Saint Bonaventure, the Angelic Doctor

Saint Bonaventure, the Angelic Doctor

Like all the great scholastic doctors, Bonaventure starts with the discussion of the relations between reason and faith. Scholasticism is a method of learning more than a philosophy or a theology, since it places a strong emphasis on dialectical reasoning to extend knowledge by inference and to resolve contradictions. Scholastic thought is also known for rigorous conceptual analysis and the careful drawing of distinctions.

There can never be any real discrepancy between faith and reason. The Church teaches (CCC 159) that; "Though faith is above reason, there can never be any real discrepancy between faith and reason. Since the same God who reveals mysteries and infuses faith has bestowed the light of reason on the human mind, God cannot deny himself, nor can truth ever contradict truth." "Consequently, methodical research in all branches of knowledge, provided it is carried out in a truly scientific manner and does not override moral laws, can never conflict with the faith, because the things of the world and the things of faith derive from the same God. The humble and persevering investigator of the secrets of nature is being led, as it were, by the hand of God in spite of himself, for it is God, the conserver of all things, who made them what they are." 

Bonaventure's thoughts on our ability to see the Trinity in creation, lost or hampered in the Fall,^[33] are recorded and praised by Pope Francis in his encyclical letter, Laudato si':

Saint Bonaventure went so farĺ as to say that human beings, before sin, were able to see how each creature "testifies that God is three". The reflection of the Trinity was there to be recognized in nature "when that book was open to man and our eyes had not yet become darkened". [Bonaventure] teaches us that each creature bears in itself a specifically Trinitarian structure, so real that it could be readily contemplated if only the human gaze were not so partial, dark and fragile. In this way, he points out to us the challenge of trying to read reality in a Trinitarian key.^[34]

All the sciences are but the handmaids of theology; reason can discover some of the moral truths that form the groundwork of the Christian system, but other truths can only be received and apprehended through divine illumination. To obtain this illumination, the soul must employ the proper means, which are prayer; the exercise of the virtues, whereby it is rendered fit to accept the divine light; and meditation that may rise even to ecstatic union with God. The supreme end of life is a union in contemplation or intellect or intense absorbing love; but it cannot be entirely reached in this life, and remains as a hope for the future.^[10]

Like Aquinas and other notable thirteenth-century philosophers and theologians, Bonaventure believed that it is possible to logically prove the existence of God and the immortality of the soul. In fact, unlike Aquinas, Bonaventure holds that reason can demonstrate the beginning of the world.^[30][31] He offers several arguments for the existence of God, including versions of Anselm of Canterbury's ontological argument and Augustine's argument from eternal truths. His main argument for the immortality of the soul appeals to humans' natural desire for perfect happiness, and is reflected in C.S. Lewis's argument from desire. Contrary to Aquinas, Bonaventure did not believe that philosophy was an autonomous discipline that could be pursued successfully independently of theology. Any philosopher is bound to fall into serious error, he believed, who lacks the light of faith.^[32]

Bonaventure was formally canonised in 1482 by the Franciscan Pope Sixtus IV, and ranked along with Thomas Aquinas as the greatest of the Doctors of the Church by another Franciscan, Pope Sixtus V, in 1587. Bonaventure was regarded as one of the greatest philosophers of the Middle Ages.^[17] His works, as arranged in the most recent Critical Edition by the Quaracchi Fathers (Collegio S. Bonaventura), consist of a Commentary on the Sentences of Lombard, in four volumes, and eight other volumes, including a Commentary on the Gospel of St Luke and a number of smaller works; the most famous of which are The Mind's Road to God (Itinerarium mentis in Deum), an outline of his theology or Brief Reading (Breviloquium), Reduction of the Arts to Theology (De reductione artium ad theologiam), and Soliloquy on the Four Spiritual Exercises (Soliloquium de quatuor mentalibus exercitiis), The Tree of Life (Lignum vitae), and The Triple Way (De Triplici via), the latter three written for the spiritual direction of his fellow Franciscans.^{[citation needed]}

The German philosopher Dieter Hattrup denies that Reduction of the Arts to Theology was written by Bonaventure, claiming that the style of thinking does not match Bonaventure's original style.^[18] His position is no longer tenable given recent research: the text remains "indubitably authentic".^[19][20]

A work that for many years was falsely attributed to Bonaventure, De septem itineribus aeternitatis, was actually written by Rudolf von Biberach (c. 1270 – 1329).^[21]

For Isabelle of France, the sister of King Louis IX of France, and her monastery of Poor Clares at Longchamps, Bonaventure wrote the treatise Concerning the Perfection of Life.^[6]

The Commentary on the Sentences, written at the command of his superiors when he was twenty-seven,^[17] is Bonaventure's major work and most of his other theological and philosophical writings are in some way dependent on it. However, some of Bonaventure's later works, such as the Lectures on the Six Days of Creation, show substantial developments beyond the Sentences.^[22][23]

July 13th, Feast Of Henry II, the Emperor Turned Saint

Henry II, the Emperor Turned Saint, is a patron saint of the childless, of the handicapped, and of those who have lost parents. Saint Henry II, also known as Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor, lived from May 6, 973 AD, to July 13, 1024 AD. The Holy Roman Empire, encompassed parts of modern-day Germany, Austria, Italy, and Czech Republic.

Henry II was a Medieval King in the line of King David: His devotion to justice, charity, and the welfare of his people was a significantly different form of governance not only during the Roman empire, after its fall and even today. Just like King Henry, King David had a special rapport with God. He was known as a “man after God’s own heart.” He had trusted God to deliver him from the jaws of the bear and the lion, then most miraculously from the sword of the Philistine giant, Goliath. David was persecuted by Saul, just like the Church of Saint Henry is being persecuted by modern day Germans.

