29. BITESIZE CATECHISM: ST. CHARBEL MAKHLOUF: ONE CHURCH, MANY BRANCHES

SAINT OF THE WEEK: Youssef Antoun Makhlouf was born in 1828, in Bekaa Kafra (North Lebanon). In 1851, he left his family village and became a monk at St Maron Monastery in Annaya, Lebanon.  To symbolize his new life as a monk he received a new name: Charbel, (sometimes spelled Sharbel) in honor of a martyr-saint.  He was ordained a priest of the Maronite Catholic Church on July 23rd, 1859. 

He lived 16 years in the St Maron's Monastery and then transferred to Sts. Peter & Paul Hermitage, which belonged to the monastery. St Charbel lived in the hermitage for 23 years and was a very popular spiritual director and pastoral counselor.  He was a typical saint and hermit, who spent his time praying, studying and worshipping. 

He became an extremely much sought after spiritual counselor and guide. his holiness was apparent to all who knew him. He is often portrayed in art with the two great pillars of his spiritual life: the Eucharist and the Blessed Mother.  On December 16th, 1898 he was struck with an illness while celebrating Mass. He died on Christmas' Eve, December 24th, 1898, and was buried in the St Maron Monastery cemetery in Annaya. 

A few months later, dazzling lights were seen around his grave and even coming up from the ground.Due to this phenomenon, his tomb was opened, and the corpse was seen to be mysteriously and miraculously secreting sweat and blood. Crowds of pilgrims started swarming to the monastery seeking Charbel’s prayers. Through this intercession, God blessed many people with physical and emotional healing as well as spiritual graces. The miracles were amazingly multiplied as time went on. 

On December 5, 1965, Pope Paul VI presided at the beatification of Father Charbel at the conclusion of Vatican Council II and 12 years later he canonized him as “St.Sharbel” in October or 1977. His feast day is July 24.   To learn more about St. Charbel, his miracles and powerful intercession go to: https://saintscatholic.blogspot.com/2014/03/saint-charbel-makhluf.html

APPETIZER: The Catholic Faith is “so unfathomably rich that it cannot be exhausted by its expression in any single liturgical tradition. The history of the blossoming and development of the various rites witnesses to a remarkable complementarity. When the Churches live their respective liturgical traditions…they enrich one another.” The diverse liturgical traditions…came to celebrate the mystery of Christ through particular expressions characterized by their culture: in liturgical symbolism, in the organization of communities, in the theological understanding of the mysteries, and in various forms of holiness…The Church is catholic (which means, universal or all-embracing) and is “capable of integrating into her unity…all the authentic riches of various cultures. The liturgical traditions (called rites) presently in use in the Church are the Latin (also called Roman) rite, the Byzantine, Alexandrian or Coptic, Syriac, Armenian, Maronite and Chaldean rites…which are all of equal dignity.(CCC #1201-1203)

Main Course: What the Appetizer is telling us is that the Church established by Jesus of Nazareth upon the foundation of the Apostles, is ONE Church with MANY varied branches.  Most Catholics are surprised to learn that the Roman Catholic Church is just ONE of twenty-something other Catholic Churches such as the one St. Sharbel belonged to: the Maronite Catholic Church.  St. Sharbel (and other non-Roman Catholic saints) remind us that the Mystical Body of Christ is a multi-branched tree with many different and beautiful blossoms.

The reason why most of us do not know about the other Catholic Churches is because the New World of the Americas was explored and colonized by Europeans.  They were Roman Catholic and so this branch became the dominant form of the Catholic Church here. And because the Roman branch is the largest and most well-known of all the branches, many people think that “Catholic” and “Roman Catholic” mean the exact same thing. But this is incorrect. Again, “Roman” just refers to one branch of many on the Catholic Church family-tree. 

