Treasures of Our Faith with Deacon Richard Vehige

Today, May 10, as our Church celebrates the Memorial of John of Avila, Priest and Doctor, we are invited to first reflect on a passage from the book of Sirach (39: 4-10), entitled "The wisdom of a man who is learned in the Scriptures". Our treasure, which follows, is from the dogmatic constitution on Devine Revelation of the Second Vatican Council.

Saint John of Ávila was a sixteenth century Spanish priest, preacher, scholastic author, and religious mystic. He is called the "Apostle of Andalusia" for his extensive ministry in that region. He was the spiritual advisor of St. Teresa of Avila, St. Francis Borgia, St. John of the Cross, St. Peter of Alcantara, and others.

He was born on January 6, 1499, at Almodovar del Campo, Spain. After studying law at the University of Salamanca, he left the university to be a hermit. He then went to Alcala, where he was ordained. John drew great crowds with his fiery denunciations of evil and his many sermons. A brief imprisonment by the Inquisition in Seville made him even more popular. His missionary efforts were centered on Andalusia, and his letters and other writings have become Spanish classics.

Saint John of Avila was canonized in 1970 and was declared a Doctor of the Church in 2012 because of his profound knowledge of the Bible, his passion for the truth, and his significant contributions to the Church, particularly his efforts in evangelization and reform of the clergy. Pope Benedict XVI highlighted his role as an "outstanding precursor of the new evangelization".

In its Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation the Second Vatican Council spelled out in some detail what the Church believes and teaches regarding divine revelation, primarily as it is contained in the Bible. It attempts to relate the role of Scripture and tradition (the postbiblical teaching of the church) to their common origin in the Word of God that has been committed to the church.

The Wisdom of Ben Sira derives its title from the author, "Yeshua [Jesus], son of Eleazar, son of Sira". The title "Sirach" comes from the Greek form of the author's name. The author, a sage who lived in Jerusalem, was thoroughly imbued with love for the wisdom tradition, and for the law, priesthood, Temple, and divine worship. As a wise and experienced observer of life he addressed himself to his contemporaries with the motive of helping them to maintain religious faith and integrity through study of the books sacred to the Jewish tradition.

The book contains numerous well-crafted maxims, grouped by affinity, and dealing with a variety of subjects such as the individual, the family, and the community in their relations with one another and with God. It treats friendship, education, poverty and wealth, laws, religious worship, and many other matters that reflect the religious and social customs of the time.

Today, May 3, as our Church celebrates the Feast of Philip and James, Apostles, we are invited to reflect on a passage from the Acts of the Apostles (5:12-32), entitled "The apostles in the primitive Church". Our treasure, which follows, is from a treatise On the Prescription of Heretics by Tertullian, priest.

Saints Philip and James the Lesser were both among the original twelve apostles of Jesus. The Church celebrates their shared feast day to honor their faithfulness to Jesus and their roles in the early Church. The sharing of the same feast day also may be due to their relics being brought to Rome together in early May of 560 AD and placed in a Basilica dedicated to them.

Philip was from Bethsaida in Galilee and was one of the first disciples called by Jesus, It's believed that Philip was influenced by John the Baptist's ministry.

Philip brought his friend Nathanael to Jesus, proclaiming him to be the Messiah. He is also the apostle who recognized the need to provide food for a large crowd during the story when Jesus multiplied the loaves and fish,.

James was the son of Alphaeus and was sometimes called James the Less. Tradition holds that James was the first bishop of Jerusalem and played a key role in the Council of Jerusalem.

Tertullian was a priest and a prolific second century Christian author from Carthage in the Roman province of Africa. He was the first Christian author to produce an extensive corpus of Latin Christian literature. He was an early Christian apologist and a polemicist against heresy. His most famous quotes include: "Nature soaks every evil with either fear or shame", "Hope is patience with the lamp lit", "The blood of martyrs is the seed of the church".

