St. Jerome: "Seldom Pleasant...Never Dull"

"A militant champion of orthodoxy, an indefatigable worker, and a stylist of rare gifts, Jerome was seldom pleasant, but at least he was never dull." Such is the assessment of the Episcopal Church's newly published Holy Women, Holy Men: Celebrating the Saints (Church Publishing, 2010) One Renaissance Pope, seeing a portrait of Jerome in the desert, in sackcloth, and holding a stone in his hand, with which Jerome allegedly used to beat his breast in penance, is said to have commented: "It's well that Jerome was holding that stone, for without it he could hardly be considered a saint!"

Sophronius Eusebius Hieronymus (c. 342-347 to 420) was born in Strido, near Aquileia, in Dalmatia, in the upper northeastern corner of Italy. As Fr. John Julian, OJN notes in his Stars In A Dark World, Jerome was part of astounding century of saints, from 350-450, which included SS. Jerome, Ambrose, Augustine of Hippo, and the great Cappadocian Fathers Basil, Gregory Nazianzus, and Gregory of Nyssa, all of whom knew one another! Jerome corresponded with Augustine, with whom he made up a sort of mutual admiration society! Gregory Nazianzus was later his teacher.

In art Jerome is often depicted either in a cardinal's robe or with a cardinal's hat, items not even in vogue until about four centuries later. A lion is also often shown lying next to him, remnant of a fable that Jerome pulled a thorn from a lion's foot and kept him as a house pet.

Jerome was an über-brainiac and scholar, to say the least! He studied the classics in Rome, learned Latin and Greek, and later Hebrew, to the extent that he could, under a fellow-monk of Jewish heritage in Chalcis and under Bar Ananias in Bethlehem. While a young man in Rome, Pope Liberius baptized him. Jerome and his buddies often spent Sundays visiting the tombs of the apostles and martyrs.

After three years in Rome he travelled to Gaul and ended up in Trier, where he made a decision to commit his life to God. He and a group of friends returned to Dalmatia where they lived as a semi-monastic community. Jerome, however, was "difficult" to live with; he had his beliefs and convictions and defended them uncompromisingly. The group was dissolved and in 374 Jerome and three others went their way, this time east, to Antioch.

Eventually, because of his draw toward the ascetic and eremitic life, Jerome withdrew to the wilderness of Chalcis, southeast of Antioch, where he stayed for four years. About his Hebrew studies there, under the monk mentioned above, Jerome, writing some 30 years later, says: "...When my soul was on fire with wicked thoughts, as a last resort, I became a pupil to a monk who had been a Jew, in order to learn the Hebrew alphabet. From the judicious precepts of Quintilian, the rich and fluent eloquence of Cicero, the graver style of Fronto, and the smoothness of Pliny, I turned to this language of hissing and broken-winded words. What labor it cost me, what difficulties I went through, how often I despaired and abandoned it and began again to learn, both I, who felt the burden, and they who lived with me, can bear witness. I thank our Lord that I now gather such sweet fruit from the bitter sowing of those studies."

Paulinus, Bishop of Chalcis, convinced Jerome to be ordained a priest in 378, though Jerome was reluctant and even protested that his vocation was to be a monk. He consented at length, but he never engaged in priestly ministry nor, surprisingly, did he celebrate the Eucharist during his lifetime. In 379, continuing studies in Hebrew and Greek, he moved to Constantinople to study Scripture for three years under Gregory Nazianzus. Afterwards, travelling as part of a council delegation to Rome, Pope Damasus tagged him for the job of secretary to the Pope, as well as for a major project: translating the Gospels and the Psalter into Latin from Hebrew and Greek. Jerome was humble about his work. He freely admitted ignorance, even embarrassment, when warranted, and revised some of his translations, making corrections and additions. On the other hand, he also pointed out that a translation's accuracy depended greatly on the source text's reliability. It wasn't unusual for copyists to inadvertently make errors, which would be further compounded and passed on through the centuries. Jerome once observed, “I am not so stupid as to think that any of the Lord’s words either need correcting or are not divinely inspired, but the Latin manuscripts of the Scriptures are proved faulty by the variations which are found in all of them.”

In his spare time (!), Jerome devoted himself as spiritual mentor to many noble Roman women who, at this time, felt drawn to monastic life, among them Paula, and Eustochium, to both of whom he later dedicated Scriptural treatises. After the death of his patron, Pope Damasus, many people whom Jerome had offended by his judgmentalism, harshness, and sarcasm, began to gossip about and slander him. When Jerome decided to go east again, this time to Bethlehem, Paula, a wealthy widow, followed, and even built a monastery for Jerome and his companions. Here he again took up Hebrew, and the translation into Latin of nearly all of the Hebrew Old Testament. This, plus his previous work on the New Testament and the Psalms, spanned some 55 years of labor! It became known as the versio vulgata, or Vulgate, i.e., the "commonly used translation". Aside from his monumental accomplishment, the Vulgate, Jerome also distinguished himself in Scriptural interpretation, theological debate, history, opposing heresies, and correspondence. Some 120 of his letters have survived.

