Saint Cajetan’s Story (October 1, 1480 – August 7, 1547)
Like most of us, Cajetan seemed headed for an “ordinary” life—first as a lawyer, then as a priest engaged in the work of the Roman Curia.
His life took a characteristic turn when he joined the Oratory of Divine Love in Rome, a group devoted to piety and charity, shortly after his ordination at 36. When he was 42 he founded a hospital for incurables at Venice. At Vicenza, he joined a “disreputable” religious community that consisted only of men of the lowest stations of life—and was roundly censured by his friends, who thought his action was a reflection on his family. He sought out the sick and poor of the town and served them.
The greatest need of the time was the reformation of a Church that was “sick in head and members.” Cajetan and three friends decided that the best road to reformation lay in reviving the spirit and zeal of the clergy. Together they founded a congregation known as the Theatines—from Teate [Chieti] where their first superior-bishop had his see. One of the friends later became Pope Paul IV.
They managed to escape to Venice after their house in Rome was wrecked when Emperor Charles V’s troops sacked Rome in 1527. The Theatines were outstanding among the Catholic reform movements that took shape before the Protestant Reformation. Cajetan founded a monte de pieta—“mountain or fund of piety”—in Naples, one of many charitable, nonprofit credit organizations that lent money on the security of pawned objects. The purpose was to help the poor and protect them against usurers. Cajetan’s little organization ultimately became the Bank of Naples, with great changes in policy.
Reflection
If Vatican II had been summarily stopped after its first session in 1962, many Catholics would have felt that a great blow had been dealt to the growth of the Church. Cajetan had the same feeling about the Council of Trent, held from 1545 to 1563. But as he said, God is the same in Naples as in Venice, with or without Trent or Vatican II. We open ourselves to God’s power in whatever circumstances we find ourselves, and God’s will is done. God’s standards of success differ from ours.
The Story of the Transfiguration of the Lord (1st. century)
All three Synoptic Gospels tell the story of the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-8; Mark 9:2-9; Luke 9:28-36). With remarkable agreement, all three place the event shortly after Peter’s confession of faith that Jesus is the Messiah and Jesus’ first prediction of his passion and death. Peter’s eagerness to erect tents or booths on the spot suggests it occurred during the week-long Jewish Feast of Booths in the fall.
According to Scripture scholars, in spite of the texts’ agreement it is difficult to reconstruct the disciples’ experience, because the Gospels draw heavily on Old Testament descriptions of the Sinai encounter with God, and prophetic visions of the Son of Man. Certainly Peter, James, and John had a glimpse of Jesus’ divinity strong enough to strike fear into their hearts. Such an experience defies description, so they drew on familiar religious language to describe it. And certainly Jesus warned them that his glory and his suffering were to be inextricably connected—a theme John highlights throughout his Gospel.
Tradition names Mount Tabor as the site of the revelation. A church first raised there in the fourth century was dedicated on August 6. A feast in honor of the Transfiguration was celebrated in the Eastern Church from about that time. Western observance began in some localities about the eighth century.
On July 22, 1456, Crusaders defeated the Turks at Belgrade. News of the victory reached Rome on August 6, and Pope Callistus III placed the feast on the Roman calendar the following year.
Reflection
One of the Transfiguration accounts is read on the second Sunday of Lent each year, proclaiming Christ’s divinity to the Elect and baptized alike. The Gospel for the first Sunday of Lent, by contrast, is the story of the temptation in the desert—affirmation of Jesus’ humanity. The two distinct but inseparable natures of the Lord were a subject of much theological argument at the beginning of the Church’s history; it remains hard for believers to grasp.
The Story of the Dedication of Saint Mary Major Basilica (Completed in 1743)
First raised at the order of Pope Liberius in the mid-fourth century, the Liberian basilica was rebuilt by Pope Sixtus III shortly after the Council of Ephesus affirmed Mary’s title as Mother of God in 431. Rededicated at that time to the Mother of God, St. Mary Major is the largest church in the world honoring God through Mary. Standing atop one of Rome’s seven hills, the Esquiline, it has survived many restorations without losing its character as an early Roman basilica. Its interior retains three naves divided by colonnades in the style of Constantine’s era. Fifth-century mosaics on its walls testify to its antiquity.
St. Mary Major is one of the four Roman basilicas known as patriarchal churches in memory of the first centers of the Church. St. John Lateran represents Rome, the See of Peter; St. Paul Outside the Walls, the See of Alexandria, allegedly the see presided over by Mark; St. Peter’s, the See of Constantinople; and St. Mary’s, the See of Antioch, where Mary is supposed to have spent most of her later life.