His devotion to justice, charity, and the welfare of his people makes him an inspiring figure for those seeking guidance in their personal challenges and seeking the well-being of their communitie. His legacy also serves as a reminder of the important role that leaders can play in promoting social justice and religious tolerance

After the collapse of the Roman empire, ethnic chiefs and kings, ex-Roman governors, generals, war lords, peasant leaders and bandits carved up the former Roman provinces into feudal kingdoms.

Rome continued to decline after that until AD 476 when the western Roman Empire came to an end. The eastern Roman Empire, more commonly known as the Byzantine Empire, survived until the 15th century AD. It fell when Turks took control of its capital city, Constantinople, modern day Istanbul in Turkey.in AD 1453

Another artifact of the demise of the Roman empire was the loss of technological knowledge and intellectual thought that characterized the Roman Empire. With the Empire's collapse, many aspects of Roman civil engineering, learning, and arts were lost or neglected, leading to what was later termed as the Dark Ages.

At this time Divine Providence intervened with Saint Benedict of Nursia, who saved Western Civilization. According to Bishop Barron”at a time when Roman order had collapsed and barbarian invaders were picking through the rabble of a once great civilization Benedict founded the religious community that would, in time, preserve the best of the old and allow for the emergence of a particularly Christian way of life. And so it is absolutely no exaggeration to say that without Benedict, there would not be Thomas Aquinas, no Catherine of Siena, no Ignatius of Loyola, no Michelangelo, and no John Henry Newman.” Saint Benedict relentlessly preserved Seneca, Cicero, Plato, Aristotle, Aristophanes, Caesar – in fact, practically everything of value that we have from the ancient world

Saint Henry, guided by eternal truth and daily meditation practice, was not carried away by the power and dignity of his position as king. In all things, he sought the greater glory of God and was most watchful over the welfare of the church. His zeal for the maintenance of ecclesiastical discipline in the church was unrivaled.

Henry’s fame spread at home and abroad, and so his humility. On February 14, 1014, Pope Benedict V crowned him emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.


The rule of Henry II has been characterized as a period of centralized authority throughout the Holy Roman Empire. He consolidated his power by cultivating personal and political ties with the Catholic Church. He greatly expanded the Ottonian dynasty's custom of employing clerics as counter-weights against secular nobles. Through donations to the Church and the establishment of new dioceses, Henry strengthened imperial rule across the Empire and increased control over ecclesiastical affairs. He stressed service to the Church and promoted monastic reform. For his remarkable personal piety and enthusiastic promotion of the Church, he was canonized by Pope Eugene III in 1146. He is the only medieval German monarch ever to have been honoured as a saint. Henry II's wife was the equally pious Empress Cunigunde, who was canonized in 1200 by Pope Innocent III. As the union produced no children, the German nobles elected Conrad II, a great-great-grandson of Emperor Otto I, to succeed him after his death in 1024. Conrad was the first of the Salian dynasty of emperors.

The Engaged (Synodal) Church

DRAFT

Engagement is about the Why.  In a synodal Church the whole community is called together to pray, listen, analyse, dialogue, discern and offer advice on making pastoral decisions which correspond as closely as possible to God's will, where God’s will is the Why.

https://www.synod.va/en/the-synod-on-synodality/what-is-the-synod-about.html#

synod, (from Greek synodos, “assembly”), in the Christian church, a local or provincial assembly of bishops and other church officials meeting to resolve questions of discipline or administration. The earliest synods can be traced to meetings held by bishops from various regions in the middle of the 2nd century.


https://www.britannica.com/topic/synod



Pope Francis wants the synod in every parish. Here’s how to bring it to yours


https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2023/10/24/synod-synodality-parish-meetings-246361








The three dimensions of the theme of the Synod are communion, participation and mission, three interrelated pillars, which we cannot separate one from the other. God gathers us together in COMMUNION.








There have been 19 synods: nine ordinary, two extraordinary and eight special. The following is a list of all the synods held to date, and the documents stemming from them. 1. Revision of the Code of Canon Law (Sept.


https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/synods-since-vatican-ii-3961



Cardinal Grech called the Synod a formidable "listening workshop," emphasizing listening to both God and the world. Speaking during the press conference to present the “Instrumentum Laboris” for the upcoming October assembly, he noted that this process starts with listening to the voice of the Lord, continuing with attention to the "sense of faith of the people of God."

The goal, he explained, is to "seek what God wants to say to the Church at this moment in its journey."







Synod of Bishops, considered as an advisory body for the pope, is one of the ways in which the bishops render cooperative assistance to him in exercising his office.[1] It is described in the 1983 Code of Canon Law as "a group of bishops who have been chosen from different regions of the world and meet at fixed times to foster closer unity between the Roman Pontiff and bishops, to assist the Roman Pontiff with their counsel in the preservation and growth of faith and morals and in the observance and strengthening of ecclesiastical discipline, and to consider questions pertaining to the activity of the Church in the world."[2]

In addition, each patriarchal church and each major archiepiscopal church within the Catholic Church has its own synod of bishops. Unlike the body that normally assists the pope only by offering advice, these synods of bishops are competent, and exclusively so, to make laws for the entire sui iuris church that each governs

The papal Synod of Bishops is permanent, even when not in session.[6][7] Periodically, it holds assemblies, which are either general, if called to consider matters directly concerning the universal Church, or special, if called for problems of a particular geographical area.[8] The general assemblies are either ordinary (held at fixed intervals) or extraordinary (held to treat of some urgent matter).[9]

The papal Synod of Bishops also has a permanent secretariat[10] headquartered in Rome but not part of the Roman Curia.[11] Pope Francis greatly increased both the authority and influence of the Synod in September 2018

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synod_of_Bishops_in_the_Catholic_Church

The Holy See Press Office releases the 'Instrumentum Laboris', the text that will guide the work of the second session of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod in October. Among the focuses of the document are the need for transparency and accountability, and the role of women in the Church.


https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2024/07/09/0560/01156.html#en

Washington State's Target Zero Off Target

The Inequity of the Pursuit of Equity Over Public Safety.

