November 4, 1997   vol 8, no.23

Section One - Monday Features

Good Morning, Class, and thank you St. Charles!

    Today Catechists everywhere are celebrating the feast of their patron saint Saint Charles Borromeo. His story and the readings for today and tomorrow's Mass can be found in the LITURGY section of this edition.

Tuesday, November 4, 1997

Tuesday, November 4:
Feast of Saint Charles Borromeo, Bishop

Saint Charles Borromeo

Born into the influential de Medici family in 1538 at the height of the Protestant Revolution, Saint Charles Borromeo went on to become one of Holy Mother Church's staunchest defenders and one of the authors of the last session of the Council of Trent. He is venerated today as the Patron Saint of Seminarians and Catechists for Charles was always interested in the formation of seminarians and the need for all youth to understand their faith. He spoke from first-hand experience for a vocation was planted early in Charles' life and he was given the Clerical Tonsure at only 12 years old, then sent to the Benedictine Abbey of Saints Gratian and Felinus in Arona, Italy to complete his studies before receiving his doctorate in canon and civil law at the early age of 21 from the prestigious University of Pavia in 1559. Three years later he was ordained a priest and immediately called to Rome by Pope Pius IV who was the brother of Charles' mother Margaret de Medici. There he helped oversee the last stages of the Council of Trent, drawing up documents and guidelines for the liturgy of the faith. Almost immediately Charles was appointed Cardinal and Archbishop of Milan by his uncle Pope Pius IV. Before taking possession of the Diocese, he finished overseeing the catechism, breviary and missal called for by the Council of Trent. He remained in Rome until Pius IV died in 1565 and then, with permission from the new pontiff Pope Saint Pius V, returned to Milan to serve as Head of that See for the next 18 years. In 1566 he instituted in the Diocese of Trent a model See for that episcopate had been without a residen bishop for over 80 years. This became the model for all dioceses throughout Italy and beyond. He went to great lengths to install guidelines to enhance devotion and reverence, while improving morals and manners of the clergy and laity alike for both branches of the Church had fallen into a rut and apathy and amoralism ruled. Charles streamlined Diocesan operations and established seminaries so the clergy would not only be well-educated, but properly formed. To help implement this, he invited the Jesuits back into his Diocese for they had been banished in the past. He then founded the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine for the religious instruction of children everywhere. CCD remains today the benchmark for educating the youth to the faith throughout the world. As if Charles wasn't busy enough, he increased the aid to the poor, earmarking more Diocesan funds to assist the needy as well as establishing hospitals and hospices to tend to those who had fallen victim to the plague in 1576. So enraptured was he with the Christ's Gospel of the poor that he gave away all he had, wearing only an old patched cloak instead of the rich robes of a Cardinal. He also lent episcopal encouragement and guidance to the English missionaries by sending learned men to the English college at Douay in bringing the Bible up to date, in particular the Old Testament in the proper translation of the Latin Vulgate into English. Today the Douay-Rheims Version remains the benchmark for all Biblical translations though, unfortunately, newer versions have swayed from the true meanings of the words conveyed in the Douay-Rheims Version. Charles held eleven diocesan synods and six provincial councils during his tenure as well as founding an order of secular priests in 1578 - the Oblates of St. Charles, as they are known today, though when he founded the society it was the Oblates of St. Augustine. In addition to all this, he spoke tirelessly and ceaselessly against the dangers of Protestantism and encouraged lapsed Catholics to return to the fold. Naturally, when one is striving to do God's Will, satan will do all he can to confuse and mess up the good works by attacking the subject. This happened to Charles and he aroused much enmity in the Milan Senate over his wide-wielding power throughout the city and region. Though the Spanish dominated Lombardy, Charles fended off all efforts to allow the Spanish Inquisition in Milan. At the same time Protestantism was making great inroads in England where the Catholic Restoration which Mary Tudor had installed was being eroded by Queen Elizabeth; in France and the Netherlands religious wars were breaking out. Meanwhile in Milan St. Charles ruled with a velvet glove, kind and loving, but firm on maintaining all the Catholic Church teaches. Still, his enemies pressed on. Often times attempts were made to imprison the Archbishop of Milan, but each time he was exonerated by the Holy Father and King Philip II. There was even an attempted assassination on his life by a fanatic Humiliati priest Jerome Donati Farina because Charles had insisted that the Humiliati Order be reformed. Despite political machinations within the Milan government, Charles held his ground, excommunicating those who refused to obey and was subsequently upheld by higher authorities. When the plague broke out in 1576 Charles commandeered the clergy and religious to care for the afflicted. Because of the long two-year epidemic and the many who had died, the Diocese ran up a tremendous debt that took centuries to make up. In 1583 Charles, as an apostolic visitor in Switzerland - heart of the Reformation - preached feverishly against Protestantism and the spread of of witchcraft and sorcery. Though Charles had great power and influence, he used it humbly as a servant of the Church instilling a great reverence for the Blessed Sacrament and a love for all Holy Mother Church taught in his life-long mission to reform his beloved Church of the evils and abuses that had ravaged the clergy for so many years and spawned the Protestant Revolution. Charles was often seen in public procession, clutching his Crucifix with a noose around his neck as a sign of public penance, emphasizing the fact to all that all men are sinners and only through the One, True Church Jesus Christ founded can we be saved. Though he was only 46, the burdens of his duties and the aftermath of the plague took its toll on this dynamic saint who had personally attempted to feed over 60,000 people daily. Thus, Charles passed on to his Heavenly reward on November 4, 1584 in Milan.

