Event: Conference on the 150 Years of G.K.Chesterton - London, June 1st, 2024

I wish I was A) 20 or 30 years younger and B) wealthy enough to fly to London. This conference sounds fascinating!

From Rorate Cæli

The Corner Cabinet magazine is organizing a conference in London on June 1st that will delve into Chesterton's enduring influence on literature, philosophy and Catholic thought. The conference promises to be a stimulating event featuring esteemed speakers including Fr. David Sherry, and Kennedy Hall, as well as engaging discussions on Chesterton’s legacy and relevance in today’s world:

Germany: Calls for Caliphate During 1,100-Strong Islamist Demonstration in Hamburg

Mutti Merkel's 'refugees are welcome' during the jihadist invasion (falsely known as a 'refugee crisis') is coming back to bite Germany in the backside. 

From The European Conservative

By Tristan Vanheuckelom

The radical protests coincided with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s European election campaigning in the same city.

An Islamist rally, held on Saturday in the German city of Hamburg—with more than 1,000 participants—is sending shockwaves through the nation’s media and political landscape. 

According to the organizers, who timed their rally to coincide with a visit from Chancellor Olaf Scholz, they wanted to raise their voices together and demonstrate against “Islamophobic reporting, both in recent weeks and in recent months.”

Amid a sizable police presence, widely circulated images demonstrate high levels of anti-German sentiment among the participants, despite no violent incidents and no arrests occurring.

Slogans calling Germany a “dictatorship of values” rang out, accompanied by the now all-too familiar “Allahu Akbar!” (God is great) being chanted in unison.

Most disturbingly, at least one placard read “a caliphate is the solution.”(A state led by a caliph, seen by the faithful as a political-religious successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad, would almost inevitably result in a horrendous dictatorship, as the historical precedents all show.)

The Hamburg Office for the Protection of the Constitution, one of 16 state-security agencies, has identified the organizers of the rally as being closely affiliated with the group ‘Muslim Interaktiv,’The radical protests coincided with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s European election campaigning in the same city. which it classifies as a “confirmed extremist movement.”

In a press release published prior to  the demonstration, the government agency said that anyone taking part in this rally would be standing side by side with Islamists.

Online, their platform could appear harmless enough (its  ‘About’ section reads:

‘Muslim Interaktiv’ is an association of Muslims who have set themselves the goal of presenting Islam as a comprehensive way of life to Muslims living in Germany and encouraging them to practice Islam in all areas of life.

However, through careful selection of topics such as alleged ‘Islamophobia’, ‘Muslim Interaktiv’ insidiously works to make Muslims in Germany—and also in other parts of the (Western) world—adopt the role of an oppressed minority.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has yet to comment on the issue.

Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) told Der Tagesspiegel that it was “hard to bear” such a demonstration. “It is a good thing that Hamburg police countered [possible] criminal acts with a large contingent,” she said. 

CDU Secretary General Carsten Linnemann took issue with Faeser’s rather tepid response. “Many millions of people around the world are being brutally oppressed by Islamist regimes and are often fleeing to free Europe. It is therefore all the more scandalous that ‘hate demonstrators’ are once again taking to the streets in Hamburg in favor of a caliphate—despite full-throated announcements made by Interior Minister Faeser that such things would not be tolerated,” he told Bild am Sonntag. The constitutional state must “finally defend itself and show strength.”

Alexander Throm, spokesman on the CDU/CSU parliamentary group’s domestic policy, called the demonstration a “disgrace.” Anyone who agitates against Germany as an alleged “dictatorship of values” and calls for a caliphate “has no place here and must leave the country as quickly as possible,” he declared.

Logically, Hamburg CDU MdB (member of parliament) Christoph Ploß went one step further and called for ‘Muslim Interactive’ to be banned. On X, he wrote that Chancellor Olaf Scholz’ coalition government should “no longer trivialize” radical Islam. 