Jerome's last years were full of turmoil and suffering. St. Paula died in 404, to Jerome's great sadness. A few years later the Huns sacked Rome. In 418 Pelagian enemies of Jerome attacked his monks and nuns, and burned the monastery and convent to the ground. Frail and exhausted, Jerome died in Bethlehem in 420. At first his body was buried in a chapel beneath the Church of the Nativity, and many years later was transferred to Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome.

Prayer for Christ's Mercy

by St. Jerome

O Lord, show your mercy to me and gladden my heart.

I am like the man on the way to Jericho who was overtaken by

robbers, wounded and left for dead. O Good Samaritan, come to my aid.

I am like the sheep that went astray. O Good Shepherd, seek me out

and bring me home in accord with your will. Let me dwell

in your house all the days of my life and praise you for ever and ever

with those who are there.

  

The Better Angels of Our Nature

Pope St. Gregory the Great's Homily 34 on today's Gospel gives a nice simple explanation of heavenly spirit-beings. We speak of nine orders of angels because Holy Scripture mentions nine kinds of spirit-beings: Angels and Archangels (in many places); Virtues and Dominations, Powers and Principalities (mentioned by Paul in the Letter to the Ephesians); Thrones (in the Letter to the Colossians); and Cherubim and Seraphim (in the prophetic books).

The word angel is the name of their role or function, not of their nature. It derives from the Greek angelos = messenger or one who brings tidings. Though the holy heavenly Spirits are always spirits, they can't always be called angels. They're angels only when they're announcing a message to someone(s): sometimes one of comfort, sometimes one of warning. Those Spirits who announce less important things are called angels, and those who announce very significant things or events are called Archangels. Thus, the Archangel Gabriel was sent to Mary. For this ministry, it was fitting to have the highest angel, since he was to announce the greatest news of all, i.e., Jesus's coming into the world.

In Scripture, it seems that Archangels also have special names describing their particular task or mission. Michael means "Who is like God?" Gabriel means "God's strength", and Raphael means "God's healing or medicine".

Whenever something is to be done needing great power, the Archangel Michael is sent forth so that from his action and his name (Who is like God?) we may understand that no one can do what God can do. Hence the ancient adversary and enemy, who through pride desired to be like God, is shown in the Book of Revelation, Chapter 12, as about to undergo the final punishment in a fight with Michael the Archangel and his angels: "And war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought back, but they were defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. The great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world..."

Similarly, Gabriel, who is called Strength of God was sent to Mary to announce the One who deigned to appear in humility in order to overcome the power of Evil. And Raphael is interpreted as Medicine of God, for when he touched the eyes of Tobit to do the work of healing, Raphael dispelled the night of his blindness.

In his first inaugural address, President Abraham Lincoln spoke of "the better angels of our nature". He was speaking figuratively of angels, rather than literally, as he sought a way to convince fellow citizens to set aside suspicion and to assume the best, rather than the worst, about one another's motives and intentions. Sound familiar?! Oh, yeah! It's an idea which loudly resonates in an American society, and in our own state of California, these days where politicians and people of opposing parties seem to be daily at one another's throats, on every conceivable issue, so that civil discourse becomes impossible, and progress on constructively resolving problems, on either the state or national level, often comes to a standstill.  Similarly with the Episcopal Church in recent years, with challenging issues and divisions which have diverted attention from its true ministry and mission.

The great St. Bernard of Clairvaux said this in one of his sermons: "...Even if the splendor and glory of the holy angels before God is beyond our comprehension, we can at least reflect upon the loving kindness they show us. For there is in these heavenly spirits a generosity that merits our love...if we would enjoy their intimacy, [let us] cultivate those things that would please them...being moderate...praying with sighs and tears and with a heart full of loving ardor. But more than these things the angels of peace desire in us unity and peace, for these are things that characterize their own commonwealth, and when they see such things produced in us, they marvel at the birth of the new Jerusalem on earth."

Michael: "Angel All Peaceful"

 

O Jesu, lifespring of the soul,
The Father’s power, and glory bright!
You with the angels we extol;
From You they draw their life and light.

Thy thousand thousand hosts are spread
Embattled o‘er the azure sky;
But Michael bears Your standard dread,
And lifts the mighty Cross on high.

He, in that sign, the rebel powers
Did, with their dragon prince, expel;
And hurled them from the heavens' high towers
Down like a thunderbolt, to hell.

Grant us, with Michael, still, O Lord,
Against the Prince of Pride to fight;
So may a crown be our reward,
Before the Lamb’s pure throne of light.

