Monastic Homilies

From: www.saintvincentarchabbey.org

Memorial of Venerable Solanus Casey

Phil 2:12-18; Ps 27:1, 4, 13-14; Lk 14:25-33

"Be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD"

The Venerable Solanus Casey was a hidden and honored priest of the Capuchin Order. He lived and served the poorest of the poor from the streets of Detroit. He was forbidden to preach or hear confessions, even though he was ordained. His superiors discerned that his lack of intellectual grasp of theology was not adequate for such a public ministry. Yet, this limitation, though frustrating, did not make this holy friar priest bitter and rebellious. He accepted the sufferings of his cross and found in this great gift a life of hidden and holy ministry. Even with these limitations he became a great lover of the poor, and he became a wise and holy servant of the Church. The LORD was his light and his salvation. He was not afraid of humiliation and his life became a refuge for many souls. The only thing he asked was to dwell in the house of the LORD and to gaze upon the loveliness of the LORD and contemplate his temple. He believed that he would see the bounty of the LORD in the land of the living. He waited for the LORD with courage; Venerable Father Solanus was stouthearted and waited for the LORD. His suffering enabled him to grow in wisdom that he would share with all who came to unburden themselves to this friar; he would teach them, "Blessed be God in all his designs". His grateful friends financed the beginnings of a soup kitchen during the Depression. His brother friars still feed the hungry there today. The priest chaplain in a sanitarium near Baltimore scandalized his brother, Father Maurice. In response to his brother's complaint Father Solanus wrote: "God could have established his Church under supervision of angels that have no faults or weaknesses. But who can doubt that as it stands today, consisting of and under the supervision of poor sinners--successors to the 'poor fishermen of Galilee'; the Church is a more outstanding miracle than any other way?" Indeed this Venerable Friar was never bitter because of his lack of public ministry instead, he became beautiful because of it. Such is the blessing waiting for all who find in the Cross their only friend.

Even in his absence the Apostle Paul would hear the good news of his beloved converts. His joy is boundless as he writes to the Church in Philippi. He praises their obedience and their struggle to work out their salvation with fear and trembling. This is the kind of virtue that kept Venerable Solanus Casey in the Capuchin Order and in service to the poor and needy. Like these early believers in Philippi, Father Casey worked out his salvation with fear and trembling. This Venerable Friar delighted in the mercy and kindness of God who, for his good purpose, worked in him in all he desired and in all he did. He did everything without grumbling or questioning, so that he became more and more blameless and innocent, a child of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom he shone like a light in the world. Father Casey held on to the Word of Life; he was courageous in his exile from public ministry, and he stoutheartedly waited upon the will of God. With Saint Paul and all the hidden saints throughout the history of the church, Venerable Solanus did not run in vain or labor in vain. He poured himself out as a libation upon the sacrificial service of his faith. It was his joy to serve in any way that he could. He did not cling to his rights and his dignity, but he poured himself out in faithful service to those who also suffered great indignities and constant humiliations. Indeed, this is the rejoicing found in the hearts of all who serve the Master, who himself was humiliated and suffered gladly for the salvation of his Beloved Bride. 

A life of detachment in which one renounces all possessions is the life of discipleship. As clergy, religious, or laity, all believers are summoned by the Lord Jesus to be detached from the desire to possess anyone or anything. We must be attached to God alone. The only desire that must grow stronger every day is the desire to possess God himself, not his gifts or his blessings, but God. There is no experience of God that is God. Every experience is just than, an experience. God alone fulfills the deepest desire of the human heart. We are created to be filled with God, and until we are so filled we are restless in heart, mind and spirit. The Lord Jesus is not interested in keeping the crowds happy or loyal. He wants everyone who comes to him to renounce all attachments to family and even life itself. Indeed, no one can follow the Lord Jesus without carrying his own cross. The Lord Jesus teaches the wisdom of the cross by his illustration of the builder and the warrior king. Neither would begin a building or a military campaign without a careful assessment of his resources and his limitations. Father Solanus Casey must have spent many hours in prayerful consideration of his situation. Could he bear the humiliation of his limitations and still serve with joy? This question is at the heart of every would-be disciple of the Lord Jesus. Indeed, only attachment to the Cross of Christ will enable us to persevere in a life of prayer and service.

Br. John Paul, n.O.S.B.

From: www.stvincentmonks.com

How does a twenty two year old, freshly graduated from Penn State, end up a novice monk at Saint Vincent Archabbey? It was a result of prayer.

I experienced a conversion of heart from a nominal Catholic to a truly practicing one during my freshmen year of college. After this conversion, by praying more and sinning less, vague ideas of a vocation to the priesthood arose in my mind and heart. Shortly after my reversion, I responded to an offer in our campus ministry bulletin to visit St. Vincent Archabbey for a vocation retreat. Through this retreat, the Holy Spirit inspired an urge in my heart to seek a spiritual director.

