Summa Contra Gentiles, Book III: XI That the Subject of Evil Is a Good

From Contemplating History

Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225 – 7 March 1274), was a Doctor of the Church, Philosopher, Theologian, Jurist, Dominican Friar, and Priest. Known as Doctor Angelicus "Angelic Doctor," and the Doctor Communis "Universal Doctor" his writings serve as a defense and proof of the validity of Christ's authority over all. The Summa contra Gentiles (also known as Liber de veritate catholicae fidei contra errores infidelium, "Book on the truth of the Catholic faith against the errors of the unbelievers"). The Summa contra Gentiles consists of four books. The structure of Saint Thomas's work is designed to proceed from general philosophical arguments for monotheism, to which Muslims and Jews are likely to consent even within their own respective religious traditions, before progressing to the discussion of specifically Christian doctrine.

Book III discusses providence and the human condition, that is good and evil acts, human fate and intellect and the relation of created beings to the creator. Whether you are a history enthusiast, a student of religion, or simply curious about the impact of the Roman Catholic Church on the world, this playlist is designed to provide an informative and engaging journey through its captivating past. Subscribe to the Contemplating History channel for more educational content and immerse yourself in the rich tapestry of history.

Susan Schneider, PhD, on Virtual Immortality

From Closer to Truth, a secular source.

Why do many techno-optimists believe that your consciousness—the real ‘you’—can be uploaded to non-biological media and live on and on? Is their belief justified? Could they be missing something? Dr Susan Schneider is a philosopher and artificial intelligence (AI) expert. She is the founding director of the Center for the Future Mind at Florida Atlantic University, where she also holds the William F. Dietrich Distinguished Professorship. Schneider has also held the Baruch S. Blumberg NASA/Library of Congress Chair in Astrobiology, Exploration, and Scientific Innovation at NASA and the Distinguished Scholar Chair at the Library of Congress.

The Holy Rosary

Sunday, the Glorious Mysteries, in Latin with Cardinal Burke.

How Harold Was Depicted Before the Bayeux Tapestry (and What It Tells Us)

From the British Museum

You may know King Harold II for one thing: losing the Battle of Hastings in 1066. But is this Harold's whole story? In 2023, a remarkable coin hoard was discovered in Yorkshire, England, that shows Harold in a different light. This is the first recorded hoard of coins which can definitely be dated to the year 1066. Containing only coins struck during Harold’s brief reign of 282 days, the hoard reveals a king whose authority was recognised across England, and whose government could produce new coins with great speed. Join Elina Screen, Curator of Medieval and Modern Coin Collections at the British Museum, to find out what this discovery tells us about this king and one of the most famous years in English history. The British Museum hopes to acquire the York Area hoard. We are very grateful to all the members, patrons and members of the public who have donated to our appeal. The hoard is currently on display in the central case in Gallery 68 until July 2027. Chapters: 00:00 England's most famous loser? 00:33 England in 1066 01:35 Harold Godwinson's short and eventful reign 03:25 The York Area Hoard 04:28 Who owned the coins? 06:08 Mints and moneyers 08:56 The French coinage system 10:04 Harold's public image 12:10 William the Conqueror coin 13:26 Harold II: a neglected character

How Did Life on Earth Begin? A Contemporary Scientist Explains

With Karin Öberg, PhD, Professor of Astronomy at Harvard University and leader of the Öberg Astrochemistry Group at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

Practical Ways That Families Can Contribute to Peace in the World

Paul VI said, "If you want peace, work for justice". We can all work for peace and justice in our families, our neighbourhoods, our cities, and our nations.

From Aleteia

By Philip Kosloski

If we want there to be peace and unity in the world, it must start with each individual of every family, striving for peace at home.

One of the most talked about issues in today's society is "world peace." There seems to be war and conflict everywhere, especially if you turn on the TV or go on social media. Violence is everywhere and there seems little that individual families could do to turn the tide.

While that might seem to be the case, the reality is that world peace can only be established when there is peace in each family.

Peace begins at home

Pope John XXIII reiterated this simple fact in his encyclical, Ad Petri Cathedram:

We have called nations, their rulers, and all classes of society to harmonious unity. Now we sincerely urge families to achieve and strengthen this unity within themselves. For unless peace, unity, and concord are present in domestic society, how can they exist in civil society?

The reality is that wherever there is war or violence, there is an individual who is part of a family. That individual was formed in such a way that made it possible for them to be susceptible to the temptation to cause conflict. It all began with the family they were raised in.

Pope John XXIII continues by explaining, "This harmonious unity which should exist within the family circle rises from the holiness and indissolubility of Christian marriage. It is the basis of much of the order, progress, and prosperity of civil society."

So much of the divide in today's world is the result of the breaking of marriages across the globe. Marriage is meant to be the foundation of every family and when that foundation crumbles, so does the family.

Pope John XXIII then pointed to each member of the family and the practical things they are entrusted with:

Within the family, the father stands in God's place. He must lead and guide the rest by his authority and the example of his good life.

The mother, on the other hand, should form her children firmly and graciously by the mildness of her manner and by her virtue.

Together the parents should carefully rear their children, God's most precious gift, to an upright and religious life.

Children must honor, obey, and love their parents. They must give their parents not only solace but also concrete assistance if it is needed.