Wednesday, November 5

Wednesday, November 5:
Thirty-first Wednesday in Ordinary Time

PRAYER & DEVOTION

    The Prayer for today is taken from the Ambrosian missal as the Preface for today's feast of Saint Charles Borromeo:

Today we wish to praise You as we recall our saintly bishop Charles, who glorified You by his eminent virtues. You gave him to the Church as a solicitous shepherd who was a shining light in the darkness of the world and, inflamed with ardent charity, was for your flock a mirror of life and a model of justice. He led to You the people entrusted to his care and in moments of difficulty he was able to sustain his people with dedicated love.

Everything you always wanted to know about Catholicism but didn't know where to find it!

    Yes, folks, there is such a site on the web. A simple, graphics site that is a virtual library of everything you'd want to look up on Catholicism, the saints, the popes, dogma, doctrine, etc. To find out more about this super site featured in today's Significant Sites click on Supersite to see a concise review of the New Advent Catholic Supersite.
   The site we're featuring today is a veritable virtual library of Catholic information. Operated by the Knight Organization, a Lakewood, Colorado-based non profit organization tied to Supernet a high tech company that specializes in web works. With these resources the Knight Organization is able to dedicate a sub-site from knight.org to using the web to spreading the Roman Catholic faith. It can be found at http://www.knight.org/advent/ it is probably the simplest of any site on the net. Though it is devoid of all graphics and photos except for the New Advent Catholic Supersite Logo on many pages. Whatever you want to look up, this site most probably has it. All categories are expertly alphabetized and getting to them is lightning quick. We dare you to find a site that downloads faster!

    Material is concise but complete and should be a favorite for all Catholic scholars and those interested in their faith. They have a limited links section, but that is not a deterrent. Strong on apologetics they provide links to Catholic Answers and Peter's Net - two exceptional sources along with several others. What this site lacks in graphic creativity, it makes up for in practicality, quantity, quality, immediacy and accuracy. They feature the entire work of the Summa Theologica along with the Catholic Encyclopedia and an impressive assortment of ancient Christian writings by monks, saints and Church Fathers. In a word it is a Cornucopia Collection of Catholic Treasure. Therefore, on a scale of ten Hail Mary's we're giving New Advent Catholic Supersite a full decade: Ten Hail Mary's.

Heavenly Healings!

Father John Hampsch, C.M.F>, the respected Conventual Father John Hampsch, C.M.F., the charismatic healing evangelist priest shares phenomenal accounts of healing and faith in Keys to Living God's Will. His column, composed of a excerpts from his best-selling book "Faith: Key to the Heart of God" has been a popular addition to this publication because of the many testimonials supplied. To hear it first hand, Click on "High Octane Healing" - part one to discover two great miracles that could only have come from Heaven.

Faith: Key to the Heart of God

Twelfthth installment: High Octane Healing part one

    I'd like to share with you several true incidences of healing because of faith. One evening several years ago I was anointing with oil after teaching about healing. About 100 people were still there, most having left already. After I went a few feet past one woman I anointed, she suddenly began to scream. I ran over and asked her what was the matter. "I'm healed, I'm healed!" she shouted.

