Baptismus de Voto & the Consensus Patrum

Overview

The Dimond Brothers rely heavily upon the theory that the universal consensus among the Church Fathers was against salvation for anyone without the reception of baptism in water. This “consensus” can only be constructed when ​all references to "Baptism" are assumed to exclude any form other than that of water and when all references to baptism by blood and desire are ignored. When these two elements are removed, however, the “consensus” ceases to exist.

To begin with, quotations in favor of Baptism of Blood and of Desire (which are known among theologians as baptismus de voto) are not lacking among the Fathers. For instance, Pope St. Clement wrote to Corinth in the first century as follows:

Let us go through all generations, and learn that in generation and generation the Master has given a place of repentance to those willing to turn to Him. Noah preached repentance, and those who heard him were saved. Jonah preached repentance to the Ninivites; those who repented for their sins appeased God in praying, and received salvation, even though they were aliens of God.
- Letter to the Corinthians, 7, available: http://newadvent.org/fathers/1010.htm

St. Irenaeus says that “those who are saved” are “they who love God, and follow the Word of God”:

For to whomsoever the Lord shall say, Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire, [Matthew 25:41] these shall be damned for ever; and to whomsoever He shall say, Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you for eternity, [Matthew 25:34] these do receive the kingdom for ever, and make constant advance in it; since there is one and the same God the Father, and His Word, who has been always present with the human race, by means indeed of various dispensations, and has wrought out many things, and saved from the beginning those who are saved, (for these are they who love God, and follow the Word of God according to the class to which they belong,) and has judged those who are judged, that is, those who forget God, and are blasphemous, and transgressors of His word.
- Against Heresies, Book IV, Chapter 28, Verse 2, available: http://newadvent.org/fathers/0103428.htm

St. Justin Martyr quite explicitly gives the name of “Christian” to “those who lived reasonably”:

We have been taught that Christ is the first-born of God, and we have declared above that He is the Word of whom every race of men were partakers; and those who lived reasonably are Christians, even though they have been thought atheists; as, among the Greeks, Socrates and Heraclitus, and men like them; and among the barbarians, Abraham, and Ananias, and Azarias, and Misael, and Elias, and many others whose actions and names we now decline to recount, because we know it would be tedious.
- First Apology, Chapter 46, available: http://newadvent.org/fathers/0126.htm

Further quotations from Saints Gregory, John Damascene, Cyril, Nilus, Prosper, Augustine, Ambrose, John Chrysostom, Irenaeus, and Justin Martyr besides Tertullian, Cyprian, Origen, Clement, Hegemonius, Arnobius, Eusebius, Primasius, Haymo, and Oecumenius can be found in “The Father William Most Collection” under “Appendix: Is There Salvation Outside the Church?” Another list of authorities supporting Baptism of Desire and Baptism of Blood can be found at catholicessentials.net in the article “Baptism of Desire, and Baptism of Blood”. The purpose of all this is not to overwhelm the reader with historical material but to provide sufficient proof to demonstrate that the Feenyite appeal to a “Consensus Patrum" is false.

St. Gregory Nazianzen

Although it would be excessively time-consuming to examine every quotation which the Dimond Brothers bring forward in favor of their position, one passage from St. G​regory Nazianzen deserves particular attention. It is as follows:

And so also in those who fail to receive the Gift, some are altogether animal or bestial, according as they are either foolish or wicked; and this, I think, has to be added to their other sins, that they have no reverence at all for this Gift, but look upon it as a mere gift— to be acquiesced in if given them, and if not given them, then to be neglected. Others know and honour the Gift, but put it off; some through laziness, some through greediness. Others are not in a position to receive it, perhaps on account of infancy, or some perfectly involuntary circumstance through which they are prevented from receiving it, even if they wish. As then in the former case we found much difference, so too in this. They who altogether despise it are worse than they who neglect it through greed or carelessness. These are worse than they who have lost the Gift through ignorance or tyranny, for tyranny is nothing but an involuntary error. And I think that the first will have to suffer punishment, as for all their sins, so for their contempt of baptism; and that the second will also have to suffer, but less, because it was not so much through wickedness as through folly that they wrought their failure; and that the third will be neither glorified nor punished by the righteous Judge, as unsealed and yet not wicked, but persons who have suffered rather than done wrong. For not every one who is not bad enough to be punished is good enough to be honoured; just as not every one who is not good enough to be honoured is bad enough to be punished. And I look upon it as well from another point of view. If you judge the murderously disposed man by his will alone, apart from the act of murder, then you may reckon as baptized him who desired baptism apart from the reception of baptism. But if you cannot do the one how can you do the other? I cannot see it. Or, if you like, we will put it thus:— If desire in your opinion has equal power with actual baptism, then judge in the same way in regard to glory, and you may be content with longing for it, as if that were itself glory. And what harm is done you by your not attaining the actual glory, as long as you have the desire for it?​
​- Oration 40: The Oration on Holy Baptism, para. XXIII, avail: http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/310240.htm​

In the first section of this passage, St. Gregory describes those who, “are not in a position to receive [Baptism], perhaps on account of infancy, or some perfectly involuntary circumstance through which they are prevented from receiving it, even if they wish” and who, “have lost the Gift through ignorance or tyranny, for tyranny is nothing but an involuntary error.” Of these, St. Gregory states they, “will be neither glorified nor punished by the righteous Judge, as unsealed and yet not wicked, but persons who have suffered rather than done wrong.”

St. Gregory Nazianzen is clearly teaching that the involuntary deprivation of Baptism to those who desire it is not cause for either glorification or punishment. The Dimond Brothers take this to be evidence of the idea that it is impossible to obtain the glory of salvation other than by actually receiving Baptism in water, yet this inference is inaccurate as we can easily prove by quoting the Oration immediately preceding that cited above:

Now, since our Festival is of Baptism, and we must endure a little hardness with Him Who for our sake took form, and was baptized, and was crucified; let us speak about the different kinds of Baptism, that we may come out thence purified. Moses baptized [Leviticus xi] but it was in water, and before that in the cloud and in the sea. [1 Corinthians 10:2] This was typical as Paul says; the Sea of the water, and the Cloud of the Spirit; the Manna, of the Bread of Life; the Drink, of the Divine Drink. John also baptized; but this was not like the baptism of the Jews, for it was not only in water, but also unto repentance. Still it was not wholly spiritual, for he does not add And in the Spirit. Jesus also baptized, but in the Spirit. This is the perfect Baptism. And how is He not God, if I may digress a little, by whom you too are made God? I know also a Fourth Baptism— that by Martyrdom and blood, which also Christ himself underwent:— and this one is far more august than all the others, inasmuch as it cannot be defiled by after-stains. Yes, and I know of a Fifth also, which is that of tears, and is much more laborious, received by him who washes his bed every night and his couch with tears; whose bruises stink through his wickedness; and who goes mourning and of a sad countenance; who imitates the repentance of Manasseh and the humiliation of the Ninevites [Jonah 3:7-10] upon which God had mercy; who utters the words of the Publican in the Temple, and is justified rather than the stiff-necked Pharisee; [Luke 18:13] who like the Canaanite woman bends down and asks for mercy and crumbs, the food of a dog that is very hungry. [Matthew 15:27]
- Oration 39: Oration on the Holy Lights, para. XVII, available: http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/310239.htm

In the passage above, St. Gregory teaches us that there was first a baptism of water which Moses gave and second, a baptism of water and repentance which John gave, but that only the baptism of Christ is the “perfect” baptism because it was “in the Spirit”. Next, we learn of a “Fourth Baptism” which is “by Martyrdom and blood” that is “far more august than all the others”, and finally, St. Gregory describes the “Fifth” Baptism “which is that of tears”.

