Today is the feast of St Charles Lwanga

The Society of Missionaries of Africa (known as the White Fathers) had only been in Uganda for 6 years and yet they had built up a community of converts whose faith would outshine their own. The earliest converts were soon instructing and leading new converts that the White Fathers couldn't reach. Many of these converts lived and taught at King Mwanga's court.

King Mwanga was a violent ruler and pedophile who forced himself on the young boys and men who served him as pages and attendants. The Christians at Mwanga's court who tried to protect the pages from King Mwanga.

The leader of the small community of 200 Christians, was the chief steward of Mwanga's court, a twenty-five-year-old Catholic named Joseph Mkasa (or Mukasa).

When Mwanga killed a Protestant missionary and his companions, Joseph Mkasa confronted Mwanga and condemned his action. Mwanga had always liked Joseph but when Joseph dared to demand that Mwanga change his lifestyle, Mwanga forgot their long friendship. After striking Joseph with a spear, Mwanga ordered him killed. When the executioners tried to tie Joseph's hands, he told them, "A Christian who gives his life for God is not afraid to die." He forgave Mwanga with all his heart but made one final plea for his repentance before he was beheaded and then burned on November 15, 1885.

Charles Lwanga took over the instruction and leadership of the Christian community at court -- and the charge of keeping the young boys and men out of Mwanga's hands. Perhaps Joseph's plea for repentance had had some affect on Mwanga because the persecution died down for six months.

Anger and suspicion must have been simmering in Mwanga, however. In May 1886 he called one of his pages named Mwafu and asked what the page had been doing that kept him away from Mwanga. When the page replied that he had been receiving religious instruction from Denis Sebuggwawo, Mwanga's temper boiled over. He had Denis brought to him and killed him himself by thrusting a spear through his throat.

He then ordered that the royal compound be sealed and guarded so that no one could escape and summoned the country's executioners. Knowing what was coming, Charles Lwanga baptized four catechumens that night, including a thirteen-year-old named Kizito. The next morning Mwanga brought his whole court before him and separated the Christians from the rest by saying, "Those who do not pray stand by me, those who do pray stand over there." He demanded of the fifteen boys and young men (all under 25) if they were Christians and intended to remain Christians. When they answered "Yes" with strength and courage Mwanga condemned them to death.

He commanded that the group be taken on a 37 mile trek to the place of execution at Namugongo. The chief executioner begged one of the boys, his own son, Mabaga, to escape and hide but Mbaga refused. The cruelly-bound prisoners passed the home of the White Fathers on their way to execution. Father Lourdel remembered thirteen-year-old Kizito laughing and chattering. Lourdel almost fainted at the courage and joy these condemned converts, his friends, showed on their way to martyrdom. Three of these faithful were killed on road.

A Christian soldier named James Buzabaliawo was brought before the king. When Mwanga ordered him to be killed with the rest, James said, "Goodbye, then. I am going to Heaven, and I will pray to God for you." When a griefstricken Father Lourdel raised his hand in absolution as James passed, James lifted his own tied hands and pointed up to show that he knew he was going to heaven and would meet Father Lourdel there. With a smile he said to Lourdel, "Why are you so sad? This nothing to the joys you have taught us to look forward to."

Also condemned were Andrew Kagwa, a Kigowa chief, who had converted his wife and several others, and Matthias Murumba (or Kalemba) an assistant judge. The chief counsellor was so furious with Andrew that he proclaimed he wouldn't eat until he knew Andrew was dead. When the executioners hesitated Andrew egged them on by saying, "Don't keep your counsellor hungry -- kill me." When the same counsellor described what he was going to do with Matthias, he added, "No doubt his god will rescue him." "Yes," Matthias replied, "God will rescue me. But you will not see how he does it, because he will take my soul and leave you only my body." Matthias was cut up on the road and left to die -- it took him at least three days.

