Fr. McBrien Post

A good friend of mine informed me of some obscure teachings of Fr. McBrien, and I have since removed the blog with his reference to it. I intend to keep this blog "Roman Catholic" in the utmost of the term. Thanks for keeping this real and true to Catholic Education/Teaching Brad!

Scholarly (Moderate) Conservatism (Christology)

The intent of this blog is to show the validity of the Scholarly (Moderate) Conservatism approach in respect towards Jesus’ knowledge of himself with some supportive material from the Bultmannian Existentialism. Scholarly (Moderate) Conservatism is more conservative than that of Bultmannian Existentialism in terms of a discernible continuity between the evaluation of Jesus during the ministry and the evaluation of him in New Testament writings (Brown, 1994, 14).

However, because there are five approaches to New Testament Christology, if used alone we run the risk of not explaining fully the biblical message or even of proposing a watered-down picture of Jesus Christ (Fitzmyer, 1986, 19). The latter statement is not limited towards the study of theology it is extremely employed in the Public Administration field as well (figuratively speaking, instead of a watered-down picture of Jesus Christ, we have a watered-down picture of government). Although there is only one model of choice, there are several to choose from (and for the most part, most work in conjunction with the other) to support the main topic or the problem at hand. Which, in this case, is Jesus the Christ.

Christos or anointed one normally denoted the king of Israel. Any kingly Messiah was linked with the divine election of the house of David, and to include was the hope for an everlasting dynasty. Through the prophet Nathan, God was believed to have promised David “your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever; your throne shall be established forever” (2 Sam 7:16) (O'Collins, 1995, 27). In his letters, Paul uses “Christ” 270 times but never considers it necessary to argue explicitly that Jesus is “the Christ” whom Israel expected. “Christ” seems already to have lost much of its titular significance (or messianic expectations) and to be functioning largely as an alternative name for Jesus (O'Collins, 1995, 25). It was as a believer and theologian that Bultmann showed himself as a radical reductionist, claiming that we neither can nor should found our Christian faith and theology on any supposedly ‘objective’ basis in history—apart from one objectively historical event, the crucifixion. We need to do no more than affirm the dass, the mere fact that Jesus existed and was crucified, without enquiring about the was, what Jesus was in his own history (O'Collins, 1995, 6). Bultmann continued to accept the methodology developed by liberal scholars in classifying stages in the development of New Testament Christology and indeed sought to refine the method more precisely. He did not think that Christology distorted the import of Jesus, rather, there was a functional equivalence between the New Testament christological proclamations and Jesus’ proclamation of the kingdom of God (Brown, 1994, 14).

Scholarly Conservatism contends that explicit Christology would involve a self-evaluation in which Jesus employed titles or designations already known in Jewish circles. Implicit Christology would relegate such titles and designations to early church usage but would attribute to Jesus himself attitudes and actions that implied an exalted status, which was made explicit after his death (Brown, 1994, 14). Nevertheless, in Christology it would be as mistaken to ignore all the implicit (and sometimes explicit) ontological affirmations in the New Testament as to deny the strong soteriological interests of the Fathers of the Church and the early councils (O'Collins, 1995, 19). Explicit Christology, which seemed to be fading, got new life in the late 20th century. “Son of Man” remains a title that many scholars think Jesus used of himself. “Messiah” remains a title that others may have used of him during his lifetime. The Qumran discoveries show that titles like Son of God and Lord were known in the Semitic-speaking Palestine of Jesus’ time (Brown, 1994, 15). This mode of presenting himself as “Son” in the presence of “the Father” is found a number of times, either in the Fourth Gospel (e.g. Jn 17:1; Jn 3:35-36, 5:19-23) or in the so-called Johannine “logion” of the Matthean and Lucan Gospels (Mt 11:25-27 = Lk 10:21-22). This familiar relationship of Jesus with God appears so intimate that he can assert: “All things have been entrusted to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him” (Mt 11:27; cf. Lk 10:22) (Fitzmyer, 1986, 45).

To further correlate the concept of Scholarly (Moderate) Conservatism, Yahweh himself would be the eschatological king over all the earth (Zech. 14:9); the rule of the transcendent God would be revealed in the rule of the messianic, Davidic king, who may also possibly be symbolized by the one ‘like unto the son of man’ to whom universal and everlasting dominion would be given (Dan 7:13-14). The first Christians identified Jesus as the promised Messiah and Jesus himself interpreted his person and activity messianically (O'Collins, 1995, 28).

Thus far, I have shown a foundation rooted with Bultmannian Existentialism and the correlation of Scholarly (Moderate) Conservatism and Bultmannian Existentialism. This is necessary for the reasons of thought, questions, and the ideology of Christology is ever evolving within our “human experience” with Jesus.

In view of the fact that “human experience” is (in my opinion) primarily responsible for our individual “Christology,” Christian readers must beware of an instinctive tendency to interpret the Jewish expectation of the Messiah in the light of Jesus’ career and person. The Jewish concept of the Messiah had to undergo considerable modification before it could be applied to Jesus, whence Jesus’ reluctance to accept the title without qualification (Brown, 1994, 160).

References

Brown, S.S., R. E. (1994). An Introduction To New Testament Christology. New York: Paulist Press.

Fitzmyer, S.J., J. A. (1986). Scripture and Christology; A Statement of the Biblical Commission with a Commentary. New York: Paulist Press.

O'Collins, S.J., G. (1995). Christology. New York: Oxford University Press.

Senior, D. Getty, M. A., Stuhlmueller, C. & Collins, J. J. (1990). The Catholic Study Bible. New York: Oxford University Press.

Scripture and Tradition

It is within sacred Scripture, God speaks through men in human fashion, it also follows that the interpreter of sacred Scriptures, if he is to ascertain what God has wished to communicate to us, should carefully search out the meaning which God had thought well to manifest through the medium of their words.

In determining the intention of the sacred writers, attention must be paid “to literary forms for the fact is that truth is differently presented and expressed in the various types of historical writing, in prophetical and poetical texts”(St. Augustine) and in other forms of literary expression. Thus, the exegete must look for that meaning which the sacred writer, in a determined situation and given the circumstances of his time and culture, intended to express and did in fact express, through the medium of a contemporary literary form (Flannery, O.P., 1998, 757). Rightly so, to understand what the sacred author wanted to affirm in his work, due attention must be paid both to the customary and characteristic patterns of perception, speech and narrative which prevailed at the age of the sacred writer, and to the conventions which the people of his time followed in their dealings with one another.

Since sacred Scripture must be read and interpreted with its divine authorship in mind, no less attention must be devoted to the content and unity of the whole of Scripture, taking into account the Tradition of the entire Catholic Church and the analogy of faith, if we are to derive their true meaning from the sacred texts. It is the task of exegetes to work, according to these rules, towards a better understanding and explanation of the meaning of sacred Scripture in order that their research may help the Church to form a firmer judgment. All that has been said about the manner of interpreting Scripture is ultimately subject to the judgment of the Church which exercises the divinely conferred commission and ministry of watching over and interpreting the Word of God (Flannery, O.P., 1998, 758).

Much of our Christian vocabulary we have become so familiar with and associate with the ministry of Jesus actually originated with Paul. For example, Paul was the first to coin a Christian meaning for the words “apostle,” “gospel,” and many doctrinal phrases such as “justification by faith.” As the first Christian writer, Paul began to develop specifically Christian terminology even though many of the terms he uses will have roots in Judaism, or other meanings in secular Greek (Getty, 1990, 471). Paul’s writings predate any of our written Gospels. Paul is the first to speak about preaching the “gospel,” although he does not conceive this as a narrative story about the life and ministry of Jesus. The idea of the “gospel,” which appears even in the Old Testament means “good news.” For Paul, this is the message of salvation now accessible to all through faith in Jesus Christ. In Romans, Paul describes the gospel as the “power of God” to save all who believe (Rom 1:16). Paul does not think of the gospel as a story of the events in Jesus’ life, nor even as a set of beliefs about Jesus. Rather, the gospel is the “good news” that all who believe in Jesus are already saved (Getty, 1990, 471).
The formulation of doctrine about Christ depends more on the language of theologians of the patristic period and the Middle Ages than on the language of the New Testament itself, as if this ultimate source of the revelation (about Jesus) were less accurate and less suited to setting forth a doctrine in well-defined terms (Fitzmyer, S.J., 1985, 19). The gospel texts function liturgically and spiritually in ways that go beyond “merely historical” considerations. On the one hand, these texts refer back to Jesus and his earthly reality. On the other hand, what they say about him also acts as a mirror for our lives. Mark, Matthew, and Luke themselves have their personal attitudes towards and relationship with Jesus or at least with the risen and exalted Christ. Consequently Mark, Matthew and Luke should be read and interpreted with their involvement in mind (O'Collins, S.J., 1995, 53).