In his short treatise entitled "On the prescription of Heretics" Tertullian taught on how Christians should deal with heresy and heretical arguments, mostly from pagans. He argued that the apostles transmitted the truth down to their approved successors, and that essentially no heresy is new.

The Acts of the Apostles, the second volume of Luke's two-volume work, continues Luke's presentation of biblical history, describing how the salvation promised to Israel in the Old Testament and accomplished by Jesus has now under the guidance of the holy Spirit been extended to the Gentiles. This was accomplished through the divinely chosen representatives whom Jesus prepared during his historical ministry and commissioned after his resurrection as witnesses to all that he taught. Luke's preoccupation with the Christian community as the Spirit-guided bearer of the word of salvation rules out of his book detailed histories of the activity of most of the preachers. Only the main lines of the roles of Peter and Paul serve Luke's interest.

On Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent our Church invites us to first read and reflect on a passage from the letter to the Hebrews (6:9-20) entitled "The fidelity of God is our hope". Our treasure, which follows, is from a commentary on the psalms by Saint Augustine, bishop.

Saint Augustine was born at Tagaste in Africa in 354. He was unsettled and restlessly searched for the truth until he was converted to the faith in Milan and baptized by Ambrose. Returning to his homeland, he embraced an ascetic life and subsequently was elected bishop of Hippo. For thirty-four years he guided his flock, instructing it with sermons and many writings. He fought bravely against the errors of his time and explained the Faith carefully and cogently through his writings. He is also a preeminent Catholic Doctor of the Church. His writings influenced the development of western philosophy and western Christianity, and he is viewed as one of the most important Church Fathers of the Latin Church in the Patristic Period. He died in 430.

Few Christians have influenced the way the Church talks and thinks about God more than Augustine. And he was a lover of the Psalms… "If the psalm prays, you pray; if it exults, you rejoice; if it hopes, you hope; if it fears, you fear, if it laments, you lament. Everything written here is a mirror for us."

As early as the second century, this treatise, which is of great rhetorical power and force in its admonition to faithful pilgrimage under Christ's leadership, bore the title "To the Hebrews." It was assumed to be directed to Jewish Christians. Usually, Hebrews was attached in Greek manuscripts to the collection of letters by Paul. Although no author is mentioned (for there is no address), a reference to Timothy suggested connections to the circle of Paul and his assistants. Yet the exact audience, the author, and even whether Hebrews is a letter have long been disputed.

The author saw the addressees in danger of apostasy from their Christian faith. This danger was due not to any persecution from outsiders but to a weariness with the demands of Christian life and a growing indifference to their calling. The author's main theme, the priesthood and sacrifice of Jesus, is not developed for its own sake but as a means of restoring their lost fervor and strengthening them in their faith. Another important theme of the letter is that of the pilgrimage of the people of God to the heavenly Jerusalem. This theme is intimately connected with that of Jesus' ministry in the heavenly sanctuary.

On Thursday the Fourth Week of Lent our Church invites us to first read and reflect on a passage from the book of Numbers (12:16---13:3, 17-33) entitled "A scouting party is sent to Canaan". Our treasure, which follows, is from a sermon by Saint Leo the Great, pope.

Saint Leo became pope in the year 440. Saint Leo was a Roman aristocrat, and was the first pope to have been called "the Great". Saint Leo is known as one of the best administrative popes of the ancient Church. His work branched into many areas of the church, indicative of his notion of the pope's total responsibility for the flock of Christ. In the 96 sermons which have come down to us, we find Leo stressing the virtues of almsgiving, fasting, and prayer, and expounding Catholic doctrine with clarity and conciseness, particularly the dogma of the Incarnation. Leo is perhaps best known for having met Attila the Hun in 452 and having persuaded him to turn back from his invasion of Italy.

The Book of Numbers derives its name from the account of the two censuses taken of the Hebrew people, one near the beginning and the other toward the end of the journey in the wilderness. It continues the story of that journey begun in Exodus and describes briefly the experiences of the Israelites for a period of thirty-eight years, from the end of their encampment at Sinai to their arrival at the border of the promised land. Numerous legal ordinances are interspersed in the account, making the book a combination of law and history.

