"You can't have all of me,
My boss, my job, my family,
You can't have all of me,
I need a little for myself!
You can't have all of me,
My soul, my time, & my money,
You can't have all of me,
I need a little for myself!…"
He was a Latin catholic priest, confessor, theologian, & historian. He is best known for his translation of most of the Bible into Latin [the translation that became known as the Vulgate], & his commentaries on the Gospels.Wikipedia-link Vulgate
Lord Jesus, let me imitate St. Jerome & aspire to a deep & penetrating knowledge of Scripture. May I be ever more deeply nourished by the Divine Word & find in it a source of life.'Tis the festival of Saint Simon of Crépy, Religious (circa 1047-1082, A.K.A. of Vexin), Count of Amiens: Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.
Friends, in today’s Gospel Jesus presents a child as the model for his disciples. Jesus has just laid out for his disciples what is going to happen to him in Jerusalem, how he will be rejected, tortured, and killed. Oblivious to this, the disciples are discussing who among them is the most important. For Jesus, the path to greatness lies on the road to Calvary, to self-forgetting love; for the disciples—and for most people of most ages—it lies along the road to ego inflation.Video reflection by Monsignor James Vlaun: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
What is the antidote? A child is proposed as a kind of living icon to these ambitious disciples. We notice first how Jesus physically identifies with the child by placing him by his side. It is as though he is saying that he himself is like a child. How so? Children don’t know how to dissemble, how to be one way and act another. They are what they are; they act in accordance with their deepest nature.
Why was this story of Jesus’ identification with children preserved by all of the synoptic Gospels? Somehow it gets close to the heart of Jesus’ life and message.
"St. Jerome was the model of devotion & service to the revealed Word. He never tired of reminding the Church that God Himself spoke to the soul of the sacred writers: 'To be ignorant of the Scriptures is not to know Christ.'"Saint Quote o' the Day
—Pope St. John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, feast day: 22 October)
"If I am to indulge in any of the pleasures of the present life, I am resolved to do it in such a way that the solemn realities of the future Judgment may never be banished from my thoughts."
—St. Jerome, Doctor of the Church (347-420, feast day: 30 September)
Friends, today’s Gospel focuses on the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man "dressed in purple garments and fine linen and dined sumptuously each day," while lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, "who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table."Video reflection by Father Greg Friedman, O.F.M.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
God is not pleased with this kind of economic inequality, and he burns with a passion to set things right. This theme came roaring up out of the Bible and into the Christian tradition, and it echoes up and down the centuries. Even though it makes us uncomfortable—and God knows it does, especially those of us who live in the most affluent society in the world—we can’t avoid it because it’s everywhere in the Bible.
St. Thomas Aquinas says that we must distinguish between ownership and use of private property. We have a right to ownership, through our hard work, through our inheritance. Fair enough. But with regard to the use of those things—how we use them, why we use them—then, says Thomas, we must always be concerned first for the common good and not our own. This especially includes Lazarus at our gate: those who are suffering and most in need.
Grace is the power of God alive within us. It heals the wounds that our sins have created & helps us to maintain moral balance. Grace helps us to persevere in the pursuit of virtue. It enlightens our minds to see & know which actions will help us become all God has created us to be. Grace inspires us to love what is good & shun what is evil. Grace is not a magical illusion. It is mystical & real.†
I come to Confession to reconcile myself with myself, with God, & with the community. Confession is not just a cleansing experience; it is also a strengthening experience. Confession is an opportunity for you & God to work together to form a-better-version-of-yourself. It also increases our desires for holiness, & that is a desire we should fan with all our energy.
Almighty God, may the Archangels Michael, Gabriel, & Raphael teach me to trust in Your power & goodness. May I, too, sing of the Glory of the Lord.'Twould also be the festival of Saint Leudwinus of Trier, Bishop (circa 660-722; also spelt Liutwin, etc.; A.K.A. of Mettlach), thirty-fifth (XXXV) Bishop of Trier (A.K.A. Treves) & twelfth (XII) Bishop of Laon, co-founder of the Echternack Abbey at Mettlach: Saint-link & Wikipedia-link; Diocese-link Trier & Wikipedia-link Trier, Diocese-link Laon & Wikipedia-link Laon.