He then concludes this reflection by stating, "The charity which burned in the household at Nazareth should be an inspiration for every family. All the Christian virtues should flourish in the family, unity should thrive, and the example of its virtuous living should shine brightly."

While electing certain politicians to office certainly has an influence on world dynamics, the reality is that the politician we vote for was raised in a family.

If we don't foster peace in the family, then we'll never have peace in the world.

The Parable of the Unjust Steward | St Jerome

The Spy Scandal of the Century is Happening Right Now

From Philip Thompson

On 6 October 2026, German police arrested August Hanning, the former head of the BND, Germany's foreign intelligence service. It's the equivalent of a former CIA director or MI6 chief being arrested on suspicion of treason. Prosecutors allege that for 12 years his former chief of staff, Manfred Dankesreiter, supplied him with around 2,000 secret BND documents in return for payment. Hanning allegedly used them in his private security consultancy, and some of the material may have reached foreign intelligence services. Both men deny it all. Bizarrely, the case only came to light because of a tangentially related police investigation into the kidnapping of two children from Denmark by a German steakhouse heiress. This is what we know so far.

Soap and Washing: Did They Have Soap in Medieval Times?

From Modern History TV

Explore the methods used by manual workers in the medieval period to clean their hands after a day in the fields. Modern History TV with Jason Kingsley, CBE, demonstrates how ash and water provided a functional yet harsh cleaning solution long before refined soaps became widely accessible.

As a Modern Knight, I explore the practicalities of medieval life, specifically focusing on personal hygiene after a day of manual labour. This video discusses how people in the Middle Ages cleaned their hands, often filthy from horse sweat and muck. We delve into the methods and the importance of washing hands with soap in a historical context, providing insights into medieval history.

Traditional Catholic Morning Prayers in English | October

Traditional Catholic morning prayers to lay a strong foundation for the rest of your day! The month of October is dedicated to the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary. I hope these prayers increase your devotion to Our Lady of the Rosary this month, to help us meditate on the events in the life of Christ and draw us closer to her Divine Son, Jesus Christ. Begin each day with morning prayer! This video is a compilation of many traditional evening prayers Catholics say, and should not be considered a replacement for those who have an obligation to pray the Divine Office morning prayers.

Refuting 5 Protestant Arguments Against Catholic Miracles

From The Counsel of Trent

00:00 Do Modern Miracles Prove Catholicism? 00:22 Must Catholics Believe in Modern Miracles? 02:53 Do Other Christians Have Miracles Too? 05:41 Protestant Miracles and Prophecies Examined 12:22 What About Miracles in Other Religions? 15:09 Fatima, Zeitoun, and the Resurrection 19:38 Could Catholic Miracles Be Demonic? 23:18 How Catholic Miracles Can Support the Faith

The Oldest Hymn to Mary Mother of God

Today is the Feast of the Maternity of the BVM. As the people of Ephesus chanted after the Council declared her Mother of God, "Blessed be the Great Mother of God, Mary Most Holy!"

From Aleteia

By Cecilia Music

Greek hymn to the Theotokos dates back to third century

In honour of the Feast of the Maternity of the Mother of God, we bring you the oldest known hymn to Mary.

The hymn, “Beneath Thy Protection” in English, has been found on a papyrus dating back to 250 AD, meaning it was already used in the liturgy at the time, specifically the Christmas liturgy of the Coptic Church. This also means that this hymn to the Theotokos (“God-bearer” or “Mother of God”) long predates the official declaration of Mary as Theotokos at the Council of Ephesus in 431.

The English text, which bears a striking resemblance to the popular Memorare prayer, reads:

We fly to Thy protection,

O Holy Mother of God;

Do not despise our petitions

in our necessities,

but deliver us always

from all dangers,

O Glorious and Blessed Virgin. Amen.

In Greek it is:

Ὑπὸ τὴν σὴν εὐσπλαγχνίαν,

καταφεύγομεν, Θεοτόκε.

Τὰς ἡμῶν ἱκεσίας,

μὴ παρίδῃς ἐν περιστάσει,

ἀλλ᾽ ἐκ κινδύνων λύτρωσαι ἡμᾶς,

μόνη Ἁγνή, μόνη εὐλογημένη.

The English translation of the Greek:

Beneath thy compassion,

We take refuge, O Theotokos:

do not despise our petitions in time of trouble:

but rescue us from dangers,

only pure one, only blessed one.

I Read the Oldest Christian Manual From 100 A.D..... Let's Test It Against Modern Christianity

From Sean Hiller

The Didache is the Oldest Church Manual we have. What it says SHOULD impact how we approach the worship of Our Lord. It seems we have forgotten what this text says. Let's re-examine this ancient document and see how it applies to Christianity today. 📙Link to Didache Free PDF: https://qrco.de/bh28kk

The Bishop’s Altar is the Throne of Christ the King in every City-State-Nation

"It is an act of cultural momentum to turn everyone to repentance and accept the Good News of liberation from malicious devils." Vivat Christus Rex!

From One Peter Five

By Timothy Flanders, MA

Editor’s note: this is an excerpt from the author’s book City of God vs. City of Man: the Battles of the Church from Antiquity to the Present.