With the assistance of Father Boniface Hicks OSB, I was able to give myself more generously to Jesus by gradually expanding my prayer life and remaining stable in it. It was through this stability in prayer, the frequent reception of the Sacraments, spiritual direction, and lots of holy reading that I was able to hear the voice of God more clearly. He was tugging on my heart saying to it "Feed my sheep" and "Come,follow me" . Through two profound experiences in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, this tugging became something I could no longer ignore in good conscience.

With my vocation more solidly discerned and after a few more visits to Saint Vincent and one to St. Paul's Seminary in Pittsburgh; I requested to stay at the Archabbey for six weeks during the summer after my junior year for a prolonged period of discernment. During this time, I experienced many sides of monastic life, began to feel at home in the community, and received the grace of a deepened prayer life.

Additionally, during my junior and senior years at Penn State, Our Lord powerfully called me to leadership positions in the vibrant Catholic community, and used me as instrument of His grace. In teaching and defending the faith, in leading the officers of the Newman Catholic Student Association spiritually and temporally, in suffering for and praying with other students, the priestly vocation, discerned in personal prayer, became more apparent through experience.

Thus, I knew that I had to pursue the priesthood after graduation in order to respond faithfully to the graces of discernment I had received, but I remained unsure as to whether I was being called to the Diocese of Pittsburgh or the Benedictine Order at Saint Vincent. This confusion was cleared-up in three ways: my extended visit in the summer of '07; my participation in the pilgrimage to Rome that St. Vincent offers annually for vocation candidates; and through the intercession of many dearly beloved friends in a prayer group at Penn State.

At the beginning my senior year I intended to enter St. Vincent. After the first semester I felt even more confident that this was God's will. I had a firm sense that by becoming a Benedictine monk I would be a holier priest and that my desire to surrender my being to God in thanksgiving for his love would be more readily fulfilled as a monk.

Ultimately, it was through much prayer, prayer before the Eucharist and to Our Lady, that I was able to hear the voice of God more clearly. I urge all that may be reading this in response to Jesus tugging on their own heart to be open before Christ in the Blessed Sacrament and to give their hearts to Our Lady. Jesus and Mary will take care of the rest. All that has left to do on our part is to surrender. Totus Tuus Maria.

Solemnity of All Saints

JOHN PAUL II

ANGELUS

Solemnity of All Saints
Saturday, 1 November 2003

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

1. Today we celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints. It invites us to turn our gaze to the immense multitude of those who have already reached the blessed Homeland, pointing us to the road which leads to that destination.

The Saints and Blesseds of Paradise remind us, as pilgrims on Earth, that prayer, above all, is our sustenance for each day so that we never lose sight of our eternal destiny. For many of them the Rosary - the prayer to which the year just ended was dedicated - was the privileged instrument for their daily discourse with the Lord. The Rosary led them to an ever more profound intimacy with Christ and with the Blessed Virgin.

2. The Rosary can truly be a simple and accessible way for all to holiness, which is the vocation of each baptized person, as today's feast highlights.

In the Apostolic Letter Novo Millennio Ineunte, I reminded all the faithful that holiness is the primary requirement of the Christian life (cf. nn. 30-31).

May Mary, Queen of all the Saints, already totally immersed in divine glory, help us to proceed with haste on the demanding road of Christian perfection. May she help us to understand and to appreciate ever more the recitation of the Rosary as an evangelical work of contemplation of the mystery of Christ and of faithful acceptance of his will.

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Following the Angelus, the Holy Father said the following: 

According to pious custom, it is customary in these days for the faithful to visit the tombs of their loved ones and to pray for them.

I, too, am making a spiritual pilgrimage to the cemeteries of the various parts of the world, where rest the remains of those who have preceded us in the sign of faith.

In particular, I raise my prayer of support for those whom no one remembers as well as for the many victims of violence. I entrust all to the Divine Mercy.

Pittsburgh Bishop addresses the Election!!!!

Bishop Urges Catholics To Examine Elections Issues

 

Reporting: Andy Sheehan

KDKA.com

 
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ― Pittsburgh Bishop David Zubik says he isn't telling anyone who to vote for in the upcoming presidential election but at the same time he says the teachings of the Church are clear and that Catholics should be guided by one over-arching concern – the sanctity of human life. 

These are complex and tumultuous times and with the wars raging overseas and the economic collapse threatening the home front, Bishop Zubik is urging Catholics to turn to their God and their church to help them sort it all out.


"Take a look at the issues. Take a look where the church is on them. Pray about it, and make your vote," Zubik said. 


