Post # 266

Topics: A Repeat Post: A Light Burns...St. Andrew: The First Disciple of Jesus?...Catholic Symbol: What Do They Mean?...Pictures: St Theresa Parish Hutchinson Ks.

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Run while you have the light of life, lest the darkness of death over take you. John 12:35

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I hope all of you have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving. Let us me mindful of those things we have that others do not: warmth, safety, food and clean water, love, health...the list of God's gifts are endless. I know I will be praying this Holiday season for those without. Those without hope, beauty, dreams, companionship...and those who suffer with addiction, loneliness, despair, hunger (physically and spiritually). I thank God for all I have: my dearly loved ones, grace, temperance, silence...and my family at St. Anthony.

...and now for the necessaries.

Please note: St. Anthony Catholic Church celebrates the Traditional Latin Mass (EFLR) in the Wichita diocese. Though this blog is loosely centered around this parish and it's members, Venite Missa Est! is by no means, in any way an official voice of, or for, St. Anthony Parish or the Diocese of Wichita. Venite Missa Est! is strictly a private layman's endeavor.

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A Light Burns 
A Repeat of a Previous Post

Thursday night I had occasion to be leaving St. Anthony around 8:30 at night. Locking up behind me was Mr. Bob Wells, life long parishioner of St. Anthony and Sacristan for the Latin Mass. As he turned out the lights we walked out of the sacristy and made our way through the pews to the front door.

Aside from the street lights shining dimly through the stained glass the only other light source were the vigil candles. In the darkness the sanctuary lamp burned red, our Mother's altar lit blue and St. Joseph was illuminated gold.

I thought of my parents, both deceased, who always left a light on expecting me home and, even after adulthood, would leave the porch light on as I made my way out the door and on my way.

My way might have been down the road to my house, or out into life, toward a woman I loved or down a wayward and lost path. But always, there was a light burning for me, and warm food, and comfort and safety.

And so a light still burns...in the Sanctuary, for me, and my parents, for you and for us... where our Father waits in the dark and comfort and safety dwell.

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Who was the First Disciple of Jesus?

The New Theological Movement

http://newtheologicalmovement.blogspot.com/2011/11/who-was-first-disciple-of-jesus.html

November 30th, Feast of St. Andrew

The Church begins her liturgical year with the disciple called first by the Lord. For, while it is true that the Blessed Virgin, St. John the Baptist, St. Elizabeth, and St. Joseph (in that order) all believed in the Messiah before him, St. Andrew is the Protokletos, the first-called.

St. Andrew was the first disciple of Christ Jesus in his public ministry – and in this sense, it is fiting that his feast be celebrated at the first of the Church’s year.

However, there is a difficulty: St. John tells us that Andrew was called in the place where John was baptizing, but St. Matthew specifies that Andrew and Peter were called together while cleaning their nets on the sea of Galilee. How are these two accounts to be reconciled?

The account from St. John

[1:36] And beholding Jesus walking, he saith: Behold the Lamb of God. [37] And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. [38] And Jesus turning, and seeing them following him, saith to them: What seek you? Who said to him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou? [39] He saith to them: Come and see. They came, and saw where he abode, and they stayed with him that day: now it was about the tenth hour. [40] And Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who had heard of John, and followed him.

[41] He findeth first his brother Simon, and saith to him: We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. [42] And he brought him to Jesus. And Jesus looking upon him, said: Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is interpreted Peter.

Here we see that Jesus calls Andrew and “the other disciple” (i.e. John the Evangelist) while they were yet disciples of John the Baptist. The vocation of Andrew, according to St. John, occurs south of Galilee on the Jordan River, where John was baptizing. Further, Andrew is called before Peter and he leads his younger brother to the Lord.

The calling of Peter and Andrew, from St. Matthew

[4:18] And Jesus walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea (for they were fishers). [19] And he saith to them: Come ye after me, and I will make you to be fishers of men. [20] And they immediately leaving their nets, followed him.

