January 3, Most Holy Name of Jesus

  

 
January 3, Most Holy Name of Jesus

The name of Jesus is a name of gladness, a name of hope and a name of love. A name of gladness, because if the remembrance of past transgressions afflicts us, this name comforts us, reminding us that the Son of God became man for this purpose, to make himself our Savior.

A name of hope, because he that prays to the Eternal Father in the name of Jesus may hope for every grace he asks for: If you ask the Father anything in My name, He will give it you.

A name of love. For the name of Jesus brings to our remembrance all the sufferings which Jesus has endured for us in his life and at his death. — Excerpted from St. Alphonsus de Liguori, The Incarnation Birth and Infancy of Jesus Christ.   

Prayer to the Most Holy Name of Jesus

by St. Bernard of Clairvaux

 Jesus, the very thought of Thee With sweetness fills the breast! Yet sweeter far Thy face to see And in Thy presence rest.
No voice can sing, no heart can frame, Nor can the memory find, A sweeter sound than Jesus' name, The Savior of mankind.
O hope of every contrite heart! 0 joy of all the meek! To those who fall, how kind Thou art! How good to those who seek!
But what to those who find? Ah! this Nor tongue nor pen can show The love of Jesus, what it is, None but His loved ones know.
Jesus! our only hope be Thou, As Thou our prize shalt be; In Thee be all our glory now, And through eternity.

Amen.

Catholic Online

Feast of St. John, who leaned on His heart.

COMMENT:

On Thursday, 2 January 2014, 17:07, William ... wrote:

Dear Father Donald,

I am delighting in your blog entry for the feast of the Holy Name of Jesus, and followed the link you provided:

http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/overviews/months/01_1.cfm especially of that to the

history of the 'Monogram for the Holy Name' (that is a little further down the page).

'IHS' - sent me searching amongst my 'buttons & badges' collections of medallions, found on market

stalls over past years and, sure enough, there were two (see attached photos - front / back).

What a wonderful reflection this feast will add to the prayer to 'Our Father, Hallowed be Thy Name...'

Thank you for again taking me deeper into the mystery of the Holy Name of Jesus.

If I might find an old oak tree that I could carve this Name for all who pass by...

... in Our Lord,

William

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HE AND i, Gabrielle Bossis

1937

December - 24  -   Midnight Mass.

 "Enjoy it. Nothing must be lost of what I suffered for you in My passion. Bring everything into the inner stillness. Offer Me to Myself. "

 I was in spirit inside the wounds of His hands and as I was astonished to find myself entirely enclosed, He said to me,

"My wounds can hold the entire world. Stay there

(on His heart),

Say nothing. Let us exchange our sufferings and love in secret. . . I live you. My child, live Me. "Christmas  -  "Don't you live enfolded in Love? Give Me all. Everything. . . Love Me. Make amends for all the ways others are going to offend Me tonight. "

St.-John-and-Jesus-at-the-Last-Supper

     

December - 27  -   Feast of St. John, who leaned on His heart.

 "Tell Me that with every breath of yours you breathe the love of My heart. What priceless treasure for you!"

1942

Feb 12 ; Let your ear always be on the alert to listen to Me. You will hear. When John leaned on My heart, he heard its secrets. If he had not shown me this gesture of tenderness, would he ever have heard? I am like the shy person  -  I have to wait for you to make the first move."

1945

December 27  -  "If you have to make sacrifices to reach Me, don't worry about them. I'm in you. I’ll shoulder their weight. If you find no words to express your love, keep silent and I in you will speak to Myself. If you can't keep your thoughts on Me, come back to Me as soon as you notice this, gently, without bitterness against yourself. Since I can put up with you, you can surely put up with yourself. Transmute this into an opportunity of being humble. Oh, never miss one of such blessed opportunities. My little girl humble. . . What a joy for Me!

You understand, I see all that's going on inside you. I can fathom you. Don't parents see right through their little child? And I. . . Shouldn't that hearten you? Shouldn't it help your inner life? I'm at rest in your soul.

