The Meaning of the Praesidium (An Allocution to the Legion of Mary)

Among the various meanings, which the word praesidium can have, there is a fairly wide variety. The base meaning of the word over the whole period from Classical to Late Medieval Latin is "protection." In this sense, we find, for example, the Latin translation of a second century Coptic prayer to the Most Holy Mother of God, Sub Tuum Praesidium, the prayer that is generally rendered in English as something like: "we flee to your patronage, O Holy Mother of God. Despise not our prayers in our necessities, but you, who alone are pure and blessed, deliver us from all danger."

The rest of the meanings of this word are connected to this base meaning and are born from it. For example, the word can also mean a military detachment. In this sense, by the height of the Classical period this word had replaced the earlier word "manipulum" (maniple) to mean a small group of soldiers from a legion. What may have hastened the demise and replacement of the latter word was the fact that by the end of the Classical period a maniple was already becoming a fancy purse worn on the left arm by gentlemen and ladies doing business in the market. Then too, also equally connected to the base meaning is the derivative meaning of praesidium as a "garrison." This meaning of the word survives in several Romance languages, such as Spanish and Rumanian. In fact, near where my parents live there are very impressive ruins known as the Presidio San Saba, an old Spanish garrison, which takes its proper name because it is on the San Saba River.

As far as the thinking of legionaries in regard to the praesidium, it seems to me that there is a two-fold assignment. First, we must hold to the base meaning of the word in a full and real way and we must embrace the consequences that the derivative meanings show us in relation to the base meaning.

In terms of the base meaning, our obligation is reducible to the following: Mary, the Most Holy Mother of God, must be our protection. Our faith and our hope have to be, in a special way, in her. We need to have a deep confidence and a great sense of accountability to Our Most Holy Lady. In a chapter entitled "Consultation with Mary," Father Emile Neubert in his book Life in Union with Mary, asks an important rhetorical question when considering the will's responsibilities vis-a-vis the silencing of the passions and self-love, "how many human beings are afraid to look at their passions and egotism?" He goes on to answer, "Close to Mary, we do not fear to look; close to her the passions are calm, egotism is ashamed of itself; close to her we are sincere. 'Every man is a liar," says the Holy Spirit. We deceive our neighbor; even more often, we deceive our own conscience. But we cannot deceive our heavenly Mother. To her, we confess all: egotism, hypocrisy, cowardice; before her, we recognize the rights of truth, no matter how exacting. For, even if we love ourselves very much, we love her more. Hence, we never see our duty so clearly and so quickly as when we examine it in the presence of Mary." Thus, we see in the light of this quote that the Most Holy Mother of God is indeed our protection and help and we have unlimited access to that protection and help through consultation, through putting all our works before her and asking her in sincerity of heart to accept or reject them. Those inspirations, which she accepts, we follow through with, while those she rejects, we reject with complete confidence in her. Thus, she acts affirmatively in our defense as an ever-present guide.

But, this brings us to derivative meanings of the word praesidium. First, it is worth noting that the Hebrew word for garrison is metsudah. This word is used by King David many, many times in the Psalms to describe God Himself. God is David's metsudah, Who keeps him safe even in the most trying circumstances. As we have said, we put our faith and our confidence in the Most Holy Mother of God as our metsudah, but, do we look upon the praesidium as a visible manifestation of that protection? Further, do we believe that the sure guidance of the Most Holy Mother of God comes to us through the praesidium? Do we allow the voice of the Mother of God in the praesidium to be a commanding voice, or do we just allow the praesidium to affirm us in what we wanted to do anyway? Does the voice of the Mother of God in the praesidium have the power to impose hardship and inconvenience by obliging us to do something that is contrary to our will? Does it make us stretch beyond what we find agreeable?

Let us beg the Most Holy Mother of God to be our praesidium in the all the ways of our life. Let us consult her concerning every action and place before her every option, and with confidence let us trust her, gently conforming us to her Son, Who said, "I have not come to do My own will, but the will of Him, Who sent Me, the Father."

ЧЕСНОТИ, ЯКІ НЕСУТЬ НАС ДО БОГА THE VIRTUES THAT BRING US TO GOD

Нехай зосереджуємось на перших чотирьох віршах цього євангельського читання, бо там ми знайдемо дуже великий скарб інших значень, які є корисними для нашого життя.  Перш за все, читання нам каже, що Господь Ісус називає село Капернаум Його домом, «Коли ж Він по кількох днях прийшов знов до Капернауму, то чутка пішла, що Він удома.» Тут ми маємо вираз таїнства, яке ми бачимо також у Євангелії від Святого Йоана, «І Слово сталося тілом, і перебувало між нами.» Це таїнство, яке Пророк Ісая виражає, коли він нам каже, що ім’я Месії є «Еммануїл», що означає «З нами Бог.» Бог робить Його дім між нами, і, якщо ми не бачимо цього факту, це заради наших гріхів, бо гріх творить сліпоту, яка нам не дозволить бачити нічого за межами світу почуття. Бог є завжди недалеким від нас, але ми можемо бути дуже далекими від Бога. 

Let us focus on the first four verses of this Gospel reading, since there we find a very great treasure of different meanings, which are profitable for our life.  First of all, the reading tells us that the Lord Jesus calls the village of Capernaum His home, “After a few days, He came again to Capernaum, and the rumour was spread about that He was at home.” Here we have an expression of the mystery, which we see also in the Gospel according to St. John, “and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.” This mystery is the very same that the Prophet Isaiah expresses, when he tells us that the name of the Messiah is “Emmanuel,” which means “God with us.” God makes His home among us, and, if we do not see this fact, it is because of our sins, since sin creates a blindness that does not allow us to see anything beyond the world of the senses.  God is always near to us, but we can be very far from God. 