The Scriptures had foretold of God’s divine plan of salvation through the putting to death of “the righteous one, my Servant” as a mystery of universal redemption, that is, as the ransom that would free men from the slavery of sin (Isa 53:11). Citing a confession of faith that he himself had “received,” Paul professes: “Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures” (1 Cor 15:3; Acts 3:18; 7:52; 13:29; 26:22-23). In particular Jesus’ redemptive death fulfills Isaiah’s prophecy of the suffering Servant (Isa 53:7-8; Acts 8:32-35). Jesus himself explained the meaning of his life and death in the light of God’s suffering Servant: “Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for the many” (Mt 20:28).
Insofar as sacred or apostolic tradition is concerned, it consists of the teachings that the apostles passed on orally through their preaching. These teachings largely (perhaps entirely) overlap with those contained in Scripture. With the correlation of sacred Scripture with sacred Tradition; Paul illustrated what tradition is: “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures. Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed” (1 Cor. 15:3-11). The apostle praised those who followed Tradition: “I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I have delivered them to you” (1 Cor. 11:2).

The first Christians “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching” (Acts 2:42) long before there was a New Testament. From the very beginning, the fullness of Christian teaching was found in the Church as the living embodiment of Christ, not in a book. The teaching Church, with its oral, apostolic tradition, was authoritative. Paul himself gives a quotation from Jesus that was handed down orally to him: “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35) (Catholic Answers [CA], 2004, 1).

In the Second Vatican Council’s document on divine revelation, Dei Verbum, the relationship between Tradition and Scripture is explained: “Hence there exists a close connection and communication between sacred Tradition and sacred Scripture. For both of them, flowing from the same divine wellspring, in a certain way merge into a unity and tend toward the same end. For sacred Scripture is the word of God inasmuch as it is consigned to writing under the inspiration of the divine Spirit. To the successors of the apostles, sacred Tradition hands on in its full purity God’s word, which was entrusted to the apostles by Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit.” Thus, by the light of the Spirit of truth, these successors can in their preaching preserve this word of God faithfully, explain it, and make it more widely known. “Consequently it is not from sacred Scripture alone that the Church draws her certainty about everything which has been revealed. Therefore both sacred Tradition and sacred Scripture are to be accepted and venerated with the same devotion and reverence” (Flannery, O.P., 1998, 967).

The Council of Chalcedon met in the year 451 and confirmed four texts: the Nicene Creed in its fuller form from Constantinople I, Cyril of Alexandria’s second letter to Nestorius, Cyril’s letter to John of Antioch in 433, and Pope Leo’s Tome (O'Collins, 1995, 192). These four texts must be examined insomuch as to the theological and christological understanding of their development to enhance our personal development of faith/belief with/in Jesus. Moreover, it is by closer examination of these four texts we see how the Holy Spirit has guided the great leaders towards enlightenment with sacred Scripture and sacred Tradition. Noticeably, it was well over 300 years since the last apostle’s death, that the Catholic “tradition” accepted the Nicene Creed. This is fundamental for numerous reasons: first; it is by the actions, questions, doubts and uncertainties that the leaders, theologians, academias of the Catholic faith recognized the need to unify sacred tradition of all Catholics. Undoubtedly, as history can prove, it was by no measure a simple task. Only by the intervention of the Holy Spirit could those present agree on what was Divinely inspired and what was not. Secondly; they (traditions) have been handed down and entrusted to the Church. It is necessary that Christians believe in and follow this tradition as well as the Bible (Luke 10:16). The truth of the faith has been given primarily to the leaders of the Church (Eph. 3:5), who, with Christ, form the foundation of the Church (Eph. 2:20). The Church has been guided by the Holy Spirit, who protects this teaching from corruption (John 14:25-26, 16:13).

The task is to determine what constitutes authentic tradition. How can we know which traditions are apostolic and which are merely human? The answer is the same as how we know which scriptures are apostolic and which are merely human—by listening to the Magisterium or teaching authority of Christ’s Church. Without the Catholic Church’s teaching authority, we would not know with certainty which purported books of Scripture are authentic. If the Church revealed to us the canon of Scripture, it can also reveal to us the “canon of Tradition” by establishing which traditions have been passed down from the apostles. After all, Christ promised that the gates of hell would not prevail against the Church (Matt. 16:18) and the New Testament itself declares the Church to be “the pillar and foundation of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15).

It is not by sheer luck we have the Gospel message or, the other literary writings of the New Testament. It is not by any human intervention that we correlate our traditions founded within the Hebraic understanding rooted within Jesus the Christ. It is not merely a coincidence, over 300 years shall pass prior to a fundamental teaching, the Nicene Creed, is approved by Church leaders. All Scripture and Tradition is approved after close examination of the truth, that is to say, divinely inspired by God through man.

References
Brown, R. E. S.S. (1994). An Introduction to New Testament Christology. New York: Paulist Press.

Catholic Answers (2004). Scripture and Tradition. Retrieved Nov 13, 2004, http://www.catholic.com/library/Scripture_and_Tradition.asp

Fitzmyer, J. A. S.J. (1985). Scripture and Christology. New York: Paulist Press.

Flannery, A. O.P. (1998). Vatican Council II Volume 1 The Conciliar and Post-Conciliar Documents. New York: Costello Publishing Company.

Getty, M. A. (1990). Paul and His Writings. In D. Senior, M. A. Getty, C. Stuhlmueller, & J. J. Collins (Eds.), The Catholic Study Bible (pp. 470-472). New York: Oxford.

O'Collins, G. S.J. (1995). Christology. New York: Oxford University Press.

St. Augustine, De Doctr. Christ. (III ed.).

Doctors of the Church

This is a very special title accorded by the Church to certain saints. This title indicates that the writings and preachings of such a person are useful to Christians "in any age of the Church." Such men and women are also particularly known for the depth of understanding and the orthodoxy of their theological teachings. While the writings of the Doctors are often considered inspired by the Holy Spirit. This does not mean they are infallible, but it does mean that they contributed significantly to the formulation of Christian teaching in at least one area.

St. Athanasius
296 - 373
1568 by Pius V
St. Ephraem the Syrian
306 - 373
October 5, 1920 by Benedict XV
St. Hilary of Poitiers
315 - 367
May 13, 1851 by Pius IX
St. Cyril of Jerusalem
315 - 386
July 28, 1882 by Leo XIII
St. Gregory of Nazianzus
325 - 389
1568 by Pius V
St. Basil the Great
329 - 379
1568 by Pius V
St. Ambrose
339 - 397
September 20, 1295 by Boniface VIII
St. John Chrysostom
347 - 407
1568 by Pius V
St. Jerome
347 - 419
September 20, 1295 by Boniface XIII
St. Augustine
354 - 430
September 20, 1295 by Boniface XIII
St. Cyril of Alexandria
376 - 444
July 28, 1882 by Leo XIII
St. Peter Chrysologous
400 - 450
February 10, 1729 by Benedict XIII
St. Leo the Great
400 - 461
October 15, 1754 by Benedict XIV
St. Gregory the Great
540 - 604
September 20, 1295 by Boniface XIII
St. Isidore of Seville
560 - 636
April 25, 1722 by Innocent XIII
St. John of Damascus
645 - 749
August 19, 1890 by Leo XIII
St. Bede the Venerable
672 - 735
November 13, 1899 by Leo XIII
St. Peter Damian
1007 - 1072
September 27, 1828 by Leo XII
St. Anselm
1033 - 1109
February 3, 1720 by Clement XI
St. Bernard of Clairvaux
1090 - 1153
August 20, 1830 by Pius VIII
St. Anthony of Padua
1195 - 1231
January 16, 1946 by Pius XII
St. Albert the Great
1206 - 1280
December 16, 1931 by Pius XI
St. Bonaventure
1221 - 1274
March 14, 1588 by Sixtus V
St. Thomas Aquinas
1226 - 1274
April 11, 1567 by Pius V
St. Catherine of Siena
1347 - 1380
October 4, 1970 by Paul VI
St. Teresa of Avila
1515 - 1582
September 27, 1970 by Paul VI
St. Peter Canisius
1521 - 1597
May 21, 1925 by Pius XI
St. John of the Cross
1542 - 1591
August 24, 1926 by Pius XI
St. Robert Bellarmine
1542 - 1621
September 17, 1931 by Pius XI
St. Lawrence of Brindisi
1559 - 1619
March 19, 1959 by John XXIII
St. Francis de Sales
1567 - 1622
November 16, 1871 by Pius IX
St. Alphonsus Ligouri
1696 - 1787
July 7, 1871 by Pius IX
St. Thérèse of Lisieux
1873 - 1897
October 19, 1997 by John Paul II

http://www.catholic.org/saints/doctors.php

Bishop D'Arcy Will Not Attend Notre Dame Graduation

By Deacon Keith Fournier3/24/2009
Catholic Online (http://www.catholic.org/)

A bishop must teach the Catholic faith “in season and out of season,” and he teaches not only by his words — but by his actions. He will not attend this year. "Tomorrow, we celebrate as Catholics the moment when our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, became a child in the womb of his most holy mother. Let us ask Our Lady to intercede for the university named in her honor, that it may recommit itself to the primacy of truth over prestige."

