St. Andrew, Apostle

St. Andrew was the first of the disciples to know Jesus. With his brother Peter, he was called by our Lord to follow Him and to become a fisher of men. According to Tradition, he was a missionary in Asia Minor, Macedonia, and Russia, with his martyrdom in Greece, where he was hoisted upon a cross to die like his divine Master. He is patron of Russia and Scotland.

The big news in the Church today is Pope Benedict XVI's second Encyclical Letter, Spe Salvi (On Christian Hope). His first Encyclical Letter, Deus Caritas Est, was signed on Christmas Day 2005. I haven't yet read today's letter, but I intend to do so tonight and I hope that many of you will also find the time to read the letter sent to us by our Holy Father.

As for life in Gaming, we were delighted to receive an unexpected package in the mail this afternoon from a dear former piano teacher. The German Grammar book looks to be exactly of the sort that I was missing. Thank you, Nancy!

Maria in the Morning

This morning Maria woke John up around 7:00 (only slightly earlier than usual). It took her awhile to really wake up though. She just sat on the couch like a little angel for quite awhile with a blanket wrapped around her and Rupert in one hand, her bottle of milk in the other.

We bought plane tickets home today. We found a flight from Vienna to New York City on May 18th for a grand total of 599,- euro. What with commencement on May 17 and Maria's second birthday on May 19 (when she goes from infant to child status, a difference of 200,- euro) we were determined to fly on the 18th. Our flight leaves Vienna at 9:50 Sunday May 18 and arrives in New York at 16:00 the same day. From there Vincent (hopefully!) will meet us in our car and we'll all drive home in time to celebrate Maria's birthday the next day.

St. Sylvester, Abbot

St. Sylvester, an Italian nobleman, founded the Congregation of the Sylvestrines, affiliated to the Benedictine Order. He died at the age of ninety in 1267.

I turned in another paper today (only two left to write!). You can read it here: Aristotle on Politics: The Inclusive Rule of the Virtuous. This one is not particularly interesting. It's really just a regurgitation for the sake of showing some internalization of the Philosopher's teaching. The most interesting part is a footnote in the paper that I already posted a couple of days ago about liberal democracy.

We are very excited to have found an Advent wreath (a real one!) in the Spar downstairs, but it has all purple candles!?! Ah, well...

Cute Pictures of Maria

Maria posing for the camera.

I take no responsibility for this outfit. Maria came out wearing this after her father had changed her diaper. He thought she looked like a little page. I was the one who taught her to march though. She thinks it's a great game, and it's a wonderful way to get all her energy out before bedtime.

Last Sunday after Pentecost

Although we celebrated the Feast of Christ the King in the Traditional form of the Roman Rite almost a month ago (Last Sunday of Oct), I offer some reflections upon it today (the feast of Christ the King in the Novus Ordo calendar) because I was unable to do so then (we were in Salzburg at the time).

The Feast of Christ the King was promulgated by Pope Pius XI in 1925 for the Last Sunday of October in order that it immediately precede the Feast of All Saints. He also desired that it occur near the end of the liturgical year in order to "crown" the year, as it were, with this feast. The Novus Ordo calendar has strengthend this last association only by abandoning the former completely.

The Encyclical Letter Quas Primas (11 Dec. 1925), in which Pius XI promulgated this great feast, is not very long - I highly recommend reading it. But in case you don't have the time or the will to do so, here are two excerpts, the first on Church State relations, the second on the importance of the liturgy as formative of the faith:

18. Thus the empire of our Redeemer embraces all men. To use the words of Our immortal predecessor, Pope Leo XIII: "His empire includes not only Catholic nations, not only baptized persons who, though of right belonging to the Church, have been led astray by error, or have been cut off from her by schism, but also all those who are outside the Christian faith; so that truly the whole of mankind is subject to the power of Jesus Christ." Nor is there any difference in this matter between the individual and the family or the State; for all men, whether collectively or individually, are under the dominion of Christ. In him is the salvation of the individual, in him is the salvation of society. "Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given to men whereby we must be saved." He is the author of happiness and true prosperity for every man and for every nation. "For a nation is happy when its citizens are happy. What else is a nation but a number of men living in concord?" If, therefore, the rulers of nations wish to preserve their authority, to promote and increase the prosperity of their countries, they will not neglect the public duty of reverence and obedience to the rule of Christ. What We said at the beginning of Our Pontificate concerning the decline of public authority, and the lack of respect for the same, is equally true at the present day. "With God and Jesus Christ," we said, "excluded from political life, with authority derived not from God but from man, the very basis of that authority has been taken away, because the chief reason of the distinction between ruler and subject has been eliminated. The result is that human society is tottering to its fall, because it has no longer a secure and solid foundation."

