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rainbow1
Guest
Are we really supposed to be able to sleep tonite without knowing how St.Anthony dealt with the heretics?
- Status
J
JReducation
Guest
After the incident at the Dominican celebration, it became obvious that Br. Anthony was a scholar and a holy man. Some historians believe that it was at this time that he was asked to accept Holy Orders, as they needed good confessors in many parts of Italy. We know that he was ordained. We just donât know by whom, where or when. He had been a religious over 10 years, living a very quiet life.Are we really supposed to be able to sleep tonite without knowing how St.Anthony dealt with the heretics?
In any case, Anthony was such a powerful preacher that people would flock to hear him. There are stories that some towns made a carnival out of it. When they heard that Brother Anthony was coming, they would declare a holiday, prepare an open area where the people could gather to hear the friar. Anthony would usually travel with several other friars. Some were priests. Those who were priests would hear confessions. Those who were not priests would sit at different posts and teach catechesis or do spiritual direction to prepare people for their confession or simply guide their life of prayer and virtue. But this was big deal. There is one event where there were more than 30,000 people. The mayor of the city had to request that a local farmer open his fields to the crowds for the mission that Brother Anthony was going to preach.
Not everyone was happy to welcome Anthony and his companions. There was a town where the people simply ignored him and went about their business. Anthony, who was very creative, not only scholarly, looked around him and seeing a lake he turned around and started to preach to the fish. The legend says that the fish stood on their tails and listened. Franciscan donât actually believe this part, but itâs a nice touch to the story. What is important here is that Anthony would not be derailed from preaching. If people didnât want to listen one way, he got their attention another. Obviously, someone was paying attention or no one would have noticed and the story would never have been handed down.
There were at the time many heretics. Bishops and abbots would send for Anthony, hoping that he would drive the heretics out by shaming them into submission. However, this was not the way of his beloved father, Br. Francis. Not to mention that Francis would have the head of any brother who inflicted suffering on anyone, even a heretic. Humiliation was not an option.
Again, Anthony was very clever. He would wait for the day when a heretic was preaching. He would walk through and listen very carefully. He would not say a word to anyone. Then he would go further out, so as not to engage in a conflict with the heretic and his audience and he would begin to preach on the same subject. One of the big issues of the day was transubstantiation. The Lateran Council had just introduced the term into Catholic vocabulary. The belief was there since the time of the apostles. There simply was not a proper Latin term. Everyone tried to describe the mystery. However, many of these descriptions were not accurate. The term came into use, because it said exactly what the Church believed, both East and West. This was very important, because the Great Schism was in full force. Remember, this is the 13th century. It was very important to use language that would unify the Churches.
This was a point of contention with some people. It was not just Luther who had a problem with transubstantiation. The problem was an old one. This was a point that Anthony had to address. He knew that people could not understand all of the metaphysics involved. The writings of the Church Fathers were way over their heads. However, the scripture was easy, because people knew their bible from memory.
Anthony would set up his station as far as possible from the heretical preacher, so as not to create a public disturbance and avoid a confrontation. He would pull out the bible and start to preach on John 6. He explained it with such devotion and such conviction that it was as if it were St. John himself narrating the story. Not only did Anthony repeat what John had already written, he would explain each word and he would point to other parts of the scripture that supported what John had said. What often moved the people was that Anthony would often refer back to Francisâ teachings on the Eucharist or other points of doctrine.
The point that we have to learn from here is that he confronted error by teaching truth. But what made him such a credible preacher were his knowledge, the fact that he practiced what he knew, he explained it in terms that people would understand and he never pointed a finger at the heretics. He spoke of heresy, not about people. This is very Franciscan. I donât mean by this that it is only particular to the Franciscan order. I mean that itâs Franciscan as in itâs very much the style of Francis. He never brought anyone to the faith by humiliating them or by proving them wrong. He used the power of persuasion and the power of love. He was known to have the zeal of an apostle. He made it his job to challenge the morality of his time. Itâs rather interesting, because the three things on which he preached the most were luxury, avarice and tyranny. He was very much a scripture scholar, but he was able to see the social needs of his time and the social corruption and apply the scriptures to it. He narrowed down the root of the problem to these three vices. He strongly believed that these three were in competition with God. He was determined to destroy them. This won the hearts of many heretics, along with his miracles, which we can talk about later, if there is more interest.
To wrap up, we have to look at how he won people over to truth: persuasion, witness, example, devotion, charm, kindness, and attention to the social conditions of the time.