Тому що ми є людьми, в нас прагнення до Бога, навіть якщо ми не є свідомими цієї правди.  Так, як Святий Августин нам каже: «Наші серця були створеними для Тебе, О Господи, і вони без спочинку від часу, коли спочивають у Тобі.»  Отже, присутність Бога зібрала нас так, як читання нам каже: «І зібралось багато.» Це опис Святої Церкви, бо у Одкровенні Святого Апостола Йоана Богослова ми читаємо: «Потому я гля́нув,-- і ось натовп великий, що його порахувати не може ніхто, з усякого люду, і племе́н, і народів, і язи́ків, стояв перед престолом і перед Агнцем, зодягнений в білу одежу, а в їхніх руках було пальмове ві́ття.» Фактично, термін «церква», по-грецьки «екклесі́а» відноситься до концепту зібрання людей. Бог збирає нас так, як диявол розділяє нас, бо «діаволос» означає джерело розділення. Тож, текст Євангелії нам каже, що «аж вони не вміщалися навіть при дверя́х.» Не було достатньо мі́сця для всіх тих, які хотіли слухати Ісуса. Як можливо не достатньо місця у Святій Церкві, у Тілі Христовім? Ці стіни і перешкоди є штучними, і вони є свідченням гріха, навіть у церковному житті. Часто, люди стають віддаленими від Святої Церкви, тому що їхні гріхи або гріхи громади роблять їх, щоб бути неба́жаними.  Ми знайдемо цю тему у інших місцях також. Наприклад, у Євангелії від Святого Луки, ми читаємо, «І сталось, як були вони у Вифлеємі, то настав їй день народити. І породила вона свого Пе́рвенця Сина, і Його сповила́, і до ясел покла́ла Його—бо в заї́зді місця не стало для них.» Не було місця у серцях людей для Месії, Сина Божого.  Так, як чоловіки, які носили розслабленого до Ісуса, ми потребуємо знищити стіни і перешкоди між нами і Богом—стіни і перешкоди, які ми збудували. 

Since we are human beings, our aspiration is to God, even if we are not aware of this truth. Just as Saint Augustine tells us: “Our hearts were made for You, O Lord, and they are restless until they rest in You.” Therefore, the presence of God has gathered us, just as the reading tells us: “And many people were gathered together.” This is a description of the Holy Church, for, in the Apocalypse of the Holy Apostle John the Theologian, we read: “Then I looked, and there was a great crowd that no one could count, from every people, tribe, nation and tongue, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white garments, and in their right hands were palm fronds.” In fact, the term “church,” in Greek “ekklesía” refers to the concept of the gathering of people. God gathers us, just as the devil divides us, for “diavolos” means the source of division.  So, the text of the Gospel tells us that “there was no room in the house, even around the door.” There was not enough room for all those, who wanted to hear Jesus. How is it possible that there would not be enough room in the Holy Church, in the Body of Christ? These walls and obstacles are man-made, and they are evidence of sin, even in the life of the Church. Often, people become alienated from the Church, because their sins or the sins of the community make them unwelcome.  We find this theme in other places as well. For example, in the Gospel of St. Luke, we read, “And it happened that while they were in Bethlehem, the day of her delivery arrived. She bore her first-born Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger—since there was no room for them in the place where travelers lodge.” There was no room in the hearts of human beings for the Messiah, the Son of God. Just like the men, who carried the paralytic to Jesus, we need to destroy the walls and obstacles between us and God—walls and obstacles that we have built.

Як ми починаємо нищити ці стіни і перешкоди? Через практику певних чеснот. Розслаблений вноситься чотирьма чоловіками, і ця деталь не є шансом. Чотири чоловіки нагадують нам про чотири чесноти, які вдосконалюють наше природне життя у цьому світі: мудрість, справедливість, мужність і поміркованість.  Ми чуємо назви цих чеснот дуже часто, щоб вони стали спеціальними при́ятелями і допоміжниками.  І це добре, тому що кожна чеснота є аспектом нашого Бога.  Мудрість є присутньою всюди у сотворенні, тому що ми оглядаємо приємний задум, яким Він сотворив все. Справедливість Бога є також гарною річчю, заради її перфектности—добрі є перфектно нагородженими, і злі є перфектно пока́раними. Фактично, ми спостерігаємо ці всі чесноти у житті Господа Ісуса, і, задля цієї причини, ми повинні роздумувати над Євангелієм, щоб стало нашим шляхом життя.  Важливість інших двох чеснот у житті Господньому і у нашому житті повинна бути наголошеною, бо чеснота мужности нам допомагає контролювати наш гнів, але чеснота поміркованости навчає нас контролювати наше бажання для задоволення.  Обидві чесноти є есенціальними для здорового людського життя.  Тут знову, ми бачимо багато прикладів святих чеснот у житті Господньому. Мужність є дуже присутньою у тексті Євангелія.  У Його стражданні, Господь Ісус терпів многотерпінням. Він не обра́зився на Його ворогів, але приймав Його біль самовладанням.  Подібним способом, чеснота поміркованости. У певних часах, Господь Ісус моли́вся всю ніч, практику́ючи самозречення.

How do we begin to destroy these walls and obstacles? Through the practice of certain virtues. The paralytic was carried by four men, and this detail is not by chance. The four men remind us concerning the four virtues that perfect our natural life in this world: prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance. We hear the names of these virtues so often that they become special friends and helpers.  This is good, because each virtue is an aspect of our God. Wisdom is present everywhere in Creation, because we observe the pleasant design by which He created everything.  The justice of God is also a beautiful thing, on account of its perfection—the good are perfectly rewarded, while the wicked are perfectly punished.  In fact, we observe all these virtues in the life of the Lord Jesus, and, for this reason, we should meditate on the Gospel, so that it becomes our way of life.  The importance of the other two virtues in the life of the Lord and in our life ought to be emphasized, since the virtue of fortitude helps us to control our anger, but the virtue of temperance teaches us to control our desire for pleasure.  Both virtues are essential to the healthy, human life. Here again, we see a lot of examples of the holy virtues in the Lord’s life.  Fortitude is very present in the text of the Gospel. In His suffering, the Lord Jesus endured by great long-suffering. He did not give insult to His enemies, but accepted His pain with equanimity.  In a similar way, there is the virtue of temperance. At certain times, the Lord Jesus prayed the whole night, practicing self-denial.