Target Zero, Vision Zero 

Washington state's Target Zero is a Public Safety paradigm shift, patterned after Vision Zero. It's a plan with the goal to reduce the number of traffic deaths and serious injuries on Washington's roadways to zero by the year 2030. It also serves as the state's Strategic Highway Safety Plan. Target Zero is way off target, the latest victim of the of the anti law enforcement movement.






For decades, Washington's Traffic Safety Commission had long recognized that combating impaired driving is a Public Safety imperative. A decade ago it made significant progress reporting: While deaths and serious injuries from impaired driving both declined by 15 percent during 2009-2011 compared with 2006-2008, impaired driving continues to be the main factor in fatal collisions in Washington.

Most of the decline was then attributed to aggressive campaigns to change the public perception of the acceptability and consequences of drinking and driving, coupled with tougher laws, including the 2007 felony DUI law, and strict penalties imposed for drivers under age 21 who drink and drive. "Despite these efforts, impaired driving remains a challenging issue for both Washington and the nation" - WTSC impaired driving strategic plan 


Vision Zero, is a Public Safety Paradigm Shift. The shift? From considering traffic deaths and severe injuries as inevitable accidents and simply side effects of modern life to a notion that all these tragedies are preventable by taking a proactive, preventative approach that prioritizes traffic safety as a public health issue.

First implemented in Sweden in the 1990s, Vision Zero is a strategy to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries, while increasing safe, healthy, equitable mobility for all.

Target Zero Off Target

Alex Didion, KING 5 Staff reports that
Traffic deaths in Washington state hit 33-year high in 2023 citing data from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission (WTSC) indicating that there were 810 traffic fatalities last year, a 10% increase from 2022.

Target Zero Off Target - Increase in Vehicle Deaths Coincides With Anti Law Enforcement Movement 

That means Washington State's Strategic Highway Safety Plan, Target Zero is not yielding the desired results - quite the opposite. Target Zero's goal is to reduce the number of traffic deaths and serious injuries on Washington's roadways to zero by the year 2030. It also serves as the state's Strategic Highway Safety Plan.

According to WTSC director Shelly Baldwin. “810 is not just a shocking statistic. Every number represents a life lost. A lost family member. A lost co-worker. A lost friend. The people who mourn have had their lives changed forever." Baldwin the goes on to say: "I hold them in my heart as I ask drivers to take the actions we know save lives. Drive sober. Be patient. Stay focused. Buckle up.”

Shelly Baldwin is the first woman appointed by Governor Jay Inslee, to head the Washington Traffic Safety Commission in it's 50+ year history. We have reached out to the Traffic Safety Commission to understand why Target Zero is off target and what is being done to reverse the trend. Multiple attempts to reach Washington State's Attorney General Communications Director Brionna Aho have not been fruitful.

Didion also reports that "officials previously identified the 'fatal four' common causes of traffic crashes and deaths as impairment, distraction, speeding and not wearing seat belts."

Washington's rules of the road, including laws on texting and driving are outlined in Title 46, Chapter 61 of the RCW. In the state of Washington, you cannot use a hand-held personal electronic device (such as a cell phone) when driving. To be clear, “driving” includes when you are stopped at a traffic light! You may use a hands-free device to make a phone call. But otherwise, no texting, calling, or watching Netflix.

The NE Lake Road and NE Everett Street Intersection Improvement Project at the City of Camas sitting on a state highway is another indicator. According to the city's website the "first phase of the project included an alternatives analysis, surveying, a geotechnical investigation, a transportation analysis, an environmental analysis, conceptual designs, and stakeholder and community outreach." The finished product is advertised through signage and otherwise, as a traditional roundabout. It's not. It's more like trying to design a better mousetrap, as it violates the first law of roundabouts; Thou should only drive counterclockwise.

City of Portland's Version of Vision Zero 

The City of Portland's Portland Bureau of Transportation, like Washington's 

WTSC,is working to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries through its Vision Zero program and commitment: "No person should die or be incapacitated from simply going about their day."

PBOT addresses street safety in a section entitled Actions and performance measures: "Safe speeds, slow people driving to reduce injuries. 
Slowing down people driving reduces crashes and their severity. People who drive slower can stop more quickly to avoid a crash. Driving more slowly also reduces the chance of injury or death when crashes occur."- PBOT

From City of Portland's Vision Zero Initiative 

Portland's Vision Zero Off Target

But 'performance measures' used by PBOT herein is a misnomer. Performance measures are specific and used to hold people accountable: A performance measure is a numeric description and results of an agency's work. Performance measures are based on data and tell a story about whether an agency or activity is achieving its objectives, and if progress is being made toward achieving policy or organizational goals. Millicent Williams, director of PBOT, rejoined PBOT in the summer of 2023 after managing PBOT’s Capital Delivery division from 2017 to 2020, then serving as PBOT Deputy Director until May 2021. After her years at PBOT, Millicent served as Otak’s Oregon/SW Washington Regional Director for the Public Sector and as Corporate Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

Then there is Portland's culture.A year ago, Attorney John DiLorenzo of Davis Wright Tremaine, following the aftermath of Multnomah County’s suspended proposal to pass out fentanyl smoking supplies, he called on the City of Portland to dissolve the Joint Office of Homeless Services. DiLorenzo previously said the county had spent millions of dollars passing out tents and tarps, only for the city to spend nearly the same amount to pick them up and throw them away. He led a lawsuit against the City of Portland to keep tents off sidewalks – claiming that blocking the pathways violated the Americans with Disabilities Act. Portlanders with disabilities eventually reached a deal with the city. He said the county’s work to pass out fentanyl smoking supplies goes against that agreement.

