Original Franciscan "Third Order" -- Confraternity of Penitents
Make Every Day a Path to Holiness
Confraternity of Penitents Newsletter
December 2024
CHRISTMAS MEDITATION FROM SAINT ANTHONY OF PADUA
Learn, O man, to love Jesus, and then you will learn where wisdom is.
He himself is wisdom; whence Proverbs: Wisdom hath built herself a house, etc. [Prov 9.1]
He is prudence; whence Job: His (the Father’s) prudence has struck the proud one (the devil). [Job 26.12]
He is strength; whence: He is the strength of God and the wisdom of God. [1Cor 1.24]
In him is all understanding, to whose eyes All things are naked and open. [Heb 4.12]
He is life; he says: I am the way, the truth and the life. [Jn 14.6]
He is nourishment, the bread of angels and refreshment of the just.
He is the light of the eyes; he says: I am the light of the world. [Jn 8.12]
He is our peace, who hath made both one. [Eph 2.14]
Learn this wisdom, O man, that you may be wise;
this prudence, that you may take care of yourself;
this strength, that you may be strong;
this understanding, that you may know;
this nourishment, that you may not faint;
this light, that you may see;
this peace, that you may have rest.
MESSAGE FROM THE SPIRITUAL GUARDIAN: TAKE COURAGE – WAIT FOR THE LORD
Fr. Joseph Tuscan, OFM Cap, asked that we reprint this article by Fr. Thomas G. Weinandy, OFM Cap, as Father Tuscan’s December message to the CFP. Reprinted with permission of the author.
In the Office of Readings recently, a second-century anonymous author exhorted his readers to “take courage.” This counsel brought to mind an event from my distant past that still resonates as we begin this Advent season.
I was about to begin my doctrinal studies at King’s College, and it was dark when I arrived at our Capuchin friary in the borough of Peckham in southeast London. When I was shown my room, I immediately looked out the window to see my view over the next three years. Across the way, was a pub. Blazing above its door, in big red neon letters, was the phrase: “Take Courage.”
One of the friars informed me that that pub sold a beer called “Courage,” and so the brewery’s motto, “Take Courage.” I took it as a providential sign as I was about to study for my D. Phil. I also, over the years, imbibed a pint or two of Courage, though I found that it did not make me more courageous.
The phrase, “take courage,” contains within it the future, but not simply a neutral future, that of “the yet” still to be lived. Rather, it looks to a future that will be fraught with challenges, risks, and even dangers. In the face of these future menacing encounters, one must “take courage.”
The Courage brewing company is not alone in urging one to “Take Courage.” God Himself, throughout the whole of the Old Testament, exhorts the Jewish people to “take courage.”
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Although Moses did not enter the Promised Land, a land that was occupied by other peoples, God declared to Moses: “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear or be in dread of them: for it is the Lord your God who goes with you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6) Even though the future would be filled with many dangers, Moses was to take courage, for the Lord would be present at all times.
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God also promised Joshua that, as he was with Moses, so now he would be with Him: “Be strong and of good courage; be not frightened, neither be dismayed; for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)
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When Solomon inherited the kingly throne of David, God said that he would give him “discretion and understanding,” and therefore he is to “be strong and of good courage.” (1 Chronicles 22:12-13)
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In these historical cases, these important individuals were not to be fearful of the future, but were to take courage in all circumstances because God would be with them at all times.
Moreover, the Psalmist prayed in hope that he would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Therefore, he affirmed to himself: “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; yea, wait for the Lord.” (Psalm 27:13-14)
The Psalmist may have needed to await the future, but he did so courageously, for he awaited in the assurance of the Lord’s saving action. Similarly, the saints were to “love the Lord,” for he preserves the faithful. Therefore: “Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord!” (Psalm 31:23-24)
Paul, in his epistles, continually exhorts his readers to be faithful to the Gospel. This loyalty demands courage in the midst of trials and persecution. Therefore, he urged the Corinthians: “Be watchful, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong.” (1 Corinthians 16:13)
Among other things, courage demands watchfulness, lest one lose heart and forsake the faith. Courage is the stalwart advocate of the Christian life. Courage, for Christians, is founded upon Jesus. Through His passion, Jesus has conquered sin and vanquished death – that which most frightens humankind. Through faith in Jesus, Christians have been saved from sin and thus from the curse of death. In His resurrection, Christians obtain eternal life.
Jesus can, therefore, truly proclaim to His apostles: “In the world you have tribulations; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) Whatever tribulations that may come in the course of one’s Christian life, one can take courage in that Jesus has overcome them, and, therefore, one can be of good cheer.
Today, Christians, more and more, live in a world that is antithetical to what they believe. This is especially so in Western secularized countries where Christianity is seen as hostile to the reigning Zeitgeist. France has recently experienced a rash of church vandalism. Similar instances have occurred in the United States and Canada. But Christians, and particularly Catholics, are to take courage.
The future may not bode well for us. We may be mocked, scorned, and ostracized for upholding and promoting Christian moral norms concerning abortion, sexuality, gender identity, and euthanasia. But with courage, we live in the good hope that ultimately Jesus and His gospel of life will prevail. We are to wait upon the Lord.
Similarly, even within the Church, the faithful, both clergy and laity, must take courage. Many theologians, bishops, Cardinals, synods, and even members of the Vatican at the highest level are advancing an agenda that is contrary to perennial theological and apostolic magisterial teaching, such as endorsing the moral legitimacy of adultery, fornication, homosexual acts, transgenderism, and women priests.
Once again, faithful Catholics, clergy and laity alike, must take courage. We know, in faith, that such heterodox teachings will not prevail. They have no future. The future belongs to those who courageously hold fast to the faith.
To take courage is to hope in the future and that future is eschatological. When Jesus returns in glory at the end of time, what courage sustained, what courage advanced, what courage died for will win the day. In so doing, those who took courage, will drink courage’s reward – everlasting life.
The pub outside my window was declaring something more than the proprietor imagined. Take Courage! – Fr. Thomas Weinandy, OFM Cap
HUMOR
OBVIOUSLY: Employment application blanks always ask who is to be called in case of an emergency. I think you should write “an ambulance.”
TIP: The easiest way to find something you lost around the house is to buy a replacement.
REALLY? The older you get the tougher it is to lose weight because by then your body and your fat have gotten to be really good friends.
PURPOSE: The sole purpose of a child's middle name is so he can tell when he's really in trouble.
OBSERVATION: Did you ever notice? When you put the 2 words “The” and IRS” together it spells “Theirs.”
OUR RULE: HOW THE WORLD’S WORST FASTER FOUND SUCCESS
Here we are in the midst of Saint Martin’s Fast. Historically, and for penitents today, it’s a time of extra fasting. Note the word “extra,” because near the end of Novice 2 we should already be engaged in regular intermittent fasting.
Intermittent fasting is simply where you basically have two times in your day. One time is your “fasting window.” The other time is your “eating window.” The fasting window can be however long you want – 10 hours, 12 hours, 18 hours 22 hours. During this period a faster is supposed to eating nothing. Zero. Zilch. De nada. Nothing.
During the eating window you eat. Intermittent fasting itself imposes no restrictions on what you eat, but of course CfP does – no meat on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Still, on those days we can eat as much fish, pasta, vegetables. fruits or ice cream as we want – anything, as long as it isn’t meat. Easy peasy, right?
During the Fast of Saint Martin as well as Lent we are supposed to reduce the amount of food we eat, but not enough that we become faint, dizzy, etc. Maybe not exactly easy peasy, but still we determine how much we cut back.
I freely confess I’ve been an utter failure at intermittent fasting, which means I must also have been a failure at the Saint Martin’s Fast – and I have. That makes me sort of an outlier, I think, because all my CfP friends seem to chug along quite nicely. Why?’
I think I have found the answer, and I want to share it in case anyone else can join me in Failed Fasters Anonymous. Happily, it’s not a 12 Step Solution.
For as long as I can remember – certainly beginning in college, probably earlier than that, through the Army and all of adulthood – I would get up, have a Coke (nowadays it would be Diet Ginger Ale), maybe tea. An hour later, another Coke and so on through the day, concluding with a Nightcap of – you guessed it – another Coke or diet soft drink.
I’ve been trying to lose weight for more than a decade, probably close to two. As part of that, I switched from regular Coke to Diet Coke. The basic weight loss formula is simply consume fewer calories a day than one eats.
When it was real Coke, the sugar content was about 10 teaspoons full of sugar per 12 ounce can. Each spoonful is about 10 calories. So, a 12-ounce can of regular Coke contains 120 calories. One can easily keep going on a diet that’s heavy in regular Coke (a six-pack would be 720 calories). But that’s also a sure path to enriching your dentist and gaining weight.
Diet soft drinks have no calories, so it should be easy to lose weight. Except it’s not – or at least it wasn’t for me, and no one I have met who has been enriching Warren Buffett and other Coca-Cola shareholders has told me simply switching to a diet soft drink made any difference at all.
Of course, CfP isn’t a health club, and we’re not a weight-loss clinic either. We’re focused on spiritual things, one of which is fasting. So, why has it been so hard for me to get with the program and avoid those snacks in the middle of the day?
I think I found the answer while listening to a writer’s podcast. The host was interviewing Gin Stephens, a former teacher and the author of “Fast. Feast. Repeat,” who was discussing her success with intermittent fasting and her various books, Facebook groups, blogs, etc. She had tried all the usual diets – Weight Watchers, Atkins, South Beach, Keto, etc. – and failed to lose and keep pounds off. Then she tried intermittent fasting in 2014 and soon was seeing a steady decline in her weight. Ultimately she lost 80 pounds.
Well, I thought I had died and gone to Heaven. If Stephens could stick to an intermittent fasting routine, why couldn’t I? And if she could lose a bunch of weight, why couldn’t I?
So, I checked out an audiobook of her “Fast. Feast. Repeat” book from the library. All weight-loss programs have a “fast start diet” that you do initially. The idea is you lose a whole bunch of pounds in a couple of weeks and you’re motivated to continue. The problem is at some point you start gaining those pounds back plus some.
Stephens’ approach to intermediate fasting is the CfP approach: It’s a for-life thing, not something where you simply seek to lose some pounds, achieve your desired weight and stop.
If it worked for her and for all my CfP friends, why couldn’t I stick with intermediate fasting? The answer, Stephens says, is in those Cokes – or those Diet Cokes or, more lately, Diet Ginger Ales. Diet Coke is okay under the CfP Rule, which simply prohibits eating solid food. But it turns out that almost any sweetness triggers an insulin response and it’s the insulin response that drives that hunger that leads to feeling the need to eat, Stephens says.
That rings true to me, because I had noticed that I hadn’t any hunger at all in the morning until I had that first Sugar-Free Ginger Ale.
So, this St. Martin’s Fast I’ve adopted Stephens “Clean Fast” approach. I set my feeding window and outside of that window, I stick to unflavored water, black coffee (unflavored), plain tea (again unflavored). Also allowed: mineral water, club soda, unflavored seltzer water.
What’s not allowed outside the feeding window is anything that’s sweet or tastes like food. That means food, flavored water, flavored coffee, fruity, sweet or matcha teas, diet sodas, natural or artificial sweeteners, gum or mints, food-like flavors of any type (fruit juices, fruit flavors, etc.), bone broth, broth or bouillon, fat (including coconut oil, MCT oil, butter, etc.), cream, creamers, milk or milk substitutes of any amount or type, and supplements such as collagen, pre-workouts, BCAAs, exogenous ketones, etc.
Remember that almost any sweetness or food flavor triggers an insulin response which in turn triggers that hunger sensation that you simply must have something right this instant.
I’ve been doing this for about two weeks, and it seems to be working. I’m not eating outside my feeding window, which means I’m meeting the minimum CfP standard. As for reducing the amount of food within my feeding window, I’m meeting the CfP standard.
While St. Martin’s Fast will come to an end in a few weeks, the CfP intermittent fasting requirement will not. I plan on sticking with the Clean Fast routine (for me, only black tea and water outside my feeding window). I’m pretty certain Gin Stephens has given me the “secret” – nothing sweet or flavored outside the feeding window.
If you’re having trouble not eating anything other than one large meal and at most two smaller meals, you might consider trying the Clean Fast routine. For more details, check one of Gin Stephens’ books or audiobooks. – Joel Whitaker, CfP
FACING DEATH AS A PENITENT: WHAT JESUS IN HIS GOODNESS HAS GIVEN ME
Dear fellow penitents,
I am so sorry that I have not been able to attend the on line Zoom meetings. I am very ill with a terminal illness. I love to read the recap that you send out and hope to continue to read all the issues discussed.
May I please ask for your prayers? I am ready for what God has in store for me.
I am now under Hospice care. I have been advised that there is nothing more that can be done. I would like to share with you what Jesus in His goodness has given me.
I saw myself coming out of a church (alone) and I was dressed as a bride in the most beautiful bride dress that I can't even begin to describe other than it looked like it was made of diamonds! There was a forest across from the church and I was to go there. I sat down beneath this glorious huge tree. I saw Jesus come from somewhere in the forest. He was smiling at me, and He came and sat down on my dress beside me. He said nothing but the peace and love I felt was so overwhelming. I was made to know that I was His bride and my joy was complete.
He is with me through this pain.
Oh, how He must have suffered for us! I love Him so much. I will gladly die now knowing what He has given and done for me and that He will never leave me and will be there with me at my last breath.
I am so proud to have known you and have been able to share this with you. Take care and know you are in my prayers and we will meet face to face one glorious day. Thank you all and may God bless you.
With love, I remain in God's Hands,
Mary Ann Shanahan, CfP (sr. Benedicta of the Agony)
NO GREATER LOVE: THE INSTITUTION OF THE EUCHARIST
The Lord’s institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper is central to the life of the Church as Pope Benedict explains for us in Jesus of Nazareth. The so-called institution narrative, namely, the words and actions by which Jesus gave himself to the disciples in the form of bread and wine, lies at the heart of the Last Supper tradition. In addition to the three Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), Saint Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians provides a further institution narrative (11:23-26). The four accounts are very similar in essentials, yet there are differences in detail that have understandably received a great deal of attention in exegetical literature.
Many theologians and Biblical scholars believe that the words of institution recorded in the New Testament were not actually said by Jesus but were added, put into His Mouth, by the early Church. Why do they say this? Pope Benedict points out that the institution of the Eucharist is linked to expiation, Jesus’ atoning for our sins by His Death on the Cross. When John the Baptist sees Jesus, he exclaims, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world!” (Jn 1:29) These words are repeated by the priest at Mass before the Eucharist is distributed. However, it is thought that God sending His Son to die for our sins is incompatible with the Jesus’ proclamation of the Kingdom of God. According to this way of thinking, Jesus was a prophet who was expecting God to come and overthrow all world governments and establish a Kingdom of peace, prosperity, joy, love, and the unconditional forgiveness of sins. The original joyous message of Jesus was distorted, under cultural influences, by the early Church into a dismal message about our unworthiness and the need for expiation of our sins by His death on the Cross. They ask: “Why did a loving Father send His Son to die a miserable death on the Cross?” The Last Supper was just a farewell meal with His disciples which the Church distorted into something very different.
Who is right? Is there really a disconnect between the Lord’s proclamation of the Kingdom of God and the institution of the Eucharist with the idea of His expiation (atonement) for our sins on the Cross? We must understand that the shadow of the Cross permeates the Gospel from beginning to end. When St. Joseph was about to send away Mary because of her pregnancy, the angel tells him that she conceived of the Holy Spirit, and he was to name Him Jesus for “he will save his people from their sins”. (Mt 1:21) One of the gifts which the Wise Men brought to the infant Jesus was the spice, myrrh. (Mt 2:11) After the crucifixion of the Lord, the rich Sanhedrin member, Nicodemus, brought to the body of Jesus “a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds weight.” (Jn 19:39) The same spice given to the infant Jesus was also given to the crucified Lord. The shadow of the Cross was also evident when Herod tried to destroy the infant Jesus by ordering the murder of all the male children in and around Bethlehem two years of age and under. (Mt 2:16) When Jesus was brought to the temple, the old man, Simeon, declares to Mary “Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, for a sign that is spoken against (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), and that the thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed.” (Lk 2:34-35) Since Mary was present at the Cross, (Jn 19:25) this surely was the sword which Simeon predicted would pierce her soul. Also, people’s attitude toward the Lord, the thoughts out of many hearts were revealed.
At the beginning of His Ministry, the Lord taught His disciples the beatitudes. (Mt 5:3-12) The last beatitudes warn of persecution. “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Mt 5:10-12) Why would anyone persecute followers of one who blessed peacemakers, the merciful, the meek, etc., and peached the unconditional forgiveness of sins? His disciples could see that He was fulfilling the Old Covenant, but the Jewish authorities believed He was overthrowing and destroying the Covenant between God and Israel. They could not accept His Divine Authority. Jesus also visited Nazareth, the place in which He grew up. On the sabbath, (Saturday) He read Isaiah 61:1-2 which proclaimed such things as the “good news to the poor” and “liberty to captive”. He then says that He is the one who has been anointed and is fulfilling this prophesy. “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” (Lk 4:21) However, His hearers said “Is not this Joseph’s son?” (Lk 4:22) They could not believe that the local carpenter could be fulfilling Sacred Scripture. Like the authorities in Jerusalem, they thought He was speaking blasphemy. When He criticized their unbelief, they drove Him out of Nazareth and tried to kill Him, but He escaped from them. (Lk 4:23-30)
Jesus was not rejected and crucified for beautiful moral teachings and proclaiming the good news (Gospel) of the Kingdom of God. He was crucified for asserting Divine Authority and fulfilling the prophecies of the Old Covenant. Pope Benedict likes to point out that the Last Supper, the Crucifixion, and the Resurrection go together. None of them can be understood without the other two. Of course, the last week of the Lord’s Life on Earth cannot be understood without the His earlier proclamation of the Kingdom of God. Pope Benedict tells us: There is no contradiction between Jesus' proclamation of joy and his acceptance of death on the Cross for many. On the contrary: only through this acceptance and transformation of death does the message of grace acquire its full depth. Moreover, the idea that the Eucharist originated within the "community" is quite absurd, even from a historical point of view. Who could possibly have dreamed up such an idea, such a reality? How could the first generation of Christians-as early as the 30s-have accepted such an invention without anyone calling it into question?
The idea of expiation, of the Lord’s dying for our sins is rejected by many modern people, even Christians, even though it is definitely present in the Gospels. Why? There has arisen the “Historical-Critical” method of interpreting the Scripture. This method tries to get to what Jesus “actually” said and did before it was “overlaid” by the doctrines and teaching of traditional Christianity starting with the early Church. While this method has uncovered much valuable information about the time of Christ, the assumption that the early Church distorted Jesus because of its outdated world view is very problematic.
The entire New Testament, of course, was written by believers in the Lord. They wrote to explain to the world who Jesus of Nazareth was and why they believed that He was the Son of God. As the early Church reflected on Jesus Christ, guided by the Holy Spirit, as it was handed down orally and then written in scripture, their depth of knowledge increased. Of course, from the very beginning there were those who tried to distort Christianity to their own purposes. One can read about these early heresies in the letters of St. Paul and the other letter writers such as St. Peter, St. James, St. Jude, St. John, and the author of the letter to the Hebrews. This forced the Church to continually refine the authentic teachings that were handed down so as to address the various distortions and protect the faithful. As the Church grew, councils were needed, such as Nicea or Ephesus, to determine what was the authentic Catholic faith. Challenges to the teachings of the Magisterium (the pope with the bishops) have continued to this da,y but now the call is not to change the teachings of the Church but to “reinterpret” them.
Why is it necessary to reinterpret the teachings of the Church and especially those which deal with sexual morality? It is believed that these teachings stem from specific cultures and a “prescientific” world view. However, even the moral teachings of the Church are rooted doctrines which have their basis in Scripture. Especially, the Last Supper and Good Friday needed to be reinterpreted because they are centered around sin. The Lord offers the bread and wine as His Body and Blood for “the forgiveness of sins”. (Mt 26:28) He suffered and died on the Cross for our sins. Many believe that these traditional Christian Doctrines are meaningless for “modern man”. These doctrines are based on an “outdated” concept of an “angry, judgmental, and punishing God.”
The theologian Hans Urs Von Balthasar has written that the Love of God and the Wrath of God are two sides of the same coin. Many modern, rich, “enlightened” people do not grasp the gravity of sin and especially sexual sin. They do not understand the great damage that sin does to ourselves and others. God hates sin because of His extreme Love for us.
If His hatred for sin decreased, His Love for us would also decrease. The institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper, the Lord’s suffering and death on Good Friday, and His Resurrection from the dead, on Easter Sunday, is God’s way of dealing with the greatest human problem, the problem of sin. The Old Covenant system of repeated animal sacrifices pointed to God’s solution to the human problem of sin. “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world!” (Jn 1:29) The words of the greatest prophet, John the Baptist, when he saw the Lord, are just as relevant for us as they were when he uttered them beyond the Jordan river almost two thousand years ago. – Jim Nugent, CfP
SAINT ANTHONY OF PADUA ITEMS FROM THE CFP HOLY ANGELS GIFT SHOP
www.cfpholyangels.com
CFP PHOTO ALBUM
CFP Novice Thomas Chilton purchased an Advent Wreath Kit from the CFP Holy Angels Gift Shop.
Proceeds from the sales of these wreaths (we are sold out) went to help CFP Member Eucharia Ugu and her young four children relocate from Nigeria to Uganda and begin a new life following the sudden death of Eucharia's husband Paulinus. Eucharia is currently making the arrangements to move, thanks to your generous donations.
Thomas and his wife are raising their two grandsons, shown, whom they adopted. The boys look excited about the Advent wreath, don't you think?
Thanks, Tom and family, for supporting Eucharia and her family. And thanks to all the rest of you whose donations also went to help our sister in penance.