In the year 297 AD, Rome was at war with Persia again. A Roman officer named Constantine was fighting in this struggle with the Persian “king of kings” over control of Armenia. At the same time another war was being fought over Armenia, this time by St. Gregory the Illuminator:

When they had all been convinced to worship the only true God, Gregory and [King] Tiridates began traveling to other parts of the country to instruct the people and to destroy the altars of the false gods. In many of the provincial towns, demons in the form of armed soldiers fought against the evangelist’s efforts. They were put to flight each time, and then Gregory would tell the people not to be afraid, but to drive out their own personal demons of false worship, and follow Christ. He performed miracles to show the people how loving and powerful God is. And the king gave testimony about his sinful acts, and the miracles and mercy of healing which God had shown him. So they traveled through the provinces and everywhere they spread the light of the Gospel and destroyed the dark pagan superstitions which had held the people captive.[1]

The time had come to overthrow the public thrones of the devils. No man can enter into the house of a strong man and rob him of his goods, unless he first bind the strong man, and then shall he plunder his house (Mk. iii. 27). The demonic power had been destroyed by the Resurrection of Christ, and the demons were usurpers over souls and society. The rightful King cannot take his throne unless he destroys the power of the usurper. This had happened before as seen in Scripture: And all the people of the land went into the temple of Baal, and broke down his altars, and his images they broke in pieces thoroughly (IV Kngs xi. 18). He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble (Lk. i. 52). This is why His Majesty used violence in the Temple—His throne had been polluted by the demonic idols of avarice. But with the proclamation of the Gospel to the peoples, the crusading spirit of St. Gregory now shows itself in a public act of violence to dethrone the demonic power. And this is the pattern followed by every saint.

This violence is necessary to show the people that the demons have no power, since the people feared the demons, being bound under the dominion of death. It is an act of cultural momentum to turn everyone to repentance and accept the Good News of liberation from malicious devils. When the saint fearlessly destroys the idols and the demons are powerless to kill him because of the Sign of the Cross, the people can breathe a sigh of relief and place their faith in the King of Kings, and no longer fear the demonic usurpers.

The saint then preaches the Logos and if necessary, works further miracles by the Holy Spirit in order to freely invite the souls of men to be baptized. Those who use their reason can recognize that the demons are powerless and these are miraculous proofs—they receive their King, accept Him and are baptized. Those who are attached to their voluntarist sin choose against reason and seek out their filthy lucre, resisting the Gospel.[2]

Notice the distinction however: in the public order—the king and the coin—where the demons are usurping the throne for all to see, the saint violently attacks them and destroys their false throne. But in the private order—the depths of the human heart and his family—there is no forced Baptism, since the Gospel must be accepted freely. Thus the public order is ruled by one of two forces: Christ the King or Satan the usurper. Therefore a purified, spiritual violence is necessary, detached from any earthly allurement. The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent bear it away (Mt. xi. 12).

Once the public order is liberated from Satan, the human soul is freed from the fear of death so that they can be raised up from earthly attachments to the heavenly Kingdom. Thus they can be truly free—that is, free from Satan’s coercion by means of the fear of death—to let go of the earthly city and accept the Kingdom of Heaven and be baptized for the hope of eternal life. This provides the cultural momentum in the public order to protect the little children and the faithful from the inclinations of Original Sin.

Baptism of the Society

The whole society and people is then baptized in the public order: some things are eradicated, some things stay the same, and some things are transformed. This is how Jesus King of Kings becomes “incarnate” in a people, as it is were. He unites the uncreated Logos with the created logos that the pre-Christian people has passed down from Adam.[3] The people’s ancient culture passed down but corrupted is purified of all demonic customs—every token of the usurper which can still enslave the people—is pulled up from the roots. The saint has the spiritual knowledge to discern which things are from logos and which things are not.

Then the two swords are drawn over the public order to cut a covenant—the spiritual sword of the priest and the temporal sword of the king—both must sanction the public order. This is the fundamental inclination of natural law as the history of all peoples shows abundantly. And Joiada [the priest] made a covenant between the Lord, and the king, and the people, that they should be the people of the Lord, and between the king and the people (IV Kngs xi. 17).

This covenant is then ratified by the building of a church over the former idolatrous shrine. This is the thing that is chiefly transformed—the prior “sacred” site, which paid allegiance to the usurper, becomes the earthly throne of the King of Heaven, literally crushing the usurper’s throne.

The cultus is celebrated publicly, which ratifies the covenant. Again we see this public covenant by cultus is seen in Scripture: And he commanded all the people, saying: Keep the passover to the Lord your God, according as it is written in the book of this covenant (IV Kngs xxiii. 21). Thus St. Gregory raised in Armenia what is said to be the oldest cathedral in the world: Etchmiadzin Cathedral. This is the new throne of Christ on earth. For at the altar, soul and sacrament become one, flowing to society.

In the case of Armenia and every kingdom converted since, the public order must be defined by the Logos Incarnate and not voluntarism. Only then can the king and coin (that is, politics and economics) come into order to truly serve the family and the salvation of souls.

---

[1] Agathangelos, History of St. Gregory and the Conversion of Armenia, bk. III, trans. anonymous<https://www.livius.org/sources/content/agathangelos/agathangelos-history-3/>, accessed March 23, 2021.

[2] On the phrase “filthy lucre” see I Tim iii. 8; Titus i. 7, 11; I Pet. v. 2.

[3] This is a spiritual analogy which applies the dogma of the Incarnation to the act of conversion. Jesus Christ was Incarnate of the Virgin Mary once and for all but spiritually, not physically, this act is repeated in every Christian people.  