We must begin by noting that the perfection of Christ’s Baptism is caused by the Spirit, not the water, since this water is common to the perfect Baptism of Christ along with the imperfect ones of St. John and Moses. This is explained by St. Gregory in his 40th Oration:

And since we are double-made, I mean of body and soul, and the one part is visible, the other invisible, so the cleansing also is twofold, by water and the spirit; the one received visibly in the body, the other concurring with it invisibly and apart from the body; the one typical, the other real and cleansing the depths.
- Oration 40: Oration on Holy Baptism, para. VIII, available: http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/310240.htm

When we understand that the real cleansing occurs “invisibly and apart from the body”, we have understood the principle by which the baptismus de voto operates. God is able to anything or even nothing exteriorly in order to impart the invisible cleansing of the soul. This is the essence of the point at issue with the Dimond Brothers.

Continuing the inquiry, we are immediately struck by the fact that the Baptism of Blood is called “far more august than all the others” despite the fact that it does not involve water. The august nature of this form of Baptism strongly implies that it can validly substitute for any of its inferiors, and this theory is reinforced by the flow of logic up until this point which has been that of superior forms of Baptism superseding their inferior predecessors. The standard defense against the quotation on the “five baptisms” (along with all the others which confess the Baptism of Blood) is that the Baptism of Blood is only effective for those already baptized with water; however, this line of defense is ineffective first of all because there is not the slightest evidence for this opinion in St. Gregory’s writings.

Furthermore, the logic by which martyrdom is only effective after baptism infers that the baptism of Christ is only effective for those who first received John’s baptism which was only be effective for those who received Moses’ baptism. Although the early Judaizers of St. Paul’s day are well known to have denied the efficacy of Christ’s baptism to those outside the Old Covenant, the Church has long since rejected this opinion as heresy. Thus, the logical attraction of this attack on the validity of Baptism in blood outside of water can be safely rejected as a fallacious “post hoc ergo propter hoc” argument. It is safe to say, therefore, that the evidence from St. Gregory Nazianzen not only allows, but even positively encourages the efficacy of Baptism in blood for salvation even apart from the font of Baptism in water.

Similarly with regards to Baptism by tears, we have evidence that St. Gregory was not of the same mind as the Dimond Brothers on this issue. This evidence is present in paragraphs eighteen and nineteen of the Saint’s 39th Oration:

XVIII. I, however, for I confess myself to be a man—that is to say, an animal shifty and of a changeable nature,— both eagerly receive this Baptism, and worship Him Who has given it me, and impart it to others; and by showing mercy make provision for mercy. For I know that I too am compassed with infirmity, [Hebrews 5:2] and that with what measure I mete it shall be measured to me again. [Matthew 7:2] But what do you say, O new Pharisee pure in title but not in intention, who dischargest upon us the sentiments of Novatus, though you share the same infirmities? Will you not give any place to weeping? Will you shed no tear? May you not meet with a Judge like yourself? Are you not ashamed by the mercy of Jesus, Who took our infirmities and bare our sicknesses; [Matthew 8:17] Who came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance; Who will have mercy rather than sacrifice; who forgives sins till seventy times seven. How blessed would your exaltation be if it really were purity, not pride, making laws above the reach of men, and destroying improvement by despair. For both are alike evil, indulgence not regulated by prudence, and condemnation that will never forgive; the one because it relaxes all reins, the other because it strangles by its severity. Show me your purity, and I will approve your boldness. But as it is, I fear that being full of sores you will render them incurable. Will you not admit even David's repentance, to whom his penitence preserved even the gift of prophecy? Nor the great Peter himself, who fell into human weakness at the Passion of our Saviour? Yet Jesus received him, and by the threefold question and confession healed the threefold denial. Or will you even refuse to admit that he was made perfect by blood (for your folly goes even as far as that)? Or the transgressor at Corinth? But Paul confirmed love towards him when he saw his amendment, and gives the reason, that such an one be not swallowed up by overmuch sorrow, [2 Corinthians 2:7] being overwhelmed by the excess of the punishment. And will you refuse to grant liberty of marriage to young widows on account of the liability of their age to fall? Paul ventured to do so; but of course you can teach him; for you have been caught up to the Fourth heaven, and to another Paradise, and have heard words more unspeakable, and comprehend a larger circle in your Gospel.

XIX. But these sins were not after Baptism, you will say. Where is your proof? Either prove it— or refrain from condemning; and if there be any doubt, let charity prevail.

- Oration 39: Oration on the Holy Lights, para. XVIII and XIX, available: http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/310239.htm

In the above passage, St. Gregory Nazianzen is continuing his discourse on the “Fifth Baptism”. He begins by expostulating from Scripture against “Novatus”. Novatus (or “Novatian”) was the third-century schismatic founder of the Novatians, who called themselves the “katharoi” (“pure”). He was known for refusing to absolve Christians who had committed idolatry during the Roman persecutions. Beginning with Novatus himself, the Novatians maintained a schismatic hierarchy against the Catholic Church in Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, and elsewhere which persisted into the beginning of the 7th century in some places (cf “Novatian and Novatianism” in the Catholic Encyclopedia). Among other things, his followers were known for not only refusing to absolve penitents from idolatry but also murder, adultery, and fornication.

With Novatian’s puritanism in mind, Saint Gregory cites the various incidents of Scripture wherein God forgave sin in response to the tears of the Fifth Baptism, and St. Gregory then gives the standard Novatianist response: “But these sins were not after Baptism”, meaning that if they had been after Baptism, God would have refused forgiveness. In response to this, St. Gregory gives what can only be called the ultimate refutation of all “Katharoi” heresies throughout time, including that of the Feenyites: “Either prove it— or refrain from condemning; and if there be any doubt, let charity prevail.”

This passage conclusively sets St. Gregory against the Dimond Brothers for two reasons. First, he clearly accepts the possibility that the sins remitted through tears could have been committed before Baptism since he does not deny the Novatianist objection that the sins forgiven through tears were committed prior to Baptism. Second, St. Gregory also does not distinguish whether the sins were committed before or after baptism in water. What this means is that ultimately St. Gregory’s teaching is very simple: it is that God forgives sins to those who repent whether this occurs before or after Baptism. This teaching is so utterly contrary to the spirit and dogma of Fr. Leonard Feeney, the Dimond Brothers, and all their puritanical kind from Novatian, Mani, and the Medieval Cathari to Calvin, Luther, and Zwingli that it is a disgraceful libel for anyone to cite the blessed doctor of Nazianzus in their favor.

Having considered the question of whether or not St. Gregory taught forgiveness of sins through tears prior to baptism in water, let us consider the further question of whether or not he allowed for the the possibility of obtaining glory in this way prior to baptism in water. His position would at first seem quote uncompromising on this point:

If desire in your opinion has equal power with actual baptism, then judge in the same way in regard to glory, and you may be content with longing for it, as if that were itself glory. And what harm is done you by your not attaining the actual glory, as long as you have the desire for it?​
​- Oration 40: The Oration on Holy Baptism, para XXIII, avail: http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/310240.htm

In this passage, St. Gregory teaches that the desire of baptism does not have the same power as baptism itself, and that those who desire baptism are not to be content with merely so desiring. This is clear in so far as it goes, yet the inference that it contradicts the teaching of baptismus flaminis is unfounded. To establish this, however, we must understand what the baptismus flaminis actually is. The Catholic Encyclopedia explains it succinctly as follows:

The baptism of desire (baptismus flaminis) is a perfect contrition of heart, and every act of perfect charity or pure love of God which contains, at least implicitly, a desire (votum) of baptism. The Latin word flamen is used because Flamen is a name for the Holy Ghost, Whose special office it is to move the heart to love God and to conceive penitence for sin.
- The Catholic Encyclopedia, Baptism, “The baptism of desire”, available: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02258b.htm