At the beginning of Creation, God walked in the Garden of Eden and talked with your first parents. There was God and there was man. Now it is the God - Man, and He is in you, still nearer, since He took on human nature. What oneness, My child! Think of it. If you understood better, your heart would melt with love. "

"Lord, give me the grace to understand better. " 

"Ask St. John to help you. It's his feast day today. Although I left him on the day of My ascension, he went on living with Me right to the end of his life on earth. Ask him for the tender faithfulness that won so much light for him. And trust. "

1948 

May - 27 - Corpus Christi. - "Lord, I want so much to work for "Your desires." 

"Take your place near Me where John is as I invent My Eucharist. Look at My happiness. I seem to forget even My fearful passion that is about to begin, so completely am I engulfed in the love of man. Not just the Eleven, but all the people to come, even to the very last at the end of time. You understand, it's as though I took everyone  -  all of you  -  in My body, promising you to be members of it. The thirst for union with you is so great that I want to be consumed by you in order to merge our minds, our beings. I want to be your thinking and your doing.

Such love amazes you, and yet you can guess at only a very faint part of it. Does the flame of a torch give any idea of a conflagration?

There, near Me, in John's place, are you aware of My deep joy at having found a way of remaining among you  -  all of you who were not there that evening at the Last Supper. You whom I already love so much that I am ready to die a shameful death for you. You whose entire life will be accompanied by My Hosts, and whose death will be the sweeter for them.

And from your place  -  John's place  -  see how the apostles have already become new men – gentle and fervent. They believe. They possess Me. I already act in them as I shall act in you.

Can I be present and not make your cup of blessings overflow? Who is as rich as I? Who could desire your highest good more than I? Then help Me to fulfil this desire by asking the Father that all people allow Me to have My own way in them. If only they would consent to let Me come in. They are afraid to be seen. They have no time for anything but business; they have none for Me. They don't believe and they don't think about these things. They are scornful. Others believe, but hate Me and basely persecute all that they can in the ciborium.

You, My faithful friends, surround Me; adorn My tabernacles; comfort Me; respond to Love, in life, in death; wish to remain longer on earth in order to love Me the longer there. Others will come after you, but who will replace you? For Me each of you has a face, a path. Keep your face before My face and hasten along your path." 

COMMENT:

Various Community Refectory pictures of the Last Supper.

1.

Dublin - refectory.  

Fontani (Italy) Last Supper renditions, polymer/wood/resin.  

Edinburgh - Gillis Centre

Hand-painted Plaque, Last Supper, abbey guest house.

Carved plaque - Carlisle shop

Ireland - Abbey community room

Co. Dublin - Refectory

APOSTLESHIP OF PRAYER FOR THE YEAR 2014

January of the Month of the Holy Name o Jesus

January 2014 - Overview for the Month

The month of January is dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus, which is celebrated on January 3. The first twelve days of January fall during the liturgical season known as Christmas which is represented by the liturgical color white. The remaining days of January are the beginning of Ordinary Time. The liturgical color changes to green — a symbol of the hope of reaping the eternal harvest of heaven, especially the hope of a glorious resurrection.

The Holy Father's Intentions for the Month of January 2014

General: That all may promote authentic economic development that respects the dignity of all peoples.
Missionary: That Christians of diverse denominations may walk toward the unity desired by Christ.

http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/overviews/months/01.cfm
PPRAYER INTENTIONS OF THE HOLY FATHER ENTRUSTED TO THE APOSTLESHIP OF PRAYER FOR THE YEAR 2014

January Economic Development.  That all may promote authentic economic development that respects the dignity of all peoples. Christian Unity.  That Christians of diverse denominations may walk toward the unity desired by Christ. February Elders.  That the Church and society may respect the wisdom and experience of older people. Collaboration in Evangelization.  That priests, religious, and lay people may work together with generosity. March Respect for Women.  That all cultures may respect the rights and dignity of women. Vocations.  That many young people may accept the Lord’s invitation to consecrate their lives to proclaiming the Gospel. April Ecology and Justice.  That governments may foster the protection of creation and the just distribution of natural resources. Hope for the Sick.  That the Risen Lord may fill with hope the hearts of those who are being tested by pain and sickness.  May Media. That the media may be instruments in the service of truth and peace. Mary’s Guidance. That Mary, Star of Evangelization, may guide the Church in proclaiming Christ to all nations. June Unemployed. That the unemployed may receive support and find the work they need to live in dignity. Faith in Europe.  That Europe may rediscover its Christian roots through the witness of believers. July Sports. That sports may always be occasions of human fraternity and growth. Lay Missionaries.  That the Holy Spirit may support the work of the laity who proclaim the Gospel in the poorest countries. August Refugees.  That refugees, forced by violence to abandon their homes, may find a generous welcome and the protection of their rights. Oceania.  That Christians in Oceania may joyfully announce the faith to all the people of that region. September Mentally disabled. That the mentally disabled may receive the love and help they need for a dignified life. Service to the poor.  That Christians, inspired by the Word of God, may serve the poor and suffering. October Peace. That the Lord may grant peace to those parts of the world most battered by war and violence. World Mission Day.  That World Mission Day may rekindle in every believer zeal for carrying the Gospel into all the world. November Lonely people. That all who suffer loneliness may experience the closeness of God and the support of others. Mentors of seminarians and religious.  That young seminarians and religious may have wise and well-formed mentors. December Christmas, hope for humanity. That the birth of the Redeemer may bring peace and hope to all people of good will. Parents.  That parents may be true evangelizers, passing on to their children the precious gift of faith.