The City of Vancouver's Version of Vision Zero 

Right next to Portland, accross the Columbia River is the City of Vancouver. Looking to the future, Vancouver is also trying to reduce the number of traffic deaths and serious injuries through its recently unveiled Transportation System Plan (TSP.) The TSP was approved and adopted by Vancouver City Council on the 8th of January 2024. According to the TSP website "Following extensive planning and community engagement, we’ve developed a new Transportation System Plan that will prioritize how we invest in a safe, reliable and comfortable transportation system over the next 20 years."

Vision Zero and Culture 

Vision Zero is not a slogan, but a Paradigm Shift: a culture that values human life. Where culture is defined as all the ways of life including arts, beliefs and institutions of a population that are passed down from generation to generation. Culture has been called "the way of life for an entire society." As such, it includes codes of manners, dress, symbols language, religion, rituals, art.

Culture is a form of social control based on shared norms and values that set expectations about appropriate attitudes and behavior for members of the group.

Signs of cultural deterioration are the anti law enforcement movement, the increased disregard for basic safety rules of the road, such as stopping at a stop sign, failure to yield, failure to use turn signals, failure to use pedestrian lanes, cyclists using winding narrow roads without bike lanes, children on electric scooters racing on public streets and so on.

An example of formal social control is passing a law against driving under the influence. If someone breaks that law, the person is charged AND convicted. Recently, dozens of people ransack NW Portland warehouse afterShannon Clark, posted a ‘free’ sign outside. Clark was arrested on aggravated burglary. Prosecutors declined to file charges, rendering the law ineffective.

A year ago, KOIN reported: "‘Fearing for our safety’: Portland street racing continues to run rampant despite police mission". In what appears to be a tradition, earlier this week KOIN wrote: "Street racers who took over an intersection not far from Portland International Airport also peppered gunfire and launched fireworks — including one that landed on the roof of a business — late Saturday night. We have asked Director Millicent Williams for comment.

The difference between the culture we say we want and the culture we enable is the Belief- Action Gap Index, aka cognitive dissonance index - the gap between what the organization says it values, versus its action. You have to walk the talk.

Any of Target Zero initiative gains were erased as early as 2010 when the anti law enforcement movement first started, increased during the Ferguson riots and gained strength in 2020 during the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd and the associated violent protests.

It should be noted, most Americans do not support reducing law enforcement budgets. A YouGov poll from May 29–30, 2020, found that close to two-thirds (65%) oppose cutting police force funding. Just 16 percent of Democrats and 15 percent of Republicans support that idea.An Economist/YouGov poll from June 14–16, 2020, found that 22 percent of African-Americans favor police abolition. A June 23–July 6 survey by Gallup found that 81% of African-Americans wanted police to spend the same amount of time or more time in their neighborhoods, as did 86% of the sample as a whole.

DAVE - A Simplified Vision Zero Strategy

Public safety is a function of Design, Awareness, Visibility and Engagement (DAVE, where Visibility includes motorists' road, pedestrian and signage, visibility and law enforcement personnel. Even DAVE relies heavily in culture as a form of social conttol.

Conclusion

WTSC director Shelly Baldwin statement

"Drive sober. Be patient. Stay focused. Buckle up," is very telling. Instead of accepting any responsibility for Target Zero being off target Baldwin blames the driver. According to Vision Zero, communities that want to succeed at Vision Zero need to acknowledge that business as usual is not enough and that systemic changes are needed to make meaningful progress.

Washington State's TrafficZero is not working. Neither is Portland's Vision Zero program.  Elected officials must decide how much stock to put on human life. They cannot sraddle the fence:  either they speak out against the anti law enforcement movement or turn the Vision One initiative into a No Vision one.

https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/george-floyd-protests-06-14-20/index.html

Assuming they value human life, they need to acknowledge that business as usual is not enough and that systemic changes are needed to make meaningful progress. Both need to set, or in the case of Washington, reset a timeline to achieve zero traffic deaths and serious injuries, which brings urgency and accountability, and ensures transparency on progress and challenges.

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The trillion-dollar tech company just made a major change to its workplace that follows a recent trend

Microsoft's market cap is more than 3 times Washington state's GDP, yet it realized

The Inequity of the Pursuit of Equity Over Public Safety.

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Saint Augustine Zhao & 120 Chinese Martyrs

July 9 marks the feast of St Zhao Rong and Companions, collectively known as the Chinese Martyrs.

"The blood of martyrs is the seed of the Church." Tertullian 

History tells us that China faced many threats in the 19th century mostly from the West,  including European powers such as Britain, France, and others, along with Japan.  Whereas China's main threat in the 20th century was internal conflict,  including the Boxer Rebellion (1899-1901) A  a violent anti-foreign and anti-Christian movement that targeted foreigners and Chinese Christians. The 21st century seems to be more of the same with the added threat represented by the United States.

History neglects to recognize that China's biggest threat in the 20th and 21st centuries is not the United States, but Christianity.  St Zhao Rong and  the Chinese Martyrs is a vivid reminder.

The Chinese Martyrs is the nama given to a number of members of the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church who were killed in China during the 19th and early 20th centuries. They are venerated as martyrs. Most were Chinese laypersons, but others were clergy from various other countries; many of them died during the Boxer Rebellion.


The Boxer Rebellion was an uprising against foreigners that occurred in China about 1900, not unlike the Tokugawa shoguns' Christian persecution 300 years earlier. While the Boxer Rebellion begun by peasants, it was eventually supported by the government. A Chinese secret society known as the Boxers embarked on a violent campaign to drive all foreigners from China. 

