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Clergy
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Volume 2004 Issue Three
We can rely on our patrons
Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Joseph & St. Michael
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Priests for Life Canada Volume 2004 Issue Three We can rely on our patrons Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Joseph & St. Michael |
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| In This Issue: |
PRIESTS
FOR LIFE, CANADA HOLDS 5th ANNUAL SYMPOSIUM CRITICAL CULTURAL ISSUES Special Guest: Archbishop (Emeritus) Adam Exner, OMI Saturday, September 18, 2004, Ottawa, Ontario SEE DETAILS BELOW |
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St. Joseph, Foster Father of Jesus, is given
the pro-life mission to be ‘Saviour to the Saviour’. Catholics recognize St.
Joseph as patron saint of children in the womb for he was told to take Mary as
his wife when she was pregnant with Jesus (Mt 1: 18-25). He was protector of
Jesus before He was born. He is a model for fathers of unborn children and for
the entire world as someone who accepted the responsibility and commission for
the unborn lives of human children. Since God the Father entrusted His only
begotten Son, Jesus, to St. Joseph, we cannot find a more powerful advocate to
intercede for all children entrusted to his care.
Joseph was obedient, with great confidence and trust, that God would provide for
the Holy Family. In these times of spiritual warfare, with the family under
attack, we would be wise to follow the example of our heavenly Father and
consecrate our children’s lives, their temporal and eternal welfare, to the
Guardian of the Redeemer. St. Joseph’s respect for human life from conception,
when Jesus was conceived in Mary’s womb, to natural death, as witnessed by his
own death, his eternal birthday, in the arms of Jesus and Mary, sets a high
standard for our own lives. We can be certain that if we call on the
intercession of St. Joseph that he will do all that he can, and all that is
necessary, in helping to ensure that all unborn children will continue to grow
until birth. St. Teresa of Avila was very clear in stating that St. Joseph never
ever refused her any requests for aid.
There are in particular three main motives to appeal to St. Joseph as patron of
the living and dying. “Firstly, St. Joseph is the adoptive father of our Judge,
whereas other saints are only his friends. Secondly, his power is more
formidable to the devils. Thirdly, his death was the most singularly privileged,
and the happiest ever recorded in the annals of mankind” (A manual of Practical
Devotion to St. Joseph, Fr. Patrignani, S.J., 1982, p. 96).
Scriptures tell us that an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Arise,
take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there till I tell
you, for Herod is about to search for the child to destroy him” (Mt 2:13).
Joseph preserved Jesus from the fury of Herod. Joseph had been told to name his
foster child, Jesus, for he will be a Saviour: “She shall bring forth a Son and
you shall call His name Jesus for He will save His people from their sins” (Mt
1:21). Our Lord is called Saviour of man for he preserved man from eternal death
(Divine Favors Granted to St. Joseph, Pere Binet, 1983, p. 19). The angel
messenger did not accompany them in their flight, as Joseph was to take the
place of the Guardian Angel.
Pope John Paul II reminds us of Simeon’s prophecy to Mary and Joseph, that
Jesus, even as a child is, “a sign of contradiction” who faced threats and
dangers right from his birth. Life is proclaimed, threatened, and snuffed out.
The Holy Innocents slaughtered at Herod’s command shared in the birth and saving
passion of Christ. Through their own ‘passion’ they completed what is lacking in
Christ’s afflictions for the sake of His body, that is, the Church (Col 1:24).
“Was it not a prophetic event that the birth of Christ was accompanied by danger
to His life? Yes, even the life of the One who is at the same time Son of Man
and Son of God, was threatened. It was endangered from the very beginning, and
only by a miracle did He escape death” (Letter to Families, 1994, No. 21, p.
93).
We need St. Joseph, as Patron of Life, in our world today to protect the unborn
children not only from cruel tyrants or compromising leadership, but at times
from their own parents, as well as counsellors, doctors and other health care
professionals. The statistics are staggering:
over 55 million killed every year in the world by surgical abortions;
over 250 million killed throughout the world annually through chemical abortifacients;
between 100,000 and 110,000 abortions yearly in Canada;
more than 1 million abortions annually in the United States.
