Does it remind you of anything? It should. One beer company a couple of years ago even ran a nauseating series of television ads for weeks, leading up to, and equating, Saint Patrick’s Day with “secular” Christmas, complete with adults dressed like children, eagerly awaiting Saint Patrick’s Day morning, running downstairs to open their presents (of beer).

Not that I oppose a celebratory beer. But I don’t want people to lose sight of this significant saint and consign him to cartoon-like fiction.

Saint Patrick was captured (from his home in Scotland, sorry about that truth) and enslaved as a 14-year-old in then-pagan Ireland (Catholic Online). In captivity, he prayed each day. Later, he wrote:

The love of God and his fear grew in me more and more, as did the faith, and my soul was rosed, so that, in a single day, I have said as many as a hundred prayers and in the night, nearly the same. I prayed in the woods and on the mountain, even before dawn. I felt no hurt from the snow or ice or rain.

As with all saints, there is much to learn from his life. His feast day comes at an appropriate time, during the heart of Lent, because his story is reflective of the season’s meaning — through prayer, he drew closer to Christ, who Himself drew closer to the Father through prayer the night of His Passion. It was that prayer, that closeness that sustained him and led him to freedom and greater things in his life, a life that glorified God.

A couple of notes: Patrick used the shamrock to explain the Trinity. It has been associated with him and the Irish since that time.

Unlike the raucous celebrations in his name today, Patrick was humble, pious and gentle. He had a total and devout love and trust in God. He is an example to each of us, for he feared nothing, not even death, because of his complete trust in God.

Saint Patrick: Someone to draw guidance from, not drink a beer to.

Cardinal Levada Explains Ecumenism and the Anglican Ordinariates (Zenit News Agency)

Editorial: More Anglicans Say Yes to Full Communion: The Restoration of the Church. (Deacon Keith Fournier, Catholic Online)

Bishop Elliott Explains the Anglican Ordinariate: ‘United in Communion But Not Absorbed’ (Deacon Keith Fournier, Catholic Online)

Here Come the Anglicans: Opening Chapter in the Coming Reunion of the Church. (Deacon Keith Fournier, Catholic Online)

Today, he unleashes a heartfelt editorial of optimism and grace on the very real possibility of the first steps toward the end of the Anglican split with the Church. News first arose of this in October (see our comment here) and continued for a while, then seemed to disappear. But now, there is actual movement toward establishing an Anglican ordinariate in America. Australia may follow very soon, as well.

Of course, Episcopals have moved into the Church here and there for a while. In August, 10 Episcopal nuns and a priest took steps to come into full communion with the Church. But with the release by Cardinal William Levada, of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and Pope Benedict XVI of the historic Anglicanorum Coetibus, (Latin for “concerning groups of Anglicans”) last November, the stage is set for some 400,000 Anglicans to come into full communion with the Church.

As Deacon Fournier suggests, this has upset some traditional Catholics. It shouldn’t. He, as I, are pleased the Holy Spirit is working through the successor of Peter, Pope Benedict, to reunify the Holy Catholic Church. As the Deacon writes, a Church recovering from the scars of disunity can do so much to arrest the cultural and moral decline of the world. With Pope Benedict and many earnest leaders of the Eastern Orthodox Church in dialogue, we must pray for that schism to be repaired as well. 

As for the concerns of some, as long as the new ordinariate — which would be a rite within the universal Church, as certain Eastern rites are — accepts the teachings of the Church’s orthodoxy, there should be no cause for concern. The new Anglican rite would be structured like the Maronite or Maronite, which have patriarchs in Lebanon, but parishes all over the world as Lebanese emigrate, and which are loyal to Rome. Going to a Mass there, for example, fulfills one’s Sunday obligation.

Read Deacon Fournier’s editorial (”More Anglicans say Yes to Full Communion: The Restoration of the Church“) of hope and praise for the wonders of the Holy Spirit and the good it is working through those whose heartfelt desire is to come home to the One, True, Catholic and Apostolic Church. Let us know what you think.

Here is a sweet and powerful homily about Saint Scholastica from Father Angelo Geiger of the Our lady of Guadalupe Friary and Air Maria. In it he tells a wonderful story about Saint Scholastica’s relationship with her brother — and God, and how God answered her prayer. He also expounds on the today’s Gospel reading about the 10 virgins and the importance to accept from God the gift of our lives and to resist temptation. We can pride ourselves on our belief, but unless we put it into action. … He also spells out the importance of praying our faith. It lasts 5:30.

The life of Saint Scholastica: The simplicity of faith is very powerful.

Our faith teaches us that this type of  stem cell research is moral because it does not destroy human embryos. The fact is, despite the demagoguery of those who advance the embryonic stem cell argument, not one significant medical breakthrough has resulted from the millions of dollars and years of research that have gone into it. Meanwhile, hundreds of breakthroughs have occurred in adult stem cell research, such as from chord blood (see Family Foundation Blog).

Another fact: Even though research shows that adult stem cells can be manipulated into mimicking embryonic stem cells, thus eliminating the need for the destruction of embryos, the abortion lobby and allied groups  remain adamantly against defunding embryonic stem cell research. It exposes their real aim of encouraging abortion because if all they were concerned about was the research, then the “mimicking” process would be the “common ground” so-called “pro-choicers” always claim they seek (see telling video at Family Foundation Blog).

In addition to the Biocell Center of Busto Arsizio, Harvard Medical School’s Department of Opthalmology, the IRCCS Foundation and three Italian hospitals are among the institutions that have joined in the research. See Catholic Online via Catholic News Agency for the entire report.

Pope Benedict: Catholics, get online and spread the Truth!