Отож, ми можемо молитися: Господи Ісусе, я приходжу до Тебе розслаблений у моїх гріхах, дай мені участь у всіх цих чеснотах. Допомагай мені, щоб читати Євангелія з розумінням і імітувати те, що є там, бо, дійсно, чесноти, які я практикую у моєму житті, є живим текстом Євангелія. Нехай ці чесноти стають моїми спеціальними допоміжниками у знищенні всіх стін і перешкод у мені. Нехай вони носять мене до Тебе, щоб приймати зцілення і вічне життя.

Thus, we can pray: Lord Jesus, I come to You a paralytic in my sins. Grant me a share in all these virtues. Help me to read the Gospel with understanding and imitate that which is there, since, truly, the virtues that I practice in my life are the living text of the Gospel. Let these virtues become my special helpers in the destruction of all the walls and obstacles in me.  Let them carry me to You, so that I can receive healing and eternal life.

The balance of prayer and work in the apostolate (An allocution to the Legion of Mary)

The reading from the handbook today had these interesting and important sentences: "The Church was founded to spread the kingdom of Christ over all the earth for the glory of God the Father, to make all men partakers in redemption and salvation and through them to establish the right relationship of the entire world to Christ. Every activity of the Mystical Body with this in view goes by the name of "apostolate."" This quote reveals to us something once quite well known by now mostly forgotten. It speaks of "apostolate" in the same sense that Dom Chautard used it when he wrote the classic book The Soul of the Apostolate. For those who have not read it, the point of the book was to illustrate the balance that must exist between prayer and apostolic work. According to Chautard, in order for the apostle to be effective and fruitful in his apostolate, he must spend a great deal of time in the work of mental prayer. For Chautard, the truly important part of apostolic work was the prayer that preceded and followed the work. For Chautard, apostolate means apostolic work, work that extends the Kingdom of Heaven in this world. There is in Chautard, and in the handbook for that matter, no confusion with the concept of "ministry," a term which, in Chautard's day was used solely for the exercise of ordained ministries within the Church and for the needs of the Church. In our contemporary circumstances, we often meet examples of lay people with the Church, who say, "I have a ministry that does this or that." In Chautard's terms, what they mean is "apostolate." The difference between the two has been effaced to the detriment of the life of Church.

Chautard's concept of fruitful apostolate had its root and fruit in prayer, and not just superficially so. In this image, what we should have in mind is the roots of a tree going very deep into the earth's water table, gaining support and stability, because, regardless of how large the tree may appear to be above ground, most of its existence, structurally and nutritively speaking, is below the surface of the earth. Yet, at the same time, its growth upwards towards the light of the sun is crowned by the glory of its fruit, the end product of the tree's whole being. For Chautard, this fruit is prayer as well. Prayer prepares for the work, but the work inevitably leads back to prayer, for this is the practical manifestation of the truth enunciated by Christ Himself, "apart from Me, you can do nothing." In truth, for those engaged in much apostolic work, Chautard observes as well as many others, a wondrous overlapping and blending begins to take place between the apostle's prayer and work. Like a log in the fire, it becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish where prayer end and work begins or vice versa. A good example of this can be seen in the life of the Russian-Canadian mystic Catherine Doherty. Catherine knew very well what work was. She founded the community, which she called Friendship House in Toronto in 1932, a work she continued in Harlem, NY in 1938. Friendship House in time morphed into the Madonna House apostolate, which today has hundreds of members in several countries. Despite the hard work of establishing and sustaining these foundations, Catherine's intuition was that most of the "work" was done in prayer, and that, even more importantly, at a certain point, the work itself became pervaded by prayer. Thus, Catherine would speak of simple tasks in terms of apostolic work. She testified that there is "apostolic sweeping," "apostolic dishwashing," and any other mundane work that can be imagined could also, potentially be "apostolic." How could this be? Through prayer. It was prayer that was rarefying and sanctifying merely menial work, making use of it to extend the Heavenly Kingdom.

What can we take from the insights of such a one as Chautard in the areas of prayer and work in the apostolate. First of all, we have to remember the necessity of having our roots in firmly, completely immersed in prayer. Effectiveness and fruitfulness depend on this and this alone. This point is a bitter and hard pill to swallow for a Church that is so contemporarily busy (just like society at large is busy), engaged in a host of projects that amounts to the heresy of "salvation by programs." Secondly, we should learn to take the fruit of our apostolic work to prayer as well, for just as we derive the strength for our fruitful work from God, we also turn over the fruits of our work to Him, for Him to judge their worth under His all-knowing but also all-loving eyes. It all belongs to Him. We are unprofitable servants. At best, we only do what we ought to do.

Під тінню Всемогутнього: близькість з Богом в образах дерев Under the Shade of the Almighty: intimacy with God in tree imagery

 

Бути в тіні дерева є райським образом близькості з Богом

Being in the shade of a tree is a paradisal image of intimacy with God

Сьогодні в Євангельському читанні ми почули про зустріч Господа нашого Ісуса Христа зі своїм апостолом Натанаїлом (по-іншому Варфоломеєм). Під час цієї зустрічі Господь вимовляє таємничі слова: «перш ніж Пилип покликав тебе, Я бачив тебе під фіговим деревом». Щоб зрозуміти ці слова, такі наповнені, насправді, багатозначними, нам потрібно поміркувати над значенням дерев у всій Біблії.