Pictured: Էջմիածնի մայր տաճար, that is, Etchmiadzin Cathedral, often regarded as the oldest cathedral in the world.

Twentieth Sunday After Holy Pentecost

Today's Divine Liturgy from the UGCC Church in Australia. You may follow the Liturgy here.

Twentieth Sunday After Pentecost

Today's Holy Mass from SSPX Australia. You may follow the Mass at Divinum Officium.

The Motherhood of the Blessed Virgin Mary ~ Dom Prosper Guéranger

Twentieth Sunday After Pentecost ~ Dom Prosper Guéranger

The Motherhood of the Blessed Virgin Mary

From Dom Prosper Guéranger's The Liturgical Year.

In the sixteenth century, even amidst their many divergences, the so-called Reformers agreed in utterly rejecting all the honors paid by the Catholic Church to the Blessed Virgin Mary, on the grounds that such veneration of the Mother detracted from the supreme worship due to her Divine Son. Four centuries have more than sufficed to show the result of so doing: the Son has followed the Mother! The descendants of those who refused to Mary the title and rights of Theotokos,—Mother of God—refuse to Jesus the title of Son of God in the traditional sense of the term. Many reject His Godhead altogether, placing Him merely at the head of the line of great moral and social world-teachers; others still retain the word “divinity” with respect to Him, but for them it is no longer synonymous with “deity.”

Holy Scripture tells us that those who first came to adore him who is Son of God and Son of Mary found him “with Mary his Mother.” (Matthew 2:11) At the scene of the first miracle at Cana, which marked the opening of his public life, “the Mother of Jesus was there.” (John 2:1) In the tremendous hour when all was consummated, when types and shadows gave place to the mighty reality, “there stood by the Cross of Jesus His Mother.” (John 19:25) And when the little flock who were to be the nucleus of the Church of God awaited in prayer the coming of the Paraclete, Who would teach them all truth, again it was in company with “Mary the Mother of Jesus.” (Acts 1:14)Far from taking from the honor and love due to the Word Incarnate, devotion to Mary is a strong bulwark protecting the central doctrine. He is ever found with his Mother; where Mary is denied her rights, sooner or later Jesus is denied his; they stand or fall together.

This was realized in the year 431 when, at the General Council of Ephesus, the Church condemned the Nestorian heresy, whereby the Patriarch of Constantinople, Nestorius, had taught that, since in Christ there are two persons, a Divine and a human, Mary was mother only of the Man “Christ,” and therefore could not be called ”Mother of God.” He therefore denied ”that wondrous and substantial union of the two natures which we call hypostatic.”

On the occasion of the fifteenth centenary of the Council of Ephesus, the Sovereign Pontiff, Pius XI, issued the Encyclical Lux Veritatis, recalling the history of the heresy and commenting thus upon the dogma of the hypostatic union: “When once the doctrine of the hypostatic union is abandoned, whereon the dogmas of the Incarnation and of man’s Redemption rest and stand firm, the whole foundation of the Catholic religion falls and comes to ruin … When once this dogma of the truth is securely established, it is easy to gather from it that, by the mystery of the Incarnation, the whole aggregate of men and of mundane things has been endowed with a dignity than which certainly nothing greater can be imagined, and surely grander than that to which it was raised by the work of creation.”

Proceeding to speak of the special dignity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Pope emphasizes that, “because she brought forth the Redeemer of mankind, she is also in a manner the most tender Mother of us all, whom Christ our Lord deigned to have as his brothers; wherefore we may confidently entrust to her all things that are ours, our joys, our troubles, our hopes; especially if more difficult times fall upon the Church—if faith fail because charity has grown cold, if private and public morals take a turn for the worse.”

In this last connection we are reminded of another result of the loss of devotion to the Mother of God. Frequently and truly we hear and speak of the “paganism” of the present age. The decay of faith has been followed inevitably by a decline in morality, and our elaborate and complex civilization is threatened with the dissolving agent which contributed in no small measure to the overthrow of the magnificent civilization of old Rome: namely, the loss of the domestic virtues, the disappearance of healthy, normal family life, consequent upon the abandonment of the Christian ideals of marriage and parenthood.

It is a truism that one of the greatest social effects of Christianity was to raise the status of womanhood. Her legal position in the Ancient World was little better than that of a slave, and although classical literature furnishes us with examples of women who, in pagan homes, yet enjoyed high honor and affection, such are few indeed, and but serve to prove the rule. Divorce, infanticide, general degradation of womanhood, and not infrequently of childhood, were accepted features of pagan social order. The ideal and model of the “new woman” of the Christian dispensation was the Mother of God. It was Mary, “Mother of fair love,” “Madonna,” “our Lady,” who ennobled the degenerate old civilization, just as she tamed the fierce barbarian peoples; she it was who inspired the ideals of the later chivalry. In Mary, all her sex was uplifted; in her motherhood all motherhood became blessed. Now again the world needs the hallowing influence of the Mother of God and of men, if “the life of the family, the beginning and the foundation of all human society” is to be preserved in all its nobility and its purity.

Desirous “to mark the commemoration, and help to nourish the piety of clergy and people towards the great Mother of God,” His Holiness concludes the Encyclical by establishing the new feast of the Divine Motherhood, to be celebrated on October 11 by the universal Church.

MASS

INTROIT

Behold, a Virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel.

