Friday 29th March 2024

Home » Frontpage » Currently Reading:

A Beacon of Light… What The World Needs Now

November 15, 2022 Frontpage No Comments

By FR. RICHARD D. BRETON Jr.

(Editor’s Note: Fr. Richard D. Breton Jr. is a priest of the Diocese of Norwich, Conn.)

  • + + The world, as we know it, is deteriorating before our eyes and society is oblivious to this occurrence. So often we hear people discussing worldwide affairs and there ensues a debate of what the future will be like. In the end, the question that seems to linger in people’s minds is this: What does the world need today?
    The answer is quite simple, really. What the world needs is a return to the authentic belief of what it means to follow Christ. Finding what it means to follow Christ, requires knowing who Christ is. One of the greatest literary works of Catholic antiquity is The Imitation of Christ. This literary work was written and published in 1418 by the German-Dutch monk and scribe, Thomas Hemerken of Kempen, better known as Thomas à Kempis (1380 to July 25, 1471).
    After Sacred Scripture, this work has had worldwide popularity since its original publication and has become the most well-known devotional aid in living the spiritual life. The Imitation of Christ is known, loved, and admired the world over. In a preface to an 1873 edition of the book it reads, “The Imitation of Christ has received the unqualified approbation of every learned and pious ornament of the Church; it is still held in as high estimation by people of every denomination as it was at any time since it came from the pen of Thomas à Kempis.” A century prior, French author Fontenelle described it as, “The most excellent production that ever yet issued from the hand of man.”

Amending Our Lives

The Imitation of Christ is broken up into four distinct, yet intertwined Books, where each focuses on a certain aspect of the Christian life. In Book I, Kempis writes about useful admonitions for the spiritual life. This section is broken down into 25 chapters devoted to things like following Christ as our model, having a humble opinion of oneself, truth, prudence, obedience, on the advantage of not having everything our way, temptation, meditating on death, the Last Judgment, and an amendment of our whole lives.
This first section shows us how to despise the vanities of the world, avoid pride, and appreciate the advantages of obedience, adversity, and solitude. Its object is to raise us above the world and lead us to Jesus, Himself.
Early in the first chapter, dedicated to Christ as our model, we find the following: “His teaching surpasses all that the Saints have taught, and he who has the Spirit will find in it ‘the hidden manna.’ But it happens that many, who often hear the Gospel, experience but little desire for it, because they do not possess the Spirit of Christ. For if you would completely, and with delight, enter into the meaning of Christ’s words, you must take pains to bring your life into entire conformity with His” (Imitation, chapter 1, paragraph 2). Taking this into account, the first Book basically deals with knowing who we are in relationship to Christ and our neighbor. Each of us is a spiritual child of our Lord, and as such, He is to be our focus.
So often in life, we focus on ourselves or on others. Doing this distracts us from where our real focus should be. Book I of the Imitation ends by reminding us of the following: “Watch yourself, stir yourself up, warm yourself; whatever your obligation to others, do not neglect your own soul. The more restraints you put on yourself, the more spiritual progress you will make and the greater your attachment to will of God” (Imitation, book I, chapter 25, paragraph 11).
After learning how to avoid the vanities of the world, Books II & III are an invitation inside our very selves. Entitled Consideration for Leading An Interior Life, this section presents us with twelve areas of reflection concerning our interior life. The second book focuses on the life to be led by a follower of Christ, with the reminder that no one is richer, more powerful, or freer than the one who can renounce all and set himself in the lowest place. It opens with the following:
“ ‘The kingdom of God is within you,’ saith the Lord. Turn you with your whole heart unto the Lord, and forsake this miserable world, and your soul shall find rest. Learn to despise outward things, and to give yourself to inward, and you shall feel the Kingdom of God arise within you. For the Kingdom of God is joy and peace in the Holy Ghost; and this is not given to the wicked. Christ will come to you and reveal to you His consolation, provided that you prepare for Him a worthy dwelling within you. All His glory and beauty are from within, and there He delights Himself. Many visits He makes to the inner man, and holds sweet colloquies with the soul, soothing it, filling it with peace, and admitting it to an exceedingly wonderful familiarity with Him” (Imitation, book II, chapter I).
Some of the interior issues that are tackled include: conversion, humble submission, peace, purity of mind and intention, knowing yourself, joy of good conscience, loving Jesus above all things, friendship with Jesus, the want for comfort, gratitude for God’s grace, lovers of the Cross, and the royal road of the Cross. Our Lord reminds us that “The Reign of God is in your midst” (Luke 17:21)
The first chapter of Book II deals with interior conversion. We will only find rest in our ability to reflect on the need for conversion. The need for conversion is ultimately, a turning back to God. This does require, however, a total act of the heart in order that we can abandon the wretchedness of the world. Conversion of heart includes examining ourselves for the errors of life. Each day requires an examination of conscience to see where we have failed in following the Commandments and the Beatitudes. Together, these make up the whole of what it means to live as a faithful disciple.
After reflecting on the need for inner conversion, we need to remind ourselves that we are but servants of the Lord. Sadly, today’s society has tricked us into believing we are the “king” and Jesus is the servant. A proper understanding of conversion involves total submission. Total submission enables us to stop worrying about who is on our side or not. Being a servant of Christ means God is always on your side. If we are clear in conscience, then we can be sure God is on our side.

