic Way.  There are many wonderful priests today that are entirely faithful in their teaching and in their conduct.  Do not tire of thanking them for what they do and who they are while encouraging them in their opus Dei.

But for those who “mislead and scatter the flock” by their “evil deeds” may they sincerely repent and have a firm purpose of amendment.  For those guilty of civil crimes, may they confess immediately and may the proper authorities be informed.  For those who have committed grave sins against the Church and its members, may they confess completely. express true contrition, and accept the appropriate penance, that is, the necessary measures taken for the good of their souls and the souls of those whom they have sinned against or who could be targets in the future.  Many lives have been grievously damaged by the sins of those to whom we should look to as examples of holy living (pray for them!).  Grave scandal has been caused to the indefectibly holy Church because of the behavior of far too many of its all too defectible members, particularly in the sexual realm.

Immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be mentioned among you, as is fitting among holy ones. (Eph 5:3)

A different sort of harm, potentially affecting many more in the Church, comes from the ordained who are unfaithful to Church teaching, conveying error and/or not confronting sin, thus misleading and scattering the flock.  They would do well to remember Jesus’ words regarding the children (of God):

Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe [in me] to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. (Mk 9:42; see also Mt 18:6)

Pray for our bishops and priests (and deacons) that they may emulate in every way the Good Shepherd.  Implore the Lord, through the intercession of the many wonderful priest saints, that men of good character being called to the priesthood will follow that summons and find true happiness in this life and the next.

And let us not forget the important role of religious sisters and brothers.  Here, too, may the faithful orders find that the only crisis in vocations is how to accommodate the multitudes wishing to pursue religious life.

These words of Judah’s King Hezekiah in today’s first reading (Is 38:1-6, 21-22, 7-8) come at the news that he was mortally ill and then told by Isaiah to put his “house in order” because he would not recover.  Hezekiah was one of the few truly good kings of the Old Testament.  He could say the words above with confidence because he was a great religious reformer.

Hezekiah, King of Judah, painter unknown, 17th century

It is worth reflecting on these words and our own mortality.  How truly confident are we that we could say these same words in the face of death?  Can we say honestly, at any moment, that our spiritual house is “in order”?  We may or may not receive sufficient warning.

Regular examination of conscience and Confession is essential for “cleaning house.”  The “medicine box” of the Confessional is a great gift to be taken advantage of often (monthly, at least, is recommended) so that we can grow closer to the Lord by clearing out the dross and receiving the fortification (i.e., graces) required to live the Great Commandment (Mt 26:36-40) and avoid future sinful behavior.  In fact, a General Confession might be in order.

It is wise to remember these words of Jesus:

Stay awake, you know neither the day nor the hour. (Mt 25:13)

so that we will hear these words of Jesus:

Well done, my good and faithful servant…Come, share your master’s joy. (Mt 25:23)

Who knows?  Being able to sincerely say these words of Hezekiah could add fifteen years to our lives as the Lord granted to the king.

This sentiment is what the Lord conveyed to Isaiah (7:1-9) about the impending fate of Ephraim due to its “mischief.”

I’m reminded of the words of Revelation, as relevant in our day as ever:

I know your works; I know that you are neither cold nor hot.  I wish you were either cold or hot.  So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. (3:15-16)

(The Douay-Rheims and some other Bible versions use “vomit” instead of “spit” for increased effect.  I like that word better here.)

A weak-kneed, wobbly, spineless faith that is only adhered to when it is easy, when it goes nicely along with the culture (happening less and less, though), but which is hidden or abandoned entirely when challenged is no faith at all.   Witness the next sentence in Revelation:

For you say, ‘I am rich and affluent and have no need of anything,’ and yet do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. (v. 17)

Does this not capture the prevalent attitude today?  “I did it my way — things are going pretty well for me.”  Those thinking this way inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of filth (Mt 23:27) — wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked in their souls.

As it has been said, only dead fish swim with the stream.

God’s warning is Isaiah must be heeded today more than ever.  Stand firm in the Faith!  Swim against the currents of a decadent society!  Especially when it is hard.