In Japan. Tokugawa shoguns eradicated Christianity via murder, persecution and decrees. In 1638, an estimated 37,000 people, mostly Christians were massacred after the Christian-led Shimabara Rebellion - In 1637, the Christian Amakusa Shirō led a peasants' revolt, the Shimabara Rebellion, which caused Iemitsu, the third Tokugawa shōgun, to strengthen the prohibition of Christianity and to largely close Japan to the West. In 50 years, the crackdown policies of the shoguns reduced the number of Christians to near zero

The  group of Chinese Martyrs ( 120 martyrs,)   died between 1648 and 1930. Eighty-seven of them were born in China, and were children, parents, catechists, or laborers, ranging in age from nine years to 72. This group includes four Chinese diocesan priests.

The 33 foreign-born martyrs were mostly priests or wome74,000n religious, especially from the Order of Preachers, the Parihs Foreign Mission Society, the Friars Minor, Society of Jesus, Society of St. Francis de Sales (Salesians), and Franciscan Missionaries of Mary.

The story of the Chinese Martyrs illustrate why China's biggest threat is not the United States or Russia but Christianity in general and Pope Francis in particular.   Simple math:  There are over 2.6 billion Christians in the world but only 1.4 billion Chinese

 Zhao Rong was a Chinese soldier who accompanied Bishop John Gabriel Taurin Dufresse of the Paris Foreign Mission Society to his martyrdom in Beijing. Saint Augustine Zhao-Rong named Zhu, was born in 1746 in Wu Chuan, Guizhou Province. When he was nearly 20, while serving as a sergeant in Wu Chuan County, he encountered Christianity during its introduction from Sichuan.

When the persecution of Christianity began in 1748 during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor, many Christians were arrested, including a priest called Father Mei. Zhu Rong was moved by the teaching of Father Mei, and Zhu Rong quickly embraced Christianity and deepened his understanding of the faith. In 1752, on St Augustine’s feast day, Father Mei baptized and confirmed Zhu Rong, giving him the name Augustine. Recognising Zhu Rong’s strong faith, Father Mei entrusted him with various tasks, teaching him Latin and encouraging the study of books about the saints.

Impressed by Zhu Rong’s loyalty and enthusiasm, another priest, Father Lou, sought his assistance. Recognising his outstanding faith, Father Lou appealed to the bishop for Zhu Rong’s ordination as a priest. At the age of 35, Zhu Rong became a priest, adopting the surname Zhao and so from then on was called Zhao Rong.   Later, the bishop assigned him to care for all Catholics in the three counties of Guan Xian, Jin Tang, and Wen Jiang in western Sichuan Province. Zhao Rong tirelessly taught, zealously preached, devotedly fulfilled his duties, and heard confessions with care. In the 1815, during the reign of the Jia Qing, as Christian persecution began again, Father Yang urged him to leave the region, but being old and frail, Zhao Rong explained his inability to escape. He asked Father Yang to pray for his perseverance, courage, and steadfastness. 

When a thug questioned Zhao Rong about his belief in Catholicism. Zhao Rong replied that he not only believed in the Catholic Church, but that he also was a leader in the Church. He was reported to state officers, leading to his arrest and subsequent transfer to Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan. In prison, Zhao Rong endured various forms of abuse and torture.

Beatified in groups at various times, these 120 martyrs were canonized together in Rome on October 1, 2000.

Prayer to the Martyrs Saint Augustine Zhao and companions

O God, who in your wonderful providence have strengthened your Church through the confession of the Martyrs Saint Augustine Zhao and companions, grant that your people, faithful to the mission entrusted to it, may enjoy ever greater freedom and witness to the truth before the world.

Saint Maria Goretti, a Saint For Poor, Young Girls.

July 6 marks the Feast of Maria Goretti, patron saint of chastity, rape victims, girls, youth, teenage girls, poverty, purity, and forgiveness.

"Not only is he a martyr one who refuses to deny a truth of the faith, but he who dies for the sake of some virtue, or to avoid sin against any commandment." - Saint Thomas Aquinas 

Maria was the daughter of a poor Italian tenant farmer, who had no chance to go to school and never learned to read or write. Her threshold of faith was tested at the tender age of eleven years when she was willing to undergo death rather than participate in a sin against God. Her attacker was a neighbor and would-be-rapist, 18-year-old Alessandro, who stabbed her 14 times. Maria was taken to a hospital and during this time, she was most concerned with the welfare of her mother, forgiveness of her murderer and her welcoming of Viaticum, her last Holy Communion. She died about 24 hours after the attack.


St. Maria Goretti was canonized by Pope Pius XII before the largest throng of people- over 200,000- ever to attend a canonization ceremony. It was also the first time in history that a mother, Assunta Goretti, was present for the canonization of her own daughter! 

Pope John Paul II in a Homily commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the virgin-martyr's birth, he emphasized her importance for our own troubled times: "She did not flee from the voice of the Holy Spirit, from the voice of her conscience. She rather chose death. Through the gift of fortitude the Holy Spirit helped her to 'judge"- and to choose with her young spirit. She chose death when there was no other way to defend her virginal purity. Maria Goretti's blood, shed in a sacrifice of total fidelity to God, reminds us that we are also called to offer ourselves to the Father. We are called to fulfill the divine will in order to be found holy and pleasing in His sight. Our call to holiness, which is the vocation of every baptized person, is encouraged by the example of this young martyr.

"Today, we thank the Blessed Trinity for this young life, and for the martyrdom which crowned it. Through her life and heroic death, the Son of man was glorified at the beginning of our century. 'Blessed be God in His Saints'." (L'Osservatore Romano- English ed., 10/7/91)

Feast of Saint Anthony Zaccaria, Reformer and Promoter of the Eucharist

Saint Antonio Maria Zaccaria born 5 July 1502 ( died 1539) was an Italian Catholic priest and early leader of the Catholic Reformation, founder of the Barnabites and a promoter of the Passion of Christ, the Eucharist and the renewal of the religious life among laity.

The Catholic Reformation consists of reforms and movements within the Church in the periods immediately before Martin Luther and before the Council of Trent  (1545-1563.) The efforts grew out of criticism of the worldliness and corruption of the papacy and clergy during the Renaissance. Martin Luther used the Catholic Reformers' proposed reforms as a basis for  his attack on abuses in the Church.

