Dr. Plinio always believed he would one day behold the victory of the Holy Church over the gates of hell that try in vain to defeat her

There are those who would like to sum up his epopee in terms of the heroic political battles he sustained, the fame and victories he won, the institutions he founded, the crowds he drew to his ideals, or the persecutions he suffered, the hardships, the disasters, the suffering… But for himself, Dr. Plinio longed for only one title of honour: that of being a man who was wholly Catholic, apostolic and entirely Roman.

If he fought, sacrificing personal advantages to make his life a continuous oblation for the interests of the Papacy and Christendom, it was because he believed with every fibre of his heart that one day he would behold the victory of the Holy Church against the gates of hell (cf. Mt 16:18), which since the night of time have been trying in vain to defeat her.

A faithful son, the fruit of a most faithful mother

Man’s life on earth is a constant struggle (cf. Jb 7:1), but Dr. Plinio’s battle began even before he was born, and it was to his mother that he owed his first victory. If she had listened to the advice of the doctor who suggested she criminally terminate a high-risk pregnancy, her son would never have been born. Thus, through her willingness to offer up her life if necessary, Dona Lucilia taught little Plinio a lesson that would guide his entire life: it will never be enough to obey God and the Holy Church; to be faithful, one must love them to the point of holocaust.

This would not be her only teaching to her son. Gifted with a profound discernment of spirits and a keen psychological sense, he recounted having come to know the true Faith by looking at and analysing Dona Lucilia, comparing the virtues of her soul to the sacral ambiences of the churches he attended, discovering reflections of God Himself in his mother and understanding that from Him came the gentleness, kindness, tenderness and uprightness he perceived in her personality. “I realized that everything that was best in Mama was not hers, but was communicated by the Sacred Heart of Jesus,”¹ he commented.

It was by watching her pray, following her way of acting and receiving her beneficial upbringing that Dr. Plinio, already in his early childhood, became enamoured this sacred institution called the Catholic Church and adhered to it with all his being.

From a little polemicist to a great fighter

This adhesion was given all with all his characteristic vehemence. “If the Church is the source from which such marvellous things spring, then: unconditional fidelity to her! Loyalty taken as far as it can go, with no conditions, no limits. It is the Church or nothing!”² he would exclaim as a young boy.

Obedience to the Holy Church became the light of his life, allowing him to reach the summit of love for her as he learned her truths and doctrines

Obedience to the Holy Church became the light of his life, allowing him to climb, from enthusiasm to enthusiasm, to the summit of an inexpressible love for her as he learned more of her truths and the mysteries of her doctrine. But loving her unreservedly also meant defending her! And it was driven by this threefold desire to love, serve and defend that we see little Plinio – at just four years old! – arguing in a puppet theatre in Paris with an anticlerical character who had a leading role in the play, giving moral lessons to relatives who had strayed from the path of virtue, or catechizing the household servants from atop a chair in the kitchen…

Supported in this by profound mystical graces that helped him glimpse the grandeur of the Holy Church in her essence, Plinio aspired to be as united to her as a “blank piece of paper” in her hands, waiting for whatever she wished to write on it. His obedience reached unimaginable heights. “Our Lady made me discover the truth by exaggerating my obedience to the Church,”³ he would declare decades later, summarizing his life as follows: “I intend to be nothing more than an echo of the great bell that is the Holy Roman Catholic Church, […] the echo that in the midst of battle prolongs the voice of the bell and makes it heard everywhere.”⁴

For him, the Church was an open gallery through which Heaven could be seen; the joy of all the elect, the glory of the good, the honour of God’s followers; his great enthusiasm and consolation; a Milky Way of perfection, holiness and immutability; the refuge of his soul and his Paradise on earth; in short, the philosopher’s stone of his life, towards which all his admirations converged.⁵

After the struggles of his student years, Plinio realized that his loyalty had to become militant. If he had to be chaste in order to follow the luminous paths of the Holy Church, he had to be eminently and combatively so! If in order to love her with all his heart it was necessary to renounce the world, he would lock the doors of success with vigour, turning his back on the glories of the world and consecrating his future absolutely to the defence of the Church.

“It is no longer I who live…”

A step of such magnitude was matched by graces of an immeasurable calibre. Captivated by the Holy Church, which he saw as a person capable of feeling, rejoicing and suffering, Dr. Plinio was given a unique gift: a mystical marriage with the one he so loved. This can be inferred from his words: “I gave my soul to the Catholic Church. I did this consciously, thoughtfully, calmly; I did it in such a way that when I decided to do it… it was done! In such a way, the Church had become part of my being.”⁶

His admiration for the Papacy was boundless, for he understood that this love also encompassed love for Our Lord, Our Lady, and the Church

So, without any fear, he would exclaim, paraphrasing the Apostle (cf. Gal 2:20): “It is no longer I who live, but it is the Holy Roman Catholic Church that lives in me!”⁷

If during his childhood and youth he loved the Church, in maturity he became one with her; if before he analysed her with rapture, now he saw everything from her eyes; if before he fought from outside to glorify her, much more now, within her, he would lead from the ranks of the laity greater struggles to keep her faithful to herself.

Faced with such a panorama, one can imagine Dr. Plinio’s delight when he considered – in a collapsing world– the promise of infallibility that hovered over the Chair of Peter. A soul made to admire, he venerated the spiritual greatness of the man who, being human, touched the borders of the divine and could safely lead the Holy Church of Jesus Christ through the stormy seas of history. His love for the Roman Pontiff was boundless, because he realized that this love also included love for Our Lord, Our Lady and the Church. “My last thought is of love for the Pope,” he would write on his Catholic identity card.

Nevertheless… how hard the battles that awaited him would be! Accustomed to the atheist and relativist environment of our times, it is hard for us to measure the magnitude of the sacrifice and suffering that Dr. Plinio endured as he faced the revolutionary tide that was sweeping away the last glimmers of Christian civilization from society, as well as striking the millenary foundations of the visible face of the Mystical Bride of Christ. “The great suffering of my life was the crisis of the Church,”⁸ he would declare at the end of his days.

More than generosity, heroism

Faced with such a panorama, Dr. Plinio understood, by a special action of grace, that to defend the Holy Church it was not enough to write works, deliver speeches or organize campaigns in the streets… She needed not only the generosity of one who fights or polemicizes, but the heroism of one who consumes himself like a candle, aware that he has offered himself as a sacrifice.

Knowing that the treasure of the Church lies in all the suffering souls and that – to paraphrase the beautiful expression of St. Bernard – “there is only one way to love the Church: to love her without measure,”⁹ he took the sorrows of this Holy Mother upon himself as if they were his own.

The Church needed not only the generosity of those who fought and polemicized, but the heroism of those who offered themselves as a holocaust

Measuring and weighing the enormity of the sufferings that would come, and accepting with love the torment of his days, without, however, knowing for certain what use this blood would be, Dr. Plinio assumed a posture of incomparable fidelity: “If I suffer, being hated, persecuted and despised because I have been faithful to the immutable and eternal aspects of the Holy Catholic Church, so be it! My martyrdom of soul or my martyrdom of body will be a continuation of the suffering of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, glory! Asking His Blessed Mother to give me courage, I will go forward under the contempt and hatred of the whole world.”¹⁰

How did he consummate this offering and how did he live it? That is what we will see in the next article. Here we will do well to ask, with him, for the grace to embrace the same path: “May I also, Lord, in the great desolations of the Church, be always faithful; may I be present in the saddest hours, unshakably preserving the certainty that the Church will triumph by the fidelity of the good because Thy protection assists her!”¹¹ ◊

Taken from the Heralds of the Gospel magazine, #216.

Notes

¹ CORRÊA DE OLIVEIRA, Plinio. Conversation. São Paulo, 4/1/1995.

² CORRÊA DE OLIVEIRA, Plinio. Conversation. São Paulo, 9/10/1985.

³ CORRÊA DE OLIVEIRA, Plinio. Conversation. São Paulo, 24/6/1982.

⁴ CORRÊA DE OLIVEIRA, Plinio. Conference. São Paulo, 15/1/1970.

⁵ Expressions of Dr. Plinio taken from: Conversation. São Paulo, 11/10/1983; Conference. São Paulo, 26/9/1992 and 26/11/1993.