"Above all, one must never lose confidence in what the Spirit of God can accomplish in our own day. For as the Angel Gabriel said to the Virgin Mary, 'Nothing is impossible for God.' Let our hearts be alive in faith & always steadfast in hope."Saint Quote o' the Day
—Pope St. John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, feast day: 22 October)
"Never get tired of doing little things for others. Sometimes those little things occupy the biggest part of their hearts."
—St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church (1873-1897, feast day: 1 October)
When Wenceslaus's father died, his mother took control of the duchy & began to oppose Christianity. The people urged Wenceslaus to take power. He did so & protected & strengthened the Church. Wenceslaus, well known for his Christian virtue, responded to a call to live a consecrated life & made a vow of virginity.'Tis also the Optional Memorial of Saint Lawrence Ruiz & Companions, Martyrs (died 1633-1637, A.K.A. the Sixteen Martyrs of Japan), martyred in the reign of the Japanese warlord Tokugawa Iemitsu: Martyrs-link ūnus, Martyrs-link duo, & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Nihon.
Saint Lorenzo Ruiz is the first canonized martyr of the Philippines, & was canonized along with fifteen companions, all of whom were on mission in Nagasai, Japan, to evangelize & minister to the Japanese Christian community. Thirteen of the martyrs were Dominicans & three were Dominican Tertiaries.'Tis also the festival of Saint Faustus of Riez, Bishop & Abbot (circa 405-495), second (II) Bishop of Riez, abbot of Lérins Abbey: Saint-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Riez, Abbey-link Lérins, & Wikipedia-link Lérins.
Friends, in today’s Gospel Jesus predicts his being handed over to men—that is, his crucifixion. Here is the point I want to make: we are meant to see on that cross our own ugliness. What brings Jesus to the cross? Stupidity, anger, mistrust, institutional injustice, betrayal, denial, unspeakable cruelty, fear. St. Peter puts it with disquieting laconicism: the Author of life came and you killed him. In the light of the cross, all of the vermin are revealed. This is why we speak of the cross as God’s judgment on the world.Video reflection by Father Nicholas Vaskov: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
So far, so awful. But we can’t stop telling the story at this point. Dante and every other spiritual master know that the only way up is down. When we live unaware of our sins, we will never make spiritual progress. So we need the light, however painful it is. Then we can begin to rise. Once Dante makes it all the way to the center of hell, he suddenly finds himself climbing out.
On the cross of Jesus, we meet our own sin. But we also meet the divine mercy, which has taken that sin upon himself in order to swallow it up.
"There is nothing passive about nonviolence when it is chosen out of love. It has nothing to do with indifference. It has everything to do with actively seeking to resist evil & conquer it with good."Saint Quote o' the Day
—Pope St. John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, feast day: 22 October)
"Our Lord was not just a teacher, but a redeemer. He was coming to redeem man in the likeness of human flesh. Teachers change men by their lives. Our Blessed Lord would change men by His death. That poison of hate & sensuality & envy which is in the hearts of men could not be healed simply by mild exhortations of social reform. The wage of sin is death, & therefore it is by death that sin would be atoned for. As in ancient sacrifices where the fire symbolically burned up the imputed sin along with the victim, so on the cross the world’s sin would be put away in Christ’s suffering. For He would be upright as a priest, & prostrate as a victim. If there is anything a good teacher wants, it is a long life which will make his teaching known. Death is always a great tragedy to a teacher. When Socrates was given the hemlock juice, his message was cut off once & for all. Death was a stumbling block to Buddha & stood in the way of all of the teachings of the eastern mystics. But our Lord was always proclaiming His death, in which He took upon Himself the sins of the world so He would appear as a sinner."
—Ven. Fulton J. Sheen (1895-1979)
"Wrath like you've never imagined,
Beyond our wildest dreams,
No explanation, God's green creation
Is coming apart at the seams.
Seems we might have done it this time,
This time might be the one,
We can't reverse, or even worse,
This time, this time what have we done?
"Here we are,
How did we get here?
Did we ask for this to happen
And not know where it would go?
It's gone too far,
And can't continue,
Someone has to do something before anyone
Does anything we will regret forever!