John lived an impoverished life. He grew up poor because his father, born into nobility, was disowned by his family for marrying a commoner. But his parents raised him well, with proper values for love of God. When his father died, his mother held the family together, but it was difficult to find work. John worked several difficult jobs, but hearing the call of God, he became a priest and joined the Carmelites. Saint Teresa of Avila (see Women for Faith & Family) saw a grace in him and asked him to help her in her reform movement. But John’s own Carmelites were suspicious and persecuted him. They put him in solitary confinement and was beat three times a week before he escaped after nine months.

During those nine months he fully opened himself to God, despite living in utter despair, and wrote his mystic prose and poems. He realized that God alone is the source of joy and that seeking happiness in the world is like “a famished person who opens his mouth to satisfy himself with air” (Catholic Online).

Saint John of the Cross is worthy of study and his Feast this time of year is appropriate as we prepare the way of the Lord. He tells us to fully open our hearts to God, to find Him within ourselves and not through the secular world, and to let Him fill us with an ever deepening faith. That’s the true meaning of Christmas and that’s how we find real joy.

Saint John of the Cross’ mysticism still brings people closer to God. Prayer is at the center of developing a closer relationship with God and where you will find joy.

From Saint John of the Cross:

What more do you want, o soul! And what else do you search for outside, when within yourself you possess your riches, delights, satisfaction and kingdom — your beloved whom you desire and seek? Desire him there, adore him there. Do not go in pursuit of him outside yourself. You will only become distracted and you won’t find him, or enjoy him more than by seeking him within you.

Saint Nimatullah (1808-1858) was known for many things (see Eparchy of Saint Maron). He was an efficient administrator, a scholarly teacher and a devout priest. He was especially noted for his love of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Blessed Sacrament (see Vatican biography). He spent many hours in Eucharistic Adoration, often at the expense of sleep, kneeling in the chapel, arms raised cross-like and eyes trained on the tabernacle (see LebaneseSaints.com). Although there are photographs of him, the image below is the most famous one, and was used at his canonization, and honors his devotion to the Blessed Sacrament.

There is volumes of information on Saint Nimatullah and other Maronite Saints. He lived an extradordinary life as a monk and was widely regarded from the Middle East to Rome, and was given great responsibilities. However, when the opportunity came to move to safer quarters at the outset of war, he remained, to look after those in need.

I could go on, but who better than John Paul The Great to speak of him? Saint Nimatullah was one in the last group of saints canonized by John Paul, on May 16, 2004.

Said the His Holiness about Saint Nimatullah:

A man of prayer, in love with the Eucharist which he adored for long periods, Saint Nimatullah Kassab Al-Hardini is an example for the monks of the Order of Lebanese Maronites as he is for his Lebanese brothers and sisters and all Christians of the world. He gave himself completely to the Lord in a life full of great sacrifices, showing that God’s love is the only true source of joy and happiness for man. He committed himself to searching for and following Christ, his Master and Lord.

Welcoming his brothers, he reassured and healed many wounds in the hearts of his contemporaries, witnessing to God’s mercy. May his example enlighten our journey and bring forth, especially in young people, a true desire for God and for holiness to proclaim to our world the light of the Gospel!

Devout to the Blessed Sacrament, in his love for the Lord and for the Church, Saint Nimatullah is a role model in many respects.

Now the media is after Rhode Island Governor Donald Carcieri, a rare New England Republican, because he had the audacity to voice his support for his Bishop rather than his congressman (see LifeSiteNews.com). In a local radio interview Governor Carcieri said (from the Providence Journal):

“I think the Bishop had no choice … because if you go back to how this all started, it was basically Congressman Kennedy making pretty outrageous statements about the Catholic Church” and the church’s position on “protecting the sanctity of innocent human beings. So I think the bishop had no choice except to come back and defend the church, which I think he did very well.” 

Good on the governor! Perhaps more refreshing than the Bishop himself, who does not have a political class to appease, Governor Carcieri had no fear, despite an electorate much to the left of him on this issue. A real profile in courage. It shows that confidence in the courage of one’s convictions, convictions grounded in the Truth, will serve you well in the long run. Even in the short run. (See Deacon Keith Fournier’s commentary at Catholic Online.) So far, there seems to have been no backlash on the governor. Right now, the Bishop and the governor are standing tall.

Once, Mr. Stein lost, in part, by getting the meaning of The Immaculate Conception wrong (see Jennifer Hartline of Catholic Online). He was adamant that the Holy Day celebrated the conception of Christ into the Blessed Virgin Mary’s womb. He’s not alone. Most non-Christians, protestants and Catholics themselves think this. I’ve even had Catholics tell me tell me they were taught this in their formation! What else could it mean, after all, if Jesus was conceived not by man and woman but by the Holy Spirit through Mary? Ask most any Catholic and they will tell you this feast day celebrates the Lord’s conception.

For those who attended Mass yesterday, you should know. Still, it is important that we, as Catholics, understand what the Feast Day is about so as to not let misunderstandings undermine the Faith from within — Catholics trying to explain something to non-Catholics that isn’t correct to begin with — and to correct those misunderstandings by those of other faiths who think they know what we believe, and use this incorrect understanding in an attempt to misguide others about Catholicism.

In short, the Feast of The Immaculate Conception (see Catholic Encyclopedia) is the belief that in order for Christ to come into the world, He of no sin, would have to born without original sin. For that to happen, his parents would have to be free of original sin. God, the Father, of course is, but his human mother would have to be as well. Thus, Mary, at her conception and birth, was blessed by God to have been born without original sin, the only human to be born so.

That is the Feast of The Immaculate Conception. Next question, Ben.