Remember: if we don’t stand for something, we’ll fall for anything..  And what sort of Christian example is that?  Is it worth endangering our immortal souls and the souls of those we influence?  We pray thy kingdom come (Mt 6:10).  What are we doing to advance that cause?  Or are we militating against it?  Let us always be on the side of the Lord, never denying Him or betraying Him.

Taken alone, these words from the first chapter of Isaiah (10-17) don’t seem correct.  Doesn’t God always listen to prayer?  Well, the run up to this is very important (always remember the maxim “any text without a context is pretext for a prooftext” when folks are tossing around Scripture quotes).  Just before these words, God rails against the wickedness of the people following ritual prescriptions but not living the Law.  Afterwards He speaks these ominous words:

Your hands are full of blood!

Then, immediately, He gives the prescription for authentically approaching Him:

Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes;
cease doing evil; learn to do good.
Make justice your aim: redress the wronged,
hear the orphan’s plea, defend the widow.

The Responsorial Psalm (Ps 50:8-9, 16bc-17, 21 and 23) reinforces this command:

Why do you recite my statutes,
and profess my covenant with your mouth,
Though you hate discipline
and cast my words behind you?…
He that offers praise as a sacrifice glorifies me;
and to him that goes the right way I will show the salvation of God.

Efficacious prayer does not require perfection or we would all be doomed.  What the Lord asks of us is sincere repentance and a firm purpose of amendment (which we should also pray for).  Unthinking rituals and fulfilling the basic requirements, thinking that these are a “Get Out of Jail Free” card, while obstinately clinging to sin (especially sins that are mortal) and vice are the recipe for eternal disaster.  We are to “cease doing evil,” to love “discipline,” and to not “cast [God’s] words behind” as we “offer[] praise [that] glorifies” God.

As a follow-up to yesterday’s Gospel, where Jesus tells of the approach the apostles are to take in evangelizing, today He actually sends them off (Mk 6:7-13).  We hear of the appropriate manner of dress (simple) and the provisions to be taken (meager).  More importantly, the opening message is conveyed to us, which we see above.

Important?  Yes!  This is exactly the way John the Baptist (Mt 3:2; Mk 1:15; Lk 3:3) and Jesus (Mt 4:17) began their public ministries.  To get a sense of the value placed on repentance in Scripture, it can be found in some form of the word 117 times (RSV).

But is it important to us?  In a world where “nobody calls it sin anymore” or even worse, evil is called good and good is called evil, repentance is either passé or deemed unnecessary.  How fearfully wrong this is.  Looking at Mark 1:15 (cited above) we learn of two basic requirements of the Christian: “Repent and believe.”

Maybe you, like me, have looked askance at the shabbily (or sometimes well) dressed man at the busy intersection with the sign declaring the imminent end of the world.  Well, you know, I’ve given that a second thought.  While we cannot know when Jesus will return (He even tells us that in the Gospels — Mt 24:36), we do know that our end is near (in relation to eternity) whether it is tomorrow or eighty years from now.  Maybe, just maybe, God has sent that odd man out to remind us of just that.  Have we repented completely and believed sincerely?  It is worth taking to prayer (and Confession).

We know that there is a cohesiveness to Scripture:

Be especially attentive “to the content and unity of the whole Scripture”. Different as the books which compose it may be, Scripture is a unity by reason of the unity of God’s plan, of which Christ Jesus is the center and heart, open since his Passover. (CCC 112)

While on Sundays the connections between Old Testament and Gospel readings is explicitly purposeful (and often obvious to the attentive listener) this is not the case with weekday readings (for a fine, short overview of the Sunday Lectionary see here).  But, I find that from time to time, the “content and unity” jump off the page at me.  Yesterday’s readings are a case in point.

From Isaiah (6:1-8) we hear the famous call of Isaiah from the Triune God (“Who will go for us?” [v. 8]) to the Chosen People gone astray.  Isaiah’s answer is in the headline.

From Matthew (10:24-33) we receive Jesus’ instructions to His apostles for evangelization.