For example, there is also the Russian Catholic Church, the Greek Catholic Church, the Syro-Malabar (Indian) Catholic Church and many others. Each has its own prayers, rituals or ways of celebrating the sacraments as well as its own vestments, church art and architecture, music, etc. Each rite also has its own theological emphasis or way of explaining the one, holy, Catholic and apostolic faith.  But we are all UNITED in following the spiritual leadership of the Pope, believing the same Creed, celebrating the same sacraments, and living the same commandments of God and teachings of Christ.  The picture shows former Pope Benedict XVI with leaders of some other branches of the Catholic Church.

The way this diversity came about was the after Pentecost, the Apostles and other disciples went throughout the known world spreading the Good News about Jesus. While preaching the same Gospel as one another, they adapted Christian vocabulary and worship styles to suit the culture where they were living. Perhaps the most surprising difference between the Roman Catholic branch of the Church and the other branches is the issue of married clergy. Most of the twenty-something other branches have always had married priests and deacons. Only their bishops are celibate. This has been their tradition since the days of the Twelve Apostles (most of whom were also married men).

So, if there is diversity in prayers, art, theology, lifestyle and worship what makes us ONE? The unifying factor of the Catholic Church in all of its branches is the presence and ministry of the Pope as the successor of St. Peter the Apostle. If you think of the Church as a bicycle wheel, then the Poep would be the hub and the various diverse churches would be the spokes.  All who call themselves Catholic, no matter what their particular cultural or historical tradition might be, look to the Pope for guidance, teaching,and family unity. 

This is precisely why Jesus made St. Peter the primary spokesperson of the Apostles and the earthly leader of the Church.  The Bible and early Christian writings all support his Christ0given role and ministry of Peter ands successors.  For example, in the Gospels Peter is always listed as the first and in the Book of Acts even when people debate with him, they look to him for the final word. Jesus himself said direct words to Simon-Peter that declare and reveal his special place among the Apostles and int the Church.

Jesus changes Simon the fisherman's name to Peter (which means "rock") and he says to him: "And so I tell you, Peter: you are a rock, and on this rock foundation I will build my church, and not even death will ever be able to overcome it. I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of heaven; what you prohibit on earth will be prohibited in heaven, and what you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.” (Matthew 16;18-19)

At the Last Supper, knowing that his Passion will upset and disperse his followers, Jesus turns to Peter and reminds him o be a source of strength and unity to the disciples: "But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.” (Luke 22:32)

And after the Resurrection,  the Risen Lord reconfirms Peter in his role as shepherd of the Church on earth: After they had eaten, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these others do?” “Yes, Lord,” he answered, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Take care of my lambs.” A second time Jesus said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” “Yes, Lord,” he answered, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Take care of my sheep.” A third time Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter became sad because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” and so he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you!” Jesus said to him, “Take care of my sheep". (John 20:15-17)

DOGGIE-BAG: Something to take with you for spiritual snacking...

Maronite Catholics, who are one of the many branches of the Eastern Catholic Church, have a very deep and strong devotion to Mary, Mother of God and our own Blessed Mother. Here are a couple of samples of their love for Mary.

Maronite Catholic Hymn to Mary. Here is an English translation of a hymn on honor of Mary under her title of Our Lady of Lebanon. It is called "Mother of God, Mother of Life".

Mother of God, Mother of Life, 
Come to our help, and pray for us, 
That we may follow Jesus, our Savior. 

Mother of God, O Mother of Life.
 Your only Son, upon the cross,
A precious gift, He gave for us; 
Making you Mother, of all His people. 

Mother of God, O Mother of Life.
“Listen to Him, to Christ my Son! He is the way, the truth, and life. 
I’ll lead you to him, guide you to Heaven.”

Mother of God, Mother of Life.
Come to our help, and pray for us, 
That we may follow Jesus, our Savior. 

Eastern Catholic Hail Mary Prayer.  The Hail Mary is top among prayers for all Catholics of every branch of the Church. Many non-Roman Catholics (called "Eastern Catholics") use this form of the Hail Mary which is very similar to ours but is of a more ancient origin.  If it appeals to you, you may use this form in your own devotions such as the Rosary.