The original caravan reached Namugongo and the survivors were kept imprisoned for seven days. On June 3, they were brought out, wrapped in reed mats, and placed on the pyre. Mbaga was killed first by order of his father, the chief executioner, who had tried one last time to change his son's mind. The rest were burned to death. Thirteen Catholics and eleven Protestants died. They died calling on the name of Jesus and proclaiming, "You can burn our bodies, but you cannot harm our souls."

When the White Fathers were expelled from the country, the new Christians carried on their work, translating and printing the catechism into their natively language and giving secret instruction on the faith. Without priests, liturgy, and sacraments their faith, intelligence, courage, and wisdom kept the Catholic Church alive and growing in Uganda. When the White Fathers returned after King Mwanga's death, they found five hundred Christians and one thousand catchumens waiting for them. The twenty-two Catholic martyrs of the Uganda persecution were canonized.

Prayer:
Martyrs of Uganda, pray for the faith where it is danger and for Christians who must suffer because of their faith. Give them the same courage, zeal, and joy you showed. And help those of us who live in places where Christianity is accepted to remain aware of the persecution in other parts of the world. Amen
from here

Pilgrims at the Tomb of Peter. As in Ancient Rome

Ten meters beneath the Vatican basilica, it is possible to walk the same path that led to the tomb of the apostle, among rows of Roman tombs that have emerged, intact, from the excavations. The latest restoration was presented just a few days ago. A marvel of art, history, faith.

Sandro Magister has a fascinating article on the excavations. Constantine buried a pagan necropolis in order to level the approach to the Apostles tomb, Pius XII sent in the archaeologists.

I am not a DVD

There is story here about some heroic parents and their 6-foot, 225-pound 13-year-old autistic son who is creating difficulties for "church leaders". His mother said,

"He's never actually injured anyone. He's never knocked down anyone. He's never urinated on anyone or spit on anyone."

At one time I used to find it impossible to preach when babies cried, I just couldn't gather my thoughts. I prepare my homilies meticulously but I have never written them, over the years I have learnt to cope but I still find screaming babies impossible to ignore, I just don't know parents can carry on a conversation whilst a distempered 1 year old is having a tantrum, I tend to foreshorten my homily in such a situation but on the whole parents in my congregation tend to be sensitive.
I just don't know how I would cope with this young lad in my congregation.
In these days of electronic entertainment it is very easy to assume the priest is a DVD, switch him on and assume he can carry on regardless.

One thing worse than screaming children is that headsplitting sound a hearing aid makes when the batteries run down.
What is it reasonable for a priest to cope with?

Charismatics and the Devil

I admit it, I am suspicious of anything that connects God and a handheld miocrophone.

I had the Catholic Times on the phone this morning to ask what I meant by saying,
“I really am beginning to think that the Charismatic movement is of not of God, but of the Devil.”
I told him to read what I had said in context.

Charism means Grace, I am certainly do not think the movement of Grace comes from the Devil, that would be nonsensical. However as we heard in the Gospel yesterday we have to be wary of those who claim to cast out demons or heal or work miracles in the Lord’s name. What matters to the Lord is not the spectacular action but that our house is built on the Rock, on Petros.

As Catholics we should be sceptical about healings, miracles, visions or strange insights, much to be preferred are gifts like faith, hope and charity. Better to have in one’s parish two or three strong families, than two or three hundred speakers in tongues. St Theresa of Avila tells her novices if they experience such strange things, they should pray to be delivered from them. My own experience as a Pastor is that new converts and those in the first stages of the spiritual life often experience the extra-ordinary, sometimes it seems as if God is giving encouragement, almost saying, “Yes, pray, being close to me is good, carry on”, invariably such experiences prepare one for a painful period excruciating aridity and the Cross. But at other times it can be the beginning of spiritual shipwreck, were the gift becomes more important than the Giver.

Where charismata lead us to greater loyalty to Peter and the Magisterium and to sacraments, to devotion, to asceticism, when they lead to a deeper valuing of those things which have been handed on from the Apostles and the Saints it possible these things come from God, but we should be sceptical. It is after all God we desire, we should be very cautious about treating God as the granter of wishes, we belong to the Catholic Church, not a Cargo Cult.