Some were victims of convenience and technology. Others are victims of social
pressures or selfishness. Countless children are victims of genetic engineering,
cloning and embryo research.
St. Joseph, by his example of fatherly protection, reminds mothers and fathers
that they betray life when they abandon their role as protectors. All of society
is infected, loosing its sense of solidarity with other humans, resulting in
indifference to suffering, injustice and the dignity of the person. St. Joseph,
as the man of the hour, the father of the hour, and as saint of the hour,
teaches us: “to cherish life and resist compromises with our death-dealing
culture. He is one who can protect our children, and us, from societal
influences that lead to spiritual death. His special intercession can make a
vital difference: for the convergence of society; for help to see and change
whatever in us opposes life; for today’s “holy innocents” - young and old; and
for help to build a culture of life” (St. Joseph, His Life and Role in the
Church Today, Louise Bourse Perota, p. 175.
St. Joseph as Guardian of the Redeemer did what was natural to all fathers. He
put his life on the line for his Son; he made the necessary sacrifices to
protect his Child. In this case it meant difficult travel, fear of the unknown
and pursuit, as well as accepting the challenge of being refugees in a strange
foreign country (Egypt).
Pope John Paul II has been very direct in warning us that new forms of attack on
the dignity of human beings will take place. “A new cultural climate is
developing and taking hold, which gives crimes against life a new and - if
possible - even more sinister character” (Evangelium Vitae, No. 4).
The message of Fatima that God, our Father, comes first, was certainly
exemplified by Mary and Joseph. Rejection of the Fatherhood of God by the vast
majority of mankind has set in motion a chain reaction of consequences affecting
fatherhood. “The notion of fatherhood in many families, for example, has been
reduced to a biological fact. The role of the father as head of the family,
protector and provider, is not in style” (St. Joseph, Fatima and Fatherhood,
Msgr. Joseph Cirrincione, 1989, p.40). The rejection of fatherhood has led to
the collapse of a pillar of the family and the disintegration of family life. In
the final apparition of October 13, 1917, St. Joseph is present, holding the
Child Jesus in his arms, blessing the world, standing to the left of the sun,
with Mary, Our Lady of the Rosary, standing to the right of the sun, which has
not left its place. This is God’s assurance that though many men may reject Him,
God will never reject man. St. Joseph is present at this special time
foreshadowing the consequences of the world if mankind rejects the true
Fatherhood of God and the traditional strong role of the father of the family.
St. Joseph was present to remind us that as head of the Holy Family, he was the
father of the family, representing God the Father. Joseph was the representative
of divine authority, which was exercised with love, as demonstrated in His love
of the Father and the love of his wife and Son.
Today, the spirit of anti-life, anti-family and anti-fatherhood is evident in
all walks of life. There is rejection not only of natural fatherhood in families
and the Fatherhood of God, but also of the fatherhood of Pope John Paul II,
Vicar of Christ, in many instances, rejecting his doctrinal teaching, with over
80% of Catholics practicing contraception. There is lip service and outward
respect, but his authority in matters of faith and morals is openly rejected by
many. This problem has even crept into the Church, evident in some of our
parishes: “Many have exchanged the role of shepherds of their flock to Board
chairmen, with fixed terms” (St. Joseph, Fatima and Fatherhood, p. 41). By St.
Joseph’s presence, as foster father at the Fatima vision, we are reminded that
the road by which the prodigal world will someday return to God the Father is
called the Way of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Mary, the Mother of God, always
directs us to her Son; Joseph, Foster Father, Guardian of the Redeemer, always
protects his Son. “From the beginning, Joseph accepted with the ‘obedience of
faith’, his human fatherhood over Jesus” (St. Joseph in the Life of Christ and
of the Church, Pope John Paul II, 1989, No. 21, p. 33).
