The City of Man, carefully built by the devil, does not offer to the soul any opportunity to recuperate its forces, nor to look forward with anticipation or enthusiasm. On the contrary, the visibly triumphant hedonism of our days anesthetizes the soul with its deadly poisons, taking away the visible traces of the divine Presence. But this Presence remains a reality that cannot be erased by all the sniggering demons of Hell, as it is based on the promise of Our Lord Jesus Christ: "I will be with you. I will not leave you orphaned."
Dear Friends and Benefactors,
The City of Man, carefully built by the devil, does not offer to the soul any opportunity to recuperate its forces, nor to look forward with anticipation or enthusiasm. On the contrary, the visibly triumphant hedonism of our days anesthetizes the soul with its deadly poisons, taking away the visible traces of the divine Presence. But this Presence remains a reality that cannot be erased by all the sniggering demons of Hell, as it is based on the promise of Our Lord Jesus Christ: "I will be with you. I will not leave you orphaned."
This promise is accomplished by the sacraments that flood the soul with the divine Love. The redeeming Blood that heals our soul in the confessional and the substantial nourishment of Communion are direct touches by God. But this seed of divine life cannot take root in a soul that is not carefully prepared. The sacraments are not magic rites, but require a proper disposition on the part of the recipient.
We do not want to elaborate on the indispensable moral preparation that inclines our will, in an act of love, to receive this precious Presence, but to consider rather the grace of true doctrine that enlightens our intelligence and allows us to discern the reality hidden behind the veils of mystery.
The Presence of Our Lord Jesus Christ is always an actual reality, shining forth in the doctrine of Truth transmitted by the Church and reaching faithful souls by means of the sacraments. Our Lord Jesus Christ continues exercising His redemptive mediation in our midst, transmitting to us the doctrine of life and distributing the sacramental graces by His Priesthood:
Being an alter Christus, the priest is the instrument of God par excellence, preserving His Presence and extending His action. Christ has established the priest as the guardian of the sanctuary - both the sanctuary of the altar and the sanctuary of the soul. It is he, and he alone, who perpetuates the Sacrifice and transmits the words of Truth.
Why are we obliged to go to him and receive from him the presence of God? Is the priest infallible, or perhaps impeccable? Certainly not. Such natural arguments do not hold. The mediation of the priest has been willed by God. To deviate from this command means to lose ourselves in the twists of human pretexts, which in fact only hide a latent pride and create a barrier between God and the soul. Mercifully, to heal us from the deep wound of hidden pride, our Good God has imposed on us the humiliation of having recourse to an instrument of grace clothed in human nature – the priest.
Let us not deceive ourselves: the profound cause of today's crisis is sacerdotal. Among men, the priest does not represent any more the man of God, as he has himself, all too often, lost the sense of the divine Presence. Thus, we have the duty to pray that we may once again have good and holy priests. We also have the duty to see the priest with supernatural eyes, so that our souls, disregarding his deficiencies as a man, may see in him the sacerdotal Presence of Christ. Thus, grouped around our priests, we may set off to the reconquest of intelligences and wills, to restore all things in Christ.
Etymologically, apart from any military connotation, a "lieutenant" is a place holder, a deputy. Such is the priest, one who holds the place of Christ – His lieutenant.
In Christo Sacerdote et Maria,
Fr. Yves le Roux
NEWS FROM THE SEMINARY
• As we announced last month, twenty-three new seminarians arrived in Winona, and have started their classes after a week's Ignatian Retreat. Twenty-one of them have entered the course of Humanities, a kind of pre-Seminary designed to strengthen the foundations of their intellectual formation and to purify them of the last remnants of the Liberal illness that affects the world in which we live. Two others have entered the course of Spirituality, joining the ten seminarians returning from last year's Humanities class.
• At the same time, the Brothers' Novitiate continues its life in its new location, our Seminary. One Novice and four Postulants pray and work side by side with the seminarians, starting thus the common life that will continue later on in the priories to which they will be appointed.
• In all, our community now counts 86 members: 9 priests (7 faculty and 2 in residence), 68 seminarians (including Humanities), and 9 Brothers (professed, novice and postulants). As the Seminary building cannot be stretched out at will, we foresee a grave crisis pf accommodations for next year. Even this year, we have been obliged to make some seminarians share rooms, a situation that we know is far from ideal. But God will provide, as always!