Too Much Noise Around Us

Turning to Book III, we are reminded of the need to listen! After recognizing the need for conversion, followed by our need for a “servant’s attitude,” Jesus invites us to listen for His voice. God speaks to us in so many different ways and sometimes it is hard to pinpoint exactly where His voice is resonating from. The inability to pinpoint the place of Jesus’ voice is because we live with too much noise around us.
Each day we are bombarded with noise! The noise that distracts us from Jesus usually involves the cardinal sins. These are pride, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and sloth. Together they make up a great deal of the noise we experience in our lives. Maintaining a good interior life requires us to do all we can to deafen this noise that hinders us from hearing the Lord’s voice speaking to our hearts.
The Imitation of Christ concludes by drawing us closer to the Eucharist. Book IV focuses on the Blessed Sacrament and exhortations for Holy Communion. After having discerned about our attachment to things in this life and getting to know Jesus better, and our need for interior conversion, Book IV summons us to develop a reverence for the Eucharistic Lord. This is so important because the Lord Himself in the Eucharist is where we gain the strength to persevere in the spiritual life. In the end, each and all are called to an intimate relationship with the Lord.
The Imitation of Christ has so much to offer us, that each of us must take the time to read this great work of our faith. Doing so opens our hearts more to Christ and being opened more to Christ, we can become like Him.

Share Button

2019 The Wanderer Printing Co.

Vatican and USCCB leave transgender policy texts unpublished

While U.S. bishops have made headlines for releasing policies addressing gender identity and pastoral ministry, guidelines on the subject have been drafted but not published by both the U.S. bishops’ conference and the Vatican’s doctrinal office, leaving diocesan bishops to…Continue Reading

Biden says Pope Francis told him to continue receiving communion, amid scrutiny over pro-abortion policies

President Biden said that Pope Francis, during their meeting Friday in Vatican City, told him that he should continue to receive communion, amid heightened scrutiny of the Catholic president’s pro-abortion policies.  The president, following the approximately 90-minute-long meeting, a key…Continue Reading

Federal judge rules in favor of Gov. DeSantis’ mask mandate ban

MIAMI (LifeSiteNews) – A federal judge this week handed Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis another legal victory on his mask mandate ban for schools. On Wednesday, Judge K. Michael Moore of the Southern District of Florida denied a petition from…Continue Reading

The Eucharist should not be received unworthily, says Nigerian cardinal

Priests have a duty to remind Catholics not to receive the Eucharist in a state of serious sin and to make confession easily available, a Nigerian cardinal said at the International Eucharistic Congress on Thursday. “It is still the doctrine…Continue Reading

Donald Trump takes a swipe at Catholics and Jews who did not vote for him

Donald Trump complained about Catholics and Jews who did not vote for him in 2020. The former president made the comments in a conference call featuring religious leaders. The move could be seen to shore up his religious conservative base…Continue Reading

Y Gov. Kathy Hochul Admits Andrew Cuomo Covered Up COVID Deaths, 12,000 More Died Than Reported

When it comes to protecting people from COVID, Andrew Cuomo is already the worst governor in America. New York has the second highest death rate per capita, in part because he signed an executive order putting COVID patients in nursing…Continue Reading

Prayers For Cardinal Burke . . . U.S. Cardinal Burke says he has tested positive for COVID-19

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — U.S. Cardinal Raymond L. Burke said he has tested positive for the virus that causes COVID-19. In an Aug. 10 tweet, he wrote: “Praised be Jesus Christ! I wish to inform you that I have recently…Continue Reading

Democrats Block Amendment Banning Late-Term Abortions, Stopping Abortions Up to Birth

Senate Democrats have blocked an amendment that would ban abortions on babies older than 20 weeks. During consideration of the multi-trillion spending package, pro-life Louisiana Senator John Kennedy filed an amendment to ban late-term abortions, but Democrats steadfastly support killing…Continue Reading

Transgender student wins as U.S. Supreme Court rebuffs bathroom appeal

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday handed a victory to a transgender former public high school student who waged a six-year legal battle against a Virginia county school board that had barred him from using the bathroom corresponding…Continue Reading