"A path we should never set foot on,
A road that nobody takes,
Incompetent leaders, liars and cheaters,
Catastrophic and costly mistakes,
We're hoping to come to our senses,
And sensing that won't be the case,
Hope's running low, there's no place to go,
How did we get to this place?
"Here we are,
How did we get here?
Did we ask for this to happen
And not know where it would go?
It's gone too far,
And can't continue,
Someone has to do something before anyone
Does anything we will regret forever!
Forever!
Forever!
"The lugs are loose on every wheel,
On every level, it's unreal!
Lost at the type head, lost to appeal
Fed up with the setup, where's the reveal?
A break? A scam? A ladder of rules?
A practical joke? No one's amused!
Whose premise? Whose plan? Whose bad idea?
That's not important. Get us out of here!
"Here we are,
How did we get here?
Did we ask for this to happen
And not know where it would go?
It's gone too far,
And can't continue,
Someone has to do something before anyone
Does anything we will regret!
Here we are,
How did we get here?
Did we ask for this to happen
And not know where it would go?
It's gone too far,
And can't continue,
Someone has to do something before anyone
Does anything we will regret forever!"
"I just made an enemy of someone I don't know
And they are upset about something I that I must have done,
It really doesn't make much sense
When I've got no statement in my defense.
"But I know no matter what,
No matter who,
No matter what I do—
"Somebody hates me,
(Somebody hates me),
Somebody hates me, somebody hates me,
(Somebody hates me)
Somebody hates me,
Somebody hates me and I hate somebody, too!
"Did you misunderstand something that I did?
Or was there one of my jokes that you didn't get?
Or do you think you got the way I think all figured out?
What did I say, to make you feel not cooled out?
"But I know no matter what,
No matter who,
No matter what I do—
"Somebody hates me,
(Somebody hates me),
Somebody hates me, somebody hates me,
(Somebody hates me)
Somebody hates me,
Somebody hates me and I hate somebody, too!…"
Founder of the Congregation of the Mission (Lazarists, or Vincentians) for preaching missions to the peasantry & for educating & training a pastoral clergy. The patron saint of charitable societies, St. Vincent de Paul is primarily recognized for his charity & compassion for the poor, though he is also known for his reform of the clergy & for his early role in opposing Jansenism [a heresy, a Catholic counterpart to Calvinism].Wikipedia-link Jansenism
Teach me compassion, O Lord. Make me like St. Vincent de Paul, who reached out to those most in need. Above all, let me remember what he always taught, that the poor owe us nothing when we help them, for the opportunity to help them is already our reward.'Tis also the festival of Saint Baruc, Hermit (sixth century; also spelt Barrog, Barry, etc.), namesake of Barry Island: Saint-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Island.
Friends, the Gospel for today is incomparably rich and mysterious. First, we notice that peculiar question, "Who do people say that I am?" No other religious figure or founder would ask such a question. This is the primordial and peculiar question of the Christian faith. It has to do with Jesus and who he is.Messhiach, the anointed, the long-awaited Savior; but more to it, as Peter says in other Gospels, you are the Son of God, not just a human hero. This is the mystical faith that stands at the heart of Christianity. This is the standing or falling point. To hold this Petrine faith is to be a Christian; to deny it is not to be a ChristianVideo reflection by Jem Sullivan, Ph.D.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
The first group that "responds" is the general public: "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others one of the prophets." A range of opinions—and all of them wrong.
Then that devastating question: "But who do you say that I am?" You who are closest to me, you whom I have chosen. But the disciples don’t speak. Are they afraid? Perhaps. Are they ignorant? Probably.
Finally, Simon Peter speaks: "You are the Messiah." You are the
"Christ taught us not only how to suffer but also to help those who suffer. And to encourage our generosity, He identified Himself with the person who suffers."Saint Quote o' the Day
—Pope St. John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, feast day: 22 October)
"Our Lord took upon Himself a patterned human nature. That human nature was something like a die that a government makes when it wishes to mint coins. When the die is fashioned, millions of coins can be fashioned like it. Christ, our patterned man, was born; He suffered; He overcame temptations; He rose from the dead & was glorified at the right hand of the Father. Because He was born, we are to be born, not physically, but spiritually. Because He denied Himself & suffered, we are to deny ourselves. The cross becomes the condition of the empty tomb. Once our life is patterned upon His crucifixion, then our life shall be patterned also on His glorious Resurrection & ascension. Are we as coins? He will ask for coins & He will say, 'Whose inscription is thereon?' Is it Caesar’s? Do we belong to the world? Or do we belong to God?"