⁶ CORRÊA DE OLIVEIRA, Plinio. Conversation. São Paulo, 5/8/1988.

⁷ CORRÊA DE OLIVEIRA, Plinio. Conference. São Paulo, 7/6/1978.

⁸ CORRÊA DE OLIVEIRA, Plinio. Conversation. São Paulo, 19/6/1995.

⁹ CORRÊA DE OLIVEIRA, Plinio. Conference. São Paulo, 6/10/1989.

¹⁰ CORRÊA DE OLIVEIRA, Plinio. Conference. São Paulo, 30/3/1985.

¹¹ CORRÊA DE OLIVEIRA, Plinio. Via-Sacra. In: Catolicismo. Campos dos Goytacazes. Year I. No.3 (Mar., 1951), p.5.

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Has everything been said about Dr. Plinio, his spirit and his vocation? Those who knew him personally can assert the opposite with all certainty

As we arrive at their end, it is inevitable that we feel the need to draw a conclusion. Accordingly, questions like these arise in our minds: “Has everything been said about Dr. Plinio? Has his personality been fully outlined? Have his vocation and his role in history been thoroughly comprehended?”

Perhaps a poorly informed reader would be inclined to answer in the affirmative However, those who knew Dr. Plinio closely think differently…

A tower whose peak is lost in the firmament

Although this edition gives an overview of who he was, after examining many facets of his souls one comes to the conclusion that it is very difficult to arrive at an all-encompassing notion of the vocation and the spirit of a man who, at sixty years of age, was capable of affirming that the totality of his memories would provide material to fill more than a hundred volumes!²

Neither the remarkable gift of prophecy nor the discernment of spirits, by which he was able to see souls, penetrate circumstances from a distance, and describe a country he had never visited; nor again his vibrant personality, splendidly courageous and representative of God’s greatness; or even his paternal kindness, which drew numerous sons to him: none of these fully portray him.

He himself, on various occasions, attested to having experienced in relation to himself, in fleeting moments, the curious sensation of a person who looks out of the window of a tower without being able to glimpse the top of it.

In fact, Providence chose to raise him up as a tower of wisdom: those who entered this tower acquired knowledge that is neither taught in universities, nor found in books. And those who lived with him had the feeling of being closer to God – such was the unquenchable flame of enthusiasm that burned in his soul, a column of fire so high that its peak was lost in the firmament.

A mission to accomplish

However, it is not merely the amplitude and richness of his personal gifts that make it so daunting a task to convey a complete picture of Dr. Plinio. There is another, much deeper reason, based on the fact that his providential mission has not yet been entirely fulfilled on earth. Far from viewing him as a figure from the past whose journey reached its consummation on October 3, 1995, it is necessary to consider him in intimate relation with the unfolding of current events.

Persecution, slander, oblivion, even death and the granite of a tomb are not able to prevent his light from shining through

How many people pass through life like leaves on a tree, which, once dried up, are blown away by the wind, leaving no lasting memory behind!

But there is a principle pertaining to spiritual values that permeate the whole of history: whenever a person endowed with unparalleled gifts of the Holy Spirit and singled out by a special calling seems to have been extinguished by ostracism, a time comes when the obstacles raised by his enemies to hide the splendor and greatness of his person can no longer be sustained.

Neither the persecutions nor the campaigns of slander or silence of adversaries, nor the inattentiveness of some of his closest companions, nor even death itself and the granite slab of the tombstone can prevent his light from breaking forth, scattering the darkness…

His light will shine before all mankind!

These thoughts accompanied me throughout the days leading up to Dr. Plinio’s death, and above all during the funeral, as I sensed the dereliction in which Dr. Plinio passed from this world, forgotten and rejected by so many, to the point of not a single ecclesiastical, civil or military authority appearing to pay him their final respects. Only his sons were there to lay him to rest.

Faced with this reality, I was led to conclude: “This is a mystery. It is not possible for a man of Dr. Plinio’s moral stature to die in isolation and become lost in the mists of time like so many others. If men turn their backs on him, the Angels and saints will descend from Heaven to earth to pay him funeral honors! Months may go by, perhaps years, but dawn will finally break, and by an influx of divine grace, his light will reappear from amidst the haze, and, like a dazzling midday sun, it will shine for all mankind!”

During the Holy Masses and other rites surrounding Dr. Plinio’s interment, the prevailing atmosphere of faith confirmed my filial conviction. Far from reactions of dejection, gloom or unbelief, the first effect of his departure from this world was a surge of new and intense graces amidst his true followers, filling them with joy despite the apparent tragedy.

Never had his spiritual sons demonstrated such clear certainty in the victory of his mission as during those stirring ceremonies. They participated with serene expressions, heads held high, and a firm and confident bearing.

God and His chosen ones do not die

From that day on, I began to experience something similar to what ensued after the death of Dona Lucilia: it was difficult to remember that Dr. Plinio had died. I felt him alive, and constantly within my reach; not as before, when I guided his wheelchair, but rather as if he were going before me, opening the way, and yet somehow turned to face me so that it was always possible to maintain eye contact.

Such was his union of soul with Dr. Plinio that, when the latter was in eternity, his presence increased in the depths of Msgr. João’s heart

Moreover, I noted an ever intensifying effect of Dr. Plinio’s spirit within me, in a way that is difficult to express in words. Such had been my spiritual union with Dr. Plinio that now, with him in eternity, through a true mystical phenomenon, his presence in the very depths of my heart was all the more vivid.

On the other hand, as time went by, this supernatural inspiration was also felt by his other followers, united in their enthusiasm and fidelity to their father and teacher. His figure was alive in their memory, and from Heaven, he was a channel of sanctity for his disciples.

Applicable here is the phrase uttered by the Catholic president of Ecuador, Gabriel García Moreno, as he lay wounded and dying on the steps of the National Palace in Quito: “¡Dios no muere! – God does not die!”³

Now, if God does not die, neither does a man of God, precisely because he is a reflection of God! Death only represents an interval when considered from the earthly perspective of time; before the divine throne, God’s chosen ones are always alive.

Indeed, although he physically experienced the ordeal of death three decades ago, his spirit is alive and active, and with the aid of the Mediatrix of all graces, will remain immortal in his work for future centuries. He is alive in his writings, alive in the precious legacy of his oral and written expositions, alive in the course that he indicated, alive in the way of life that he instituted; above all, alive in the human type he inspired, namely, in those souls in which was planted a seed of prophetism, which is a participation in his own charism.

First glimmers of the Reign of Mary

Dr. Plinio spent his whole life yearning for the Reign of Mary – that reign foreseen by St. Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort, and announced by Our Lady to the three shepherd children in Fatima; that reign already glimpsed by him in his early youth, the continual object of his contemplation and admiration; that reign in which the fruits of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the tears of Mary Most Holy will work their full effect on the face of the earth.

His spirit lives on and will remain immortal in the souls in which a seed of prophetism has been planted, a participation in his charism

Nevertheless, Providence chose to take him from this life before his bodily eyes could witness the effective realization of this promise… Undoubtedly, he will see it with the eyes of the soul from the vantage point of eternity, and his mission will be accomplished, as he always hoped, by means of his spiritual sons.

At a certain moment, according to the law of history, there will be a glorious manifestation from God! The Revolution denounced by Dr. Plinio for so many years will be humiliated, condemned, and defeated, and the Church will flourish again with an utterly unprecedented beauty, light, and vigor.

When will this come about? We do not know. But from atop the mountain of faith, the first glimmers of the magnificent dawn of the Reign of the Most Blessed Virgin over the earth can already be detected. May She, as I ardently desire, deign to make use of these pages to hasten the proclamation, in a concrete and definitive way, of the triumph of her Immaculate Heart! ◊

Taken from the Heralds of the Gospel magazine, #216.

Notes

¹ This article is a transcription of the concluding chapter of the work in five volumes, written by Msgr. João on Dr. Plinio (cf. O dom de sabedoria na vida, mente e obra de [The Gift of Wisdom in the Life, Mind, and Work of] Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira. Città del Vaticano-São Paulo: LEV; Lumen Sapientiæ, 2016, v.V, pp. 479-486). With minor adaptations to make it more accessible to the reader, the text is perfectly suited as the conclusion to this edition of our Magazine dedicated to this distinguished Catholic leader.

