August 1: Commemoration of the Holy Maccabees

These seven holy brothers suffered martyrdom under Antiochus in the second century before Christ.

 
    The only knowledge I had of the Maccabees before I started reading for this post was from about 30 years ago. My best friend in high school was a Catholic girl. Her family was quite devout. On several occasions our conversations got around to differing religious beliefs and I remember one such conversation about the Bible. As was Protestant tradition in those times, my parents gifted me with a lovely, leather King James Version of the Bible around my 13^th Christmas. As I was to discover in the next few years, it did not contain the same books as my best friend's Catholic Bible. This knowledge was the subject of a great debate, upon which my friend could not satisfactorily defend. Two of these "omitted" books from the Word of God were Maccabees I and Maccabees II. (I hope to write about the Bible at a later time.) After our discussion crossed a certain line, the topic was dropped and I was satisfied that the Catholics were, indeed, lost and confused. Even after I re-evaluated my beliefs and became a Catholic, I heard very little about the Maccabees other than their relation to the Jewish celebration of Hanukkah. So when I discovered that today is the Commemoration of the Holy Maccabees I was very excited. It is a beautiful and amazing story of perseverance and faith in the One True God. It is certainly most relevant for our times.

    330 years before Christ, Alexander the Great conquered and controlled much of that part of the world. His empire was massive. In his wisdom, he enlisted the service of many Greek soldiers to help fight his battles. As a result, the Greek influence and culture was spread throughout his empire. Before Alexander's death, he had made his way into Babylon and taken control of the Iranian people. He encouraged his soldiers to intermarry with the Babylonia woman further hastening the assimilation of Hellenistic culture into Iran. When Alexander died without an heir, his Greek infused empire was divided into 4 regions, with each of Alexander's generals becoming king. One of these kings was the general Seleucus who established his own empire beginning with Alexander's death in 323.

    The Seleucid Empire included all of Babylon, Antioch, Damascus, and Jerusalem where, as we know from Scripture and history, a large portion of the population were Jews. During this time, the kings of the Empire were completely dedicated to immersion into the Greek culture left to them through Alexander. Many of the Kings tolerated the Jews because they didn't see Judaism in conflict with Greek culture.  In fact, they had a certain appreciation for rituals and deity worship but they also hoped to influence the Jews to view their religious texts as literature or myth rather than as Truth. While some of the kings during this time were tolerant, others were cruel and attempted to eliminate all forms of Jewish religious practice altogether.

    By the time of the reign of Antiochus IV in 215 B.C., many of the Jews had lost their faith and had assimilated into the Hellenistic culture. There were, however, a few Jews who had remained faithful to tradition and their faith. Antiochus was perfectly aware of the squabbles between the two factions of Jews and he hoped to use this as political leverage to unite his Empire. To do this, Antiochus instituted a series of laws prohibiting the Jews from keeping the commandments, reading the Torah, and practicing circumcision. During this time, the Jews were also forced to violate their dietary restrictions and to participate in pagan rituals. In a final act of humiliation and sacrilege, Antiochus stormed the temple in Jerusalem, ransacked it, destroyed the altar and built a statue that resembled Zeus. The punishment for violating any one of these prohibitions was often a cruel, torturous death. Many Jews did as Antiochus IV had anticipated and rejected God. They followed the laws of the land and assimilated. Faithful Jews hid themselves away in mountains and lived in fear.

    In the year 166 before Our Lord was born, one such faithful Jew named Eleazar was brought to trial before Antiochus. Eleazar was 90 years old and had spent some time going through towns teaching the children and circumcising the male babies. For his refusal to abandon Mosaic Law, Eleazar was tortured and murdered in Jerusalem. When the teacher refused to submit to the King's decrees, he had some of his followers brought to trial also. A woman named Solomonia and her seven sons were forced to stand before the King to answer for their "crimes." One by one, they were questioned. Each refused to deny the True God and each was tortured and murdered. Their mother was forced to stand by and watch as each one of her sons' skin was flayed and their bodies' were dismembered. When her youngest son was brought forth, Antiochus urged Solomionia to convince him to renounce so he could be spared. Instead, she looked at her son and encouraged him to pronounce loudly and bravely his trust in the True God. After the death of her seven sons, Solomonia stood over their bodies and cried out to the Lord. With her arms raised to heaven, she collapsed over them in death. So bravely did the Seven Holy Martyrs stand against the pagan tyrant King Antiochus, that they inspired another Maccabee—Judas—to rise up against the cruel tyrant, restore Judaism to Jerusalem, and reclaim the temple.

