Primus Pilus

The Beginning (sort of)

   This blog begins where Jumping Without A Chute ended. The first blog allowed me to meet some great people, and to begin to share thoughts and ideas with the world. That blog began with a specifically Catholic focus that shifted back and forth from the religious to the political to the social, and a mix of the three. Sometimes, this worked well. Other times it showed a mind in flux. The blog was an excellent reflection of the author.

   Over time, I began to feel constricted by the self imposed limitations of the blog. Attempts to work around this didn't work for me. While I was deployed, I had time to think, read, and grow. One of the things that emerged from that time is that in order to move forward some things have to be left behind. They can not be forced to fit into that which they no longer fit. You can not, as it were, pour new wine into old wineskins.

   This is a new wine skin for new wine. The title comes from the rank of the Senior Centurion of the Cohort, the Primus Pilus or, The First Spear. There are several meanings to this. First is the obvious comparison to my own occupation, after almost 20 years of soldiering, I can identify with that Centurion. Second is the bond I have often felt with the Centurions cited in scripture. The one whose servant Jesus healed and the one who stood at the foot of the cross. Veterans who, having seen the worst of which men were capable, still found in some small recess of the heart and soul, a belief that God still loved the world. Finally is the Centurion in his relation to Roman society in general and it's parallel in my relation to American society today. The Centurion is the common theme in my life, and for this blog.

   So it begins. The ongoing expression of thoughts and ideas. A mind rooted in past, living in the present, and examining the future. Thanks for coming out.

Fr. Ken Brighenti: A Priest's Silver Jubilee

   The impact of a good Priest can best be compared to the detonation of an atomic weapon (albeit, in a good way.) The second and third order effects of that priest's life, presence, and actions can travel throughout time and beyond the priest's own temporal lifespan. A good priest is as eternal as the Church. A good Priest contributes to the eternal mission of the Church.

   I have been blessed to know several good priests in my life. Yesterday, at Villa Walsh in Morristown, NJ we had the honor and privilege of joining in the celebration of the 25th Anniversary of one of those priests, Father Ken Brighenti. Many know Fr. Ken and his fellow Priest and brother en pectore, Fr. John Trigilio, from their appearances on EWTN and their co-authorship of all of the "For Dummies" series of books related to Catholicism.

   We first met Fr. Ken in 2005 when he was the Pastor of St. Ann's in Raritan, NJ. We had recently moved to Manville, very close to Raritan, and I had taken my then one year old to a book signing at the local Barnes and Noble where Fathers Brighenti and Trigilio were in attendance. Father Ken was engaging and gracious, upon learning we were new to the area, he immediately offered to come bless our new home. Fr. John was quite the sport as my one year old tugged away at his beard.

The eponymously named school located with the parish was administered by the Filippini Nuns, who had also been my wife's teachers when she attended Villa Victoria in Trenton, NJ. The principal of St. Ann's, Sr. Gloria Caglioti,  had been my wife's music teacher. For Dana, this was a fondly remembered part of her past. For me, St. Ann's was a reminder of my past. A Church full of high church beauty that reminded me of St. Jerome's where I had grown up.

   The day I went to register our family at St. Ann's, I complimented Fr. Ken on the beauty of the church, (which had just been renovated.) he handed me a key to the door so I could let myself in and take some time to admire the work and the parish in silence and prayer alone. A gift that was surprising and greatly appreciated. Mass at St. Ann's celebrated by Fr. Ken and deacons John and Conrad with music provided by the Director of Sacred Music, Dr. David Bower, was unequalled in beauty.