   I asked her what exactly she had been healed of. "When I came in here tonight, I was blind, "she replied. "And now I can see!" Her husband came running over, hugged her and cried. He was almost delirious. We all stopped what we were doing and began to sing and praise God. She had tremendous faith, faith enough to believe that she was going to be healed of blindness. And she was.

   On another occasion, I was in a hotel in San Diego following a local television appearance. It was past midnight after a charismatic conference that was being held there, and many participants were jostling to be prayed over before leaving. There was one fellow who kept getting pushed out of the way. He waited until everyone else was finished, then came up to me. I asked his need and he let me know that he had a congenital total deafness, with consequent impairment of speech. Through a genetic inheritance factor, every member of his family had no eardrums. This was a brilliant young man who could speak seven languages but could hear none of them.

   He was certain he was going to be healed. As we prayed over him he heard something pop in his right ear. He was amazed for now he could hear in his right ear. We told him to check with a doctor which he did the following day. He went to his own specialist, a Jewish doctor who did not believe in Christ as a Healer or in miraculous healing. Upon examining this patient, however, he was astonished at what he saw. An eardrum had grown in the man's right ear and he could pass the hearing tests! Still deaf in the left ear, he now had perfect hearing in the right ear. With unquestioning faith, the young man invited the flabbergasted doctor to attend the charismatic conference with him the following night to watch the other ear get healed!

   I had breakfast with the healed man the next morning. I asked how he liked his gift of hearing. He said, "This is an unbelievable experience. I often wondered what a barking dog sounded like and this morning I heard a dog bark. What an experience! And I've never been able to hear my girlfriend's voice. Today I heard her voice. I'd never used a telephone before today. I called San Francisco from San Diego and talked to my friends who were elated and couldn't believe I was using a phone. They are so excited that they are flying down this afternoon to celebrate the miracle with me!"

   One ear at a time was healed - a two-phase miracle. This young man had no-doubt faith, which enabled others to see that God is alive, really alive. He wants to do things for us - all we have to do is release His power by exercising faith.

Next week: High Octane Healing - part two

THE HIDDEN WAY

The inspiring Lessons/Meditations from Our Lord and His Blessed Mother, imparted to the Hidden Flower of the Immaculate Heart in early 1995, carry with them tremendous inspiration and encouragement in our struggles of striving to do God's Will in all things. BLINK Click on THE STRUGGLES OF THIS LIFE BEAR FRUIT FOR ETERNAL LIFE.

Crusading for the Church

The Crusades are glorified today, but for those living in those medieval time, it was anything but glorious. Bloody and bowed they gave their all for Christ. In the forty sixth installment of our acclaimed on-going series on THE HISTORY OF THE MASS AND HOLY MOTHER CHURCH we detail the travails the 167th pontiff suffered through in launching the fateful Second Crusade. Click on Pope Blessed Eugene III: The Last of the Crusaders for Reform.

NEWS & VIEWS with a Catholic slant

HEADLINES:

Jews lay guilt trip on Vatican for not going far enough in Anti-Semitism Conference, but Pope humbly and nobly stands his ground

    The American head of the B'nai B'rith, Tommy P. Baer passed out a back-sided compliment to the Holy Father yesterday from his Washington D.C.. While he applauded the Pope's strong condemnation of anti-Semitism as a grave "offense against God and the Church," Baer took potshots at the Church that exposed his ignorance of the entire situation. Click on B'nai B'rith to read more.

Canadian Supreme Court waffles, then pancakes the poor fetus as persona non grata

    Here we go again! Now we have a triangle of decisions by Supreme Courts on the rights of the unborn and from Florida to California to Canada none make sense in the order of logic and life. In fact life is the issue that has died in the hearts of these lawmakers as they deny the God-given creation of the embryo and the dignity of the human being. Click on Canada to read more.

Will there or won't there be a Consistory this year?

    The much-anticipated Consistory may be off the board in Las Vegas, but in Church circles the odds are very much alive as "Vatican watchdogs" wage their opinions on when the Pope will officially call the Consistory, the first in three years, and who will be selected. Speculation is running amok as they watch the Holy Father's every move, trying to stay a step ahead of his thinking. Click on Odds to read more.

PROVERB OF THE DAY

"The tongue of the wise pours out knowledge, but the mouth of fools spurts forth folly."

Proverbs 15: 2

For all other standard features, articles and columns, click on Archives

Click here to go Section Two to print out the rest of the today's issue in Text

November 4, 1997 volume 8, no. 23         DAILY CATHOLIC


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