SOUTH BEND (Catholic Online) - Along with thousands, we have been regularly visiting the Web Site of the Diocese of Fort Wayne - South Bend awaiting the expected statement of the Most Reverend John M. D'Arcy concerning the controversial decision of the University of Notre Dame to have President Barack Obama not only speak at the commencement of the University but to honor him with a Doctor of Laws Degree. We were informed yesterday, as were many Catholic and other news sources, that such a statement would be forthcoming. We now present this statement in full. It appears on the Diocesan Web Site. We note that with his courageous and uncompromising defense of life, the Bishop also referred to the clear language contained in the United States Conference of Catholic Bishop's statement "Catholics in Political Life". We express our deep appreciation and respect to Bishop D'Arcy. We invite all of our readers to pray for Bishop D'Arcy as well as for "Our Lady's University". Finally, we invite all of our readers to pray for the end of the Culture of Death in America and to work to build and spread a new Culture of Life and Civilization of Love in its place: Concerning President Barack Obama speaking at Notre Dame graduation, receiving honorary law degree March 24, 2009 "On Friday, March 21, Father John Jenkins, CSC, phoned to inform me that President Obama had accepted his invitation to speak to the graduating class at Notre Dame and receive an honorary degree. We spoke shortly before the announcement was made public at the White House press briefing. It was the first time that I had been informed that Notre Dame had issued this invitation. "President Obama has recently reaffirmed, and has now placed in public policy, his long-stated unwillingness to hold human life as sacred. While claiming to separate politics from science, he has in fact separated science from ethics and has brought the American government, for the first time in history, into supporting direct destruction of innocent human life. "This will be the 25th Notre Dame graduation during my time as bishop. After much prayer, I have decided not to attend the graduation. I wish no disrespect to our president, I pray for him and wish him well. I have always revered the Office of the Presidency. But a bishop must teach the Catholic faith “in season and out of season,” and he teaches not only by his words — but by his actions. "My decision is not an attack on anyone, but is in defense of the truth about human life. "I have in mind also the statement of the U.S. Catholic Bishops in 2004. “The Catholic community and Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles. They should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions.” Indeed, the measure of any Catholic institution is not only what it stands for, but also what it will not stand for.(emphasis added) "I have spoken with Professor Mary Ann Glendon, who is to receive the Laetare Medal. I have known her for many years and hold her in high esteem. We are both teachers, but in different ways. I have encouraged her to accept this award and take the opportunity such an award gives her to teach. "Even as I continue to ponder in prayer these events, which many have found shocking, so must Notre Dame. Indeed, as a Catholic University, Notre Dame must ask itself, if by this decision it has chosen prestige over truth.(emphasis added) "Tomorrow, we celebrate as Catholics the moment when our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, became a child in the womb of his most holy mother. Let us ask Our Lady to intercede for the university named in her honor, that it may recommit itself to the primacy of truth over prestige."

- - -Deacon Keith Fournier asks that you join with us and help in this vital mission by sending this article to your family, friends, and neighbors and adding our link (http://www.catholic.org/) to your own website, blog or social network. Let us broadcast, we are PROUD TO BE CATHOLIC!

Notre Dame's Obama Scandal

Posted by Tom McFeely
Monday, March 23, 2009 9:25 AM

To say that the University of Notre Dame has placed the U.S. bishops in a bad position is an understatement.

By honoring President Barack Obama by selecting him as Notre Dame’s commencement speaker, the university flagrantly has violated the U.S. bishops’ document, “Catholics in Political Life.” It specifies that such honors should not be conferred on pro-abortion politicians. “The Catholic community and Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles. They should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions,” the document states. You just can’t get more pro-abortion than Obama. And no moral principle is more fundamental than the sanctity of innocent human life.

But if the bishops condemn Notre Dame for its bad decision, they are guaranteed to be deluged with hostile public commentaries that paint them as “small-minded” and “mean-spirited,” and much worse. And many of these commentaries will come from Catholic dissenters on abortion, you can be sure. So what can faithful Catholics do to help their bishops? We can deluge the office of Notre Dame’s president, Holy Cross Father John Jenkins, with emails, letters and telephone calls, letting him know just how wrong his decision was to confer this honor on Obama — and requesting, politely but resolutely, that it be rescinded. One way to do this is by visiting notredamescandal.com, and joining there with the thousands of Catholics who have already registered their dismay and hurt about this horrible decision by signing an online petition that will be sent to Father Jenkins. We can pray — most definitely through the intercession of Mary, to whom the University of Notre Dame is dedicated — for a change of heart at the university and a reversal of its invitation to the president.

We can send letters and emails to newspapers explaining why the university’s decision is so wrong, in order that no one can claim our bishops are the only Catholics who oppose this honor being conferred on Obama. And Notre Dame alumni and others who support the university financially also can explain to the school that their contributions can’t be taken for granted — that when a Catholic institution takes an action that is so flagrantly opposed to what the Church teaches, faithful Catholics are called in conscience to examine their support of that institution. Not in any way out of malice, but seeking in charity to persuade the institution to reverse an action that contradicts its own Catholic identity and undermines Church teachings and the authority of the Church’s shepherds.

In sum, there are lots of things lay Catholics can do to help their bishops respond to Notre Dame’s mistake. So let’s get busy!

http://www.ncregister.com/daily/notre_dame_commencement_scandal/

CHRISTI MATRI

Encyclical of Pope Paul VI promulgated on September 15, 1966.

To His Venerable Brothers the Patriarchs, Primates, Archbishops, Bishops and other Local Ordinaries in Peace and Communion with the Apostolic See.

Venerable Brothers, Health and Apostolic Benediction.

It is a solemn custom of the faithful during the month of October to weave the prayers of the Rosary into mystical garlands for the Mother of Christ. Following in the footsteps of Our predecessors, We heartily approve this, and We call upon all the sons of the church to offer special devotions to the Most Blessed Virgin this year. For the danger of a more serious and extensive calamity hangs over the human family and has increased, especially in parts of eastern Asia where a bloody and hard-fought war is raging. So We feel most urgently that We must once again do what We can to safeguard peace. We are also disturbed by what We know to be going on in other areas, such as the growing nuclear armaments race, the senseless nationalism, the racism, the obsession for revolution, the separations imposed upon citizens, the nefarious plots, the slaughter of innocent people. All of these can furnish material for the greatest calamity.

2. Like Our immediate predecessors, We seem to have received a special task from God in His providence to work patiently and constantly to preserve and strengthen peace. This task, as is evident, arises from the fact that We have been entrusted with the governing of the whole Church, which, as a "sign lifted up to the nations,"[1] does not serve political ends but rather must bring the truth and grace of Jesus Christ, its divine Founder, to mankind.

3. Indeed, from the very beginning of Our apostolic ministry, We have omitted no effort to further the cause of peace in the world through prayers, entreaties and exhortations. As you well remember, last year We flew to North America to speak about the most desirable blessing of peace at the General Assembly of the United Nations, before a very distinguished audience representing almost every nation.[2] We warned against allowing some to be inferior to others, and against allowing some to attack others. Instead, all should devote their efforts and zeal to the establishment of peace. Even afterwards, moved by apostolic concern, We did not stop urging those upon whom this great matter depends to ward off from mankind the frightful disaster that might result.

4. Now once again We raise Our voice "with a loud cry and with tears,"[3] urgently beseeching those who rule over nations to do everything they can to see to it that the conflagration spreads no farther but rather is completely extinguished. We do not doubt that all men who want what is right and honorable -- whatever their race, color, religion and social class -- feel the same as We do.

5. Therefore, let all those responsible bring about the necessary conditions for the laying down of arms before the possibility of doing so is taken away by the pressure of events. Those in whose hands rests the safety of the human race should realize that in this day and age they have a very grave obligation in conscience. Mindful of their own nation, of the world, of God and history, let them examine their own consciences. Let them realize that in the future their names will be blessed if they wisely succeed in complying with this exhortation.

6. In the name of the Lord We cry out to them to stop. Men must come together and get down to sincere negotiations. Things must be settled now, even at the cost of some loss of inconvenience, for later they may have to be settled at the cost of immense harm and enormous slaughter that cannot even be imagined now. But this peace must be based on justice and freedom for mankind, and must take into account the rights of individuals and communities. Otherwise it will be fluid and unstable.

7. As We say all this with deep emotion and an anxious heart, it is only right for Us to do as Our supreme pastoral care urges, and ask for help from heaven. Peace, which "is such a great good that even among earthly, mortal things, there is nothing more pleasant to hear, nothing more ardently desired, and finally nothing better to be found,"[4] has to be sought from Him who is the Prince of Peace.[5] But since the Church, in uncertain and anxious times, has been accustomed to have recourse to that most ready intercessor, her Mother Mary, We have good reason to direct Our own attention and yours, venerable brethren, and that of all the Christian faithful, to her. For as St. Irenaeus says, she "has become the cause of 180 salvation for the whole human race."[6]

8. Nothing seems more appropriate and valuable to Us than to have the prayers of the whole Christian family rise to the Mother of God, who is invoked as the Queen of Peace, begging her to pour forth abundant gifts of her maternal goodness in midst of so many great trials and hardships. We want constant and devout prayers to be offered to her whom We declared Mother of the Church, its spiritual parent, during the celebration of the Second Vatican Council, thereby winning the applause of the Fathers and of the Catholic world, and confirming a point of traditional doctrine. For the Mother of the Savior is, as St. Augustine teaches, "surely the mother of His members,"[7] and St. Anselm, to mention only one other, agrees with him in these words: "What could ever be deemed more suitable than for you to be the mother of those whose father and brother Christ deigned to become?"[8] She was called "most truly the mother of the Church" by Our predecessor Leo XIII.[9] Hence We have good reason to place our trust in her in the midst of this terrible disorder.