² Cf. CLÁ DIAS, EP, João Scognamiglio. O dom de sabedoria na mente, vida a obra de [The Gift of Wisdom in the Life, Mind, and Work of] Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira. Città del Vaticano-São Paulo: LEV; Lumen Sapientiæ, 2016, v.I, p.29.

³ GALVEZ, Manuel. Vida de Don Gabriel García Moreno. Madrid: González, 1945, p.480.

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The integrity of faith is in even greater danger. In today’s mad world, our Catholic wisdom can be replaced by folly if we do not scrupulously safeguard it. There are many people who think they are keeping their faith intact, but in fact they only keep the externalities of the dogma, without the substance, because the most intimate and hidden portion of their intelligence is clinging to the earth. This is because in their everyday activities they did not exercise due reflection and have exposed themselves to the surprises of a fallen nature, thus deforming their mentality.

Above all, without this prudent habit of seeing, judging and acting in relation to oneself, it will not be possible to form the Catholic sense, that delicate flower of faith which gives us the ability to perceive, in the smallest things, the good odour of Christ or the pestilential smell of worldliness, and to know at every moment what is most favourable to the Church, because ardent love has intuitions of what the understanding has not yet seen.

Mastering disordered tendencies

Man is free; he is defined by his behaviour and is the master of his actions. This does not mean that he does not feel the attraction of the various objects that surround him, which appear to him as possible ends of his activity, because without this attraction, the human will could not act. In fact, the will is of itself inclined towards the good and therefore cannot move if some good is not proposed to it.

However, the good towards which the will is properly and necessarily inclined is the absolute good, since experience irrefutably proves that we all desire unlimited happiness.

But such happiness cannot be given by the things of this world, which are limited in themselves. Therefore, nothing of this world can irresistibly and absolutely attract the will. And when the will chooses an object, it does so with that unlimited happiness in mind, to the attainment of which the chosen object contributes in some way.

Often, even though we see the true good, we feel the weight of evil tendencies that push us towards objects that cannot satisfy our ardent desire for full happiness and instead distance us from it, but which deceive this desire with an apparent satisfaction that soon dissipates. So we often give in, but we give in freely, knowing that we are abandoning the path of the true good, driven by immediatism, which finds this path too long and difficult.

And we freely relinquish our liberty, surrendering ourselves to the tremendous forces that original sin has unleashed in us. Thus, from fall to fall, the power of the will weakens, until these forces become more powerful and enslave the sinner, who will then only use his freedom to surrender to them.

It is therefore necessary to strengthen the will through the systematic exercise of austere acts, so that it can, without danger, dominate the disordered tendencies that everyone possesses because of original sin and thus put the soul in order.

Imploring the help of grace

Nothing, however, can so strengthen the will and enlighten the intellect with regard to the good as the grace of God, which comes to us abundantly from Jesus Christ our Lord.

In this sense, there is a double definition from the Council of Trent that sheds special light on the subject. Firstly, it is heresy to say that an unbeliever cannot practise virtuous acts, because if that were the case, man would not be naturally free. However, anyone who claims that it is possible for man, without the help of grace, to entirely fulfil the Commandments in a lasting manner shall be anathema, for that would be to deny the effects of original sin. Thus, the education of the will could never be accomplished without grace, because through grace it acquires its true meaning: it is man’s voluntary correspondence to God’s priceless gift.

Furthermore, grace transforms our actions, giving them a supernatural value.

Thus, the possibility and excellence of the work of our sanctification depend on grace, but its realization depends on our will. Otherwise, there would be no merit, and it would be absurd to suppose that what even original sin did not take away, namely freedom, is suppressed by grace. Grace fortifies the will, which, strengthened, knows how to assert itself among so many dissenting forces and follow its natural inclination towards the true good rather than its decadence, freely choosing what seems best to it according to its interior criteria. And if grace fortifies, it is necessary for the will to make use of this fortification, lest grace become vain in us and therefore useless, as the Apostle says (cf. 1 Cor 15:10).

It would be an illusion to think of an automatic sanctification by grace. On the contrary, the lives of the saints show that sanctification is an ardent and tenacious struggle.

Means to win the battle for sanctification

Verbal or mental prayer, private or liturgical, is not the end of the spiritual life. That end is sanctification, which is the death of our fallen nature and our being built up again in Jesus Christ (cf. Rom 6:3-11). But prayer is an effective means of equipping the Catholic with greater resources for the inner warfare. In any kind of prayer, however, divine help is granted according to the right intention of the petitioner.

This is also true of the Sacraments: although they objectively contain grace, and are therefore a sure resource, they will be to no avail without the inner correspondence of those who receive them. In the same way, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is a flowing torrent of graces, but whether they are received with greater or lesser benefit depends essentially on the interior dispositions of those who attend.

Capable of overcoming increasingly greater difficulties

A grace to which we have responded in this way, and which has produced fruit in us, is a pledge of new and greater graces. And in granting us this greater freedom, God demands from us more numerous and excellent fruits of sanctification, until our perfect fulfilment in Jesus Christ. Thus, the greater abundance of graces conferred on a person is not intended to remove all obstacles from their spiritual life, but to make it capable of overcoming ever greater obstacles. In fact, our nature has been deformed from top to bottom by original sin.

So we need to destroy the vicious edifice of our sinful nature in order to rebuild it in Christ. And the more this work progresses and deepens, with God’s grace, the more difficult it becomes, because we go back to the cause of all our defects, until reaching that point where we deserve to receive the final transformation from the Holy Spirit. Not only do we deserve to receive it, but we have the courage to endure it.

The need for spiritual reading and how to do it

To meditate is to apply the intelligence to eternal truths, so as to better know them. It is also to apply the intelligence to the most accurate knowledge possible of ourselves, in order to ascertain the degree of correspondence between what is in us and those eternal truths, thus to determine the practical measures to be taken to achieve this correspondence. This last goal demands the application of the will to all that was meditated upon, so that it is reinforced in the love of good and the hatred of evil, and resolves to perfect itself. There are various methods of meditation, but eminent among them are those found in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius.

In order to meditate well, spiritual reading is almost always necessary, that is, the attentive and devout reading of some book of piety, duly approved by ecclesiastical authority.

Spiritual reading reminds us of our eternal destiny in the midst of the activities of this world, which distract us by their multiplicity and urgency; it detaches our intelligence and will from earthly things and elevates our sensibility, showing us the mysterious beauties of the Faith, and moving us by examples of holiness, or giving us practical rules of life and devotion. In this way, spiritual reading deposits in us the seeds of Christian perfection that will be developed and matured by meditation, which finds its vital elements in them. More explicitly, it is spiritual reading that provides the material for our meditation.

However, in order to be fruitful, this reading must be regular, frequent and in careful proportion to each person’s special interests, otherwise its fragmentary and sparse influence will be easily undone by the worldly agents almost constantly at work.

Obligation to study Catholic doctrine

In order to meditate well, it is also necessary to have a clear knowledge of Church doctrine.

We have seen that meditation deals with eternal truths. These truths are contained in the doctrine of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, without the religious instruction that gives us a clear knowledge of them, not only can the fruits of meditation and spiritual reading be lost, but it is also very likely that the spirit will wander off into obscure paths that lead to dangerous illusions and harmful errors, with their unforeseeable effects over the sensibility.

Furthermore, Church doctrine contains the truths that are the object of faith. Now, if faith is what characterizes our profession as Catholics, we are all obliged to know these truths to the full extent of our condition and ability, since no one can believe without knowing what they believe. And it would be the utmost ingratitude towards God, who has revealed these truths to us for our salvation, if we did not endeavour to know them to the best of our ability.

To do God’s will in all things

The immediate fruit of the spiritual life, as we are describing it, must be a firm resolve, an ever more lively and ardent desire to serve God and to detach ourselves entirely from the things of the world. A lively desire, because we set out to employ all the means conducive to this end and do not lose heart in the face of difficulties and our own weakness, but are aware of our free will and humbly and actively trusts in Providence. Ardent, because we are consumed with zeal for God’s glory.

A firm resolve does not mean the promise to always, in everything and in the smallest things, fulfil God’s will, because such a promise cannot be made without a special vocation or a particular grace, and even then in relation to certain determined facts. But it is the intense desire for this to happen as soon and as perfectly as possible.