Today, in the Gospel reading, we heard about the encounter of Our Lord Jesus Christ with His Apostle Nathaniel (otherwise known as Bartholomew). In this encounter, the Lord utters the mysterious words, "before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree." In order to make sense of these words, so full of meaning, in fact, many meanings, we need to meditate on the significance of trees in the whole of the Bible.

В першу чергу слід задуматися про те, що перебування під деревом – райський образ. У біблійній розповіді про початок нашої раси наші прабатьки жили в Раю. Рай був місцем дуже красивих, запашних і плодоносних дерев. Перші люди жили в тіні цих дерев. Крім того, це тінисте місце було місцем божественного спілкування між людьми та Богом. У третьому розділі Книги Буття розповідається, що Бог прийшов у сад у найспекотнішу пору дня, шукаючи чоловіка та його дружину, щоб Він міг бути з ними та поговорити з ними. На стародавньому Близькому Сході найспекотніша частина дня — це час відпочинку, розмов, легкої розваги та дрімоти. Перебування під райськими деревами було символом близькості з Богом. Коли люди виявилися негідними такої близькості, Бог вигнав їх із цього тінистого місця.

In the first place, we should reflect on the fact that being under a tree is a paradisal image. In the Bible's account of the beginning of our race, our first parents dwelt in Paradise. Paradise was a place of very beautiful, fragrant and fruit-bearing trees. The first human beings were to live under the shade of these trees. Furthermore, this shady place was to be the setting for divine communication between human beings and God. The third chapter of the Book of Genesis tells us that God came to the garden in the hottest part of the day, looking for the man and his wife, so that He could be with them and talk with them. In the ancient Near East, the hottest part of the day is a time of leisure, conversation, light recreation and napping. Being under the trees of Paradise was a symbol of intimacy with God. When the human beings proved unworthy of that intimacy, God drove them out of that shady place.

Дерева є дуже важливими в Божому Слові, і розташування під ними часто є натяком на божественну безпеку

Trees are very important in God's Word and the position underneath them is often an allusion to divine safety

Проте після гріхопадіння людей цей символ залишився дуже важливим у Божому об’явленні нам. З решти Біблії ми бачимо, що Бог дозволив Своїм вибраним відчути частину цієї близькості з Ним у різний час. Наприклад, у свої ранні роки в Ханаані Авраам жив у тіні дуже стародавнього дерева, Теребінту Мамре. Саме під тінню цього дерева сам Бог відвідав Авраама в образі трьох чоловіків і пообіцяв йому народження сина і спадкоємця Ісаака. Подібним чином Авраам побудував свій перший жертовник Господу під теребінтом Море поблизу Сихема. Місцеве населення того краю вважало тінь цього дерева святим місцем.

Nevertheless, after the fall of human beings into sin, the symbol remained very important in God's revelation to us. We see from the rest of the Bible that God allowed His chosen ones to experience a portion of this intimacy with Him at various times. In his early years in Canaan, for example, Abraham dwelt under the shade of the very ancient tree, the Terebinth of Mamre. It was under the shade of this tree that God Himself visited Abraham in the form of three men and promised to him the birth of his son and heir, Isaac. Similarly, Abraham built his first altar to the Lord under the Terebinth of Moreh near Shechem. The local people of that region considered the shade of this tree to be a holy place.

Подібним чином положення під деревом вважається святим місцем у багатьох уривках зі Святого Письма. Часто використання таких місць для поклоніння ідолам є причиною Божого невдоволення Його народом.

In a very similar way, the position underneath a tree is considered a holy place in many passages from the Scriptures. Often, the use of such places for the worship of idols is the cause of God's displeasure with His people.

Приклади зі Старого Завіту і що вони нам показують

Examples from the Old Testament and what they show us

Старий Завіт неодноразово показує нам важливість дерев і їхньої тіні. У Книзі Второзаконня, наприклад, Господь забороняє ізраїльському народу рубати дерева своїх ворогів під час облоги міста. Господь ставить риторичне запитання: «Хіба польові дерева вороги людини, щоб їх рубати?» У цьому Господь, здається, має особливу прихильність до дерев, яка насправді є прихильністю до нас, прислухаючись до Його пам’яті про наш час близькості з Ним у Раю.

The Old Testament repeatedly shows us the importance of trees and their shade. In the Book of Deuteronomy, for example, the Lord forbids the Israelite people to chop down their enemies' trees during the siege of a city. The Lord asks the rhetorical question, "Are the trees of the field man's enemies that they should be chopped down?" In this, the Lord seems to have a special affection for trees, which is really an affection for us, hearkening back to His memory of our time of intimacy with Him in Paradise.

Необхідність поставити себе під «тінню» Бога

The necessity of putting ourselves under the "shade" of God

Мабуть, найважливішим із текстів Старого Завіту, в якому використовується цей образ, є дев’яностий псалом. Початкові слова цього псалма такі: «Той, хто живе під покровом Всевишнього і перебуває в тіні Всемогутнього, говорить до Господа: «Моє пристановище, моя твердиня, мій Бог, на якого я надіюсь». Тут, живучи в Тіні Божій – це образ віри та довіри.Це образ, який має бути поруч із нами в щоденних обставинах, особливо в дні Великого посту. Нам потрібно бути в тіні нашого Всемогутнього Бога, щоб усунути з нашого життя все, що відокремлює нас або прагне відділити нас від Бога. Тільки з Його допомогою і через близькість з Ним ми зможемо вирости до Його досконалої подоби.

Perhaps the most important of the texts of the Old Testament, which use this image is the ninetieth Psalm. That Psalm's opening words are: "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High and abides in the shade of the Almighty says to the Lord, "My refuge, my fortress, my God in Whom I trust." Here, living in the shade of God is an image of faith and trust. It is an image that should be near to us in our daily circumstances, especially in the days of Great Lent. We need to be in the shade of our Almighty God, in order for us to eliminate from our lives everything that separates us or tends to separate us from God. Only with His help and through intimacy with Him will we be able to grow into His perfect likeness.