   As Fr. Ken's time as Pastor drew to a close, he was assigned to Mount St. Mary's Seminary and University, (which I attended for a time), and there has had a tremendous impact on the men in formation there. We remained in touch via email and his thoughts and prayers through the high and low points of life have been valued and treasured. Our last email exchange announcing the arrival of Tristan included his invitation to us attend yesterday's celebration. It was a singular honor. To see a man celebrate 25 years of a beautiful vocation, to see that love reflected in the celebration of the Eucharist, to see that vocation celebrated through a homilist as tremendous as Fr. Trigilio, and to see the Chapel of St. Lucy filled to capacity as so many gathered who were touched by that vocation, speaks to the Eternal nature of the Church and the Priesthood.

   Thank you Fr. Ken, may we gather with you again for your 50th. God Love You!

Christos Anesti!

“Were not our hearts burning within us
while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?”

   One of the greatest historical mysteries is what the Resurrection looked like when it occurred. Contrary to popular belief, science and faith are not diametrically opposed and it is science from which I my imagination visualizes the Resurrection.
   Newton's First Law of Motion states that an object, once put in motion stays in motion until stopped by other forces acting upon it. The unstoppable force of Grace can be envisioned as an explosion occurring on the historical timeline. Moving back to redeem the righteous condemned by original sin and forward with no external force capable of acting upon it, moving through our present and into the future, as Christ says, "until the end of the age."
   We commemorate that Grace today. Tomorrow, the challenge that faced the disciples. Like the disciple on the road to Emmaus, to remember our hearts being on fire and to share that with the world.

The Cross is Empty

The curtain of the temple is torn. The blood on the cross congealed and still damp. Nails bent and covered in blood lay discarded near wood which is saturated with sacrifice.

The disciples in hiding. Fearing that they will be the next to face the Pharisees false charges and Roman justice.

A mother weeps as the stone is rolled in front of the tomb that holds the broken body of her son. Comforted by his beloved disciple who struggles with the last instruction he received, "Son, behold your Mother."

Pharisees nervously pace back and forth, hoping the murder of Jesus and the freeing of Barabas will calm tensions enough for the Pesach to pass without further violence.

The body of the traitor swings bloated from a tree in a field while the ravens wait to feast.

In a barracks, a Centurion sits. His soldiers give him wide berth. He is unusually silent and introspective. A man disciplined and not given to distraction, he poured himself a cup of wine immediately upon his return from Golgotha. He has washed repeatedly. He smells of soap and a fresh woolen tunic. In his nostrils though is still the smell of blood. In his ears, the last words of a dying Jew. Every time he closes his eyes, he is again looking up at the man upon the cross who, despite his agony, is looking down on him with love. Those eyes! Even now, they stare at him from his own mind. They don't accuse, they forgive. He feels unworthy of that forgiveness and feels pain and joy coexist in his heart. The wine doesn't help. He spills a bit on his hand and, for a minute, again sees blood. He will not sleep tonight.

Jerusalem is silent. Darkness had blocked the sun which, now again free of shadow, seems weaker and diminshed. Shadow and darkness have won... for now.

Good Friday

I see His Blood Upon the Rose

I see his blood upon the rose And in the stars the glory of his eyes, His body gleams amid eternal snows, His tears fall from the skies.

I see his face in every flower; The thunder and the singing of the birds Are but his voice—and carven by his power Rocks are his written words.

All pathways by his feet are worn, His strong heart stirs the ever-beating sea, His crown of thorns is twined with every thorn, His cross is every tree.   -Joseph Mary Plunkett

Pelosi, Biden, and the Eucharist: A Cause for Scandal But, Not How You Think

So, Pelosi and Biden received the Eucharist during the Pope's inaugural mass. While I understand the anger we all need to stop and think for a minute. In the eyes of God, ALL sin makes us unworthy of receiving the Sacrament of the Eucharist. In some way, shape, or form, we all approach the altar in an unworthy state. It has always been this way.