Examination of conscience: the key of the spiritual life

In order to avoid surprises and to reap the positive results of the spiritual life, and consequently to adopt the most effective methods of dealing with ourselves, it is necessary to examine our conscience on at least a daily basis.

The examination consists of carefully inspecting our thoughts, words and deeds over a set period of time and investigating the motives and circumstances of our behaviour. In this examination lies the key of the spiritual life, for it is through a concrete assessment of what is going on within us that we can exercise the superior and general activity of seeing, judging and acting within ourselves.

Furthermore, the examination of conscience helps us to dispel false ideas about ourselves, leads us to humility and encourages repentance.

An examination of conscience is also necessary for Confession. In this regard, everyone should have their own spiritual director, who is the centre of everything that has been said about the life of piety. In fact, all the recommendations that have been made would be practically futile without the guidance of a priest who, being much better equipped by his knowledge and special graces, knows how to indicate the paths that his penitents can safely follow.

If it were not for the inexperience of those embarking on the path to perfection – inexperience that will certainly mislead them, if they lack a guide – it would be enough to consider that the spiritual life requires each person to judge himself, but no one can be an impartial or objective judge of himself. A third person of great wisdom and undisputed virtue is therefore needed.

Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Holy Eucharist

The spiritual life requires mortification – that is, the careful custody of the senses – or it will not be spiritual life. True mortification consists not only in depriving ourselves of illicit or dangerous pleasures, but also of those licit pleasures that can exacerbate the bad dispositions and unruly tendencies present in each person.

Finally, all these rules of spiritual life must find their indispensable complement in a twofold devotion, without which no fruit will be reaped: devotion to Our Lady and to the Holy Eucharist.

The Most Blessed Virgin is the Queen of beatitude and of the blessed, and devotion to her is a sure sign of predestination. There is only one way to God, which is Our Lord Jesus Christ; but there is only one way to Our Lord Jesus Christ, which is Our Lady, the Mediatrix of all graces.

Thus, the devotee of the Blessed Virgin will find in the Heart of Mary the very Heart of Jesus, in that which this Heart contains of most loving, most tender and most compassionate. Now, where the amiability of the Heart of Jesus is most manifest is in the Most Holy Eucharist. In this way, devotion to Our Lady leads naturally and spontaneously to devotion to the Eucharist.

Without this fervent worship of the Eucharist – which can only be true with Marian devotion, by Marian devotion and in Marian devotion – spiritual life is not possible, since it consists in the assimilation of this sublime nourishment.

In the Blessed Sacrament resides not only grace, but the Author of all grace, in whose likeness the elect are made, because apart from Him there is no blessing, no fruit, no blessed resurrection. To Him, then, be honour, glory, praise, adoration and thanksgiving for ever and ever. Amen. ◊

Taken, with adaptations, from:
Dr. Plinio. São Paulo. Year IV.
N.38 (May, 2001), p.20-24;
N.39 (June, 2001), p.6-9

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For years, the Heralds of the Gospel have realized an extensive apostolate in Mozambique, Africa. One of its many fruits has been the possibility of building a Church (still under construction). This has helped to spread the evangelization to a greater number of families. Such as teaching the True Devotion to Our Lady, according to St. Louis de Montfort.

Consecration to Our Lord through Mary

After participating for 33 days in the course of the True Devotion by the Heralds of the Gospel, a group of 50 had the privilege to do their consecration in a Holy Mass. This consecration creates an unbreakable bond with Mary Most Holy, as St. Louis de Montfort describes, making it the most perfect path to Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Faithful praying the consecration prayer.

Signing the consecration prayer before the Pilgrim Statue.

Mary, Gate of Heaven

The Holy Mass was celebrated in the Church of the Heralds of the Gospel in Mozambique, Africa. The Church is consecrated to Our Lady under the invocation of Gate of Heaven.

Despite it been under construction, its gothic architecture helps the faithful be in contact with God’s presence. 

Furthermore, those who consecrated themselves, had the opportunity to do so before the Pilgrim Statue of the Immaculate Heart of Our Lady of Fatima.

Offertory during Holy Mass.

Offertory during Holy Mass.

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There are certainly human ills that can only be cured with supernatural remedies. But often the divine balm that can heal us seems so far away, so impossible to reach!

It is a mistake to think this way. If our needs are great, so is the solicitude of Dona Lucilia, who like a true mother and friend is always ready to intercede for us, to support and strengthen us.

Humanly unable to be a mother

As we have already had several opportunities to see in this section, the heart of this mother seems to have a special compassion for women who cannot fulfil their desire to become mothers. With special dedication, she “flies” to the aid of these souls, finding the best solution, in accordance with God’s plans.

This is confirmed by the account of one of her devotees living in Colombia:

“I am writing to you to tell you the story of a miracle obtained through Dona Lucilia’s intercession, which happened in my home and fills me with joy and blessing. My name is Lady Milena Rincón Montaño, and I live in the city of Zipaquirá, Colombia. To put the story of this miracle into context, I have to say that I am a woman who had been diagnosed with multiple myomatosis, thyroid problems and pre-diabetes, which medically constitutes a major impediment to having children.

“In addition, I had started a medical procedure to have the uterine fibroids extracted, which is why I was cruelly warned by the doctor that, due to the seriousness of my problem, the procedure would most likely have to be a total hysterectomy. On the medical form, the following was added verbatim: ‘The patient has been warned that this procedure will leave her sterile, alone and childless.’”

Composure and inner peace in the face of life’s disappointments

How should she proceed in the face of this harsh blow? Lady continues her story:

“At that moment, I felt devastated. These words caused me infinite sadness, because I could never experience the company of a child in my marriage. My husband’s name is Jesús David Contreras Gaitán. We are very dedicated to the affairs of God and the Church, and we decided to face the situation together, go ahead with the procedures and give the relevant authorizations for the surgery.”

In Dona Lucilia’s own life, resignation to God’s will was a constant. No matter how hard the trials and difficulties that came her way, she never wavered in her trust in God. Thus, in addition to the benevolent help she never fails to give her children, she seems to help them in a special way to maintain that same composure, that inner peace that was so characteristic of her in the midst of the troubles of this life.

She would soon give this help to Lady, who was immersed in the abyss of her sufferings.

Announcement of a “Lucilian” aid

She says: “On July 1, 2023, we went as a family: myself, my husband and my parents, to Sunday Mass at the Church of the Heralds in Tocancipá, where we took the opportunity to receive the Sacrament of Confession.

“At that moment I opened up to the priest, telling him all about the situation I was going through, because for me, it was a dream to have a child! The priest showed me a photograph of Dona Lucilia – I did not know her. He explained who she was and told me about the difficulty she faced in giving birth to her son, Dr. Plinio. He advised me to ask God in faith, through Dona Lucilia’s intercession, so that I could become a mother.”

That Sunday’s Liturgy itself would confirm God’s plan for this family, as the first reading recounted the announcement of Samuel’s miraculous birth (cf. 1 Sm 1:1-20), which the priest took as a providential sign for Lady, telling her at the end of Confession: “In a year’s time you will present your son before God.”

“I left Confession and told my husband and my mother what the priest had told me. Seventeen days later, I started to feel ill, and my husband suggested that I might be pregnant. I took a test, but I did not really believe anything would come of it, because it was too traumatic for me and I did not want to delude myself again with the idea of being a mother. But to my great surprise, the test came back positive. I did a second test to confirm, and it showed the same result.”

Continuing to trust, even in the darkness!

Deeply hopeful, Lady and her husband contacted their health insurance company to make the necessary arrangements, and it appointed an excellent professional who followed the pregnancy step by step, always encouraging and supportive.

However, some time later, a cloud overshadowed their joy at becoming parents: “One day I was given an appointment with another doctor from the health insurance company, who suspected that my son had Down’s syndrome, malformations and a heart problem.”

How many times have we seen that when human prognoses seem to contradict divine ones, it is time to trust completely? Therefore, could this couple be doubtful of Dona Lucilia’s protection, given that she had already won them the most difficult grace? On the contrary! Under the shelter of her lilac shawl, they both navigated that troubling prospect and, with their gaze fixed on Heaven, saw the light shining on their path once again.

On the recommendation of her health insurance, Lady was then treated by a renowned clinic specializing in maternity care. She recounts:

“Little by little, successive tests disproved all these erroneous assumptions, and my son was born on March 3, a healthy boy, weighing three and a half kilos and measuring fifty-three centimeters.