Як довірити себе таким чином

How to entrust ourselves in this way

Але як нам ефективно довірити себе Його доброті та провидінню, особливо коли ми дотримуємося посту? Ну, перш за все, через молитву. Якщо ми щоранку, коли прокидаємося, жертвуємо себе Богові, лише ця практика значною мірою допоможе зміцнити нашу довіру. Якщо ми додамо́ до цієї практики час подяки та іспиту совісти ввечері перед сном, ми зробимо перший крок до того, щоб прожити весь день у присутності та під проводом Бога. Але найбільшою допомогою для того, щоб довірити себе Божій опіці, щоб жити в Його тіні, є розмова з Ним через поєднання читання та роздумів. Щодня виділяйте час, щоб прочитати, а потім поговорити з Богом про прочитане.

But how do we effectively entrust ourselves to His goodness and providence, especially as we observe the Fast? Well, first of all, through prayer. If we offer ourselves to God every morning when we wake up, this practice alone will go a long way towards building our trust. If we add to this a time of thanksgiving and examination in the evening before we go to bed, we will be making the first step towards living the entire day in the presence and under the guidance of God. But the greatest aid to entrusting ourselves to God's loving care, of living in His shade, is to converse with Him through the combination of reading and reflection. Set aside time each day to read and then to speak to God about what you read.

 

Probation and promise: The life of this world and the Kingdom of Heaven

 Today the handbook began to discuss the matter of membership in the Legion of Mary. This membership hinges upon the concepts of probation and promise. It is useful for us to meditate on the significance of these concepts in our individual Christian lives, so that we can better appreciate their role in the structure of the Legion of Mary.

First, it should be noted that we can and indeed should look upon the entire life of this world as probation. On a recent Sunday, Meatfare Sunday in the Byzantine Rite, we heard the parable of the Last Judgment as it is recounted in Matthew's Gospel, chapter 25. There we see the final result: those who successfully passed the probation and those that failed it.

It is incumbent on us to always take our lives seriously as probation for the inheritance in the Kingdom of God. We have the lives of the saints to provide almost boundless encouragement in this regard. St. Alphonsus Liguori, for example, early in his life, made the determination to never waste any time. This fact alone explains how he became such a prolific writer (writing more than forty books during his lifetime, which includes the encyclopedic Moral Theology). Really, when St. Alphonsus made that resolution early in his life, he was only reiterating the determination of so many others, who had gone before him. Although they were not as prolific in written work, the early monks, the inhabitants of the desert, were animated by a similar resolution. They would rise to pray, sit down to their work, rise for prayer again, and so on throughout their days, concentrating on the faithfulness of the moment. This was important because their lives were probation for the Heavenly Kingdom.

In the same way that the Church teaches us to look upon the whole of our life in this world as probation, she also teaches us to regard significant segments of it as probation. For example, preparation for the Lord's Mysteries, especially Baptism, are marked by periods of preparation, and certain celebrations of the feasts of the Church are too preceded by periods of preparation. The greatest example of this last point is the season of Great Lent in which we find ourselves. At the end of Great Lent is the joy of the Resurrection of Christ from the dead, just as, at the end of the probation of this life is the joy of our entry into the Kingdom of God and, ultimately, our resurrection in Christ.

Just as we see in the example of Baptism, probation brings us to promise. Promise is the image of our inheritance in the Kingdom itself. Promise is no longer the way to reward. It is the reward. At the culmination of our probationary life in this world, we enter into the fullness of the Kingdom of Heaven. The completion of probation in this life is a foretaste of that inheritance. We will always have the duties and obligations of working for God, being His viceroys in His Creation. Here, in this world, we exercise that role with toil. In the next world, the aspect of toil is taken away. We can call toil our punishment for sin. Certainly, this is suggested by the wording of God's sentence upon our first-father Adam. But, on the other hand, we must remember that toil is instructive. This fact, I think, is the evidence of the seamless goodness of God. Even though, in strict justice, He has a right to punish, He chooses to chide, to chastise us in a way that teaches and benefits us. Toil teaches us virtue in ways that nothing else can.

Fulfilling your duties, your assignments as members of the Legion of Mary is a good example of working for God in this life. It is a foretaste of the life of the Kingdom of God, but it also contains toil. What we must do is embrace the toil and embrace it fully. Gather in everything that God is trying to teach us, learn the virtues that God wants to impart. Toil comes to us in a multitude of forms, and we must respond as to God Himself. Obedience to circumstance is obedience to God.

Великий піст: маленьке життя в нашому житті Great Lent: A little life within our life

Під час Великого посту Церква, службу за службою, діє через Великопосну Тріодь, богослужбову книгу, що містить усі покаянні служби цієї пори року. Часто в поезії Тріоді Великий піст порівнюють з океаном, який ми перепливаємо в човні. Поезія Тріоді часто згадує наш прогрес у цій подорожі. На четвертому тижні, наприклад, у гімнах сказано: «перепливаючи середину посту». Коли ми читаємо такі слова, ми повинні пам’ятати, що так само це життя є подорожжю, якою ми пливемо, щоб ми могли прийти до безпечної гавані в Царстві Небесному. Подібно до того, як піст включає страждання, бо ми прагнемо брати участь у стражданнях Христа, щоб ми також могли брати участь у Його славетному воскресінні, так само це життя включає страждання. Єдиний спосіб, у який страждання може бути безглуздим і нищівни́м для нас, це якщо ми справді не віримо в Ісуса. Зрештою, Він є Богом, який прийшов у Своє Сотворення, прийнявши сотворену природу, зазнавши страждань, зневаги та смерті заради нас. Таким чином Він показав глибину Своєї любові до нас. Ні, навпаки, для тих, хто вірить в Господа Ісуса, страждання стає знаряддям спілкування з Ним, а перебування з Ним приносить радість. Християни – це люди, які страждають і водночас мають радість.