Sing ye to the Lord a new canticle: because he hath done wonderful things. Glory be to the Father. Behold.

COLLECT

O God, who wast pleased that at the message of an angel, thy Word should take flesh in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary: grant that we, thy suppliants, who believe her to be truly the Mother of God, may be helped by her intercession with thee. Through the same.

EPISTLE

Lesson from the book of Sirach 24:23-31

GRADUAL

There shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a flower shall rise up out of his root.

℣. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him.

Alleluia, alleluia. ℣. O Virgin Mother of God, the world sufficeth not to contain him who, made man, was shut up in thy womb. Alleluia.

GOSPEL

Sequel of the holy Gospel according to St. Luke 2:43-51

OFFERTORY

When his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

SECRET

Through thy merciful forgiveness, O Lord, and through the intercession of Blessed Mary ever Virgin, may this oblation avail us to the ensuring, now and always, of prosperity and peace. Through the same.

Preface of the Blessed Virgin Mary: Et te in festivitate.

COMMUNION

Blessed is the womb of Mary the Virgin, which bare the Son of the eternal Father.

POSTCOMMUNION

May this communion, O Lord, cleanse us from sin: and by the intercession of Blessed Mary, the Virgin Mother of God, may it unite us in him who is the heavenly healer of our souls. Through the same.

Twentieth Sunday After Pentecost

From Dom Prosper Guéranger's Liturgical Year:

The Gospel of last Sunday spoke to us of the nuptials of the Son of God with the human race. The realization of those sacred nuptials is the object which God had in view by the creation of the visible world; it is the only one he intends in his government of society. This being the case, we cannot be surprised that the parable of the Gospel, while revealing to us this divine plan, has also brought before us the great fact of the rejection of the Jews, and the vocation of the Gentiles, which is not only the most important fact of the world’s history, but is also the one which is the most intimately connected with the consummation of the mystery of the divine Union.

And yet, as we have already said, (13th Sunday after Pentecost) the exclusion of Juda is, one day, to cease. His obstinate refusal of the grace has been the occasion of us Gentiles having it brought to us by the messengers of God’s loving mercy. But now that the fullness of the Gentiles (Romans 11:25-26) has heard and followed the heavenly invitation, the time is advancing when the accession of Israel will complete the Church in her members and give the Bride the signal of the final call, which will put an end to the long labor of ages, (Romans 8:22) by making the Bridegroom appear. (Apocalypse 22:17) The holy jealousy, which the Apostle was so desirous to rouse, in the people of his race, by turning towards the Gentiles, (Romans 11:13-14) will make itself, at last, be felt by the descendants of Jacob. What joy will there not be in heaven when they, repentant and humble, shall unite before God in the song of gladness sung by the Gentiles, in celebration of the entrance of his countless Jewish people into the house of the divine banquet! That union of the two people will truly be a prelude to the great day mentioned by St. Paul when, speaking in his patriotic enthusiasm of the Jews, he said: If their offense (if their fall) hath been the riches of the world, and their diminution be the riches of the Gentiles—how much more the fullness of them! (Romans 11:12)

Now, the Mass of this twentieth Sunday after Pentecost gives us a foretaste of that happy day, when the gratitude of the new people is not to be the only one to sing hymns of praise for the divine favors bestowed on our earth. The ancient Liturgists tell us that our Mass consists partly of the words of the Prophets, giving to Jacob an expression of his repentance, whereby he is to merit a return of God’s favors, and partly of inspired formulas, wherein the Gentiles, who are already within the hall of the marriage-feast, are singing their canticles of love. (BERNO Aug. , V; Rup. Divine Office, 12:20; Durand Ration. 6:137) The Gentile-Choir takes the Gradual and Communion-Anthem; the Choir of the Jews, the Introit and Offertory.

The Introit is from the book of Daniel. (Daniel 3) Exiled to Babylon with his people, the Prophet—in that captivity whose years of bitterness were a figure of the still longer and more intense sufferings of the present dispersion—laments, with Juda, in that strange land, and at the same time instructs his people how they may be readmitted into God’s favor. It is a secret which Israel had lost ever since his commission of the crime on Calvary; though, in the previous ages of his history, he knew the happy secret, and had continually experienced its efficacy. What it was, it still is, and ever will be: it consists in the humble avowal of the sinner’s falls, in the suppliant regret of the culprit, and in the sure confidence that God’s mercy is infinitely above the sins of men, how grievous soever those may have been.

INTROIT

All things whatsoever thou hast done unto us, O Lord, thou hast done by a just judgment: for we have sinned, and disobeyed thy commandments: but, glorify thy name: and deal with us according to thy great mercy.

Ps. Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord. Glory, etc. All things.

The divine forgiveness, which restores the soul to purity and peace, is the indispensable preparation for the sacred marriage-feast; for the wedding garment of its guests must, under pain of exclusion, be without a stain; their heart too must be without bitterness, lest it should cause the Bridegroom to be offended. Let us implore this precious pardon. Our Lord is all the more ready to grant it us when we ask it through his beloved Bride, the Church, our beloved Mother. Let us unite our voices with hers, and say her Collect.

COLLECT

Being appeased, O Lord, bestow pardon and peace upon thy Faithful; that they being also cleansed from all their offenses (against thee), may serve thee with a secure mind. Through, etc.