From the Vatican, 1 February 2013

in laudem Basilii Magni

Saint of the day : St. Basil the Great, Bishop and Doctor of the Church († 379), 

iBreviary
SECOND READING

From a sermon by Saint Gregory Nazianzen
(Oratio 43, in laudem Basilii Magni, 15, 16-17, 19-21; PG 36, 514-423)                   Two bodies, but a single spirit

Basil and I were both in Athens. We had come, like streams of a river, from the same source in our native land, had separated from each other in pursuit of learning, and were now united again as if by plan, for God so arranged it.

I was not alone at that time in my regard for my friend, the great Basil. I knew his irreproachable conduct, and the maturity and wisdom of his conversation. I sought to persuade others, to whom he was less well known, to have the same regard for him. Many fell immediately under his spell, for they had already heard of him by reputation and hearsay.

What was the outcome? Almost alone of those who had come to Athens to study he was exempted from the customary ceremonies of initiation for he was held in higher honor than his status as a first-year student seemed to warrant.

Such was the prelude to our friendship, the kindling of that flame that was to bind us together. In this way we began to feel affection for each other. When, in the course of time, we acknowledged our friendship and recognised that our ambition was a life of true wisdom, we became everything to each other: we shared the same lodging, the same table, the same desires the same goal. Our love for each other grew daily warmer and deeper.

The same hope inspired us: the pursuit of learning. This is an ambition especially subject to envy. Yet between us there was no envy. On the contrary, we made capital out of our rivalry. Our rivalry consisted, not in seeking the first place for oneself but in yielding it to the other, for we each looked on the other’s success as his own.

We seemed to be two bodies with a single spirit. Though we cannot believe those who claim that everything is contained in everything, yet you must believe that in our case each of us was in the other and with the other.

Our single object and ambition was virtue, and a life of hope in the blessings that are to come; we wanted to withdraw from this world before we departed from it. With this end in view we ordered our lives and all our actions. We followed the guidance of God’s law and spurred each other on to virtue. If it is not too boastful to say, we found in each other a standard and rule for discerning right from wrong. Different men have different names, which they owe to their parents or to themselves, that is, to their own pursuits and achievements. But our great pursuit, the great name we wanted, was to be Christians, to be called Christians.

RESPONSORY
Daniel 2:21-22; 1 Corinthians 12:11

The Lord gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to those who have understanding.
– He reveals what is deep and hidden;
all light has its source in him.

One and the same Spirit is at work in all,
and he gives to each as he wills.
– He reveals what is deep and hidden;
all light has its source in him.