Even before the official start of the Catholic Reformation, others like Saint Francis of Assisi were already making progress. While Francis never intended to found an order but when followers came to share his life, he saw it as the will of the Lord. In May 1209 went to Rome to see pope Innocent III. Innocent reigned at a time of remarkable corruption in the Church. Many bishops, priests and religious had become landed gentry, more concerned with their material possessions than fullfiling their pastoral responsibilities. Most of the clergy were poorly educated in the faith and rarely preached, and many were given to lives of debauchery.

At the same time that Martin Luther was attacking abuses in the Church, a reformation within the Church was already being attempted. Among the early movers of the Counter-Reformation was Anthony Zaccaria.  He received a medical doctorate at 22, and while working among the poor of his native Cremona in Italy, was attracted to the religious apostolate. He renounced his rights to any future inheritance, worked as a catechist, and was ordained a priest at the age of 26. Called to Milan in a few years, he laid the foundations of three religious congregations, one for men, one for women, and an association of married couples. Their aim was the reform of the decadent society of their day, beginning with the clergy, religious, and lay people.

Anthony encouraged such innovations as the collaboration of the laity in the apostolate, frequent Communion, the Forty Hours devotion, and the ringing of church bells at 3:00 p.m. on Fridays. His holiness moved many to reform their lives, but as with all saints, it also moved many to oppose him. Twice his community had to undergo official religious investigation, and twice it was exonerated.

Paul III was the first pope to respond to attacks of abuse in the church.

convening the important Council of Trent (1545–63), described as the embodiment of the Counter-Reformation and used in part to address the challenges of the Protestant Reformations

 The Counter-Reformation was a comprehensive effort arising from the decrees of the Council of Trent. The effort produced apologetic and polemical documents, heresy trials, anti-corruption efforts, spiritual movements, the promotion of new religious orders, and the flourishing of new art and musical styles.

Such reforms included the foundation of seminaries for the proper training of priests in the spiritual life and the theological traditions of the Church, the reform of religious life by returning orders to their spiritual foundations, and new spiritual movements focusing on the devotional life and a personal relationship with Christ, including the Spanish mystics and the French school of spirituality.

Among the most influential reforming figures of the Counter-Reformation included Pius V, Gregory XIII, and Sixtus V. Saints Charles Borromeo, Philip Neri, John of the Cross, Teresa of Ávila, Francis de Sales, and Vincent de Paul

Prayer to Saint Anthony Zaccaria 

Saint Anthony Zaccaria, helper of the poor and the sick, you who devoted your life to our spiritual welfare, listen to my humble and hopeful prayer.

Continue your work as doctor and priest

by obtaining from God healing from my physical and moral sickness, so that free from all evil and sin, I may love the LORD with joy,.fulfill with fidelity my duties,

work generously for the good of my brothers and sisters, and for my sanctification.

Amen.

Schismatic Catholic News Agency Report German Catholics are leaving the Church in hordes

Schismatic and Anti-Pope Francis
Catholic News Agency's AC Wimmer 'reports "400,000 Germans Quit Catholic Church as Talks Between Vatican, Synodal Way Continue - While this represents a decrease from the 522,000 departures in 2022, the trend remains alarming for Church leaders and Catholics alike."

Then, to prove his point, Wimmer, rattles a number of statistics: " Currently, there are 20,345,872 Catholics registered in Germany. If trends persist, the number could drop below 20 million in 2024.

Moreover, only 6.2% of Catholics regularly attend Mass: This translates to approximately 1.27 million practicing Catholics in a country of over 80 million, CNA Deutsch noted."

The 'report'  is then shamelessly repeated by 
  National Catholic Register and others.  It's like the National Catholic Reporter

'reporting' that Church leaders and Catholics alike, are alarmed at number of fallen angels: Saint Paul tells us in Romans Chapter 10 that "But not everyone has heeded the good news; for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what was heard from us?” Thus faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ. “Their voice has gone forth to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.”

Catholics in Germany, whether those leaving the Church, or those who decided to stay, have heard the good news - yet some decided to leave - its a free will world! Free to choose good or evil. Free to doubt, like Doubting Thomas. Whether Germans, Americans, Russians or Chinese.

The Church is not a theme park or an entertainment center in need of modern marketing practices. The Church (CCC 778) is both the means and the goal of God's plan: prefigured in creation, prepared for in the Old Covenant, founded by the words and actions of Jesus Christ, fulfilled by his redeeming cross and his Resurrection, the Church has been manifested as the mystery of salvation by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. She will be perfIIected in the glory of heaven as the assembly of all the redeemed of the earth (cf. Rev 14:4).

In Eph 2:19, Saint Paul makes it clear all who so choose, are fellow citizens; 
"Brothers and sisters: You are no longer strangers and sojourners,
but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone.
Through him the whole structure is held together and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord; in him you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. Eph 2:19. Even Doubting Thomas became a believer: "But Thomas said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks
and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked,
and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.”
Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” JN 20:24

The Church teaches (CCC 2148) that one sin has been declared in all three synoptic gospels by Jesus himself as "unforgivable" – blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.


Whoever says a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. (Mat 12:31-32)

All sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin. (Mk 3:28-29)

Every one who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. (Lk 12:10)

The Holy Spirit is the personification of God's love and, as such, "God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us," (Rom 5:5). This gift of love that has been poured into our hearts is the agent of forgiveness offered to us by God (CCC 734). In other words, through the Holy Spirit, we receive forgiveness for our sins, which finds its source in the sacrifice of Jesus ( CCC 735).