The other Collects, as in the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost.

EPISTLE

Lesson of the Epistle of Saint Paul, the Apostle, to the Ephesians 5:15-21

Brethren: See therefore, how you walk circumspectly: not as unwise, But as wise: redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore become not unwise, but understanding what is the will of God. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is luxury; but be ye filled with the holy Spirit, speaking to yourselves in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual canticles, singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to God and the Father: Being subject one to another, in the fear of Christ.

As the nuptials of the Son of God approach their final completion, there will be also, on the side of hell, a redoubling of rage against the Bride, with a determination to destroy her. The dragon of the Apocalypse, (Apocalypse 12:9) the old serpent who seduced Eve, will vomit his vile foam, as a river, from his mouth (Apocalypse 12:15) —that is, he will urge on all the passions of man, that they may league together for her ruin. But do what he will, he can never weaken the bond of the eternal alliance; and having no power against the Church herself, he will turn his fury against the last children of the new Eve, who will have the perilous honor of those final battles, which are described by the Prophet of Patmos. (Apocalypse 12:17)

It is then more than at all previous times that the Faithful will have to remember the injunction given to us by the Apostle in today’s Epistle; that is, they will have to comport themselves with that circumspection which he enjoins, taking every possible care to keep their understanding, no less than their heart, pure in those evil days. Supernatural light will, in those days, not only have to stand the attacks of the children of darkness, who will put forward their false doctrines; it will, moreover, be minimized and falsified by the very children of the light yielding on the question of principles; it will be endangered by the hesitations and trimmings and human prudence of those who are called far-seeing men. Many will practically ignore the master-truth, that the Church never can be overwhelmed by any created power. If they do remember that our Lord has promised himself to uphold his Church even to the end of the world, (Matthew 28:20) they will still have the impertinence to believe that they do a great service to the good cause by making certain politically clever concessions, which, if they were tried in the balance of the sanctuary, would be found under weight! Those future worldly-wise people will quite forget that our Lord will have no need for helping him to keep his promise of crooked schemes, however shrewd those may be; they will entirely overlook this most elementary consideration—that the cooperation, which Jesus deigns to accept, at the hands of his servants, in the defense of the rights of his Church, never could consist in the garbling, or in the disguising, of those grant truths which constitute the power and beauty of the Bride. Is it possible that they will forget the Apostle’s maxim, which he lays down in his Epistle to the Romans—that the conforming oneself to this world—the attempting an impossible adaptation of the Gospel to a world that is un-Christianized—is not the means for proving what is the good, and acceptable, and the perfect will of God. (Romans 12:2) So that it will be a thing of great and rare merit, in many an occurrence of those unhappy times, to merely understand what is the will of God, as our Epistle expresses it.

Look to yourselves, would St. John say to those men, that ye lose not the things which ye have wrought; make yourselves sure of the full reward, which is only given to the persevering thoroughness of doctrine and faith! (2 John 8, 9) Besides, it will be then, as in all other times, that, according to the saying of the Holy Ghost, the simplicity of the just shall guide them, (Proverbs 11:3) and far more safely, than any human ingenuity could do; humility will give them Wisdom; (Proverbs 11:2) and, keeping themselves closely united to this noble companion, they will be made truly wise by her, and will know what is acceptable to God. (Wisdom 9:10) They will understand that aspiring, like the Church herself, to union with the eternal Word—fidelity to the Spouse, for them, as it is for the Church, is nothing else than fidelity to the truth; for the Word, who is the one same object of love to both of them, is, in God, no other than the splendor of infinite truth. (Wisdom 7:25-26) Their one care, therefore, will ever be to approach nearer and nearer to their Beloved by a continually increasing resemblance to him; that is to say, by the completest reproduction, both in their words and works, of the beautiful Truth. By so doing, they will be serving their fellow creatures in the best possible way, for they will be putting in practice the counsel of Jesus, who bids them seek first the kingdom of God and his justice and confide in him for all the rest. (Matthew 6:33) Others may have recourse to human and accommodating combinations, fitted to please all parties; they may put forward dubious compromises which (so their suggestors think), will keep back, for some weeks, or some months perhaps, the fierce tide of revolution—but those who have God’s spirit in them will put a very different construction on the admonition given us, by the Apostle, in today’s Epistle, where he tells us to redeem the time.

It was our Lord who bought time, and at a great price; and he bought it for us, that it might be employed, by his faithful servants, in procuring glory for God. By most men, it is squandered away in sin or folly; but those who are united to Christ, as living members to the Spouse of their souls, will redeem it; that is, they will put such an intensity into their faith and their love, that as far as it is possible for human nature, not a moment of their time shall be anything but an earnest undiminished (Psalm 11:2) tribute of their service of their Lord. To the insolent and blasphemous things, which are then to be spoken by the Beast, (Apocalypse 13:5-6) these determined servants of God will give, for their brave answer, the cry of St. Michael, which he uttered against Satan, who was the helper of the Beast: (Apocalypse 13:2) Who is like unto God!