9. If evils increase, the devotion of the People of God should also increase. And so, venerable brothers, We want you to take the lead in urging and encouraging people to pray ardently to our most merciful mother Mary by saying the Rosary during the month of October, as We have already indicated. This prayer is well-suited to the devotion of the People of God, most pleasing to the Mother of God and most effective in gaining heaven's blessings. The Second Vatican Council recommended use of the Rosary to all the sons of the Church, not in express words but in unmistakable fashion in this phrase: "Let them value highly the pious practices and exercises directed to the Blessed Virgin and approved over the centuries by the magisterium."[10]

10. As the history of the Church makes clear, this very fruitful way of praying is not only efficacious in warding off evils and preventing calamities, but is also of great help in fostering Christian life. "It nourishes the Catholic faith which readily takes on new life from a timely commentary on the sacred mysteries, and it turns minds toward the truths that have been taught us by God.''[11]

ll. And so during the month of October, dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary, prayers and petitions should be increased, so that through her intercession the dawn of true peace may shine forth to men. This means true religious peace too, for unfortunately, not everyone is allowed to profess his religion freely in this age. In particular, We want October 4th -- the day on which, as We mentioned earlier, We went last year to the United Nations for the sake of peace -- to be celebrated throughout the whole Catholic world this year as a Day of Prayer for Peace. It will be up to you, venerable brethren, in the light of your own commendable devotion and on the basis of the obvious importance of this matter, to prescribe sacred ceremonies in which priests, religious and the faithful -- especially boys and girls in the flower of their innocence, and the sick and others who are suffering -- can all ask the help of the Mother of God and of the Church.

12. On that day We Ourself will go to St. Peter's Basilica, to the tomb of the Prince of the Apostles, to offer special prayers to the Virgin Mother of God, protector of Christians and mediator for peace. In this way heaven will be moved, in a sense, by the one voice of the Church resounding from all the continents on the earth. For as St. Augustine says, "Amid the various languages of men, the faith of the heart speaks one tongue.[12]

13. Look down with maternal clemency, Most Blessed Virgin, upon all your children. Consider the anxiety of bishops who fear that their flocks will be tormented by a terrible storm of evils. Heed the anguish of so many people, fathers and mothers of families who are uncertain about their future and beset by hardships and cares. Soothe the minds of those at war and inspire them with "thoughts of peace." Through your intercession, may God, the avenger of injuries, turn to mercy. May He give back to nations the tranquillity they seek and bring them to a lasting age of genuine prosperity.

14. With confidence that the exalted Mother of God will graciously hear Our humble prayer, We lovingly impart the apostolic blessing to you, venerable brethren, and to the clergy and people committed to your care.

15. Given at St. Peter's, Rome, on the 15th day of September, in the year 1966, the fourth of Our pontificate.

Reference:

1. Cf.ls 11. 12.
2. [Cf. TPS Xl, 47-57].
3. Heb 5.7.
4. St. Augustine, The City of God, 19. 11: PL 41. 637.
5. Is 9. 6.
6. Adversus Haereses 3. 22: PG 7. 959.
7. De Sanct. virg. 6: PL 40. 399.
8. Or. 47: PL 158. 945.
9. Encyc. Letter Adjutricem populi christiani, Sept. 5, 1895: Acta Leon. 15, 1896, p. 302.
10. Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, no. 67 [cf. TPS X, 399].
11. Pius Xl, Encyc. Letter lngravescentibus malis, Sept. 29, 1937: AAS 29 (1937), 378. 12. Enarr. in Ps. 54. 11: PL 36. 636.

http://www.papalencyclicals.net/Paul06/p6christ.htm

On the Beatific Vision of God

Benedictus Deus
Constitution issued by Pope Benedict XII in 1336

By this Constitution which is to remain in force for ever, we, with apostolic authority, define the following: According to the general disposition of God, the souls of all the saints who departed from this world before the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ and also of the holy apostles, martyrs, confessors, virgins and other faithful who died after receiving the holy baptism of Christ- provided they were not in need of any purification when they died, or will not be in need of any when they die in the future, or else, if they then needed or will need some purification, after they have been purified after death-and again the souls of children who have been reborn by the same baptism of Christ or will be when baptism is conferred on them, if they die before attaining the use of free will: all these souls, immediately (mox) after death and, in the case of those in need of purification, after the purification mentioned above, since the ascension of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ into heaven, already before they take up their bodies again and before the general judgment, have been, are and will be with Christ in heaven, in the heavenly kingdom and paradise, joined to the company of the holy angels. Since the passion and death of the Lord Jesus Christ, these souls have seen and see the divine essense with an intuitive vision and even face to face, without the mediation of any creature by way of object of vision; rather the divine essence immediately manifests itself to them, plainly, clearly and openly, and in this vision they enjoy the divine essence . Moreover, by this vision and enjoyment the souls of those who have already died are truly blessed and have eternal life and rest. Also the souls of those who will die in the future will see the same divine essence and will enjoy it before the general judgment.

Such a vision and enjoyment of the divine essence do away with the acts of faith and hope in these souls, inasmuch as faith and hope are properly theological virtues. And after such intuitive and face-to-face vision and enjoyment has or will have begun for these souls, the same vision and enjoyment has continued and will continue without any interruption and without end until the last Judgment and from then on forever.

(On hell and the general judgment)

Moreover we define that according to the general disposition of God, the souls of those who die in actual mortal sin go down into hell immediately (mox) after death and there suffer the pain of hell. Nevertheless, on the day of judgment all men will appear with their bodies "before the judgment seat of Christ" to give an account of their personal deeds, "so that each one may receive good or evil, according to what he has done in the body" (2 Cor. 5.10).

http://www.papalencyclicals.net/Ben12/B12bdeus.html

THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Ineffabilis Deus
Apostolic Constitution issued by Pope Pius IX on December 8, 1854.

God Ineffable -- whose ways are mercy and truth, whose will is omnipotence itself, and whose wisdom "reaches from end to end mightily, and orders all things sweetly" -- having foreseen from all eternity the lamentable wretchedness of the entire human race which would result from the sin of Adam, decreed, by a plan hidden from the centuries, to complete the first work of his goodness by a mystery yet more wondrously sublime through the Incarnation of the Word. This he decreed in order that man who, contrary to the plan of Divine Mercy had been led into sin by the cunning malice of Satan, should not perish; and in order that what had been lost in the first Adam would be gloriously restored in the Second Adam. From the very beginning, and before time began, the eternal Father chose and prepared for his only-begotten Son a Mother in whom the Son of God would become incarnate and from whom, in the blessed fullness of time, he would be born into this world. Above all creatures did God so loved her that truly in her was the Father well pleased with singular delight. Therefore, far above all the angels and all the saints so wondrously did God endow her with the abundance of all heavenly gifts poured from the treasury of his divinity that this mother, ever absolutely free of all stain of sin, all fair and perfect, would possess that fullness of holy innocence and sanctity than which, under God, one cannot even imagine anything greater, and which, outside of God, no mind can succeed in comprehending fully.

Supreme Reason for the Privilege: The Divine Maternity

And indeed it was wholly fitting that so wonderful a mother should be ever resplendent with the glory of most sublime holiness and so completely free from all taint of original sin that she would triumph utterly over the ancient serpent. To her did the Father will to give his only-begotten Son -- the Son whom, equal to the Father and begotten by him, the Father loves from his heart -- and to give this Son in such a way that he would be the one and the same common Son of God the Father and of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It was she whom the Son himself chose to make his Mother and it was from her that the Holy Spirit willed and brought it about that he should be conceived and born from whom he himself proceeds.[1]

Liturgical Argument

The Catholic Church, directed by the Holy Spirit of God, is the pillar and base of truth and has ever held as divinely revealed and as contained in the deposit of heavenly revelation this doctrine concerning the original innocence of the august Virgin -- a doctrine which is so perfectly in harmony with her wonderful sanctity and preeminent dignity as Mother of God -- and thus has never ceased to explain, to teach and to foster this doctrine age after age in many ways and by solemn acts. From this very doctrine, flourishing and wondrously propagated in the Catholic world through the efforts and zeal of the bishops, was made very clear by the Church when she did not hesitate to present for the public devotion and veneration of the faithful the Feast of the Conception of the Blessed Virgin.[2] By this most significant fact, the Church made it clear indeed that the conception of Mary is to be venerated as something extraordinary, wonderful, eminently holy, and different from the conception of all other human beings -- for the Church celebrates only the feast days of the saints.