Hail, Mother of God, Virgin Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb; for you gave birth to Christ, the Savior and Redeemer of our souls.

Scripture Verse to Memorize: "There is one body and one Spirit, just as there is one hope to which God has called you. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism; there is one God and Father of all people, who is Lord of all, works through all, and is in all." (Ephesians 4:4-6)

28. BITESIZE CATECHISM: ST. CAMILLUS DE LELLIS - GRACE, FREEDOM & ADDICTION

APPETIZER:  "Freedom is the power, rooted in reason and will, to act or not to act, to do this or that, and so to perform deliberate actions on one's own responsibility. By free will one shapes one's own life. Human freedom is a force for growth and maturity in truth and goodness; it attains its perfection when directed toward God, our beatitude." (CCC #1731)  "God's free initiative demands man's free response, for God has created the human person in his image by conferring on us, along with freedom, the power to know him and love him. The human person can only enter into the communion of love with Gd by a free choice. God gives us help (grace) to do this by touching and directly moving our hearts. He has placed within us a longing for truth and goodness that only he can satisfy." (CCC 2002).  We do not always respond properly to this initiative of God. We sin. but "to form an equitable judgment about the our moral responsibility" when we do what is objectively sinful,  "we must take into account the affective immaturity, force of acquired habit, conditions of anxiety or other psychological or social factors that lessen, if not even reduce to a minimum, moral culpability." (CCC #2352)

MAIN COURSE: This week's Appetizer give us a very brief and very quick overview of Morality, which means the power we have to freely use our will to choose good and avoid evil. Quite often the word "morality" is associated only with sex but this is due to a limited and scrupulous outlook. Morality has to do with every human action that flows from every human choice in every area of life. It is the most fundamental teaching of the Gospel: to CHOOSE to love God and one's neighbor as oneself. Those who go to Confession regularly become very aware that there is a mysterious interplay between  God's grace, our human freedom and our power to choose between good and evil.  So often, as St. Paul says in his Letter to the Romans, we find ourselves in a struggle between knowing what is good and choosing to do it: "I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway." (Romans 7:19).  In our times there is an uptick in the extreme expression of this struggle by so many taking upon themselves the chains of addiction, which adds even more mystery into the dynamics of morality.  

The Saint of the Week we are learning about today is an amazing example of how God's grace can cut through bad moral choices and even extreme addiction.  St. Camillus de Lellis is marvelous inspiring proof that not even the most unfortunate of environments and life-situations have the last word in our lives once we truly encounter Christ.  Humanly speaking, Camillus was not a likely candidate for sainthood. His mother died when he was a child, his father neglected him, and he grew up with an excessive addiction to gambling, a violent temper and an obstinate self-will.  Even his mother feared him, and for peace's sake allowed him his own way so far as she was able.  

After her death Camillus was placed under the care of relatives, who took little interest in him and he was allowed to do very much as he chose. He was sent to school, but he detested it. When he ought to have been learning he did little but dream of his absent father's military adventures, and longed for the day when he would be grown-up enough to run away and join him.  By his teenage years, he was a 6'4" muscular bulky young man who easily became a threat and a bully to all who opposed him. Early in life he became completely addicted to gambling, literally losing the clothes he was wearing many times over!  When he was barely 17 he joined his father in a foreign camp, and enlisted as a soldier. There he learned everything a hedonistic soldier could learn, and gave free reign to his desires and addiction.

But as I mentioned earlier, God's grace has a mysterious way of working itself into every life. All it needs is the smallest, tiniest crack!   In spite of his waywardness, Camillus learned from his mother a deep respect for religion and believed in prayer, though he seldom prayed. He believed in the sacraments, though he seldom received them. But this openess to God, no matter how insignificant it seemed, would somehow pull him through many a crisis, and in the end was his saving grace.  After several years of war, Camillus was wounded and afflicted with a disease of his leg that remained with him for life. He went to Rome where he entered the San Giacomo Hospital for Incurables as both patient and servant, but was dismissed for quarrelsomeness after nine months. 