MARY, MOTHER OF GOD The most famous Marian homily of antiquity

Hogmanay New Year

CHRISTMASTIDE Octave of Christmas 1 January MARY, MOTHER OF GOD The most famous Marian homily of antiquity From a homily by Saint Cyril of Alexandria (Hom. 4: PG 77, 991.995-996) This is the most famous Marian homily of antiquity. It was delivered in the Churchof Saint Mary at Ephesus between 23 and 27 June 431, while the third Ecumenical Council was in session there. This Council, at which Cyril presided as papal delegate, condemned Nestorius, and solemnly recognized Mary's title of Theotokos, Mother of God. Mary, Mother of God, we salute you. Precious vessel, worthy of the whole world's reverence, you are an ever-shining light, the crown of virginity, the symbol of orthodoxy, an indestructible temple, the place that held him whom no place can contain, mother and virgin. Because of you the holy gospels could say: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. We salute you, for in your holy womb he, who is beyond all limitation, was confined. Because of you the holy Trinity is glorified and adored; the cross is called precious and is venerated throughout the world; the heavens exult; the angels and archangels make merry; demons are put to flight; the devil, that tempter, is thrust down from heaven; the fallen race of man is taken up on high; all creatures possessed by the madness of idolatry have attained knowledge of the truth; believers receive holy baptism; the oil of gladness is poured out; the Church is established throughout the world; pagans are brought to repentance. What more is there to say? Because of you the light of the only-begotten Son of God has shone upon those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death; prophets pronounced the word of God; the apostles preached salvation to the Gentiles; the dead are raised to life, and kings rule by the power of the holy Trinity. Who can put Mary's high honor into words? She is both mother and virgin. I am overwhelmed by the wonder of this miracle. Of course no one could be prevented from living in the house he had built for himself, yet who would invite mockery by asking his own servant to become his mother? Behold then the joy of the whole universe. Let the union of God and man in the Son of the Virgin Mary fill us with awe and adoration. Let us fear and worship the undivided Trinity as we sing the praise of the ever-virgin Mary, the holy temple of God, and of God himself, her Son and spotless Bridegroom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

January 1, Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God

January 1, Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God

Although New Year's Day is not celebrated by the Church, this day has been observed as a holy day of obligation since early times due to the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. Each family and country has different traditional foods to eat on New Year's Day, with lentils being the main superstition: ill luck befalling those who do not eat lentils at the beginning of the year.

New Year's is a day of traditional hospitality, visiting and good cheer, mostly with a secular view, but there is no reason that this day, too, could not be sanctified in Christ. 

 Catholic Culture

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 iBreviary 

Office Reading

From a letter by Saint Athanasius, bishop
  (Epist. Ad Epicetum, 5-9; PG 26, 1-58, 1062, 1066)

The Word took our nature from Mary   

  The Apostle tells us: The Word took to himself the sons of Abraham, and so had to be like his brothers in all things. He had then to take a body like ours. This explains the fact of Mary’s presence: she is to provide him with a body of his own, to be offered for our sake. Scripture records her giving birth, and says: She wrapped him in swaddling clothes. Her breasts, which fed him, were called blessed. Sacrifice was offered because the child was her firstborn. Gabriel used careful and prudent language when he announced his birth. He did not speak of “what will be born in you” to avoid the impression that a body would be introduced into her womb from outside; he spoke of “what will be born from you” so that we might know by faith that her child originated within her and from her.

By taking our nature and offering it in sacrifice, the Word was to destroy it completely and then invest it with his own nature, and so prompt the Apostle to say: This corruptible body must put on incorruption; this mortal body must put on immortality.

This was not done in outward show only, as some have imagined. This is not so. Our Savior truly became man, and from this has followed the salvation of man as a whole. Our salvation is in no way fictitious, nor does it apply only to the body. The salvation of the whole man, that is, of soul and body, has really been achieved in the Word himself.

What was born of Mary was therefore human by nature, in accordance with the inspired Scriptures, and the body of the Lord was a true body: It was a true body because it was the same as ours. Mary, you see, is our sister, for we are all born from Adam.

The words of Saint John: The Word was made flesh, bear the same meaning, as we may see from a similar turn of phrase in Saint Paul: Christ was made a curse for our sake. Man’s body has acquired something great through its communion and union with the Word. From being mortal it has been made immortal; though it was a living body it has become a spiritual one; though it was made from the earth it has passed through the gates of heaven.

Even when the Word takes a body from Mary, the Trinity remains a Trinity, with neither increase nor decrease. It is for ever perfect. In the Trinity we acknowledge one Godhead, and thus one God, the Father of the Word, is proclaimed in the Church.

RESPONSORY

O pure and holy Virgin,
how can I find words to praise your beauty?
– The highest heavens cannot contain God whom you carried in your womb.

Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.

Mass 6th Day within Christmas of the Nativity of the Lord.

Father Marie-Domenique Philippe O.P. (+2006) 

Monday 30th December 2013.

MAGNIFICAT com. 

Gospel, Luke 2:36-40.