St. Joseph, saviour of the Saviour, we choose you as Patron Saint of Priests for
Life Canada. +
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PRIESTS FOR LIFE CANADA BOARD MEMBERS UPDATE The Board members of Priests for Life Canada would
like to express our sincere thanks to Mrs. Corrie Haas of Petawawa,
Ontario. As a member of the steering committee in 1995, Corrie was
instrumental in starting Priests for Life Canada. Since that time, she has
been a dedicated member on the Board until her retirement in June, 2004.
|
 Our
Lady of Guadalupe
Patroness
of the Americas
Would you like to
learn more about Our Lady of Guadalupe and why she is the patroness of
life?
click here.
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GUARDIAN OF THE
REDEEMER - REDEMPTORIS CUSTOS Apostolic Exhortation of Pope
John Paul II promulgated on August 15, 1989. 1. “Joseph did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took his wife” (cf. Mt 1:24). Inspired by the Gospel, the Fathers of the Church from the earliest centuries stressed that just as St. Joseph took loving care of Mary and gladly dedicated himself to Jesus Christ’s upbringing, he likewise watches over and protects Christ’s Mystical Body, that is, the Church, of which the Virgin Mary is the exemplar and model. ...I wish to offer for your consideration, dear brothers and sisters, some reflections concerning him “into whose custody God entrusted his most precious treasures”. I gladly fulfill this pastoral duty so that all may grow in devotion to the Patron of the Universal Church and in love for the Savior whom he served in such an exemplary manner. In this way the whole Christian
people not only will turn to St. Joseph with greater fervor and invoke his
patronage with trust, but also will always keep before their eyes his
humble, mature way of serving and of “taking part” in the plan of
salvation.
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It
is a generally accepted fact among theologians that St. Joseph died in the
presence of Jesus and Mary. It is assumed, therefore, since he is not mentioned
after the finding of Jesus in the temple, that he died prior to the public life
of Jesus. St. Frances De Sales states, “It would be unthinkable that Jesus on
the cross could have commended His mother to St. John, if Joseph had still been
there to care for her”. It is for this reason, because of the presence of Jesus
and Mary at the moment of his death, that he is considered the patron of a happy
death. Since this is about dying, however, we will look at dying as opposed to
the moment of death.Our life is a journey, which begins at conception. At that moment, we become a child created by God - a child who will exist for all eternity. This living on earth is only a minuscule part of our existence. The dictionary describes the word “die” to mean, “cease to live”. The totality then of dying, encompasses from the moment of conception to the moment when we leave this earthly existence. If we consider St. Joseph the patron of the dying then he is our patron throughout our present earthly journey.
What is it that makes him warrant such an honour? He did not achieve any worldly fame. This is affirmed by Scripture, “Is this not Jesus, the Son of Joseph the carpenter?”. Why is the silence of his life so powerful? The answer lies in something which seems to have been forgotten in our modern day world - obedience to the will of God.
I know in my own life that I have done many “good things”. However, in retrospect, I must ask myself if they were “things of God”. I suspect not. The difference is that, while they may have accomplished some good, I did not consult God (pray) to ask Him if he wanted me to do them. As a result, while I was doing these “good things”, many of the “things of God” were being left undone. While we do not know any specifics about the life of St. Joseph, we can make some assumptions.
Living in the presence of Jesus and Mary, he would have to be a man of prayer. Also, it would be almost impossible for him not to be influenced by their presence. It could be safely argued then, that he would have developed a strong desire to follow the will of the Father. Along with prayer, his awareness of the Father’s will would have been fully formed. As a result, his every action would be “God” centered. With this in mind, what better person could we turn to in our confused world of today? Here was a man, who, during a great portion of his life, lived in the presence of the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity. We could say that this time was spent in Eucharistic adoration. How blessed he was!
How many of us have our own opinions about what God wants us to do? Not just the world, but often from our fellow Christians, we receive conflicting opinions about faith and morals. Who better to turn to for guidance through prayer than St. Joseph? At Cana, Mary said, “Do whatever He tells you”. Would St. Joseph not guide us with the same prudence? Would his responses be any different than those of Jesus or Mary? Would his compassion not be the same as theirs? Would he not lead us to do “things of God”as opposed to “good things”?