When more than a thousand Islamists march through the middle of Hamburg, the left-wing parties should finally wake up and oppose Islamism.

Hubert Aiwanger, Chairman of the Freie Wähler (Free Voters) party and Bavarian Minister of Economic Affairs wrote: 

Such an anti-constitutional rally to abolish democracy and human rights should be broken up immediately, the participants’ personal details recorded and they should be deported if possible.

At least legally, this is possible—if the political will is there.

“A foreigner whose stay endangers the free and democratic basic order in Germany can be expelled,” FDP parliamentary group deputy leader Konstantin Kuhle told Die Welt. Anyone who calls for the abolition of fundamental rights, such as freedom of the press, at a demonstration fulfills this requirement, Kuhle continued. 

“The group ‘Muslim Interactive’ has close ties with the already banned Islamist organization Hizb ut-Tahrir and has been campaigning for the introduction of a caliphate for a long time,” explained Lamya Kaddor, domestic policy spokesperson for the Green parliamentary group, told the same publication. 

There have long been calls for a ban on organizations and associations with such close ties to Hizb ut-Tahrir. Faeser was called upon to “implement a ban on such groups as quickly as possible,” the Green politician added. 

Once Elon Musk got wind of the story, he gave it a dedicated post on his platform, wondering aloud: “Surely demanding overthrow of the government in Germany is illegal?”

Now consider how forcefully the German political establishment goes after fringe non-muslim extremist groups as well as its arch political rival, the sovereigntist Afd (Alternative for Germany) party. The kid gloves treatment given to resident Islamists—by far the largest terror threat to Germany—continues to astound.

Make This Yummy Italian Recipe To Honor St Catherine of Siena

Tomorrow is the Feast of St Catherine. Here is a Feast Day recipe in her honour and it's meatless so even if the Feast falls on Friday, it's appropriate.

From Aleteia

By Theresa Civantos Barber

This recipe is a nod to the culinary traditions of Italy, and it's pretty simple to make with easily found ingredients!

What’s your favorite way to celebrate the saints you love? It’s always fun to include special feast days in your meal plans. The feast of St. Catherine of Siena on April 29 is the perfect occasion for this delicious Italian pasta recipe — Pasta Sancta Caterina.

St. Catherine of Siena was a renowned Italian mystic, whose words of wisdom and holy deeds are an amazing example to us today. This recipe is a nod to the culinary traditions of Italy. It’s also pretty simple to make with easily found ingredients!

Tomorrow’s feast is a beloved one in my family. Both my sister and my little daughter are named “Catherine” after the great Italian saint and doctor of the Church. My daughter happens to love pasta, so we plan on making this pasta dish for the feast!

This recipe comes from Catholic Cuisine, and is adapted from Cooking with the Saints. (It’s meatless, too, so it works even when the feast falls on a Friday!)

Catholic Cuisine suggests serving Pasta Sancta Caterina with “Garlic Bread, Olives, Mixed Greens with Italian dressing and Cappuccino Mousse Trifle for dessert!”

Pasta Santa Caterina

Preparation time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Serves 8 to 10

Ingredients:

• 2 lb. ripe tomatoes (I used 2 cans diced tomatoes drained)
• 2 Tbsp. Italian parsley, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. fresh Basil, chopped (I used 1 Tbsp. dried Basil)
• 2 tsp. garlic minced
• 3 Tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 6 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1 lb. spaghetti

Directions:

Peel tomatoes, remove seeds and dice.

In a medium bowl combine all of the ingredients except the pasta.

Marinate at room temperature for about 1 hour.

After 45 minutes, bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta.

Cook the pasta according to package directions, until tender.

Drain thoroughly, and transfer pasta to a heated serving dish.

Add the sauce and toss.

Adjust seasonings and serve with extra Parmesan cheese.

Mangia!

The Holy Rosary

Monday, the Joyful Mysteries, in Latin with Cardinal Burke.