‘She spoke of the child to all who looked forward to the deliverance of Jerusalem’.

MEDITATION OF THE DAY

Anna and Mary

A widow of "great age" who "did not depart from the Temple, worshipping with fasting and prayer night and day" (Lk 2:37), moved by the Holy Spirit, begins to give glory to God and to speak of the Child Jesus "to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem". Before John the Baptist, who will be "the voice of one crying in the wilderness" to announce the coming of the Messiah, after the angels who glorified God in the highest, there is this poor widow in the Temple, who is the first to announce the good news. This prophetess of the tribe of Asher is there as the representative of all the other prophetesses of the Old Testament who bore witness to God's merciful providence.

The mystery of the Presentation really brings together in the Temple all that was living and true in the Old Testament. The Holy Spirit brings them together in God's house so that they may be able to receive this first visit of Christ to the Temple to share in his mystery by recognising that the period of expectation has finally ended and that the Light appears and begins to rise.

This mystery shows us how the union of the Old and the New Testaments is found in Mary, how in and through her the Old Testament is assumed by the New without being abolished: the Old Testament is completely transformed. She is the woman who closes and completes the Synagogue and the woman who is the Mother and prototype of the Church.

This union is achieved through the mystery of the cross, but Mary must first live this mystery in her faith, her hope, and her love. This mystery must take complete possession of her soul before being accomplished out­wardly in Christ's body. She must carry it in the inmost depths of her heart, and this is truly what constitutes this mystery of offering and purification, which is actually one and the same mystery. For every offering brings about a purification, and every divine purification must be an offering.

Father Marie-Domenique Philippe O.P. (+2006) a Dominican priest was the founder of the Community of 5t John and taught philosophy and theology.

Evangelist St. John, to be proclaimed "Best Friends Day." Post ...

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2013

Best Friends Day

I hereby proclaim December 27, Feast of the Apostle and Evangelist St. John, to be "Best Friends Day." This is, after all, "the disciple Jesus loved," the favorite among the Twelve apostles. With St Andrew he was the first (literal) follower of Jesus, and the witness to all the major events in the public life of Jesus. He stood under the cross, took Christ's bereaved mother in, ran to the tomb on Easter Day (where "he saw and believed" what had not yet been announced). John is a wonderful patron and image of a faithful friend.

Is it possible that friendship is a notion we need to reclaim as a culture?

Sixth day in the Octave of Christmas

Christmas: December 30th

Sixth day in the Octave of Christmas 

» Enjoy our Liturgical Seasons series of e-books!
It would be ideal if we could devote several days of the Christmas octave to quiet contemplation, entering ever more deeply into the sweet and profound mystery of the Incarnation; yet much of the time is devoted to the saints. All the more precious, therefore, is this day, an unencumbered Christmas day. 

December 30, Sixth Day in the Octave of Christmas

God is your beatitude. The things of time are toys. You are eternity's child and your eternity has already begun! There is a compelling urgency to every day and every hour of the day. In it we are to witness to the truth — that God greeted and gifted us at Christmas.

If you know what witness means, you understand why God brings St. Stephen, St. John, and the Holy Innocents to the crib in the cave as soon as Christ is born liturgically. To be a witness is to be a martyr. Holy Mother Church wishes us to realize that we were born in baptism to become Christ — He who was the world's outstanding Martyr. — Love Does Such Things, by Rev. M. Raymond, O.C.S.O.

John the Beloved (3) in Christmas Octave,

COMMENT:
Google 'liquorice all sorts' on John  the Beloved; ranges the whole disarray of views.
I was relieved to find the "Help For Christians" link.

http://www.helpforchristians.co.uk/articles/a51.asp

ARTICLE:	THE DA VINCI CODE The Last Supper
OUTLINE:	Introduction
	The Centrality of Christ
	The Twelve Apostles
	Judas, Peter and John
	John or Mary Magdalene?
	Conclusion