And hence the very words with which the Sacred Scriptures speak of Uncreated Wisdom and set forth his eternal origin, the Church, both in its ecclesiastical offices and in its liturgy, has been wont to apply likewise to the origin of the Blessed Virgin, inasmuch as God, by one and the same decree, had established the origin of Mary and the Incarnation of Divine Wisdom.

Ordinary Teaching of the Roman Church

These truths, so generally accepted and put into practice by the faithful, indicate how zealously the Roman Church, mother and teacher of all Churches, has continued to teach this doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin. Yet the more important actions of the Church deserve to be mentioned in detail. For such dignity and authority belong to the Church that she alone is the center of truth and of Catholic unity. It is the Church in which alone religion has been inviolably preserved and from which all other Churches must receive the tradition of the Faith.[3]

The same Roman Church, therefore, desired nothing more than by the most persuasive means to state, to protect, to promote and to defend the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception. This fact is most clearly shown to the whole world by numerous and significant acts of the Roman Pontiffs, our predecessors. To them, in the person of the Prince of the Apostles, were divinely entrusted by Christ our Lord, the charge and supreme care and the power of feeding the lambs and sheep; in particular, of confirming their brethren, and of ruling and governing the universal Church.

Veneration of the Immaculate

Our predecessors, indeed, by virtue of their apostolic authority, gloried in instituting the Feast of the Conception in the Roman Church. They did so to enhance its importance and dignity by a suitable Office and Mass, whereby the prerogative of the Virgin, her exception from the hereditary taint, was most distinctly affirmed. As to the homage already instituted, they spared no effort to promote and to extend it either by the granting of indulgences, or by allowing cities, provinces and kingdoms to choose as their patroness God's own Mother, under the title of "The Immaculate Conception." Again, our predecessors approved confraternities, congregations and religious communities founded in honor of the Immaculate Conception, monasteries, hospitals, altars, or churches; they praised persons who vowed to uphold with all their ability the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God. Besides, it afforded the greatest joy to our predecessors to ordain that the Feast of the Conception should be celebrated in every church with the very same honor as the Feast of the Nativity; that it should be celebrated with an octave by the whole Church; that it should be reverently and generally observed as a holy day of obligation; and that a pontifical Capella should be held in our Liberian pontifical basilica on the day dedicated to the conception of the Virgin. Finally, in their desire to impress this doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God upon the hearts of the faithful, and to intensify the people's piety and enthusiasm for the homage and the veneration of the Virgin conceived without the stain of original sin, they delighted to grant, with the greatest pleasure, permission to proclaim the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin in the Litany of Loreto, and in the Preface of the Mass, so that the rule of prayer might thus serve to illustrate the rule of belief. Therefore, we ourselves, following the procedure of our predecessors, have not only approved and accepted what had already been established, but bearing in mind, moreover, the decree of Sixtus IV, [4] have confirmed by our authority a proper Office in honor of the Immaculate Conception, and have with exceeding joy extended its use to the universal Church.[5]

The Roman Doctrine

Now inasmuch as whatever pertains to sacred worship is intimately connected with its object and cannot have either consistency or durability if this object is vague or uncertain, our predecessors, the Roman Pontiffs, therefore, while directing all their efforts toward an increase of the devotion to the conception, made it their aim not only to emphasize the object with the utmost zeal, but also to enunciate the exact doctrine.[6] Definitely and clearly they taught that the feast was held in honor of the conception of the Virgin. They denounced as false and absolutely foreign to the mind of the Church the opinion of those who held and affirmed that it was not the conception of the Virgin but her sanctification that was honored by the Church. They never thought that greater leniency should be extended toward those who, attempting to disprove the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin, devised a distinction between the first and second instance of conception and inferred that the conception which the Church celebrates was not that of the first instance of conception but the second. In fact, they held it was their duty not only to uphold and defend with all their power the Feast of the Conception of the Blessed Virgin but also to assert that the true object of this veneration was her conception considered in its first instant. Hence the words of one of our predecessors, Alexander VII, who authoritatively and decisively declared the mind of the Church: "Concerning the most Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, ancient indeed is that devotion of the faithful based on the belief that her soul, in the first instant of its creation and in the first instant of the soul's infusion into the body, was, by a special grace and privilege of God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, her Son and the Redeemer of the human race, preserved free from all stain of original sin. And in this sense have the faithful ever solemnized and celebrated the Feast of the Conception."[7]

Moreover, our predecessors considered it their special solemn duty with all diligence, zeal, and effort to preserve intact the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God. For, not only have they in no way ever allowed this doctrine to be censured or changed, but they have gone much further and by clear statements repeatedly asserted that the doctrine by which we profess the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin is on its own merits entirely in harmony with the ecclesiastical veneration; that it is ancient and widespread, and of the same nature as that which the Roman Church has undertaken to promote and to protect, and that it is entirely worthy to be used in the Sacred Liturgy and solemn prayers. Not content with this they most strictly prohibited any opinion contrary to this doctrine to be defended in public or private in order that the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin might remain inviolate. By repeated blows they wished to put an end to such an opinion. And lest these oft-repeated and clearest statements seem useless, they added a sanction to them.

Papal Sanctions

All these things our illustrious predecessor, Alexander VII, summed up in these words: "We have in mind the fact that the Holy Roman Church solemnly celebrated the Feast of the Conception of the undefiled and ever-Virgin Mary, and has long ago appointed for this a special and proper Office according to the pious, devout, and laudable instruction which was given by our predecessor, Sixtus IV. Likewise, we were desirous, after the example of our predecessors, to favor this praiseworthy piety, devotion, feast and veneration -- a veneration which is in keeping with the piety unchanged in the Roman Church from the day it was instituted. We also desired to protect this piety and devotion of venerating and extolling the most Blessed Virgin preserved from original sin by the grace of the Holy Spirit. Moreover, we were anxious to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace in the flock of Christ by putting down arguments and controversies and by removing scandals. So at the instance and request of the bishops mentioned above, with the chapters of the churches, and of King Philip and his kingdoms, we renew the Constitutions and Decrees issued by the Roman Pontiffs, our predecessors, especially Sixtus IV,[8] Paul V,[9] and Gregory XV,[10] in favor of the doctrine asserting that the soul of the Blessed Virgin, in its creation and infusion into the body, was endowed with the grace of the Holy Spirit and preserved from original sin; and also in favor of the feast and veneration of the conception of the Virgin Mother of God, which, as is manifest, was instituted in keeping with that pious belief. So we command this feast to be observed under the censures and penalties contained in the same Constitutions.

"And therefore, against all and everyone of those who shall continue to construe the said Constitutions and Decrees in a manner apt to frustrate the favor which is thereby given to the said doctrine, and to the feast and relative veneration, or who shall dare to call into question the said sentence, feast and worship, or in any way whatever, directly or indirectly, shall declare themselves opposed to it under any pretext whatsoever, were it but only to the extent of examining the possibilities of effecting the definition, or who shall comment upon and interpret the Sacred Scripture, or the Fathers or Doctors in connection therewith, or finally, for any reason, or on any occasion, shall dare, either in writing or verbally, to speak, preach, treat, dispute or determine upon, or assert whatsoever against the foregoing matters, or who shall adduce any arguments against them, while leaving them unresolved, or who shall disagree therewith in any other conceivable manner, we hereby declare that in addition to the penalties and censures contained in the Constitutions issued by Sixtus IV to which we want them to be subjected and to which we subject them by the present Constitution, we hereby decree that they be deprived of the authority of preaching, reading in public, that is to say teaching and interpreting; and that they be also deprived ipso facto of the power of voting, either actively or passively, in all elections, without the need for any further declaration; and that also, ipso facto, without any further declaration, they shall incur the penalty of perpetual disability from preaching, reading in public, teaching and interpreting, and that it shall not be possible to absolve them from such penalty, or remove it, save through ourselves, or the Roman Pontiffs who shall succeed us.

"We also require that the same shall remain subject to any other penalties which by us, of our own free will -- or by the Roman Pontiffs, our successors (according as they may decree) -- shall be deemed advisable to establish, and by the present Constitution we declare them subject thereto, and hereby renew the above Decrees and Constitutions of Paul V and Gregory XV.
"Moreover, as regards those books in which the said sentence, feast and relative veneration are called into question or are contradicted in any way whatsoever, according to what has already been stated, either in writing or verbally, in discourses, sermons, lectures, treatises and debates -- that may have been printed after the above-praised Decree of Paul V, or may be printed hereafter we hereby prohibit them, subject to the penalties and censures established by the Index of prohibited books, and ipso facto, without any further declaration, we desire and command that they be held as expressly prohibited."[11]
Testimonies of the Catholic World

All are aware with how much diligence this doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God has been handed down, proposed and defended by the most outstanding religious orders, by the more celebrated theological academies, and by very eminent doctors in the sciences of theology. All know, likewise, how eager the bishops have been to profess openly and publicly, even in ecclesiastical assemblies, that Mary, the most holy Mother of God, by virtue of the foreseen merits of Christ, our Lord and Redeemer, was never subject to original sin, but was completely preserved from the original taint, and hence she was redeemed in a manner more sublime.