These closing weeks of the year used, in olden times, to be called: Weeks of the holy Angel. We have seen, in one of these Sundays, (the 17th) how there was announced the great Archangel’s coming to the aid of God’s people, as Daniel, the Prophet, had foretold would be at the end of the world. (Daniel 12:1) When, therefore, the final tribulations shall commence; when exile shall scatter the Faithful and the sword shall slay them, (Apocalypse 13:7, 10) and the world shall approve all that, prostrate, as it then will be, before the Beast and his image (Apocalypse 13:3, 4, 8, 15)—let us not forget that we have a leader chosen by God, and proclaimed by the Church; a leader who will marshal us during those final combats in which the defeat of the Saints (Apocalypse 13:7) will be more glorious than were the triumphs of the Church, in the days when she ruled the world. For what God will then ask of his servants will not be success of diplomatic arrangements, nor a victory won by arms, but fidelity to his truth, that is, to his Word; a fidelity all the more generous and perfect, as there will be an almost universal falling off around the little army fighting under the Archangel’s banner. Uttered by a single faithful heart, and under such circumstances, and uttered with the bravery of faith and the ardor of love—the cry of St. Michael, which heretofore routed the infernal legions will be a greater honor to God than will be the insult offered to him by the millions of the degraded followers of the Beast.

Let us get thoroughly imbued with these thoughts, which are suggested by the opening lines of our Epistle. Let us also master the other instructions it contains, and which after all, differ but little from the ones we have been developing. On this Sunday, when formerly was read the Gospel of the nuptials of the Son of God, and the invitation to his divine banquet—our holy Mother, the Church, appropriately in the Epistle, bids us observe the immense difference there is between these sacred delights and the joys of the world’s marriage feasts. The calm, the purity, the peace of the just man, who is admitted into intimacy with God, are a continual feast to his soul; (Proverbs 15:15) the food served up at that feast is Wisdom; (Ecclesiasticus 24:29) Wisdom too is the beloved Guest, who is unfailingly there. (Wisdom 8:16, Apocalypse 3:20) The world is quite welcome to its silly and often shameful pleasures; the World and the soul, which, in a mysterious way, he has filled with the Holy Spirit, (Song of Solomon 1:1) join together to sing to the eternal Father in admirable unison; they will go on, forever, with their hymns of thanksgiving and praise, for the materials of both are infinite. The hideous sight of the earth’s inhabitants, who will then, by thousands, be paying homage to the harlot who sits on the Beast and offers them the golden cup of her abominations—no, not even that will interfere in the least with the bliss caused in heaven by the sight of those happy souls on earth. The convulsions of a world in its last agony, the triumphs of the woman drunk with the blood of the martyrs (Apocalypse 17:1-6) —far from breaking in on the harmony which comes from a soul which is united with the Word, they will but give greater fullness to her notes which sound forth the divine, and greater sweetness to the human music of the human song. The Apostle tells all this in his own magnificent way, where he says: Who, then, shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation? or distress? or famine? or nakedness? or danger? or persecution? or the sword? True, it is written: For thy sake we are put to death all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter; (Psalm 43:22) —but in all these things, we overcome, because of Him that hath loved us. For I am sure, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor might, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord. (Romans 8:35-39)

In the Introit, the Jewish people sang its repentance and humble confidence; and now, in the Gradual, we have the Gentiles proclaiming, in music taught them by the Church, how, in the delights of the nuptial banquet, their hopes have been realized, yea, and surpassed.

GRADUAL

The eyes of all do hope in thee, O Lord: and thou givest them meat in due season.

℣. Thou openest thy hand, and fillest every living creature with thy blessing.

Alleluia, alleluia.

℣. My heart is ready, O God, my heart is ready; I will sing, and give praise on my glory. Alleluia.

GOSPEL

Sequel of the holy Gospel according to St. John 4:46-53

At that time: There was a certain ruler, whose son was sick at Capharnaum. He having heard that Jesus was come from Judea into Galilee, went to him, and prayed him to come down, and heal his son; for he was at the point of death. Jesus therefore said to him: Unless you see signs and wonders, you believe not. The ruler saith to him: Lord, come down before that my son die. Jesus saith to him: Go thy way; thy son liveth. The man believed the word which Jesus said to him, and went his way. And as he was going down, his servants met him; and they brought word, saying, that his son lived. He asked therefore of them the hour wherein he grew better. And they said to him: Yesterday, at the seventh hour, the fever left him. The father therefore knew, that it was at the same hour that Jesus said to him, Thy son liveth; and himself believed, and his whole house.

The Gospel for today is taken from St. John; it is the first and only time, during the whole course of these Sundays after Pentecost. It gives the twentieth Sunday the name of Ruler of Capernaum. The Church has selected this Gospel on account of its bearing a certain mysterious relation to the state the world will be in, when those last days shall come, which the Liturgy of this close of the Church’s Year is so continually and prophetically bringing before us.

The world is drawing towards its end; like the Ruler’s son, it begins to die. Tormented by the fever of the passions, which have been excited in Capernaum, the city of business and pleasure—it is too weak to go itself to the Physician who could cure it. It is for its father, for the pastors, who, by baptism, gave it the life of grace, and govern the Christian people as rulers of the holy Church—it is for them to go to Jesus and beseech him to restore the sick man to health. St. John begins this account (John 4:46) by mentioning the place where they were to find Jesus: it was at Cana, the city of the marriage feast, and where he first manifested his power (John 2:11) in the banquet hall; it is in heaven that the Man-God abides, now that he has quitted our earth, where he has left his disciples deprived of the Bridegroom, (Matthew 9:15) and having to pass a certain period of time in the field of penance. Capernaum signifies the field of penance and of consolation, which penance brings with it. Such was this earth intended to be, when Man was driven from Eden; such was the consolation to which, during this life, the sinner was to aspire; and because of his having sought after other consolations—because of his having pretended at turning this field of penance into a new paradise—the world is now to be destroyed. Man has exchanged the life-giving delights of Eden for the pleasures which kill the soul and ruin the body, and drawn down the divine vengeance.