Fraternally,
Br. JR, OSF
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TrueLight
Guest
Thank you for bringing this story to life. Now, I can go to sleep.To wrap up, we have to look at how he won people over to truth: persuasion, witness, example, devotion, charm, kindness, and attention to the social conditions of the time.
Fraternally,
Br. JR, OSF
Rainbow, I suspect you fell asleep waiting for the conclusion of this story.
J
JReducation
Guest
There is more. There is his personal life of prayer and devotion which is absolutely incredible. We have to pay particular attention to the fact that this was a kid. He entered religious life at the age of 15. By the time heâs 24, he is a Doctor of Sacred Scripture, a missionary, preacher and religious brother. Sometime between the age of 25 and 27 he is ordained, later he becomes a superior and he dies at the age of 33.Thank you for bringing this story to life. Now, I can go to sleep.
Rainbow, I suspect you fell asleep waiting for the conclusion of this story.
But we have not yet moved past his 26 or 27th birthday. The best is his life of contemplation.
Fraternally,
Br. JR, OSF
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rainbow1
Guest
I canât believe I did fall asleep! And then had dreams about the threadâŚno joke!!! lol!Thank you for bringing this story to life. Now, I can go to sleep.
Rainbow, I suspect you fell asleep waiting for the conclusion of this story.
But I am awake now
and ready to go again!
Br.JayâŚcan you elaborate on the three topics of tyranny, avarice and luxury?
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rainbow1
Guest
Br.JayâŚIsnât it your bday today? I said a special prayer of thanksgiving this morning while looking at the skyâŚthe sun was shining and the clouds were so beautiful here in the southâŚthanking God for all the blessings of your lifeâŚHave a beautiful dayâŚThere is more. There is his personal life of prayer and devotion which is absolutely incredible. We have to pay particular attention to the fact that this was a kid. He entered religious life at the age of 15. By the time heâs 24, he is a Doctor of Sacred Scripture, a missionary, preacher and religious brother. Sometime between the age of 25 and 27 he is ordained, later he becomes a superior and he dies at the age of 33.
But we have not yet moved past his 26 or 27th birthday. The best is his life of contemplation.
Fraternally,
Br. JR, OSF
J
JReducation
Guest
As a matter of fact, it is my birthday. Thank you for remembering.
Iâve had a very busy morning responding to telephone calls, text messages and emails with birthday wishes.
Itâs funny, I once said, âFriendship is a sign of Godâs smile.â If my theory holds true, Iâm a very fortunate man.
God bless you for remembering!
Br. JR, OSF
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hazcompat
Guest
Many happy returns of the dayAs a matter of fact, it is my birthday. Thank you for remembering.
Iâve had a very busy morning responding to telephone calls, text messages and emails with birthday wishes.
Itâs funny, I once said, âFriendship is a sign of Godâs smile.â If my theory holds true, Iâm a very fortunate man.
God bless you for remembering!
Br. JR, OSF
peace
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ThatOneGuy92
Guest
Happy Birthday, Br. Jay! God bless and grant you many, many years!
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Indyann
Guest
I hope you receive many blessings this day.As a matter of fact, it is my birthday. Thank you for remembering.
Iâve had a very busy morning responding to telephone calls, text messages and emails with birthday wishes.
Itâs funny, I once said, âFriendship is a sign of Godâs smile.â If my theory holds true, Iâm a very fortunate man.
God bless you for remembering!
Br. JR, OSF
We are the fortunate ones to benefit from your clear, concise (usually)
explanations and teachings. Thank you!
H
hazcompat
Guest
THE SERMONS OF ST ANTONY
Translated by Paul Spilsbury
EASTER
(The Gospel for the Lordâs Pasch: Mary Magdalen, which is divided into four clauses.)
[PROLOGUE]
(First, a sermon for the preacher, on how he ought to make a electuary for the soul from
the various virtues: The apothecary shall make ointments.)
peace
Translated by Paul Spilsbury
EASTER
(The Gospel for the Lordâs Pasch: Mary Magdalen, which is divided into four clauses.)
[PROLOGUE]
(First, a sermon for the preacher, on how he ought to make a electuary for the soul from
the various virtues: The apothecary shall make ointments.)
- At that time: Mary Magdalen, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought sweet spices, that coming, they might anoint Jesus, etc.