To God the Father praise be done,
Who has redeemed us through the Son;
Anoints us by the Holy Ghost,
And guards us by the Angel-host.

Holy Mystics: A Hermit, A Canon, & A Wacky Lady

Generous God, we give you thanks for the lives and work of Richard Rolle,

Walter Hilton, and Margery Kempe, hermits and mystics, who, passing through

the cloud of unknowing, beheld your glory. Help us, after their examples,

to see you more clearly and love you more dearly, in the Name of Jesus Christ

our Savior. Amen.

Richard Rolle (c. 1300-1349) is the earliest of the great 14th century English mystics. Though the facts about his life are uncertain, it seems that he was born in Yorkshire and studied at Oxford, though he seems not to have earned a degree there. Nevertheless, he was widely read and at home with Scholastic theology. He became recognized as an accomplished poet. His writing was geared, not just to the cloistered or the learned elite, but to anyone who was interested in what he had to say. 

At about the age of 19 he became and dressed as a hermit, finally settling at Hampole, near a Cistercian nunnery. To some of his contemporaries, Rolle seemed somewhat unusual, even a bit mad. According to his biographer, one day, as he was "sitting...in a church, rapt in meditation,...he felt in his breasta strange and pleasant heat, as of a real sensible fire, so that he kept feeling of his breast to see if the heat was caused by some exterior cause. He often heard heavenly music..." Heat, song and sweetness characterized his mystical experiences, of which he wrote, for example, in one of his best known works,  Incendium Amoris (The Fire of Love).

(Artist: Tom Errington, an accredited NADFAS lecturer

and Adviser on Art, Art History & Stained Glass to the

Diocese of Southwell & Nottingham & Stained Glass

Adviser to the Diocese of Coventry)

As with Richard Rolle, little is known of Walter Hilton's life. He was probably born sometime between 1340-45. Having attended Cambridge University, he is first recorded as a bachelor of law, attached to the diocesan court of Ely in 1371, and again in 1375. Some manuscripts describe Hilton as a commensor or inceptor decretorum = one who has completed the studies and examinations entitling him to become a Master of Canon Law, but without undertaking the regency that would have given him the latter title. Some time, probably before 1386, he declined a legal and administrative career available to him in the court of Bishop Thomas Arundel of Ely, and retired from the world as a hermit. He eventually decided that he was not called to the eremitic life, but to a religious order. He apparently joined the St. Peter's Priory at Thurgarton, in Nottinghamsire, some time after 1375, and died there as an Augustinian Canon Regular on March 24, 1396.

His spiritual writings were very influential in 15th century England. His major work is The Scale of Perfection, in two books, written for the spiritual guidance of an unnamed anchoress. Other notable works of Hilton are Epistola Aurea (The Golden Letter, c. 1375); De Utilitate et Prerogativis Religionis (Of the Profit and Prerogatives of Religious Life); De Imagine Peccati (Of the Image of Sin); and an English work, On Mixed Life, written for a devout layman regarding wealth and household responsibility. Hilton advises the man not to relinquish his active life in order to become a contemplative, but rather to mix the two. The latter four works were probably written in the 1380's. 

Hilton also wrote other Latin letters of spiritual guidance, a scholastic quodlibet on the appropriateness of reverence shown to images, e.g. crucifixes (a practice criticised by the Lollards), a short tract in English, Of Angels' Song, and commentaries on Psalm texts. He also translated Eight Chapters on Perfection from a Latin text said to have been left at Cambridge by an Aragonese Franciscan who had studied there in the mid-1380s.

 

Even though she herself probably was unable to read or write, Margery Kempe (c. 1373–after 1438) is known for her dictated work, The Book of Margery Kempe, considered by some to be the first autobiography in the English language. Margery was the daughter of John Brunham, a Member of Parliament, and five times the mayor of Bishop's Lynn (now King's Lynn). She married John Kempe, son of a prosperous merchant, c. 1393, and had 14 children by him.

After the birth of her first child, Margery fell ill and was overcome with fear for her life. After a failed confession that resulted in a bout of self-described "madness," Margery Kempe claimed to have had a vision, calling her to put aside the "vanities" of this world. Having railed against her family and friends for many weeks, Kempe says that Jesus appeared in a vision at her bedside, asking her: "Daughter, why have you forsaken Me, when I never forsook you?"

From then on, Margery undertook two failed domestic home-based businesses, a brewery and a grain mill, not uncommon enterprises for medieval women. Though she tried to be more devout after her vision, she was tempted by sexual pleasures and social jealousy for some years. Turning away, at length, from what she interpreted as the effect of worldly pride, Kempe devoted herself completely to the spiritual calling which her earlier vision suggested. In order to live committed to God, Margery and her husband agreed to live a celibate life together.