The book divides neatly into two parts. Each part begins with a census of the people and inaugurates a period of preparation prior to entering the promised land. In the first case these preparations come to a tragic end when scouts are sent forth to survey the promised land. Upon their return, the people are so disheartened by the description of the native inhabitants and the seemingly impossible task that lies in front of them that they refuse to enter the land. This results in a decision to doom that entire generation to death and to allow another generation the chance to enter. After the death of the first generation, then, a second census is taken and again preparations are made to enter the land. In this case, however, the birth of a new generation suggests these preparations will not be in vain. The book ends with the Israelites across the Jordan outside the land of Canaan, underscoring a chief theme of the Pentateuch as a whole: the people anticipating the fulfillment of God's promise of the land.

Today, March 18, as our Church celebrates the Memorial of Cyril of Jerusalem, Bishop and Doctor, we are invited to reflect on a passage from the book of Sirach (39: 4-10), entitled "The wisdom of a man who is learned in the Scriptures". Our treasure, which follows, is from a catechetical instruction Saint Cyril of Jerusalem, Bishop.

Cyril of Jerusalem was a theologian of the Early Church. About the end of AD 350, he succeeded Maximus as Bishop of Jerusalem, but was exiled on more than one occasion due to the enmity of Acacius of Caesarea, and the policies of various emperors, Raised in Jerusalem and well-educated, especially in the Scriptures, he was ordained a priest by the bishop of Jerusalem and given the task during Lent of catechizing those preparing for Baptism and catechizing the newly baptized during the Easter season. His Catechesis remain valuable as examples of the ritual and theology of the Church in the mid-fourth century. The crises that the Church faces today may seem minor when compared with the threat posed by the Arian heresy, which denied the divinity of Christ and almost overcame Christianity in the fourth century. Cyril was to be caught up in the controversy, accused of Arianism by Saint Jerome, and ultimately vindicated both by the men of his own time and by being declared a Doctor of the Church in 1822.

The Wisdom of Ben Sira derives its title from the author, "Yeshua [Jesus], son of Eleazar, son of Sira" (50:27). This seems to be the earliest title of the book. The designation "Liber Ecclesiasticus," meaning "Church Book", is perhaps due to the extensive use the church made of this book in presenting moral teaching to catechumens and to the faithful. The title "Sirach" comes from the Greek form of the author's name.

The author, a sage who lived in Jerusalem, was thoroughly imbued with love for the wisdom tradition, and also for the law, priesthood, Temple, and divine worship. As a wise and experienced observer of life he addressed himself to his contemporaries with the motive of helping them to maintain religious faith and integrity through study of the books sacred to the Jewish tradition.

The book contains numerous well-crafted maxims, grouped by affinity, and dealing with a variety of subjects such as the individual, the family, and the community in their relations with one another and with God. It treats of friendship, education, poverty and wealth, laws, religious worship, and many other matters that reflect the religious and social customs of the time.

Today, March 7, as our Church celebrates the Commemoration of Perpetua and Felicity, Martyrs, our Church invites us to first read and reflect on a passage from the book of Wisdom (3:1-15), entitled "The friends of God lie safe in his hands". Our treasure, which follows is from the story of death of the holy martyrs of Carthage.

The Martyrs of Carthage include Saints Perpetua and Felicity, who were martyred in 203 and a group of Christians who were executed in 259 AD.

Saint Vibia Perpetua, a noblewoman who was recently married and had an infant son, and Saint Felicity, a slave woman who was pregnant at the time were put to death in Carthage in the Roman province of Africa. They are venerated in the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Churches, Oriental Orthodox Churches, Anglican Communion, and Lutheran Church. The story of their martyrdom is told in The Passion of Saints Perpetua and Felicity. Their feast day is March 7.