Judas, Peter and John		(back to top)
This group is where something quite specific is happening. Since Leonardo was using the New Testament account as the basis for the picture, it is not surprising that the text makes everything perfectly clear. St. John's Gospel (chapter 13, verses 21 to 26) describes the event in these words: Jesus said: 'Very truly, I tell you, one of you will betray me.' The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he was speaking. One of his disciples - the one whom Jesus loved [John] - was reclining next to him; Simon Peter therefore motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. So while reclining next to Jesus, he asked him, 'Lord, who is it?' Jesus answered, 'It is the one to whom I give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.' So when he had dipped the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas... The other Gospel accounts are very similar to one another and will have been familiar to the friars as they ate, and to Leonardo. They add the detail - Then they began to ask one another which one of them it could be who would do this. (Luke 22:23) In addition, both Mark and Matthew record the question 'Surely, not I?' Leonardo naturally incorporates this detail which dovetails so neatly with St. John's account, and such questioning is most apparent in the Apostles on the right, numbers 7, 9 and 11. The Key Group The three in the second and visually 'lowest' group are: Judas the Treasurer and Traitor Simon Peter the Leader John ('the disciple whom Jesus loved') or, according to the Da Vinci Code, St. Mary Magdalene. They are a fascinating bunch, and are worth close attention. a) Judas, the Treasurer and Traitor Judas, was the 'keeper of the purse', i.e. the Apostles' treasurer. He is the odd one out in the company, but at this stage he is not yet known to be the traitor by the other Apostles. Leonardo had a complex set of requirements to meet. i) He had to identify Judas for the viewer. ii) He had to make Judas's position close enough to Jesus so that Jesus, moments later, can give him the piece of dipped bread as St. John's Gospel records. iii) He had somehow to set Judas apart, but without jumping-the-gun and depicting him as the Traitor. Leonardo accomplishes this in six ways: Judas is the only Apostle identified by his traditional symbol. In his case it is always a leather money-purse: he holds it in his right hand as he rests his arm on the table. As Judas has to be able to receive the dipped bread from Jesus, his other arm is stretched out along the table towards Jesus's hand. With his hands and arms clearly well onto the table, this position enables Judas to be nearer us than the other Apostles are. Visually Judas is on a different plane from the rest, and views Jesus differently - this is theologically true also. Judas is able to look back at Jesus. While the other Apostles are in the light, Judas's face is in comparative darkness because of his very different position. His face in shadow acts as a camouflage, and Leonardo does his best to merge Judas into his background (which happens to be Simon Peter). Judas's head is lower than all the others. He is given a green outer robe (in contrast to Jesus's red garment), and his hair is darker than most. Leonardo depicts Judas's face in even less than full profile. These factors combine with considerable effect. Anyone who was asked quickly to count the number of Apostles' might easily see only eleven at first glance. b) Simon Peter, the Leader The next Apostle in the irregular row of heads is Peter. He is primarily identified by what he is doing - although he is also portrayed with his traditional short beard and receding hair. He is visually emphasised by Leonardo's placing of him so that the line of the rear corner of the room 'points' down to him. In St. John's account 'Peter motioned to him [John] to ask Jesus.' Peter, being the leader, acts as spokesman for them all. Peter's left hand is visible just below John's face and points to Jesus. This is what is being said at the moment that Leonardo chose to depict, and so is of the utmost importance. Apostles 10, 11 and 12 seem also to be talking, but it is what Jesus has just said (made clear by the shock of the Apostles) and what Peter is saying to John that constitute the event. To make this clear to the viewer Leonardo places Peter's and John's heads extremely close and visually uses Peter's pointing hand to link them even tighter. Ask the casual observer 'Who is obviously speaking?' and 'Who is obviously listening?' and they cannot but point to Peter and John in the second group, because Leonardo's visual signals are so strong. Having had to place Peter and John so close, Leonardo was faced with the problem of the composition of this group. Judas's position made his head much lower than anyone else's. To unite this second group of Apostles, Leonardo has to get Peter's, John's and Judas's heads more closely related. Leonardo accomplishes this with an amazing visual trick. He paints the bodies of Peter and Judas in such a way that Peter, who occupies the fourth seat, ends up as head number 5, and Judas in the fifth seat ends up as head number 4! Leonardo crosses the two bodies of Peter and