“Today we are full of joy, giving thanks to God and for Dona Lucilia’s intercession, enjoying the grace of being parents and giving this testimony so that many may believe through God’s signs on earth.” ◊

Taken from the Heralds of the Gospel magazine, #204.

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The god Moloch

The first scene is virtually audible. The crackling of the rising and constantly fuelled fire is almost drowned out by the surrounding noise. The timpani players strike their instruments with all the strength of their arms and the ebriety they experience in this supreme ritual moment. The trumpets blare to the ever more frenetic rhythm of the percussion. A man standing with his arms outstretched, performing a supposedly priestly office, seems to be competing, through his clamoring prayers, with the din around him. Others, on their knees, repeat contorted obeisances. An amorphous crowd watches the ceremony.

Dominating the scene is Moloch: immense, solid, severe and brutish. His eyes, which never deign to look down on the worshipers, become colder with the fire burning under the bronze image. Yes, more terribly icy… This is the Moloch of the Phoenicians and Carthaginians, the powerful god who – according to their belief – brought them victory over every army, assured them of rain, the harvest and commerce; the god who gave them everything… under one terrible condition. And to fulfil it, his worshipers perform this rite.¹

The man standing before the divinity lifts a child in his arms: the most precious gift of the nation, the tender son of the highest aristocracy, the future of the people, a promise just beginning to be fulfilled. Why lift him up? To throw him into the incandescent arms of the idol, to be burned alive by the flames that vivify the dead god. At that fateful moment, the culmination of the cult, the cacophony rises in intensity and delirium to overpower the cries of the condemned innocent.

The fiery idol sneers, cold and implacable, at the blood that covers it.

This, in a nutshell, is a typical cult to Moloch. Or, for that matter, a typical cult of antiquity. In fact, this Moloch was called Mot in Canaan, Hadad in Syria, Adad-milki in Mesopotamia, Milcom in Ammon, and Baal elsewhere… as in Israel, where “They built the high places of Baal, […] to offer up their sons and daughters to Moloch” (Jer 32:35).

Children served in these macabre rituals as a kind of currency, merchandise to present to the god: they were offered in exchange for peace, victory, pleasure, money, comforts…

An unspeakable abomination!

The “Beau Dieu” of Amiens

What a contrast with the second image!

The physiognomy – solemn, majestic, grave – shines with such sweetness behind the sculpture that even the stone caresses. The immobile gaze is firm, gentle and alive, and the posture regal and natural. The folds of the cloak fall with a beauty that surpasses the waves of the sea. The left hand, serene and composed, holds the Book of Life. His orderly hair would put parading armies to shame, with a simplicity that leaves nature in awe.

Without realizing it, we are on our knees; such is the majesty! When we least expect it, we stand up to embrace Him: such is His goodness!

He brings together harmonic opposites that only a soul of extraordinary depth can contain: He is an unspeakably great Father and, at the same time, an inexpressibly sweet and accessible King. He summarizes and elevates within Himself the two aspects of grandeur: superiority and generosity.

He is quite the antithesis of the monster of bronze and fire who stretches out his hands to consume his young victims, and whose canine snout seems insatiable for those little hearts that have hardly had a chance to beat. The Beau Dieu of Amiens, on the other hand, raises His right hand to welcome the little ones, bless them and protect them. A worthy representation of the One who said: “Let the children come to Me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of Heaven” (Mt 19:14).

Between two masters

One kills; the Other gives life. One demands innocent blood in order to give; the Other, Innocent, has given us His own Blood. Behind one billows the black smoke of earthly and ephemeral goods; behind the Other, an everlasting Heaven of light awaits us.

These are the two lords who once disputed the empire of souls. Even the Holy Land became a battleground: many waited for the Messiah, while others “sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons” (Ps 106:37). Later – O sorrow! – even the Son of God would be immolated.

These are the two lords who now dispute the empire of souls. Moloch tyrannizes those who, in order to satisfy their conveniences and whims, are willing to sacrifice anything except their pleasure and selfishness. Jesus Christ, on the other hand, reigns lovingly over the innocent who have the courage to admire Him in a world that idolizes pleasure, that is adverse to, and even intolerant of, Gospel teachings.

They are not just different but incompatible and mutually exclusive masters, as Jesus Christ Himself repeatedly said (cf. Mt 6:24; Lk 11:23). You may only serve one. And which one will you choose? ◊

Taken from the Heralds of the Gospel magazine, #208.

Notes

¹ Cf. WAGNER, Carlos González. Moloc. In: ROPERO BERZOSA, Alfonso (Ed.). Gran diccionario enciclopédico de la Biblia. 7.ed. Barcelona: Clie, 2021, p.1725-1727.

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“Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity – and I’m not completely sure about the universe.”

“In view of the limits of human intelligence, is it not terrible that that human madness is seemingly limitless?”

“Human folly is the only thing that gives us an idea of infinity.”

As harsh as these words sound to our ears, they do not seem entirely intolerable for two reasons. The first is that, being products of human astuteness – more specifically, three famous geniuses from different fields: Einstein, Adenauer and Ernest Renan, in that order – they have the justification of self-evaluation. The second reason is that everyone would apply these assertions to anyone but themselves. After all, there is always some exception…

Is there?

What is madness?

To answer this painful question, we must first answer another: what do we mean here by human stupidity, madness or folly?

Obviously, we do not understand them in this context as a pathological mental state that leads people to act in a disconnected and senseless way that would hinder them from living in society. It would then be a disease for which, in most cases, there is no blame.

The phrases transcribed at the beginning of this article refer to another type of madness, similar to the one defined in the previous paragraph, but much more widespread, because it is apparently innocuous, and much more dangerous, because it is culpable. What madness is this? The kind found in a being that acts contrary to its nature.

The man who is not governed by reason, but only by animal impulses, by the fashions of the time, or by the whims of temperament, is mad

If a zebra were to hunt a lion and a lion let itself be hunted, we would say they were mad. We would also call a tree mad if it grew leaves underground and spread its roots towards the sun. But what would madness be in man? What is it but irrationality? Because if what is his peculiar to him, what distinguishes him from all animals, is reason, then he is mad as long as he does not act in accordance with reason. Like the carnivorous zebra and the cowardly lion, the man who is not governed by reason, but only by animal impulses, by the fashions of the time, by the whims of temperament, etc., is mad.

Do we need examples?

Some day-to-day observations

Two university colleagues, both endowed with remarkable intelligence: one of them studies seriously, becomes a competent professional, and is hired to be manager of a large company; the other prefers to “enjoy his youth,” leads a life of diversion and, at the end of the course, has to resign himself to a mediocre job in the same company. Which of the two acted foolishly? The one who took the advice of reason or the one who obeyed the impulses of sensibility?

Another person serves as a hanger for every fashion that comes and goes, without even asking the precious question that is the hallmark of the human spirit: why? It does not seem out of place to see a certain symptom of madness here…

Is someone who ruins a marriage – and consequently the upbringing of their children – by preferring to acquiesce to their temper rather than to their spouse, obeying reason or passion? Sanity or madness?

To obey machines, to enslave oneself to technology, to pointlessly consume hours that are as long as they are precious in front of a screen, to let that intelligence called artificial multiply to the detriment of natural intelligence that is dwindling from lack of use…

Finally, at the risk of wasting time on observations that are all-too-evident, is it not madness to lose your fortune in a poorly planned venture? And is it not even worse – considering that life is worth much more than wealth – to sink into vices, whether alcohol, lust or many others, which reduce the individual to a human rag and drag him to a premature death?

All these attitudes mean renouncing the precepts of reason; of human nature, in short.

The worst of evils

But the worst of all follies – because it has much more harmful effects and is, in essence, the compounded sum of all the others – has not yet been presented. Or rather it has, but not by name: it is called sin.

In fact, the Angelic Doctor will explain to us, “sin, in human acts, is that which is against the order of reason”¹ to the highest degree, thus relegating man to the “slavish state of the beasts.”² The great human being, the one who is the key to the summit of creation, the bridge that embraces the two worlds, the physical and the immaterial… he is reduced to a mere animal state; rejecting, therefore, his higher nature, the spiritual.

Those who embrace sin renounce what would be their supreme happiness, thus running away from what they seek. For a dish of lentils and half a dozen earthly joys, they buy for themselves an eternal and hopelessly unhappy destiny.