The Council of Trent

Besides, we must note a fact of the greatest importance indeed. Even the Council of Trent itself, when it promulgated the dogmatic decree concerning original sin, following the testimonies of the Sacred Scriptures, of the Holy Fathers and of the renowned Council, decreed and defined that all men are born infected by original sin; nevertheless, it solemnly declared that it had no intention of including the blessed and immaculate Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, in this decree and in the general extension of its definition. Indeed, considering the times and circumstances, the Fathers of Trent sufficiently intimated by this declaration that the Blessed Virgin Mary was free from the original stain; and thus they clearly signified that nothing could be reasonably cited from the Sacred Scriptures, from Tradition, or from the authority of the Fathers, which would in any way be opposed to so great a prerogative of the Blessed Virgin.[12]

Testimonies of Tradition

And indeed, illustrious documents of venerable antiquity, of both the Eastern and the Western Church, very forcibly testify that this doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of the most Blessed Virgin, which was daily more and more splendidly explained, stated and confirmed by the highest authority, teaching, zeal, knowledge, and wisdom of the Church, and which was disseminated among all peoples and nations of the Catholic world in a marvelous manner -- this doctrine always existed in the Church as a doctrine that has been received from our ancestors, and that has been stamped with the character of revealed doctrine. For the Church of Christ, watchful guardian that she is, and defender of the dogmas deposited with her, never changes anything, never diminishes anything, never adds anything to them; but with all diligence she treats the ancient documents faithfully and wisely; if they really are of ancient origin and if the faith of the Fathers has transmitted them, she strives to investigate and explain them in such a way that the ancient dogmas of heavenly doctrine will be made evident and clear, but will retain their full, integral, and proper nature, and will grown only within their own genus -- that is, within the same dogma, in the same sense and the same meaning.

Interpreters of the Sacred Scripture

The Fathers and writers of the Church, well versed in the heavenly Scriptures, had nothing more at heart than to vie with one another in preaching and teaching in many wonderful ways the Virgin's supreme sanctity, dignity, and immunity from all stain of sin, and her renowned victory over the most foul enemy of the human race. This they did in the books they wrote to explain the Scriptures, to vindicate the dogmas, and to instruct the faithful. These ecclesiastical writers in quoting the words by which at the beginning of the world God announced his merciful remedies prepared for the regeneration of mankind -- words by which he crushed the audacity of the deceitful serpent and wondrously raised up the hope of our race, saying, "I will put enmities between you and the woman, between your seed and her seed"[13] -- taught that by this divine prophecy the merciful Redeemer of mankind, Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, was clearly foretold: That his most Blessed Mother, the Virgin Mary, was prophetically indicated; and, at the same time, the very enmity of both against the evil one was significantly expressed. Hence, just as Christ, the Mediator between God and man, assumed human nature, blotted the handwriting of the decree that stood against us, and fastened it triumphantly to the cross, so the most holy Virgin, united with him by a most intimate and indissoluble bond, was, with him and through him, eternally at enmity with the evil serpent, and most completely triumphed over him, and thus crushed his head with her immaculate foot.[14]

This sublime and singular privilege of the Blessed Virgin, together with her most excellent innocence, purity, holiness and freedom from every stain of sin, as well as the unspeakable abundance and greatness of all heavenly graces, virtues and privileges -- these the Fathers beheld in that ark of Noah, which was built by divine command and escaped entirely safe and sound from the common shipwreck of the whole world;[15] in the ladder which Jacob saw reaching from the earth to heaven, by whose rungs the angels of God ascended and descended, and on whose top the Lord himself leaned'[16] in that bush which Moses saw in the holy place burning on all sides, which was not consumed or injured in any way but grew green and blossomed beautifully;[17] in that impregnable tower before the enemy, from which hung a thousand bucklers and all the armor of the strong;[18] in that garden enclosed on all sides, which cannot be violated or corrupted by any deceitful plots;[19] as in that resplendent city of God, which has its foundations on the holy mountains;[20] in that most august temple of God, which, radiant with divine splendors, is full of the glory of God;[21] and in very many other biblical types of this kind. In such allusions the Fathers taught that the exalted dignity of the Mother of God, her spotless innocence and her sanctity unstained by any fault, had been prophesied in a wonderful manner.

In like manner did they use the words of the prophets to describe this wondrous abundance of divine gifts and the original innocence of the Virgin of whom Jesus was born. They celebrated the august Virgin as the spotless dove, as the holy Jerusalem, as the exalted throne of God, as the ark and house of holiness which Eternal Wisdom built, and as that Queen who, abounding in delights and leaning on her Beloved, came forth from the mouth of the Most High, entirely perfect, beautiful, most dear to God and never stained with the least blemish.

The Annunciation

When the Fathers and writers of the Church meditated on the fact that the most Blessed Virgin was, in the name and by order of God himself, proclaimed full of grace[22] by the Angel Gabriel when he announced her most sublime dignity of Mother of God, they thought that this singular and solemn salutation, never heard before, showed that the Mother of God is the seat of all divine graces and is adorned with all gifts of the Holy Spirit. To them Mary is an almost infinite treasury, an inexhaustible abyss of these gifts, to such an extent that she was never subject to the curse and was, together with her Son, the only partaker of perpetual benediction. Hence she was worthy to hear Elizabeth, inspired by the Holy Spirit, exclaim: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb."[23]

Mary Compared with Eve

Hence, it is the clear and unanimous opinion of the Fathers that the most glorious Virgin, for whom "he who is mighty has done great things," was resplendent with such an abundance of heavenly gifts, with such a fullness of grace and with such innocence, that she is an unspeakable miracle of God -- indeed, the crown of all miracles and truly the Mother of God; that she approaches as near to God himself as is possible for a created being; and that she is above all men and angels in glory. Hence, to demonstrate the original innocence and sanctity of the Mother of God, not only did they frequently compare her to Eve while yet a virgin, while yet innocence, while yet incorrupt, while not yet deceived by the deadly snares of the most treacherous serpent; but they have also exalted her above Eve with a wonderful variety of expressions. Eve listened to the serpent with lamentable consequences; she fell from original innocence and became his slave. The most Blessed Virgin, on the contrary, ever increased her original gift, and not only never lent an ear to the serpent, but by divinely given power she utterly destroyed the force and dominion of the evil one.

Biblical Figures

Accordingly, the Fathers have never ceased to call the Mother of God the lily among thorns, the land entirely intact, the Virgin undefiled, immaculate, ever blessed, and free from all contagion of sin, she from whom was formed the new Adam, the flawless, brightest, and most beautiful paradise of innocence, immortality and delights planted by God himself and protected against all the snares of the poisonous serpent, the incorruptible wood that the worm of sin had never corrupted, the fountain ever clear and sealed with the power of the Holy Spirit, the most holy temple, the treasure of immortality, the one and only daughter of life -- not of death -- the plant not of anger but of grace, through the singular providence of God growing ever green contrary to the common law, coming as it does from a corrupted and tainted root.

Explicit Affirmation . . .

As if these splendid eulogies and tributes were not sufficient, the Fathers proclaimed with particular and definite statements that when one treats of sin, the holy Virgin Mary is not even to be mentioned; for to her more grace was given than was necessary to conquer sin completely.[24] They also declared that the most glorious Virgin was Reparatrix of the first parents, the giver of life to posterity; that she was chosen before the ages, prepared for himself by the Most High, foretold by God when he said to the serpent, "I will put enmities between you and the woman."[25]-unmistakable evidence that she was crushed the poisonous head of the serpent. And hence they affirmed that the Blessed Virgin was, through grace, entirely free from every stain of sin, and from all corruption of body, soul and mind; that she was always united with God and joined to him by an eternal covenant; that she was never in darkness but always in light; and that, therefore, she was entirely a fit habitation for Christ, not because of the state of her body, but because of her original grace.

. . . Of a Super Eminent Sanctity

To these praises they have added very noble words. Speaking of the conception of the Virgin, they testified that nature yielded to grace and, unable to go on, stood trembling. The Virgin Mother of God would not be conceived by Anna before grace would bear its fruits; it was proper that she be conceived as the first-born, by whom "the first-born of every creature" would be conceived. They testified, too, that the flesh of the Virgin, although derived from Adam, did not contract the stains of Adam, and that on this account the most Blessed Virgin was the tabernacle created by God himself and formed by the Holy Spirit, truly a work in royal purple, adorned and woven with gold, which that new Beseleel[26] made. They affirmed that the same Virgin is, and is deservedly, the first and especial work of God, escaping the fiery arrows the the evil one; that she is beautiful by nature and entirely free from all stain; that at her Immaculate Conception she came into the world all radiant like the dawn. For it was certainly not fitting that this vessel of election should be wounded by the common injuries, since she, differing so much from the others, had only nature in common with them, not sin. In fact, it was quite fitting that, as the Only-Begotten has a Father in heaven, whom the Seraphim extol as thrice holy, so he should have a Mother on earth who would never be without the splendor of holiness.