One legend, unreported before the year 1000, gives another name to this feast: Our Lady of the Snows. According to that story, a wealthy Roman couple pledged their fortune to the Mother of God. In affirmation, she produced a miraculous summer snowfall and told them to build a church on the site. The legend was long celebrated by releasing a shower of white rose petals from the basilica’s dome every August 5.
Reflection
Theological debate over Christ’s nature as God and man reached fever pitch in Constantinople in the early fifth century. The chaplain of Bishop Nestorius began preaching against the title Theotokos, “Mother of God,” insisting that the Virgin was mother only of the human Jesus. Nestorius agreed, decreeing that Mary would henceforth be named “Mother of Christ” in his see. The people of Constantinople virtually revolted against their bishop’s refutation of a cherished belief. When the Council of Ephesus refuted Nestorius, believers took to the streets, enthusiastically chanting, “Theotokos! Theotokos!”
Saint John Vianney’s Story (May 8, 1786 – August 4, 1859)
A man with vision overcomes obstacles and performs deeds that seem impossible. John Vianney was a man with vision: He wanted to become a priest. But he had to overcome his meager formal schooling, which inadequately prepared him for seminary studies.
His failure to comprehend Latin lectures forced him to discontinue. But his vision of being a priest urged him to seek private tutoring. After a lengthy battle with the books, John was ordained.
Situations calling for “impossible” deeds followed him everywhere. As pastor of the parish at Ars, John encountered people who were indifferent and quite comfortable with their style of living. His vision led him through severe fasts and short nights of sleep.
With Catherine Lassagne and Benedicta Lardet, he established La Providence, a home for girls. Only a man of vision could have such trust that God would provide for the spiritual and material needs of all those who came to make La Providence their home.
His work as a confessor is John Vianney’s most remarkable accomplishment. In the winter months he was to spend 11 to 12 hours daily reconciling people with God. In the summer months this time was increased to 16 hours. Unless a man was dedicated to his vision of a priestly vocation, he could not have endured this giving of self day after day.
Many people look forward to retirement and taking it easy, doing the things they always wanted to do but never had the time. But John Vianney had no thoughts of retirement. As his fame spread, more hours were consumed in serving God’s people. Even the few hours he would allow himself for sleep were disturbed frequently by the devil.
Who, but a man with vision, could keep going with ever-increasing strength? In 1929, Pope Pius XI named him the patron of parish priests worldwide.
Reflection
Indifference toward religion, coupled with a love for material comfort, seem to be common signs of our times. A person from another planet observing us would not likely judge us to be pilgrim people, on our way to somewhere else. John Vianney on the other hand, was a man on a journey, with his goal before him at all times.
Saint Peter Julian Eymard’s Story (February 4, 1811 – August 1, 1868)
Born in La Mure d’Isère in southeastern France, Peter Julian’s faith journey drew him from being a priest in the Diocese of Grenoble in 1834, to joining the Marists in 1839, to founding the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament in 1856.
In addition to those changes, Peter Julian coped with poverty, his father’s initial opposition to Peter’s vocation, serious illness, a Jansenistic overemphasis on sin, and the difficulties of getting diocesan and later papal approval for his new religious community.
His years as a Marist, including service as a provincial leader, saw the deepening of his Eucharistic devotion, especially through his preaching of Forty Hours in many parishes. Inspired at first by the idea of reparation for indifference to the Eucharist, Peter Julian was eventually attracted to a more positive spirituality of Christ-centered love. Members of the men’s community which Peter founded alternated between an active apostolic life and contemplating Jesus in the Eucharist. He and Marguerite Guillot founded the women’s Congregation of the Servants of the Blessed Sacrament.
Peter Julian Eymard was beatified in 1925 and canonized in 1962, one day after Vatican II’s first session ended.
Reflection
In every century, sin has been painfully real in the life of the Church. It is easy to give in to despair, to speak so strongly of human failings that people may forget the immense and self-sacrificing love of Jesus, as his death on the cross and his gift of the Eucharist make evident. Peter Julian knew that the Eucharist was key to helping Catholics live out their baptism and preach by word and example the Good News of Jesus Christ.
When things don’t go the way we expect, it’s hard not to be frustrated and disappointed. How do we move on after unmet expectations? And how do we break the vicious cycle?