A paradoxical remedy

However, while we live in this world, there is a remedy for the evil of sin. And we are not referring specifically to Confession and the other Sacraments, to prayer, to penance… In fact, all these resources are part of a single treatment.

Paradoxically, the folly of sin can only be cured by the folly – oh blessed folly – that brought God down to earth, that animates the saints and that inspires true heroes: the folly of the Cross, preached by St. Paul (cf. 1 Cor 1:18-2:16).

The remedy for the madness of sin was personified by “Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles”

Does this healthy madness consist, like the other one we are talking about, in acting against our nature? No, not in denying it, but in refining it: “grace does not destroy nature but perfects it.”³ Through it, man leaves his merely material nature to launch himself into the universe of the spiritual, the invisible, the divine; he abandons the instincts he shares with irrational beings to live by the sacred impulses of faith; he often even renounces the ties of blood to become part of God’s family. If through sin man becomes animalized, through holiness he becomes divinized.

The remedy for the madness of sin is personified in Wisdom Incarnate, in “Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles” (1 Cor 1:23), and those who are configured to Him are healed by the wisdom of the Cross.

*     *     *

The fateful question posed by the three sentences that introduced the article remains: is human stupidity really infinite, and can humanity be divided into those who are insane and those who are not?

Have your say, readers, the debate is open. ◊

Taken from the Heralds of the Gospel magazine, #208.

Notes

¹ Cf. ST. THOMAS AQUINAS. Summa Theologiæ. II-II, q.153, a.2.

² Cf. Idem, q.64, a.2, ad 3.

³ Idem, I, q.1, a.8, ad 2.

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This kind of phenomenon is not new, nor is it something unknown to the Church. The popular devotions that erupt because of the reputation of sanctity of men and women who have not yet been canonized are part of a spontaneous process – clearly inspired by the Holy Spirit – which not infrequently ends with the ascension of yet another Servant of God to the honour of the altars.

Mysterious action of the Holy Spirit

Cardinal Angelo Amato, SDB,¹ recalls that, in the process of recognizing the holiness of life of a believer, the sensus fidei – that is, the faculty of every baptized person to discern whether a certain religious teaching or practice is in conformity with the Faith – gives rise to the reputation of sanctity, or the reputation of martyrdom in the case of a martyr, and to the reputation of signs.²

It is precisely this cult arising from the sensus fidei, which can also be called popular cult, which is the essential condition for the competent ecclesiastical authority to recognise the heroic virtues of a deceased person. The private veneration of the faithful necessarily precedes any authorization for public cult, since the Holy Church does not seek out anonymous people to canonize. In her centuries-old wisdom, she limits herself to studying the cases of men and women who already enjoy an undeniable reputation for virtue. Consequently, it is absurd to impugn the fruits of this popular cult as heterodox on the grounds that the deceased is not yet in the catalogue of Saints…

Popular devotion, which springs up because of a yet-uncanonized person’s reputation for holiness, is part of a process inspired by God

The reputation for sanctity is a mysterious action of the Holy Spirit that takes place among the faithful. Through it, a baptized person receives the inner prompting to pray through the intercession of another person and, having obtained the favour he or she desired, communicates that person’s power of intercession to others, whether living or deceased. In order to help each other, devotees also distribute images, holy cards, direct and indirect relics, as well as private prayers that circulate freely in the networks of the Christian people. When this reality, this cult, goes beyond the private sphere and becomes known by many – in other words, it is publicized without becoming a public cult – it is said that there is a reputation among a certain group of believers that this or that intercessor is powerful before God.

Now, the concepts of private cult and public cult often lend themselves to confusion. To clarify the issue, it is useful to explain some basic principles and illustrate them with examples. This is what we will do next.

The notion of cult

In the soul of any faithful Catholic naturally blossoms an admiration for superiors and the desire to honour them, which can be described as the manifestation of submission and recognition of the superiority or excellence of another. It is a common doctrine of the Holy Church that every baptized person has the freedom to express their respect or even veneration – and therefore their cult, as long as it is not public cult or exceeds the limits due to a creature – to any virtuous person, whether living or dead. This has always been the case throughout the centuries. What is admired in these living or deceased men and women are not qualities that are absolutely their own – “What have you that you did not receive?” St. Paul reminds us (1 Cor 4:7) – since in their virtue and holiness there shines a spark of the divine perfections and the excellence of the Creator.³

All the baptized are duty-bound to pay private cult to the Angels and Saints of Heaven, as well as to living persons who are their superiors

In other words, when a certain superiority is found in someone – the person being venerated – there is usually another – who can be called the venerator – who is happy to recognize this superiority and manifest it: veneration is given to this superior person precisely because of their superiority, which the venerator reveres with humility. This is a consequence of the Fourth Commandment of the Decalogue, which commands us to honour all those who, for our good, have been given authority in society by God.⁴ And this authority must be understood in a broad sense, because every believer has their own share of authority: from the mother and the father of a family to the manual worker, the professor and even the beggar.

This means, among other things, that the baptized have the obligation to render private cult both to the Angels and Saints in Heaven, and to all living persons who are superior to them in some way, particularly when it comes to supernatural superiority: a confessor endowed with a special charisma, a preacher with sacred eloquence or a nun of unblemished purity.

The different types of veneration

Veneration can be natural or supernatural. Natural veneration is that which all people are obliged to render to someone who is superior to them in some way. It can be individual, in a relationship between two individuals; familial, in relation to father and mother within the family; or social, within a society. Supernatural cult, on the other hand, is the recognition due to God, and can be rendered to Him as well as to the people of the Holy Church who are superior to us by vocation, mission or fidelity to the gifts received, whether they are living or deceased.

In the cult of those who are in the beatific vision, the following can be distinguished: latria, given to God; hyperdulia, to Mary Most Holy; protodulia, to St. Joseph; and dulia, to the Angels and Saints in Heaven, whether canonized or not. Finally, the cult paid to a person can be absolute – when the person himself is venerated – or relative – when it is paid to an object related to the person venerated.

In the latter case, we speak of a relic,⁵ which can be direct – something that had a vital association with the person, such as their body – or indirect – an object touched or used by the person in life, or touched to a direct relic. Among relics, the Church distinguishes between two types: sacred ones, which refer to the person of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Our Lady, the Saints or the Blessed; and non-sacred ones, linked to other people, whether Servants of God with a reputation for sanctity, or simple baptized persons, living or deceased. The term representation is used to refer to the various types of image of someone, such as photos, statues, paintings and holy cards.

Private and public cult

Every act of supernatural cult can be practised publicly or privately. People often confuse public cult with external cult that is publicized, i.e. held before a numerous public. However, the expression has a precise technical meaning, since a true act of public cult does not depend on merely appearing to be one.

According to the Code of Canon Law,⁶ cult is public when it consists of a liturgical action, namely: it is performed by a minister delegated by the Church, with the intention of carrying out what the Church wishes to be realized, following a ritual established by the Church. It is private in all other cases of supernatural cult rendered by any man, even one not baptized, in relation to God, His Angels and Saints. Thus, cult will be public only if it consists of a liturgical act; otherwise, it will always be an act of private cult. The absence of one of the three elements listed above also renders the act of cult private.

Regarding canon 1187, on the lawfulness of public cult, a recent commentator explains that “private cult is possible whenever there are reasonable grounds.”⁷ In fact, there are several canons in which the Code of Canon Law encourages the faithful in particular and certain Catholic institutions to promote private veneration.

By way of example

Certain acts of cult in the Catholic Church can only be held in public, such as Holy Mass, even if celebrated alone by a priest. Others, such as the Holy Rosary, will always be acts of private cult, even when recited by crowds and with the participation of priests, bishops and even the Pope. A similar case occurs with non-liturgical prayers, works of penance and charity, which absolutely cannot be liturgical or of public cult, but are a means of sanctification available to all the faithful.

Cult will be considered public only when it consists of a liturgical action; otherwise, it will always be an act of private cult

The Liturgy of the Hours, on the other hand, will be an act of public cult when it is recited by people appointed to do so, such as clerics or consecrated persons who have it prescribed in their constitutions: a Carmelite nun, for example, will be able to perform an act of public cult in the solitude of the cloisters of her convent, given her professed status, while a layperson will perform an act of private cult by reciting the Divine Office in solitude. However, the recitation of the Liturgy of the Hours together, by people who are not delegated, converts the action of a community of the faithful into an act of public cult.