Then in the winter of 1574, when he was 24, Camillus gambled away everything he had—savings, weapons, literally down to his shirt. He accepted work at a Franciscan monastery and was one day so moved by a sermon that he began a conversion that changed the thrust of his life. Broken by his suffering and enlightened about the extent to which he had failed in the proper use of his freedom, grace touched his heart.  Camillus returned to San Giacomo Hospital where his newfound faith and  his dedication was rewarded by his being made superintendent. He had found the mission for which God had created him and he devoted the rest of his life to the care of the sick. 

Even more amazing, Camillus studied for the priesthood and was ordained at the age of 34! He left San Giacomo Hospital and founded a new religious congregation in the Church: The Servants of the Sick (nicknamed after his death as "the Camillians").  They bound themselves by a special vow to serve the sick even at the risk of their own lives. Even today, in the midst of the coronavirus, they boldly continue to live out this pledge to God.  Charity was his first concern, but the physical aspects of the hospital also received his diligent attention. 

Camillus revolutionized healthcare in his day by insisting on cleanliness and the technical competence of those who served the sick.  When a horrible famine broke out followed by such a widespread plague that 60,000 people died just in Rome alone, Camillus and his companions wasted no time in reaching out to the poor, clothing them, feeding them, offering shelter and administering the Sacrament of the Sick to the dying.   The Camillians were very innovative and formed the first military ambulance on battlefields.  They are also responsible for the red cross becoming a universal sign of medical aid because they wore a large red cross on the front of their black cassocks which became a recognized sign of medical charity. It was later adopted by the American Red Cross after the Civil War.

Camillus himself suffered the disease of his leg throughout his life and even in his last illness, he left his own bed to see if other patients in the hospital needed help. The once tough and rugged bully soldier is said to have become the most tender and compassionate of healthcare workers often saying that we should love and care for the sick as a mother does for her own children.   He died in Rome on July 14, 1614 at 64 years of age. He was declared a saint a little more than 100 years later and is the patron of the sick, addicts, healthcare workers and hospitals. St. Camillus de Lellis is a veritable sign and proof that grace can overcome addiction and can empower us to use our freedom to choose love for God and neighbor over love for ourselves alone.

DOGGIE-BAG: A little something to take away for spiritual snacking...

From Our Catholic Tradition: The Red Cross of St. Camillus. During a battle in 1601, while the Servants of the Sick were busy tending the wounded, their tent caught fire and everything in it was lost and burned EXCEPT for the red cross on a black cassock of one of the Camillians. It was completely untouched though all else around it was in ashes. Ever since then it became a custom to have small red crosses (usually made out of cloth) blessed and brought to the sick while invoking the intercession of St. Camillus de Lellis.  Many cures and healing have come about through this act of faith. A priest I knew was healed through this sacramental of the blessed Red Cross of St. Camillus. An invocation to use with the Red Cross: "By the power of the Cross and Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and through the prayers of St. Camillus de Lellis, may God comfort you (name) in this suffering and fill you with his healing grace in mind, body and spirit. Amen."

Prayer to St. Camillus: Glorious St. Camillus, turn your eyes upon those who suffer and those who minister to them. Grant to the sick trust in the goodness of God and in his healing grace. Help those who care for the sick to always respect the human dignity of those they serve by being kind and merciful, patient and generous, tender and compassionate. May your presence and prayers bring comfort in illness, strength in suffering and hope in the promises of the Divine Physician, Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

The Twelve Steps of Recovery from Addiction: The 12 Steps originated with Alcoholics Anonymous but few people know that they were refined by the founder of AA with the help of 2 Jesuit priests. These steps reflect the spiritual principles of St.  Ignatius Loyola (founder of the Jesuits) and are a simple modern day application of Gospel teachings on spiritual conversion and growth in love. Before casting stones at someone who is addicted to a substance or behavior, we need to realize that ALL people are addicted to sin in one way or another.  We also need to acknowledge, as St. Camillus' life shows us, that grace can and will overcome any addiction if we have the will to seek help and do what we can to regain our human freedom.  Choosing to embrace the 12 steps is the first way to find this help.