According to St. Matthew, Jesus calls Andrew together with Peter (and Peter is named first). The two apostles are called while they were fishing on the sea of Galilee. Further, John is called after both Peter and Andrew. Hence, St. Matthew’s Gospel seems to be quite different from St. John’s.

A vocation harmony

The Fathers of the Church labored to prove the historical accuracy and reliability of the Gospels. They were especially keen to consider various places where the Gospels seemed to be in contradiction and, when they reconciled this apparent contradiction, they created what came to be called a “Gospel harmony” – to show how the four Gospels, though four voices, make a beautiful harmony singing in unison.

When considering the two accounts of the vocation (i.e. calling) of St. Andrew, the Church Fathers admit that the differences are significant. Therefore, the obvious conclusion must be: St. John is speaking of one calling, and St. Matthew is speaking of another.

Indeed, what we ought to conclude is that St. John discusses the first occasion in which Andrew was called – and, at that moment, he became the Protokletos (first-called). Together with St. John the Beloved, Andrew was the first disciple of Christ in his public ministry.

After this first calling, according to our Savior’s will, Andrew (together with John and Peter) returned to his home and took up again his labor of fishing. Some time later, Christ Jesus returned to Galilee and (after the wedding feast at Cana) he sought out him whom he had first called, together with Peter and John (and James, the brother of John). And this was the second vocation of the apostles – it is recorded in Matthew’s Gospel.

Not only does this reconcile the two Gospel accounts, but it also helps to explain something of the human element in the calling of the apostles at the sea of Galilee. At first, we might be a bit perplexed as to understand how it was that Sts. Peter and Andrew knew to abandon all and follow Christ – simply from St. Matthew’s account, it seems as though they would not know anything at all about our Savior. But, according to this Gospel harmony, we understand that the two had already met Christ and come to know much about him, for (Andrew, at least) had heard St. John the Baptist say of our Lord, Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sin of the world; and both had followed him briefly in the area near the Jordan where John was baptizing.

St. Andrew, Pray For Us!

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What Does that Catholic Symbol Mean?

The Pelican

The Pelican is used as a symbol of the Eucharist since the Pelican bird feeds its young by piercing its own flesh and taking blood from itself to feed its chicks. This is like Christ's offering of Himself on the cross in atonement for our sins. Through His Passion and Death on the Cross we now have the Sacrament of Eucharist in which the bread and wine are changed into the Body and Blood of Our Lord. Like the Pelican, Christ's manner of feeding us is through His self-sacrificial love. St. Thomas Aquinas makes reference to the Pelican symbol in his famous hymn 'Godhead Here In Hiding'. The Pelican also appears on the Coats of Arms of Archbishop George Pell, and of Corpus Christi College at Oxford and Cambridge. Oxford and Cambridge are two of the greatest Universities in the world and were established in the thirteenth century. Many of the colleges in Oxford and Cambridge were established by Catholic religious orders for the education of their members and still retain reminders of their Catholic heritage, especially on their Coats of Arms. Within the quadrangle of Corpus Christi College in Oxford there is a large column on which is perched a statue of a Pelican. The words 'Corpus Christi' are Latin for 'Body of Christ.'

The Cross

The Cross is the most common of all Catholic symbols. It symbolises the Cross on which Christ died. Every year the Church celebrates a special feast called the 'Feast of the Exhalation of the Holy Cross'. This is in memory of a miraculous apparition to Emperor Constantine in 312 AD as he prepared to fight a battle. He saw a vision in the sky of the words 'In Hoc Signo Vinces' which is Latin for: 'By this sign you shall conquer'. There are also some special kinds of crosses. For example, paintings of St. Peter often depict him holding a cross which is upside down. This is because St. Peter was martyred by being crucified on an upside down cross. Similarly there is another type of cross called a 'St. Andrew's cross'. This cross is in the shape of an X because St. Andrew was crucified on two pieces of wood which were shaped like an X.