New York priest accused by security guard of assault confirms charges have now been dropped

NEW YORK, June 17, 2021 (LifeSiteNews) — A New York priest has made his first public statement regarding the dismissal of charges against him.  Today Father George W. Rutler reached out to LifeSiteNews and other media today with the following…Continue Reading

21,000 sign petition protesting US Catholic bishops vote on Biden, abortion

More than 21,000 people have signed a letter calling for U.S. Catholic bishops to cancel a planned vote on whether President Biden should receive communion.  Biden, a Catholic, supports abortion rights and has long come under attack from some Catholics over that…Continue Reading

Bishop Gorman seeks candidates to fill two full time AP level teaching positions for the 2021-2022 school year in the subject areas of Calculus/Statistics and Physics

Bishop Thomas K. Gorman Regional Catholic School is a college preparatory school located in Tyler, Texas. It is an educational ministry of the Catholic Diocese of Tyler led by Bishop Joseph Strickland. The sixth through twelfth grade school provides a…Continue Reading

Untitled 5 Untitled 2

Attention Readers:

  Welcome to our website. Readers who are familiar with The Wanderer know we have been providing Catholic news and orthodox commentary for 150 years in our weekly print edition.


  Our daily version offers only some of what we publish weekly in print. To take advantage of everything The Wanderer publishes, we encourage you to su
bscribe to our flagship weekly print edition, which is mailed every Friday or, if you want to view it in its entirety online, you can subscribe to the E-edition, which is a replica of the print edition.
 
  Our daily edition includes: a selection of material from recent issues of our print edition, news stories updated daily from renowned news sources, access to archives from The Wanderer from the past 10 years, available at a minimum charge (this will be expanded as time goes on). Also: regularly updated features where we go back in time and highlight various columns and news items covered in The Wanderer over the past 150 years. And: a comments section in which your remarks are encouraged, both good and bad, including suggestions.
 
  We encourage you to become a daily visitor to our site. If you appreciate our site, tell your friends. As Catholics we must band together to rediscover our faith and share it with the world if we are to effectively counter a society whose moral culture seems to have no boundaries and a government whose rapidly extending reach threatens to extinguish the rights of people of faith to practice their religion (witness the HHS mandate). Now more than ever, vehicles like The Wanderer are needed for clarification and guidance on the issues of the day.

Catholic, conservative, orthodox, and loyal to the Magisterium have been this journal’s hallmarks for five generations. God willing, our message will continue well into this century and beyond.

Joseph Matt
President, The Wanderer Printing Co.

Untitled 1

Catechism

Today . . .

Abortion Advocates No Longer Consider It “A Necessary Evil,” They Celebrate Killing Babies

Last week, Kamala Harris became the first vice president in U.S. history to make a public visit to an abortion clinic. Though the Democratic party’s support for abortion is nothing new, Harris’ Planned Parenthood appearance does illustrate how that support has become a flagrant celebration of abortion as a public and personal good, essential to both “freedom” and to “healthcare.” At the appearance, Harris proclaimed,  It is only right and fair that people have access…Continue Reading

Wisconsin Supreme Court says Catholic charity group cannot claim religious tax exemption

The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that a major Catholic charity group’s activities were not “primarily” religious under state law, stripping the group of a key tax break and ordering it to pay into the state unemployment system. Catholic Charities Bureau (CCB) last year argued that the state had improperly removed its designation as a religious organization.  The charity filed a lawsuit after the state said it did not qualify to be considered as an organization…Continue Reading

Walgreens and CVS Will Start Selling Abortion Pills That Kill Babies

The two largest pharmacies in America will start selling abortion pills this month that end the lives of unborn children by starting them to death. Walgreens and CVS will both sell the abortion pills despite the fact that they kill a developing human being and have killed at least dozens of women and injured tens of thousands more. They plan to initially roll out abortion drug sales in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, California…Continue Reading

Cardinal Burke announces novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe for ‘crises of our age’

VATICAN CITY (PerMariam) — Raymond Cardinal Burke has announced the start of a global, nine-month novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe, calling on Catholics to beseech Mary’s intercession on the Church and the world in the face of the “crises of our age.” In a new endeavour published online over the weekend, Cardinal Burke announced a novena beginning in March, and culminating on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12.

