For Saturday

Of these undefiled followers of the Lamb, the Blessed Mary is the chief. Strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might, she "staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief;" she believed when Zacharias doubted,—with a faith like Abraham's she believed and was blessed for her belief, and had the performance of those things which were told her by the Lord. And when sorrow came upon her afterwards, it was but the blessed participation of her Son's sacred sorrows, not the sorrow of those who suffer for their sins.

Venerable John Henry Newman, C.O., Parochial and Plain Sermons

Well, I think I figured out
the link problem. I corrected the links I did yesterday.

The Feast of Pope St. Leo IV
is today. There is information on him here.
It is also the feast of the Blessed Carmelite Martyrs of Compiegne , and Blessed Pavol Gojdic,O.S.B.M., Bishop.

On July 16, 1835
 
Venerable John Henry Newman wrote to his close friend, Richard Hurrell Froude.
 

My chapel (Littlemore) was begun yesterday, and the first stone is to be solemnly laid next week. It is to be roofed in by the end of October. The two builders ran against each other 663l. to 665l., the architect beforehand reckoning on 650l.; so I hope I have got it at about the right sum. This takes in everything of fitting up except the bell. The Society [Oriel College] gives us 150l .

 
Of course, he had no way of knowing that the chapel he had helped to build would be where he would preach his last sermon as an Anglican,eight years later.

O my brethren, O kind and affectionate hearts, O loving friends, should you know any one whose lot it has been, by writing or by word of mouth, in some degree to help you thus to act; if he has ever told you what you knew about yourselves, or what you did not know; has read to you your wants or feelings, and comforted you by the very reading; has made you feel that there was a higher life than this daily one, and a brighter world than that you see; or encouraged you, or sobered you, or opened a way to the inquiring, or soothed the perplexed; if what he has said or done has ever made you take interest in him, and feel well inclined towards him; remember such a one in time to come, though you hear him not, and pray for him, that in all things he may know God's will, and at all times he may be ready to fulfil it.

 
Venerable John Henry Newman, C.O.,  Sermons on Subjects of the Day

OK...
 I tried using regular HTML for my links, and Blogger is now rejecting it. How do I use their new link feature without having that messy-looking address showing up in my post ?

The Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
  
is today. There is information on it here.

A blessed feast day to all the Carmelites out there, especially Sr. Claire Benedicta of the Cross and the other nuns at the Carmel of St. Therese of Liesieux, and to Steve Riddle at Flos Carmeli ! (He is linked on the right...)

I haven't done a quiz
in a while....

ETHICAL PHILOSOPHY SELECTOR

1. Aquinas (100%)
2. St. Augustine (98%)
3. John Stuart Mill (71%)
4. Plato (68%)
5. Aristotle (66%)
6. Kant (63%)
7. Ockham (59%)
8. Jeremy Bentham (57%)
9. Spinoza (52%)
10. David Hume (46%)
11. Prescriptivism (45%)
12. Epicureans (40%)
13. Ayn Rand (40%)
14. Cynics (36%)
15. Nel Noddings (36%)
16. Stoics (35%)
17. Jean-Paul Sartre (32%)
18. Nietzsche (28%)
19. Thomas Hobbes (13%)

Here's what the quiz says about my top result.

Aquinas (1225 or '27-1274)

All life has a purpose
Meeting this purpose allows one to be happy.
Happiness is to be found in the love of God.
God's grace providing entrance into heaven creates the highest form of human happiness.
Short of heaven, a person can achieve a more limited form of happiness through a life of virtue and friendship.
Morality is not determined by the arbitrary will of God.
Morality is derived from human nature and the activities that are objectively suited to it.
The difference between right and wrong can be appreciated through the use of reason and reflection.
Religious reflection may supplement the use of reason and reflection to determine right from wrong.
Societies must enact laws to ensure the correct application of moral reasoning.
Human nature is good because God made it good.


Quiz courtesy of the blogger at Ales Rarus.

For Thursday

Do not think I say a strong thing, my brethren, when I tell you that I am speaking of some of those who now hear me. Not that I dare draw the line any where, or imagine that I can give any rule for knowing for certain, just who come to Him in heart and spirit, and who do not; but I am quite sure that many, who would shrink from giving up their interest in the Gospel, and who profess to cast their lot with Christ, and to trust in His death for their salvation, nevertheless, do not really seek Him that they may have life, in spite of their fair speeches. This I say I am too well enabled to know, because in fact so it is, that He has shown us how to come to Him, and I see that men do not come to Him in that way which He has pointed out. He has shown us, that to come to Him for life is a literal bodily action; not a mere figure, not a mere movement of the heart towards Him, but an action of the visible limbs; not a mere secret faith, but a coming to church, a passing on along the aisle to His holy table, a kneeling down there before Him, and a receiving of the gift of eternal life in the form of bread and wine. There can be no mistaking His own appointment. He said indeed, "He that cometh to Me shall never hunger;" but then He explained what this coming was, by adding, "He that eateth Me, even he shall live by Me." If then a man does not seek Him where He is, there is no profit in seeking Him where He is not. What is the good of sitting at home seeking Him, when His Presence is in the holy Eucharist? Such perverseness is like the sin of the Israelites who went to seek for the manna at a time when it was not given. May not He who gives the gift, prescribe the place and mode of giving it?