Judas; two so 'diametrically opposed' followers as we might say. One is craning forward towards Jesus while the other is leaning away from him and not reacting at all. This results in lowering Peter's head, so John in turn has to lean down towards Peter to listen to him. In addition, John's leaning to hear Peter above the hubbub caused by Jesus's prediction, stops John blocking the viewer's sight of the first window. This serves Leonardo well because he did not want a mirror image of the two outside windows, and he intended to block the right hand one. The leaning of John clears the view to see the Tuscan countryside 'beyond', and this stops the extended room from becoming claustrophobic. The 'V' of the composition that Dan Brown claims is so important is caused simply by Leonardo's solutions to these many demands. Basically it is John's leaning to listen to the leaning Peter that creates the 'V' gap between Jesus and the second trio of Apostles. (There is a notable, but flatter, 'V-gap' between the third and fourth groups of Apostles.) While Brown emphasises the 'V-space' of what is not there, I expect Leonardo would stress the importance of what is there in the two side-by-side triangles that create the empty 'V': Jesus on the right, and the figures of Judas, Peter and John on the left. The meaning of the painting, what is happening and why, is almost all indicated by Jesus and the Judas-Peter-John group. On the right side of the mural there is less happening, but just as Leonardo used the line of the left-hand far corner of the room to point us to Peter, so he uses the right hand corner to point us to Philip. Leonardo uses other means to draw our attention to him. He is the only one in bright red on the right hand side, and he is the highest figure in the composition - the most 'up' member of the most 'up' group. His impressive stance, with both hands on his heart, is the traditional - and obvious - one to indicate penitence and sorrow. Philip is the focus of the question that struck the hearts of all present (except Judas): 'Is it I?' (To use the old and more familiar translation). Leonardo goes well towards capturing the sheer anguish that must have laid behind the terrible question. It is well to be reminded that Judas committed suicide after his betrayal of Jesus - such was the weight of the dreadful deed. When Jesus declared that someone would betray him - that potential weight fell on all of them. This is the moment that Leonardo depicts - immediately before the answer is given - and why there is such consternation portrayed among the Apostles. Is this a dagger... ? There is a further detail regarding Peter.
In the same Gospel account we read how Jesus and the disciples left and went to the Garden they knew well (Gethsemane). There Judas arrived with armed soldiers and police. Jesus, with Judas by him, steps forward three times to declare that he is the one they are looking for. Finally he says: 'I told you that I am he. So if you are looking for me, let these men go.'... Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest's slave, and cut off his right ear. The slave's name was Malchus. Jesus said to Peter, 'Put your sword back into its sheath...' It is probably Peter's impetuosity and eagerness to fight for Jesus that led Leonardo to place a knife in Peter's right hand. In size it is ambiguously both a large knife and a short sword. It would also, perhaps, strengthen Peter's identity for the regular monastic diners for whom the picture was painted, and who would know - almost by heart - the Gospel accounts. The friars' greater familiarity with the Gospel text would enable them to make links instantly that most of us Christians nowadays would only manage to make more slowly! Readers must realise that the painting is now in a safe but terrible condition. The patchiness of the surviving paint-work makes it look nowadays as if the knife might not be held by Peter but by a disembodied arm! - as Dan Brown believes. In fact Peter's right wrist is doubled-back on his hip. Leonardo's preparatory drawing for the arm is in Windsor and shows the sharply bent wrist clearly. I have just replicated Peter's arm in front of a mirror while holding a bread-knife! Leonardo is accurate as always. There's no need for any 'third arm' theory! The knife is apparent just behind Judas's back, but it is safely pointing away from him. Although not a very 'natural' position it is difficult to see in what other way Peter could plausibly have held it and have made it visible to the viewers. (However, the knife inadvertently points rather threateningly to Apostle number 3 in the adjoining group! At first sight his two hands may be raised in horror at Jesus's prediction of his betrayal. However his lowered eyelids suggest to me that he may have just looked down and reacted in horror at the knife - the blade of which appears all-too-close to his stomach as Peter suddenly lurches forward to speak to John. It is only a possibility, and is of no importance.) Dan Brown sees Peter thrusting the edge of his hand blade-like across St. Mary Magdalene's neck as an expression of his jealousy that Mary would become the leader of the Church, as described in the Apocryphal Gospel of Mary Magdalene.