The Martyrs of Carthage under Valerian include Montanus, Lucius, Flavian, Julian, Victoricus, Primolus, Rhenus, and Donatian. These Christians were executed during the persecutions of the Roman Emperor Valerian, The story of their martyrdom, and what they endured, is harrowing to read. They themselves wrote the account of their imprisonment, and eye-witnesses wrote the account of their deaths. Their feast day is February 24.

The Martyrs of Carthage include Saints Perpetua and Felicity, who were martyred in 203 and a group of Christians who were executed in 259 AD.

Saint Vibia Perpetua, a noblewoman who was recently married and had an infant son, and Saint Felicity, a slave woman who was pregnant at the time were put to death in Carthage in the Roman province of Africa. They are venerated in the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Churches, Oriental Orthodox Churches, Anglican Communion, and Lutheran Church. The story of their martyrdom is told in The Passion of Saints Perpetua and Felicity. Their feast day is March 7.

The Martyrs of Carthage under Valerian include Montanus, Lucius, Flavian, Julian, Victoricus, Primolus, Rhenus, and Donatian. These Christians were executed during the persecutions of the Roman Emperor Valerian, The story of their martyrdom, and what they endured, is harrowing to read. They themselves wrote the account of their imprisonment, and eye-witnesses wrote the account of their deaths. Their feast day is February 24.

The Book of Wisdom was written about fifty years before the coming of Christ. Its author, whose name is not known to us, was probably a member of the Jewish community at Alexandria, in Egypt. He wrote in Greek, in a style patterned on that of Hebrew verse. At times he speaks in the person of Solomon, placing his teachings on the lips of the wise king of Hebrew tradition in order to emphasize their value. His profound knowledge of the earlier Old Testament writings is reflected in almost every line of the book, and marks him, like Ben Sira, as an outstanding representative of religious devotion and learning among the sages of postexilic Judaism.

The primary purpose of the author was the edification of his co-religionists in a time when they had experienced suffering and oppression, in part at least at the hands of apostate fellow Jews. To convey his message he made use of the most popular religious themes of his time, namely the splendor and worth of divine wisdom, the glorious events of the exodus, God's mercy, the folly of idolatry, and the manner in which God's justice operates in rewarding or punishing the individual. The first ten chapters in particular provide background for the teaching of Jesus and for some New Testament theology about Jesus. Many passages from this section of the book, are used by the church in the liturgy.

On Tuesday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time our Church invites us to read and reflect on a passage from the book of Job (3:1-26) entitled "Job's lament". Our treasure, which follows, is from the Confessions of Saint Augustine, bishop.

Saint Augustine was born at Tagaste in Africa in 354. He was unsettled and restlessly searched for the truth until he was converted to the faith in Milan and baptized by Ambrose. Returning to his homeland, he embraced an ascetic life and subsequently was elected bishop of Hippo. For thirty-four years he guided his flock, instructing it with sermons and many writings. He fought bravely against the errors of his time and explained the Faith carefully and cogently through his writings. He is also a preeminent Catholic Doctor of the Church. His writings influenced the development of western philosophy and western Christianity, and he is viewed as one of the most important Church Fathers of the Latin Church in the Patristic Period. He died in 430.

The Confessions of Saint Augustine is a spiritual classic and one of the most read books written by a saint. In the Confessions, Saint Augustine not only shares his deep insights into the faith of the Church, he also does so in a very personal way. His masterpiece has also proven to become a foundation for many teachings of the Catholic Church.

The Book of Job addresses theodicy (why God permits evil in the world) through the experiences of the eponymous (the person, place, or thing that is named after something else) protagonist. Job is a wealthy and God-fearing man with a comfortable life and a large family. God asks Satan ("the adversary'') for his opinion of Job's piety. When Satan states that Job would turn away from God if he were rendered penniless, without his family, and materially uncomfortable, God allows him to do so. The rest of the book deals with Job successfully defending himself against his unsympathetic friends, whom God admonishes, and God's sovereignty over nature.

Today, March 3rd, as our Church celebrates the optional Memorial of Saint Katharine Drexel, Virgin, we are first invited to reflect on a passage from the letter of the apostle Paul to the Corinthians (4: 1-24), entitled "Christian Chastity". Our treasure, which follows, is from a homily on the Gospels by Saint Gregory the Great, pope.