Rather than remaining dormant in our hearts, the Holy Spirit offers us help to access that forgiveness. It is from the Holy Spirit that we receive gifts and fruits that form our consciences, enabling us to know right from wrong so that we may follow his will, leading us on the path to Heaven. It is the Holy Spirit who inspires us to act rightly, but perhaps more importantly, he is also the agent of change in our hearts who inspires conversion when we act wrongly. Our response to the Holy Spirit's urgings prompts us to be sorry for our sins and seek out God's infinite mercy.

The Catholic Catechism also  teaches (391)  that "behind the disobedient choice of our first parents lurks a seductive voice, opposed to God, which makes them fall into death out of envy. Scripture and the Church's Tradition see in this being a fallen angel, called "Satan" or the "devil".The Church teaches that Satan was at first a good angel, made by God: "The devil and the other demons were indeed created naturally good by God, but they became evil by their own doing."


The Church further teaches (CCC 1730-1735) God created man a rational being, conferring on him the dignity of a person who can initiate and control his own actions. "God willed that man should be 'left in the hand of his own counsel,' so that he might of his own accord seek his Creator and freely attain his full and blessed perfection by cleaving to him."

Man is rational and therefore like God; he is created with free will and is master over his acts.

Freedom is the power, rooted in reason and will, to act or not to act, to do this or that, and so to perform deliberate actions on one's own responsibility. By free will one shapes one's own life. Human freedom is a force for growth and maturity in truth and goodness; it attains its perfection when directed toward God, our beatitude.

As long as freedom has not bound itself definitively to its ultimate good which is God, there is the possibility of choosing between good and evil, and thus of growing in perfection or of failing and sinning. This freedom characterizes properly human acts. It is the basis of praise or blame, merit or reproach.

The more one does what is good, the freer one becomes. There is no true freedom except in the service of what is good and just. The choice to disobey and do evil is an abuse of freedom and leads to "the slavery of sin."

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Schismatic, National Catholic Register "reports'
British Lords, Celebrities, including Bianca Jagger, author Tom Holland, musical eminence Julian Lloyd Webber, and media executive Sir Nicholas Coleridge, among others.

Call on Vatican to Preserve ‘Treasure’ of Latin Mass.

In an OpEd piece in Schismatic  National Catholic Reporter
Joanne M pPierce Opines that " as a specialist in medieval Christian history, I am aware that, since antiquity, many theologians, preachers, monastics and other Christians have embraced the role of humor as a valuable part of Christian spirituality."


But you don't need to be a specialist on medieval history, Catholics are not surprised and it's not just humor- just read the Catholic Catechism

The Great Books of the Western World and Bishop Barron's Pivotal Players

Ironically, the Great Books only includes two of Bishop Barron's Pivotal Players: Saint Augustine and Saint Thomas Aquinas and do not mention the person who preserved Western Civilization: Saint Benedict of Nursia.

The Great Books of the Western World are books that constitute an essential foundation of Western culture and influence world civilization. To be considered great, books must be critically acclaimed works that are relevant to many major ideas and issues, have contemporary significance and benefits, and include literary merit. 

Great Books  is a series of books originally published in the United States in 1952, by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., to present the great books in 54 volumes.

Bishop Robert Barron Pivotal Players book describe "12 heroes who shaped the Church and changed the world"

In the Preface to the Great Books,  Robert M. Hutchins writes: Until lately, the West has regarded it as self-evident that the road to education lay through Great books. No man was educated, unless he was acquainted with the masterpieces of his tradition. There never was very much doubt in anybody's mind about which the masterpieces were. They were the books that had endured and that the common voice of mankind called the finest creations, in writing, of the Western mind. 

In the course of history, from epoch to epoch, new books have been written that have won their place in the list. Books once thought entitled to belong to it have been superceded; and this process if change will continue as long as man can think and write. It is the task of every generation to reasses the tradition in which it lives, to discard what it cannot use and to bring into context with the distant and intermediate past the most recent contributions to the Great Conversation - Robert M. Hutchins, Preface to the Great Books.

Pivotal Players and the Great Books

The original editors had three criteria for including a book in the series drawn from Western Civilization: the book must be relevant to contemporary matters, and not only important in its historical context; it must be rewarding to re-read repeatedly with respect to liberal education; and it must be a part of "the great conversation about the great ideas", relevant to at least 25 of the 102 "Great Ideas" as identified by the editor of the series's comprehensive index, the Syntopicon, to which they belonged. The books were chosen not on the basis of ethnic and cultural inclusiveness (historical influence being seen as sufficient for inclusion), nor on whether the editors agreed with the authors' views.

A second edition was published in 1990, in 60 volumes. Some translations were updated; some works were removed; and there were additions from the 20th century, in six new volumes.

Ironically, the Great Books only includes two of Bishop Barron's Pivotal Players: Saint Augustine and Saint Thomas Aquinas and do not mention the person who preserved Western Civilization: Saint Benedict of Nursia. According to Bishop Barron

"at a time when Roman order had collapsed and barbarian invaders were picking through the rabble of a once great civilization  Benedict founded the religious community that would, in time, preserve the best of the old and allow for the emergence of a particularly Christian way of life. 

This is the massive Segovia aqueduct, constructed during the reign of Emperor Trajan between AD 98 and 117, which stands as a testament to the ingenuity of Roman engineering. Remarkably preserved, this monumental structure spans 2,388 feet and rises with 165 arches, each exceeding 30 feet in height. Uniquely, it is assembled from around 24,000 dark Guadarrama granite blocks, laid without any mortar, showcasing the precision and durability of ancient Roman construction techniques.