The night of the Last Supper, the disciples all gathered with Jesus in the upper room and shared in the institution of the Eucharist. Among them were Simon Peter who, in less than 12 hours would deny our Lord 3 times, Andrew, James, Phillip, Bartholomew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Jude, Simon the Zealot, who would abandon Jesus after his arrest, Judas Iscariot whose name is now synonymous with betrayal, and John the only one of the 12 who would remain with Christ throughout his Passion. Yet, they all shared in the institution of the Eucharist. Why? Because Christ knew they were human, knew they were weak, knew that all but one would leave when their faith was put to the test but, knew that the Eucharist would sustain them when he was no longer with them. Not one of them, (with MAYBE the exception of John), was worthy. Yet, still they shared.
In the days that followed, it was that shared Eucharist that drew them together. In the centuries that have followed, it is that shared Eucharist that brings us together. None of us is worthy, it is only grace that makes us so. No one knows the state of the soul approaching to receive the sacrament other than that person and God.
Do Biden and Pelosi create scandal in approaching the altar? Certainly. As did Zaccheus the tax collector Jesus dined with, the Samaritan woman at the well, the prostitute who washed Christ's feet  with her hair and her tears, as did the weak Apostles at the last supper, as did Judas who dined and then left to complete his betrayal, as do we when we approach the altar with our own litany of sins confessed and hidden.
Yet, we are still welcome. The Sacrament of the Eucharist becomes a portal of Grace if we allow it. If our hearts remain hardened, then the Eucharist, despite its internalization falls on soil that is not fertile. It does not take root and grow.
None of us know the mind of either Biden or Pelosi. Certainly we all have our opinions, (I certainly do) but, none of us can stand before the altar and state without a doubt that we are perfectly ready to receive the Eucharist. So, before we judge and condemn, instead let us focus on ourselves and our own lives and better prepare ourselves for our next celebration of the Sacrament. To focus on our own Salvation and for our lives to be examples to others, is time well spent.

The Feast of St. Joseph

The silent witness to the life of Christ. While he speaks no words and apparently died before Christ began his public ministry, St. Joseph's presence can be felt from the beginning of St. Matthew's Gospel to the end of St. John's.

So what do we know? Joseph was a descendant of David. By his lifetime more a matter of having a famous ancestor than of having any wealth or power in the Roman world in which he lived. He is erroneously called, a "carpenter" giving people a simplistic view of what he really was. The Greek word used to describe him is, Tekton. This means that he was far more than someone who hung drywall or repaired tables and chairs in his shop. He was a skilled artisan and quite likely literate and multi-lingual. He worked on the temple being erected at Caesarea Phillpi which would explain his residence in Galilee. We know he was a righteous man. When his betrothed, Mary, was found to be with child, he planned to quietly break their engagement rather than subject her to the harsh justice of 1st century Judea. A punishment that could have seen her stoned to death. Then, when visited in a dream, takes her into his home, no questions asked. We know that he played a key role in Christ's life prior to his public ministry and we know that, sometime before it began, he died.

   Then there is silent St. Joseph. Humble. Obedient. Pious. Devoted. This embodiment of manhood is hard to imagine today. Our disposable culture that sees people trading in spouses like their cars for newer and younger models. Our culture of cynicism, doubt, and disobedience that immediately questions everything and, even when explained, still chooses to accept or not accept based on fads and opinions. The men who receive the most attention today are overgrown children complaining about how they have been treated unfairly, or appear on Maury in a last ditch attempt via polygraph or DNA test to deny paternity, or who tell popular culture that misogyny and lack of accountability are how manhood is measured, or who tell you that what you've earned is not yours and that they know better than you how so, you should live by their ephemeral dictates. One can not for a minute question the love he had for Mary or for Jesus. Nowhere in scripture is he described as a deadbeat Dad. Nowhere does he appeal to God and claim the responsibility he has it too great. He accepts the burden he has been given. The family unit to the outside world appears as normal as any other. Within the walls though, is a family of a different kind. Joseph and Mary find themselves with a task that has never happened before or since, the raising of God.