Most of us are concerned with the economy. But while we fret over a looming recession and our tanking investments, the bishop wants Catholics to refocus on other issues.


"The Pope has said you know we're so concerned about financial bankruptcy but maybe the question that we're missing is that perhaps we're becoming spiritually bankrupt."


And in considering the issues, the bishop says one should take precedence over all others.


"The one issue that can't be minimized is the issue about being pro-life."


For Zubik, pro-life does not simply mean anti-abortion. It can also encompass a candidate's position on war, poverty and the death penalty.


But he says they are not on par with the Church's belief that life begins at conception and that together with euthanasia, Catholics must first and foremost consider a candidate's stance on abortion.


"The Catholic Church teaches these are intrinsic evils because they go absolutely, directly against the mind of God," Zubik explains.  "And when you take a look at those two issues, you're looking at two issues where the absolute end result of each of them is snuffing out a life."


But about a candidate or even a Catholic who consider themselves pro-choice?


"I can't speak for those persons but I don't know how that individual would be to weigh that and to say well that they're being faithful to the truth."


And still, while McCain is pro-life and Obama is pro-choice, Zubik will not endorse a candidate nor tell his flock how to vote.


Nor has he followed suit with Bishop Martino of Scranton who has said he would deny communion to pro-choice VP candidate and Catholic Joe Biden.


Sheehan: "Would you deny a Catholic politician who identifies him or herself as pro-choice -- would you deny?"


Zubik: "The role that I see that I have is to be a teacher and to help everybody understand what in fact is the truth," he says, "and then what a person has to do is make decisions based on that truth as they're standing before God."


God is the judge and the bishop says he is but a teacher.


Bishop Zubik also says he will open up all the churches on Monday – some around the clock – so people can come pray about how they should vote on Tuesday.


Also, please check out the interview with the Bishop by clicking here

Catholic Art Exhibit

SAINT VINCENT GALLERY TO PRESENT CATHOLIC ART

LATROBE, PA - The Saint Vincent Gallery will present a multimedia show of religious-themed art when it opens a Nationwide Juried Catholic Arts Exhibition on Sunday, October 26 from 1 to 4 p.m.

A total of 41 works by artists from seven states are included in the unique show of stained glass, egg tempera and gold leaf, oil, acrylic, pencil and watercolor chalk, ink on vellum, and limestone sculpture.

The exhibition will be available for viewing in the gallery on the third floor of the Robert S. Carey Student Center from Tuesday, October 28 to Sunday, December 7. Gallery hours are 12 noon to 3 p.m. and 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, and 12 noon to 3 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. The gallery is closed on Mondays and during Thanksgiving holiday break (November 26 to 30). Admission is free and open to the public.

This is the second juried Catholic arts exhibition which seeks to foster the arts of the Western Christian tradition although other artistic traditions of Christian subject matter are also considered.

According to Br. Nathan Cochran, O.S.B., director of The Saint Vincent Gallery, submitted artworks had to be iconographically recognizable and appropriate for liturgical use, public devotion or private devotion. “Subjects that were sought included scenes from the life, passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, other biblical scenes, stories and characters, depictions of saints and their lives, current and historical events in the life of the Church, depictions of the seven sacraments, and personifications of the corporal works of mercy, virtues and vices,” he explained.

Artists represented in the exhibition include Matthew G. Alderman of New York, New York; Neilson Carlin of Kennett Square; Robert Connell of Sewickley; John Del Monte of Bethel Park; Fred del Guidice of Shreve, Ohio; Amy Dimichele of McKees Rocks; Nathaniel Hauser, O.S.B. of Collegeville, Minnesota; Beverly Klucher of State College; Thomas Kohlmann of Philadelphia; James Langley of Savannah, Georgia; Patrick Lee of Pittsburgh; Janet McKenzie of Island Pond, Vermont; David and Susan Miriello of Pittsburgh; Carol Ann Molchen of Ambridge; and Harry Molchen of Ambridge.

Prize-winners ($1,000 first prize, $750 second prize, $500 third prize and four $250 honorable mention prizes) will be announced at the opening reception on Sunday, October 26.

Duncan Stroik served as juror for the exhibition. Mr. Stroik is an architect who studied at the University of Virginia and Yale University. His architectural practice, which is committed to the principles of classical architecture and urbanism, helped implement a curriculum in classical architecture at the University of Notre Dame. His involvement in sacred architecture led to the formation of the Society for Catholic Liturgy and the journal, Sacred Architecture, of which he is editor. He is widely published and a frequent lecturer throughout the United States.

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For information:

Don Orlando, Director, Public Relations

Saint Vincent College, 300 Fraser Purchase Road, Latrobe, PA 15650-2690

Phone 724 805-2010, FAX 724 805-2019, pr@stvincent.edu, www.stvincent.edu