Ecclesiasticus says: The apothecary shall make sweet confections
and shall make up ointments of health. [Ecclus 38.7]
The word âconfectionsâ indicates the process of grinding between pestle and mortar. These
confections are those mentioned by the penitent soul in the same book of Ecclesiasticus:
I yielded a sweet odour like the best myrrh, and⌠as storax, and galbanum, and onyx, and gutta. [Ecclus 24.20-21] These kinds, as the Gloss says, âare highly prized by physicians, and stand for the kinds of virtue which the true or spiritual physicians use for the healing of men.â Myrrh stands for penitence, which cannot be genuine unless it is mixed with the other four kinds, namely storax, galbanum, onyx and gutta. According to the Gloss, storax is a resin which flows from a tree, most sweetly scented, and yielding a honey-like liquid. Galbanum is a kind of resin which by its scent drives away snakes. Onyx (the Greek word is onycha, the Latin ungula) is mentioned in Exodus, and comes from the hoof, similar to the human nail. Gutta is a kind of ointment used to
cure certain callouses and tumours. Thus storax represents tears of contrition which are like a sweet scent in the Lordâs sight, and sweeter than honey and the honey-comb [cf. Ps 18.11] to the penitent soul. Galbanum represents confession, which puts those serpents, the demons, to flight. Gutta represents the humility of satisfaction, which heals the hardness of the heart and allays the swelling pride of the body. But because not everyone who begins, but only he that perseveres to the end [Mt 10.22], is blessed, to these must be added onyx, the extreme part of the body, which represents final perseverance. The apothecary (that is, the preacher) must pound these ointments in the mortar which is the sinnerâs heart, with the pestle of preaching; and mix it with the pure balm of divine mercy, so that it may be more palatable and soothing to the penitent soul.
There follows: And shall make up ointments of health. The ointment which teaches a man all that he needs to know is made up of two elements: wine and oil. The wine is that which flows from the true vine, and which has been crushed in the wine-press of the cross. The oil is that with which the infant Church was anointed on the day of Pentecost. It is made, then, from the Blood of Christ and the grace of the Holy Spirit. From these two ingredients the apothecary must make his ointments, so as to anoint the members of Jesus Christ, the faithful of the Church, as did the three women of whom todayâs Gospel tells us: Mary Magdalen, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought sweet spices, etc. - There are four things to note in this Gospel. First, the devotion of the holy women, and their buying spices: Mary Magdalen, etc. Second, the rolling away of the stone: And they said one to another. Third, the vision of angels: And entering into the sepulchre. Fourth, the Resurrection of Jesus Christ: Who saith to them: Be not affrighted, etc.
peace
O
onmyknees
Guest
Happy, Happy Birthday Brother Jr.! In Christ, Katie
In Christ, Katie
H
hazcompat
Guest
Second reading
From a sermon by Saint Bernard, abbot
The stages of contemplation
Let us take our stand on secure ground, leaning with all our strength on Christ, the most solid rock, according to the words: He set my feet on a rock and guided my steps. Thus firmly established, let us begin to contemplate, to see what he is saying to us and what reply we ought to make to his charges.
The first stage of contemplation, my dear brothers, is constantly to consider what God wants, what is pleasing to him, and what is acceptable in his eyes. We all offend in many things; our strength cannot match the rectitude of Godâs will, being neither one with it nor wholly in accord with it; let us then humble ourselves under the powerful hand of the most high God and be concerned to show ourselves unworthy before his merciful gaze, saying: Heal me, Lord, and I shall be healed; save me and I shall be saved. And again, Lord have mercy on me; heal my soul because I have sinned against you.
Once the eye of the soul has been purified by such considerations we no longer abide within our own spirit in a sense of sorrow, but abide rather in the Spirit of God with great delight. No longer do we consider what is the will of God for us, but rather what it is in itself. For our life is in his will. Thus we are convinced that what is according to his will is in every way more advantageous and fitting for us. And so, concerned as we are to preserve the life of our soul, we should be equally concerned, insofar as we can, not to deviate from his will.
Thus having made some progress in our spiritual exercise under the guidance of the Spirit who searches the deep things of God, let us reflect how sweet is the Lord and how good he is in himself; in the words of the prophet let us pray to see Godâs will; no longer shall we frequent our own hearts but his temple. At the same time we shall say: My soul is humbled within me, therefore I shall be mindful of you.
The whole of the spiritual life consists of these two elements. When we think of ourselves, we are perturbed and filled with a salutary sadness. And when we think of the Lord, we are revived to find consolation in the joy of the Holy Spirit. From the first we derive fear and humility, from the second hope and love.
divineoffice.org/
peace
From a sermon by Saint Bernard, abbot
The stages of contemplation
Let us take our stand on secure ground, leaning with all our strength on Christ, the most solid rock, according to the words: He set my feet on a rock and guided my steps. Thus firmly established, let us begin to contemplate, to see what he is saying to us and what reply we ought to make to his charges.
