CAPG's Blog 

Lord, You wondrously raised up St. Joan, the Virgin, to defend the Faith and her country.

Through her intercession grant that the Church may overcome the snares of her enemies and enjoy unbroken peace.

Amen.

Source: CAPG

There is a God : this is the first truth which we profess to believe when we recite the Creed, a truth which is the foundation of all the other truths of religion, and of salvation ; a truth which nature as well as religion alike inculcate ;a truth better known than all others, and which is as clear to our eyes as the light of day. Hence, we always regard as monsters, rather than men, that small number of wretches who arrive at such a height of impiety that they dare deny or even doubt that there is a God. If they have the hardihood to say so, “it is only in their heart,” saith the prophet. Indeed, the corruption of their hearts makes them desire that there were no God, that they may with greater ease and freedom abandon themselves to the disorders of their passions ; but their intellect never admits such an absurdity, and always convicts them of their lying blasphemies.

In fact, my Brethren, to convince us of the Existence of a God, it is not necessary that we should enter into tedious researches, and have recourse to laborious studies ; it suffices to contemplate ourselves attentively, to cast a glance over this vast earth, on the millions of creatures that inhabit the world. Yes, says Isaias, "Lift up your eyes on high ; consider who has created the heavens, who caused the army of stars to move in such beautiful order, and who calls them by their names.” Who, then, has fixed this earth upon its foundation ? Who has constructed the spacious firmament on high, --that wonderful ceiling dotted all over with stars, as so many precious stones ? Did man give existence to himself? Did the sun and moon fix themselves in the firmament ? « Do you know who is the Father of the rain, or who begot the drops of dew? (Job, XXXViii)
Ah! the world is a great book, which speaks to us only of God; the voice of the Supreme Being resounds from one end of the universe to the other, and says : “I am the Lord ; that make all things ; that alone stretch out the heavens; that establish the earth; and there is none with me.” (Isaias)

It is God, who has made every thing, and nothing was made without Him. Every man who does not recognize Thee, and who presumes to deny Thy existence, O, my God, is blind, is an ungrateful wretch, is a monster without eyes, without ears, without intellect, and without heart. Yes, if he has eyes let him open them, and everywhere he will see evidences of Thy wisdom, O, my God, and the wonders of Thy Omnipotence!- If he has ears to hear, why does he close them against the voice of every creature that proclaims the greatness of its Creator? Has he received from heaven the gift of intelligence ; he, who, more stupid than beasts, disowns HIM to whom he is indebted for every thing ? And where, then is his heart, since he is insensible to the ineffable bounty for all the blessings which he constantly receives from this adorable Providence,that confers them on him ?

Yes, -my Brethren, there is a God, there is but one God, and here can be no more gods than one. In truth, God is the Being above all beings ; the Infinite Being ; the perfect Being. That perfection can not be divided; infinity appertains to but one Being alone. Were there many infinitely perfect beings, none of them would possess perfection, since they would all be equal ; none of them would be superior to the others, none would be Sovereign Master; and we can with reason say, if there were many gods, there would be none, for a plurality of gods were an idle fancy, a thing that exists not. Says the prophet of God: “Hear, 0 Israel, the Lord, our God, is the only Lord. I am, says he, the first and the last, there is no God besides me.”* lsaias, xl and xliv

There is but one God. You must not however imagine, my Brethren, that the unity of God is opposed to the adorable mystery of the Most Holy Trinity. It is true, faith teaches us to acknowledge and adore three Persons in the Most Blessed Trinity, three Persons in one God ; yet, there is in this no contradiction. Indeed, we do not say, there are three Gods in one God ; but there are three Persons, who constitute but one God. In the Most Blessed Trinity there are not three divine natures, but only one and the same divine nature for the three divine Persons. Yes, my Brethren, always bear in mind, that the three divine Persons of the Most Blessed Trinity have but one and the same divine nature, and are but one and the same God. I know that this is one of those truths which reason of itself cannot comprehend, experience teach, nor the senses assist us to discover; it is a mystery the depth of which, it belongs to God alone to fathom. “No one knoweth the Son, but the Father, neither doth any one know the Father, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him. (St. Matthew, Xi:27) But what ought to set our minds at rest, and free us from all uneasiness, is, that God himself has revealed this august mystery, and His divine word is our guaranty for this profound truth. He has said: “There are three in heaven who give testimony, — -the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, — and these three are one. (St. John, V:7)