It is immediately clear from the above that the english translation of baptismus flaminis is inadequate in that it does not convey the supernatural quality of this form of baptism. This is unfortunate because it obscures the critical fact that like all the “perfect” forms of baptism, the baptismus flaminis must be imparted by the Holy Ghost and, as such, is beyond the natural powers of human nature. This point is fundamental to the issue of Feenyism since this error draws its strength from the inaccurate characterization of baptismus flaminis as being an expression of modernist naturalism which systematically vitiates the Gospel of all its supernatural qualities. The fact that this characterization of baptismus flaminis is entirely false can be readily perceived by understanding the meaning its essential prerequisite act: perfect contrition. This is explained in the Encyclopedia as follows:

Catholic teaching distinguishes a twofold hatred of sin; one, perfect contrition, rises from the love of God Who has been grievously offended; the other, imperfect contrition, arises principally from some other motives, such as loss of heaven, fear of hell, the heinousness of sin, etc. (Council of Trent, Sess. XIV, ch. iv de Contritione)... In accordance with Catholic teaching contrition ought to be prompted by God's grace and aroused by motives which spring from faith, as opposed to merely natural motives, such as loss of honour, fortune, and the like (Chemnitz, Exam. Concil. Trid., Pt. II, De Poenit.). In the Old Testament it is God who gives a "new heart" and who puts a "new spirit)" into the children of Israel (Ezekiel 36:25-29); and for a clean heart the Psalmist prays in the Miserere (Psalm 1:11 sqq.). St. Peter told those to whom he preached in the first days after Pentecost that God the Father had raised up Christ "to give repentance to Israel" (Acts 5:30 sq.). St. Paul in advising Timothy insists on dealing gently and kindly with those who resist the truth, "if peradventure God may give them full repentance" (2 Timothy 2:24-25). In the days of the Pelagian heresy Augustine insisted on the supernaturalness of contrition, when he writes, "That we turn away from God is our doing, and this is the bad will; but to turn back to God we are unable unless He arouse and help us, and this is the good will." Some of the Scholastic doctors, notably Scotus, Cajetan, and after them Francisco Suárez (De Poenit., Disp. iii, sect. vi), asked speculatively whether man if left to himself could elicit a true act of contrition, but no theologian ever taught that makes for forgiveness of sin in the present economy of God could be inspired by merely natural motives. On the contrary, all the doctors have insisted on the absolute necessity of grace for contrition that disposes to forgiveness (Bonaventure, In Lib. Sent. IV, dist. xiv, Pt. I, art. II, Q. iii; also dist. xvii, Pt. I, art. I, Q. iii; cf. St. Thomas, In Lib. Sent. IV). In keeping with this teaching of the Scriptures and the doctors, the Council of Trent defined; "If anyone say that without the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and without His aid a man can repent in the way that is necessary for obtaining the grace of justification, let him be anathema."
- The Catholic Encyclopedia, Contrition, available: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04337a.htm

The supernatural quality of perfect contrition is not to be forgotten or underestimated as it places the baptismus flaminis entirely outside the natural scope of what human nature is capable apart from divine assistance. Man can desire the glory of baptism within the bounds of his weakness using the natural motives of this life, but to merit the glory of Baptism requires the supernatural infusion of grace into the soul by the Holy Spirit. Thus, baptismus flaminis is not only separate from the modernist error of naturalism, it is absolutely opposed to naturalism at its most fundamental level because the doctrine of baptismus flaminis closes the gates of Heaven once and for all to purely natural human nature unaided by the supernatural power of the Holy Ghost.

Pope St. Siricius

Having considered St. Gregory Nazianzen, it behooves us to examine one further passage from the Patristic Age that is commonly relied-upon to support the Feenyite position. This passage is from Pope St. Siricius writing in the 4th century:

As we maintain that the observance of the holy Paschal time should in no way be relaxed, in the same way we desire that infants who, on account of their age, cannot yet speak, or those who, in any necessity, are in want of the water of holy baptism, be succored with all possible speed, for fear that, if those who leave this world should be deprived of the life of the Kingdom for having been refused the source of salvation which they desired, this may lead to the ruin of our souls. If those threatened with shipwreck, or the attack of enemies, or the uncertainties of a siege, or those put in a hopeless condition due to some bodily sickness, ask for what in their faith is their only help, let them receive at the very moment of their request the reward of regeneration they beg for. Enough of past mistakes! From now on, let all the priests observe the aforesaid rule if they do not want to be separated from the solid apostolic rock on which Christ has built his universal Church.
- ​Letter to Himerius, 385

The Dimond Brothers bring this quotation forward as part of their larger argument that because the Church has always conferred water baptism in case of imminent danger of death, therefore, She must have always believed that the desire for baptism was insufficient to obtain the grace thereof. This assumption, however, is a non sequitur because baptism of water in danger of death assumes that such baptism is possible whereas the teaching on baptism of blood and desire assumes that baptism in water is not possible, as the Catholic Encyclopedia says [emphasis mine]:

It is the teaching of the Catholic Church that when the baptism of water becomes a physical or moral impossibility, eternal life may be obtained by the baptism of desire or the baptism of blood.
- Baptism, “Substitutes for the Sacrament”, available: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02258b.htm

Thus, when a person is in danger of death and it is possible for him to receive baptism by water, then the entire question of baptism by desire or blood is moot: there is no such thing as baptismus de voto if it is possible to receive baptism of water. Put another way: it is impossible to receive the grace of salvation if baptism of water is refused. What Pope St. Siricius is teaching in the passage quoted above is that it is wrong for anyone to withhold baptism from those who desire it and are in danger of death. He is not teaching that when it is impossible for someone to receive baptism of water, they are damned to Hell for eternity.

On the contrary, if we read the passage carefully, we see that the Pope says baptism is to be conferred in such cases lest it “lead to the ruin of our souls” [emphasis mine]. This is a curious turn of phrase for someone who is supposed to believe that denial of baptism leads inevitably to the ruin of the recipient’s soul, not the minister’s! St. Siricius is clearly not teaching that if the minister withholds baptism from a candidate that the candidate is damned; he is teaching that the act of withholding baptism places the minister in danger of damnation!

It may be objected that the font of Baptism is referred to as a “source of salvation” and the “reward of regeneration”, yet (as has been stated before), the saving power of baptism in water is by no means abrogated by the validity of baptism in blood or desire; therefore, it is entirely appropriate to confess that both baptism of water and the baptismus de voto are “sources of salvation” and “rewards of regeneration”. In short, when we say that baptism of water imparts salvation, we do not thereby add that baptism of desire or blood do not impart salvation.

It may also be objected that “what in their faith is their only help” means the un-baptized candidates believe baptism by water to be their only means of salvation, yet this is by no means clear from the text since there is nothing to show that the “what” refers specifically to baptism in water and not baptism in general. Furthermore, the translation which the Feenyites give is somewhat slanted, for other translations do not use the phrase “what in their faith is their only help”, as we see here [emphasis mine]:

Whoever, indeed, suffers the peril of shipwreck, the assault of an enemy, the uncertainty of a siege, or the despair of any bodily illness and demands to be supported by the singular help of belief, at the very same moment when they demand, the advantages of the sought for regeneration should follow.
- Letter of Pope Siricius to Bishop Himerius of Tarragona, 385. Ed. Pierre Coustant, Epistolae Romanorum pontificum (Paris, 1721; reprint Farnborough, 1967), 623-638. Available: http://faculty.cua.edu/pennington/Canon%20Law/Decretals/SiriciusDecretal.htm#Concerning Baptism

This is anything but conclusive proof that baptism in water was considered as the sole means of salvation by those requesting it. What we do know is that if someone is in mortal danger, they should receive baptism. The Pope does not say whether they can be saved if it is impossible to receive baptism. The entire quotation does not apply to the baptismus de voto since this assumes the impossibility of baptism in water whereas the Pope in this quotation expressly assumes its possibility.