A layperson who simulates celebrating Mass, even if he faithfully follows the established ritual with the intention of performing a Sacrament, will never be performing an act of public cult, because he is not a designated minister. It will not even be an act of private cult, because of the intention to feign rather than truly praise God. However, a member of the faithful who is unable to take part in the Eucharistic celebration and remains alone at home or on a sickbed, and who reads all the prayers of the Mass in a spirit of piety, is practising an act of private cult that is highly pleasing to God and in no way reprehensible, even though he is not renewing the Holy Sacrifice.

Illicit cult

It is, however, a transgression of the laws of the Church to perform an act of public cult, such as Holy Mass, in honour of a deceased but uncanonized person, or in honour of a living person. On the other hand, there is nothing illicit about a Mass of thanksgiving for the gifts granted by God to that person, in the same way as celebrating the anniversary of a person’s birth, ordination to the priesthood, marriage or religious profession.

With regard to relics and representations of people who have not been canonized or beatified, it will be considered an illicit act of public cult if the relic or representation is displayed in a church, on the altar, during the celebration of a liturgical act, such as Holy Mass or the Liturgy of the Hours. But if it is an “exposition” outside of the context of public veneration, merely as an act of private veneration, there is nothing reprehensible in this.

What about “miracles”?

We conclude with a delicate question: how does the Church consider “miracles” obtained through the intercession of a deceased person who has not yet been canonized, but who is the object of private veneration by the faithful?

In a strict juridical sense, a fact can be designated with the word miracle only after an official declaration by the Holy See. Otherwise, the designation is merely a private opinion. Precisely because of this, the approval of a miracle by the Holy See requires an ad hoc canonical process. As a result, before this official declaration, it is possible to speak of a supposed miracle, regardless of how numerous or very important those who privately consider it to be so are: the favoured person themselves, doctors, family members, specialists in various fields, lawyers, judges, police officers, judges, ministers, and even monsignors, bishops, archbishops and cardinals.

Therefore, all acts of private cult to Dona Lucilia are both licit and recommended, whether they be of absolute or relative cult

The opening of the canonical process for the alleged miracle, which must be done in the diocese where the evidence is found and therefore where the events took place, necessarily presupposes the existence of a canonization process that has already begun in relation to the Servant of God to whom the effective intercession for obtaining the heavenly gift is attributed.

Therefore, when referring to an alleged miracle, the Holy Church considers it to be in the same category as the so-called favours or graces obtained through the intercession of the Servant of God: they can only serve as evidence to testify to the existence and authenticity of the aforementioned Servant of God’s reputation for sanctity, a prerequisite for the opening of the cause for canonization.

Therefore, every act of private cult to Dona Lucilia, as well as to any person whom the venerator considers superior to himself, is licit and recommended; be it absolute cult or relative cult, and this in the veneration of both a representation and a relic. ◊

Taken from the Heralds of the Gospel magazine, #198.

Notes

¹ Cf. AMATO, SDB, Angelo. Sensus fidei e beatificazioni. Il caso di Giovanni Paolo II. In: L’Osservatore Romano. Città del Vaticano. Year CLI. N.78 (April 4-5, 2011); p.7.

² The reputation of signs – in Latin, fama signorum – is the conviction of obtaining heavenly graces and favours through the invocation and intercession of a Servant of God who died in the odour of sanctity.

³ Cf. CHOLLET, A. Culte en général. In: VACANT, A.; MANGENOT, E. (Dir.). Dictionnaire de Théologie Catholique. 2.ed. Paris: Letouzey et Ané, 1911, t.III, col.2407.

⁴ Cf. CCC 2234.

⁵ In this regard, it should be made clear that any link between a person and what they use, touch or make use of, as well as the place where they have been, can be the basis for a relative cult as long as the association is real and decent (cf. CHOLLET, op. cit., col.2409).

⁶ Cf. CIC, cân. 834.

⁷ MANZANARES, Julio. Comentário ao cânon 1187. In: CODE OF CANON LAW. 4.ed. Madrid: BAC, 2005, p.623.

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Who would not consider it a betrayal to translate saudade as añoranza, longing, regret, or rimpianto? The nuances that make our word so expressive become in these translations like a light made to pass through frosted glass: unclear, confused, and indefinite.

An impossible translation

To mitigate this consequence of the sin of Babel (cf. Gn 11:7-9), the translator who does not wish to be a traitor must have perfect knowledge of the language he interprets and the one into which he translates. This applies to grammar, syntax, and semantics, as well as to typical proverbs, the nuances of each expression, interjections, metaphors, ironies, word order and implications… everything, in short, that comprises the eloquence of a people.

But that is not all. It is an obligation to know the work in question thoroughly and, above all, the author: his convictions and intentions, his personality and ways of speaking, being, and understanding, his historical context, his life and experiences. Even before understanding the book, it is necessary to understand who composed it.

The faithful translation of the Bible was an almost impossible task, but there was one man capable of carrying it out: St. Jerome

I ask the reader to imagine a work that is impossible or almost impossible to translate into another language: a book written in multiple tongues – most of them with distinct alphabets and grammars – and in different literary styles; elaborated over centuries for peoples of every age; endowed with both literal and allegorical meaning; in which there is no superfluous or missing word; whose author, or rather, whose authors were known almost exclusively through this work and who were but “plumes” of a single Author capable of such variety. Would anyone have the courage to undertake such a translation?

Yes, his name was Jerome. And this book is the Holy Bible.

Unintentional preparation

St. Jerome possessed all the qualities mentioned for carrying out such a risky mission: on the human side, mastery of Latin, Greek, Syrian, and Hebrew, as well as literature and exegesis; on the spiritual side, the holiness to orthodoxly understand the sacred pages – an indispensable skill, since only those who love can understand God. How, then, did the Divine Inspirer of the Scriptures prepare His interpreter?

Born in 347 to a wealthy family of Greek origin, in Stridon – the frontier of the Roman Empire and a crossroads of peoples, languages, and cultures – he is sent at a young age to study in the great city. There, he attends four years of classes in grammar, rhetoric, and literature with the renowned Aelius Donatus, reputed to be the best teacher of the time. Jerome distinguishes himself from his peers for his intellectual capacity, his remarkable memory, and his devotion to Roman literature, which resulted in the assembling of an enormous personal library. The first tools for his mission were already in place: Latin, literature, and erudition.

While in this respect he contrasts with his companions, in his customs he is identical: not yet baptized – it was a time when men received the healing waters as adults – with money and licentious friends, without any relatives to restrain him, Jerome leads a life in keeping with the proverbial Roman decadence. However, not for long…

The edict of June 17, 362, promulgated by Julian the Apostate, stripped certain rights from Catholics. But what Caesar did not imagine was that a student would use this onset of persecution to affirm his faith: Jerome, with the ardour of youth and temperament to match, enrols himself among the catechumens and is baptized three years later by Pope Liberius. From then on, he will be a Catholic in the fullest sense of the word – that which today would perhaps be called a “fanatic”… Having completed his studies, he decides to embark on the religious path: he sets out on foot for the East, yearning for the desert. In the spring of 375, he arrives at a coenobitic community in Chalcis, where he spends two years amidst penance, temptations, illnesses, and raptures of love for God. Thus, he achieves another indispensable element of his vocation: holiness.

To escape the seductions of the flesh that continually assail him in his retreat, he spends his time learning Hebrew from a converted Jew. Shortly thereafter, he leaves his ascetic seclusion and, ordained a priest in Antioch, the same place where he had attended exegesis classes, sets off for the Council of Constantinople in 381. There, he rapidly perfects his Greek rudiments and his already ample exegetical foundations. Two steps toward fulfilling the divine plan: fluency in two more of the languages of the Sacred Scriptures – he would forever lack perfect Aramaic – and the art of interpreting them.

A risky mission

The aforementioned Byzantine council closely preceded another held in Rome. Once the sessions opened, we see him drafting the decrees as papal secretary… Yes, Jerome of Stridon, who had recently been a desert monk! Accompanying his bishop to the Eternal City, he was added to the Lateran service because he was seen as a Christian expert – a rarity! – in the biblical languages. Alongside these duties, he wrote and translated extensively, never abandoning his studies.