But what is God? The day will come when, in heaven, we shall know God and see His infinite perfections in the clearest light. In this life we behold Him only through a glass and in shadows. Yet, however imperfect our knowledge may be, faith and reason throw sufficient light around us, to demonstrate to us that God is a Spirit infinite in all His attributes ; that He is self-existent, and that He is from eternity. God is infinite, therefore He wants nothing ; and there is in Him not even the smallest defect, nor the slightest imperfection. He is perfect ; there is in Him neither sleep, nor hunger, nor thirst, nor anger, nor sadness, nor suffering, nor death; none of these imperfections are to be found in the infinitely perfect nature of God.

God is from all eternity ; He was not created by himself; neither could He have been created by another. If God created himself, He must have existed before He created himself, which is a palpable absurdity. If God was created by another, tell me by whom this other was himself created? How, then, does God exist? The Almighty himself informs us, when He says to Moses : “ I Am who Am” — that is to say, I am the necessary, infinite, eternal Being, the Source, the beginning of all other beings ; Life, and even Existence itself.

God is a being perfectly simple; He is a perfect Spirit; He has neither body, nor figure, nor form. He does not come under our senses ; He can neither be seen, nor touched. If the picture of God the Father represents Him under the form of an old man, it is to give us an idea of His adorable antiquity, and because He showed himself in this form to the prophet Daniel. If the Sacred Scriptures speaks to us of the eyes, the feet, and the hands of God, it uses such language only to accommodate itself to our weakness. These are no more than figures which serve to make us understand the perfections and attributes of God. By His eyes is signified that He sees all things ; by His hands that He made all things ; by His arms is understood His supreme power; and we express as far as possible His dignity, by placing all creatures at His feet.

But at the same time, the word of God warns us not to conceive a false idea of God, by supposing Him to have a human form, giving Him a human body and senses, or by believing that He is, as it were, confined within the vast and magnificent palace of this world. God is a Spirit; and therefore He desires to be adored in spirit and in truth. He wishes that our minds should be constantly raised toward Him, and that our hearts should he penetrated with His love, when we contemplate and meditate upon His infinite perfections.He wishes that, like generous children, we should have
for Him the deepest respect and the most perfect submission to His ever adorable will. He wishes that, by a faithful discharge of all the duties of our state, we may merit His favor and His love.

There is a God : He is perfect. He is infinite. O my soul, bless the Lord, and may all that is within me praise His holy name ! Yes, 0 Lord, I am the work of Thy hands, and my soul and my body shall never cease to publish Thy greatness and Thy goodness. Alas! can it be possible that there are men who refuse to recognize Him, by whose omnipotence they were called into existence! Can it be, that there are others who, though acknowledging that there is a God, yet live as if they knew Him not ; do not love Him, nor serve Him, nor wish to do any thing to please Him.

Let us not, O my God ! be amongst the number of those ungrateful wretches; on the contrary, let us bless Thee all the days of our lives; let us praise and glorify Thee on earth, which is Thy footstool; that, we may merit the happiness of being one day admitted to praise, and bless, and love Thee forever in Heaven, where Thou hast established the “ Throne of Thy Glory.” — Amen. 

Source:  One hundred short sermons, The Most Rev. Martin John Spalding Archbishop of Baltimore

I. They have the Trinity ever before their eyes.
II. They cause the people to adore the Trinity.
III. They work in the name of the Trinity.



" Going therefore, teach ye all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father,and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost ; teaching them to observe all things, whatsoever I have commanded you," — St. Matt, xxviii. 19.

