BIG C CATHOLICS

Courtesy of uCatholic :  Tantum Ergo is the last two stanzas from the Eucharistic Hymn ( Pange Lingua ) composed by St. Thomas Aquinas and is used at Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. The response and the prayer at the end is a later addition used at Benediction. A partial indulgence is granted to the faithful who recite it and a plenary indulgence is granted to those who recite it on Holy Thursday or Corpus Christi.   Latin Tantum ergo Sacramentum Veneremur cernui: Et antiquum documentum Novo cedat ritui: Praestet fides supplementum Sensuum defectui. Genitori, Genitoque Laus et iubilatio, Salus, honor, virtus quoque Sit et benedictio: Procedenti ab utroque Compar sit laudatio. V. Panem de cælis præstitisti eis (on Corpus Christi, 'Alleluia' is added). R. Omne delectamentum in se habentem (on Corpus Christi, 'Alleluia' is added). Oremus: Deus, qui nobis sub sacramento mirabili, passionis tuæ memoriam reliquisti: tribue, qu...

Disputation of the Holy Sacrament, Raphael , 1509-1510 Fr. René J. Butler, M.S. Director, La Salette Shrine Enfield, NH ( Click here for today’s readings ) Do you like jigsaw puzzles? Do friends and family give you “the world’s most difficult” puzzles? Amazon.com has one called “Dalmatians,” with dozens of virtually identical black-and-white dogs filling the entire picture. It’s also two-sided, by the way. Now imagine a futuristic puzzle in which the pieces keep changing shape, and the picture on the box is never the same twice. And let’s make the pieces slippery while we’re at it. We might think the Trinity is like that. If our goal is to understand how one God can exist in three “persons,” when even the word “person” in this context is not at all what we usually think of when we say it, we are doomed to failure. We will never get the pieces to fit. Yet here we are, as always on the Sunday after Pentecost, celebrating the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. It’s so di...

I am pleased to announce the 1st annual New Evangelization Award for excellence in Catholic blogging. The Catholic blogosphere hosts thousands of sites. Choosing among them blogs of distinction is a daunting task. I had originally intended to honor three Catholic bloggers who have made a unique and longstanding contribution to evangelize and engage a society that is increasingly hostile and openly skeptical toward Judeo-Christian principles and the "culture of life." I expanded that number to seven in deference to the prevalence of quality Catholic websites in existence. (There are numerous bloggers worthy of recognition. For a list of honorable mentions please see my blogroll.) In order to qualify, a blog must: have been in existence for at least 3 years publish original content that is faithful to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church evangelize and inform Catholics, converts, reverts, and all who seek the fullness of truth  The 2015 recipients of the New ...

Heavenly Father, On this Memorial Day, we pray for those  who courageously laid down their lives  for the cause of freedom.   May the examples of their sacrifice  inspire in us the selfless love of Your Son,  our Lord Jesus Christ. Bless the families of our fallen troops.  Fill their homes and their lives  with Your strength and peace. In union with people of goodwill of every nation,  embolden us to answer the call  to work for peace and justice,  and thus, seek an end  to violence and conflict around the globe. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Fr. René J. Butler, M.S. Director, La Salette Shrine Enfield, NH The descent of the Holy Spirit. ( Click here for today's readings ) There is a famous story about the prophet Elijah in chapter 19 of the First Book of Kings. He has made powerful enemies and is hiding in a cave. The Lord tells Elijah to stand outside and wait for the Lord to pass. There is a strong violent wind, followed by an earthquake, followed by fire, but the Lord is not in any of these. Then comes a “light silent sound,” which is the New American Bible equivalent of the better known “still small voice” of the King James version. Sometimes, especially at a retreat, for example, there is a tendency to take this story to mean that God always comes quietly. Nothing could be further from the truth. Look at what happened at Pentecost. There was “a noise like a strong driving wind,” and “there appeared to them tongues of fire... and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.” What about the earthquake? I...

The following quotes from our late Holy Father, St. John Paul the Great, reflect the breadth of his knowledge, the nature of Divine Love and the incomparable dignity of human persons who are made in the image and likeness of God, "chosen from eternity and called by name." The human being is single, unique, and unrepeatable, someone thought of and chosen from eternity, someone called and identified by name. There is no dignity when the human dimension is eliminated from the person. In short, the problem with pornography is not that it shows too much of the person, but that it shows far too little. Freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought. Darkness can only be scattered by light, hatred can only be conquered by love. Marriage is an act of will that signifies and involves a mutual gift, which unites the spouses and binds them to their eventual souls, with whom they make up a sole family - a domestic church. Social justic...

Fr. René J. Butler, M.S. Remember learning about mixed metaphors, where two or more incompatible images are used to describe one thing? Years ago I saw a cartoon from the New Yorker magazine, where an executive speaking to his staff says, “Gentlemen, I smell a rat. I can feel it in the air. And I will nip it in the bud!” We seem to have a similar confusion about the Holy Spirit, presented in the New Testament as a dove, wind, fire, and called “Paraclete,” which in turn is translated sometimes as Comforter and sometimes as Advocate. The hymn “ Veni Sancte Spiritus ” calls on the Spirit to “melt the frozen, warm the chill,” just after describing the Spirit as “Grateful coolness in the heat.” But all this isn’t so strange as it might at first appear. The key lies in  John 3:8 , “The wind blows where it wills… but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes.” (See  1 Corinthians 12 ,  Galatians 5:22-23  for just a few examples.) The Spirit ...