The Crucifix

The Crucifix is a cross with a figure of the body of Jesus attached to it. Usually it has the letters INRI written across the top. These letters are short for the Latin phrase - 'Jesus Nazaranus Rex Judaeorum' which translates as 'Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews'. These are the words which Pontius Pilate, the Roman Governor of Judea, ordered to be written above the Cross on which Christ was crucified. Sometimes a crucifix also has a skull and crossbones at the base of the cross. A crucifix must be placed on or over an altar where the sacrifice of the Mass is to be offered. In some Churches the Crucifix above the altar will depict Christ as the High Priest, crowned, robed and alive. This is because the Jewish High Priest was the person who offered the sacrifices for the Jews, and Christ is our High Priest who offers Himself to God for the remission of our sins. Crucifixes are carried in processions and displayed in Catholic homes as a constant reminder to us of Christ's sacrifice for us. Some nuns and brothers also wear a crucifix as a part of their 'habit'. A 'habit' is the word used to describe the special garments or 'uniforms' worn by members of religious orders.

The Sacred Heart

This is a symbol of the love of Jesus for all of humanity. It reminds us that His love for us is eternal and unconditional. It usually takes the form of a heart shape with a cross on top and thorns twisted around the top of the heart and the base of the cross. This is a reminder to us that Christ's love was so deep that he suffered crucifixion on our behalf. Over the centuries a series of saints have encouraged devotions to the Sacred Heart. These include: St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153), St. Bonaventure (1221-74), St. Mechtilde (1210-80), St. Gertrude (1265-1302), St. Margaret Mary Alocoque (1647-90) and St. Claude de la Colombiere (1641-82). Of these the most famous is St. Margaret Mary Alocoque who fostered the practice of Catholics attending Mass for nine consecutive first Fridays of each month to pray that they will be spiritually prepared for death when it happens. This is a special kind of novena, that is, a prayer that is said nine times over a particular period of time to pray for a special spiritual gift. In Australia devotion to the Sacred Heart has been spread by the Jesuit priests who have a special devotion to the Sacred Heart (St. Claude de la Colombiere was a Jesuit), and also by the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart are an order of priests founded in the Nineteenth century in France by Fr. Jules Chevalier. Many of the earliest Catholic missions in the Pacific region, including Papua New Guinea, were established by the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. During the period of the French Revolution in the final decade of the eighteenth century many hundreds of thousands of Catholics were killed by the Revolutionaries. Some were beheaded by the machine known as the guillotine but many were also drowned. In the vendee region of France thousands of these Catholics went to their death carrying banners of the Sacred Heart or wearing Sacred Heart badges on their clothes. The Sacred Heart remains a very powerful symbol of the Catholic faith throughout the world, but especially in France. The French words for 'Sacred Heart' are 'Sacre Couer' and this explains the name of the girls' school in Glen Iris and of other Catholic schools throughout the Archdiocese of Melbourne. After the French Revolution the French people built a magnificent basilica on top of Montmartre in Paris in atonement for the sins of the revolutionaries. The word 'Montmartre' means 'hill of martyrs'. The Basilica is known as the 'Sacre Couer' basilica.

Alpha and Omega

These are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. In the book of Revelation which is the last book of the New Testament, Christ is referred to as the 'Alpha and Omega'. This means that He is both the origin and end of all creation. We only exist because we are created by God, and the final purpose of our lives is to spend eternity with God in heaven. The Alpha and Omega symbols are placed on the paschal candle at Easter. Pope John Paul II often reminds us that Jesus Christ is the 'center and purpose of human history'. All time, and all creation is under His command.

IHS

The letters IHS are frequently found in Catholic churches and on gravestones and sacred vessels. They are a monogram for the name of Jesus, formed by abbreviating the Greek word for Jesus. In the Middle Ages the IHS was widely used among the Franciscans and it later became popular with members of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits).

The Fleur-De-Lis

This is the shape of the lily and is used throughout the world, but especially in European countries, as a symbol of Our Lady. The whiteness and beauty of the lily is a symbol of Our Lady's purity. This symbol is found in many side chapels to Our Lady, including the Lady Chapel in St. Patrick's Cathedral in Melbourne.