Monarchies Vs Republics - Why Are Monarchies More Democratic?

The title is ridiculous but true. LOL!

Creation and Freedom in Tolkien's Silmarilion

With Fr Philip-Neri Reese, OP, LPhil, MDiv, STB.

Francis' Hidden Evil EXPOSED As Cardinals Plan For His Eventual Replacement

St Louis De Montfort Explains How Prayers to Mary Are Transferred to God

Much of St Louis-Marie's Mariological terminology may seem a bit over the top, but his Mariology itself is rock solid and totally Catholic.

From Aleteia

By Philip Kosloski

She is an "echo of God," a pure channel that takes our prayers directly to her Heavenly Father.

When Catholics pray to the Blessed Virgin Mary, it is not an act of worship, as worship is given only to God.

St. Louis de Montfort, an 18th-century priest devoted to the Virgin Mary, explains what happens with prayers addressed to Our Lady. The explanation is found in his book True Devotion to Mary. He starts off by writing that sincere and devout prayers to the Virgin Mary “will give more glory to Jesus in a month than in many years of a more demanding devotion.”

Montfort explains that Mary is a pure conduit for our prayers, transforming them into glorious prayers to her Heavenly Father.

She is an echo of God, speaking and repeating only God. If you say “Mary” she says “God.” When St. Elizabeth praised Mary calling her blessed because she had believed, Mary, the faithful echo of God, responded with her canticle, “My soul glorifies the Lord.”

What Mary did on that day, she does every day. When we praise her, when we love and honour her, when we present anything to her, then God is praised, honoured and loved and receives our gift through Mary and in Mary.

If you say “Mary” she says “God.”

In another example, Montfort envisions the Virgin Mary taking our prayers in her hands and transforming them when presenting them to God.

Our Blessed Lady, in her immense love for us, is eager to receive into her virginal hands the gift of our actions, imparting to them a marvelous beauty and splendour, and presenting them herself to Jesus most willingly. More glory is given to our Lord in this way than when we make our offering with our own guilty hands.

The next time you offer prayers to the Virgin Mary, remember how she receives your prayers and takes them directly to God. In a very real way, the closer we are to Mary, the closer we are to God.

Monday of the Fifth Week After Easter ~ Dom Prosper Guéranger

Collect of St Peter Martyr ~ Indulgenced on the Saint's Feast

According to the Apostolic Penitentiary, a partial indulgence is granted to those who on the feast of any Saint recite in his honour the oration of the Missal or any other approved by legitimate Authority.

V. O Lord, hear my prayer.

R. And let my cry come unto thee.
Let us pray.
Grant us grace, we beseech thee, O Almighty God, to follow with zeal conformable thereto after the pattern of that great example of faith, thy blessed Martyr Peter, who, for the spreading of the same faith, did so run as to obtain the palm of martyrdom.

Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.

R. Amen. 

Happy Anniversary Your Royal Highnesses!

Thirteen years ago today, I stayed up all night to watch the wedding of HRH William, Duke of Cambridge, and Miss Catherine Middleton. I had done the same years before to watch his parents' wedding.

May God send healing to HRH The Princess of Wales and may He grant them many more years together.

Why Has a Papal Address in English Gone Missing?

I doubt that there is an explanation other than that JPII was too Catholic.

From Catholic Arena

By Kevin Hay

Since 1939, Popes have given 3 sorts of audiences.

My money is on the Pope!! (Click image for CA article.)

Special audiences are for Heads of State, ambassadors, etc.

Influential people like Rocky — Sylvester Stallone — can get a private audience.

Then, on Wednesday mornings the Pope gives a general audience [GA] to all who attend St. Peter’s Square. He does not say Mass but does deliver “an address” — a homily.

Hold that thought!

Click image or follow the link : https://www.vatican.va/various/prefettura/en/profilo_en.html

General Audience Addresses

Before we get to the question suggested by Nick Donnelly, readers should know that GA addresses are translated into a variety of languages and compiled under the Pope giving the address.