Venerable John Henry Newman, C.O. Parochial and Plain Sermons

Note: This was preached and written when the Venerable was still Anglican, so he used "in the form of bread and wine" rather than words which would more clearly indicate Transubstantiation, a doctrine which he did not yet believe.

The Feast of St. Bonaventure, O.F.M., Cardinal and Doctor of the Church
is today. There is information on him here. To all the Franciscans out there, happy feast day !
It is is also the feast of St. Jacob of Nisibis, Bishop, who is known, for, among other things, praying that the heresiarch Arius would die. (And people think that wanting certain folks excommunicated is harsh !)

Over at Godspy...
A lament for the victims of a largely forgotten historical horror.

On July 14, 1833
A friend of Venerable Newman's preached a sermon.

Mr. Keble preached the Assize Sermon in the University Pulpit. It was published under the title of "National Apostasy." I have ever considered and kept the day, as the start of the religious movement of 1833.

- Venerable John Henry Newman, C.O., Apologia Pro Vita Sua

On July 14, 1850, the Venerable published Certain Difficulties Felt by Anglicans in Catholic Teaching

Steve Kellemeyer
on why the real appeal of The DaVinci Code rests in the sliver of Catholic truth in it.

Link courtesy of Catholic Down Under.

My favorite comment on the 'CycleBeads' controversy
comes from a friend of mine.

The CycleBeads website asks, "Why choose CycleBeads?" My answer is, "People are too lazy to take a temperature or check cervical fluid".

The Feast of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, Virgin
is today. There is information on her here.
It is also the feast of St. Camillus de Lellis,M.I., Founder, whose confessor was St. Philip Neri.

On July 13, 1852
at the first Provincial Synod of Westminister, Venerable John Henry Newman, C.O., preached his masterpiece of a sermon, The Second Spring.

Here's just a taste.

One thing I am sure of, that the more the enemy rages against us, so much the more will the Saints in Heaven plead for us; the more fearful are our trials from the world, the more present to us will be our Mother Mary, and our good Patrons and Angel Guardians; the more malicious are the devices of men against us, the louder cry of supplication will ascend from the bosom of the whole Church to God for us. We shall not be left orphans; we shall have within us the strength of the Paraclete, promised to the Church and to every member of it. My Fathers, my Brothers in the priesthood, I speak from my heart when I declare my conviction, that there is no one among you here present but, if God so willed, would readily become a martyr for His sake. I do not say you would wish it; I do not say that the natural will would not pray that that chalice might pass away; I do not speak of what you can do by any strength of yours;—but in the strength of God, in the grace of the Spirit, in the armour of justice, by the consolations and peace of the Church, by the blessing of the Apostles Peter and Paul, and in the name of Christ, you would do what nature cannot do. By the intercession of the Saints on high, by the penances and good works and the prayers of the people of God on earth, you would be forcibly borne up as upon the waves of the mighty deep, and carried on out of yourselves by the fulness of grace, whether nature wished it or no. I do not mean violently, or with unseemly struggle, but calmly, gracefully, sweetly, joyously, you would mount up and ride forth to the battle, as on the rush of Angels' wings, as your fathers did before you, and gained the prize. You, who day by day offer up the Immaculate Lamb of God, you who hold in your hands the Incarnate Word under the visible tokens which He has ordained, you who again and again drain the chalice of the Great Victim; who is to make you fear? what is to startle you? what to seduce you? who is to stop you, whether you are to suffer or to do, whether to lay the foundations of the Church in tears, or to put the crown upon the work in jubilation?

Please pray...
for children like this poor little boy who are being raised by women in unnatural unions who abuse technology to conceive. (It must be especially hard on the boys. After all, no matter how much their "mommies" claim to love them, the circumstances of their very existence shout 'males aren't important, necessary, or wanted'.)



Link courtesy of Zorak

It wasn't her choice
but the baby was killed anyway.

Link courtesy of Land of Hope and Glory.

The Feast of St. Henry II
is today. There is information on him here.
It is also the feast of St. Clelia Barbieri,Virgin and Foundress .She is listed as a patron of those ridiculed for their piety, but I think she would make a good patron for choir members, as not even death could keep her from singing !. The feast of St.Terese of the Andes, O.C.D., Virgin is today as well. To any members of the Congregation of Minims of the Sorrowful Mother, and to all the Carmelites out there, including a certain blogger, happy feast day !