    The story of the Seven Holy Martyrs is an incredible story, especially for our times today. Nations which were once gloriously and triumphantly Catholic long ago lost all semblance of Christianity and proudly declare themselves "secular." Our own President has firmly declared that the United States is no longer a "Christian" nation. Pagan ideas, principles, practices, rituals, and symbols permeate our modern society. Many Christians, especially Catholics, do not even recognize them, much less know what they are or mean. Our culture has become eerily similar to the ancient Babylonian culture that the Maccabees lived in. No, we aren't forced to reject the Commandments of God; we do so willingly. No, we aren't forced to violate our dietary restrictions; we do so willingly. No, we aren't forced to worship in churches stripped of altars; we do willingly. No, we haven't been forced to embrace secularism and paganism; we have done so enthusiastically. Perhaps, though, there are some among us with the courage of these Seven Holy Martyrs.



     
     Protestants are not familiar with the story of the Maccabees because it is not in their version of the Bible. 


     After Vatican II, Pope Paul VI suppressed this Feast day in 1969.  Most modern Catholics are unfamiliar with this story as well.




 
Holy Maccabees, pray for us, that we have the courage to defend the Truth in these increasingly pagan times.

Holy Maccabees, pray for us, that a remnant emerges from the decay to restore Catholicism to the world.

    

July 22: The Feast of St. Mary Magdalen--Penitent

    St. Mary Magdalen, of Magdala in Galilee, was the sister of St. Martha and St. Lazarus. First a sinner, she was converted by Our Lord, Who raised Lazarus at her prayer. She stood at the cross "till Our Lord sent forth His spirit." After His victory, Christ showed Himself to Magdalen and made her His messenger to announce His Resurrection to the Apostles.

    "Many sins are forgiven her, because she hath loved much. But to whom less is forgiven, he loveth less….And He said to the woman: Thy faith has saved thee: go in peace."  (Luke 7:47-50)


 
    St. Mary Magdalen was the sister of both Martha and Lazarus. Traditions and documents passed down through the centuries identified Lazarus as a high ranking member of society, possibly a prince, and, as such, quiet wealthy. Both Mary and Martha enjoyed this wealth and their status in society. At some point in Mary's life, however, she became lost in her own worldliness and became a public sinner. Tradition holds that she was a fallen woman, a woman of ill repute, an adulterer, perhaps even a prostitute. Whatever the case, she was proud and she was public.

    St. Luke records in his Gospel that Mary Magdalen was filled with demons and it was Jesus who rid her of that evil. In gratitude and love for Our Lord, Mary Magdalen, from that day forward, used all her worldly goods to please Our Lord. It was she who came into the banquet feast to wash Our Lord's feet with her sorrowful tears and expensive perfume. It was she who dried his feet with her long, flowing hair. In this moment, she fell at the Lord's feet completely full of remorse for her sinful behavior, with only a desire to love and serve Him. And that she did.

    In penance for her many sins, Mary abandoned her wealth and station in life to follow Jesus throughout his ministry. She completly rejected all those worldly things that led her into sin. The Lord's Mercy was so great, that Mary spent her time listening to and loving Him. When Jesus came to visit the family, Mary Magdalen opted to sit by his side rather than busy herself with housework. When her sister Martha chided her for such, Jesus reminded Martha that Mary had chosen a "better way." Mary's better way was a life of contemplation rather than activity.

    It would seem that sometime during her contemplative life Mary came to cling only to Our Lord, believe only our Lord, and rest all her hopes in Our Lord. When all the Apostles, except for John, abandoned Jesus, Mary Magdalen, along with His Blessed Mother, followed Jesus to Calvary. She wept at the foot of the Cross. As she watched Him take His last breath, she never left his side. Indeed, she was insistent that she stay with Him as long as she could. She remained beside our Blessed Mother, both of them comforting each other with their tears. When all of Our Lord's Apostles hid in the Upper Room in fear of the Jews, Mary Magdalen went to anoint Our Lord's Precious Body with the finest oils she had. In spite of watching Him die, she longed only to see His Beautiful Face.

    When all seemed lost, it was Mary Magdalen who persevered and held steadfast in her faith. When she discovered the empty tomb, Mary was filled with tears. When the Angels asked why she was crying, she only responded that "They have taken My Lord and I don't know where they have laid Him!" She was looking for Him when no one else was. She had hope when all hope was gone.

    Surely it was Mary's penance, hope, and love that Our Lord rewarded when he choose to reveal his Resurrected Body, first, to St. Mary of Magdala. She became the Apostle to the Apostles when she ran with Mary, Our Blessed Mother, to bring the Apostles out of hiding by declaring "I have seen the Lord." What a great honor to be chosen by Our Lord in this way!