She then began making pilgrimages. In her Book Kempe herself describes a visit she made to St. Julian's Church in Norwich, c. 1410: "Then she [i.e., Margery] was bidden by our Lord to go to an anchoress in the same city, named Dame Jelyan...for the anchoress was expert in such things and good counsel could give..." Margery, in fact, describes how she and Julian discussed Margery's visions as to their orthodoxy, deciding that because they led to charity, they were of the Holy Spirit. Kempe also journeyed to other various holy sites: to Rome, where she stayed at the Venerable English College in 1416; Jerusalem; Santiago de Compostella; and a journey in the 1430's to Norway and the Holy Roman Empire, where she visited the Holy Blood of Wilsnack.

The stories surrounding her travels are what eventually comprised much of her Book, although a final section includes a series of prayers. The spiritual focus of her Book is on the mystical conversations she shared with Jesus for more than forty years, though another key focus was also on her persecution by civil and religious leaders.

She describes having mystical experiences which were particularly spectacular, and there is wide divergence of opinion regarding whether or not she was a true mystic. Some feel that she was "a woman whose intelligence was mediocre but whose strong will surrendered...to her Divine Lord...who sought by her words and example to spread the Kingdom of Christ.." (E. I. Watkin, Poets and Mystics) Others judge her to be a "hysterical young woman [who] calls herself a poor creature...I am afraid she was. She is obviously proud of the 'boisterous' roarings and sobbings which made her a nuisance to her neighbours. She never quite rings true..." (W. R. Inge, Mysticism in Religion)

Though Margery is often depicted as an "oddity" or even a "madwoman," recent scholarship suggests that she wasn't, perhaps, as odd as she appears. Her Book is actualy a carefully-constructed spiritual and social commentary. One scholar notes that at some time in the 1420s, a man took it upon himself to record the life of this extraordinary Norfolk woman. Although he died before finishing the task, it was continued by another scribe, then published as The Book of Margery Kempe. About the time Margery began dictating her book, John, her husband, had a fatal fall and Margery returned to Lynn to take care of him. Both he and her son died soon after.

Part of Margery Kempe's significance lies in the autobiographical nature of her book. It's probably the best insight we have about a middle-class female's experience in the Middle Ages. There's no doubt that Margery Kempe is unique and unusual among the more traditional holy women and men of her age. Kempe's Book is also significant as a record of the tension in late medieval England between institutional orthodoxy and increasingly public modes of religious dissent, especially those of the Lollards. Throughout her spiritual career, Kempe's adherence to the teachings of the institutional Church was challenged by both church and civil authorities. Kempe was even tried several times for such "illegal" acts as allegedly teaching and preaching publicly on Scripture and faith, and wearing white clothes, interpreted as hypocrisy on the part of a married woman. Nevertheless, she stood her ground and proved her orthodoxy.

The Book of Margery Kempe is known to have been completed in 1438. That same year, a "Margeria" Kempe, possibly Margery, is recorded as having been admitted to the Trinity Guild of Lynn. The last record of her is in the city of Lynn in 1438, and it is not positively known when or where she died.

The Grouch Who Became A Saint

Vincent de Paul once described himself as "of a bilious temperament and very subject to anger." He admitted that without the grace of God he would've been "in temper hard and repellent, rough and crabbed." That restored a bit of hope in me when I read it, for that is something of a description of my temperament at a past point in my life. Ask some of my former parishioners, or my former wife! I deeply regret my failings in that regard, but I also thank God that in later years I've been able to mellow and change. Woodene Koenig-Bricker, in her book 365 Saints, observes: "Although grumpiness may be part of your natural tendencies, more often it's the result of self-neglect and overwork..." Amen: been there, done that!

In the 17th century, God raised up Vincent de Paul and Louise de Marillac to serve the poor. They were mystics in action, who had fallen in love with God and who looked upon the world with eyes of compassion for the suffering, the poor, the destitute, the downtrodden, the victims of violence and injustice.

Born in either 1576 or 1581 of peasant stock at Pouy, in southwest France, near Dax in Gascony, to Jean de Paul and Bertrande de Moras, Vincent was one of four boys and two girls. Intellectually sharp, his father sent him to be educated by the Cordelier Brothers, a stricter branch of the Franciscans, in Dax. After four years, a lawyer hired Vincent as tutor for his children, thus covering his education expenses. He continued studies at the University of Saragossa in Spain, then returned to France to study at the University of Toulouse. He was ordained a priest c. 1600, at the age of 24, but remained another four years at Toulouse, earing a doctorate in theology. After returning to Toulouse, he was called to Marseille to legally recover a small legacy left for him by an old woman of that city. In 1605, while sailing back from Marseille to Narbonne, the ship was captured by Barbary pirates, at that time a menace to all Mediterranean shipping (not unlike the current piracy prevalent in the waters around Somalia). His captors brought him and others to Tunis in Africa, where he was sold as a slave.  His master, a fisherman, resold him to an aged Muslim, a humane man who had spent 50 years in search of the "philosopher's stone". The Muslim often lectured Vincent on alchemy, the secrets of his science, and on Islam, to which he hoped Vincent would convert.