21. That these blessings may be abundant and lasting in Christian society, it is necessary that the kingship of our Savior should be as widely as possible recognized and understood, and to the end nothing would serve better than the institution of a special feast in honor of the Kingship of Christ. For people are instructed in the truths of faith, and brought to appreciate the inner joys of religion far more effectually by the annual celebration of our sacred mysteries than by any official pronouncement of the teaching of the Church. Such pronouncements usually reach only a few and the more learned among the faithful; feasts reach them all; the former speak but once, the latter speak every year - in fact, forever. The church's teaching affects the mind primarily; her feasts affect both mind and heart, and have a salutary effect upon the whole of man's nature. Man is composed of body and soul, and he needs these external festivities so that the sacred rites, in all their beauty and variety, may stimulate him to drink more deeply of the fountain of God's teaching, that he may make it a part of himself, and use it with profit for his spiritual life.

For the Catholic Church's position on the relationship of Church and State I refer you to the numerous encyclicals of Pope Leo XIII on the subject, especially Immortale Dei (On the Christian Constitution of States), from which the following is an important excerpt:

34. Doctrines such as these, which cannot be approved by human reason, and most seriously affect the whole civil order, Our predecessors the Roman Pontiffs (well aware of what their apostolic office required of them) have never allowed to pass uncondemned. Thus, Gregory XVI in his encyclical letter "Mirari Vos," dated August 15, 1832, inveighed with weighty words against the sophisms which even at his time were being publicly inculcated-namely, that no preference should be shown for any particular form of worship; that it is right for individuals to form their own personal judgments about religion; that each man's conscience is his sole and allsufficing guide; and that it is lawful for every man to publish his own views, whatever they may be, and even to conspire against the State. On the question of the separation of Church and State the same Pontiff writes as follows: "Nor can We hope for happier results either for religion or for the civil government from the wishes of those who desire that the Church be separated from the State, and the concord between the secular and ecclesiastical authority be dissolved. It is clear that these men, who yearn for a shameless liberty, live in dread of an agreement which has always been fraught with good, and advantageous alike to sacred and civil interests." To the like effect, also, as occasion presented itself, did Pius IX brand publicly many false opinions which were gaining ground, and afterwards ordered them to be condensed in summary form in order that in this sea of error Catholics might have a light which they might safely follow.

35. From these pronouncements of the Popes it is evident that the origin of public power is to be sought for in God Himself. and not in the multitude, and that it is repugnant to reason to allow free scope for sedition. Again, that it is not lawful for the State, any more than for the individual, either to disregard all religious duties or to hold in equal favor different kinds of religion; that the unrestrained freedom of thinking and of openly making known one's thoughts is not inherent in the rights of citizens, and is by no means to be reckoned worthy of favor and support. In like manner it is to be understood that the Church no less than the State itself is a society perfect in its own nature and its own right, and that those who exercise sovereignty ought not so to act as to compel the Church to become subservient or subject to them, or to hamper her liberty in the management of her own affairs, or to despoil her in any way of the other privileges conferred upon her by Jesus Christ. In matters, however, of mixed jurisdiction, it is in the highest degree consonant to nature, as also to the designs of God, that so far from one of the powers separating itself from the other, or still less coming into conflict with it, complete harmony, such as is suited to the end for which each power exists, should be preserved between them.

St. John of the Cross, Confessor, Doctor of the Church

St. John of the Cross was the fellow worker of St. Teresa in the reform of the Order of Mount Carmel, and wrote invaluable treatises on mystical theology. He died in 1591.

It's paper writing season here at the ITI and I just finished writing a 7 pager on a particular point in Aristotle's Politics. Whilst doing some research I came across an interesting passage in Peter L. Phillips Simpson's A Philosophical Commentary on the Politics of Aristotle. He makes a rather provactive (but, I think, spot on) application of Aristotle's assertion that democracy is an intrinsically deviant and corrupt form of government:

"A modern liberal democracy does not rule for noble living (it does not use rule to make people virtuous), but rather for allowing everyone the freedom to pursue, as far as possible, their own idea of advantage (or of happiness). Thus such a modern liberal democracy is not ruling for the common advantage. It is really ruling for the advantage, or for the continuance in rule, of those who believe that the regime should not use rule to make people virtuous. It is accordingly a deviant regime and is ruling for the advantage of the rulers only. By contrast, a modern regime that did rule to make people virtuous, and used the laws to prohibit vicious and promote virtuous behavior, would, according to Aristotle, be ruling for the common advantage. Hence it would be a correct regime. The fact that it was preventing people from living as they liked, and was forcing them instead to live in ways the rulers liked, would not, contrary to prevailing modern opinions, make it deviant or unjust" (p. 153).

Cute Pictures of Maria

In the latest installment of our "Cute Pictures of Maria" series...

