He Was What He Wore: A Faithful Witness

 

Lest you think I'm dead, I'm not.  The last few weeks have been extremely busy and while eventful on the news front, when time became available to blog I was just too tired.  I had better get back into it.  Someone said to me that blogging is a habit, get out of it and it can be hard to get back into it.  That is true.  So I had better get back into this ministry.

 

Well some good news to report: the heroic young seminarian, Rolando Rivi, has been beatified.  On Saturday the young seminarian murdered by communists out of hatred for his faith in 1945 was inscribed among the Blessed as a martyr.   I know a number of seminarians and priests will be delighted.

 

Rolando was an extraordinary young man, he was only fourteen when he was martyred and already studying for the priesthood - he had entered the junior seminary at the age of eleven.  An interesting dimension to this martyrdom was his refusal to divest of his clerical clothes.  He lived in an area of Italy which was, and still is, quite socialist, and there is a great hatred for the Church prevalent among certain groups there.  It was because he wore his cassock that Rolando came to the attention of the communist partisans who kidnapped, tortured and killed him.  Rolando had been advised to take off his clerical clothes, so as not to draw people's attention to him: Rolando refused.  He was martyred on the 10th April 1945.

 

I'm sure some would say that Rolando's attitude did not help and may have led to aggravating his killers - the more prudent thing would have been to take off his clerical clothes and lie low until trouble passed.  Yes, many did that in times of persecution, we may need to do it ourselves should persecution come to Ireland, the US or other countries in the West.  Heroic and faithful priests had to minister in difficult situations in "mufti": St Oliver Plunkett, St Edmund Arrowsmith and other priests in post-Reformation Britain and Ireland passed themselves off as layman, dressing as such, in order to move freely and undetected. 

 

But we cannot dismiss Rolando's witness either.  The Church in Italy at that time was not going through a period of persecution, priests and seminarians did not need to go underground in order to minister.  However then, as now, there were people who hated the Church and hated priests and religious, and clerical garb merely identified these consecrated souls, as it should.  Rolando did not give his killers an excuse to kill him, his wearing of his clerical garb identified him as a servant of Christ and it was this which led to his death. 

 

The lesson for us is clear: we should not be afraid to be identified as servants of Christ and we should wear some emblem of our adherence to Christianity.  For laity a cross or a medal suffices, but for priests and religious it should be their religious clothing.  Often we hear that clerical clothes or religious habits are a barrier to ministry, well I have found from my own experience and the experience of many others that it is not a barrier.  In fact, it is an invitation, an invitation for people to come to you.  Some of those who come will be believers, and some not.  Some will come for help, some to encourage and some to admonish and, yes, some will even abuse you.  We consecrated souls are not meant to fade into the background no more than Christ did.  Blessed Rolando encourages us to take this simple witness seriously.

Obedience And Holiness

If you haven't read this, I would recommend it: John Allen's interview with Cardinal Levada of CDF concerning the ongoing controversy with the American LCWR.   The Cardinal is very direct in his answers and he even goes so far as to suggest what might happen if the leaders of the LCWR do not cooperate. 

I also note that he stresses the need for obedience: these ladies are consecrated religious with a vow of obedience - a vow which is ultimately made to the Pope.  Some sisters might dispute this.  I remember discussing this with an Irish sister who insisted that her vow of obedience was to her community and congregation, not to the Pope - he had no authority over them.  Well, he does. 

Interestingly Cardinal Ouellet said something similar in his homily at the Statio Orbis: he spoke of the Pope as our spiritual father and reminded us that we must be obedient to him.  Obedience is seen as a negative by many in the Church today, and yet when we look to Jesus we see One who was utterly obedient to his Eternal Father - obedient to the point of giving up his life on the cross.  If Jesus was prepared to lay down his life in obedience, then consecrated religious, who are supposed to modelling their lives on Christ's, must be prepared to do the same, although the most they will be asked to do is to die to self.  

And in other news: as we were celebrating the Statio Orbis, in Nepi in Italy a new Beata was being raised to the altars, the young Blessed Cecilia Eusepi, an extraordinary young woman who was a member of Catholic Action and died at the age of 18.   She was a Third Order Servite.

Cecilia was born in Monte Romano on the 17th February 1910: just over a month after her birth her father died.  A paternal uncle assisted her mother Paolina in raising the little girl.  When she was five they moved to Nepi where she began her schooling under Cistercian nuns.   In 1922 she joined Catholic Action and discerned a vocation to the Servite Third Order, being clothed in the Order's scapular on the 14th February 1922 and taking the name Sr Maria Angela. 

In 1923 she entered the Mantellate Sisters Servants of Mary, but due to bad health she had to leave after three years.  In 1926 peritonitis and inflammation of the lungs were diagnosed and Cecilia began her vocation of suffering.  At this time she meta Servite priest, Fr Gabriele Roschini who, recognising her holiness, became her spiritual director and guided her in the last years of her life.  In obedience to him she wrote her autobiography which she titled The Story of a Clown.

Developing intestinal TB, Cecilia succumbed to it on the 1st October 1928.  Her remains were interred in the burial chapel of the Gregori family and her tomb soon became a place of pilgrimage where many graces were granted through her intercession.  She was declared Venerable by Blessed John Paul II on the 1st June 1987 and beatified last Sunday.

Like St Therese, Blessed Cecilia's life was short, hidden and yet extraordinary.  She grew in virtue and impressed all who knew her.  Like Blessed Chiara Luce Badano, Blessed Cecilia prove that holiness can be attained by all, even the young.  May she intercede for all of us and we pray that the Lord will soon grant a miracle through her intercession so she may be enrolled among the Saints soon.