   Clearly, Joseph excelled. He did what every father of the time did, he taught his son his trade. Jesus' life was not one of comfort and leisure. No doubt he suffered from hammer thumb, pulled splinters from his hands, carried wood back and forth, woke up on cold dark mornings and fell asleep long after the sun had set. He woke up and with Joseph together, the workday began. He also was the first person in whom God saw love for our Blessed Mother. Not in apparition or prayer but in daily devotion to Mary in the most simple sense. To care for her and provide for her. Every day of labor a Rosary, every artifice fashioned and sold, a Miraculous Medal, every greeting a Salve Regina, and every request for assistance, a Memorare.

   By the time Jesus began his public minstry after Joseph's passing, the mark Joseph had left on him was apparent. Only the son of a carpenter, a man accustomed to labor and hard work could command the attention and respect of the fisherman of Galilee. Only a man whose body showed strength and a work ethic could convince those fisherman to follow him. The image of Jesus as a willowy effete man separate from the world, while making great coloring books, is far from the reality of a man who walked all over Judea and was inured to the hardship doled out by the weather and terrain around him. It was from Joseph that Jesus learned to interact with people, to develop his work ethic and to make his work a form of prayer.

   We see the shadow of Joseph in the crucifixion.The strong legs that first learned to walk with quivering step across the floor of a workshop and that later carried wood back and forth at Joseph's instruction now carry wood to their own death.  Christ's hands, that as an infant played with tools and then taught by Joseph to drive a nail through wood are fixed on wood by having nails driven through them. The feet which once were tiny white paddles that could be heard running throughout the house, fixed bloody and raw to wood with hammer and nail, the tools of a carpenter put to unholy use.

   Finally, we see Joseph's shadow in the resurrection. One of the last in David's bloodline to die before the arrival of the Messiah, no doubt Joseph was the first to leave the netherworld of the righteous once Christ's sacrifice again opened the gates of heaven. One sees Joseph before Christ in his glory, at once humble before God and at the same time able to tell his God, I have done what you asked, I raised your Son as my own, I know you are pleased.

   Right now, my 2 month old is discovering the world around him. My 2 year old is fascinated by how things can be taken apart, and my 5 and 8 year olds are developing their own particular senses of identity. I am not a carpenter but, like Joseph, my greatest work is not what I have made but with what I have been entrusted.

St. Joseph Ora Pro Nobis.