The first ‘general address’ I found was given by Pius XII on 26 April 1939. The world was in turmoil and WWII started that September.

Multiple translations became commonplace after Vatican II [Paul VI] and Pope Francis’ first general address was translated into 9 languages: Arabic, Croatian, English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese & Spanish.

In comparison, the first address of the 6 other Popes since 1939 were translated as noted below:

Benedict XVI: Croatian, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese & Spanish: 7 languages.

John Paul II: English, French, Italian, Portuguese & Spanish: 5 languages.

John Paul I: English, French, Italian, Portuguese & Spanish: 5 languages.

Paul VI: His first is not documented: the second on 18 Dec 1963, Italian & Spanish: 2 languages.

John XXIII: Italian & Spanish: 2 languages.

Pius XII: Italian only: 1 language.

HAS A TRANSLATION BEEN ERASED?

Below is the allegation made by Nick Donnelly on 𝕏 — formerly Twitter.

Click the image to follow link to 𝕏: formerly Twitter.

Donnelly prides himself as being 'one of Pope Francis's most ardent and outspoken critics' and implies that the missing translation/s is to remove St. JPII’s catechesis. (The Appendix below confirms that there is no English translation available for 10 September 1986.)

St. John Paul II’s ADDRESSES

St. John Paul II was Pope between 1978 - 2005. If you reference the Appendix you can see that an English translation was consistently available for his addresses from 1978 to mid-1980 and then onward from December 1996. (NB: only one page per year is appended.)

For the intervening ~16 years [mid-1980 to the end of 1996] I found only 3 English translations: 23 August 1989; 24 May 1989 & 9 July 2003. (Indeed, the only translation available for 9 July 2003 is English!)

Occam’s Razor: "The simplest explanation is usually the best one."

The simplest explanation — if improbable — is that no English translator was routinely available in the Vatican between 1980-1996. That said, Nick has shown that at least one English translation is missing.

I am hoping that there is still an innocent reason, such as the translation being removed because it was inaccurate from what was said. (Anyone wishing to read the addresses in English can use an on-line translation service / Google Translate.)

This issue merits a proper explanation. If someone has information, please DM me on 𝕏, or email the editor@catholicarena.com. CA will keep you updated!

St Peter of Verona

Today's Holy Mass from Corpus Christi Church, Tynong, VIC, Australia. You may follow the Mass at Divinum Officium.

St Peter the Martyr ~ Dom Prosper Guéranger

St Peter the Martyr

From Dom Prosper Guéranger's The Liturgical Year

The hero deputed this day, by the Church, to greet our Risen Lord, was so valiant in the Good Fight, that Martyrdom is part of his name. He is known as Peter the Martyr; so that we cannot speak of him, without raising the echo of victory. He was put to death by heretics, and is the grand tribute paid to our Redeemer, by the 13th Century. Never was there a triumph hailed with greater enthusiasm than this. The Martyrdom of St. Thomas of Canterbury excited the admiration of the Faithful of the preceding Century, for nothing was so dear to our Forefathers as the Liberty of the Church; the Martyrdom of St. Peter was celebrated with a like intensity of praise and joy. Let us hearken to the fervid eloquence of the great Pontiff, Innocent the Fourth, who thus begins the Bull of the Martyr’s Canonization: “The truth of the Christian Faith, manifested, as it has been, by great and frequent miracles, is now beautified by the new merit of a new Saint. Lo! a combatant of these our own times comes, bringing us new and great and triumphant signs. The voice of his blood shed (for Christ) is heard, and the fame of his Martyrdom is trumpeted, throughout the world. The land is not silent that sweateth with his blood; the country that produced so noble a warrior resounds with his praise; yea, the very sword that did the deed of parricide proclaims his glory. … Mother Church has great reason to rejoice, and abundant matter for gladness; she has cause to sing a new canticle to the Lord, and a hymn of fervent praise to her God; … the Christian people has cause to give forth devout songs to its Creator. A sweet fruit, gathered in the garden of Faith, has been set upon the table of the Eternal King: a grape-bunch, taken from the vineyard of the Church, has filled the royal cup with new wine. … The flourishing Order of Preachers has produced a red rose, whose sweetness is most grateful to the King; and from the Church here on earth, there has been taken a stone, which, after being cut and polished, has deserved a place of honor in the temple of heaven.” (The Apostolic Constitution Magnis et crebris, of the 9th of the Kalends of April, 1253.)