    14 years later, Mary Magdalen was put out to sea on a boat by the Jews. Along with her brother and sister and the body of St. Anne, mother of the Blessed Virgin, Mary Magdalen was left to drift without sails or oars. The group of Christians finally landed on the shores of Southern France, where Mary Magdalen lived out her contemplative life in a cave called Sainte-Baume. Her only food was the Holy Eucharist brought to her daily by the Angels. She lived to be 72.

    The story of St. Mary Magdalen is one of the most remarkable stories in the lives of the Saints. The Church held her in such high honor that, in the Middle Ages, her Feast Day was one of the most celebrated. She became a symbol of a true penitent heart, a reminder that Our Lord came for sinners. Our Lord rewarded her for her penance and love not for her innocence or purity. For millennia, St. Mary Magdalen, the Penitent, provided for the Church the hope that even the most reviled sins could be overcome with a deep love for Our Lord.

However, in 1969, after Vatican II, Pope Paul VI changed St. Mary Magdalen's title to that of "Disciple" instead of "Penitent." Her Feast Day was downgraded to a Memorial and her image was "revamped." In those years, attempts were made to focus on her discipleship rather than her life of sin and penance. Instead of the symbol of hope and love, Mary Magdalen has become just like any other woman who loved Jesus.

Sadly, Mary Magdalen's exemplary life has become one of confusion and speculation. The secular world has twisted her pure love for Our Lord into a romantic love absent of all virtue or sacrifice. The Protestants have resigned to see Mary only in the Scripture verses that explicitly mention her name, and her demons range from mental illness to deception. In modern times, Mary Magdalen has been used by both Catholics and Protestants alike to illustrate that Jesus was a "feminist" and to advance a woman's role in the Church. All of these ideas are merely distractions and distortions of the Truth. Our Lord chose her because she loved Him so much. She loved Him so much because His Mercy was so great. His Mercy was so great because her heart was filled with remorse for her sins.

St. Mary Magdalen is a Saint for us all—a reminder that no sin is too great to overcome. A reminder that God is a God of Justice and Mercy. A reminder that penance for the love of Our Lord is rewarded.


 
St. Mary Magdalen, pray for us that we may not fall into despair over our sins, but repent and rely on Our Lord's Mercy.

St. Mary Magdalen, pray for us that we may learn to love Our Lord with our whole hearts so that we may overcome our sins.


 

 

 

 

 

 

July 14: The Feast of St. Bonaventure, Doctor of the Church

    May my soul ever thirst for Thee, Who art the source of life, the fount of wisdom and knowledge, the brightness of everlasting light, the flood of all true happiness, the riches of the house of God. - St. Bonaventure


The Doctors of the Church were renowned for their orthodoxy and their theological learning.

 St. Bonaventure was born in Italy in 1221. Unfortunately, very little is known about St. Bonaventure's youth except for a single story. When he was a small child, St. Bonaventure became very ill, near death. His pious parents sought the intercession of St. Francis of Assisi. With St. Francis's help, St. Bonaventure recovered. In an act of gratitude and love for St. Francis, St. Bonaventure entered into the Franciscan Order of the Friars when he was about 18.

    The Seraphic Doctor, as he was called, had a quest for learning and the Truth. Although he was steadfast and sure of Christian doctrine, he was warm and charitable towards his fellow priests. He was a Defender of the Faith like no other. He grew to be an exemplary priest and teacher. He studied at the University of Paris along with St. Thomas Aquinas, where he earned his title of Doctor of Theology. He later went on to teacher at this same University and is regarded as one of the greatest theologians and thinkers in Christianity.

    The Doctor's philosophy was simple--he believed that the primary person of man's intellectual being was to seek God. He loved God and he loved the Truth. He had a great respect for tradition and he held new ideas and philosophy with suspicion. He wrote extensively on dogma, doctrine, and prayer. His writings held great influence at many of the early Church Counsels and some of his ideas, especially regarding papal infallibility, laid the foundation for Church doctrine.

    He dedicated his life to searching for the knowledge of God. While at University, he taught his pupils that the pursuit of Truth must be governed by authority or it is worthless. He warned that those who sought their own subjective truth would find a path filled with "dangerous pitfalls and treachery." His example clarified that education must never be separated from Christ. Today many institutions for education carry his name.

    St. Bonaventure died under suspicious circumstances in 1274.


 
    St. Bonaventure, pray for us that all our educational pursuits remain grounded in and guided by the Truth of Our Lord.

    St. Bonaventure, pray for Our Bishops and priests that they may teach the True faith without comprising Tradition for novelty.

    

Oh, but McKenzie is such a lovely name……

    Yes, McKenzie is a lovely name, no matter how one spells it, so I don't want anyone to think I'm being rude criticizing it. I am not. It's also a name that, I'm certain, has graced a great many Certificates of Baptism in Catholic parishes across the U.S. So what's the big deal? Therein lies the heart of the matter.