Conclusion

Having removed any illusions concerning a “consensus Patrum” in favor of the Dimond Brothers, and having particularly examined the spurious nature of their claims concerning St. Gregory Nazianzen and Pope St. Siricius, let us conclude by examining their curious assertion that they represent the consistent teaching of the conservative Catholic Church prior to Vatican II. Thanks to the efforts of Fr. Anthony Cekada, it is now an established historical fact that the overwhelming consensus of pre-Vatican II theologians was entirely in favor of baptismus de voto. Fr. Martin Stephanich explains this in his article on The “Unbaptized Saints” Deception:​

Speaking of the teaching of theologians on Baptism of Desire and Baptism of Blood, the exceptionally competent Father Anthony Cekada found time to examine the writings of as many as 25 prominent pre-Vatican II theologians who taught at great theological schools of Europe—a very laborious and tiresome task. (Thomas A Droleskey note: See Father Cekada's Baptism of Desire and Theological Principles.) Every single one of those 25 clearly taught the reality of both Baptism of Desire and Baptism of Blood, making it plain that it was the common teaching of theologians, and that it was the certain belief and teaching of the Church. Seven of those 25 theologians did not hesitate to declare Baptism of Desire to be a truth of the Faith—that is, de fide, as it is expressed in Latin. Father Cekada published his findings in a 125-page spiral bound volume some time in the year 2000. His correct conclusion was that “belief in Baptism of Desire and Baptism of Blood is required of all Catholics.” But the considerably less than Catholic Feeneyites are much too far gone to pay any attention to that.
- available: http://www.christorchaos.com/TheUnBaptizedSaintsDeceptionbyFatherStepanich.htm

​Further on in the same article quoted above, Fr. Martin brings our attention to further evidence for the tradition of baptismus de voto in the Magisterium of the Church:

Before going further on the issue of infallibility, it is good to mention here that The Reign of Mary magazine (year 2004, Vol. 35, No. 116) [available at ​cmri.org/reign_of_mary_back.html] published a detailed compilation of quotes (21 of them!) on “Baptism of Desire and of Blood” from the Council of Trent, and the teachings of the Popes, the 1917 Code of Canon Law, the Roman Martyrology, the Fathers and Doctors of the Church, and various theologians.
- The “Unbaptized Saints” Deception

Given these facts, it is evident that either the magisterium ordinarium of the Catholic Church (cf The Catholic Encyclopedia, “Infallibility”, III. Organs of Infallibility) is fallible or baptismus de voto has the power to justify human nature. There is no middle ground between these alternatives. Regarding which one is correct, St. Vincent of Lerins famously exhorts us as follows:

In the Catholic Church itself we must take great care that we hold that which has been believed everywhere, always, by all. For that is truly and properly catholic, as the very force and meaning of the word show, which comprehends everything almost universally. And we shall observe this rule if we follow universality, antiquity, consent. We shall follow universality if we confess that one faith to be true which the whole Church throughout the world confesses...
- Commonitorium

It has been shown that the teaching of the Catholic Church has always affirmed the fact that God can impart the grace of salvation by means of martyrdom and of perfect, supernatural contrition. There is no consensus either ancient or modern which could countenance the position which the Dimond Brothers defend for a moment. It suffices, therefore, to conclude with the words of St. Gregory Nazianzen:

What say you? Are we convincing you by these words? Come and stand here on our side, that is, on the side of humanity. Let us magnify the Lord together. Let none of you, even though he has much confidence in himself, dare to say, Touch me not for I am pure, and who is so pure as I? Give us too a share in your brightness. But perhaps we are not convincing you? Then we will weep for you. Let these men then if they will, follow our way, which is Christ's way; but if they will not, let them go their own. Perhaps in it they will be baptized with Fire, in that last Baptism which is more painful and longer, which devours wood like grass, [1 Corinthians 3:12-19] and consumes the stubble of every evil.
- Oration 39: Oration on the Holy Lights, para. XIX, available: http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/310239.htm

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Saints of the Week

Sunday, September 1
ST. GILES, Abbot
St. Giles, an Athenian, lived as a hermit in the dense forest of Gaul, and later built a monastery near Arles; famed for miracles and the pilgrimages made to his tomb; invoked against insanity and terrors of the night.
- 1934 Catholic Missal

His extraordinary piety and learning drew the admiration of the world upon him in such a manner that it was impossible for him to enjoy in his own country that obscurity and retirement which was the chief object of his desires on earth. He therefore sailed to France, and chose a hermitage first in the open deserts near the mouth of the Rhone, afterward near the river Gard, and lastly in a forest in the diocese of Nismes. He passed many years in this close solitude, living on wild herbs or roots and water, and conversing only with God.
Reflection. He who accompanies the exercises of contemplation and arduous penance with zealous and undaunted endeavors to conduct others to the same glorious term with himself, shall be truly great in the kingdom of heaven.
- Lives of Saints


Monday, September 2
ST. STEPHEN, King
Stephen I, first King of Hungary; became a Christian 986; died 1038. He married the sister of St. Henry II, emperor of Germany; distinguished by the virtue of prayer, mortification, charity; crowned as Apostolic King of Hungray on Aug. 15, 1000, and dedicated his country to "the Great lady"; died on Aug. 15 after he had converted Hungary to the faith.
- 1934 Catholic Missal

He was most carefully educated, and succeeded his father at an early age. He began to root out idolatry, suppressed a rebellion of his pagan subjects, and founded monasteries and churches all over the land. He sent to Pope Sylvester, begging him to appoint bishops to the eleven sees he had endowed, and to bestow on him, for the greater success of his work, the title of king. The Pope granted his requests, and sent him a cross to be borne before him, saying that he regarded him as the true apostle of his people.
Reflection. "Our duty," says Father Newman, "is to follow the Vicar of Christ whither he goeth, and never to desert him, however we may be tried; but to defend him at all hazards and against all corners, as a son would a father, and as a wife a husband, knowing that his cause is the cause of God."
- Lives of Saints


Tuesday, September 3
ST. SERAPHIA, Virgin and Martyr
Her parents dying, Seraphia was sought in marriage by many, but having resolved to consecrate herself to God alone, she sold all her possessions and distributed the proceeds to the poor; finally she sold herself into a voluntary slavery, and entered the services of a Roman lady named Sabina. The piety of Seraphia, her love of work, and her charity soon gained the heart of her mistress, who was not long in becoming a Christian.
Reflection. Christian courage bears relation to our faith. "If we continue in the faith, grounded, and settled, and immovable," all things will be found possible to us.
- Lives of Saints


Wednesday, September 4
ST. ROSALIA, Virgin
...despising in her youth worldly vanities, [St. Rosalia] made herself an abode in a cave on Mount Pelegrino, three miles from Palermo, where she completed the sacrifice of her heart to God by austere penance and manual labor, sanctified by assiduous prayer and the constant union of her soul with God. She died in 1160... One coarse habit covered her flesh; fasts and disciplines were her delight. To defend the Church's rights was her burning wish, and for this she received her mission from the Mother of God, who gave her the Franciscan habit, with the command to go forth and preach... So great was the power of her word, and of the miracles which accompanied it, that the Imperial party, in fear and anger, drove her from the city, but she continued to preach till Innocent IV was brought back in triumph to Rome and the cause of God was won. Then she retired to a little cell at Viterbo, and prepared in solitude for her end. She died in her eighteenth year. Not long after, she appeared in glory to Alexander IV, and bade him translate her body. He found it as the vision had said, but fragrant and beautiful, as if still in life.
Reflection. Rose lived but seventeen years, saved the Church's cause, and died a Saint. We have lived, perhaps, much longer, and yet with what result? Every minute something can be done for God. Let us be up and doing.
- Lives of Saints