Such was the language wherewith the supreme Pontiff spoke of the new Martyr, and the people responded by celebrating his Feast with extraordinary devotion. It was kept as were the ancient Festivals, that is, all servile work was forbidden upon it. The Churches served by the Fathers of the Dominican Order w r ere crowded on his Feast; and the Faithful took little branches with them, that they might be blessed, in memory of the Triumph of Peter the Martyr. This custom is still observed; and the branches blessed by the Dominicans, on this day, are venerated as being a protection to the houses where they are kept.

How are we to account for all this fervent devotion of the people towards St. Peter? It was because he died in defense of the faith; and nothing was so dear to the Christians of those days as faith. Peter had received the charge to take up all the heretics, who, at that time, were causing great disturbance and scandal in the country round about Milan. They were called Cathari, but, in reality, were Manicheans; their teachings were detestable, and their loves of the most immoral kind. Peter fulfilled his duty with a firmness and equity which soon secured him the hatred of the heretics; and when he fell a victim to his holy courage, a cry of admiration and gratitude was heard throughout Christendom. Nothing could be more devoid of truth than the accusations brought by the enemies of the Church and their indiscreet abettors, against the measures formerly decreed by the public law of Catholic nations, in order to foil the efforts made by evil-minded men to injure the true Faith. In those times, no tribunal was so popular as that whose office it was to protect the Faith, and to put down all them that attacked it. It was to the Order of St. Dominic that this office was mainly entrusted; and well may they be proud of the honor of having so long held one so beneficial to the salvation of mankind. How many of its members have met with a glorious death in the exercise of their stern duty! St. Peter is the first of the Martyrs given by the Order for this holy cause: his name, however, heads a long list of others who were his Brethren in Religion, his successors in the defense of the Faith, and his followers to martyrdom. The coercive measures that were once and successfully used to defend the Faithful from heretical teachers, have long since ceased to be used: but for us Catholics, our judgment of them must surely be that of the Church. She bids us today honor as a Martyr one of her Saints who was put to death while resisting the wolves that threatened the sheep of Christ’s fold; she we not be guilty of disrespect to our Mother if we dared to condemn what she so highly approves? Far, then, be from us that cowardly truckling to the spirit of the age, which would make us ashamed of the courageous efforts made by our forefathers for the preservation of the Faith! Far from us that childish readiness to believe the calumnies of Protestants against an Institution which they naturally detest! Far from us that deplorable confusion of ideas which puts truth and error on an equality and, from the fact that error can have no rights, concludes that truth can claim none!

The following is the account given us by the Church of the virtues and heroism of St. Peter the Martyr.

Peter was born at Verona, of parents who were infected with the heresy of the Manichees; but he himself, almost from his very infancy, fought against heresies. When he was seven years old, he was one day asked by an uncle, who was a heretic, what they taught him at the school to which he went. He answered, that they taught him the Symbol of the Christian Faith. His father and uncle did all they could, both by promises and threats, to shake the firmness of his faith: but all to no purpose. When old enough, he went to Bologna, in order to prosecute his studies. Whilst there, he was called by the Holy Ghost to a life of perfection, and obeyed the call by entering into the Order of St. Dominic.