-JMJ-

Sunday's Gospel: The Adultress and the Gift of the Sacrament of Reconciliation

  Sunday's Gospel: John 8:1-11
A woman is caught in the act of adultery. The penalty in the Old Testament is clear. She must die in a public spectacle of stoning. To add insult to injury, the Pharisees decide to use her as a pawn in their own vendetta against Jesus. Jesus, the compassionate and the loving who has beaten the Pharisees repeatedly at their own game. Jesus who has usurped their authority and pointed out their hypocrisy. Jesus who has dined with prostitutes and tax collectors, healed on the Sabbath, all while claiming and using the words of prophets and of YHWH himself in his own defense! Now, the Pharisees know they have him. If he calls for mercy for her in violation of the law, he is a heretic. If he condemns her as well, then he loses the support of the masses and is reduced to being nothing more than an itinerant preacher. Either way the Pharisees win. The woman? She is inconsequential. She is property and can at least be used to serve a higher purpose before her disposal.
   Note that the man with whom she was caught in the act of adultery is missing from the recorded event. Perhaps he was among those who brought her before the Lord. Afraid of his own transgression being revealed and determined that her death would ensure his secret would die with her. Perhaps he was one of the Pharisees himself. History and Scripture are silent, leaving the reader to draw their own conclusions.
  So the condemned woman is brought before Jesus. The Pharisees make a great display of complimenting Jesus's mastery of the law and ask Him for His opinion. Then he does something that he is not recorded as having done anywhere else in Scripture. He writes. Literacy was a big deal in first century Judea. Jesus, the stepson of Joseph the Carpenter, (Tekton in Greek meaning skilled artisan), would have been taught how to read and write. He was most likely literate in Aramaic, Greek, Hebrew, and possibly Latin based on having a hand in his stepfathers business dealings. Not an itinerant or self taught preacher from the backwoods, He could read and write as well as, (if not better), than the Pharisees who questioned him. We do not know what he wrote. I have an idea. Most likely he was writing the sins of the men gathered around him, perhaps the name of the man with whom she had committed adultery, perhaps the names of men standing there who were forced to examine their own consciences and face their own sins, perhaps our own sins were written. Again, the author is silent. Then, after an undetermined amount of time spent writing, he states simply, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Then He kept writing! More sins or perhaps next to the sins, the punishments they should receive according to the law as a result. The crowd drifted away. The oldest first, as they had the greatest accumulation of sins. Then the young were left standing there. Full of self righteousness and the lack of introspection that is a part of youth, they thought they could stand up to him. Gradually, their courage failed them, they had been abandoned by their leaders, they could now read what Jesus had written in the sand and perhaps take a moment to look within themselves. Perhaps they stared at the woman and saw her, really saw her, as a person, as a sister, a mother, a lover, a wife, a daughter. No matter what went on in their minds, they too left.
The woman, left alone with Jesus now stands before him. Probably more afraid of him than of the crowds. They could only kill her, this man seems to have power greater than that of simply being able to kill. Jesus stops writing and speaks: “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more.”
In this exchange, though she does not realize it, God himself is saying, "I do not condemn you, either." One of the first Scriptural references to the Sacrament of Reconciliation and a poignant expression of the strength of the Sacrament. In this case, it literally saved a woman from death. For all of us, flawed, and imperfect as we are, it remains a pipeline to Grace. A Sacrament so often overlooked until needed or ridiculed by so many outside of communion with the Church because, "I tell God my sins, not a man." Failing to realize that Christ in that hypostatic union of God and man was hearing a confession that day. Failing to realize that the Priest on the other side of the screen or in front of you is not the man but is acting En Persona Christi and offering you the same forgiveness offered to the woman in the courtyard of the Temple 2,000 years ago. Failing to realize that among the greatest words we can hear in our existence on this planet are these:
"May our Lord Jesus Christ absolve you; and by His authority I absolve you from every bond of excommunication and interdict, so far as my power allows and your needs require. [making the Sign of the Cross:] Thereupon, I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen." Then our sins, like the words written in the sand of the temple courtyard by Christ, blow away....
Lent is a perfect time for reconciliation, make use of it. Don't let your past condemn you, don't condemn yourself.