The first stage of contemplation, my dear brothers, is constantly to consider what God wants, what is pleasing to him, and what is acceptable in his eyes. We all offend in many things; our strength cannot match the rectitude of Godâs will, being neither one with it nor wholly in accord with it; let us then humble ourselves under the powerful hand of the most high God and be concerned to show ourselves unworthy before his merciful gaze, saying: Heal me, Lord, and I shall be healed; save me and I shall be saved. And again, Lord have mercy on me; heal my soul because I have sinned against you.
Once the eye of the soul has been purified by such considerations we no longer abide within our own spirit in a sense of sorrow, but abide rather in the Spirit of God with great delight. No longer do we consider what is the will of God for us, but rather what it is in itself. For our life is in his will. Thus we are convinced that what is according to his will is in every way more advantageous and fitting for us. And so, concerned as we are to preserve the life of our soul, we should be equally concerned, insofar as we can, not to deviate from his will.
Thus having made some progress in our spiritual exercise under the guidance of the Spirit who searches the deep things of God, let us reflect how sweet is the Lord and how good he is in himself; in the words of the prophet let us pray to see Godâs will; no longer shall we frequent our own hearts but his temple. At the same time we shall say: My soul is humbled within me, therefore I shall be mindful of you.
The whole of the spiritual life consists of these two elements. When we think of ourselves, we are perturbed and filled with a salutary sadness. And when we think of the Lord, we are revived to find consolation in the joy of the Holy Spirit. From the first we derive fear and humility, from the second hope and love.
divineoffice.org/
peace
H
hazcompat
Guest
O gentle Jesus, deep peace, i prefer You in me to all the beauty in creation.
O King of kings, joy beyond all joy, tarry. I am but a breath.
O Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, You bear my sins on Your left arm,
O Holy Spirit, Bliss beyond all bliss, I gaze on You in the sanctuary.
Your Light Is Better Than Life. Purify me Lord.
Wash away my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
Lord if You will, You can make me clean.
You will wash me with hyssop, and I shall be whiter than fullers wool.
Beyond intoxication, beyond ecstasy, beyond death,
Beyond time, beyond all imagination.
I will praise Your name in the great assembly. In a timeless eternity,
I will see your face and live. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
peace
O King of kings, joy beyond all joy, tarry. I am but a breath.
O Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, You bear my sins on Your left arm,
O Holy Spirit, Bliss beyond all bliss, I gaze on You in the sanctuary.
Your Light Is Better Than Life. Purify me Lord.
Wash away my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
Lord if You will, You can make me clean.
You will wash me with hyssop, and I shall be whiter than fullers wool.
Beyond intoxication, beyond ecstasy, beyond death,
Beyond time, beyond all imagination.
I will praise Your name in the great assembly. In a timeless eternity,
I will see your face and live. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
peace
R
rainbow1
Guest
I love the part," No longer shall we frequent our own hearts but his temple"âŚhow wonderfulâŚthanks for posting this!
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onmyknees
Guest
I love that part too!
Thanks hazcompat!
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hazcompat
Guest
You are very welcome. Thank God and the great saint.I love that part too!
my favorite is âŚâlet us then humble ourselves under the powerful hand of the most high God and be concerned to show ourselves unworthy before his merciful gaze, saying: Heal me, Lord, and I shall be healed; save me and I shall be saved. And again, Lord have mercy on me; heal my soul because I have sinned against you.â
because He will not refuse a humble and contrite heart.
peace
R
rainbow1
Guest
That is a great line! I also like⌠âwe no longer abide within our own spirit in a sense of sorrow, but abide rather in the spirit of God with great delightâ.
J
JReducation
Guest
To undestand St. Anthony on these points, it would be good to go back to St. Francis. Anthony took his cue from the Rule of St. Francis and from Francisâ own actions. Letâs take one at a time.I canât believe I did fall asleep! And then had dreams about the threadâŚno joke!!! lol!
But I am awake now
Br.JayâŚcan you elaborate on the three topics of tyranny, avarice and luxury?
Tyranny
Unlike us, Francis and Anthony had a very clear understanding of human rights. Itâs rather interesting, because these men lived in the 13th century. The term âhuman rightsâ was probably very alien to them. But the term, ârights of humanâ was not. It is an old term in moral theology. They believed that the people had the right to be governed by a state that was Catholic in every sense of the word. They were opposed to the idea of a state that simply had some alliance with the papacy, but where rulers did as they wanted.