The young priest remained strong in his Catholic faith until the old man died, after which Vincent became property of the master's nephew. The nephew soon sold Vincent to a Frenchman, a native of Nice and a fallen-way Christian, who had embraced Islam.  The new master had three wives, one of whom was a Turkish woman.  The Lives of the Saints, edited by Fr. Joseph Vann, OFM, relates that: "She often wandered into the field where the new Christian slave was at work, and out of idle curiosity would ask him to sing songs in praise of his God. With tears running down his cheeks Vincent would obediently sing certain Psalms [among them, Psalm 137, "By the waters of Babylon..."]...The Turkish woman now began to reproach her husband for abandoning his religion, and kept on until, without herself accepting the faith, she made him return to it. He repented of his apostasy, and he and Vincent made their escape from Africa together..." in 1607. No mention as to why the master felt compelled to escape, nor whether the three wives accompanied him. Of course, it's entirely possible that, for whatever reason, he was escaping them!

After returning to France, Vincent went to Rome and continued his studies until 1609, when he was sent back to France on a mission to Henry IV. He served as chaplain to the colorful, sometimes scandalous daughter of Henry II and Catherine de Medici, the late-16th century Queen Consort of France and Navarre, Marguerite de Valois. For a while he was parish priest at Clichy, but from 1612 he began to serve as tutor to the children of Philip de Gondi, Count of Joigny and general of the galleys of France, of the illustrious Gondi family. He was also confessor and spiritual director to Madame de Gondi, and began giving missions for the peasants on her estate under her sponsorship. In 1617, Vincent de Paul founded the Ladies of Charity, lay women in the parishes, to help in the mission of serving the poor.

In 1622 Vincent was appointed chaplain to the galleys, and in this capacity he gave missions for the galley-slaves. In 1625 he founded the Congregation of the Mission, a society of missionaries, commonly known as the Vincentians, or Lazarists, because their chief house in Paris was the priory of St. Lazare. The Congregation consisted of priests and laymen, taking four simple vows of poverty, chastity, obedience, and stability, living a common life and devoting themselves to preach the Gospel to the poor and to reform the clergy.

Around 1625, Vincent de Paul met Louis de Marillac. Louise was a Parisian woman who'd been born out of wedlock, but was raised among French aristocrats. She married Antoine le Gras, secretary to Queen Marie de Medici, in 1617, and was married for nine years until Antoine died. She raised her son, Michel, and through all those years, experienced a call to a more dedicated life. Vincent, who had become her spiritual director, recognized her gifts and potential. In 1634, with the assistance of Louise de Marillac, he founded the Daughters of Charity, a congregation of active, unenclosed nuns who devoted themselves to serve the poor in the spirit of humility, simplicity and love. Their habit resembled a French peasant dress: blue-grey gown with wide sleeves and apron, and a distinguishing white cap and "wings".

Vincent de Paul was also deeply concerned with and fought against the rise and spread of the Jansenist heresy, propounded by Cornelius Jansen, bishop of Ypres, and quite prevalent at that time. It denied freedom of the will and man's ability to contribute to his own salvation. Jansenists believed that God had predestined some to eternal life and others to be lost forever.

On September 27, 1660, after much suffering, Vincent received the Last Sacraments, then died calmly in his chair at age 79 or 84, depending on his actual year of birth. He was buried in the Church of St. Lazare, Paris, beatified by Benedict XIII in 1729, and canonized a saint by Clement XII in 1737.

In 1809 Mother Elizabeth Ann Seton founded a community of Sisters in America based on the Rule of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. From this root the Sisters of Charity have spread the spirit of the charism of St. Vincent and St. Louise to all parts of the U.S. and Canada.

In May 1833, Blessed Antoin Frédéric Ozanam, a layman of Jewish extraction and a French scholar, founded the Conference of Charity, later known as the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, in Paris, to serve the poor. He had worked with Sr. Rosalie Rendu, a Daughter of Charity, in the slums of Paris, and advocated the concepts of Christian social justice, the rights and dignity of every individual, and the need for equality of opportunity in education and employment.  Ozanam was beatified by Pope John Paul II at Notre Dame de Paris in 1997.

The legacy of Vincent de Paul and Louise de Marillac lives on in numerous institutes, both religious and lay, throughout the world. Many foundations have been influenced by the rule of Vincent which Louise helped develop.

Lord, you gave Vincent de Paul the courage and holiness of an apostle,

for the well-being of the poor and the formation of the clergy.

Help us to be zealous in continuing his work.

Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son. Amen. 