1. We admitted we were powerless over (whatever our addiction may be)—that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to other addicts, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

Scripture Verse to Memorize: "Our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin." (Romans 6:6)

Servants of the Sick (Camillians) Today

27. BITESIZE CATECHISM: ST. BENEDICT - SPIRITUAL BATTLE

APPETIZER: By our first parents' original sin, the devil has acquired a certain domination over humanity, even though the human person remains free. Original sin entails "captivity under the power of him who thenceforth had the power of death, that is, the devil".  The consequences of original sin and of all human being's personal sins put the world as a whole in the sinful condition aptly described in St. John's Gospel as, "the sin of the world". This expression can also refer to the negative influence exerted on people by communal situations and social structures that are the fruit of men's sins. This dramatic situation of "the whole world being in the power of the evil one" makes human life a battle:  The whole of human history has been the story of dour combat with the powers of evil, stretching, so our Lord tells us, from the very dawn of history until the last day. Finding themselves in the midst of the battlefield human beings struggle to do what is right, but with great determination and aided by the power of God's grace, people can succeed in achieving inner integrity. (CCC #407-409)

MAIN COURSE: When it comes to spiritual battle, the human struggle over evil, over personal and social sin, over the dark influence and temptations of the Evil One (who really does exist) one saint especially stands out as model and intercessor: St. Benedict of Nursia. Proof of his popularity can be seen in the fact that the Cross (or Medal) of St. Benedict is consistently among the top sellers of religious items among the Catholic people. Before we learn why this is so let's take a brief look at his life.

Few people realize that if it weren't for St. Benedict, western culture as we have come to know it would be a very different. We would not have the information passed on to us in some of the greatest books of ancient authors and history. We would be lacking many works of art and music. We would not have accuracy in the Sacred Scriptures which Benedict's monks copied carefully by hand. The reason why these cultural treasures have been preserved is that it was the monks and nuns of St. Benedict's religious family who protected, copied and preserved all of these things through the Dark Ages and in times of war and destruction in Europe.  

Benedict was born in Nursia, a town of northern Italy around 480 AD. He had a twin sister named Scholastica who would join him later in life to help establish monasteries for nuns as he did for monks. When he was a teenager his wealthy parents sent him to Rome for further education.  He did very well in his studies but he became disgusted with the ever-increasing immorality of Roman society.  To escape the filth and corruption of the culture, Benedict left the city and went into the hills where he spent a couple of years living as a hermit in  a cave and enjoying the solitude of the wilderness.  That cave is still present today at a monastery in the town of Subiaco, southeast of Rome. 

But when word of his dedicated life and holiness began to spread, people started coming to him for spiritual advice and direction. Benedict realized that God was calling him to be available to minister to the spiritual needs of people so he left his life as a hermit and became a monk. A monk is a man who dedicates himself to the quest of  striving for daily conversion of heart and to growing in intimacy with God through prayer and meditation. At that time there were groups of such men but they were quite disorganized and many simply wandered about without much aim or purpose. 

It was Benedict's mission to the Church and the world to organize men and women who wished to live this monastic life in community with one another.  He composed what has come to be called the Rule of St. Benedict in order to provide directives for a monastic way of life that is centered upon God, devoted to prayer and work, and extends hospitality to visitors, the sick and the needy.  The monks, nuns and laypeople who followed this Rule became known as the Order of St. Benedict or Benedictines and their monasteries can be found all over the world event today. 

He spent the remainder of his life at his famous Monte Cassino Abbey near Rome.   He died in 546 AD while standing, supported by two monks, in prayer before the Real Presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. Ever since then, he has become known as a powerful intercessor with God and a champion in the spiritual battle against the devil and his minions. 