Texas attorney general targets Catholic nonprofit, alleges it facilitates illegal immigration

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Feb 21, 2024 / 21:15 pm Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is trying to shut down a Catholic nonprofit organization in El Paso based on allegations that the group may be facilitating illegal immigration, harboring immigrants who entered the country illegally, and engaging in human smuggling.  Paxton filed a lawsuit against the nonprofit Annunciation House, which has operated in the state for nearly 50 years. The lawsuit asks the District Court of El Paso…Continue Reading

The King of Kings

Cindy Paslawski We are at the end of the Church year. We began with Advent a year ago, commemorating the time awaiting the coming of the Christ and we are ending these weeks later with a vision of the future, a vision of Christ the King of the Universe on His throne before us all.…Continue Reading

7,000 Pro-Lifers March In London

By STEVEN ERTELT LONDON (LifeNews) — Over the weekend, some seven thousand pro-life people in the UK participated in the March for Life in London to protest abortion.They marched to Parliament Square on Saturday, September 2 under the banner of “Freedom to Live” and had to deal with a handful of radical abortion activists.During the…Continue Reading

An Appeal For Prayer For The Armenian People

By RAYMOND LEO CARDINAL BURKE (Editor’s Note: His Eminence Raymond Cardinal Burke on August 29, 2023, issued this prayer for the Armenian people, noting their unceasing love for Christ, even in the face of persecution.) + + On the Feast of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist, having a few days ago celebrated the…Continue Reading

Robert Hickson, Founding Member Of Christendom College, Dies At 80

By MAIKE HICKSON FRONT ROYAL, Va. (LifeSiteNews) — Robert David Hickson, Jr., of Front Royal, Va., died at his home on September 2, 2023, at 21:29 p.m. after several months of suffering and after having received the Last Rites of the Catholic Church. He was surrounded by friends and family.Robert is survived by me —…Continue Reading

The Real Hero Of “Sound of Freedom”… Says The Film Has Strengthened The Fight Against Child Trafficking

By ANA PAULA MORALES (CNA) —Tim Ballard, a former U.S. Homeland Security agent who risked his life to fight child trafficking, discussed the impact of the movie Sound of Freedom, which is based on his work, in an August 29 interview with ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. “I’ve spent more than 20 years helping…Continue Reading

Advertisement

Our Catholic Faith (Section B of print edition)

Catholic Replies

Editor’s Note: This lesson on medical-moral issues is taken from the book Catholicism & Ethics. Please feel free to use the series for high schoolers or adults. We will continue to welcome your questions for the column as well. The email and postal addresses are given at the end of this column. Special Course On Catholicism And Ethics (Pages 53-59)…Continue Reading

Color Politics An Impediment To Faith

By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK The USCCB is rightly concerned about racism, as they should be about any sin. In the 2018 statement Open Wide Our Hearts, they affirm the dignity of every human person: “But racism still profoundly affects our culture, and it has no place in the Christian heart. This evil causes great harm to its victims, and…Continue Reading

Trademarks Of The True Messiah

By MSGR. CHARLES POPE (Editor’s Note: Msgr. Charles Pope posted this essay on September 2, and it is reprinted here with permission.) + + In Sunday’s Gospel the Lord firmly sets before us the need for the cross, not as an end in itself, but as the way to glory. Let’s consider the Gospel in three stages.First: The Pattern That…Continue Reading

A Beacon Of Light… The Holy Cross And Jesus’ Unconditional Love

By FR. RICHARD D. BRETON Each year on September 14 the Church celebrates the Feast Day of the Exultation of the Holy Cross. The Feast Day of the Triumph of the Holy Cross commemorates the day St. Helen found the True Cross. It is fitting then, that today we should focus on the final moments of Jesus’ life on the…Continue Reading

Our Ways Must Become More Like God’s Ways

By FR. ROBERT ALTIER Twenty-Fifth Sunday In Ordinary Time (YR A) Readings: Isaiah 55:6-9Phil. 1:20c-24, 27aMatt. 20:1-16a In the first reading today, God tells us through the Prophet Isaiah that His thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways are not our ways. This should not come as a surprise to anyone, especially when we look at what the Lord…Continue Reading

The Devil And The Democrats

By FR. DENIS WILDE, OSA States such as Minnesota, California, Maryland, and others, in all cases with Democrat-controlled legislatures, are on a fast track to not only allow unborn babies to be murdered on demand as a woman’s “constitutional right” but also to allow infanticide.Our nation has gotten so used to the moral evil of killing in the womb that…Continue Reading

Crushed But Unbroken . . . The Martyrdom Of St. Margaret Clitherow

By RAY CAVANAUGH The late-1500s were a tough time for Catholics in England, where the Reformation was in full gear. A 1581 law prohibited Catholic religious ceremonies. And a 1584 Act of Parliament mandated that all Catholic priests leave the country or else face execution. Some chose to remain, however, so they could continue serving the faithful.Also taking huge risks…Continue Reading

Advertisement(2)