Dialogue Across The Chasm

In Luke’s Gospel passage (16:19-31) there’s a rich man and a poor man. The rich man isn’t named, though he’s often referred to in tradition as Dives = Latin for rich [person]. Luke describes him as “dressed in purple”, so he may have been either a high-ranking official or a member of royalty. The Romans had standards regarding who could wear purple and how much purple could be worn: a fact possibly consoling for non-Roman Anglican and Episcopal bishops -- or not! Dives’ estate was undoubtedly a “gated” community, as Luke intimates. The rich man dressed “in fine linen and...feasted sumptuously” on gourmet delicacies: every day, says Luke!

Then there was the “poor man”, Lazarus, who lay at Dives’ gate: on the outside, of course. Lazarus is Lazar in Aramaic, from the Hebrew Eleazar = God has helped, a rather common name. Luke says that, in addition to being poor and laying at Dives’ gate, Lazarus bore sores on his body which, as Luke perceptively observes, “even the dogs would come and lick”. If that weren’t enough, poor Lazarus was, perhaps, starving because he longed just for the crumbs that fell from Dives’ table. At a feast, apparently an everyday occurrence at Dives’ home, it was common etiquette to use bread to wipe grease from one’s hands, then chuck it under the table: understandable, because the rich man’s cleaning crew of slaves would’ve been expected to move in and tidy up after guests had left the table. Luke doesn’t tell us whether Lazarus actually ever got any of the leftovers, only that he was craving them.

Luke then simply states: “The poor man died…”, and leaves us wondering how and why. Perhaps of starvation...even just a few steps from Dives’ table? Perhaps from overexposure on a cold night, while Dives slept on his custom-made linen?

Luke also says: “The rich man...died and was buried.”, leaving us, once again, to wonder about the cause. Given his propensity to eat “sumptuously”, maybe the rich man’s cholesterol and high blood pressure caught up with him, and it was more than his heart could take. In which case, the very food which he could have shared with hungry Lazarus in the end “did him in”. We’re left to wonder if Lazarus was properly buried, or just thrown into a pauper’s grave. Dives was, of course, buried, probably after a large, ostentatious funeral, presumably in the rich purple and fine linen to which he was accustomed.

In the next scene, things get interesting and Luke gets to the heart of his purpose for relating this story. Lazarus unexpectedly appears, in the words of an old black Gospel spiritual, “in the bosom of Abraham”, much to the astonishment of Dives who’s “being tormented”, Luke says, “in Hades”. Judaism saw sheol or Hades as the place of silence where all humans went after death. Luke seems to indicate that there was a “cool” side and a “hot” side, insurmountably separate from each other. “Abraham’s bosom” became a common designation for a place of comfort, the highest state of glory and blessedness. It also reminded people of the Messianic banquet, where God’s guest is given the place of honor at the right hand, the hand of power. “Hades”, on the other hand was the underworld, the place of darkness, the abode of the dead, “the end”, the final stop.

To many Jews this story would’ve been a bit shocking, for it was common belief that blessings and wealth in this life were a sign of God’s favor. Whereas illness, poverty, and tragedy happened only to the those with whom God was displeased. (Here the Book of Job comes to mind.) So, how could a poor beggar end up in Abraham’s bosom?

You and I, of course, need not wonder why Dives ended up where he did. The rich man’s sin, so far as we know, wasn’t that he physically mistreated Lazarus, or spit on him, or actually had anything at all to do with him. Dives‘ sin was much greater. Not only did he not have any gratitude for this fellow human being, or probably anyone else: his sin was that he didn’t even care about Lazarus. He was indifferent. He ignored a fellow human being’s basic needs, when he, out of his overabundance, probably taken for granted, could easily have addressed those needs.

As the tables are turned now, Dives calls out to Abraham, rather presumptuously according to Luke, asking him to send the beggar over “to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue”.
Abraham reminds Dives that there’s an unbreachable barrier, a chasm between him and Lazarus, similar to the one he’d set up to cut Lazarus out of his circle of concern in life. In death, the rich man is now the one excluded, cut off forever, alone, suffering. No one can reach him now, not even the circle of his own family. He’s eternally stuck in his total ingratitude, indifference, selfishness: which is a fair description of what we call hell.

Jeanne Stevenson-Moessner Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology and Christian Formation at the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary, in Iowa, and editor of two pioneering books on pastoral care, offers a perceptive comment on what follows. She says: “The rich man had hoped to command Lazarus as servant to run back to his mansion and warn his five brothers. Alas, the wealth that had afforded him such power to command people on earth survived neither death nor the flames of hell. Sharon Ringe, in her Luke commentary, elucidates this concern for the rich man's five brothers: ‘The biological family, and not a wider or more inclusive community, continues to function as his principal, (even his only) point of reference, security, and concern.’" In other words, even in Hades, Dives doesn’t “get it”.

