Download Into the Darkness

MEDITATION MONDAY
O great and glorious God and my Lord Jesus, send
your Spirit into our midst that he may enlighten our
minds and inflame our hearts, that he may give us a
right faith, a certain hope, and a perfect charity. In
this way, we pray that we may be able to understand
the Word of God given to us in the Scriptures by the
Holy Spirit, and that as he dwells in our hearts, he
may bring us closer to you and to all our brothers and
sisters in the world today. Amen.
In 1927, Catholic Mexico was immersed in a violent storm of religious persecution. The President of Mexico at that time was
a despot named Plutarco Calles. His hatred for the Church had no limits. He killed priests and burned churches.
In legitimate self defense, countless Catholics took up arms to defend their Faith. Whenever they charged into battle, the
Cristeros, as they were called, shouted: "Viva Cristo Rey!" "Long live Christ the King!"
Young Jose Joins the Cristeros
Many Catholics shed their blood in this conflict. Many were martyred. And Saint Jose Luis Sanchez del Rio was among
them. From a young age he had a great love and enthusiasm for the Blessed Sacrament, and encouraged his friends to
have more devotion to Our Lord and Our Lady of Guadalupe. Whenever Jose heard of the glorious battles of the Cristeros,
which his two brothers were engaged in, his desire to join the holy army only intensified. Finally, Jose wrote a letter to one of
the Cristero Generals, Prudencio Mendoza, pleading to be allowed to fight. The general acquiesced.
Capture and Imprisonment
In a certain battle, Jose was rushing to bring a fellow soldier a new supply of ammo. Just then, he caught sight of the
General whose horse had been shot dead. On foot, without a horse, the General was extremely vulnerable.
Making a sacrifice that might cost him his life, Jose freely gave the general his own horse. Moments later, he was caught by
the federalists and locked up in a church sacristy that had been turned into a prison. One of the guards had put a number of
expensive fighting roosters inside the church for safekeeping. This sacrilege troubled young Jose. He said: "This is not a
barnyard! This is a place for God!" He soon caught all the prized roosters and snapped their necks.
The enemies of Christ the King soon decided to kill him.
Holy Boldness in Defense of the Faith
On the way to execution, soldiers struck him savagely with sharp machetes. With every blow, the young boy cried out, "Viva
Cristo Rey!" When he got to the cemetery, he was bleeding heavily. His torturers had also cut off the soles of his feet and
forced him to walk on salt. The boy screamed with pain but would not give in. As the road was nothing but rocks and dirt,
the stones where he had walked were soaked in his blood. The soldiers said: "If you shout, ‘Death to Christ the King’, we
will spare your life." He only answered: "Long live Christ the King! Long live Our Lady of Guadalupe!"
The commander ordered the soldiers to bayonet Jose. They pierced his body. But with every stab he only shouted louder
and louder: "Viva Cristo Rey!" The commander was so enraged that he pulled out his pistol and on February 10, 1928 killed
Jose on the spot. There was no trial.
Blessed Jose is an outstanding example of faith and courage for all Catholic young men — for you— who wish to be faithful
to Christ. He was declared a martyr and was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI on November 20, 2005. Eleven years later, on
October 16, 2016, Jose Sanchez del Rio was solemnly declared a saint.
Saint Jose, pray for us!
INTO THE DARKNESS
476- 800
QUICK REVIEW
• Rome falls in 476 A.D.
• The lack of a substantial and stable emperor leaves a power
vacuum in the Roman Empire.
• The Church steps up.
• Well structured and organized
• God – given authority
• Stability
RALLY ROBIN (PARTNER)
Going back and forth with your Shoulder Partner, name as
many things as possible that you saw the monks doing in the
video.
ROUND ROBIN
What would be most difficult and why?
A. Obedience
B. Poverty
C. Chastity
D. Stability
THE BENEDICTINE ORDER
• St. Benedict (480-547) – Father
of Western Monasticism
• Wrote “The Rule of St. Benedict”
a book of precepts for living the
monastic life style.
• The Rule can be summed up
“Ora et labora” which means
prayer and work.
• 1500 year old tradition.
MONTE CASSINO – BENEDICT’S MAIN
MONASTERY BUILT IN 529.
MONKS TODAY – BELMONT ABBEY
MONKS SAVED THE (WESTERN) WORLD
Monasteries become pockets of
knowledge, culture, and prayer
3 Main Effects on Europe
1. Recovery and Evangelization of
rural society
- Boosted agriculture, acted as
small towns for places not near
cities.