DeoOmnisGloria.Com
has a book review with a long quote from the Venerable.

I'm ordering
my button.

Link courtesy of Lane Core..

The Feast of St. John Jones, O.F.M., Priest and Martyr
is today. There is information on him here.

Can we religiously suppose that the blood of our martyrs, three centuries ago and since, shall never receive its recompense? Those priests, secular and regular, did they suffer for no end? or rather, for an end which is not yet accomplished? The long imprisonment, the fetid dungeon, the weary suspense, the tyrannous trial, the barbarous sentence, the savage execution, the rack, the gibbet, the knife, the cauldron, the numberless tortures of those holy victims, O my God, are they to have no reward? Are Thy martyrs to cry from under Thine altar for their loving vengeance on this guilty people, and to cry in vain? Shall they lose life, and not gain a better life for the children of those who persecuted them? Is this Thy way, O my God, righteous and true? Is it according to Thy promise, O King of saints, if I may dare talk to Thee of justice? Did not Thou Thyself pray for Thine enemies upon the cross, and convert them?

Venerable John Henry Newman, C.O., Sermons Preached on Various Occasions


It is also the feast of St. Veronica, and of St. John Gualbert,O.S.B..

In addition, today is my birthday.

Here are some notes...
from a sermon preached by Venerable John Henry Newman, C.O., on today's Gospel:

On Christ the Good Samaritan

1. INTROD.-Go through the parable briefly, applying it in a secondary sense to the sinner and Christ.

2. In the parable the traveller was robbed against his will, the sinner with his will. Satan cannot conquer us against ourselves. Eve—temptation, etc.; it is a bargain.

3. Thus he gets from us justice, habitual grace, etc., nay, part of our mere nature, for he leaves wounds. Thus he may be said to suck the blood from us. A vampire bat sucking the blood out. All terrible stories of ghosts, etc., etc., are fulfilled in him who is the archetype of evil.

4. He has the best of the bargain, as is evident. What have we to show for it?—there are improvident spendthrifts who anticipate their money, and get nothing for it. What have we to show if we have given ourselves to Satan?

5. (1) Those who commit frauds—ill gains go. (2) Anger, swearing and blasphemy—what remains? (3) Sensuality is more rational, because men get something.

6. Yet in a few years where is it all? Let a man enjoy life, let him be rich, but he gets old, and then! Wisdom [v. 8]. 'What hath pride profited us?'

7. Thus Satan has the best of the bargain, and we lie like the traveller.

8. Nothing of this world can help us—priest or Levite: there we should lie for ever, etc.

9. Christ alone, by His sacraments.

10. Mind He is a Samaritan—so Nazareth—because the Catholic Church is hated. She is the good Samaritan to Protestants. Observe again the text, 'He who showed mercy to him.' Has the Catholic Church or Protestantism done this for us?

Fr. Sibley
links to a blog by a seminarian in my diocese.

As I blogged last year...
July 11, 1972 was the day the Professor wrote this sad, beautiful line about his late wife....

She was (and knew she was) my Lúthien....

Athanasius
has a fine explanation of why dissent really happens.

This reminds me of a passage from an excellent book, Turmoil and Truth: The Historical Roots of the Modern Crisis in the Catholic Church , by Philip Trower.

Christians, heaven knows, should prize the state of grace above all things, but if they become unaccustomed of thinking of themselves as sinners and accustomed to valuing the feeling that they are nice and good, they will become tempted, if they do fall into serious sin, instead of being sorry for having offended God, to be angry at no longer being able to think well of themselves.

This attitude of mind has, I think, not a little to do with today's drive by lay people to have the Church alter its moral teaching. It would also explain the anxiety of so many European and American bishops to accomodate them. The Church must allow contraception and divorce, one hears it argued, because "so many of our best Catholics want them." As far at one can see, the only reason why the prelates in question regard these particular Catholics as the best is that they are well-off, well-educated, and have the right table manners.

This is very much a middle-class phenomenon. When the poor decide to break a law of God, they don't normally expect the Church to alter her teaching so that they can continue to think well of themselves. They are not astonished at finding themselves sinners. In this they have more in common with the rich and grand who, whatever their other failings, are not usually interested in a reputation for moral rectitude either.

Please pray...
for the brave souls who are trying to stop the sacrilege.

If it were not Sunday...
Today would be the feast of St. Benedict, O.S.B.,Founder. To all Benedictines out there, especially those of St. Vincent Archabbey and St. Emma Monastery, happy feast day !

It is also the feast of St. Oliver Plunkett, Archbishop and Martyr, the last martyr to die at Tyburn.

If you visit my post from last year, you will find yet more information on both saints. It would be particularly good to pray for the nuns at Tyburn, whose shrine there is being threatened with closure