When you read about the apostles in Scripture, you see the great transformation that happened to them after Pentecost. Before Pentecost, they always questioned our Lord. Jesus wanted to see Lazarus who had died. But the apostles said, “Hey Lord, he has been in the tomb for three days. He’s way past the sell-by date. I wouldn’t do that if I were You.” The apostles were always questioning Him. Questions are good, but not when you doubt the authority of the one making the request. Jesus told them to feed the loaves and fishes to the crowd. “Okay, but it’s not going to be enough.” Jesus told them to go into town and preach the Gospel, heal the sick, and expel demons.” They came back to Him surprised that it had actually worked. They always doubted His Word. In the Gospel, Jesus instructed Peter to walk toward Him on the water. Peter did as he was told, but he became afraid and began to sink. Our Lord asked Peter, “Why did you doubt?” Basically, our Lord was saying, “Did I stutter?” Our Lord said, “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.” “Whoa! What do you mean?” It’s a declarative sentence, and He did not stutter. Deal with it.
We think that we are smarter than the average bear and that we know more than our Lord. We think that what He asks of us is impossible. Even though the apostles saw all these miracles, the raising of at least three from the dead – one who was a very dead Lazarus – they still doubted the Resurrection. Only until they were filled with the grace of the Holy Spirit did they believe that the Resurrection really happened. Why did Peter allow fear to paralyze him? The devil uses fear to take us away from our good Lord by saying, “Oh, His commands are impossible” which makes us think, “Oh, I cannot do that.” Our Lord does not require us to do the impossible. He only asks for good things which draw us closer to Him. In the law, if something is impossible, the law does not apply, and you are not culpable. If you can’t do it, you can’t do it. Peter was sinking and cried out, “Lord save me.” They weren’t miles from shore. This wasn’t Lake Michigan. Look at the map of Israel . . . there are no Great Lakes in Israel. There is no Lake Erie. So, they were not far from shore. What happened in the Gospel? Peter jumped into the water, and because he was only a few yards from land, he swam to shore. Peter was a fisherman, and he could swim.
Fear will paralyze us, and the devil uses it. “I can’t do that.” “The Commandments of God are too hard.” “The Church must change them.” “God obviously didn’t know what He was doing, else He wouldn’t ask us to follow His Commandments now in the 21st Century.” And that’s not true. His Commandments are not burdensome. “If you love Me, keep My Commandments.” That’s all the Commandments are . . . a test of His love and belief in His Word. They may be inconvenient because we have our own agenda. But God will never tell us to do something that is impossible or something that will hurt us. Quite the opposite. When we don’t fulfill His Commandments, we do self-harm because we cut ourselves off from His love slowly by venial sin or abruptly by mortal sin.
So, keep your eyes on the Lord and what He said. Don’t try to overthink it as some do. “I’m going to fall. I have sinned!” You’ll be fine. Do not be afraid, which is the most common phrase in scripture. Do not be afraid. Our Lord asks us to keep His Commandments if we love Him. They are not burdensome. “Oh! I have to go to Mass on Sundays and on Holy Days! Oh, it’s so hard!” Oh, please. If you had a free ticket to the Panthers game, you’d be right there in Charlotte with 70,000 other crazy people fighting traffic. Yeah, that really sounds like fun. I haven’t had so much fun since I was in the gas chamber. Are you kidding me?
Just think about what we trade for the love of our good Lord. And what we trade for the very presence of God, Himself, in the Most Blessed Sacrament and the Second Person in the Holy Trinity Who talked to Moses as one man talks to another. I use “man” in the Latin sense of the word meaning “mankind” – not male – the way Scripture was originally written. What is better than that? No admission fee . . .even better. No trouble parking . . . even better than that. We have to listen to our Lord, and that can be tough. Do you know what class of people find it really hard to listen to the voice of our Lord? Priests. There was evidence of that 20 years ago when I arrived here and was looking around. There was orange shag carpet in the church bathrooms. Yeah. I don’t think the good fathers ever listened to the women in the parish. In their defense, they probably got a deal on it. Fathers, you gotta listen. You may be an expert on the Gospel, but you have to listen else you become deaf. You always must listen for Him amidst the loud noises of our busy lives. Do what our Lord commands. And if we think His Commandments are burdensome, perhaps we need to love Him more and ourselves less.
How will you apply this message to your life? _____________________________________
You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to annunciationcatholicalbemarle.com and clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” then “Sermon Notes.” On a cell phone: click on “Blog” and then “Menu.” Scroll to the bottom and click on “Categories.” Sermon Notes are also available on the Church’s Facebook page at ola.catholic.church. Click on “Groups” and then “Sermon Notes.”