They did something that many Catholics today would find abhorrent, especially American Catholics. They bound the conscience of the laity not to support any ruler who was unfaithful to the moral teachings of the Catholic Church, who was not a practicing Catholic and who failed to lead his people to holiness.
They were very effective. Francis founded the first secular order in the history of the Church. He called them the Brothers and Sisters of Penance. Today, they go by an abreviated name, Secular Franciscan Order (SFO). Thousands of men and women flocked to join the order. Among them were secular priests who wanted to follow Francis but could not join a friary, lay men and women who could not become friars or nuns because of other commitments, such as children.
Francis was very clever. He approached Pope Honorius and persuaded the pope to recognize this new way of life as a legitimate order, not just an association. He also persuaded the pope to grant them the same rights as the other religious orders (i.e. Benedictines, Dominicans, Carmelites, Augustinians, etc). This way, no bishop or lay person could supress them. He gave them a rule of their own.
In this rule he commanded that they never pledge allegiance to any ruler who was in conflict with the Catholic faith. This is important. It was not that they not pledge allegiance to a ruler who in conflict with the Church. In other words, being an ally of the papacy was not enough. Rulers had to be model Christians, obedient to the moral law. These secular Franciscans refused to fight in armies, pay taxes, comply with unjust laws and they gradually weakened the fiber of Middle Age society. There were too many to arrest. Among them were a few kings and queens. The political powers had to negotiate with each other instead of fight.
Rulers also had to govern people with justice. This meant that they had to treat all of their citizens fairly, not just the aristocracy or the wealthy merchant class. They had to provide for the needs of the poor and allow the people to practice the faith without interference.
Francis and Anthony also preached justice as the domestic level. Spouses were to love each other as Christ and the Church loved each other. Women were not to be subjected to their husbands. In this secular order, wives were equals, not submissive. The Franciscan ideal of submission was the same as Paul. The Church submits to her spouse, Jesus Christ, but she is not his servant. She is his beloved. Christ is not a dictator, he is a loving and attentive spouse who wants nothing for himself, but everything for his bride and lays down his life for her.
This is a very different interpretation of St. Paulâs statement, âWives be submissive to their husbands.â This is what Paul is talking about. The nonsense that we came up with over the centuries was a political move on the part of certain men, to hold on to power and wealth. They applied it to women and men too. Francis defended the right of Clare and her nuns to govern themselves without submitting to any male authority, except the bishop and pope. To this day, the friars, unlike other women religious who have male superiors, do not govern the Poor Clares.
If you were poor, born into the wrong family, were a religious, but not a priest, were a woman religious, came from another faith or another culture, there was a small group of elite men, always clerics or aristocrats, who had power over you. This had happened in the Church and it would remain that way until Vatican II. Clerics controlled everything and they governed everyone. Many were fair and holy, but many were arrogant and mean.
In Francisâ own order, after he died, the brothers who were priests gradually grew in numbers. By the 1800s, there were so many, that with the help of the laity, they took over the order. They did not allow those brothers who were not priests to vote, speak unless they were spoken to, do any apostolic work outside, go to school or hold any office in the order. Francis and Anthony would have had been houseboys who did laundry, cooked, cleaned and begged to take care of the brother-priests.
Anthony and Francis saw this attitude inside the ranks, not only of the Franciscans, but of the Church. They saw the way that husbands ran their homes and how rulers ran their states, and realized that this was not how God created the world, nor how Jesus erected the Church. Anthony traveled preaching against all forms of tyranny, in and out of the Church.
Note note that he condemned tyranny, but he was very obedient to Francis. He never disagreed with a bishop, pope or a monarch. He always said, âYesâ even when they were wrong. These were very wise men. They knew that tyranny was wrong; but obedience was divine. Unless the authority was asking for sin, they obeyed.
Weâll do avarice and luxury in another posts.
Fraternally,
Br. JR, OSF
T
TrueLight
Guest
You see!As a matter of fact, it is my birthday. Thank you for remembering.
Iâve had a very busy morning responding to telephone calls, text messages and emails with birthday wishes.
Itâs funny, I once said, âFriendship is a sign of Godâs smile.â If my theory holds true, Iâm a very fortunate man.
God bless you for remembering!
Br. JR, OSF
First I was too early, now I am too late.
Happy Belated!
- Status