We hear many complaints from parents about the negative influences in society on their children. All of us require help to combat these influences. What better way than to turn to St. Joseph! Since we feel helpless and cannot do it alone, let us pray to him and he will not let us down. If he cared for Jesus and Mary, he will certainly come to our aid and provide us with the help we need. +
CHASTITY - PART 1
Fr. Paul Burchat, a Priest of
Madonna House
The reason for this article and for addressing this topic in the context of
pro-life work is to be found in the encyclical Evangelium Vitae. There it
states, “The trivialization of sexuality is among the principal factors which
have led to contempt for new life. Only a true love is able to protect life.
There can be no avoiding the duty to offer, especially to adolescents and young
adults, an authentic education in sexuality and in love, an education which
involves training in chastity as a virtue which fosters personal maturity... It
is an illusion to think that we can build a true culture of human life if we do
not help the young to accept and experience sexuality and love and the whole of
life according to their true meaning and in their close interconnection” (#97).
The Pope is saying that if we do not respect the processes that generate human
life and the truest meaning of sexual activity, then we are unlikely to respect
the life that is generated. Without teaching people the virtue of chastity,
especially young people, it will be impossible to build a culture of life. In
addition to that it is not realistic to think that anyone can have a mature and
fruitful spiritual life if they are not prepared to work hard at developing the
virtue of chastity. In our culture that may seem like an unnecessary and
impossible task (according to some people maybe even a dangerous one) but it is
necessary and with God’s grace all things are possible.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church has the following to say about chastity. “Chastity means the successful integration of sexuality within the person and thus the inner unity of man in his bodily and spiritual being” (2337). “Chastity includes an apprenticeship in self-mastery which is a training in human freedom. The alternative is clear: either man governs his passions and finds peace, or he lets himself be dominated by them and becomes unhappy” (2339). In this same section, it also states that chastity has laws of growth, is a gift from God, a grace, and a fruit of spiritual effort. It goes on to say that self-mastery is a long and exacting work, that chastity is expressed most notably in friendship with one’s neighbour and that it is a promise of immortality. “Indeed it is through chastity that we are gathered together and led back to the unity from which we were fragmented into multiplicity” (2340). There is much more at stake in living chastely than simply abstaining from illicit sexual activity or avoiding an unintended pregnancy or a sexually transmitted disease.
Before we carry the discussion any further it is important to remember that when we talk about the practice of chastity we are not simply talking about a program of abstinence, good as those programs may be. We are talking about a manner of living which ultimately aims at the reform of the heart, mind and spirit and which will lead to true freedom, peace and greater love of God, neighbour and self. Without this reformation of the heart, abstinence may only lead to frustration and quite possibly a return to the old unchaste lifestyle.
Before talking further about the benefits of living chastely (the primary purpose of this article) I do want to mention a few of the ill effects of lust. St. Thomas is quite insightful when it comes to this. He says that lust is the chief corrupter of prudence and practical reason. Envy and anger will compromise them to a degree but lust can destroy them entirely (II-II, Q. 53, art. 6 and II-II, Q. l53, art. 5). Prudence is the virtue, which helps us to discern correctly what is in our best spiritual and temporal interests. Practical reason shows us which moral choices will bring us the greatest benefits. When the bondage of lust takes over a person’s life, it is not surprising that they very quickly head down a path of great self-destruction, usually hurting many others as well. “If Christian living has something to do with freedom, then one of the greatest obstacles to Christian living, is not the joy of sex, but the tyranny of lust. Lust has any number of different forms, but the shackles it gradually imposes on those who make no effort to fight result in the same loss of freedom” (Spiritual Combat Revisited, Fr. John Robinson, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, 2003, p. 126).
As stated above, the pursuit of chastity provides us with “a training in human freedom”. This freedom is twofold. It is certainly freedom from slavery to our passions and the ensuing suffering and unhappiness, but more importantly, it is freedom for the giving of ourselves completely to the practice of true charity and to the experience of joy and peace which comes from this depth of selflessness. Lust will give us transient pleasure but never these greater and more enduring spiritual rewards.
Chastity is also necessary if we are to experience true friendship and
genuine intimacy with others. These can only be had if I am able to respect and
celebrate the good that is in others and not look to them for the satisfaction
of my own selfish or disordered desires. Once I objectify others and look to
them primarily or solely for the purpose of satisfying my sexual cravings the
possibility of real friendship and true intimacy vanishes.