Thursday, September 5
ST. LAURENCE JUSTINIAN
Born at Venice, 1381; died, 1455; made first Patriarch of Venice, 1451; author of mystical works.
- 1934 Catholic Missal

LAURENCE from a child longed to be a Saint; and when he was nineteen years of age there was granted to him a vision of the Eternal Wisdom. All earthly things paled in his eyes before the ineffable beauty of this sight, and as it faded away a void was left in his heart which none but God could fill... he fled secretly from his home at Venice, and joined the Canons Regular of St. George. As superior and as general, Laurence enlarged and strengthened his Order, and as bishop of his diocese, in spite of slander and insult, thoroughly reformed his see. His zeal led to his being appointed the first patriarch of Venice, but he remained ever in heart and soul an humble priest, thirsting for the sight of heaven.
Reflection. Ask St. Laurence to vouchsafe you such a sense of the sufficiency of God that you too may fly to Him and be at rest.
- Lives of Saints


Friday, September 6
ST. ELEUTHERIUS, Abbot
Wonderful simplicity and a spirit of compunction were the distinguishing virtues of this holy man. He was chosen abbot of St. Mark's near Spoleto, and favored by God with the gift of miracles... St. Gregory the Great not being able to fast on Easter-eve on account of extreme weakness, engaged this Saint to go with him to the church of St. Andrew's and put up his prayers to God for his health, that he might join the faithful in that solemn practice of penance. Eleutherius prayed with many tears, and the Pope, coming out of the church, found his breast suddenly strengthened, so that he was enabled to perform the fast as he desired. St. Eleutherius raised a dead man to life. Resigning his abbacy, he died in St. Andrew's monastery in Rome, about the year 585.
Reflection. "Appear not to men to fast, but to thy Father Who is in heaven, and thy Father, Who seeth in secret, He will repay thee."
- Lives of Saints


Saturday, September 7
ST. CLOUD, Confessor
He was son of Chlodomir, King of Orleans, the eldest son of St. Clotilda, and was born in 522. He was scarce three years old when his father was killed in Burgundy; but his grandmother Clotilda brought up him and his two brothers at Paris, and loved them extremely. Their ambitious uncles divided the kingdom of Orleans between them, and stabbed with their own hands two of their nephews. Cloud, by a special providence, was saved from the massacre, and, renouncing the world, devoted himself to the service of God in a monastic state. After a time he put himself under the discipline of St. Severinus, a holy recluse who lived near Paris, from whose hands he received the monastic habit.
Reflection. Let us remember that "the just shall live for evermore; they shall receive a kingdom of glory, and a grown of beauty at the hand of the Lord."
- Lives of Saints

Saints of the Week

Sunday, August 25
ST. LOUIS, King

Louis IX, born, 1215; died 1270; became a Franciscan tertiary. Louis was crowned King of France at the age of eleven and ruled under the direction of his mother, Blanche of Castile, until 1236; he was a just and kind ruler, devout and austere in his private life; led two Crusades against the infidels, one in 1248, the other in 1270; died in camp near Tunis of dysentery in the eighth and last Crusade. (Missal)

Reflection.—If we cannot imitate St. Louis in dying for the honor of God, we can at least resemble him in resenting the blasphemies offered against God by the infidel, the heretic, and the scoffer. (Lives of Saints)


Monday, August 26
ST. ZEPHYRINUS, Pope and Martyr.

Pope, 199-217; he condemned the doctrine of Theodotus that Christ became divine only at his baptism. (Missal)

Reflection.—God has always raised up holy pastors zealous to maintain the faith of His Church inviolable, and to watch over the purity of its morals and the sanctity of its discipline. We enjoy the greatest advantages of the divine grace through their labors, and we owe to God a tribute of perpetual thanksgiving and immortal praise for all those mercies which He has afforded His Church on earth. (Lives of Saints)


Tuesday, August 27.
ST. JOSEPH CALASANCTIUS

Founder of the Piarist; born in Aragon (Spain), 1556; died in Rome, 1647. He was, for a time, parish priest and Vicar-General in Spain; established his Order in Rome to provide for the religious education of children, especially of the working classes and the poor; suffered much from sickness and persecutions. (Missal)

Reflection.—"My children," said the Curé of Ars, "I often think that most of the Christians who are lost are lost for want of instruction; they do not know their religion well." (Lives of Saints)


Wednesday, August 28
ST. AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO.

St. Augustine, Father of the Canons of St. Augustine and of the Augustinian Friars; born at Tagaste (Algeria) in Africa, 354; died at Hippo in Africa, 430. He was converted from Manicheism and vice through the prayers of his mother, St. Monica, the preaching of St. Ambrose of Milan, and the Epistles of St. Paul; taught rhetoric in Rome and Milan. After his conversion and Baptism (387), he returned to Africa; became Bishop of Hippo, 395; wrote his rule and established his institute. St. Augustine is the greatest of the Latin Fathers and one of the greatest geniuses of the world. (Missal)

"The unlearned rise and storm heaven, and we, with all our learning, for lack of heart lie wallowing here." (Lives of Saints)

Reflection.—Read the lives of the Saints, and you will ill find that you are gradually creating a society about you to which in some measure you will be forced to raise the standard of your daily life. (Lives of Saints)


Thursday, August 29
THE BEHEADING OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST

...he was directed by the Holy Ghost to lead an austere and contemplative life in the wilderness, in the continual exercises of devout prayer and penance, from his infancy till he was thirty years of age. (Lives of Saints)

The Precursor was imprisoned in the fortress of Machaerus on the east coast of the Dead Sea by the tetrarch Herod Antipas, whose unlawful marriage he had publicly censured. Here John was beheaded at the request of the revengeful Herodias. (Missal)

Reflection.—All the high graces with which St. John was favored sprang from his humility; in this all his other virtues were founded. If we desire to form ourselves upon so great a model, we must, above all things, labor to lay the same deep foundation. (Lives of Saints)


Friday, August 30
ST. ROSE OF LIMA

Dominican; born at Lima (Peru), 1586; died there 1617. Her parents were natives of Puerto Rico; her life was one of great austerity and prayer offered for those in need; first canonzeed saint of the New World (1671). (Missal)

When the Dutch fleet prepared to attack the town, Rose took her place before the tabernacle, and wept that she was not worthy to die in its defense. (Lives of Saints)

Reflection.—Rose, pure as driven snow, was filled with deepest contrition and humility, and did constant and terrible penance. Our sins are continual, our repentance passing, our contrition slight, our penance nothing. How will it fare with us? (Lives of Saints)

ST. FIAKER, Anchorite

Divine Providence conducted him to St. Faro, who was the Bishop of Meaux, and eminent for sanctity. When St. Fiaker addressed himself to him, the prelate, charmed with the marks of extraordinary virtue and abilities which he discovered in this stranger, gave him a solitary dwelling in a forest called Breuil which was his own patrimony, two leagues from Meaux. In this place the holy anchorite cleared the ground of trees and briers, made himself a cell, with a small garden, and built an oratory in honor of the Blessed Virgin, in which he spent a great part of the days and nights in devout prayer. He tilled his garden and labored with his own hands for his subsistence. The life he led was most austere, and only necessity or charity ever interrupted his exercises of prayer and heavenly contemplation... St. Fiaker died about the year 670, on the 30th of August. (Lives of Saints)