1. In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost . Priests should have a deeper knowledge of the mystery of the Trinity than the rest of the Faithful, in consequence of their study of dogmatic treatises, in which all the truths relating to this sublime subject are so carefully set forth. Profiting by such instruction, they will discover traces of the Trinity in all creation ; for " of Him, and by Him, and in Him are all things" (Rom. xi. 36). Even in their own souls, the memory, the understanding, and the will may serve to remind them of the Trinity of Persons in unity of essence ; whilst all their actions should be directed (as St. Augustin enjoins), to the remembrance, the contemplation, and the love of the Most High Trinity. Further, Priests offer the Sacrifice of the Mass to the Holy Trinity, as they assert so frequently in the sacred Liturgy ; they chant the Trisagium in profound adoration of the Blessed Trinity, thus fulfilling upon earth the office of the Seraphim, and of the four mystical living creatures, who sing the same hymn continually in Heaven (Is. vi. 3 ; Apoc. iv. 8). In this Trisagium the distinction of Persons and unity of substance are clearly set forth (says St. John Damascene); for when we say thrice, "Holy, Holy, Holy," we praise and adore the glory of the Triune God. Again, when we say " Lord God of Hosts, the Heavens and earth are full of Thy glory ! the three Divine Persons are worshiped with equal homage. Lastly, Priests are bound to the frequent repetition of the " Gloria Pain' by which they are invited to profound adoration of the Trinity ; and in repeating those words let them call to mind St. Bernard's remarks. There is (says he) the Creative Trinity — the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. From this Trinity the created trinity fell away — that is to say, the memory, the reason, and the will ; and that by means of another trinity— viz., suggestion, delight, consent ; and this trinity into which it fell consists of weakness, blindness, and uncleanness. What important subject of examination is this ! What motives does it not suggest for adoring, loving, invoking the Divine Trinity !

2. Teach ye. St. Jerome admires the order indicated by the Savior's command, which was, that the Apostles should first teach all nations, and afterwards baptize them. Let us, too, in teaching these sublime truths to the unlearned and ignorant, follow (as St. Gregory Nazianzen bids us) the Prophets and Apostles; nay, let us tread in the footsteps of our Redeemer, Who, before He left this world, said to His Father, " I have manifested Thy Name to men 99 (St. John xvii. 6) ; by which words (says St. Chrysostom) He indicated the Mystery of the Trinity to men. How many are there, even amongst Catholics, Who are ignorant of this Mystery, and, therefore, incapable of receiving the Sacraments ! Perhaps we might say more truly now than St. Philip Neri said in his day, "We have Indians in Italy." And may not this possibly be due to the negligence of the Priesthood ? Priests, however, are bound to defend this august Mystery from the attacks of all those who oppose it, whether Jews, Unitarians, or unbelievers. They should look to the example of those who devote their tongue and pen to its defense, as well as of those who have undergone bitter persecutions and cruel martyrdom in support of this great truth. St. Augustin teaches Priests how they should defend this Mystery : " First we show that our faith is consistent with the teaching of Holy Scripture. Then we shall, perhaps, satisfy the demands of those contentious babblers who are puffed up with their own conceit rather than possessed of any real capacity for comprehending the truth : thus, I say, we may leave even such persons no room for doubt. Let us, then, do our utmost to promote the direct worship of the Trinity, so that it may not happen that, while the Saints receive their due homage, there should be any neglect in the adoration of the Three Divine Persons — the Triune God — the uncreated Sanctity — the sole Author and source of all sanctity." Let us strive to realize the desire thus expressed by St. Augustin : — "When we shall have reached Thee, Thou alone shalt be in us, all in all. Then we shall be ever praising Thee ; then we shall be made one in Thee, O Triune God."

3. Baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Baptism is the door of entrance to all the Sacraments ; and, as our Saviour, by the words "Teach ye," gave the Gospel trumpet into the Apostles' hands (says St. Leo), so, when He commanded them to baptize in the Name of the Trinity, He shewed by what authority they were to act in dispensing the heavenly treasures. As the three Persons have one and the same Divinity, so is the gift of grace one (says St. Jerome) which They bestow through one agency. And, as all men were created by God, Who is one in essence and three in Persons, so by the same Triune God have they been created anew to salvation. Hence it has been said that the whole dispensation of the Church is perfected in the Trinity. What confidence, therefore, in the Trinity ought not we to have in the discharge of the duties of the ministry ! And how great blessings will not that Priest procure for himself who invokes the Most Holy Trinity in all trials and dangers ! How many Priests, thus filled with the Spirit of God, have experienced in a sensible manner the protection of the Blessed Trinity !

 May God, our God, bless us : may God bless us." — Ps, lxvi. 7.
"Holy, Holy, Holy, the Lord God of hosts."— Is. vi. 3.

Source: Meditations for the Clergy