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on November 26, 1858, Saint Katharine Drexel was the second daughter of Francis Anthony Drexel and Hannah Langstroth. Her father was a well-known banker and philanthropist. Both parents instilled in their daughters the idea that their wealth was simply loaned to them and was to be shared with others.

When the family took a trip to the Western part of the United States, Katharine, as a young woman, saw the plight and destitution of the native Indian Americans. This experience aroused her desire to do something specific to help alleviate their condition. This was the beginning of her lifelong personal and financial support of numerous missions and missionaries in the United States. The first school she established was St. Catherine Indian School in Santa Fe, New Mexico (1887).

Later, when visiting Pope Leo XIII in Rome, and asking him for missionaries to staff some of the Indian missions that she as a lay person was financing, she was surprised to hear the Pope suggest that she become a missionary herself. After consultation with her spiritual director, Bishop James O'Connor, she made the decision to give herself totally to God, along with her inheritance, through service to American Indians and Afro-Americans.

Her wealth was now transformed into a poverty of spirit that became a daily constant in a life supported only by the bare necessities. On February 12, 1891, she professed her first vows as a religious, founding the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament whose dedication would be to share the message of the Gospel and the life of the Eucharist among American Indians and Afro-Americans.

Founding and staffing schools for both Native Americans and Afro-Americans throughout the country became a priority for Katharine and her congregation. During her lifetime, she opened, staffed and directly supported nearly 60 schools and missions, especially in the West and Southwest United States. Her crowning educational focus was the establishment in 1925 of Xavier University of Louisiana, the only predominantly Afro-American Catholic institution of higher learning in the United States. Religious education, social service, visiting homes, in hospitals and in prisons were also included in the ministries of Katharine and the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament.

In her quiet way, Katharine combined prayerful and total dependence on Divine Providence with determined activism. Her joyous incisiveness, attuned to the Holy Spirit, penetrated obstacles and facilitated her advances for social justice. Through the prophetic witness of Katharine Drexel's initiative, the Church in the United States was enabled to become aware of the grave domestic need for an apostolate among Native Americans and Afro-Americans. She did not hesitate to speak out against injustice, taking a public stance when racial discrimination was in evidence.

Doctor of the Church; born at Rome about 540; died 12 March 604. Saint Gregory is certainly one of the most notable figures in Ecclesiastical History. He has exercised in many respects a momentous influence on the doctrine, the organization, and the discipline of the Catholic Church. To him we must look for an explanation of the religious situation of the Middle Ages; indeed, if no account were taken of his work, the evolution of the form of medieval Christianity would be almost inexplicable. And further, in so far as the modern Catholic system is a legitimate development of medieval Catholicism, of this too Gregory may not unreasonably be termed the Father. Almost all the leading principles of the later Catholicism are found at any rate in germ, in Gregory the Great.

Pope Gregory was a prolific writer whose works were influential in the medieval period. During his lifetime, he penned over 800 letters and authored accounts of the lives of the saints and other religious works. Using simple words to preach to the nobles and common people of Rome, Gregory employed metaphors, analogies, stories, and images to answer basic questions of faith and morals. He is known for instituting the first recorded large-scale mission of Rome, the Gregorian mission, to convert the then largely pagan Anglo-Saxons to Christianity,

In his first letter to the Corinthians Paul warns against divisions within the Church and emphasizes the importance of unity among Church members. He warns members against sexual immorality, teaches that the body is a temple for the Holy Spirit, and encourages self-discipline.

On Sunday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time our Church invites us to read and reflect on a passage from the beginning of the book of Job (1:1-22) entitled "Job deprived of his possessions". Our treasure, which follows, is from the Moral Reflection on Job by Saint Gregory the Great, pope.