-JMJ-

Uncle Screwtape Weighs In on the Conclave

My Dear Wormwood,
   No doubt you've heard of the latest man chosen to replace the fisherman and lead the followers of the Enemy. This one has given us serious cause for concern. The resignation of the previous one was, for me, a source of immense satisfaction. You and your brethren have done an excellent job of dividing those who follow the Enemy. Creating discord and disunion among even the Curia by playing upon our favorite sins, (especially Pride!) His intellect was frightening as was his emulation of the Son of the Enemy and his love for the Mother. (and you know how much we HATE Her!) 
Your work on creating a world of relativism devoid of truth has pleased our master to no end! Governments in Europe now support euthanasia! Freedom to choose abortion is defended more vigorously in America than even their own Constitution! The poor have been taught to believe not in salvation from the Enemy but in dependence upon the government. (and again, well done in that arena!) Meanwhile, followers of the Enemy remain divided, wars continue to flourish, and the poor, ah the poor, continue to despair. Every growling empty stomach, every cry of pain, every bullet fired, every needless death, every vacuum and scissor that removes a child from the womb, these are music to the ears of our master.
But, we know that every time we make progress, something looms on the horizon that sets us back. Which is my reason for writing to you. This new successor to the fisherman is a cause for concern. He is different. Much like his namesake who caused us all of those problems in the 12th and 13th centuries and whose spiritual descendants remain a thorn in our side. He is humble and eschews the perqs of his office. His prayers at the tomb of the fifth Pius are a warning to us and the most prideful whom you work upon. He combines the humility of the first Francis with the intellect of the bastard of Loyola. He has already surprised the media and many of the followers of the Enemy and all of this within less that 72 hours! Even the Orthodox are coming to his installation! This hasn't happened since our accomplishment with the Schism! Our master is extremely displeased with this turn of events. This fisherman could prove to be a formidable foe.
My instructions to you are simple: Fix it.
Use our resources within the media to draw attention to Argentina during the Junta. We know he did much to protect and help as well keep the the religion of the enemy separate from wordly affairs. We also know that he does not offer a defense of himself. We can use his own humility against him.
The more liturgically conservative among his followers are a tree ripe for picking. Their concern with his lack of devotion to traditional celebration of the sacrifice of the Son of the Enemy, (not knowing how much ANY celebration of this causes pain to our master and to all of us his servants), is our way in. Again, the beautiful sin of Pride affords us opportunity. Work within their hearts, cloud their minds to focus solely on their liturgy and its rubrics, guide them to put it ahead of the message the Son of the Enemy taught when he was on earth and we will have the makings of another schism. How the master loves Pride, especially when it divides the followers of the enemy.
Nephew, we have made much progress in a short time. We have done great work towards doing harm to the Enemy and his followers. Now, we face a potential problem but also, tremendous opportunity.
Do not fail, the penalties for failure are, as you know, not pleasant.

Your Uncle,

Screwtape

The New Papal Coat of Arms

A return to the Tiara!

The Honeymoon is Over (as far as some Traditional Catholics are concerned)

   I wish to preface this post with the following:
I am a Traditional Catholic. I believe the Tridentine Rite Mass is the most beautiful expression of the Sacrament of the Eucharist and celebration of the mass. I rejoiced at the Motu Proprio. I love the beauty of Latin whether spoken or in chant. I own all volumes of the Baltimore Catechism. I have a two volume Douay-Rheims. I think Sacred music should be just that and that guitars have their place, just not in the sanctuary or as part of the liturgy. I loathe Church in the round. I love the 1962 calendar and all of the old aspects of Catholicism that we did away with post-Vatican II.

   All that being said, I am saddened by what I have read from many Trad Catholic sites and pages in the past 24 hours. Not even 8 hours after the election and a smear campaign has begun against the new Pope. "He didn't allow the TLM in his diocese!" "He's part of Communion and Liberation he's a liberation theology adherent!" (Wrong BTW.) He's a Jesuit, he's a progressive! (While Berrigan and Drinan fit the bill Mitch Pacwa certainly doesn't.) Each breathless revelation of heterodoxy delivered without any citations of course.

   Some of the Traditionalists have resorted to the same smear campaign the progressives began against Benedict. If you condemned it then, don't do it now. It makes you no different no matter how much you claim to be defending the Faith.

   Bottom Line is This: He is Peter.
He is the Bishop of Rome
He is our Holy Father
He is the 265th man after Peter to accept the role.
He is a man. Human, flawed, imperfect. Just like Peter was. Yet, despite a denial that was far more horrible than having to hear a guitar at Mass or not supporting the TLM with the same enthusiasm as Bishop Emeritus of Rome, Benedict XVI, (and the jury is still out on that anyway), Jesus still chose Peter to lead the Church. Not John, the beloved disciple who never left Christ. Not James, not Jude, not any of the other 7. He chose Peter.
We can not lose sight of that.
When Pope Francis speaks of the poor and social justice
When Pope Francis celebrates a Mass in the Novus Ordo form
When Pope Francis takes the van with the rest of the Cardinals
When Pope Francis travels alone in a single car to go someplace to pray
When Pope Francis uses a Pastoral approach very different from his two prevous predecessors
When Pope Francis speaks
We must remember
He is Peter