This doctrine so filled the minds and souls of our ancestors in the faith that a singular and truly marvelous style of speech came into vogue among them. They have frequently addressed the Mother of God as immaculate, as immaculate in every respect; innocent, and verily most innocent; spotless, and entirely spotless; holy and removed from every stain of sin; all pure, all stainless, the very model of purity and innocence; more beautiful than beauty, more lovely than loveliness; more holy than holiness, singularly holy and most pure in soul and body; the one who surpassed all integrity and virginity; the only one who has become the dwelling place of all the graces of the most Holy Spirit. God alone excepted, Mary is more excellent than all, and by nature fair and beautiful, and more holy than the Cherubim and Seraphim. To praise her all the tongues of heaven and earth do not suffice.

Everyone is cognizant that this style of speech has passed almost spontaneously into the books of the most holy liturgy and the Offices of the Church, in which they occur so often and abundantly. In them, the Mother of God is invoked and praised as the one spotless and most beautiful dove, as a rose ever blooming, as perfectly pure, ever immaculate, and ever blessed. She is celebrated as innocence never sullied and as the second Eve who brought forth the Emmanuel.

Preparation for the Definition

No wonder, then, that the Pastors of the Church and the faithful gloried daily more and more in professing with so much piety, religion, and love this doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mother of God, which, as the Fathers discerned, was recorded in the Divine Scriptures; which was handed down in so many of their most important writings; which was expressed and celebrated in so many illustrious monuments of venerable antiquity; which was proposed and confirmed by the official and authoritative teaching of the Church. Hence, nothing was dearer, nothing more pleasing to these pastors than to venerate, invoke, and proclaim with most ardent affection the Virgin Mother of God conceived without original stain. Accordingly, from ancient times the bishops of the Church, ecclesiastics, religious orders, and even emperors and kings, have earnestly petitioned this Apostolic See to define a dogma of the Catholic Faith the Immaculate Conception of the most holy Mother of God. These petitions were renewed in these our own times; they were especially brought to the attention of Gregory XVI, our predecessor of happy memory, and to ourselves, not only by bishops, but by the secular clergy and religious orders, by sovereign rulers and by the faithful.

Mindful, indeed, of all these things and considering them most attentively with particular joy in our heart, as soon as we, by the inscrutable design of Providence, had been raised to the sublime Chair of St. Peter -- in spite of our unworthiness -- and had begun to govern the universal Church, nothing have we had more at heart -- a heart which from our tenderest years has overflowed with devoted veneration and love for the most Blessed Virgin -- than to show forth her prerogatives in resplendent light.

That we might proceed with great prudence, we established a special congregation of our venerable brethren, the cardinals of the holy Roman Church, illustrious for their piety, wisdom, and knowledge of the sacred scriptures. We also selected priests, both secular and regular, well trained in the theological sciences, that they should most carefully consider all matters pertaining to the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin and make known to us their opinion.

The Mind of the Bishops

Although we knew the mind of the bishops from the petitions which we had received from them, namely, that the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin be finally defined, nevertheless, on February 2, 1849,[27] we sent an Encyclical Letter from Gaeta to all our venerable brethren, the bishops of the Catholic world, that they should offer prayers to God and then tell us in writing what the piety an devotion of their faithful was in regard to the Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God. We likewise inquired what the bishops themselves thought about defining this doctrine and what their wishes were in regard to making known with all possible solemnity our supreme judgment.

We were certainly filled with the greatest consolation when the replies of our venerable brethren came to us. For, replying to us with a most enthusiastic joy, exultation and zeal, they not only again confirmed their own singular piety toward the Immaculate Conception of the most Blessed Virgin, and that of the secular and religious clergy and of the faithful, but with one voice they even entreated us to define our supreme judgment and authority the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin. In the meantime we were indeed filled with no less joy when, after a diligent examination, our venerable brethren, the cardinals of the special congregation and the theologians chosen by us as counselors (whom we mentioned above), asked with the same enthusiasm and fervor for the definition of the Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God.
Consequently, following the examples of our predecessors, and desiring to proceed in the traditional manner, we announced and held a consistory, in which we addressed our brethren, the cardinals of the Holy Roman Church. It was the greatest spiritual joy for us when we heard them ask us to promulgate the dogmatic definition of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mother of God.[28]

Therefore, having full trust in the Lord that the opportune time had come for defining the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, which Holy Scripture, venerable Tradition, the constant mind of the Church, the desire of Catholic bishops and the faithful, and the memorable Acts and Constitutions of our predecessors, wonderfully illustrate and proclaim, and having most diligently considered all things, as we poured forth to God ceaseless and fervent prayers, we concluded that we should no longer delay in decreeing and defining by our supreme authority the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin. And thus, we can satisfy the most holy desire of the Catholic world as well as our own devotion toward the most holy Virgin, and at the same time honor more and more the only begotten Son, Jesus Christ our Lord through his holy Mother -- since whatever honor and praise are bestowed on the Mother redound to the Son.

The Definition

Wherefore, in humility and fasting, we unceasingly offered our private prayers as well as the public prayers of the Church to God the Father through his Son, that he would deign to direct and strengthen our mind by the power of the Holy Spirit. In like manner did we implore the help of the entire heavenly host as we ardently invoked the Paraclete. Accordingly, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, for the honor of the Holy and undivided Trinity, for the glory and adornment of the Virgin Mother of God, for the exaltation of the Catholic Faith, and for the furtherance of the Catholic religion, by the authority of Jesus Christ our Lord, of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and by our own: "We declare, pronounce, and define that the doctrine which holds that the most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instance of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin, is a doctrine revealed by God and therefore to be believed firmly and constantly by all the faithful."[29]
Hence, if anyone shall dare -- which God forbid! -- to think otherwise than as has been defined by us, let him know and understand that he is condemned by his own judgment; that he has suffered shipwreck in the faith; that he has separated from the unity of the Church; and that, furthermore, by his own action he incurs the penalties established by law if he should are to express in words or writing or by any other outward means the errors he think in his heart.

Hoped-For Results

Our soul overflows with joy and our tongue with exultation. We give, and we shall continue to give, the humblest and deepest thanks to Jesus Christ, our Lord, because through his singular grace he has granted to us, unworthy though we be, to decree and offer this honor and glory and praise to his most holy Mother. All our hope do we repose in the most Blessed Virgin -- in the all fair and immaculate one who has crushed the poisonous head of the most cruel serpent and brought salvation to the world: in her who is the glory of the prophets and apostles, the honor of the martyrs, the crown and joy of all the saints; in her who is the safest refuge and the most trustworthy helper of all who are in danger; in her who, with her only-begotten Son, is the most powerful Mediatrix and Conciliatrix in the whole world; in her who is the most excellent glory, ornament, and impregnable stronghold of the holy Church; in her who has destroyed all heresies and snatched the faithful people and nations from all kinds of direst calamities; in her do we hope who has delivered us from so many threatening dangers. We have, therefore, a very certain hope and complete confidence that the most Blessed Virgin will ensure by her most powerful patronage that all difficulties be removed and all errors dissipated, so that our Holy Mother the Catholic Church may flourish daily more and more throughout all the nations and countries, and may reign "from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth," and may enjoy genuine peace, tranquility and liberty. We are firm in our confidence that she will obtain pardon for the sinner, health for the sick, strength of heart for the weak, consolation for the afflicted, help for those in danger; that she will remove spiritual blindness from all who are in error, so that they may return to the path of truth and justice, and that here may be one flock and one shepherd.
Let all the children of the Catholic Church, who are so very dear to us, hear these words of ours. With a still more ardent zeal for piety, religion and love, let them continue to venerate, invoke and pray to the most Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, conceived without original sin. Let them fly with utter confidence to this most sweet Mother of mercy and grace in all dangers, difficulties, needs, doubts and fears. Under her guidance, under her patronage, under her kindness and protection, nothing is to be feared; nothing is hopeless. Because, while bearing toward us a truly motherly affection and having in her care the work of our salvation, she is solicitous about the whole human race. And since she has been appointed by God to be the Queen of heaven and earth, and is exalted above all the choirs of angels and saints, and even stands at the right hand of her only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, she presents our petitions in a most efficacious manner. What she asks, she obtains. Her pleas can never be unheard.