Great were his virtues as a Religious man. So careful was he to keep both body and soul from whatsoever could sully their purity, that his conscience never accused him of committing a mortal sin. He mortified his body by fasting and watching and applied his mind to the contemplation of heavenly things. He labored incessantly for the salvation of souls and was gifted with a special grace for refuting heretics. He was so earnest when preaching, that people used to go in crowds to hear him, and numerous were the conversions that ensued.

The ardor of his faith was such, that he wished he might die for it, and earnestly did he beg that favor from God. This death, which he foretold a short time before in one of his sermons, was inflicted on him by the heretics. Whilst returning from Como to Milan, in the discharge of the duties of the holy Inquisition, he was attacked by a wicked assassin, who struck him twice on the head with a sword. The Symbol of faith, which he had confessed with manly courage when but a child, he now began to recite with his dying lips; and having received another wound in his side, he went to receive a Martyr’s palm in heaven, in the year of our Lord 1252. Numerous miracles attested his sanctity, and his name was enrolled the following year by Innocent IV, in the list of the martyrs.

The following Antiphons and Responsory are taken from the Dominican Breviary:

ANT. There rises a light from smoke, and a rose from the midst of briars: Peter, the Doctor and Martyr, is born of infidel parents.

ANT. A soldier once in the ranks of the Order of Preachers, he now is joined to the troop of the heavenly army.

ANT. His mind angelic, his tongue fruitful, his life apostolic, his death most precious.

℟. Whilst in search of Samson’s foxes, he is slain by the wicked: the lictor strikes the holy head, the blood of the just man is shed: * Thus he holds the palm of triumph, whilst dying for the faith.

℣. The brave soldier is unconquered: at the hour of death, he courageously confesses the faith, for which he suffers. Thus he holds the palm of triumph, whilst dying for the faith.

The victory was thine, O Peter! and thy zeal for the defense of holy Faith was rewarded. Thou ardently desiredst to shed thy blood for the holiest of causes, and, by such a sacrifice, to confirm the Faithful of Christ in their religion. Our Lord satisfied thy desire; he would even have thy martyrdom be in the festive Season of the Resurrection of our Divine Lamb, that his glory might add luster to the beauty of thy holocaust. When the death blow fell upon thy venerable head, and thy generous blood was flowing from the wounds, thou didst write on the ground the first words of the Creed, for whose holy truth thou wast giving thy life.

Protector of the Christian people! what other motive hadst thou, in all thy labors, but charity? What else but a desire to defend the weak from danger, induced thee not only to preach against error, but to drive its teachers from the flock? How many simple souls, who were receiving divine truth from the teaching of the Church, have been deceived by the lying sophistry of heretical doctrine, and have lost the Faith? Surely, the Church would do her utmost to ward off such dangers from her children: she would do all she could to defend them from enemies, who were bent on destroying the glorious inheritance, which had been handed down to them by millions of Martyrs? She knew the strange tendency that often exists in the heart of fallen man to love error; whereas Truth, though of itself unchanging, is not sure of its remaining firmly in the mind, unless it be defended by learning or by faith. As to learning, there are but few who possess it; and as to faith, error is ever conspiring against, and, of course, with the appearance of truth. In the Christian Ages, it would have been deemed not only criminal, but absurd, to grant to error the liberty which is due only to truth; and that they were in authority considered it a duty to keep the weak from danger by removing them all occasions of a fall—just as the father of a family keeps his children from coming in contact with wicked companions, who could easily impose on their inexperience, and lead them to evil under the name of good.

Obtain for us, O holy Martyr, a keen appreciation of the precious gift of Faith—that element which keeps us in the way of salvation. May we zealously do everything that lies in our power to preserve it, both in ourselves and in them that are under our care. The love of this holy Faith has grown cold in so many hearts; and frequent intercourse with heretics or free-thinkers has made them think and speak of matters of Faith in a very loose way. Pray for them, O Peter, that they may recover that fearless love of the Truths of Religion which should be one of the chief traits of the Christian character. If they be living in a country where the modern system is introduced of treating all Religions alike, that is, of giving equal rights to error and to truth—let them be all the more courageous in professing the truth, and detesting the errors opposed to the truth. Pray for us, O holy Martyr, that there may be enkindled within us an ardent love of that Faith without which it is impossible to please God. (Hebrews 11:6) Pray that we may become all earnestness in this duty, which is of vital importance to salvation—that thus our Faith may daily gain strength within us, till at length we shall merit to see in heaven what we have believed unhesitatingly on earth.