2. Chief centers of learning and
knowledge
-Preserved important items and
texts
3. Civilizing the Barbarians
POPE ST. GREGORY THE GREAT
“THE SERVANT OF THE SERVANTS OF GOD”
• 540-604
• Originally the prefect of Rome – civilian leader (mayor/police
chief/treasurer)
• Lived as a monk & established 6 monasteries
• Served as Papal Ambassador to Constantinople under Pope Pelagius
II
• Elected as the 64 th Pope in 590 1st monk to become pope
• Responsible for the conversion of much of Europe  especially
England
• Motivated by having watched a young English boy being sold as a slave
FIVE LEGACIES OF
POPE GREGORY THE GREAT
1.
Friend of the Poor: used Church wealth to feed the poor and
build churches and city walls
2.
Church Leader and Reformer: Standardized seminary education,
wrote guidelines for Bishops and standards for the moral life of
clergy
3.
Diplomat: Sent negotiators and missionaries to barbarians
4.
Musician: Organized and wrote Christian music  Gregorian
Chant
5.
Establishment of Christendom  especially though the mission
to Britain
EARLY MISSION ACTIVITY IN EUROPE
•
Monks were pivotal in the converting of pagan tribes.
•
Violence and cruelty common among the barbarian tribes.
•
Many lands and people converted when their King or leader converted.
•
Europe totally Catholic (nominally) by 1330.
MISSIONARY ACTIVITY CONTINUED
Conversion of Franks
Spain
• Clovis: King of the Franks
(late 400’s) converted after
winning battle.
Spain is Christian due to the missionary
efforts of the Apostle James the Greater
and St. Paul
• Married to St. Clotilda
St. Hermengild (d. 585) (Visogoth
prince) marries a Catholic princess and
eventually converts. Civil war with his
father, captured and then killed.
• Merovingian DynastyBegins with Clovis.
• Clovis unites Gaul (modern
day France)
Controlled by Visogoths in late 6th c.
His brother converts to Catholicism and
all of Spain soon follows.
“The queen did not cease to urge him to recognize the true God and cease worshipping
idols. But he could not be influenced in any way to this belief, until at last a war arose
with the Alamanni, in which he was driven by necessity to confess what before he had of
his free will denied. It came about that as the two armies were fighting fiercely, there was
much slaughter, and Clovis's army began to be in danger of destruction. He saw it and
raised his eyes to heaven, and with remorse in his heart he burst into tears and cried:
"Jesus Christ, whom Clotilda asserts to be the son of the 1iving God, who art said to give
aid to those in distress, and to bestow victory on those who hope in thee, I beseech the
glory of thy aid, with the vow that if thou wilt grant me victory over these enemies, and I
shall know that power which she says that people dedicated in thy name have had from
thee, I will believe in thee and be baptized in thy name. For I have invoked my own gods
but, as I find, they have withdrawn from aiding me; and therefore I believe that they
possess no power, since they do not help those who obey them. I now call upon thee, I
desire to believe thee only let me be rescued from my adversaries." And when he said
thus, the Alamanni turned their backs, and began to disperse in flight. And when they
saw that their king was killed, they submitted to the dominion of Clovis, saying: "Let not
the people perish further, we pray; we are yours now." And he stopped the fighting, and
after encouraging his men, retired in peace and told the queen how he had had merit to
win the victory by calling on the name of Christ. This happened in the fifteenth year of his
reign.” - St. Gregory of Tours, “History of the Frank”
CONVERSION OF THE CELTS
St. Patrick (5th c.)
St. Columba (521-597)
• Roman Briton born near the
beginning of the 5th c.
• Important saints who helped Irish
Monasticism.
• Captured by pirates and became
a slave, worked in NW Ireland.
• Converted the Scots.
• Eventually he escaped and
became a priest and Bishop of
Ireland.
• Preached and converted
thousands in Ireland.
• His spirituality and spreading of
the faith led to the use of private,
frequent penance.
CONVERSION OF ENGLAND
St. Augustine of Canterbury (d. 604)
•
Sent to evangelize in Britain in 596.
•
Great example of obedience, upon
hearing of the terrible violence of the
Anglos/Saxons Augustine turns
around and heads back to Rome.
Gregory the Great then urges them
and insists there is nothing to fear.
•
Missionary efforts were not always
successful. St. Augustine had to
work very hard.
St. Bede (673-735)
• Father of English History,
known as “Venerable”
Bede.
• First one to use “B.C.” and
“A.D.”
• Sets standard of historical
scholasticism, leads to how
history ought to be written.
CONVERSION OF GERMANY
St. Boniface – Born Winfrid in England (675-754)
• Apostle of Germany
• Plagued by despair and discouraged by his suffering and the difficulty
of evangelizing to the Germans
•
Felled the Oak of Thor- Not just cutting down a tree but a symbol of
false gods and paganism.