Doctor of the Church; born at Rome about 540; died 12 March 604. Saint Gregory is certainly one of the most notable figures in Ecclesiastical History. He has exercised in many respects a momentous influence on the doctrine, the organization, and the discipline of the Catholic Church. To him we must look for an explanation of the religious situation of the Middle Ages; indeed, if no account were taken of his work, the evolution of the form of medieval Christianity would be almost inexplicable. And further, in so far as the modern Catholic system is a legitimate development of medieval Catholicism, of this too Gregory may not unreasonably be termed the Father. Almost all the leading principles of the later Catholicism are found at any rate in germ, in Gregory the Great.

The Moral Reflections on Job is a commentary on the Book of Job by Saint Gregory the Great, written between 578 and 595. It began when Saint Gregory was at the court of Emperor Tiberius II in Constantinople but finished only several years after he had returned to Rome. It is Saint Gregory's major work, filling some 35 books or 6 volumes.

If everything God created was good, why does Isaiah say God created evil? The Hebrew word translated as "evil" in Isaiah 45:7 has two applications in the Bible. The term can be used in the sense of moral evil, such as wickedness and sin, or it can refer to harmful natural events, calamity, misfortune, adversity, affliction, or disaster. It is in this second sense that Isaiah speaks, and his meaning is reflected in most modern Bible translations of Isaiah 45:7: "I make success and create disaster"; "I make well-being and create calamity"; "I send good times and bad times". God does not create moral evil. For one thing, moral evil is not a "thing" to be made but a choice or intent contrary to God's good purposes, His holy character, and His law. Moral evil does not conform to God and His will. God is good, holy, and loving; therefore, His plans and purposes are good, holy, and loving.

As Ruler of the universe, God sometimes creates calamity to accomplish His will. He brought disaster to discipline His people when they turned their backs on Him and refused to repent.

The Book of Job addresses theodicy (why God permits evil in the world) through the experiences of the eponymous (the person, place, or thing that is named after something else) protagonist. Job is a wealthy and God-fearing man with a comfortable life and a large family. God asks Satan ("the adversary'') for his opinion of Job's piety. When Satan states that Job would turn away from God if he were rendered penniless, without his family, and materially uncomfortable, God allows him to do so. The rest of the book deals with Job successfully defending himself against his unsympathetic friends, whom God admonishes, and God's sovereignty over nature.

On Saturday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time our Church invites us to read and reflect on a passage from the book of Ecclesiastes (11:7---12:14) entitled "Thoughts of old age". Our treasure, which follows, is from a commentary on Ecclesiastes by Saint Gregory of Agrigento, bishop.

Saint Gregory (559–630) was a Sicilian Christian prelate who served as Bishop of Agrigento from 590 until at least 603. Gregory was born near Agrigento on Sicily in 559. At the age of eighteen, he went on a pilgrimage in the Holy Land, traveling via Carthage to Tripoli. He was almost sold into slavery by a ship-owner in Carthage.

While in Jerusalem, he was ordained a deacon by Patriarch Makarios II. He returned to Agrigento via Constantinople and Rome. In 590 two factions with their respective candidates for the vacant see of Agrigento traveled to Rome to seek the pope's decision. Pope Gregory bypassed both candidates and consecrated Gregory of Agrigento. He was found hiding in a monastic garden out of reticence for high office when Gregory chose him.

Saint Gregory received an education in classics, rhetoric and theology. He is said to have read the Life of Basil of Caesarea many times and the Passion of the Holy Maccabees. At the request of a bishop, he interpreted the writings of Gregory of Nazianzus for a group of deacons. His biographer praises him as a second Chrysostom. By a miracle, he was able to fast constantly. He is also credited with performing healing miracles.

Saint Gregory's commentary is considered one of the best on Ecclesiastes from antiquity.

The Book of Ecclesiastes comprises an extended reflective essay employing autobiographical narrative, proverbs, parables, and allegories. An almost unrelenting skepticism characterizes the tone or outlook. The issues with which the author deals and the questions he raises are aimed at those who would claim any absolute value in this life, including possessions, fame, success, or pleasure. Wisdom itself is challenged, but folly is condemned.