On the Corruption of Nature and the Power of Grace [VI]

On the Corruption of Nature and the Power of Grace [VI]

Your grace is my strength, my counsel, and my help. It is more
powerful than all my enemies, and wiser than all the wise. It is the
teacher of truth, the instructor of doctrine, the light of the heart,
the consoler of affliction. It banishes sorrow, drives away fear,
fosters devotion, and moves to contrition. Without grace, I am nothing
but a dry tree, a barren stock (Ecclus.6:3) fit only for destruction.
Therefore, O Lord, let Your grace always lead and follow me,
(Collect, Trinity 17) and keep me ever intent on good works, through
Your Son Jesus Christ. Amen.
--Thomas à Kempis --Imitation of Christ Bk 3 Ch 55

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DEC 7 – St. Ambrose
 CALLED TO BE A CONTRADICTION

“Today, the Church celebrates the feast of one of her great doctors,
St. Ambrose of Milan, who offers us a model of public Christian
witness.

In 374 A.D, against his own wishes, St. Ambrose became archbishop of
Milan, a city riven by the Arian heresy and at that time the residence
of one of the Roman co-emperors. He quickly embraced an ascetical
life, gave to the poor, and reformed the liturgy of his diocese.
Enduring many hardships (including, according to the Golden Legend of
Bl. James of Voraigne, O.P., an assassination attempt ordered by the
Western empress herself), he strove to convert the heretics of his
diocese back to belief in the divinity of Christ, soon establishing a
reputation as an eloquent speaker and a prolific author on Christian
doctrine. In fact, his intelligent exposition of the Christian faith
played an instrumental role in the conversion of St. Augustine, whom
St. Ambrose baptized in 387 A.D.

St. Ambrose’s life and writings remain a stirring example of the
apostolic life, one combining prayer with tireless effort for the
salvation of souls. Preacher and scholar, liturgical reformer and
defender of the poor, refuter of error and loving shepherd of wayward
Christians: the holy archbishop of Milan showed the compatibility of
roles too often assumed to be mutually exclusive in our present age.

Since we live at a time in which civil authorities are often at odds
with Church teachings, perhaps St. Ambrose is most exemplary as a
champion of Christianity in the face of civil excesses. As a prominent
churchman and archbishop of an imperial capital, the saint often
interacted with the potentates of his day. On three occasions, St.
Ambrose, himself a former magistrate, championed the liberty of the
faith in the face of imperial encroachment. In 385, he refused to
allow Valentinian II to quarter Arian soldiers in a basilica. In 388,
when a certain bishop expressed his opinion in a way that angered the
emperor Theodosius, Ambrose challenged Theodosius’ punishment that the
bishop use Church funds to rebuild a house of worship for unbelievers.
Most famously, St. Ambrose excommunicated Theodosius for ordering the
massacre of 7,000 civilians in the city of Thessalonica. According to
St. Augustine, the emperor responded to his chastisement with humility
and did penance for his sins; St. Ambrose himself spoke movingly at
the emperor’s funeral of the emperor’s contrition for his sin and
fortitude in offering public penance. This of course is the salubrious
purpose of ecclesiastical censures: to prevent the sinner from
inducing others to sin and to encourage him to repent.

Since ours is a time when civil authorities increasingly countenance —
and even engage in — immoral activities, St. Ambrose’s courageous
actions show us that Christians cannot remain silent. All too often,
Americans believe that the separation of Church and State necessitates
the exclusion of religious belief from the public sphere. However, St.
Ambrose anticipated many of these concerns in a letter pleading with
Theodosius not to force the Church to rebuild a non-Christian house of
worship: “But it is neither the part of an Emperor to deny liberty of
speech, nor of a Bishop not to utter what he thinks.” He continues:

‘For there is this difference between good and bad rulers, that the
good love freedom, the bad slavery. And there is nothing in a Bishop
so offensive in God’s sight, or so base before men, as not freely to
declare his opinions… I prefer then, to have fellowship with your
Majesty in good rather than in evil; and therefore the silence of a
Bishop ought to be displeasing to your Clemency, and his freedom
pleasing. For you will be implicated in the danger of my silence, you
will share in the benefits of my outspokenness. I am not then an
officious meddler in matters beyond my province, an intruder in the
concerns of others, but I comply with my duty, I obey the commandment
of our God. This I do chiefly from love and regard to you, and from a
wish to preserve your well-being. But if I am not believed, or am
forbidden to act on this motive, then in truth I speak from fear of
offending God. (Ambrose, Epist. XL.2-3, trans. H. Walford, 1881)’

By faith, Catholics believe that certain actions, such as murder and
perjury, are objectively evil, regardless of whether or not the person
performing them is a Christian. In such cases, it is, in fact, a work
of mercy to rebuke the sinner. Moreover, the Church’s mission is to
save all mankind, Catholics and non-Catholics, clergy and rulers, by
leading them to accept the deposit of faith entrusted to her. For this
reason, and on account of the superiority of the spiritual to the
temporal, Pope Boniface VIII wrote in his bull Unam Sanctam, “It
belongs to the spiritual power … to pass judgment [on the earthly
power] if it has not been good.”

As Christians, we are called to be signs of contradiction. At times,
this can mean speaking against the decisions of civil authorities, not
seditiously, but for the salvation of all concerned. Doing so,
however, in no way diminishes the dignity of Church or State by
confusing what ought to remain separate; rather, it affirms the
universal scope of the Christian faith and the integrity of all
aspects of Christian living, spiritual and political. Let us pray
then, through the intercession of St. Ambrose, to be faithful
citizens.
-by Br Albert Thomas Dempsey, OP


Saint Quote:
O Lord, grant us that love which can never die, which will enkindle
our lamps but not extinguish them, so that they may shine in us and
bring light to others. Most dear Savior, enkindle our lamps that they
may shine forever in your temple. May we receive unquenchable light
from you so that our darkness will be illuminated and the darkness of
the world will be made less. Amen.
--Saint Columba

Bible Quote:
He who causes a sinner to be converted from his misguided way, will
save his soul from death, and will cover a multitude of sins. [James
5:20]


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Novena Prayer

O sweet Jesus as you lived in Mary,
come and live in your servant
in the Spirit of your holiness,
in the fullness of your gifts,
in the perfection of your ways,
in the truth of your virtues,
in the communion of your mysteries,
by your Holy Spirit,
enable us to love you and love our fellow man
for the glory of God the Father.
    Amen