If you want to ask for anything from the Lord, be courageous enough to ask for a share in his Cross and suffering, so you might truly share in his resurrection.

Disestablish the Cof E

Wanton Popery has:

A motion calling for the disestablishment of the Church of England has been listed in the House of Commons as 666 - the Number of the Beast.
Labour MP John Austin, who has repeatedly tabled Early Day Motions urging disestablishment, put down his latest motion last night as MPs debated scrapping Britain's blasphemy laws.
It appeared appeared on the House of Commons order paper numbered 666, the number associated with the Antichrist in the Book of Revelation. Scholars believe 666 referred to the Emperor Nero.
The King James Bible renders Revelation 13:8 as: "Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six."
Bob Russell, Liberal Democrat MP for Colchester and one of the signatories, said: “It is is incredible that a motion like this should have, by chance, acquired this significant number.
“This number is supposed to be the mark of the Devil. It looks as though God or the Devil have been moving in mysterious ways.
“What is even stranger is that this motion was tabled last night when MPs were debating blasphemy.”
The motion is unlikely to be debated. But momentum for looser ties between Church and State is growing, as the support for the repeal of the blasphemy law illustrates. The blasphemy law favours Christianity and in particular the Church of England.
Although the attempt by Liberal Democrat MP Evan Harris to amend the Criminal Justice Bill was unsuccessful, the Prime Minister Gordon Brown has disclosed that he is consulting with the churches about its repeal.

This is a little frivolous but the issues is quite important.
The blasphemy law only takes account of the C of E, Catholic offence is not covered by it, it is a law wiothout any teeth, therefore it is bad law. It marks the special place the State Church has in the British Constitution, it is the "Church by Law Established". Obviously on both accounts the C of E is in a position that puts others at a disadvantage, we saw that in the forced apostasy of the young Canadian woman who married into the Royal family.
Frankly it is unjust.

The problem is that altering the situation will play into the hands of the secularists.

Built on Rock: today's Gospel

Who was the wise man?

Jewish hearers would have understood it to mean Solomon.

Christians would have understood it to be the Lord.

What is "his House"?

Jews would have understood it to be the Temple, first built by Solomon.

Christians would understand it as the Church.

What is "the rock"?

For the Jews Mount Zion.

For Christians the Greek petrum of the text is identified in Mt 16 as Simon who is called Petros.

What is "rain and wind and flood"?

For Jews that which swept away the Temple in the year 70. All that remains today is the wailing wall. The mosque of the Dome of the Rock covers the rock where altar once stood.

For Christians that which the Church has resisted for 2000 years and which it will until the end of time, for even the "gates of hell will not prevail against it".

Matthew's Gospel was written for a Jewish congregation, it is poignant therefore to remember many of his hearers/readers would have themselves worshipped in the Temple before its destruction, many would have had relatives crucified at the destruction of Jerusalem. When they first heard this text read they would have been worshipping in a community founded on the testimony of the Rock, Peter himself.

Ask and you will given

Not my favourite Cardinal, but I was impressed by Rocco Palmo's account of Cardinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles' ordination of twelve men.

My highlight was when, before the final blessings, the cardinal asked for a stack of the prayer cards for priestly vocations (distributed and prayed throughout the archdiocese). He then stood and asked if there were any young men in the congregation who had been moved enough by the ordination to feel that they might be being called then and there. He called them forward and at least twenty young men came down into the sanctuary. We applauded. The cardinal welcomed each one and gave them the prayer and said that all would stand and pray this prayer for them. We all applauded again and then we prayed.

Then the cardinal suggested to the newly ordained that, at the end of their first Masses of Thanksgiving, they should make the same invitation because “the grace of vocation flows powerfully at the time of ordinations.”

Maybe as our own ordination season approaches, UK bishops and priests might follow Los Angeles' example.