And so it is absolutely no exaggeration to say that without Benedict, there would not be Thomas Aquinas, no Catherine of Siena, no Ignatius of Loyola, no Michelangelo, and no John Henry Newman." Saint Benedict relentlessly preserved Seneca, Cicero, Plato, Aristotle, Aristophanes, Caesar  - in fact, practically everything of value that we have from the ancient world 

Pivotal Players 

As Stephen Beale puts it: "It’s difficult to overstate how crucial Western monasticism was to preserving European civilization. As the last vestiges of the Roman Empire withered away in the fifth century, monastic communities emerged as islands of enlightenment among a dark sea of barbarism and anarchy that held sway over Europe for centuries. There was one occupation of the monks which, perhaps more than any other, helped in the preservation of Western Civilization: that of copying ancient manuscripts.
But the role of the monks in saving civilization was even broader than this. Besides praying and working out their salvation and preaching the gospel, what else did monks pursue in those monasteries? The practical arts, agriculture being a significant one. They literally saved agriculture in Europe. They taught the folks how to cultivate the land, especially in Germany where they converted the wilderness into a cultivated country. Manual labor was intrinsic part of their rule which proclaimed “ora et labora” (pray and work). In England they owned one fifth of all its cultivable land. The monks would introduce crops, industries and production methods with which the people were not familiar: the rearing and breeding of cattle, horses, the brewing of beer, the raising of bees and fruits. The corn trade in Sweden was established by the monks, in Parma it was cheese making, in Ireland salmon fisheries, and in many places vineyards. St. Benedict of Nursia, whose feast day was earlier this month, is universally recognized as the founder of Western monasticism, with his famous Rule of St. Benedict serving as the blueprint for what was at its height 37,000 Benedictine monasteries. So it’s not for nothing that St. Benedict is one of the patron saints of Europe. (And it’s easy to see why Pope Benedict XVI, facing the onslaught of a new dark ages upon Europe, took his name.)

While Bishop Barron's book the  Pivotal Players is not the Great Books of the Western World, all the Pivotal Players, including Michelangelo, St. Catherine of Siena, G.K. Chesterton, St. John Henry Newman, Fulton J. Sheen and others would meet the three criteria for including a book in the series drawn from Western Civilization.  

Just like  Robert M. Hutchins writes in Preface to the Great Books: "In the course of history, from epoch to epoch, new books have been written that have won their place in the list. Books once thought entitled to belong to it have been superceded; and this process if change will continue as long as man can think and write." So it is with the Pivotal Players: "Evangelizing the culture then, requires being able to  'red the signs of the times.' All our Pivotal Players had the ability, whether consciously or intuitively: From St. Benedict discerning he needed to leave the decadent urban culture of sixth-century Italy and set up a monastic community, to Bartolomè de las Casas in the fifteenth century recognizing he must challenge the inhumane treatment of indigenous people in the Americas, to St. John Henry Newman engaging in the intellectual life of nineteenth century Oxford. Closer tonour own age, we find Flannery O'Connor responding to the spiritual deafness of twentieth-century America with her fiction, and Fulton Sheen recognizing the potential of television for evangelization. These figures presented the same truth I'm distinctive ways that met the needs of the time," Holly Ordway writes

Holly Ordway also writes: What can we learn from these Pivotal Players? We have seen how their lives reflected the love of God, and how their devotion to Christ decisively influenced the Church.the  we have recognized the way that these figures embodied the Church's mission, to evangize the culture. We have admired them, learned from them, and been surprised and challenged by them.

But we should not stop there.. we should ask: What next? How can we carry on their work of evangelization? That question may seem daunting or even prideful. After all, these are really great figures. Who are we to emulate someone like St. Ignatius, St. Catherine of Siena, or Michelangelo?  It might seem more fitting and more humble to view these men and women as set apart, bigger and better than ordinary Catholics like us. Let others who have great spiritual gifts do great things, right? No, that's not right, and I dare say that any of these Pivotal Players would speak up to say so.

When we look at the lives of these great figures, we see again and again the truth that they recognized:  their lives were not about them. From St. A-Benedict to St. John Henry Newman, from G. K. Chesterton to Flannery O'Connor, we see that these figures had tremendous intellect, spiritual, pastoral, and creative gifts - and they used them with great humility to pursue the beautiful, the good and the true; that is to love and serve God in his Church.

True humility does not mean pretending one does not have any talents or downplaying the value of one's gift. Rather, it means recognizing that these are precisely God's gifts, and focusing on how they can be put to service for the kingdom. The Pivotal Players we have encountered were gifted in many ways., and their humility is grounded in their outward focus: How to serve Christ with talents God gave them.

So it is right and fitting - and indeed vitally important - that we should ask the question: How can we fo what they did in our own day and and with our gifts and talents?

In order to answer that question we need to discern the shape of the culture.

Every age and every culture presents

particular opportunities for evangelization. Certain aspects of the human experience are perennial: people have always faced the problem of suffering, and struggled with issues of justice and mercy. Individual people have grappled with questions about the existence of God, the truth of the Resurrection, the nature of sin and so on. But the way these issues are experienced is profoundly shaped by the culture.

Whatever particular gifts any one of us might have, one thing we do all have, for certain: a vocation to holiness. We are all called to be saints, and to witness with our lives to the truth of the faith. 

There are new saints being raised up right now, who in future generations will be recognized as pivotal players of the 21st century. It might be you or me, in God's providence  - it might be someone whom you or I help to come into the Church, or someone we encourage, or teach, or pray for, or serve. Each and everyone of us is a pivotal player for someone in our lives. Let us live out that calling, with God's help and the help of the saints.

For example, Carlo Acutis, a video game and computer-loving teenager known as "God's influencer" who died at age 15 will become the first Millennial saint.

While Bishop Barron's book the Pivotal Players does not come close on terms of depth and breadth to the Great Books, it can be read in one sitting and used to discard what is not useful and use it to bring into context with the distant and intermediate past the contributions to the Great Conversation as Robert M. Hutchins might say.

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A good book opens the mind, stimulates the heart, and prepares us for life, Pope Francis writes in a letter to future priests, but also all pastoral workers and Christians will appreciate "reading novels and poems as part of one’s path to personal maturity."