Irish Saint Of The Day: Saint Finbar

St. Finbar was the son of an artisan and a lady of the Irish royal court. Born in Connaught, Ireland (around 550 A.D.), and baptized Lochan, he was educated at Kilmacahil, Kilkenny, where the monks named him Fionnbharr (white head) because of his light hair; he is also known as Bairre and Barr. He went on pilgrimage to Rome with some of the monks, visiting St. David in Wales on the way back. Supposedly, on another visit to Rome the Pope wanted to consecrate him a bishop but was deterred by a vision, notifying the pope that God had reserved that honor to Himself, and Finbar was consecrated from heaven and then returned to Ireland. At any rate, he may have preached in Scotland, definitely did in southern Ireland, lived as a hermit on a small island at Lough Eiroe, and then, on the river Lee, founded a monastery that developed into the city of Cork, of which he was the first bishop. His monastery became famous in southern Ireland and attracted numerous disciples. Many extravagant miracles are attributed to him, and supposedly, the sun did not set for two weeks after he died at Cloyne about the year 633. [source]

One Year In...

Today is the one year anniversary of this blog! Hip-hip-hooray!

Sub Tuum Praesidium

We fly to your patronage ,
O holy Mother of God,
despise not our
petitions
in our necessities,
but deliver us from all dangers.
O ever
glorious and blessed Virgin.

This was one of the first direct prayers to Mary and it comes from 250 A.D.

There are three things to note about this prayer:

1) It refers to the doctrine of the Mother of God 200 years before it is defined as a dogma at Ephesus in 431.

2) It is an obvious example of direct prayer to Mary by early Christians.

3) It is convoking Mary under the most severe time of persecution. This underscores the importance of Mary in the thought of the earliest Christians.

Irenaeus On The Gospels

"It is not possible that the Gospels can be either more or fewer in number than they are. There are four zones of the world in which we live, and four principal winds, and the Church is scattered throughout all the world, and her "pillar and ground" (1 Tm 3, 15) is the Gospel and the Spirit of life; therefore it is fitting that she should have four pillars, breathing out immortality on every side, and vivifying men afresh. The Word, the Shaper of all things, who sits upon the cherubim and upholds all things (Ps 79, 2;He 1,3), who was manifested to men, has given us the Gospel under four aspects, but bound together by one Spirit. David says, when entreating his manifestation, "You that sit between the cherubim, shine forth."(Ps 79,2) For the cherubim, too, were four-faced (Ez 1,6), and their faces were images of the dispensation of the Son of God.

For, as Scripture says, "The first living creature was like a lion," (Rev 4,7) symbolizing his effectual working, his leadership, and royal power; the second was like a calf, signifying his sacrificial and priestly order; but "the third had, as it were, the face as of a man,"-an evident description of his coming as a human being; "the fourth was like a flying eagle," pointing out the gift of the Spirit hovering with its wings over the Church. And therefore the Gospels of John, Luke, Matthew, and Mark are in accord with these living things, among which Christ Jesus is seated.…

Such was the form of the living creatures, so was also the character of the Word of God himself: the Word of God himself conversed with the patriarchs before Moses in accordance with his divinity and glory; but for those under the law he instituted a priestly and liturgical service. Afterwards, being made man for us, he sent the gift of the Spirit over all the earth, protecting us with his wings (Ps 16,8) These things being so, all who reject the form the Gospel has taken that is, those who say the Gospels should be more or fewer in number are futile, ignorant, and presumptuous."

-Irenaeus

Italian Bishops Critize Leaders Who Have Not Supported The Pope

And rightly so! Bravo for the Italian Bishops. Here is an excerpt from the story:

"The Italian bishops’ Religious News Service expressed its solidarity with the Pope and its surprise at 'the silence of the heads of state and intellectuals of democratic nations that have their roots in Catholicism or Christianity. The West does not have the courage, apart from a few isolated cases, to defend the same freedom of expression that it will not deny anyone.'"

Read the rest here.

Happy Birthday!

Today is my wife's Birthday! Happy Birthday Laura!

A Critique Of Modernism

I just finished reading the complete lecture that Benedict gave that outraged the muslims.

What a great lecture it was! Benedict talked about not separating Faith and Reason and applied it to modern criticism. If you are one of my classmates in Dr. Hahn's class I would suggest reading it all, since it coincides very nicely with what we have been discussing concerning the misuse of historical criticism.

My favorite quote, and the one I felt that summed the whole lecture up, was:

"The courage to engage the whole breadth of reason, and not the denial of its grandeur – this is the programme with which a theology grounded in Biblical faith enters into the debates of our time."

If The Shoe Fits...

The quote of Benedict XVI that set the muslims aflame was:

"He said, I quote, 'Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached,'"

The muslims got angry and said that the Pope was spreading lies about Muhammed and Islam. Then in the news there was this:

The group said Muslims will be victorious and addressed the pope as "the worshipper of the cross" saying "you and the West are doomed as you can see from the defeat in Iraq, Afghanistan, Chechnya and elsewhere ... We will break up the cross, spill the liquor and impose head tax, then the only thing acceptable is a conversion (to Islam) or (killed by) the sword." (emphasis added. Although, they aren't brave enough to try to kill by the sword. They need to be cowards and bomb innocent people as well as taking out their own in the process)

It's funny how the violent reactions of the muslim world only prove that what Benedict quoted was true.

Muhammed was a Warlord who killed for money. He was not a prophet and he is not a servant of God!

Meritable Quotes

"What we call our merits are the gifts of God. When God crowns our merits, he is only crowning his own gifts."

-Augustine

"The action by which we merit eternal life is less our work than the work that Christ, as Head, accomplishes in us and by us…Hence the words of the Apostle: ‘I live, no not I, but Christ lives in me’ (Gal 2:20). The Christian may say in all truth: ‘I merit, no not I, but Christ in me; I fast, no not I, but Christ in me.’ So it is with all the voluntary actions that the true members of Christ accomplish for God. Hence, the merit of eternal life is attributed, not so much to our works, but to the works that Christ as Head accomplishes in us and by us."

-Cajetan

Aquinas, Philosophically Speaking

I'm looking for a good book on the Philosophy of St. Thomas. Any suggestions?