—Ven. Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)
They suffered martyrdom in Syria during the persecution of the emperor Diocletian. A church erected on the site of their burial was enlarged by the emperor Justinian. Legend says that they were twin brothers born in Arabia who were both skilled doctors. They were among those whoa re venerated in the East as the "moneyless ones" because, purportedly, they did not charge a fee for their services. Nine centuries later, [St.] Francis of Assisi [4 October] rebuilt the dilapidated San Damiano chapel outside Assisi.'Tis the festival of Saints Cyprian of Antioch & Justina, Virgin, Martyrs (died circa 304, A.K.A. of Nicomedia), martyred in the reign of the Roman emperors Diocletian & Maximian, victims of the Great Persecution: Martyr-link Charlie, Martyr-link Juliett, & Wikipedia-link; Persecutions-link & Wikipedia-link Persecution.
Friends, in today’s Gospel we see Herod interested in and perplexed by Jesus. Political rulers don’t come across well in the New Testament. In Luke’s Christmas account, Caesar Augustus is compared very unfavorably to the Christ child. And in Matthew’s account that child is hunted down by the desperate Herod. Later, Herod’s son persecutes John the Baptist and Jesus himself. More to it, the Jewish authorities are seen in all of the Gospels as corrupt.Video reflection by Monsignor James Vlaun: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
And Pontius Pilate is a typical Roman governor: efficient, concerned for order, brutal. Like the other rulers of the time, he perceives Jesus, quite correctly, as a threat. "So you are a king?" Pilate asks. Jesus says, "My kingdom does not belong to this world."
This does not mean that Jesus is unconcerned for the realities of politics, with the very "this-worldly" concerns of justice, peace, and right order. When he speaks of his kingdom not belonging to the "world," he shades the negative side of that term. The "world" is the realm of sin, selfishness, hatred, violence. What he is saying is that his way of ordering things is not typical of worldly powers like Pilate, Caesar, and Herod.
"Since the passion & death of the Lord Jesus Christ, these souls have seen & see the Divine Essence with an intuitive vision & even face-to-face, without the mediation of any creature by way of object of vision; rather the Divine Essence immediately manifests itself to them, plainly, clearly & openly, & in this vision they enjoy the Divine Essence."Saint Quote o' the Day
—Pope Benedict XII (1285-1342)
"If created things are so utterly lovely, how gloriously beautiful must be He Who made them! The wisdom of the worker is revealed in his handiwork."
—St. Anthony of Padua, Doctor of the Church (1195-1231, feast day: 13 June)
"Blessed with excitement & dread,
Exhausted from oversleep,
Awake but still in bed…"
"Trading my time for the pay I get,Oh, wait, no there's not. Scheiße!
Living on money that I ain't made yet,
Gotta keep going, gotta make my way,
But I live for the end of the day.
"'Cause it's a five o'clock world when the whistle blows,
No one owns a piece of my time,
And there's a long-haired girl who waits, I know,
To ease my troubled mind…"
Friends, in today’s Gospel Jesus sends the Twelve on their mission to announce the nearness of the kingdom. I want to say a few things about embracing our mission and being equipped for it.Video reflection by Jem Sullivan, Ph.D.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
What do you need for your mission? You need a keen sense of God as the absolute center of your life. In a word, you require the spiritual gifts of piety and fear of the Lord. I realize that these terms can sound fussy and puritanical, but they are actually naming something strong and essential.
First, you need fear of the Lord, which does not mean that you are afraid of God. It means that nothing to you is more important than God, that everything in your life centers around and is subordinate to your love for God. Second, your equipping needs to include piety. Piety means you honor God above everything else, that you worship him alone. These spiritual gifts enable you to find true balance; they allow you to discover what your life is about.
Equipped with these gifts, you are ready for mission. Having received the fire of the Holy Spirit, you are ready to set the world on fire.