Given the subject of the first part of this post, I would suggest that Blessed Cecilia offers the sisters of LCWR a wonderful example of dedication to God, dying to self, obedience to Christ and his Church, and that humility which opens one's heart to God's grace making one a shining example of holiness for all to see.

The Presentation of the Lord

The Church has many beautiful feasts, many of which have been lost.  Today is one of the richest and the liturgy provides us with a wonderful way of celebrating.   The feast of the Presentation of the Lord is also known as Candlemas and it is the day we traditionally bless candles at Mass, light them and have processions. We all love candlelight processions, there is something so simple and wondrous about them.  I hear time and time again from people who go to Lourdes, Fatima or Knock during the novena in August, that the candlelight procession touched them deeply. 

The candles, of course, reflect the words of Simeon in the Temple, hailing Jesus as the "Light to enlighten the Gentiles" - the Light who has come into the world, and so the liturgy bears witness to this Light with the blessing and lighting of candles. 

Today's feast reminds us that we do not have to add anything to the liturgy - everything is there, it is already meaningful: if our people do not see that meaning that is our fault, they have not been catechised properly.   I hope the new translation of the Missal will lead us to a rediscovery of the riches of the liturgy and gradually wean us off the questionable paraliturgies.

Today is also the day we pray in a special way for those consecrated in religious life through the profession of the evangelical counsels - it is the Church's official Day for Consecrated Life.  So pray for all our religious priests, nuns, sisters, monks and brothers, and also those lay people and diocesan clergy consecrated under promises and vows.  As an act of love today, if you see a nun, run over and give her a big kiss and wish her a happy feast day.  If you don't end up behind bars, the gesture might just be appreciated. So, if I may paraphrase Willie Nelson's wonderful song: "To all the nuns I've loved before...God bless you sister!"  Ditto to the brothers and priests, but no kisses!

Happy feast day sisters....always wanted an excuse to post this picture!

Boost For Religious Life

All six Blesseds canonised today were members of religious orders, so might say that today religious life is getting a boost from the Lord.  Each of the six have their own stories, experiences and difficulties, but all are united in their love of Christ and their desire to offer themselves to him in consecrated life.  What is so wonderful is that all three vocations within traditional religious consecration are represented.

St Stanislaw Soltys was a priest and professed member of the Canons Regular of the Lateran.  St Candida Maria  de Jesus Cipitria y Barriola, St Guilia Salzano, St Camilla Battista Varano and St Mary MacKillop were sisters. St Andre Bessette was a professed brother.  In their canonisation, the Church offers to all of us, but to our religious in particular, examples of how to follow Christ in every aspect of life.  I am particularly delighted with St Andre's glorification because we need to be reminded of the unique vocation of the Brother.  For too long professed brothers were seen as those who did not quite make the mark to be priests, yet their calling is as unique and particular as that of priests and sisters.  St Andre reveals through his life the rich possibilities that exist within the vocation.  He was not impoverished because he could not say Mass or hear confessions, he was enriched because in his calling he could exercise a ministry which the priests of his order were unable to do. 

Yesterday's profession ceremony in Stamullen was beautiful - simple, yet solemn and wonderful.  Sr Cora Marie vowed to live the evangelical counsels for the rest of her life while devoting herself to a life of prayer and service for the Church and the world.  As one of the vows recalled, she was to be hidden with Christ in humble service.  This is what each of our six new saints did: the fact that Sr Cora Marie's profession took place on the weekend of the canonisation of six religious, is no coincidence, I think, but providential.  I hope many will follow in her steps, and inspired by the Church's holy religious, make the generous offering of their own lives.

Another wonderful thing about this canonisation is that it is a welcome moment for the religious of the west, and for Ireland, if they choose to acknowledge it.  Many are depressed by the recent scandals - innocent and good religious who spent their lives in humble service of those in need, are now hated, despised and demonised by many in Irish society and the media here.  They did no wrong, but they are crucified all the same.  On the other hand, there are others who have thrown off their religious life and pursue "personally fulfilling lives" and chide the Church for her adherence to the teachings of Christ.   Anyway, no giving out. 

The renewal of religious life was one of the aims of the Second Vatican Council, and while many religious have gone haywire, as we say here, God love them, the renewal is still happening, even new forms of religious life are emerging - always a sign that a great spiritual regeneration is taking place.  The two last times we had this was, first, in St Francis's time when the new form of friars emerged - these friars - Franciscan, Dominican, Carmelite, among others, were responsible for a great reform of the 12th and 13th centuries.  Then, the second great period, was that around Trent. Again new, revolutionary forms developed - the Jesuits and Oratorians among them.  And again these new orders, societies and congregations, joining forces with the existing Orders which reforming either from within or from breakaway groups, began a great evangelisation.  Even a quick look at Church history teaches us that.

Now look at what is happening - Church history is repeating itself.  New congregations and forms are emerging: new societies of friars, monks and nuns.  The innovative form of the Secular Institutes, consecrated lay people and the myriad of movements which united priests, religious, consecrated and non-consecrated lay people.  And God is confirming that these new ways of life sanctify, as, for example the canonisation of St Josemaria Escriva and beatification of Blessed Chiara Luce Badano prove.  In Ireland, we are still waiting for that, although the movements are present, some of them.  We need more of them, and we need new religious - particularly native foundations.  When a man or woman finally founds a new congregation in Ireland, we will know the reform has begun.  I hope our six new Saints will pray for that.