In today’s Gospel, the transfiguration happened about 10 days before our Lord’s Passion. The Lord gave Peter, James, and John this great gift to show them His power so that they would be strengthened and fortified for the scandal of the Cross . . . the Passion. He showed them who He was. . . true God and true Man. Our Lord lowered the veil of His humanity to show them His divinity. His face became like the sun. The three apostles had a foretaste of Heaven. They saw Moses and Elijah there. And it begs the question . . . How did they know it was Moses and Elijah? This happened thousands of years before Facebook, and there were no pictures. So, how the heck did they know? Their minds were enlightened in the presence of God. Moses, Elijah, and others were discussing with our Lord events that were still to come so we will have knowledge of the future. Remember, Heaven is outside of time. There is no time in Heaven. Everything is in the present at once because God is. They heard the voice of God the Father call out, a theophany or the manifestation of God. “This is My beloved Son. Listen to Him.” Peter offered to build three shelters – one for Moses, one for Elijah, and one for the Lord. Peter said he wanted that moment to go on forever, but it didn’t. Do you know what is interesting? If you go back to the Old Testament, Moses disobeyed God when he struck the rock two times. And the Lord said, “You are not entering the Promised Land.” And where was Moses that day? He was in the Promised Land which means there is forgiveness after death. So, Moses made it to the Promised Land.
The great spiritual consolations our God gives us are never lasting even though we want them to be. They only last in Heaven. Now this is a grave thing about the spiritual life or spiritual direction. I was thinking about laypeople who say, “I’m a Spiritual Director.” Uh-huh. I’m Doctor House because I have watched every show. That qualifies me, right? If you say this prayer and do this, you will always be happy. Really? Check with a qualified medical professional about adjusting your meds. We are never always happy. Remember in the Book of Acts, the apostles were thrown into prison. Prisons back then were very different. One, they didn’t have cameras; and two, guess what happened to them . . . they got what we call “an attitude adjustment.” They had the living you know what beat out of them. But they rejoiced because they were found worthy to suffer for the Lord. Our Lord said, “You will suffer for Me.” He prophesied that we would have many trials and tribulations. Look at Saint Paul’s letter to the Corinthians. He was shipwrecked three times, stoned, and scourged. “Hey God, if this is the way you treat your friends, it’s no wonder you have so few!” He did not have an easy time of it, but he kept going.
There is a great temptation when our time to suffer comes and everything seems to go bad. We don’t feel our prayers, we aren’t being listened to, and it’s the same darn thing day after day. So, the spiritual life is not always marvelous. It is more like “Oh, if only I could see God.” How many of the apostles were in the Garden of Gethsemane? Only one was at the foot of the Cross. Yet, in three years they saw all the miracles – at least three risen from the dead. Think about all the miracles our Lord did. “Oh, if I had just one big spiritual moment, I’d never doubt again.” That’s not true. We are no better than the apostles. Our good Lord’s consolations to us, His appearances to us, and His gifts to us come not when we want them, but when our Lord decides we need them or as a free act of love to let us know He is always there. But we tend to forget. We get wrapped up in our daily lives and events, and the crushing work of staring at the coffee pot and microwave willing them to work faster. Sometimes, we are so busy that we overlook the obvious. “I didn’t see the police officer sitting there.” It’s a big black car marked “State Police.” How could you miss it? We have tunnel vision while driving. Father Adrian van Kaam reminds us in his book that many times we are too busy and tend to overlook our Lord’s consolations. Our Lord reminds us of His presence and His care in the ordinary, mundane, and trivial events in our lives. That’s why it’s so important at the end of the day to do an examination of conscience. Take some time to look back over the day, not to see what you did right or wrong, but to see what our Lord is trying to say. “Hi. I love you! It’s Me. I’m here.” We overlook it all.
A couple of years ago, I was going out to visit someone in the hospital. As I was walking upstairs, a nurse was coming down them. She asked, “Are you a priest?” Yeah. “I was just going to call you.” Well, I saved you a dime. “There is someone upstairs in ICU who is dying.” I told the family that it was just by chance that I was in town and that I was in the stairwell when I met the nurse. God loves this person who was passing so much that I just happened to be there to give them Last Rites. It’s tiny little things like that which show how much God loves us, but we are so busy that we overlook them.
God gives those moments to us because He knows how fragile we are. The apostles were always filled with fear, and we are no different. God always gives us reminders of His love. Not huge ones because that would scare the you know what out of us, but tiny, little reminders and consolations that we often overlook. Consoling moments sometimes just show up when we least expect them. God speaks to us about the most ordinary things. Thank Him for them. He is aware of our strengths, our pain, and our fear. He has not left us.
How will you apply this message to your life? ___________________________________
You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to annunciationcatholicalbemarle.com and clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” then “Sermon Notes.” On a cell phone: click on “Blog” and then “Menu.” Scroll to the bottom and click on “Categories.” Sermon Notes are also available on the Church’s Facebook page at ola.catholic.church. Click on “Groups” and then “Sermon Notes.”