• Martyred by pagans
• His work was pivotal in the expansion of Christianity within Germany.
His establishment of monasteries, leadership, reform of the Church
helped Catholicism take root and grow within the heart of Europe.
CONVERSION OF THE SLAVS
• St. Vladimir (980-1015) – Apostle of the Russians
• Began as a Pagan Chieftain, multiple wives, many children worshipped idols
and a fierce ruler
• Wanted to use religion to solidify his rule. “Christianity was more edifying
than Islam.”
• Made a deal with Byzantine emperor Basil II  Either I attack or I marry
your sister Anna.
• St. Vladimir was baptized then married Anna.
• Grace of God seemed to convert Vladimir. Reformed his ruling and focused
on being a good follower of Christ.
CONVERSION OF SLAVS CONTINUED
•
St. Cyril and St. Methodius (800’s)
•
Helped convert the area of what is today Slovakia.
•
Feast Day February 14!
•
Did the liturgy in Slavic language
• What was the common language of the Church at that time?
• JPII  “Patrons of Europe”
CONVERSION OF SCANDINAVIA
• St. Ansgar (801-865) Apostle of the North
• Important figure with in Denmark and Sweden.
• Worked to undo the slave trade, example of the Church’s
social progressiveness.
SO WHAT?
• Evangelization is a necessary part of the Catholic faith. Jesus
commands that we spread the word of God, “Go and make
disciples of all nations.”
• Christendom has now been established but a new religion
begins and history shall unfold…
• Example of the Church being “Apostolic”
MISSIONARY REVIEW
•
Clovis & St. Clotilda
•
Franks, Gaul (France)
•
St. Patrick
•
Ireland
•
St. Columba
•
Scotland
•
St. Augustine of Canterbury
•
England
•
St. Bede
•
Father of English History
•
St. Boniface
•
Apostle of Germany
•
St. Cyril and St. Methodius
•
“Patron’s of Europe” , Slavic People
•
St. Vladimir
•
Apostle of Russia
•
St. Ansgar
•
Apostle of the North
TEAMBUILDING TUESDAY
Share your favorite book or book series or children’s
book.
RISE OF ISLAM
• Began in Mecca (Arabia) by Muhammad in 610
• Based on revelations by an angel of the one true God
(Allah)
• A mix of Judaism, Nestorian Christianity and Arabian
Paganism.
• Became very popular among tribal groups eventually led
to jealousies that forced Muhammad and his followers
(Muslims) to leave Mecca on the hijrah in 622 (year 1 on
the Muslim Calendar) for the city of Medina
• Muslim: submission to God
• Islam: religion and way of life of Muslims
ORIGINS OF ISLAM
• The “prophet” Muhammad preaches monotheism in Mecca.
• Forced to flee Mecca for his life. His teaching has caused
problems with the Arabic elite.
• This flight is known as the hejira or “flight” in Arabic.
• Muhammad goes to Medina and is hailed as a religious leader.
Becomes political and military leader of Medina.
• (While in Medina Muhammad slaughters the Jewish population
of men and sells the women and children into slavery).
• 630 A.D. Muhammad conquers the city of Mecca. The Kaaba
was spared destruction.
SCRIPTURE
BIBLE
• Written by many authors over
time = historical validity
• Multiple recordings of same
event(s). i.e. 4 Gospel accounts
all telling the same story.
• Divinely inspired – Holy Spirit
works directly the free will of
individuals to produce Christian
scripture.
• The Canon (list of Biblical books)
decided by authority of the
Magisterium.
• The Bible is both prescriptive
and descriptive.
KORAN
• Written* by one man in a cave–
Mohammed. Claimed that the
angel Gabriel dictated the exact
words of the Koran.
• Koran means “recitation” in
Arabic.
• Written in the form of poetry,
meant to be memorized.
• Koran is prescriptive.
• No authority to decide canon
COMPARISON OF LEADERS
JESUS
•
•
Miraculous birth. Part of the Holy
Family.
Heals many, controls nature, casts out
demons, raises others from the dead.
MOHAMMED
•
Raised as an orphan.
•
Adopts monotheism and begins
preaching.
•
Political and Military leader.
•
Teaches about love, provides a perfect
example
•
Has multiples wives, some very, very
young.
•
Suffers the passion and dies on the
cross. Resurrects.
•
Teaches submission to the one god
Allah.
•
Ascends into heaven, promises to
come again. Also provides help and
grace in the mean time.
•
Dies of a fever at age of 63.
JEWISH-CHRISTIAN-MUSLIM RELATIONS
• Muslims consider Christians and Jews “people of the Book”
• Muslims also call of conversion or death of all non-believers.