"Let Jesus Himself be the One to define your existence & direct your choices. In this way the relationships among you may correspond always to the model of love given by the [Sacred] Heart of Christ, without either lapses or evasions."Saint Quote o' the Day
—Pope St. John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, feast day: 22 October)
"Learn to love humility, for it will cover all your sins. All sins are repulsive before God, but the most repulsive of all is pride of the heart. Do not consider yourself learned & wise; otherwise, all your efforts will be destroyed, & yoyr boat will reach the harbor empty."
—St. Anthony of Padua, Doctor of the Church (1195-1231, feast day: 13 June)
"In a book in a box high upon a shelf,
In a locked & guarded vault,
Are the things I keep only for myself,
It's your fate, but it's not your fault.
"And for every useless reason I know,
There's a reason not to care,
If I hide myself wherever I go
Am I ever really there?
"There is nowhere else I would rather be,
But I can't just be right here,
An enigma wrapped in a mystery,
Or a fool consumed by fear.
"And for every useless reason I know,
There's a reason not to care,
If I hide myself wherever I go
Am I ever really there?
"I will give you all I could ever give,
Though it's less than you will need…"
"Spread your wings around me,
Take me high into the air,
Free prisoners from shackles,
Teach them patience not despair,
In time we all will know
Our destination, which way we will go.
"Where angels carry me along the way,
Where I can close my eyes at night & pray,
Where angels sit & watch me while I look up to the sky,
Where angels carry me along the way…"
Friends, in today’s Gospel Jesus identifies his disciples as his family. I want to say something about our becoming disciples in his family. Once we make the decision to follow Jesus, then every other claimant to supremacy must fall away. As I’ve argued many times before, every one of us has something or some set of values that we consider greatest.Video reflection by Father Greg Friedman, O.F.M.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Perhaps it is money, material things, power, or the esteem of others. Perhaps it is your family, your kids, your wife, your husband.
None of this is false, and none of these things are bad. But when you place any of them in the absolute center of gravity, things go awry. When you make any of them your ultimate or final good, your spiritual life goes haywire. When you attach yourself to any of them with an absolute tenacity, you will fall apart.
Only when we make Christ the cornerstone of our lives are we truly ready for mission. Keep in mind that every encounter with God in the Bible conduces to mission, to being sent to do the work of the Lord. If we try to do this work while we are stuck to any number of attachments, we will fail. Period.
"We need a docile heart in order to build an exemplary Christian community. We need a spirit that is strong in the Faith in order to proclaim the love of God that conquers sin & saves in Christ Who died & is risen."Saint Quote o' the Day
—Pope St. John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, feast day: 22 October)
"Regret not that which is past, & trust not to thine own righteousness."
—St. Anthony of Padua, Doctor of the Church (1195-1231, feast day: 13 June)
Padre Pio, also known as Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, O.F.M. Cap., was a friar, priest,… stigmatist, & mystic. Born Francesco Forgione, he was given the name of Pius when he joined the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin [O.F.M. Cap.].Wikipedia-link O.F.M. Cap.
Friends, today’s Gospel is the parable of the lamp which, placed on a lampstand, gives light to all. Light obviously isn’t for itself; rather, we see things by it. It illuminates things upon which it shines.Video reflection by Monsignor James Vlaun: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
We are light by which people around us come to see what is worth seeing. By the very quality and integrity of our lives, we shed light, illumining what is beautiful and revealing what is ugly. The clear implication is that without vibrant Christians the world is a much worse place. Let me illustrate this principle with an example. One of the most painful truths of the last century is that the weakness of Christian witness allows some of the worst elements in society to flourish.
Think of the rise of the evil powers that created World War II. Christianity had become so weak, so uncompelling, so attenuated that great evil was allowed to flourish. Yes, indeed there were a handful of powerful Christian resisters, but let’s face it: the overwhelmingly vast majority of Christians either supported Hitler or remained in silence, out of either fear or indifference.
"Every burden is light when we are united to Christ, when it is He Who gives us the strength & breath to go on walking. On the other hand, how heavy the burden is when it is carried without Christ!"Saint Quote o' the Day
—Pope St. John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, feast day: 22 October)
"The Earth could exist more easily without the Sun than without the holy sacrifice of the Mass."