    When I was growing up, I didn't know very many Catholic families with children. The ones I did know, though, usually had 4 or 5 children who were generally my own age and, regardless of religious sentiments, we all had the same names: Lisa, Debbie, Kimberly, David, Mark, and Brad. Every now and then, a new student would show up in school with a name like Lady or Scooter, but for the most part it was pretty boring. I suspect young parents in the 60s chose names that either belonged to someone they had a fondness for or for some name they heard in a song or movie. I suspect they thought they were being original. I also suspect, if the family was unusually Protestant, as long as the name came from the Bible, they thought they were doing well.

    I never really gave to much thought to onomastics until I was pregnant with our first child. We considered all sorts of names, from Biblical to exotic, in search for the "perfect" name for our first born. The only condition that had to be met was one of popularity. We didn't want our son or daughter to experience life in school, as we had, being known as David W. or Sarah W. because there were just so many. Finally, we agreed on something short, simple, without nickname potential.

    We have never regretted naming our son in that fashion. He has a name that he's always been happy with and there has never been another classmate, or schoolmate for that matter, to share his name. We accomplished what we set out to overcome. However, if we had been Traditional Catholics and not secular people, we definitely would have taken a different path.

     I know quite a few elderly Catholics born in the 30s or so. They almost all have a name like Mary Ann or Josephine, Albert or Leo. These names bring to mind the Saints that bore them, as I am sure their parents intended. I've also met a few Catholics born in the last few years and baptized at some parish or other. Many of them have names quite familiar to Catholic ears, but there are also many more Jennifers and Haylies and Chances and Zanes.

     For a time, we fit squarely into the modern Catholic naming trend I just mentioned. We named most of our children while we were attending a "modern" Catholic Church. We didn't receive any counsel on choosing a name for our wee ones, and if we had, we would have been directed to this passage in the Catechism of the Catholic Church that was published in 1992 which says: "In Baptism, the Lord's name sanctifies man, and the Christian receives his name in the Church. This can be the name of a saint, that is, of a disciple who has lived a life of exemplary fidelity to the Lord. The patron saint provides a model of charity; we are assured of his intercession. The "baptismal name" can also express a Christian mystery or Christian virtue. "Parents, sponsors, and the pastor are to see that a name is not given which is foreign to Christian sentiment." Due to lack of guidance in this, we chose names that we liked and chose a saint for the middle. I'm fairly certain this was common practice because I have been at their baptisms.

     It was with this understanding that I searched the baby books last year when I was pregnant with our 7^th child. When we discovered we were pregnant, we had just left the "modern" Catholic Church for our Traditional SSPX one. We didn't know many people at all and I am really terrible with names anyway. The names of the children there escaped me. But the more we kept going, the more it occurred to me that the expectations regarding the Baptism of our new daughter just might be a bit different.

     Since I had begun homeschooling in the middle of my pregnancy, I received a Baltimore Catechism as part of our religious education curriculum. When I got to the section on Baptism, I concluded that my suspicions were correct. Here is what that Catechism, published in 1885 and used until after Vatican II, says: 163. Q. Why is the name of a saint given in Baptism? A. The name of a saint is given in Baptism in order that the person baptized may imitate his virtues and have him for a protector. The saint whose name we bear is called Our patron saint. This saint has a special love for us and a special care over us. People take the names of great men because they admire their good qualities or their great deeds. So we take saints' names because we admire their Christian virtues and great Christian deeds. We should, therefore, read the life of our patron saint and try to imitate his virtues, and the day on which the Church celebrates the feast of our patron saint should be a great day for us also. The Church generally celebrates the saint's feast on the day on which he died, that is, as we believe, the day on which he entered into Heaven. The realization that this expectation had someone "changed" was startling. Needless to say, our list wouldn't do.

     Eventually, we agreed on a saint's name for our daughter. It is, however, not an ordinary one. Our priest had a hard time saying it during our daughter's Baptism and my mother still mispronounces it. I am not certain, but I believe it sparked a really harsh sermon from our priest on choosing appropriate baby names. But it is a saint's name nonetheless. We like it and it suits her. I hope she grows in virtue and is able to battle her way through this pagan world and bring it some light, just like her patron saint.

     I, for one, would like to see the practice of naming children after saints return to the Church. Catholics would be better off leaving the Harpers, Harlows, Rivers, and Orions to the celebrity Teen Moms. The world could use more Josephines, Seraphinas, Felixes, and Dominics.

     In an effort to help Catholic parents, I hope to begin a list of super Catholic saints names for our babies.


 
St. Gerard Majella, pray for us that we may bestow upon our children the name of a saint to emulate in character.

St. Monica, pray for us that we may be good parents to our children and strong in Christian virtue.