During Great Lent, the Church works its way, service by service, through the Lenten Triodion, the liturgical book containing all the penitential services of this time of year. Often, in the poetry of the Triodion, Great Lent is compared to an ocean that we are crossing in a boat. The Triodion's poetry makes frequent reference to our progress in this voyage. In the fourth week, for example, the hymns say, "sailing across the midpoint of the Fast." As we read words such as these, we need to remember that, in the same way, this life is a voyage through which we are sailing, so that we can come to safe harbor in the Kingdom of Heaven. In the same way that the Fast involves suffering, for we seek to share in the sufferings of Christ, so that we can share also in His glorious resurrection, so too does this life involve suffering. The only way that suffering can be meaningless and crushing for us is if we do not truly believe in Jesus. He, after all, is God having come into His Creation, having assumed a created nature, having undergone suffering, abjection and death for our sakes. By this means, He showed the depth of His love for us. No, on the contrary, for those who believe in the Lord Jesus, suffering becomes an instrumental means of communion with Him, and being with Him brings joy. Christians are a people who suffer and yet have joy.

Ми сприймаємо піст під час Великого посту (як і в інші пори року) як символ усіх інших страждань, сполучених із стражданнями Христа Бога нашого. Коли ми страждаємо в цьому житті, Христос завжди присутній з нами. У контексті наших страждань (якими б вони не були, як великими, так і малими) ми приєднуємося до Нього на Його Хресній Дорозі, де, утішаючи Його в Його стражданнях, Він зміцнює нас і навчає чеснот, в яких ми повинні бути вдосконаленими, щоб увійти в Його Царство. Нашого входу в те Царство Він хоче більше за все. Щоб здійснити це спасіння, Бог часто знімає з нас усе, здавалося б, як зайве, змушуючи нас все більше покладатися на Нього. Цей процес «роздягання» може бути надзвичайно болісним і часто випробовує нашу віру, оскільки ми стикаємося з речами, які здаються нещастям і горем (тілесні хвороби, психічні захворювання, смерть близьких, фінансові проблеми). В усіх цих речах ми повинні пам’ятати, що Бог керується співчуттям у тому, що Він нам посилає. У своїй крихітності ми не можемо зрозуміти «загальної картини». Ми ще не можемо зрозуміти, як виглядають ті речі, які ми називаємо нещастям і горем, з точки зору Царства Небесного. У затемненій кімнаті нам може здатися, що хтось стоїть у кутку. Лише тоді, коли ми вмикаємо світло, ми бачимо, що те, що ми вважали людиною, — лише торшер. Ми можемо знову вимкну́ти світло, але ніколи не зможемо повернутися до думки, що той торшер — це людина. Таким же чином, коли ми нарешті подивимося на наші нещастя та печалі з точки зору Божого Царства, ми зрозуміємо доброту та співчуття Бога, і нам буде неможливо думати про ті речі, як у минулому. Цей уро́к дає нам сам Господь Ісус, коли порівнює наше життя в цьому світі з усіма його стражданнями до страждань жінки породіллі. Після народження дитини мати не пам'ятає свого болю, але її переповнює радість від народження свого малюка.

We embrace fasting during Great Lent (as at other times of the year) as an emblem of all other suffering, joined to the suffering of Christ our God. While we are suffering in this life, Christ is always present to us. In the context of our sufferings (whatever they be, both great and small) we join Him on His Way of the Cross (Хресна Дорога), wherein, as we console Him in His sufferings, He strengthens us and teaches us the virtues in which we must be perfected, in order to enter His Kingdom. Our entrance into that Kingdom is what He wants more than anything else. In order to bring that salvation about, God will often strip away from us, seemingly, everything as superfluity, causing us more and more to rely on Him. This process of "stripping away" can be extremely painful and often test our faith, as we encounter things that seem like misfortune and sorrow (bodily sickness, mental illness, the death of loved ones, financial problems). In all these things, we must remember that God is motivated by compassionate in what He sends us. In our tininess, we cannot understand "the big picture." We cannot as yet perceive how these things that we call misfortune and sorrow look from the vantage point of the Heavenly Kingdom. In a darkened room, we may think that someone is standing in the corner. Only when we turn on the light can we see that what we thought was a person is only a floor lamp. We can turn off the lights again, but we can never go back to thinking that that floor lamp is a person. In the same way, when we at last see our misfortunes and sorrows from the vantage point of God's Kingdom, we will understand the goodness and compassion of God and it will be impossible for us to ever go back to thinking about those things in the same way. The Lord Jesus Himself teaches us this lesson when He compares our life in this world with all its sufferings to a woman in childbirth. After the child is born, she does not remember her pain, but she is overcome with joy at the birth of her little one.

Отже, ми бачимо, що піст є символом. Це маленьке життя в нашому житті. З цієї причини його часто називають десятиною року-- дуже точно десятою частиною року. Ми повинні подбати про те, щоб прожити його добре, з такими ідеалами, які ми хотіли б бути присутніми у всьому нашому житті. Таким чином, це також лабораторія, в якій ми маємо можливість експериментувати з тим, що працює, а що ні в наших індивідуальних обставинах, прагнучи наслідувати Христа. Піст стано́вить лише десяту частину року. Ми можемо експериментувати з цим і робити героїчні вчинки, не боячись якось остаточно пошкодити нашу реальність у решті року. Наприклад, ми можемо прибо́ркати своє бажання розваг і новин і наблизитися до Бога в молитві, віддаючи перевагу проведенню часу з Ним, а не нашим звичайним розвагам. Це експеримент. Наприкінці посту ми можемо виявити, що наш спокій став набагато сильнішим, а любов – сильнішою, що ми навіть не захочемо повертатися до своїх колишніх практик.