—St. Pius of Pietrelcina (1887-1968, feast day: 23 September)
"Get up in the morning, slaving for bread, sir,
So that every mouth can be fed,
Poor, poor me, Israelites…"
Friends, today’s Gospel focuses on prudence. Luke gives us the parable of the dishonest steward, who seeks the favor of his master’s creditors by reducing what they owed him. And the master even “commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently.”Video reflection by Father Greg Friedman, O.F.M.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
In the Middle Ages, prudence was called “the queen of the virtues” because it was the virtue that enabled one to do the right thing in a particular situation. Prudence is a feel for the moral situation, something like the feel a quarterback has for the playing field, or a politician for the voters in his district.
Courage, justice, and temperance are wonderful virtues, but without prudence, they are blind and finally useless. For a person can be as courageous as possible, but if he doesn’t know when, where, and how to play out his courage, that virtue is useless.
I am a sinner & I need to be saved. I need to be saved from myself & from my sin. There are many people who love me deeply—parents, siblings, friends, colleagues, & neighbors—but they cannot save me. I need a savior. it is the clarity of this realization that is life changing. This is what makes me eligible for membership in the Catholic Church. Jesus didn't come for the healthy; He came for the sick, & He established the Church to continue His work (cf. Mark, 2:17). I am imperfect, but I am capable of change & growth. We are all imperfect but perfectible. The Church holds me in my weakness, comforts me in my limitations, endeavors to heal me of my sickness, & nurtures me back to full health, making me whole again. And throughout this process, the Church manages to harness all my efforts & struggles, not only for my own good, but for the good of the entire Church & indeed humanity. This is just a tiny part of the incredible mystery of the Church.†
"If today we are living in a climate of public freedom & personal responsibility, we will have an increased duty to exercise our own critical moral judgment with vigilant assiduousness. Temptations are very widespread & aggressive in our day."Saint Quote o' the Day
—Pope St. John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, feast day: 22 October)
"I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples."
—St. Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997, feast day: 5 September)
"…To the Father, to the Son,
And to the Spirit be
Blessing, honor, glory, power,
Might, and majesty!
It is God who we encounter,
It is God that we receive
From this altar,
From this altar,
From this altar we do believe."
Matthew was a first-century tax collector turned Apostle who chronicled the life & ministry of Christ. He is one of the four Evangelists.Scripture of the Day
Friends, today we celebrate the feast of St. Matthew, and our Gospel tells of his conversion. Matthew’s laconic account details what the transition from spiritual death to spiritual life is like. First, we notice the look of Jesus. If there is one theme clearly stated in the New Testament it is that of the primacy of grace.anastasis, the same word used to designate the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Conversion (turning around) is also elevation, rising up.
Why? We don’t know. We just know that we will not lift ourselves to spiritual wholeness. A gaze has to come upon us from the outside—not so much finding God as allowing ourselves to be found.
Jesus says to him, “Follow me.” There is nothing simpler or more basic in the Christian life than this. This is what we disciples do: we follow, we walk after him, we apprentice to him. “He got up and followed him.” The symbolism here is marvelous. Getting up, rising up—
"The Incarnate Word of God continues to speak to the Church through the sacred books. In reading & studying the Scriptures, Christians seek to know God & to understand God's plan for the human family."Saint Quote o' the Day
—Pope St. John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, feast day: 22 October)
"Maybe you have often said, 'I do not want an institution standing between God and me.' Well, that’s right. After all, you have a right to communicate with God. But the Church is not that kind of an institution, standing between you & God. Israel was not between the world & God. Think of the Church somewhat in the fashion of a body. Do you ever say, for example, I do not want your lips & eyes & hands & so forth standing between me & you? After all, how can I communicate anything to you, except by something visible & tangible & carnal? Anything visible that you see about me or will ever see about me is nothing but the sign of an invisible soul. The carnal is the token of the spiritual. So when our Blessed Lord came to this earth & took upon Himself a human body, you would not say, 'I do not want this body of Christ standing between me & my love of Christ.' That is the only way of the Incarnation, to communicate the divine through the human. This human nature of our Blessed Lord, this body of His was the instrument of His divinity. When, therefore, our Lord came as priest, as prophet, & as king, everything He did was done through the power & the means of this human nature."
—Ven. Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)