The sins of the fathers are often visited on their children. Perhaps indifference and ingratitude for the wider community ran in the family of Dives, or at least was passed on. Abraham reminds the rich man that the brothers have the Scriptures to guide them: “Moses and the prophets: they should listen to them…” But if only someone goes to them from the dead, says Dives, then surely they’ll repent.

In other words, signs and wonders! Jesus had encountered this warped mentality throughout his ministry: Matthew 12: “Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you…” John 2, 4, & 6: “What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority?…” “Unless you people see signs and wonders you will never believe…” “What miraculous sign, then, will you give that we may see it and believe you?…” And you and I still run into it today: the need for something big, spectacular, life-changing, in order to bring people into the Church.

Luke’s Abraham ends the passage with the words: “If they do not listen to [the Scriptures], neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.” These very Scriptures today encourage us, in the words of the conclusion of the second reading (1 Timothy 6:6-19) to “take hold of the life which is life indeed.” The Word of God spells out for us, in many places, how to get from indifference and ingratitude, to caring, to sharing, and to community.

Normally, I think most folks don’t do too bad with some of corporal works of mercy: feeding the hungry, clothing the needy, visiting the sick, comforting those who lose loved ones. But there are also the spiritual works of mercy, and you and I might ask ourselves “When did I last…”
- take time with someone who expressed doubt in their faith?
- try to comfort someone in psychological or spiritual pain?
- patiently bear criticism or being “blown off” by another person, without reacting?
- forgive a long-standing grievance?
The author of 1 Timothy reminds us: “...be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, thus storing up...the treasure of a good foundation for the future…”

Harold Ivan Smith leaves us with these words:

Even a boxer is guaranteed

someone

to stand in his corner

between rounds of brutal blows

Someone to care for his needs

before the bell would summon

to yet another round.

How many pilgrims

have struggled to their corner

only to be alone?

Are we not to step between the ropes

to wipe a forehead or

to offer a word of encouragement?

To risk the stain of sweat

the sting of blood

the despair of agony?

St. Sergius of Moscow, The Wonder Worker, Abbot of Holy Trinity Lavra

The Holy Trinity Lavra or Monastery of St. Sergius, in the town of Sergiyev Posad, about 90 km northeast of Moscow, is the most important Russian monastery and the spiritual center of the Russian Orthodox Church. The monastery is currently home to some 300 monks. It was founded in 1345 by a most highly venerated Russian saint, Sergius of Radonezh.

Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, or Sergii Radonezhsky, was a spiritual leader and monastic reformer of medieval Russia. Together with Venerable Seraphim of Sarov, he is one of the Russian Orthodox Church's most beloved saints.

The date of his birth is unclear: 1314, 1319, or 1322. He was born to a boyar family near Rostov Velikiy, where Varnitsy Monastery now stands. He was originally baptized with the name Bartholomew. His parents Kirill and Maria became impoverished and moved to Radonezh together with their three sons: Stefan, Bartholomew and Peter. Bartholomew was intelligent, but had great difficulty learning to read. It seems that a starets (spiritual elder) met him one day and gave him a piece of prosphora (holy bread) to eat, and from that day forward he was able to read. Devout Orthodox Christians interpret this incident as being an angelic visitation.

After his parents died, Bartholomew went to Khotkovo near Moscow, where his older brother, Stefan, was a monk. He and Stefan sought out a more secluded place, and withdrew deep into the forest at Makovets Hill, where they built a small cell and a wooden church dedicated to the Holy Trinity: humble beginnings to the history of the great Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra.

Eventually, Stefan moved to a monastery in Moscow. Bartholomew took monastic vows, assuming the religious name Sergius, and spent more than a year in the forest alone as a hermit. In time, other monks began coming to him and building their own cells. Subsequently, they asked him to become their hegumen (father superior), and he was ordained to the priesthood. All of the monks were required to live by their own labor, even as Sergius did. Over time, more and more monks arrived at this place. Nearby, a posad (settlement/small provincial town) developed and eventually grew into the town of Sergiev Posad.

When the news of Sergius's monastic movement reached Patriarch Philotheus of Constantinople, he sent to Sergius a monastic charter, and Sergius's disciples began to spread his teaching across central and northern Russia. They settled intentionally in the most impracticable places and founded numerous monasteries. St. Sergius was also connected with the foundation of two communities in Moscow: Andronikov and Simonov monasteries. The devoted disciples of Sergius founded c. 400 monasteries in all, greatly enhancing Sergius's reputation and influence in the Church. Nevertheless, when Metropolitan Alexius asked him to become his successor, Sergius declined, preferring to remain a simple monk.