Reflection.—Ye who love indolence, ponder well these words of St. Paul: "If any man will not work, neither let him eat." (Lives of Saints)


Saturday, August 31
ST. RAYMUND NONNATUS

Mercedarian; orn at Portobellow (Spain), 1204; died at Cardona (Spain); called Nonnatus (unborn), because cut from the womb after his mother's death; gave himself into slavery to ransom Christian captives in Africa; made a Cardinal, but died on the way to Rome as a result of the hardships he had endured. (Missal)

His father perceiving in him an inclination to a religious state, took him from school, and sent him to take care of a farm which he had in the country. Raymund readily obeyed, and, in order to enjoy the opportunity of holy solitude, kept the sheep himself, and spent his time in the mountains and forests in holy meditation and prayer. (Lives of Saints)

Reflection.—This Saint gave not only his substance but his liberty, and even exposed himself to the most cruel torments and death, for the redemption of captives and the salvation of souls. But alas! do not we, merely to gratify our prodigality, vanity, or avarice, refuse to give the superfluous part of our possessions to the poor, who for want of it are perishing with cold and hunger? Let us remember that "He that giveth to the poor shall not want. (Lives of Saints)

Feasts & Saints

Sunday, August 11
Saints Tiburtius and Susanna, Martyrs
Tiburtius, a subdeacon, was beheaded in 286, after betrayal by an apostate. Susanna, a niece of Pope St. Caius, was beheaded in her father's house because she refused to marry a pagan, 295.

Reflection.—Sufferings were to the martyrs the most distinguishing mercy, extraordinary graces, and sources of the greatest crowns and glory. All afflictions which God sends are in like manner the greatest mercies and blessings; they are the most precious talents to be improved by us to the increasing of our love and affection to God, and the exercise of the most heroic virtues of self-denial, patience, humility, resignation, and penance.

Monday, August 12
Saint Clare, Virgin & Abbess
Foundress of the Poor Clares; born at Assisi, 1194; died, 1253. The first of the holy virgins whom St. Francis consecrated to God; noted for her mortifications, love of poverty, devotion to the Blessed Sacrament.

Tuesday, August 13
Saint Radegundes
As a great queen, she continued no less an enemy to sloth and vanity than she was before, and divided her time chiefly between her oratory, the Church, and the care of the poor. She also kept long fasts, and during Lent wore a hair-cloth under her rich garments.

Wednesday, August 14
St. Eusebius
Eusebius, a Roman patrician, became a priest and was so zealous for orthodoxy that the Arian Emperor Constantius imprisoned him seven months in his own house; died 371.

Reflection.—Let us learn, from the example of the Saints, courage in the service of God. He calls upon us to endure suffering of body and of mind, if it is necessary, to prove our fidelity to Him; and He promises to support us by His strength, His light, and His heavenly consolation.

Thursday, August 15
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
From early times the Assumption, or Taking up into Heaven, of the Blessed Virgin has been venerated as the greatest of her feasts and one of the chief solemnities of the Church year. The tradition of the Church, which this oldest of Mary's festivals commemorates, is that the Mother of God departed from this life and was taken body and soul into heaven.

Introit. Let us all rejoice in the Lord, keeping a festival day in honor of the blessed Virgin Mary, for whose Assumption the angels rejoice and give praise to the Son of God. Ps 44. My heart hath uttered a good theme; I speak my works to the king. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the Beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Collect. Forgive, O Lord, we pray, the sins of thy servants; that we, who by our own deeds are unable to please thee, may be saved by the intercession of the mother of thy Son, our Lord. Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost One God world without end. Amen.

Lesson. Ecclus 24. 11-13, 15-20.. And by my power I have trodden under my feet the hearts of all the high and low: and in all these I sought rest, and I shall abide in the inheritance of the Lord. Then the creator of all things commanded, and said to me: and he that made me, rested in my tabernacle, And he said to me: Let thy dwelling be in Jacob, and thy inheritance in Israel, and take root in my elect. And so was I established in Sion, and in the holy city likewise I rested, and my power was in Jerusalem. And I took root in an honourable people, and in the portion of my God his inheritance, and my abode is in the full assembly of saints. I was exalted like a cedar in Libanus, and as a cypress tree on mount Sion. I was exalted like a palm tree in Cades, and as a rose plant in Jericho: As a fair olive tree in the plains, and as a plane tree by the water in the streets, was I exalted. I gave a sweet smell like cinnamon. and aromatical balm: I yielded a sweet odour like the best myrrh.

Gradual. Ps. 44. For the sake of truth, and meekness, and justice, may thy right hand conduct thee wonderfully. Hear, O daughter, and see, and incline thy ear: for the king hath greatly desired thy beauty.
Alleluia. Alleluia. Mary is assumed into heaven; the angel hosts rejoice. Alleluia.

Gospel. Luke 10:38-42. Now it came to pass as they went, that he entered into a certain town: and a certain woman named Martha, received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sitting also at the Lord' s feet, heard his word. But Martha was busy about much serving. Who stood and said: Lord, hast thou no care that my sister hath left me alone to serve? speak to her therefore, that she help me. And the Lord answering, said to her: Martha, Martha, thou art careful, and art troubled about many things: But one thing is necessary. Mary hath chosen the best part, which shall not be taken away from her.

Offertory. Mary hath been taken up into heaven; the angels rejoice, and, blessing God, praise him with one voice, alleluia.

Secret. May the prayer of the mother of God aid thy people, O Lord; and although we know that following the condition of mortal flesh, she passed away from this life, may we nevertheless feel that in the glory of heaven she is interceding for us with thee. Through the same Lord, Jesus Christ, Thy Son Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the Unity of the Holy Ghost, One God world without end. Amen.

Communion. Mary hath chosen for herself the best part, which shall not be taken from her forever.

IN this festival the Church commemorates the happy departure from life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and her translation into the kingdom of her Son, in which she received from Him a crown of immortal glory, and a throne above all the other Saints and heavenly spirits. After Christ, as the triumphant Conqueror of death and hell, ascended into heaven, His blessed Mother remained at Jerusalem, persevering in prayer with the disciples, till, with them, she had received the Holy Ghost. She lived to a very advanced age, but finally paid the common debt of nature, none among the children of Adam being exempt from that rigorous law. But the death of the Saints is rather to be called a sweet sleep than death; much more that of the Queen of Saints, who had been exempt from all sin. It is a traditionary pious belief, that the body of the Blessed Virgin was raised by God soon after her death, and taken up to glory, by a singular privilege, before the general resurrection of the dead. The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is the greatest of all the festivals which the Church celebrates in her honor. It is the consummation of all the other great mysteries by which her life was rendered most wonderful; it is the birthday of her true greatness and glory, and the crowning of all the virtues of her whole life, which we admire single in her other festivals.

Reflection.—Whilst we contemplate, in profound sentiments of veneration, astonishment, and praise, the glory to which Mary is raised by her triumph on this day, we ought, for our own advantage, to consider by what means she arrived at this sublime degree of honor and happiness, that we may walk in her steps. No other way is open to us. The same path which conducted her to glory will also lead us thither; we shall be partners in her reward if we copy her virtues.

Friday, August 16
St. Hyacinth
Dominican; born in Silesia; died at Cracow, 1257. His brother was Blessed Ceslas; he received the habit at Rome from St. Dominic; preached the Gospel in Poland, Russia, Prussia, Scandinavia, Tibet and China; known as the Apostle of the North.

Dominic sent him to preach and plant the Order in Poland, where he founded two houses. His apostolic journeys extended over numerous regions. Austria, Bohemia, Livonia, the shores of the Black Sea, Tartary, and Northern China on the east, and Sweden and Norway to the west, were evangelized by him, and he is said to have visited Scotland. Everywhere multitudes were converted, churches and convents were built; one hundred and twenty thousand pagans and infidels were baptized by his hands. He worked numerous miracles, and at Cracow raised a dead youth to life.