Monday of the Fifth Week After Easter

From Dom Prosper Guéranger's The Liturgical Year

℣. In thy resurrection, O Christ, alleluia.

℟. Let heaven and earth alleluia.

Jesus bestows an inestimable gift upon his Apostles; and from this gift there proceed two Sacraments. On the sixth day of the Creation, the Divine Word infused his breath into Man, whose body he had formed out of the slime of the earth; and immediately this body was animated by a soul, bearing upon it the image of God. On the evening of the day of his Resurrection, the same Divine Word, then made visible in the flesh he had assumed, suddenly appeared in the midst of his Apostles, and said to them: Peace be to you! As the Father hath sent me, I also send you. (John 20:21) Then breathing upon them, he added, in a tone of command: Receive ye the Holy Ghost! (John 20:22)

What is this Breath, which is not given to all men but only to a few chosen ones? Jesus himself explains it by the words he speaks: this Breath imparts the Holy Ghost to them that receive it. The Holy Ghost is given to the Apostles, because they are sent by Jesus, as Jesus is sent by the Father.

The Apostles, then, receive this Divine Spirit, in order that they may communicate him to men, just as they themselves have had him given to them by Jesus. The Church’s tradition fills up the brief account of the Gospel. Two Sacraments, as we have already stated, take their origin from this act of our Risen Jesus, who, afterwards, instructed his Apostles as to the rites wherewith each of the two was to be administered.

The first of these two Sacraments is Confirmation, for whose institution we will return our humble thanks today; the other is Holy Orders, which we will explain further on in the week: both of them belong, in their administration, to the Episcopal character, which is the source whence flow the gifts conferred upon the Apostles for man’s sanctification.

Such is the importance of the Sacrament of Confirmation, that until such time as we have received it, we cannot be considered as perfect Christians. It is true that, by virtue of our Baptism, we are Children of God, Members of Christ and his Church; but as Christians, we are Soldiers—we have to Confess our faith, sometimes before tyrants, and even to the shedding of our blood; sometimes before the world, whose false seductive maxims are the occasion of so many apostasies; sometimes against Satan and his wicked angels, whose power is so justly feared by the servants of Christ. The seal of the Holy Ghost confers on us a degree of strength which Baptism does not give. Baptism made us citizens of the Church: Confirmation makes us Soldiers of God and of his Christ. Again, it is true that we can fight and conquer with the armor of Baptism; such is God’s will, who knows that the Sacrament which perfects the Christian is sometimes an impossibility; but woe to them that neglect to receive the completion of their Baptism! Hence, after administering the Sacrament of regeneration on Holy Saturday, the Bishop at once proceeded to give the Holy Ghost to all those who had been just born in the Son, and had been adopted by the Father.

Yes, Confirmation is administered by a Bishop; it is for him to say to the Baptized: Receive ye the Holy Ghost! It was just that this Divine Spirit should be thus honored. Even when, in cases of necessity, a Priest is delegated, by the Pope, to administer this Sacrament, he cannot validly do so except on the condition of his using Chrism consecrated by a Bishop: and thus, the Episcopal power is always uppermost in the conferring of the Holy Ghost.