Given at St. Peter's in Rome, the eighth day of December, 1854, in the eighth year of our pontificate.
Pius IX

FOOTNOTES
1. Et quidem decebat omnino, ut perfectissimae sanctitatis splendoribus semper ornata fulgeret, ac vel ab ipsa originalis culpae labe plane immunis amplissimum de antiquo sepente triumphum referret tam venerabilis mater, cui Deus Pater unicum Filius suum, quem de corde suo aequalem sibi genitum tamquam seipsum diligit, ita dare disposuit, ut naturaliter esset unus idemque communis Dei Patris et Virginis Filius, et quam ipse Filius, Filius substantialiter facere sibi matrem elegit, et de qua Siritus Sanctus voluit et operatus est, ut conciperetur et nasceretur ille, de quo ipse procedit.
2. Cf. Ibid., n. 16.
3. Cf. St. Irenaeus, Adv. Haereses, book III, c. III, n. 2.
4. C.A. Cum Praeexcelsa, February 28, 1476; Denz., n. 734.
5. Decree of the Sared Cong. of Rites; September 30, 1847.
6. This has been the constant care of the Popes, as is shown by the condemnation of one of the propositions of Anthony de Rosmini-Serbati (cf. Denzinger, nn. 1891-1930). This is how the 34th proposition runs (Denzinger, n. 1924): "Ad praeservandam B. V. Mariam a labe originis, satis erat, ut incorruptum maneret minimum sesmen in homine, neglectum forte ab ipso demone, e quo incorrupto semine de generatione in generationem transfuso, suo tempore oriretur Virgo Maria." Decree of the Holy Office, December 14, 1887 (AAS 20, 393). Denz. n. 1924.
7. Apost. Const. Sollicitudo Omnium Ecclesiarum, December 8, 1661.
8. Apost. Const. Cum Praeexcelsa, February 28, 1476; Grave Nemis, September 4, 1483; Denz., nn. 734, 735.
9. Apost. Const. Sanctissimus, September 12, 1617.
10. Apost. Const. Sanctissimus, June 4, 1622.
11. Alexander VIII, Apost. Const. Sollicitudo Omnium Ecclesiarum, December 8, 1661.
12. Sess. V, Can. 6; Denz. n. 792. Declarat tamen haec ipsa sancta Synodus, non esse suae intentionis, comprehendere in hoc decreto, ubi de peccato originali agitur, beatam et immaculatam Virginem Mariam Dei genitricem, sed observandas esse constitutiones felicis recordationis Sixti Papae IV, sub poenis in eis constitutionibus contentis, quas innovat.
13. Gn 3:15.
14. Quo circa sicut Christus Dei hominumque mediator, humana assumpta natura, delens quod adversus nos erat chirographum decretia, illud cruci triumphator affixit; sic Sanctissima Virgo, Arctissimo et indissolubili vinculo cum eo conjuncta, una cum illo et per illum, sempiternas contra venenosum serpentem inimicitias exercens, ac de ipso plenissime triumphans, illus caput immaculato pede contrivit.
15. Cf. Gn. 6:9.
16. Cf. Gn 28:12.
17. Cf. Ex 3:2.
18. Cf. Sg 4:4.
19. Cf. Sg 4:12.
20. Cf. Ps 87:1.
21. Cf. Is 6:1-4.
22. Cf. Lk 1:28.
23. Ibid., 42.
24. Cf. St. Augustine: De Natura et Gratia, c. 36.
25. Gn 3:15.
26. Cf. Ex 31:2.
27. Cf. Ibid., n. 19ff.
28. Cf. Ibid., n. 27ff.
29. Declaramus, pronuntiamus et definimus doctrinam quae tenet beatissimam Virginem Mariam in primo instanti suae conceptionis fuisse singulari Omnipotentis Dei gratia et privilegio, intuitu meritorum Christi Jesu Salvatoris humani generis, ab omni originalis culpae labe praeservatam immunem, esse a Deo revelatam, atque idcirco ab omnibus fidelibus firmiter constanterque credendam. Cf. Denz., n. 1641.

http://www.papalencyclicals.net/Pius09/p9ineff.htm

Pope decries African wars at Mass for 1 million

LUANDA, Angola – Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Mass Sunday with an estimated 1 million Angolans and decried the "clouds of evil" over Africa that have spawned war, tribalism and ethnic rivalry that reduce poor people to slavery.
The biggest crowd of Benedict's first pilgrimage to Africa turned up in sweltering heat for the open-air service on the outskirts of Angola's seaside capital, Luanda, the last major event of his seven-day trip, which ends Monday.
"How true it is that war can destroy everything of value", said Benedict, wearing a pink cape and mopping his sweaty brow with a white handkerchief.
Evils in Africa have "reduced the poor to slavery and deprived future generations of the resources needed to create a more solid and just society," he said during the Mass under a tented pink altar in a huge vacant lot near a cement factory.
Angolans have been enslaved, subjugated and at war almost nonstop since Portuguese colonizers brought the first Catholic missionaries in 1491. Many of the slaves taken to Brazil, for example, came from Angola.
The Catholic Church was an ally of the colonizers who discriminated against the people until independence from Portugal in 1975, when civil war erupted, in part fueled by the country's oil and diamond wealth.
Some 15,000 died, including missionaries, before the war ended in 2002 but its scars still are evident among the many people who lost limbs in one of the most heavily mined countries in the world.
A Marxist revolution also has left scars, though the country's president for 30 years, Eduardo dos Santos, abandoned communism and improved relations with the church from the late 1980s.
Critics say last year's massive election victory was marred by fraud and corruption and that the pope must beware of allowing his visit, sponsored by the state, to be seen as legitimizing an authoritarian regime. The bishops in Angola twice have denounced the government for leaving its people mired in poverty while leaders enrich themselves off oil and diamonds.
Since he arrived on Friday from Cameroon, the pope has met with dos Santos and spoken out against corruption in Africa, the continent with the fastest-growing Catholic population in the world.
Before he said Mass on Sunday, Benedict clasped his hands, as if in prayer, and offered his condolences to the families of two 20-year-old women trampled to death in a stampede at a Luanda stadium before a youth event he addressed on Saturday.
He also wished a speedy recovery to some 40 people injured in the crush. Dozens of others collapsed and were treated at the site for heat exhaustion. The Vatican's No. 2 official, Cardinal Tarcisio Pertone, will visit the injured in hospital, said Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi.
State radio appealed to people to take water and food to Sunday's Mass. People also carried parasols and stools amid the hooting cars and motorbikes making their way to see the pope. Some men hoisted children onto their shoulders and mothers strapped babies to their backs.
Even before he landed in Africa, the pope provoked protests after he told reporters on his chartered Alitalia jet that condoms were not the answer to Africa's severe AIDS epidemic, suggesting that sexual behavior was the issue.
He condemned sexual violence against women, but also chided the 45 African countries including Angola that have approved abortion in cases of rape or incest or when a mother's life is in danger.
___
By MICHELLE FAUL, Associated Press Writer, Associated Press Writer AP correspondent Victor Simpson and AP reporter Casimiro Siona contributed to this report from Luanda.

Solitude and Prayerful Reflection

Nouwen expresses the necessity of solitude in order to increase ones depth and understanding of their spirituality, Aschenbrenner completes this undertaking in a realistic aspect for all variations of ministry. Nouwen preferred the utilization of a monk to “paint the picture” of necessity of solitude, which for the most part, excluded those who serve in different capacities of the church or various organizations.

Solitude as time spent alone with God and with oneself will always, sooner or later, test our sense of self and experiment with the central depth of our person. Solitude plays an essential role in moving beyond the levels of busy activity and superficial spontaneity. Time alone, if more than just a few minutes and if perdured in, can reveal inner chambers of the heart concealed within the frustration of unproductive inactivity and the spontaneity of thought and feeling in our consciousness. In these quiet times alone, if regularly planned and not just fitted to our moods and feelings, we can break through to a new level of experience and relationship with ourselves and with God (Aschenbrenner, S.J., 1995, 244). Various methods of self-reflection can also assist this movement to the center. Consciousness examine, journal writing, spiritual direction are just some examples of interiority, of a regular reflection that helps us to search for—and to receive—something underneath the busy flow of activity and superficial spontaneous fluctuation in our consciousness. Specific life experiences often invite that second look of reflection and thus have the potential for calling us deeper into ourselves (Aschenbrenner, S.J., 1995, 245).

It is easy to lose belief in God’s love simply because I don’t feel it anymore. For one living on the skin of the soul, the felt experience in itself unreflectively becomes ultimate legitimation of the presence or absence of one’s faith. But the reality is otherwise: we must learn to recognize the loving hand of God, at times dulling our sensuous, felt experience of love, precisely as an invitation to believe in a love far beyond what we feel (Aschenbrenner, S.J., 1995, 245).
This process of personal development and ministerial maturing into the core of ourselves obviously happens over years. And, we need help with such formation of self, today especially, because of some of the secular forces of our world mentioned earlier. The importance and difficulty of this kind of mature faith development poses some serious questions for programs of religious formation that prepare for permanent vocational choice and ministry (Aschenfrenner, S.J., 1995, 246).

Those who are in some type of ministry need to understand and develop within themselves this core, this closeness with God, their identity within their spirituality. Often, we forget that we “serve” the people of God in our various capacities as ministers; pastoral counselors; ordained or within the laity. It (our service) becomes “mundane” or “unfulfilling” for some reason (lack of understanding, spirituality). We need to work prayerfully for our ministry, and prayerfully for God.

Reference:

Aschenbrenner, G. S.J. (1995). A Hidden Self Grown Strong. In R. J. Wicks (Ed.), Handbook of Spirituality for Ministers (pp. 228-249). New York: Paulist Press.