Meanwhile, having turned in a term paper on St. Augustine two days ago I am buried in Aristotle's Politics trying to meet a monday morning deadline for another paper. This one is on who has the best claim to rule in a city. Kings, Aristocrats, Warriors, Tyrants, Oligarchs, Democrats? Deus miserere me!

St. Clement I, Pope, Martyr

St. Clement I was a companion and a disciple of Ss. Peter and Paul, and the third successor of St. Peter. He was exiled by the emperor Trajan and cast into the sea in 100.

Now for some pictures of our Thanksgiving celebrations last night.

Happy Thanksgiving! Here we are at a table with a couple from India, another from England, and another from Russia and Germany. Our first international Thanksgiving!

What shall I say here? Fried turkey (everything is fried here); pink mashed potatoes (can't say why they were pink); cooked carrots; pumkin soup (which was pretty good).

Hello, from Maria!

The desserts were made by the ITI womenfolk and were therefore much better than the rest of the food. Above is Lisa's contribution - quite good!

After dinner we stopped by for a peak at the Thanksgiving Ball hosted by Franciscan U of S. The dress and the dancing were traditional Austrian (lots of lederhosen and dirndls).

TE DEUM LAUDAMUS! (Happy Thanksgiving!)

O God, we praise you, and acknowledge you to be the supreme Lord.
Everlasting Father, all the earth worships you.
All the Angels, the heavens and all angelic powers,
All the Cherubim and Seraphim, continuously cry to you:
Holy, holy, holy, Lord, God of Hosts!
Heaven and earth are full of the Majesty of your glory.
The glorious choir of the Apostles,
The wonderful company of Prophets,
The white-robed army of Martyrs, praise you.
Holy Church throughout the world acknowledges you:
The Father of infinite Majesty;
Your adorable, true and only Son;
Also the Holy Spirit, the Comforter.
O Christ, you are the King of glory!
You are the everlasting Son of the Father.
When you took it upon yourself to deliver man,
You did not disdain the Virgin's womb.
Having overcome the sting of death,
You opened the Kingdom of Heaven to all believers.
You sit at the right hand of God in the glory of the Father.
We believe that you will come to be our Judge.
We, therefore, beg you to help your servants
Whom you have redeemed with your Precious Blood.
Let them be numbered with your Saints in everlasting glory.
Save your people, O Lord, and bless your inheritance!
Govern them, and raise them up forever.
Every day we thank you.
And we praise your Name forever; yes, forever and ever.
O Lord, deign to keep us from sin this day.
Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us.
Let your mercy, O Lord, be upon us, for we have hoped in you.
O Lord, in you I have put my trust; let me never be put to shame.
Amen.

Let us pray,
O God of Whose mercies there is no number and of Whose goodness the treasure is infinite: we render thanks to Thy most gracious Majesty for the gifts Thou hast bestowed upon us, always beseeching Thy clemency; that as Thou grantest the petitions of them that ask Thee, Thou wilt never forsake them, but wilt prepare them for the greater rewards that still await them.

Maria and Eli

Maria's friend Eli was visiting today, and I thought I'd just share a cute picture with you.

Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

As soon as she could walk, Mary was brought to the Temple by her holy parents, Joachim and Anne. With what an ecstasy of delight she must have entered into the Temple, crying out: “How lovely are Thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts; my soul longeth and fainteth for the courts of the Lord.” (Psalm 83:1,2) Have I any of the same desire to consecrate my life to the Lord?

After the Divine Liturgy today there was a special candle light procession and blessing of children in celebration of Mary's Presentation in the Temple. Maria was really cute walking with the other children in procession behind the statue of Mary; we didn't let her have a candle.

I turned in my term paper for my ecclesiology class. At first I thought to write on the subject of evil (as a deprivation of good), which is found well laid out in St. Augustine's City of God. Having already written a couple of papers on evil at AMC, though, I decided at the last to tackle a new question: What is sacrifice? St. Augustine's answer in the City of God has made a lasting impact on the Christian understandind of sacrifice, which is obviously central to our holy Faith. So, here it is: Love and Self-Gift: Sacrifice in St. Augustine's City of God. Enjoy!

Your comments and critiques are, of course, very welcome. I fear in the end that I have only said something rather obvious in this paper. I hope at least that you'll find Cardinal Ratzinger's reflections on sacrifice and the Mass (found mostly in the early footnotes of my paper) interesting enough to read his short lecture Theology of the Liturgy.

St. Felix of Valois, Confessor

St. Felix, of the royal family of France, with St. John of Matha founded the Order of Trinitarians for the ransom of captives. He died in 1212.

John's birthday present finally arrived! We were a little worried that maybe amazon.de was not as reputable as amazon.com, or that it had been intercepted by the Austrian Post Office. John is very excited to now have the Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin.