November 2024

Confraternity of Penitents Newsletter

MORE ON “INTERESTING TIMES”

Last month, we shared an ancient Chinese curse: “May you live in interesting times.” Since that newsletter, the world situation has become even more “interesting.”

In the United States, two major hurricanes struck the East Coast within two weeks of each other, causing billions of dollars of damage, taking lives, and spawning tornadoes.
Meanwhile, several wildfires erupted across the West. The Congressional Joint Economic Committee pegs the total damage from wildfires in the U.S. at somewhere between $87.4 billion and $8983 billion.
And then there’s war. For more than two years images of bombed Ukrainian cities have been seen on TV and in the newspapers. For the last year, we’ve seen Gaza being reduced to rubble. We haven’t seen anything like these since the end of World War II. Now, we’re starting to see those images in Lebanon.

TV doesn’t show the true extent of the disaster – the people who started the day off living happy, ordinary lives and end it with just the clothes on their backs, all their possessions destroyed. Not just their furniture, but also those precious photo albums, awards, certificates. Occasionally, TV will show a house bobbing down the water. Subliminally you know the house will eventually breakup and the house and all its contents will be washed out to sea.

These natural disasters illustrate some important principles taught by Our Lord.

First, “build not on shifting sands.” (Matt. 7:24-27). In a hurricane, water does the most damage. A 10- to 15-foot storm surge will literally overtop a single story house. Build that house on the beach, and it’s at high risk. Build it a half mile or more inland, and it likely will be just fine. So, also, will houses built 15 feet or more above the ground.
Second, “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man” (Psalm 118:8,9). Severe storms overwhelm the reserves of insurance companies with the result that many, many claims are denied. After the Florida hurricanes, it was found that flood zone maps hadn’t been updated in more than a quarter-century. That’s why many people didn’t buy flood insurance; those FEMA maps showed they were well outside the flood zone, according to government-prepared flood zone maps.
Finally, our Lord repeatedly cautions about assuming that our wealth will protect us. “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal,” he says (Matt. 6:19).

I have a bit of (painful) knowledge about rust. I was the owner of seven units in a 52-unit condominium office building. One sunny August afternoon, part of the back exterior collapsed. An engineering study traced the cause of the collapse to poor planning 50 years ago in which drain spouts were encased in columns. Over time, the downspouts rusted within the columns. The rust spread across vital parts of the building – all of which were concealed from inspection -- so neither building owners nor management had any knowledge of deterioration.

The insurance company refused to pay, based on the theory that the rusting could have been detected 10, 15 or 20 years earlier. Thus, the owners had to pay not only reconstruction but also mortgage, condo fees, taxes, utilities and insurance. Owners were writing checks for two years before the work was completed and approved.

I bought the office units after nearly two decades of monthly investing small amounts to build up stocks. Nearly all those stocks were redeemed over the two years to pay for the ongoing expenses. None of the losses could be claimed as tax credits until I had sold every unit I owned. My stock portfolio today is less than 10% of what it was.

Which brings us to a final lesson: Don’t assume that you’re safe because of your assets. You may be in the unfortunate position of the man who had so great harvest that he had to build additional barns. He thought he was on Easy Street. “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared?’

Every time we see a disaster on TV, it should remind us to focus on preparing a place for ourselves in Heaven. And it should also remind us to be thankful for those parts of our rule that teach us to place God first. Everyone is going to experience disaster of one type or another. Then it’s good to remember, as did Job, “If we accept blessings from God, we must accept trouble as well.” (Job 2:10) – Joel Whitaker, CfP

THE FAST OF SAINT MARTIN

The Fast of Saint Martin begins on November 12, the day after the Feast of Saint Martin. In medieval times, when our original Rule was written, the Feast of Saint Martin was a great event, similar to Lent’s “Fat Tuesday” before Ash Wednesday. The Fast of Saint Martin is a penitential preparation for the great Solemnity of Christmas.

THE FAST OF SAINT MARTIN IN THE CFP RULE AND CONSTITUTIONS

RULE: Section 9

9. They are to fast daily, except on account of infirmity or any other need, throughout the fast of St. Martin from after said day until Christmas, and throughout the greater fast from Carnival Sunday until Easter.

CONSTITUTIONS: SECTION 9

a. Penitents are to observe a pre-Christmas fast from November 12, the day after the Feast of St. Martin, until Christmas and a pre-Easter fast from Ash Wednesday until Easter.

WHO IS TO OBSERVE THIS PART OF THE RULE?

Those who have completed their tenth lesson of their second Novice year are to observe this part of the CFP Rule unless dispensed from doing so by their spiritual directors. The fast is to be followed according to the guidelines in the CFP Rule, enumerated in Chapters II and III of the CFP Rule and Constitutions and in Appendix A of the Constitutions.

All other penitents, who have not yet completed Lesson 10 of their second Novice year, could also embrace some sort of penance during the Fast of Saint Martin, to keep the spirit of the Pre-Christmas Fast. Some suggestions might be to give up sweets during the Fast of Saint Martin or to pray a decade of the Rosary daily for the intentions of the Holy Father. Those wishing to observe the Fast, yet not yet obligated to do so, could discuss possible penances with their spiritual directors or Regional Ministers.

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE FAST OF SAINT MARTIN?

The Fast of Saint Martin, to prepare the penitent to celebrate Christmas, reminds us that:

a. Our lives must be centered on God, not on self. All penances, to have merit, must be done in love.

b. Our self denial is a prayer of the body to Our Lord Who came as an Infant to teach and redeem us.

c. We must be willing to give up anything and everything which keeps us from full union with God.

d. Our struggle is not against people but against evil, beginning with the evil in our own desires.

SPIRITUAL GUARDIAN’S INSIGHTS: THE MONTH OF THE HOLY SOULS

November is the month set aside to remember in a special way the “faithful departed.” On November 2 we celebrate the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed, or All Souls’ Day.

Commemoration Omnium Fidelium Defunctorum:

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (#1030–31): “All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven. The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned.”

The mystical body of Christ: “The faithful” refers to all baptized Catholics; “all souls” commemorates the “church penitent/suffering” of souls in purgatory, whereas “all saints” commemorates the “church triumphant” of saints in heaven.

The Catholic Church teaches that the purification of the souls in purgatory can be assisted by the actions of the faithful on earth. Its teaching is based also on the practice of prayer for the dead mentioned as far back as 2 Maccabees 12:42–46:

“Turning to supplication, they prayed that the sinful deed might be fully blotted out. The noble Judas exhorted the people to keep themselves free from sin, for they had seen with their own eyes what had happened because of the sin of those who had fallen. He then took up a collection among all his soldiers, amounting to two thousand silver drachmas, which he sent to Jerusalem to provide for an expiatory sacrifice. In doing this he acted in a very excellent and noble way, inasmuch as he had the resurrection in mind; for if he were not expecting the fallen to rise again, it would have been superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead. but if he did this with a view to the splendid reward that awaits those who had gone to rest in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought. Thus he made atonement for the dead that they might be absolved from their sin.”

1 Corinthians 3:15: “If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.”

Other New Testament references are: 2 Timothy 1:18, Matthew 12:32, Luke 23:43, 1 Corinthians 3:11 and Hebrews 12:29.

The theological basis for the feast is the doctrine that souls which, on departing from the body, are not perfectly cleansed from venial sins, or have not fully atoned for past transgressions, are debarred from the Beatific vision, and that the faithful on earth can help them by prayers, alms, deeds, and especially by the sacrifice of the Holy Mass.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that the souls in Purgatory can intercede for us; they just cannot help their own situation which is why we pray for them.

There is ample evidence of the custom of praying for the dead in the inscriptions of the catacombs, in the early liturgies of the Church, which commonly contain commemorations of the dead. Tertullian, Cyprian and other early Western Fathers witness to the regular practice of praying for the dead among the early Christians.

The date of commemoration for the dead has varied of the centuries. The 2 November date and customs spread from the Benedictine monasteries and thence to the Western Church in general. The Diocese of Liège in France was the first diocese to officially adopt the date in 1008. 2 November was adopted in Italy and Rome in the thirteenth century.

In the 15th century the Dominicans instituted a custom of each priest offering three Masses on the Feast of All Souls. During World War I, given the great number of war dead and the many destroyed churches where Mass could no longer be said, Pope Benedict XV, granted all priests the privilege of offering three Masses on All Souls’ Day.

From Nov. 1 to Nov. 8, it is possible to gain a plenary indulgence for the benefit of the souls of the departed who are in Purgatory. According to the Enchiridion of Indulgences, an indulgence applicable only to the souls in purgatory is granted to the faithful who devoutly visit on All Souls’ Day a church or chapel and pray the Our Father and the Credo or the Lauds or Vespers of the Office of the Dead and the eternal rest prayer for the dead. The indulgence can be gained from noon of All Saints’ Day. A plenary indulgence is granted each day from the first to the eighth of November; a partial indulgence is granted on other days of the year.

St. Pio: “The desire to be in eternal peace is good and holy, but you must moderate this with complete resignation to the divine will. It is better to do the divine will on earth, than to enjoy Paradise. ‘To suffer and not to die’ was St. Teresa’s motto. Purgatory is sweet when one suffers for love of God.” (Letters III, p. 553)

Mother Angelica: “You can’t get to heaven disliking one person. O Dear Lord, You can’t even dislike one person. Now, unless we overcome that totally and really love everybody, we’re going to spend some time in Purgatory.”

FROM POPE BENEDICT XVI: ALL SAINTS DAY VATICAN CITY, NOV. 6, 2006

“Jesus says: Blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are the afflicted, the meek, blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice, the merciful, blessed are the pure of heart, the peacemakers, the persecuted for the sake of justice (cf. Matthew 5)

In truth, the blessed par excellence is only him, Jesus. Indeed, he is the truly poor in spirit, the afflicted, the meek one, the one hungering and thirsting for justice, the merciful, the pure of heart, the peacemaker; he is the one persecuted for the sake of justice.

The beatitudes show us the spiritual (face) physiognomy of Jesus and thus express his mystery, the mystery of death and resurrection, of the passion and the joy of the resurrection. This mystery, which is the mystery of true blessedness, invites us to follow Jesus and thus the way to happiness.

In the measure that we accept his proposal and follow him -- everyone according to his own circumstances -- we too can participate in his beatitude. With him the impossible becomes possible and in the end the camel passes through the eye of needle (cf. Mark 10:25); with his help, only with his help, we are able to become perfect as the heavenly Father is perfect (cf. Matthew 5:48).”

“Behold the meaning of today's solemnity: Gazing upon the luminous example of the saints the great desire to be like the saints is awakened in us; happy to live near to God, in his light, in the great family of the friends of God. Being a saint means living close to God, living in his family. And this is the vocation of all of us, vigorously reaffirmed by the Second Vatican Council, and on this day brought to our attention in a solemn way.

But how can we become saints, friends of God? An initial response to this question is this: To be saints it is not necessary to perform extraordinary deeds and works, nor is it necessary to possess exceptional charisms. But this only tells us what sainthood is not. The positive answer is that to become a saint it is above all necessary to listen to Jesus and then to follow him and not lose heart in the face of difficulties.

"If anyone wants to serve me," he says, "he must follow me, and where I am there also is my servant. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him" (John 12:26). Whoever entrusts himself to him and loves him with sincerity, will die to himself as the grain of wheat buried in the earth.

He knows in fact that whoever tries to keep his life for himself will lose it and whoever gives his life, in this way, finds life (cf. John 12:24-25). The experience of the Church demonstrates that, although they take different paths, all forms of holiness must always pass through the way of the cross, the way of self-denial.

The biographies of the saints depict men and women who, always docile to divine designs, sometimes endured indescribable sufferings, persecutions and martyrdom. They persevered in their task. "These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress," we read in the Book of Revelation, "they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb" (7:14).

Their names are written in the book of life (cf. Revelation 20:12); paradise is their eternal abode. The example of the saints encourages us to follow in their footsteps, to experience the joy of those who entrust themselves to God, because the only cause of sadness is to live far from him.

Holiness demands a constant effort but it is possible for all since it is not just the work of man but is above all a gift of God, who is thrice holy (cf. Isaiah 6:3). In the second reading the Apostle John observes: "See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are" (1 John 3:1).

It is God therefore who loved us first and in Jesus he has made us adoptive sons. In our life all is a gift of his love. How is it possible to remain indifferent before so great a mystery? How is it possible to not respond to the love of the heavenly Father by leading a life of grateful children?” – Shared by Father Joseph Tuscan, OFM Cap, CFP Spiritual Guardian

INSIGHTS FROM CHARLIE BROWN

A friend is someone who says nice things about you when you aren’t around.

I don’t have time to worry about who doesn’t like me. I’m too busy loving the people who love me.

Worrying won’t stop the bad stuff from happening. It just stops you from enjoying the good.

CONFRATERNITY OF PENITENTS PHOTO ALBUM

REPOSE OF THE SOUL OF CARL NASTASI, CFP AFFILIATE

Carl, a resident of Saranac Lake, New York, died on the October 4, the Solemnity of Saint Francis. An active member of his parish and of the Knights of Columbus, Carl was also a CfP Affiliate who witnessed the baptism of the first child born to Ben and Sarah Bleile Douglass, two of our CFP members who have completed formation. May this good and gentle man rest in God’s peace

LIFE PLEDGE AND PRIVATE VOW OF JOSEFINO LIBAO AGUIRRE (br. Joseph Benedict), CfP

On October 17, 2024, Josefino Libao Aguirre, having successfully completed the four required years of formation with the Confraternity of Penitents, made a life pledge and private vow to live the Rule and Constitutions of the Confraternity of Penitents. He selected br. Joseph Benedict as his privately vowed name. Josefino lives in the Philippines and is currently exploring becoming a priest.

NO GREATER LOVE: THE PASSOVER AND THE LAST SUPPER

In Jesus of Nazareth, Pope Benedict XVI discusses extensively the Last Supper, which is the basis of the Mass and is central to the life of the Church. If Jesus did not give his disciples bread and wine as his body and blood, then the Church’s eucharistic celebration is empty - -- a pious fiction and not a reality at the foundation of communion with God and among men. On one hand, as attested by the four Gospel writers, the Last Supper, which is remembered at every Mass, remembers an event which really occurred. One the other hand, there are controversies concerning the exact nature of the Last Supper.

Christian Tradition maintains that the Lord was crucified on Friday, the day before the Jewish Sabbath, Saturday. Since the Sabbath was the seventh day of the week, the Resurrection occurred on Sunday, the first day of the new week. Thus, the Last Supper was on Thursday evening. After supper, the Lord went with the Apostles to the Garden of Gethsemane where He was seized by the Jews and brought before the Jewish Sanhedrin for trial that night. The Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) indicate that the Last Supper was the Passover Feast. The disciples ask Jesus: “Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?” He said, “‘Go into the city to such a one, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.’” (Mt 26:17-18, also Mk 14:12-15, Lk 22:7-11). This would seem to mean that the Last Supper was the Passover Feast.

However, John’s Gospel states: “Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.” (Jn 13:1) Then, John relates the Lord’s washing of the disciples’ feet and His betrayal by Judas at the Last Supper. When Jesus was brought before Pilate, on Good Friday, we read: Then they led Jesus from the House of Caiaphas to the praetorium. It was early. They themselves did not enter the praetorium, so that they might not be defiled, but might eat the Passover.” (Jn 18:28) John denies that the Passover Feast had taken place before the Lord’s seizure and trial. Was the Passover Feast on Thursday evening, the evening of the Last Supper, or was it on Friday evening, after the crucifixion of the Lord?

Some say that the Passover Feast was neither, but was celebrated by the Lord on Tuesday evening. As Pope Benedict and others have explained, there existed another calendar which placed the Passover always on a Wednesday. Thus, the Last Supper would have been eaten on Tuesday evening after sunset as a Passover Feast. Meanwhile, most of Jerusalem would have celebrated the Passover Feast following a different calendar where the Passover Feast was celebrated a few days later. If Jesus was seized by the Jewish authorities from the Garden of Gethsemane on Tuesday evening, not Thursday evening, that would leave more time for the events related between Gethsemane and the crucifixion such as the hearing before the Sanhedrin, Jesus being sent to Pilate, the dream of Pilate’s wife, Jesus being sent to Herod, the return to Pilate, the scourging of the Lord, the choice of Barabas over Jesus to be released, His condemnation, and the way of the Cross leading to crucifixion.

However, the extra time for all the above events is an argument against the Tuesday Last Supper. At this time, the population of Jerusalem was swelled with pilgrims for the Passover. Many of these had hailed Him as the “Son of David”. The pilgrims told the residents of Jerusalem, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee”. (Mt 21:11) The Jerusalem authorities did not want legal proceedings against Jesus which took several days since that would give time for an uprising to occur in defense of Jesus. Jesus, Himself, did not want extended proceedings since the Father commanded Him to die for our sins and not to be rescued in a violent uprising.

If the Last Supper was on Thursday, Holy Thursday, as was regarded by tradition, was it a Passover Feast, as it seemed to be indicated by the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, or was it the day before the Passover Feast, as indicated by the Gospel of John? In other words, in the year the Lord was crucified, was the Passover Feast on Thursday evening or Friday evening?

Placing the official Passover Feast on Thursday evening, before the Lord being seized in the garden of Gethsemane, the hearing before the High Priest, elders, and scribes, and the other events before His Crucifixion, has serious problems. Jesus was not seized and accused by the Romans; it was the Jewish authorities who arrested Him and brought Him to a trial before the High Priest, the elders, the scribes, and the witnesses who testified against Him. Did they do all of this right after eating the sacred Passover Feast? Was Good Friday, the day of the Lord’s crucifixion, the first day of Passover? No work was to be done on a solemn feast day. (Ex 12:16-17). It is much more reasonable to place the start of Passover and the sacred Passover Feast on Friday evening with the first day of Passover being Holy Saturday. After the Lord’s death, in John’s Gospel, we read: “Since it was the Day of Preparation, in order to prevent the bodies from remaining on the cross on the sabbath (for that sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they may be taken away.” (Jn 19:31) This seems to confirm that Holy Saturday was not only the sabbath but also the first day of Passover, “a high day”. We need to remember that the Jews counted the days from sunset to the following sunset. Thus, the sacred Passover feast would have been celebrated on Friday evening. This is what St. John asserts. (Jn 18:28)

Does the Gospel of John contradict the other Gospels? No. John’s Gospel, as well as the other Gospels show that Jesus was in command of the things which happened to Him. Of course, He was being obedient to the Father. In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus says “My Father, if it be possible, let this chalice pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” (Mt 26:39, also, Mk 13:35, Lk 22:42) He underwent everything for us but specifically in obedience to the Father. According to the Gospels, Jesus died at around “the ninth hour”. (Mt 27:46, Mk 15:34, Lk 23:44) This would be around 3 PM since the “day” started at 6 AM and ended at 6 PM. If Passover started at sunset on Friday evening, 3 PM Friday would be when the lambs in the Temple were being slaughtered for the Passover Feast. When John the Baptist first sees Jesus, he exclaims “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world!” (Jn: 1:29) John the Baptist was a prophet predicting the Lord’s death on the Cross three years later. The Lord’s death on the Preparation Day of the Passover when the Lambs were slaughtered in the Temple was His obedience to the command of the Father.

The question remains, however, as to why the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) indicate that the Last Supper was a Passover Feast while John’s Gospel denies it. If the Lord was commanded by the Father to die on the Cross as the sacrificial Lamb of God when the Passover Lambs were slaughtered in the Temple at 3 PM Friday, He could not partake of the Passover Feast on Friday evening since He would already be dead. Yet, He still wanted to “keep” the Passover with His disciples. (Mt 26:18) We need to recall that the Synoptic Gospels were most probably written before the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple by the Romans in 70 AD. Thus, the Temple sacrifices and the Passover Feast were still being carried out in Jerusalem. The many pilgrims were there because the Passover had to be celebrated in Jerusalem. Possibly it was permissible for someone who could not be in Jerusalem during the proper time of the Passover Feast to celebrate it early. The first readers of the Synoptic Gospels would have known this. On the other hand, John’s Gospel was written 20 or more years after the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple. Jews were no longer going to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. Since it is believed that John was the disciple “whom Jesus loved” (Jn 13:23), John wanted to make it clear that the Last Supper was not the official Passover Feast celebrated by most of the residents of Jerusalem.

Pope Benedict explains the relationship of the Last Supper to the Passover. One thing emerges clearly from the entire tradition: essentially, this farewell meal was not the old Passover, but the new one, which Jesus accomplished in this context. Even though the meal that Jesus shared with the Twelve was not a Passover meal according to the ritual prescriptions of Judaism, nevertheless, in retrospect, the inner connection of the whole event with Jesus’ death and Resurrection stood out clearly. It was Jesus’ Passover. And in this sense he both did and did not celebrate the Passover: the old rituals could not be carried out-when their time came, Jesus had already died. But he had given himself, and thus he had truly celebrated the Passover with them. The old was not abolished; it was simply brought to its full meaning.

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them.” (Mt 5:17) With the Last Supper, the Cross, and the Resurrection, the Lord was fulfilling the ultimate meaning of the Passover. It was not just about liberation from slavery to the Egyptians. It is about liberation from slavery to sin. – Jim Nugent, CfP