What a solemn moment is that, wherein the Spirit of Power, who strengthened the Apostles, descends upon the Neophytes kneeling before the Bishop! The Pontiff stretches his hands over them; he pours out upon them the Spirit he has received in order to his communicating him to others; and, that he may give all possible solemnity to the gift he is about to bestow, he cites the words of Isaias, which prophesy the descent of the Spirit on the Branch that was to spring up from the Root of Jesse—a prophecy which was fulfilled in our Jesus when he received Baptism in the river Jordan, from the hands of St. John the Baptist: “O Almighty and Eternal God! who hast vouchsafed to regenerate these thy Servants by Water and the Holy Ghost; send forth from heaven upon them thy seven-fold Spirit, the Holy Paraclete: the Spirit of wisdom and understanding; the Spirit of counsel and fortitude; the Spirit of knowledge and godliness; fill them with the Spirit of thy fear, and sign them with the sign of the Cross of Christ.” (Pontificale Romanum: De Confirmandis, Isaiah 11)

Then is brought the sacred Chrism, of whose virtue we heard so much on Maundy Thursday. Confirmation was anciently called the Sacrament of Chrism—of Chrism in which dwells the power of the Holy Ghost. The Pontiff anoints with it the foreheads of the Neophytes and, at that same instant, the Holy Ghost imprints on their souls the sign of a perfect Christian. They are confirmed, and forever. Let them but listen to the voice of the Sacrament which is now within them, and no trial, no danger, can master them. The holy Oil, wherewith the Cross has been signed on their forehead, had imparted to them that firmness of adamant which was given to the Prophet Ezekiel, and enabled him to withstand all his enemies. (Ezekiel 3:9)

To a Christian, strength is salvation; for man’s life on earth is a warfare. (Job 7:1) Glory, then, be to our Risen Jesus, who, foreseeing the attacks that would be made against us, has armed us for the battle and, in this admirable Sacrament of Confirmation, has given us the Divine Spirit, who proceeds from himself and the Father, that we might be strong and invincible! Let us thank him, with all our hearts, for his having thus completed the grace already given us in Baptism. The Father, who so graciously adopted us, has delivered up his Only-Begotten Son for us; the Son gives us the Spirit, that he may dwell within us—oh! how wonderful a creature is Man, who is so loved by the Trinity! And yet Man is a sinner, and unfaithful creature; and, but too frequently, all these graces are rendered fruitless by his negligence or malice! Let us, at least, be faithful by keeping ourselves closely united to the Holy Church, and by devoutly celebrating, with her, the mysteries of God’s goodness, which the Liturgical Year brings successively before us.

Let us adore our Risen Jesus, our Divine Benefactor. In the name of his Church, enriched as she is by such precious gifts, let us offer him this beautiful Paschal canticle, taken from the ancient Missals of Saint Gall’s.

SEQUENCE

Let the Church, rejoicing in the triumphant return of her Beloved, sing to him her canticles, with voices well attuned.

Let her dry the tears from her beautiful cheeks, and gladly welcome back her Jesus, for whom she wept when he was taken from her.

He came from heaven, out of burning love for her; and, by his Blood, cleansed her from the stain of Eve’s offense. The Synagogue clad in robes of blackest hue, is driven, by the Bridegroom’s piercing rays, from the Marriage Feast.

Through love for his Church, Jesus was fastened to the lofty Tree of the Cross, and sanctified her by the stream that flowed from his Side.

Eve, formed from Adam’s rib, was a figure of the Church; so, too, was Noah’s Ark, when it sailed on the waters.

The king of Babylon cruelly treated thy Spouse, O Christ, and sent her into exile: but thou hadst pity on her sorrow, and, destroying Babylon, broughtest her back to thy holy Mount of Sion.

The earth, decked in her flowers of Spring, is a figure of thy Church’s , triumphant joy. Make us, O Jesus, to imitate her loveliness, for thou redeemedst us by thy Blood.

Thou, for our sakes, and for our deliverance, didst bring death upon the princes of Egypt: grant, that we may safely walk through the desert of this life, tread the fiery serpents beneath our feet,

And, having thee for our leader, reach the Promised Land. Amen.