Fish

The Fish has been used as a symbol for Christ and Christianity since the earliest days of the Church. The Greek word for fish is Ichthus. This is treated as an acronym for Iesous, CHristos, THeou, Uios, Soter - Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour. The fish is also an emblem of those apostles who were fishermen and Christ's promise to make them 'fishers of men' (Mark 1:17). It is found on many Christian tombs in Rome dating from the first centuries AD, sometimes with a basket of loaves and a glass of wine. The loaves are a symbol of the miracle described in the Gospel when Christ feeds a multitude of people on a small number of fish and loaves of bread. The Pope is also known as 'The Fisherman', since he is the successor of St. Peter, and St. Peter was a fisherman. The expression 'the shoes of the Fisherman' refers to the institution of the Papacy. The 'Fisherman's Ring' is a special signet ring worn by the Pope and used for sealing important Papal documents. It represents St. Peter fishing and carries the name of the ruling Pope. When a Pope dies his ring is destroyed.

The Evangelists

The Evangelists are the writers of the four gospels - St. Matthew, St. Mark, St. Luke and St. John. In the Book of Revelation, the final book of the New Testament, at (4: 6-10) the evangelists are represented by symbols. St. John has an eagle, St. Luke an ox, St. Matthew, the face of a man, and St. Mark, a lion. These symbols can be found on the marble floor of the sanctuary in St. Patrick's Cathedral, in Melbourne. In Venice a huge statue of a lion stands above the piazza of St. Mark and throughout the Christian world these symbols are found on copies of the Gospels and in paintings of the evangelists.

The Crossed Keys

The crossed keys are a symbol of the Papacy. This is because Christ said to St. Peter that he would give him the 'keys of the kingdom' and that whatever he bound on earth, would be bound in heaven, and whatever he loosed on earth, would be loosed in heaven. (Matthew 16,19). St. Peter was the first Pope and those who have followed share this power of the keys to bind and loose. While St. Peter is often depicted in art work with the crossed keys, St. Paul is usually depicted with a sword which is a symbol of the 'sword of faith' - the weapon against the devil.

The Lamb

The Lamb is a symbol of Christ. The whiteness of the lamb symbolises its purity, and lambs are often associated with innocence and in the Old Testament, with sacrifice. Christ was thus the sacrificial lamb for the sins of humanity. Sometimes the lamb carries a flag symbolising Christ's victory over death in His Resurrection. This is known as the 'Lamb of Victories' symbol. Another form of the symbol shows a lamb standing on a book which is closed with seven seals. This symbolises Christ as judge at the end of the world. In the book Isaiah (53:7) are found the words: 'harshly dealt with, he bore it humbly, he never opened his mouth like lamb that is led to the slaughterhouse'. These words are found in various readings for Good Friday. The Latin word for Lamb is 'Agnes' and St. Agnes is also symbolised by a figure of a lamb. St. Agnes was a Roman martyr during the period of the persecution of the emperor Diocletian. She is one of the saints mentioned in the First Eucharistic Prayer, otherwise known as the 'Roman Canon'.

The Dove

This is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. When Christ was baptised by St. John the Baptist a dove descended over him. (Matthew 3:16; and Mark 1:10). Sometimes in art a dove is depicted with seven tongues of fire which symbolise the seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit. A dove with an olive branch in its mouth also symbolises peace. This is because of the Old Testament account of the great flood after which Noah released a dove from the ark which returned with an olive branch in its beck. The olive branch was a sign to Noah that the waters had resided. Some saints also have the dove as their special symbol. These include: St. Ambrose, St. Augustine, St. Gregory the Great, and St. John Chrysostom.

CHI-RHO

This is a symbol of Christ arranged as a monogram The first two letters of His name in Greek are XP. The two are usually written with the P superimposed over the X. The Emperor Constantine used the symbol on his military standards and it continues to be used in religious art, especially on liturgical vestments.

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St Theresa Parish Hutchinson Ks.

In case you have never been, here are some pictures of St. Theresa parish in Hutchinson where Fr. Voelker is Pastor.