What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light;
what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops….
Everyone who acknowledges me before others
I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father.
But whoever denies me before others,
I will deny before my heavenly Father. (vv. 27, 32-33)

The apostles (Gk. apostolos: one sent on a mission [M-W]) were chosen to be sent.  All came along willingly and all, but the unfortunate Judas, with Isaiah, ultimately said to the Lord, “Send me!”  And, following the instructions above, all witnessed (from the Greek, martyr) to what they had seen and heard, all but one being murdered for the Faith.

We are called to be modern day apostles.  Will we shed blood for our witness?  May God spare us that fate!  But are we called to “proclaim [from] the housetops”?  Of course!  We are called to “acknowledge [Christ] before others” being “[a]lways…ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope.” (1 Pt 3:15)

This last quote is often used to emphasize the importance of learning the Faith.  And rightly so.  But one does not need to have a degree in theology to share his “reason for…hope.”  Let us strive to live the Gospel well, giving good example of Christian faith, hope, and love, and in so doing our enthusiasm for the Lord and how He has worked in our lives will be poured out as a result, becoming evident to all we encounter [let them say along with the early pagans “See…how they love one another” (Tertullian, (Apologeticum ch. 39, 7)].

These words of Jesus to Paul are often quoted for the benefit of those who are struggling mightily in some way with physical or mental suffering.  For Paul, this message came to him after begging the Lord thrice to halt the beatings that were being inflicted on him by the devil (2 Cor 12:7-10).  Now, it is not many of us who have to endure this sort of treatment, but everyone can certainly relate to those times when troubles weigh him down so severely that it seems there is no way out.

It is certainly true that we can overcome anything with the free gift of God’s grace.  But, if we are feeling as Paul did, we might ask ourselves: Are we as open to this gift as we ought to be?  Do we take advantage of the ordinary means of grace freely available to us daily, namely Holy Communion and Confession (not that one would usually need to go to the latter daily, but it is likely available, even if by appointment, every day)?  And when we do participate in these sacraments do we prepare well in advance and give thanks heartily afterward so as to make the most of the encounter?

An infinite amount of sanctifying grace is available in the sacraments.  Our problem is that we are not infinitely open to this grace, due to sin and its effects.  Thus, frequent recourse to Holy Communion and Confession, along with prayer, penance, and fasting, will help us to grow in holiness.  And, in doing so, when difficulties arise, Jesus words to Paul (and to us) will not seem far-fetched, but rather will be realized as we tap into these gifts for succor and strength.

This is the six hundredth post on this blog.  If even one person benefited from these musings, all praise and all thanks go to the Lord.  And as I did in my very earliest post, I always welcome your comments, questions, and challenges.  May God abundantly bless you and yours.

When Jesus is asked why the Pharisees and John’s disciples fast but His do not, He tells the disciples of John that they cannot fast while “the bridegroom is with them” but they will fast when He is gone (Mt 9:14-17).

It is true, of course, that Jesus is with us always, as He promised (Mt 28:20).  In particular, He “stays with us” in the mode par excellence in the Blessed Sacrament (see Lk 24:29).  We should visit Him there often and be properly disposed to receive Him at every Mass.

In recent posts I have touted the value of fasting.  Jesus says right here, and elsewhere, that we are to fast — it is to be part of the Christian life.  And while we know He is present always, it is not so obvious in our country and in our world when the moral fabric of society continues to be rent through so many sins, some enshrined in law, others by popular commission, against the dignity of all persons from conception until natural death.  In far too many ways, Jesus continues to be “taken away” through our actions, including the threat to religious freedom that looms larger and larger in the US and is much more severe in many other nations.

So, I encourage you to fast and abstain for a return of our world to Christian values and for the conversion of souls.  Skip a meal from time to time.  Eliminate eating between meals occasionally or permanently.  Make every Friday like Good Friday in demeanor and consumption.  Turn off the TV and phone and devote additional time to prayer and Scripture and other spiritual reading.  Make mini-Lents from time to time.  We know from Christ’s own experience how such actions fight the devil and temptation (see Matt 4:1-11).  The world benefits and we benefit personally.

John Ritto Penniman, Christ Tempted by the Devil (1818)

“Thy kingdom come”!