Thus, we see that the Fast is a symbol. It is a little life within our life. For this reason, it is often called the tithe of the year-- very precisely a tenth of the year. We should take care to live it well, with the kind of ideals that we would like to be present in all our life. In this way, it is also a laboratory, in which we have the opportunity to experiment with what works and does not work in our individual circumstances, striving to follow Christ. The Fast is only a tenth of a year. We can experiment in it and do heroic things without fear of somehow permanently damaging our reality in the remainder of the year. For example, we can curb our desires for entertainment and news and draw near to God in prayer, choosing to spend time with Him in preference to our ordinary amusements. This is the experiment. We may find, by the end of the Fast, that our peace is so much greater and our love so much stronger that we do not even want to return to our former things.

Тож, браття, закликаю вас щиро постити, але передусім молитися. Крім того, принесіть щось бідним. Таким чином ми матимемо корисний піст і покращене життя, що наблизить нас до вічного Царства.

And so, brethren, I exhort you to sincerely fast, but above all pray. Offer something to the poor besides. In this way, we shall have a profitable Fast and an improved life, which will bring us close to the everlasting Kingdom.

 

Christ ministers to Himself for the glory of His Name

As I read the handbook in preparation for this meeting, I kept being reminded of stories about hungry people. What stirred my memories? The quote from St. Jean-Marie Baptiste Vianney, "The world belongs to Him, Who loves it most." It is a compelling argument. God loves the world profoundly as the Gospel of John clearly teaches us. Satan, on the other hand, does not love the world in the least. He hates human beings with a depth of hatred that is unimaginable to us.

But God's love for the world has to be proven to each and every human being. That is often a tall order. That is where the stories about hungry people come in. The first one is very old. It dates to the late 3rd Christian century, the 200's in other words. At this time, the Roman Empire was beginning to fall apart. There was great stress on the borders of the Empire, as barbarian peoples pressed against the frontiers, driven from there traditional lands by peoples behind them. The Empire was extremely anxious to raise a maximum number of troops to defend the frontiers. There was just one catch: the imperial administration couldn't pay the conscripted soldiers, or, at least, couldn't pay them consistently. A young man, a pagan from the province of Egypt was conscripted into the imperial army. He served for a time, but soon staying with the army became untenable, because there was no pay and, therefore, nothing to live on. So, the young man did what thousands of others did. He deserted his post and headed for home. But, unlike so many others, he was captured and sentenced to death. In the meantime, before his execution was to be carried out, the young man was housed along with a great many other deserters in a corral out in the desert. Neither food nor water was ever brought to them. Why waste the effort? They were going to be executed anyway. But, during the night, strange people would come out of the desert and appear along the fence line. They brought food and water to the thirsty and hungry men, calling them "brothers." The young man asked some of the other deserters about these people. The others replied, "They're Christians. They're totally cuckoo. Normally, to be avoided at all cost." The young man was intrigued by these people, who risked their own lives to do good to people they did not even know. When the emperor died unexpectedly, all the death sentences became null and void. The young man went free, but was lead by the Holy Spirit to look into the Christian faith. He converted to Christianity and became the founder of the first monasteries in Upper Egypt.

The second story is similar and yet different. In Spain, about a thousand years after that young man in Upper Egypt converted to Christianity, the Christian people themselves were in serious trouble. The armies of Islam had invaded a greater part of their country. A small village near the modern city of Madrid fell to the Muslims and the people of the town were kept as slaves. The male slaves in particular were singled out for hard work and slow starvation. The slaves were not fed by their captors. However, the Muslim governor of the region did permit the captives to be supported by family members, provided that any deliveries of supplies were carried out by children under the age of twelve. This was helpful to the men who had small children. Many of these men survived and were eventually ransomed. But the clemency policy was no help at all to the unmarried men and those who had no children. In answer to earnest prayers on the part of these men and their families, a little unknown child began to appear every evening, bringing water and bread to the men who had no other support. It was later discovered by miraculous means that the child was, in fact, the Infant Jesus Himself. From then on, the same Child appeared often in answer to seemingly hopeless prayers. Often, He would bring help to those who had no earthly support and remain with them until they had passed out of harm's way. Thus, He showed a group of frightened women how to escape from their Muslim captors, showing them the right road by which to travel undetected back to Christian territory. In a similar way, He appeared again to show a large group of trapped miners the way out of a mine that had collapsed.

In the first story, the totally whacko Christians, the fringe weirdos of the society at the time, appeared at the fence line of the deserters' prison, because they believed that Christ was the one detained there. Nevertheless, through their ministry, the young man Pachomius experienced the love of Christ. In the second story, by contrast, a humiliated and embattled Christian people received help from Christ Himself in the form of a little Child.

These two stories, taken together, show us the true nature of Christian works of mercy. To us, in us and through us, Christ ministers to Himself for the glory of His name. When we go to others in need, they are Christ to us. It is Christ Whom we serve. At the same time, we are Christ to them, because they experience a foretaste of Christ's salvation through us. Every time we serve others, we are mystically served as God is not outdone in His generosity, but allows His grace to pour forth from those we serve.

М’ЯСОПУСНА НЕДІЛЯ І СТРІТЕННЯ MEATFARE SUNDAY AND ENCOUNTER

Коли два музичні твори добре звучать разом, ми говоримо, що між ними існує гармонія. Подібним чином існує певна гармонія між сьогоднішнім євангельським читанням з Євангелія від Матея (притча про Страшний суд) і євангельським читанням свята Стрітення з Євангелія від святого Луки (розповідь про зустріч Господа з праведним старцем Симеоном). Обидва читання говорять про поділ людства. Святе Євангеліє від святого Матея говорить про поділ людей на овець і козлів, але святе Євангеліє від святого Луки говорить про розділення народу Божого, оскільки святий Симеон пророкував, що прихід дитини, Господа Ісуса, буде приниженням і піднесенням багатьох людей в Ізраїлі. Ці дві ідеї еквівалентні, тому що всі люди належать Богу, і тих, хто виконує Його волю, ми називаємо «вівцями», а тих, хто не слухається, ми називаємо «козлами».