When St. Hyacinth was at Kiev the Tartars sacked the town, but it was only as he finished Mass that the Saint heard of the danger. Without waiting to unvest, he took the ciborium in his hands, and was leaving the church. As he passed by an image of Mary a voice said: 'Hyacinth, my son, why dust thou leave me behind? Take me with thee, and leave me not to mine enemies.' The statue was of heavy alabaster, but when Hyacinth took it in his arms it was light as a reed. With the Blessed Sacrament and the image he came to the river Dnieper, and walked dry-shod over the surface of the waters. On the eve of the Assumption he was warned of his coming death. In spite of a wasting fever, he celebrated Mass on the feast, and communicated as a dying man. He was anointed at the foot of the altar, and died the same day, 1257.

Reflection.—St. Hyacinth teaches us to employ every effort in the service of God, and to rely for success not on our own industry, but on the prayer of His Immaculate Mother.

Saturday, August 17
Saints Liberatus, Boniface, Servus, Rusticus, Rogatus, Septimus, and Maximus, Monks and Martyrs.
HUNERIC, the Arian Vandal king in Africa, in the seventh year of his reign, published fresh edicts against the Catholics, and ordered their monasteries to be everywhere demolished. Seven monks, named Liberatus, Boniface, Servus, Rusticus, Rogatus, Septimus, and Maximus, who lived in a monastery near Capsa, in the province of Byzacena, were at that time summoned to Carthage.

An old vessel was filled with dry sticks, and the seven martyrs were put on board and bound on the wood; and fire was put to it several times, but it went out immediately, and all endeavors to kindle it were in vain. The tyrant, in rage and confusion, gave orders that the martyrs’ brains should be dashed out with oars, which was done, and their bodies cast into the sea, which threw them all on the shore. The Catholics interred them honorably in the monastery of Bigua, near the Church of St. Celerinus. They suffered in the year 483.

Reflection.—'Let none of you suffer as a murderer, or a thief, or a railer, or a coveter of other men's things; but if as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.'

End of July, Feasts and Saints

These are extracts for the saints of feasts of this week from the Lives of Saints and the 1934 Missal.

Sunday, July 28.
STS. NAZARIUS and CELSUS, Martyrs
Sts. Nazarius and Celsus were Milanese martyrs of the 1st century.

Reflection. The martyrs died as the outcasts of the world, but are crowned by God with immortal honor. The glory of the world is false and transitory, and an empty bubble or shadow, but that of virtue is true, solid, and permanent, even in the eyes of men.

ST. VICTOR, Martyr & Pope
St. Victor was an African who was Pope from 189 - 199. He is noted for the Quartodeciman controversy and was martyred under Septimus Severus.

ST. INNOCENT, Confessor & Pope
St. Innocent I was Pope from 401 - 417. He is notable for his defense of St. John Chrysostom and his condemnation of Pelagianism.


Monday, July 29
ST. MARTHA, Virgin
Martha of Bethany was the sister of Mary Magdalene and Lazarus. She gave hospitality to our Lord and is the type of those who labor in the service of God and their neighbor.

Reflection. When Martha received Jesus into her house, she was naturally busy in preparations for such a Guest. Mary sat at His feet, intent alone on listening to His gracious words. Her sister thought that the time required other service than this, and asked our Lord to bid Mary help in serving. Once again Jesus spoke in defence of Mary. "Martha, Martha," He said, "thou art lovingly anxious about many things; be not over-eager; do thy chosen work with recollectedness. Judge not Mary. Hers is the good part, the one only thing really necessary. Thine will be taken away, that something better be given thee." The life of action ceases when the body is laid down; but the life of contemplation endures and is perfected in heaven.


Tuesday, July 30
ST. GERMANUS, Bishop
…the Pelagian heresy was laying waste England, and Germanus was chosen by the reigning Pontiff to rescue the Britons from the snare of Satan. With St. Lupus he preached in the fields and highways throughout the land. At last, near Verulam, he met the heretics face to face, and overcame them utterly with the Catholic and Roman faith… he died in 448.

Reflection. "Hold the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me in faith, and in the love which is in Christ Jesus" (II. Tim. i. 13).


Wednesday, July 31
ST. IGNATIUS OF LOYOLA
Born in Spain in 1481, Ignatius is the founder of the Jesuits. Spiritual reading turned him from a military life to the spiritual warfare. His order has done immense service for education, spirituality, defense of the faith and conversion. He died at Rome in 1556 and is the patron of Spiritual Retreats.

Reflection. Ask St. Ignatius to obtain for you the grace to desire ardently the greater glory of God, even though it may cost you much suffering and humiliation.


Thursday, August 1
ST. PETER'S CHAINS
St. Peter was imprisoned in Jerusalem by Herod Agrippa in 42, and in Rome by Nero, about 64. His fetters, still preserved in Rome, are honored today. This feast in honor of the first Bishop of Rome replaced an old pagan festival at the beginning of August in memory of Augustus, the first emperor of Rome. This day was formerly known as Lammas Day or Loaf Mass from the custom of offering the loaves made from the first grains of the year.

Reflection. This miracle affords a confirmation of the divine promise, "If two of you shall consent upon earth concerning anything whatsoever they shall ask, it shall be done to them by My Father Who is in heaven."

Collect. O God, who didst loose the blessed Apostle Peter from his chains and dist make him go foth unharmed, loose, we pray, the chains of our sins, and in thy mercy ward offf from us every evil. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.


Friday, August 2
ST. STEPHEN, Pope and Martyr
St. Stephen was Pope from 254 - 257. He is known for ruling against re-baptism.

The persecutions becoming violent, he assembled the faithful together in the underground tombs of the martyrs, to celebrate Mass and to exhort them to remain true to Christ. On the 2d of August, 257, while seated in his pontifical chair, he was beheaded by the satellites of the emperor; and the chair is still shown, stained with his blood.

St. ALPHONSUS LIGUORI.
St. Alphonsus is the founder of the Redeptorists. He was born near Naples in 1696 and died in 1787. At first a famous legal advocate, he became Bishop of S. Agata dei Gota in 1762. He is known for making a vow never to lose time and became the author of many great works on asceticism and theology. He was devoted to the Blessed Virgin and to prayer.

Reflection. Let us do with all our heart the duty of each day, leaving the result to God, as well as the care of the future.

Collect. O God, who didst enkindle in blessed Alphonsus Mary, thy Confessor and Bishop, a burning zeal for souls, and thorugh him didst beget a new offpsring to thy Church, we pray, that we may be enlightene by his wholesome teaching and strenghtened by his example, and so may be alb eo to come happily unto thee. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, thy son, who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.


Saturday, August 3
THE FINDING OF ST. STEPHEN'S RELICS
The body of St. Stephen was discovered by a priest at Kaphargamala near Jerusalem, in 415.

Reflection. St. Austin, speaking of the miracles of St. Stephen, addresses himself to his flock as follows: "Let us so desire to obtain temporal blessings by his intercession that we may merit, in imitating him, those which are eternal."