It is the teaching of the Bible and of the Catholic Church that angels are real beings, without bodies like us. but with intelligence and a free will enabling them to chose between good and evil. Before the creation of humankind, these angels had to chose whom they would serve: God or themselves. It is a choice we all have to make at one point or another of our existence. Sadly, some of these angels led by Lucifer (aka Satan which means Adversary) chose to live apart from God in what we now call Hell (which simply means an existence device of God and all that is good). Horrified and despairing at what they have done to themselves, they have ever since gone about the world seeking to tempt others to make their same sad choice.  These temptations in the battle can come to us directly from the Devil (which means The Divider because he causes division and conflict) or an evil spirit or indirectly through sinful selfish desires that are promoted by our culture and by other human beings,  But we are not left helpless in such a situation for we have the faithful angels as guardians and the saints as prayer-partners to help us be strong and faithful in the midst of this spiritual battle.  

St. Benedict became known as a heavenly  protector because he was often spiritually attacked but always came away victorious.   For example one time someone tried to poison him by putting a drug into his cup of wine. However, he had an interior intuition so he blessed the cup with the Sign of the Cross and it automatically just shattered into pieces. They were many other miraculous events brought about by the Sign of the Cross blessing of Benedict in the spiritual battle  such as a poisoned loaf of bread being snatched out his hands by a crow; a heavy boulder obstructing the church rolling away upon his blessing, and a dead young monk brought back to life.

The stories of Benedict's trust in and devotion to the Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ eventually gave rise to what has become known as the Cross-Medal of St. Benedict. For centuries the Church has blessed these medals as reminders of his powerful and prayerful intercession, especially against all forms of evil. The spiritual power of this medal is not found in the object itself (that would be superstition) but in the trust that the user has in the Cross of Christ and the intercession of St. Benedict.   

The medal is full of symbolism and has prayers in abbreviated form.  It's main feature however must be a CROSS with the letters CSPB (Latin initials for Cross of our Father Benedict). It can have an image of St. Benedict (or nothing at all) on its reverse side. It is the only medal that receives a very special blessing precisely for the sake of spiritual battle and protection. 

But St. Benedict himself would tell us that his medal is not the primary way we should engage in spiritual battle and aim for victory. He would lead us first of all to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Priests who battle spiritual evil directly tell us that one good honest humble confession is worth more than 100 exorcisms!  Then Benedict would tell us to draw close to Christ in the Eucharist, through Scripture and through daily personal prayer.  This is essential because Christ is the Victor who has conquered the power of sin and death.  Then, being solidly grounded in our relationship with God, we can wear or use religious items such as the Medal of St. Benedict in a meaningful way that will help us to do good, avoid evil and become victorious is the spiritual battle. To use holy items without faith and devotion to Christ, without trying to live a Christian life, is meaningless and superstitious.

DOGGIE-BAG: A little something to take with you for spiritual snacking...

Prayer by St. Benedict
Almighty God, give me wisdom to perceive You, intelligence to understand You, diligence to seek You, patience to wait for You, eyes to behold You, a heart to meditate upon You and life to proclaim You, through the power of the Spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

From the Rule of St. Benedict
Benedictine hospitality is an outstanding example of Christian charity. It reminds us how the early Christians saw Jesus truly spiritually present in others.  Reflect on this excerpt from the Rule and apply its lesson to yourself: do you strive to see Jesus in those you encounter in daily life at home, at work, in the store?  Are visitors warmly welcomed and served in your home as Christ would be welcomed and served? 

Let all guests who arrive be received like Christ, for He is going to say, “I came as a guest, and you received Me” (Matt. 25:35). As soon as a guest is announced, therefore, let the Superior or the brethren meet him with all charitable service. And first of all let them pray together, and then exchange the kiss of peace. For the kiss of peace should not be offered until after the prayers have been said, on account of the devil’s deceptions. In the salutation of all guests, whether arriving or departing, let all humility be shown. Let the head be bowed or the whole body prostrated on the ground in adoration of Christ, who indeed is received in their persons. (From the Rule of St. Benedict, Chapter 53)