Sexual rectitude is also one of the three requirements for purity of heart (the
other two being charity and love of truth/orthodoxy of faith). “There is a
connection between purity of heart, of body and of faith” (CCC 2518). “The ‘pure
in heart’ are promised that they will see God face to face and be like Him.
Purity of heart is the precondition of the vision of God. Even now it enables us
to see according to God, to accept others as ‘neighbours’; it lets us perceive
the human body - ours and our neighbour’s - as a temple of the Holy Spirit, a
manifestation of divine beauty” (CCC 2519). With chastity comes a depth of
spiritual maturity and vision, which is not possible without it. Not only are
prudence and practical reason preserved by chastity, but now a whole new
perspective on life begins to develop. It is as if scales have been lifted from
our eyes and we now start to see the truth of what lies beneath the merely
physical appearance of people and things.
What the Church presents to us in these considerations may at first seem unreal or at least unnecessary for a rich and satisfying life. Certainly, it may seem unattainable. The initial step for us then is to consider whether or not we believe it is possible to achieve a chaste manner of living, remembering of course that all things are possible with God. The second is to understand that God does not call us to such lofty heights for anything less than the purest of reasons. He does so because, being God, who is all good, He wants us to share as much as possible in His complete goodness, to be totally satisfied, and not to substitute, by our own choice, another goal of lesser value. “Be holy in all you do, since it is the Holy One who has called you, and Scripture says: Be holy, for I am holy” (l Pet l: l6). No one usually achieves great holiness of life without having done a lot of work to acquire a high degree of the virtue of chastity. You simply do not become a saint without it.
Finally, then, the only remaining questions are whether or not we want
chastity and are we prepared to do the work that will be necessary to achieve,
maintain, and safeguard it. It is a daunting task but the fruits of such effort
are well worth it. In the next edition of Priests for Life Canada, a concrete
plan of action for the attainment of the goal will be considered. +
This article will continue in the next issue of Priests for Life Canada.
DEFENDING
THE
“SACRAMENT OF MARRIAGE”
Name of your MP, House of Commons
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6
The Honourable Irwin Cotler,
Minister of Justice and Attorney General
284 Wellington, Ottawa, ON K1A OH8
The Right Honourable Paul Martin, Prime Minister of Canada
House of Commons, Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6
Email: pm@pm.gc.ca
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Priests
for
Life, Canada - members’ newsletter
Catholic Life and
Family - parishioners’ newsletter
Facts for Life -
students’ newsletter
In the past, mailings have been sent to supporters four times per year. In addition to the ‘Priests for Life, Canada’ newsletter, sample copies of both the ‘Catholic Life and Family’ and ‘The Facts for Life’ have been sent. In response to requests from members, and with the additional support provided by our new Ottawa Pro-Life Centre, mailings will now be increased to six times per year as follows:
Month Newsletters being mailed
September Priests for Life, Canada
November
Catholic Life and Family
Facts for Life
December Priests for Life, Canada
February
Catholic Life and Family
Facts for Life
March Priests for Life, Canada
June
Priests for Life, Canada
Fifth Annual Priests for Life Canada Symposium: Special Guest: Archbishop (Emeritus) Adam Exner, OMI - Saturday, September 18, 2004, Senhor Christo Church, 1100 Kenaston St., Ottawa, ON. See elsewhere in this publication for details.
Priests for Life Canada - International Perpetual Rosary for Life: If you can pray the Holy Rosary once a day or even once a week, at a scheduled time, to join us in perpetual prayer for life, please send us your name, address and time of prayer.
For more information on the Rosary for Life, see: www.webhart.net/vandee/rosary.htm
Halifax Symposium2005 in Halifax, NS: Priests for Life Canada will hold its 2005 Symposium in Halifax, October 22, 2005, with special guest speaker: Bishop Richard Smith, Bishop of Pembroke, Ontario.
Priests for Life Canada is not responsible for the accuracy of information contained on linked sites. These are only provided for your further interest.
Take
part in praying the International Perpetual Rosary for Life