Saint Pope John Paul the Great Karol Józef Wojtyła was born 95 years ago, on May 18, 1920, in Wadowice, Poland, the youngest of three children, to Karol Wojtyla and Emilia Wojtyla, (née Kaczorowska). The future pope's father was a non-commissioned officer of the Imperial Royal Army and a Polish Army captain. His mother had a premonition about her youngest child saying, "Karol is destined to be a great man."  Young Wojtyla, c 1929  Date of birth: May 18, 1920 Date of death: April 2, 2005 Birth place: Wadowice, Poland Education: Doctorate in Philosophy, Doctorate in Sacred Theology, Jagiellonian University Feast Day: October 22 (date of papal inauguration) Apostolic Motto:   Totus Tuus (Totally yours) Notes of Interest: Upon his election in 1978, John Paul II was the first non-Italian Pope in 455 years. At 58, he was the youngest pope since the election of Pope Pius IX (age 54), in 1846. During his pontificate, he visited 129 countries, tr...

Fr. René J. Butler, M.S. Director, La Salette Shrine Enfield, NH Matthias is chosen.  ( Click here for today's readings ) (NOTE: In New Hampshire, this is the Seventh Sunday of Easter. For the Solemnity of the Ascension, celebrated this day in many other dioceses, see Matthew Coffin’s excellent reflection " Why Satan Hates the Ascension of Christ ".) And Matthias was never heard from again. Well, as far as that goes, he was never heard from before, either. This story of his “election” as an Apostle is the only time he is mentioned by name in the whole New Testament. We know, from the criterion established by Peter, that both he and Barsabbas were among the first disciples of Jesus. Replacing Judas was apparently a big deal for the author of the Acts of the Apostles, the evangelist St. Luke. Everything inclines the reader to expect great things of Matthias. And then, nothing. What happened? Did he fail? Did Peter and the assembled community make a mista...

The World Wide Web boasts thousands of Catholic sites. “Blogs of Note,” is a new monthly series featuring blogs and blog authors who are faithful to the Magisterium and worthy of your time. I am pleased to highlight a new addition to the Catholic blogosphere. Catholic Crossing is an online clearinghouse of information, bringing you the best in Catholic Media. If you are looking for faithful, thoughtful articles of interest to orthodox Catholics, with a focus on theology, the complementarity of faith and reason, and other issues relevant to the life of the Church – Catholic Crossing is required reading.  To view Catholic Crossing's twitter feed go here .

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The Virgin of the Lilies ,  Bouguereau , 1899 Today  is Mother's Day. This post is dedicated to my Mother and to mothers everywhere. Icons represent and make present spiritual realities beyond us. Motherhood is a special icon of God's love. I was home-schooled by my Mom, who taught, nurtured and inspired us. Her maternal presence and selfless love has sustained our family. To this day she makes sure my Father (and a ridiculously pampered cat), looks presentable and is cared for. She is a woman after Mary's own heart. Because of her, it is easy to believe in an all good, all loving God. Happy Mother's Day to all mothers.

Fr. René J. Butler, M.S. Director, La Salette Shrine Enfield, NH "Love one another." (John 15:17) Image from  Duccio‘s Maestà alterpiece, 1308-11 ( Click here for today’s readings ) Many years ago when I was in college, I remember being involved in a pseudo-intellectual debate on whether charity was an obligation. On one side the argument was that charity, by definition, implies something done freely, from the heart. On the other side the claim was that being a Christian, by definition, implies a way of life that must include charity. The last words of today’s Gospel could lend themselves to a similar discussion. “This I command you: love one another.” On the one hand love, as we understand it, like Shakespeare’s “quality of mercy,” cannot be “strained,” i.e., constrained, forced. Imagine trying to bully someone into loving you! Part of the mystery of love is precisely that we are not able to make it happen. And when it does take hold of us we can ...

Fr. René J. Butler, M.S. Director, La Salette Shrine Enfield, NH ( Click here for today’s readings ) A couple of weeks ago we used the image of witnesses and concluded that we need to become “expert,” i.e. experienced, witnesses whose credibility is based on a genuine relationship with the Risen Lord. In today’s first reading we have Saul, recently returned to Jerusalem from his conversion experience on the road to Damascus, ready and eager to get out there and witness, to “speak out boldly.” And he does so, after finally gaining the trust of the other Jerusalem Christians. Then the former persecutor becomes the one persecuted, and the Christians spirit him away to his home town of Tarsus. What is wrong with this picture? Isn’t the witness supposed to stay and die for the faith? Running away doesn’t seem to fit. Actually it does. It’s called “witness protection.” Even before this, Saul had to escape from Damascus by being let down in a basket through a window...