Fourth Sunday of Lent, March 10, 2013
Feast of
St. Patrick, March 17, 2013
Adam and Eve sinned in
the Garden of Eden by eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil. They were expelled then from God’s earthly paradise and condemned to earn
their food by hard work, to bring forth children in pain, and to grow old and
die. They were given justice for their sin. They left the Garden of Eden,
probably at the point of the Archangel Michael’s sword, and it wasn’t long
before one of their children, Cain, murdered his brother, Abel. And it wasn’t
all that long after, that the whole human race had become so corrupt that God destroyed
all of them by flooding the world, all except for Noah and his small family. God
restored mankind and in time He gave his children the Law of the Old Testament
and the priesthood of Aaron, but then the majority of His priests and His chosen
people again abandoned Him, choosing the pleasures of the world before the
Divine promise of Heaven.
But still God labored in
His love for the salvation of His children. His Son, Jesus, humbled Himself to
be born a man, to become like us in all things except sin. Jesus gave us His
Gospel and as a part of that Gospel He “opened to us a certain way of guarding
our soul’s health, so that whatever the stains we may have contracted after our
baptism, we may wash them away by the giving of alms.” (St. Cyprian, On Good Works and Almsdeeds)
St. Raphael the Archangel tells us in Tobias 12: 8, 9
[KJV, missing] that “Prayer is good
with fasting and almsdeeds; for alms delivereth from death, and the same
purgeth away sins.” He shows us that prayer and fasting is not enough, and that
they are to be assisted by almsdeeds; that prayer alone avails little to obtain
what we ask, unless it is joined to good works and acts of mercy.
Nothing in the life of the Messiah is without a
spiritual meaning or a meaning in salvation history. So let's look at today’s’
Gospel and the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 in that light. This miracle
occurred shortly after the murder of John the Baptist and his death ended the
Old Covenant and the Priesthood of Aaron and the Prophets. The Old Covenant and
the Law of Moses then reached their fulfillment in Jesus, who was the Messiah
promised to the Jews, the Chosen People of the Old Covenant. The feeding of the
5,000 is important in salvation history because it marks the passing of the
authority of the Law of Moses and the Priesthood of Aaron over to the Apostles
in the New Covenant established by Jesus the Messiah.
There are five barley loaves. The five loaves equate
to the five books of the Law of Moses. The two fish equate to the preaching of the
Prophets and of John the Baptist. Christ is the fullness of the Law and the
fulfillment of the Prophets, so when Christ told the Apostles to distribute the
bread and fish to the people sitting there He was giving to them the fullness
of the Law and the Prophets, (“I have not come to destroy, but to fulfil [the
Law.]” Matthew 5: 17) but the fullness is now distributed by the new
Priesthood of the Apostles. Spiritually, then, it is through the Apostles and
their valid successors that the gifts of divine grace are to be given.
Let’s move on to St. Patrick, whose feast
day is next Sunday. From time to time
God raises up in His Church mighty saints and places them aloft, as on a
pinnacle, that their sanctity and good works may shine upon His people in all ages.
St. Patrick was one of these. Patrick’s mission was to convert a whole nation
from paganism to an exact observance of the Gospels’ love. Among his many
virtues three stood out conspicuously: His faith and confidence in God, his
spirit of prayer, and his spirit of penance. By faith a proud man submits his
intellect and will to God, and believes and adores what he can neither see nor
understand. St. Patrick was a man of faith from the beginning, having been born
of Catholic parents. He never withdrew his intellect or will from God Whom he
loved above all else. This is how he was able to see the whole of Ireland
converted.
Patrick’s confidence in God was
borne out by many miracles. Patrick accepted all challenges by the pagan
priests and magicians. Patrick’s way of life lay in these words: “Amen, amen, I
say to you, if you ask the Father anything in my name, he will give it to you.”
(John 16: 23) Over and over Patrick confounded the magicians with
a miracle from God in the presence of kings and princes and multitudes of
unbelievers. One famous miracle was when he sent two of his disciples to
restore life to the son of Prince Elelius. The kings and priests, princes and
bards and the vast multitude of Ireland embraced the Gospel of Christ.
Patrick’s confidence was the fruit
of his prayer. He understood well when Christ said, “Without me you can do
nothing.” (John 15: 5) For six years he was a captive and slave and made
to tend a flock of sheep. During that time he was without the Mass or
Eucharist, without the Sacraments, but 300 times during the day he adored God
on bended knees and again 300 times at night. He maintained an intimate union
with God. To describe his prayer life in detail would be to describe his life,
because his whole life was one of prayer. The working of miracles was almost a
daily occurrence with him. He gave sight to the blind, speech to the dumb,
cured diseases and raised 33 people from the dead in the name of the Holy
Trinity.
St. Patrick’s faith and life of prayer
showed forth, but also his many penances. The words of the Baptist constantly
rang in his ears, “Do penance: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 3: 2) Also
the words of Christ, “Unless you shall do penance, you shall all likewise
perish.” (Luke 13: 3) While a shepherd slave Patrick bore with patience
periods of cold, hunger and nakedness, all offered as penance for sins and for
the conversion of sinners.
What can we draw from the life of
Patrick? First, we can thank God for this illustrious saint. We can venerate
St. Patrick and try to imitate him. Above all, we can never waiver in our
faith, hold on to the teachings of Christ’s Catholic Church especially the Holy
Trinity, the incarnation of Jesus Christ and His divinity which is so attacked
today even though it is the most consoling article of our Holy Faith. Put all
your trust in God as Patrick did, for Jesus told us, “Come to me, all you that
labour, and are burdened, and I will refresh you.” (Matthew 11: 28)
Attend Mass at least on Sundays and Holy Days of obligation, unite yourself to
Christ in the Eucharist, bear patiently the troubles of life, perform the small
penances that Mother Church assigns to us, thus imitating from a distance at
least, the great saint. Lastly, ask St. Patrick to intercede on your behalf so
that some day you may appear before the Throne of God with a clean soul. +++
We Celebrate the Traditional Tridentine
Latin Mass
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