Sergius was gentle by nature, mystically inclined, and insistent that his monks serve the needs of their neighbors. As an ascetic, St. Sergius didn't involve himself in the country's politics. However, he blessed Dmitry Donskoy, the Prince of Moscow, when he went to fight the Tartars in the decisive Battle of Kulikovo field, but only after he was satisfied that Dmitry had first pursued all peaceful means of resolving the conflict.

St. Sergius died on September 25, 1392. His incorrupt relics were found in 1422 and placed in the new Trinity Cathedral of the Lavra which he had founded, and he was glorified (canonized) in 1452. The Church commemorates him on September 25, the day of his death, and on July 5, the day his relics were uncovered. Well loved by many, Sergius has been referred to as the "Abbot of Russia" and "The Wonder Worker". The Roman Catholic Church recognizes Sergius as a saint, including him in the Roman Martyrology. The Episcopal Church also commemorates Sergius's feast day on September 25.
Anglican Christians are familiar with Sergius from the ecumenical Fellowship of St. Alban and St. Sergius, a society established to promote closer relations between the Anglican and Russian Churches.
Pilgrims continue to visit the shrine of St. Sergius at the monastery of Zagorsk, the residence of the Patriarch of Moscow.

Reiki I Certification Class in Champaign Urbana on Oct 16

Reiki I - Receive Reiki 1^st  degree.   Reiki is a beautiful "laying on of hands" healing art that harmonizes the body's energies. Reiki works on all levels: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.

            Anyone can learn Reiki regardless of health, age or belief.  All that is required to receive Reiki training is an open heart and a willingness to do so.  Reiki is passed from Master to student during an attunement process in levels or degrees, each building on the previous. Reiki Master Marlita will teach this Reiki I class. Pre-registration with payment, please, to reserve your space.  

 Cost: $150, if pre-registered by October 2 with payment. $175 if payment received later.

Saturday, October 16, 10am - 6pm

Healing the Present Thru Past Life Regression in Champaign Urbana, Central Illinois

Healing the Present Through Past Life Regression

Ever get the feeling you’ve been here before? Ever wondered where your fear of heights or closed spaces came from? Or have you just felt you knew someone very well…only, you just met him or her?

Find out how past life regression may give you some of the answers to these and other questions. Workshop includes a group regression session. Hypnotherapist Catherine Novak has guided people on their journeys of self discovery for more than 15 years.

 Cost: $20, pre-registered by Sept 18 ; $25 thereafter and at the door. Beads N Botanicals, 117 North Broadway Ave, Urbana, IL 61801  217-365-9355 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              217-365-9355      end_of_the_skype_highlighting

Saturday, Sept 25, 4pm to 5:30pm

Beginning Aura Reading in Champaign Urbana

Beginning Aura Reading with Debra Joy Hart, R.N., CLL (Certified Laughter Leader). Find out what an aura is, why it is important, ways to sense and feel auric energies, as well as a bit about chakras and how they relate to color/energy. Develop your own personal seeing/ sensing style. Debra Joy is also a member of the American Holistic Nurses Association. 

Cost: $20 pre-registered by September 18; $25 thereafter and at the door.

Thursday, September 23^rd, 6pm to 7:30pm

LOCATION: Beads N Botanicals, 117 N Broadway Ave, Urbana, IL 61801
217-365-9355

Vigil of the Feast of St. Matthew

(From a homily of St. Jerome, Priest: Commentary on Matthew, Bk. 1, Ch. 9)

"The other Evangelists, out of respect and reverence for Matthew would not call him by his ordinary name, but addressed him -- for he had two names -- as Levi. But Matthew refers to himself as Matthew. According to the words of Solomon, 'The just is the first accuser of himself,' and in another place, 'Confess your sins that you may be justified.' Accordingly, Matthew calls himself, in his Gospel, both Matthew and the publican, to show his readers that no one should despair of salvation who is converted to a better life, since he was himself changed suddenly from a publican to an apostle."

The Vault Master is HYPED OUT in his latest article!

I was thinking to myself the other day about movies that are built up with so much hype and end up being less than stellar. I've lost track of how many times I've gone out of my way to see a movie due to its hype, only to be let down, and I'm sure you can relate.

And each time I'm fooled by the evil "Hollywood Hype Machine," I get pissed off, because not only do I lose out on time and money, but I also lose a bit of trust towards the marketers, friends, family members, neighbors, coworkers, or critics that insisted I was missing out.

In my latest article, HYPED OUT: FIVE OVER-HYPED FILMS WHOSE POPULARITY BOGGLES MY MIND, I take a look at five films (four of which came out in the last three years!) that have built up a lot of hype. I've seen all five based on the hype, and I have to say that none of them lived up to it.

Please feel free to comment or share your thoughts on films that you don't understand the hype over. Stay tuned for more new content on the site too b-movie fans; Halloween is drawing nigh (only 41 more days as of my writing this blog post! YAY!) and its the most wonderful time of the year for yours truly, which usually results in new reviews, articles, and more!