When two works of music sound good together, we say that there is harmony between the two works. In a similar way, there is a sort of harmony between the gospel reading of today, from the Gospel According to Saint Matthew (the parable about the last judgment), and the gospel reading of the feast of Presentation from the Gospel According to Saint Luke (the story concerning the Lord’s meeting with the just elder Saint Simeon). Both readings speak about a division of humanity. The Holy Gospel According to Saint Matthew speaks about the division of humanity as sheep and goats, but the Holy Gospel According to Saint Luke speaks concerning the division of God’s people, since Saint Simeon prophesied that the coming of the child, the Lord Jesus, would be the humiliation and the exaltation of many people in Israel. These two ideas are equivalent, because all people belong to God, and those who do His will we call “sheep,” while those, who disobey, we call “goats.”

Отож, що ми потребуємо робити, щоб бути між вівцями, а не між козами, або у термінах Святого Євангелія від Луки, що ми потребуємо робити, щоб бути піднесеними, замість того, щоб бути приниженими у Божому народі? Так, як Святий Апостол Йоан Богослов нам каже: «Це Божа заповідь: щоб вірити в ім’я Його Сина, Ісуса Христа, і любити один одного так, як Він наказав.»

So, what do we need to do, in order to be among the sheep, and not among the goats, or in the terms of the Holy Gospel According to Luke, what do we need to do to be among those exalted, instead of being among those humiliated in God’s people? Just as the Holy Apostle John the Theologian tells us: “This is the commandment of God: that you believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and that you love one another, just as He commanded.”

Отже, ми ясно бачимо, що ідея, яка каже «ми тільки потребуємо мати віру, і ми будемо спасенними через віру,» є абсолютно фальшивою, бо Святий Йоан нам сказав, що ми потребуємо мати віру у імені Христа, але ми також потребуємо любити один одного. Що є любов без діл? Любов є виразною через діла. Це причина того, щоб Бог зійшов з неба, став чоловіком задля нас, і перетерпів Його животворне страждання і смерть. Любов має бути вираженою ділами, або Бог міг би любити нас і спасти нас не залишаючись від високого неба. Воплочення було б непотрібним. Щоб щиро любити один одного, це потребує змі́ни серця. Тільки серце, яке дійсно знає свої гріхи, і пізнає свою негідність перед Богом може дійсно любити інших. Отож, вирішення любити інших не є резолюцією тільки одного часу, а постійне і безкінечне навернення, яке Бог завершує у нас нашою співпрацею. Молитва Святого Єфрема відноситься до цього продовжуваного процесу: «Господи і Владико життя мого, духа лінивства, недбайливости, властолюбія і пустомовства віджени від мене. Духа чистоти і покори, терпеливости і любови даруй мені, слузі Твоєму. Так, Господи, Царю, дай мені бачити гріхи мої, і не осуджувати брата чи сестру мою, бо Ти благословенний на віки віків. Амінь.» Думка цієї молитви показує, що резолюція, щоб любити інших є постійною, продовжуваною і безкінечною (у цьому житті).  Від моменту до моменту, ми маємо вирі́шувати, щоб співпрацювати з Божими намірами для нас.  Від моменту до моменту, ми не повинні дивуватися, якщо ми перейде́мо від вівців до кіз, а тоді знову назад. Так довго, ми маємо жаль за наші гріхи, і ми даємо честь іншим, ліпшим від себе, тоді ми на правдивому шляху.  Почуйте пророцтво Святого Симеона. Дитина буде приниженням і піднесенням багатьох людей в Ізраїлі. Щоб бути між цими, які є піднесеними, ми мусимо принизитися так, як Господь нам сказав два тижні тому, у Неділю Митаря й Фарисея: «Хто підноситься, -- буде понижений, хто ж понижається,-- той піднесеться.» Подібним способом, щоб бути між вівцями, а не між козами, ми мусимо служити іншим так, як Христові—іншими словами, так, як ліпшим від себе, бо Христос є наш Господь і Владика.

Therefore, we clearly see that the idea, which says “we only need to have faith, and we will be saved through faith,” is absolutely false, since Saint John told us that we need to have faith in the name of Christ, but we also need to love one another. What is love without deeds? Love is expressed through deeds. This is the reason that God descended from heaven, became man for us, and endured His life-giving suffering and death. Love has to be expressed by deeds, or God could have loved us and saved us from afar, without leaving the highest heaven. The Incarnation would have been unnecessary. In order to truly love one another requires a change of heart. Only the heart that truly knows its sins, and recognizes its unworthiness before God is able to truly love others. So, the decision to love others is not a resolution only of a single moment, but a constant and endless conversion, which God accomplishes in us with our cooperation. The Prayer of St. Ephrem refers to this on-going process: O Lord and Master of my life, keep from me the spirit of indifference and discouragement, lust of power and idle chatter. Instead, grant to me, your servant, the Spirit of wholeness of being, humble-mindedness, patience and love. O Lord and King, grant to me the grace to be aware of my sins, and not to judge my brothers and sisters, for you are blessed always, now and forever and ever. Amen.” The thought of this prayer shows that the resolution to love others in constant, continuous and endless (in this life). From moment to moment, we have to decide to cooperate with God’s intentions for us. From moment to moment, we should not be surprised , if we pass from the sheep to the goats and back again. As long as we have sorrow for our sins, and we give honour to others as better than ourselves, then we are on the right road. Listen to the prophecy of Simeon. The child will become the humiliation and the exaltation of many people in Israel. To be among them, who are exalted, we must humble ourselves, just as the Lord told us two weeks ago, on the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee: “Whoever exalts himself, will be humbled, but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” In a similar way, to be among the sheep, and not among the goats, we must serve others, like we would serve Christ—in other words, like we would serve those who are better than ourselves, for Christ is our Lord and Master.