Collect. GIve unto us, O Lord, we pray, so to imitate what we honor, that we may learn to love even our enemies; for we celebrate the finding of his body, who knew how to pray even for his persecutors to thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

July - Saints of the 3rd Week

Sunday July 21
ST. VICTOR, Martyrm
"He was then hoisted on the rack and tortured a long time, until, the tormentors being at last weary, the prefect ordered him to be taken down and thrown into a dark dungeon. At midnight, God visited him by His angels; the prison was filled with a light brighter than that of the sun, and the martyr sung with the angels the praises of God. Three soldiers who guarded the prison, seeing this light, cast themselves at the martyr's feet, asked his pardon, and desired Baptism... the emperor called him again before his tribunal, and commanded the martyr to offer incense to a statue of Jupiter. Victor went up to the profane altar, and by a kick of his foot threw it down. The emperor ordered the foot to be forthwith chopped off, which the Saint suffered with great joy, offering to God these first-fruits of his body. A few moments after, the emperor condemned him to be put under the grindstone of a hand-mill and crushed to death. The executioners turned the wheel, and when part of his body was bruised and crushed the mill broke down. The Saint still breathed a little, but his head was immediately ordered to be cut off. "

Monday July 22
ST. MARY MAGDALEN
"All covered with shame, she came In where Jesus was at meat, and knelt behind him. She said not a word, but bathed His feet with her tears, wiped them with the hair of her head, kissed them in humility, and at their touch her sins and her stain were gone. Then she poured on them the costly unguent prepared for far other uses; and His own divine lips rolled away her reproach, spoke her absolution, and bade her go in peace. Thenceforward she ministered to Jesus, sat at His feet, and heard His words... To her first, after His blessed Mother, and through her to His apostles, Our Lord gave the certainty of His resurrection; and to her first He made Himself known, calling her by her name, because she was His. When the faithful were scattered by persecution the family of Bethany found refuge in Provence. The cave in which St. Mary lived for thirty years is still seen, and the chapel on the mountaintop, in which she was caught up daily, like St. Paul, to 'visions and revelations of the Lord.' When her end drew near she was borne to a spot still marked by a 'sacred pillar,' where the holy Bishop Maximin awaited her; and when she had received her Lord, she peacefully fell asleep in death."

"Reflection.—_Compunction of heart,_ says St. Bernard, _is a treasure infinitely to be desired, and an unspeakable gladness to the heart. It is healing to the soul; it is remission of sins; it brings back again the Holy Spirit into the humble and loving heart._"

Tuesday July 23
ST. APOLLINARIS, Bishop and Martyr
"ST. APOLLINARIS was the first Bishop of Ravenna; he sat twenty years, and was crowned with martyrdom in the reign of Vespasian. He was a disciple of St. Peter, and made by him Bishop of Ravenna... Pope Honorius built a church under the name of Apollinaris in Rome, about the year 630. It occurs in all martyrologies, and the high veneration which the Church paid early to his memory is a sufficient testimony of his eminent sanctity and apostolic spirit."

"Reflection.—The virtue of the Saints was true and heroic, because humble and proof against all trials. Persevere in your good resolutions: it is not enough to begin well; you must so continue to the end."

Wednesday July 24
ST. CHRISTINA, Virgin and Martyr
"ST. CHRISTINA was the daughter of a rich and powerful magistrate named Urbain. Her father, who was deep in the practices of heathenism, had a number of golden idols, which our Saint destroyed, and distributed the pieces among the poor. Infuriated by this act, Urbain became the persecutor of his daughter... Later, this martyr suffered the most inhuman torments under the judge who succeeded her father, and finally was thrown into a burning furnace, where she remained, unhurt, for five days... being pierced with arrows, she gained the martyr's crown at Tyro, a city which formerly stood on an island in the lake of Bolsena in Italy, but was long since swallowed up by the waters. Her relics are now at Palermo in Sicily."

Thursday July 25
ST. JAMES, Apostle
"When St. James was brought before King Herod Agrippa, his fearless confession of Jesus crucified so moved the public prosecutor that he declared himself a Christian on the spot. Accused and accuser were hurried off together to execution, and on the road the latter begged pardon of the Saint. The apostle had long since forgiven him, but hesitated for a moment whether publicly to accept as a brother one still unbaptized. God quickly recalled to him the Church's faith, that the blood of martyrdom supplies for every sacrament, and, falling on his companion's neck, he embraced him, with the words, _Peace be with thee!_ Together then they knelt for the sword, and together received the crown."

"Reflection.—We must all desire a place in the kingdom of our Father; but can we drink the chalice which He holds out to each? Possumus, we must say with SL. James—"We can"—but only in the strength of Him Who has drunk it first for us."

Friday July 26
ST. ANNE
"ST. ANNE was the spouse of St. Joachim, and was chosen by God to be the mother of Mary, His own blessed Mother on earth. They were both of the royal house of David, and their lives were wholly occupied in prayer and good works... Mary was three years old when Anne and Joachim led her up the Temple steps, saw her pass by herself into the inner sanctuary, and then saw her no more. Thus was Anne left childless in her lone old age, and deprived of her purest earthly joy just when she needed it most. She humbly adored the Divine Will, and began again to watch and pray, till God called her to unending rest with the Father and the Spouse of Mary in the home of Mary's Child."

"Reflection.—St. Anne is glorious among the Saints, not only as the mother of Mary, but because she gave Mary to God. Learn from her to reverence a divine vocation as the highest privilege, and to sacrifice every natural tie, however holy, at the call of God."

Saturday July 27
ST. PANTALEON, Martyr
"PANTALEON was physician to the Emperor Galerius Maximianus, and a Christian, but, deceived by often hearing the false maxims of the world applauded, was unhappily seduced into an apostasy. But a zealous Christian called Hermolaus awakened his conscience to a sense of his guilt, and brought him again into the fold of the Church... he was taken up, and in his house were also apprehended Hermolaus, Hermippus, and Hermocrates. After suffering many torments, they were all condemned to lose their heads. St. Pantaleon suffered the day after the rest. His relics were translated to Constantinople, and there kept with great honor. The greatest part of them are now shown in the abbey of St. Denys near Paris, but his head is at Lyons."

"Reflection.—"With the elect thou shalt be elect, and with the perverse wilt be perverted.""

(Lives of Saints by Alban Butler)

Feasts in the 2nd Week of July

Sunday, July 7
ST. PANTÆNUS, Father of the Church
Reflection.—Have a care that none lead you astray by a false philosophy, says St. Paul, for philosophy without religion is a vain thing.

Monday, July 8
ST. ELIZABETH OF PORTUGAL
Reflection.—In the Holy Sacrifice of the Altar St. Elizabeth daily found strength to bear with sweetness suspicion and cruelty; and by that same Holy Sacrifice her innocence was proved. What succor do we forfeit by neglect of daily Mass!

Tuesday, July 9
ST. EPHREM, Deacon
Reflection.—Humility is the path which leads to abiding peace and brings us near to the consolations of God.

Wednesday, July 10
THE SEVEN BROTHERS, Martyrs, and ST. FELICITAS, their Mother
Reflection.—What afflictions do parents daily meet with from the disorders into which their children fall through their own bad example or neglect! Let them imitate the earnestness of St. Felicitas in forming to perfect virtue the tender souls which God hath committed to their charge, and with this Saint they will have the greatest of all comforts in them, and will by His grace count as many Saints in their family as they are blessed with children.

Thursday, July 11
ST. JAMES, Bishop
In his youth, entering the world, he trembled at the sight of its vices and the slippery path of its pleasures, and he thought it the safer part to strengthen himself in retirement, that he might afterward be the better able to stand his ground in the field. He accordingly chose the highest mountain for his abode, sheltering himself in a cave in the winter, and the rest of the year living in the woods, continually exposed to the open air.

Friday, July 12
ST. JOHN GUALBERT
Reflection.—The heroic act which merited for St. John Gualbert his conversion was the forgiveness of his enemy. Let us imitate him in this virtue, resolving never to revenge ourselves in deed, in word, or in thought.

Saturday, July 13
ST. EUGENIUS, Bishop
Reflection.—Alms shall be a great confidence before the Most High God to them that give it. Water quencheth a flaming fire, and alms resisteth sin.

(Lives of Saints by Alban Butler)