Feast of the Holy Family. Sunday in the Octave of the Nativity

Christmas: December 29th

Feast of the Holy Family

December 29, Feast of the Holy Family Today is the feast day of the Holy Family, but also every family's feast day, since the Holy Family is the patron and model of all Christian families. Today should be a huge family feast, since it is devoted entirely to the Holy Family as a model for the Christian family life. As Rev. Edward Sutfin states: "The children must learn to see in their father the foster-father St. Joseph, and the Blessed Mother as the perfect model for their own mother. The lesson to be learned is both practical and theoretical, in that the children must learn how to obey and to love their parents in thought, word and action, just as Christ was obedient to Mary and Joseph. Helping mother in the kitchen and in the house work, and helping father in his odd jobs about the home thus take on a new significance by being performed in a Christ-like spirit." (True Christmas Spirit, ©1955, St. Meinrad Archabbey, Inc.)

Commentary of the day : 

  
Pope Francis 
Encyclical « Lumen fidei / The Light of faith »,     §52-53 (trans. © Libreria Editrice Vaticana) 

Faith and the journey of the family

Faith and the family: In Abraham’s journey towards the future city (Heb 11,10), the Letter to the Hebrews mentions the blessing which was passed on from fathers to sons (Heb 11:20-21). The first setting in which faith enlightens the human city is the family. I think first and foremost of the stable union of man and woman in marriage. This union is born of their love, as a sign and presence of God’s own love... Grounded in this love, a man and a woman can promise each other mutual love in a gesture which engages their entire lives and mirrors many features of faith. Promising love for ever is possible when we perceive a plan bigger than our own ideas and undertakings, a plan which sustains us and enables us to surrender our future entirely to the one we love. Faith also helps us to grasp in all its depth and richness the begetting of children, as a sign of the love of the Creator who entrusts us with the mystery of a new person. So it was that Sarah, by faith, became a mother, for she trusted in God’s fidelity to his promise (Heb 11:11).
In the family, faith accompanies every age of life, beginning with childhood: children learn to trust in the love of their parents. This is why it is so important that within their families parents encourage shared expressions of faith which can help children gradually to mature in their own faith. Young people in particular, who are going through a period in their lives which is so complex, rich and important for their faith, ought to feel the constant closeness and support of their families and the Church in their journey of faith.

This is what St Bernard of Clairvaux said in this regard, ‘God, to whom angels submit themselves and who principalities and powers obey, was subject to Mary; and not only to Mary but Joseph also for Mary’s sake [….]. God obeyed a human creature; this is humility without precedent. A human creature commands God; it is sublime beyond measure.’ (First Homily on the ‘Missus Est’).

Day Four of Christmas

Christmas: December 28th

Feast of the Holy Innocents, martyrs

December 28, Feast of the Holy Innocents The Holy Innocents saved the Child Jesus from death by King Herod by the shedding of their own blood. The Holy Innocents are the special patrons of small children, who can please the Christ Child by being obedient and helpful to parents, and by sharing their toys and loving their siblings and playmates. The feast of the Holy Innocents is an excellent time for parents to inaugurate the custom of blessing their children. From the Ritual comes the form which we use on solemn occasions, such as First Communion. But parents can simply sign a cross on the child's forehead with the right thumb dipped in holy water and say: May God bless you, and may He be the Guardian of your heart and mind—the Father, + Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen. The Holy Innocents Today, dearest brethren, we celebrate the birthday of those children who were slaughtered, as the Gospel tells us, by that exceedingly cruel king, Herod. Let the earth, therefore, rejoice and the Church exult — she, the fruitful mother of so many heavenly champions and of such glorious virtues. Never, in fact, would that impious tyrant have been able to benefit these children by the sweetest kindness as much as he has done by his hatred. For as today's feast reveals, in the measure with which malice in all its fury was poured out upon the holy children, did heaven's blessing stream down upon them. "Blessed are you, Bethlehem in the land of Judah! You suffered the inhumanity of King Herod in the murder of your babes and thereby have become worthy to offer to the Lord a pure host of infants. In full right do we celebrate the heavenly birthday of these children whom the world caused to be born unto an eternally blessed life rather than that from their mothers' womb, for they attained the grace of everlasting life before the enjoyment of the present. The precious death of any martyr deserves high praise because of his heroic confession; the death of these children is precious in the sight of God because of the beatitude they gained so quickly. For already at the beginning of their lives they pass on. The end of the present life is for them the beginning of glory. These then, whom Herod's cruelty tore as sucklings from their mothers' bosom, are justly hailed as "infant martyr flowers"; they were the Church's first blossoms, matured by the frost of persecution during the cold winter of unbelief. — St. Augustine