St. Damasus, Supreme Pontiff at that time, sensing a special calling in the young secretary, tested his abilities: he asked him to explain the meaning of the term Hosanna and resolve other biblical questions. The answers were so swift and brilliant – accompanied by a treatise against the heretic Helvidius and the translation of several exegetical works by Origen – that the Pope dared to reveal from among his concerns a problem that had lingered in his mind for many years: the translation of the New Testament.

In his capacity as papal secretary, Jerome received from St. Damasus the mission of translating the New Testament into Latin

At that time, multiple Latin translations of the sacred pages were circulating throughout the Catholic world: contradictory, flawed, and poor, there were “as many versions as there were manuscripts.”¹ This was the so-called Vetus Latina. The solution lay in a revision initiated by a single mind. And this mind could only be that of Jerome. Having reached this conclusion, St. Damasus asked his secretary in 383 for a translation of the New Testament. Delay was something unknown to Jerome, and he finished the work with a rapidity that remains astonishing to this day. In 384, he delivered to the Pope a Latin version of the Gospels, which he had translated based on reliable Greek texts.

Despite the Holy Father’s support, the work received attacks from all quarters. There was talk of disrespect for the ancient editions. But Jerome, supported by the Shepherd of shepherds, feared nothing; to the point that he wrote openly against the dissolute lives of Roman clergy and monks. He feared nothing… until the day of St. Damasus’ death. The persecution that arose against him then forced him to return to the East in 385. From then on, he would reside in Bethlehem.

The vocation or the world

In his new home, St. Jerome dedicated himself to continuing the revision of the Latin biblical texts. His goal was now to translate the entire Old Testament into the language of Virgil. The work was more extensive, but appeared less difficult. In fact, the Greek version of the Seventy – the Septuagint – from which the translation would proceed, was an extremely reliable text, the most widely used by the early Church and the most respected, one would say almost sacred. There would be no major obstacles.

Our holy biblical scholar developed his craft by leafing through Origen’s Hexapla,² which he used to compare the most highly regarded versions of the Old Testament. But as he did so, he became aware of many discrepancies between the Septuagint and the Hebrew. However, he was not bothered enough to abandon the famous Greek version, limiting himself to a few corrections. He was racing toward the completion of the work, and only a grave event could stop him. And it was precisely that grave event that occurred: one morning the translator discovered that the pages containing the fruit of four years of effort – between 386 and 390 – had disappeared.³

The saintly scholar heroically decided to base himself solely on the Hebrew “originals”, and his translation would replace the older Latin texts

Seeing this as a divine sign, he left the Version of the Seventy as a mere prop and resolved to heroically base himself solely on the Hebrew “originals.” Heroism? Yes, for he knew that half the world, or a world and a half, would rise up against him: he had already rejected the traditional Latin texts and now he would “disrespect” the venerable Septuagint Bible… In the eyes of his contemporaries, it was almost sacrilege.

Despite the general jeering, the translator embarked on what he knew to be his calling: in the year 392, he completed the Psalter and the Prophets; by 396, he completed the Historical Books – with the exception of Judges, revised until 400 – and Job; in 400, the Wisdom Books and the Pentateuch. Between 404 and 405, he would complete the Deuterocanonicals, as if carried on wings: he would translate the Book of Tobit in one day and Judith in one night. This set of translations began to supplant the ancient Latin texts and, due to its widespread dissemination, came to be known as the Vulgate.

Thus, despite the lack of human recognition for his work, the Stridonian left the entire Scriptures expertly translated. Later generations would be grateful to him, and rightly so. With the “true Hebrew,” St. Jerome restored to Christians several messianic prophecies that were not understood in the Greek version, eliminated certain confusions, and silenced the mockery of the Jews who laughed at Christian translations.⁴ Let us add that, unlike many earlier versions, the Vulgate does not translate biblical passages word for word. Furthermore, transposed into Latin with the literary talent worthy of Cicero, its text was a pleasant read for the ever-sensitive ears of the Romans. Let us remember that figures like St. Augustine, and St. Jerome himself, took a long time to acquire a taste for the Sacred Scriptures because of this stylistic detail.⁵

From Jerome to us

The consequence: the faithful approached the evergreen meadows of Revelation. The Vulgate text was the most copied in history and a favourite among those chosen for the press: its enormous diffusion is a dazzling reality.⁶ Spread throughout the world, in the Middle Ages it became the great textbook of style and inspiration for writers, scholars, and wise men.

Called the “Vulgate”, St. Jerome’s text spread throughout the world, and was the biblical version upon which the Church solidified her doctrine

More than that, it was the version upon which the Holy Church solidified her doctrine through the councils. One of the decrees of Trent declares that “is to be considered authentic […] the said old Vulgate edition, which has been approved by the Church itself through long usage for so many centuries […] and that no one under any pretext whatsoever dare or presume to reject it.”⁷ Subsequently, a critical revision was made of it, the New Vulgate, promulgated in 1979 in the Apostolic Constitution Scripturarum thesaurus and used by the Latin Church in the Liturgy and official documents.

Most vernacular versions, moreover, were developed based on the work of St. Jerome. Thus, the Mystical Spouse of Christ hears the voice of her God from this translation, refutes heretics with it in hand, and, by reading it, teaches her children. It is probably the Bible you have at home…

A betrayal?

Finally, the painful question: if the translator is often a traitor, does not the Vulgate betray the Divine Inspirer of the sacred texts? If in Scripture even “the very structure of words envelops a mystery”⁸ and “from the meaning of one syllable sometimes an understanding about the truth of a dogma is formed,”⁹ how can we suppose that a translation justifies all the interpretations that two thousand years of exegesis have not yet been able to exhaust? Did not St. Jerome reduce the infinite greatness of God’s Revelation to human fallibility?

On the contrary, the ascetic of Bethlehem conferred security upon human weakness by granting it a reliable version of the Scriptures, and carried throughout the world, without leaving his cell, the seed of the Sacred Word that would blossom in the homilies, meditations, and prayers of so many men and women.

The indisputable authority of the Vulgate derives from a title held by its author. Not that of scholar, exegete, or linguist, nor that of biblical scholar, translator, or man of letters, but what we mentioned before Jerome’s name: Saint. Above all, what earned him the respect of generations was the fact that the Holy Church, always assisted by the Holy Spirit, took him as its own. Humanity rests peacefully upon the sacred pages, knowing that everyone could betray God, except a Saint… and, less still, His own Mystical Spouse. ◊

Taken from the Heralds of the Gospel magazine, #215.

Notes

¹ ST. JEROME. Prólogo a los Libros de Josué y de Jueces. In: Obras Completas. Madrid: BAC, 2002, v.II, p.467.

² Composed by Origen between 228 and 240, this is the most important work of textual critique in Christian antiquity. It compared the Septuagint text with the Hebrew and other Greek versions of the Old Testament in six parallel columns. Jerome made particular use of the fifth column, which presented the Version of the Seventy. (cf. HEXAPLA. In: HERIBAN, Jozef. Dizionario terminologico-concettuale di scienze bibliche e ausiliare. Roma: LAS, 2005, p.473-474).

³ Cf. BERNET, Anne. Saint Jérôme. Étampes: Clovis, 2002, p.345.

⁴ Cf. CARBAJOSA, Ignacio. “Hebraica veritas versus Septuaginta auctoritatem”. Existe un texto canónico del Antiguo Testamento? Estella: Verbo Divino, 2021, p.43-53.

⁵ Cf. ST. AUGUSTINE. Confessions. L.3, c.5, n.9.

⁶ Cf. BERZOSA, Alfonso Ropero. Versiones latinas. In: Gran diccionario enciclopédico de la Biblia. 7.ed. Barcelona: Clie, 2021, p.2603.

⁷ DH 1506.

⁸ ST. JEROME. Epistola LVII, n.5. In: Obras Completas. Madrid: BAC, 2013, v.Xa, p.569.

⁹ DH 2711.

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May the Blessed Virgin grant Pope Leo XIV – her beloved son born on the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross – special graces of discernment, wisdom, and apostolic steadfastness on his birthday, for the most complete and successful fulfillment of his mission to be, in the words of St. Catherine of Siena, the sweet Christ on earth in this decisive historical period in which we live.

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