There is a remedy for all this, and only one—it is the zeal of the pastors, and the prayers of that portion of Christ’s flock, which has withstood the torrent of universal corruption. But it is of the utmost important that, on this point, the Faithful and their Pastors should lay aside all personal considerations and thoroughly enter into the spirit which animates the Church herself. Though treated with the most revolting ingratitude and injustice and calumny and treachery of every sort, this Mother of mankind forgets all these her own wrongs, and thinks only of the true prosperity and salvation of the very countries which despise her. (Allocutions of Leo XIII) She is well aware that the time is at hand when God will make justice triumphant; and yet she goes on struggling, as Jacob did, with God, (Genesis 32:24-28) until there come the dawn of that terrible day, foretold by David and the sibyl. (The Sequence, Dies Iræ) At the thought of the pool of fire, (Apocalypse 21:8) whose hellish vapors are already seeming to infest our atmosphere, and into which are to be plunged her rebellious children, she looks almost as though she forgot the approach of the eternal nuptials, and had lost her vehement longings as a Bride. One would say that she thinks of nothing but of her being a Mother; and as such, she keeps on praying as she has always been doing, only more fervently than ever—that the end may be deferred—pro mora finis. (Tertullian, Apology 39)

That we may fulfill her wishes, let us, as Tertullian says, “assemble together in one body, that we may, so to speak, offer armed force to God by our prayers. God loves such violence as that.” (Tertullian, Apology 39) But that our prayer may have power of that kind, it must be inspired by a faith which is thorough, and proof against every difficulty. As it is our faith which overcometh the world, (1 John 5:4) so it is likewise our faith which triumphs over God, even in cases which seem beyond all human hope. Let us do as our Mother does, and think of the danger incurred by those countless men who madly play on the brink of the precipice, into which, when they fall, they fall forever. It is quite true they are inexcusable; it was only last Sunday that they were reminded of the weeping and gnashing of teeth in the exterior darkness which they will undergo who despise the call to the King’s marriage feast: (Matthew 22:13) but they are our brethren, and we should not be so quietly resigned at seeing them lose their souls. Let us hope against all hope. Our Lord, who knew with certainty that obstinate sinners would be lost, did he, on that account, hesitate to shed all his Blood for them?

It is our ambition to unite ourselves to him, by the closest possible resemblance; let us then be resolved to imitate in that also, were occasion to serve us; at all events, let us pray, and without ceasing, for the Church’s and our enemies, so long as we are not assured of their being lost. It is here that nothing is useless, nothing is thrown away; for come what may, God is greatly honored by our faith, and by the earnestness of our charity.

Only, let us be careful not to merit the reproach uttered by our Redeemer against the halting (Hebrews 12:13) faith of the fellow townsmen of the Ruler of Capernaum. We know that our Jesus has no need to come down from heaven to earth in order to give efficiency to the commands of his gracious will. If he deign to multiply signs and wonders around us, we will rejoice at them, because of our brethren who are weak of faith, we will make them an occasion for exalting his holy name—but we will lovingly assure him that our soul had no need of new proofs of his power, in order to believe in him!

The Jewish people, while enduring its well-merited captivity, and straying along the riverbanks of Babylon, has grown repentant, and in our Offertory, joins our Mother the Church in singing the admirable hundred and thirty-sixth Psalm; there never was such a song of exile.

OFFERTORY

Upon the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept, when we remembered thee, O Sion!

The whole power of the God, who, with a word, cures both soul and body, resides in the Mysteries which are about to be celebrated on our Altar here. Let us, in the Secret, beseech him, that their effects may tell on our hearts.

SECRET

May these mysteries, O Lord, we beseech thee, procure us a heavenly remedy, and cleanse away the vices of our hearts. Through, etc.

The other Secrets, as in the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost.

The word spoken of in the Communion-Anthem as having raised man up from the abyss of his misery is that of the Gospel, which calls mankind, saying, Come to the marriage! (Matthew 22:4) But although deified by his participation, here below, in the Mystery of faith, man aspires to the perfect and eternal Union which is to be in the mid-day of glory.

A preserving fidelity in observing God’s commandments is the best preparation a Christian can make for approaching to the holy Table, as the Postcommunion tells us.

COMMUNION

Remember, O Lord, thy word to thy servant, and by which thou gavest me hope: this hath comforted me in my distress.

POSTCOMMUNION

That we may be worthy of thy sacred gifts, O Lord, grant, we beseech thee, that we may always obey thy commandments. Through, etc.

The other Postcommunions, as in the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost.

VESPERS

The psalms, capitulum, hymn and versicle, as in the beginning of the volume.

ANTIPHON OF THE MAGNIFICAT

Now the father knew that it was at the same hour that Jesus said unto him: Thy son liveth; and himself believed, and his whole house.

LET US PRAY

Being appeased, O Lord, bestow pardon and peace upon thy faithful; that they being also cleansed from all their offenses may serve thee with secure mind. Through, etc.