• Jews and Christians have the same God, but Muslims think we
corrupted the message of the prophets
• Many converted because of religious enthusiasm or tax breaks
• Muslim empire spread rapidly: Spain by 700’s
• Failed sieges on Constantinople and France
•
defeated by Charles Martel@ Battle of Tours, 732 – if Muslims had been victorious all of
Europe would have been conquered
• In conquests: Jewish and Christian houses of worship were protected
because God was worshipped there.
ISLAMIC BELIEFS/IDEOLOGY
• Jihad – “struggle”
• Greater Jihad- personal spiritual battle to follow religious duties
• Lesser Jihad – physical struggle against the enemies of Islam.
• House of Islam/House of War
• Theocracy – no separation of religion and government, both are one in
the same.
• Allah is the same God of the Jews.
• Borrows from Judaism and Christianity – claims those two Religions
have “misinterpreted” God’s will.
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
1. According to these scriptures do Christians and Muslims
have the same God or are they essentially different?
2. How do the views of marriage differ?
3. How are “enemies” dealt with in Islam? In Christianity?
4. Where did the Bible come from? Where did the Quran come
from?
5. As Christians we called to obey God. Why should we obey
God? Why do Muslims obey Allah?
WHAT ABOUT VIOLENT BIBLE VERSES FROM THE
OT?
1. We must understand the bible as a whole, both OT and NT.
OT violence must be understood in the light of Jesus Christ
and his saving action.
2. The Bible has a certain degree of interpretation guided by
the authority of the magisterium.
3. OT violence is described within a story, it is not proclaimed
as a decree which Christians must follow. This is different
from the Koran (prescriptive vs descriptive).
SPREADING OF ISLAM
• Islam quickly spreads its empire after the death of Muhammad in 632.
• The spread of territory and religion go hand in hand. The Islamic faith seeks
converts and wages war on non-believers.
• 638- Jerusalem falls
• 643 – Alexandria falls
• 698 – All of North Africa is under Muslim rule.
• 711 – Spain falls
• 732 – Muslim expansion into France is halted by Charles Martel in the Battle
of Tours.
• Muslims also attempted to take over Constantinople twice in 717 and 740.
WHY DOES IS SPREAD SO QUICKLY?
1. Muslims gave newly conquered civilians two options:
Conversion or the sword. Many chose to convert.
2. Islam appealed to the uncivilized, poor and ignorant.
• It requires blind faith, intellectually easy, satisfies religious
instincts without forbidding the baser pleasures of human
life.
MISC.
• Islam claims is origins in the OT with Ishmael (Abraham’s son)
but denies the Messianic theme of the OT.
• Recognizes Jesus as a prophet but wholly denies the NT
accounts of Jesus life.
• Rejects the divinity of Jesus
• Mohammed picked and chose what he liked and did not like
from Christianity and Judaism.
• Preaches tolerance and peace but also the annihilation of nonbelievers.
BATTLE OF TOURS 732 A.D.
• Muslim conquest is quelled by Charles Martel (The Hammer)
• Prevented from attacking Europe.
• Defining moment of Christendom – Christian failure at the Battle of
Tours would have led to full Muslim invasion of Europe and a very
different story of history.
•
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otCpCn0l4Wo
HTTP://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=OTCPCN
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CAROLINGIAN DYNASTY
•
Merovingian Dynasty corrupted and incompetent has nominal power over the
Franks.
•
Carolingian Dynasty (named for Charles Martel) maintains the actual power
over the Franks.
•
Charles Martel  Pepin the Short  Charlemagne
Pepin the Short
• Short, built, physically strong stature (namesake), yet
extremely smart and clever = ambitious leader.
• Asked Pope St. Zachary to name him King of the Franks
because it was him who actually held the power.
• The Pope officially recognized Pepin as the King
bringing in the Carolingian Dynasty.
Other members of the Carolingian Dynasty
Charles the Fat, Charles the Bald, Charles the Simple,
Pepin the Hunchback, Odo the Insane, Louis the
Stammerer
FRANKS AND THE PAPACY
•
November 11, 751 Pepin is crowned King of the Franks by St. Boniface.
•
Pope has shown that it has the Authority to appoint secular Kings.
•
Pepin becomes protector the Papacy
• Threatened by the Lombards (Italian barbarians) Rome (the Papcy) looks to the
Franks for help.
• Pepin defeats the Lombards, preventing them from attacking Rome.
• Secures Ravenna and Perugia thus creating the Papal States.
THE PAPAL STATES
•
Donation of Pepin
•
The Papacy is now a sovereign political leader as well as a
spiritual leader.
++++++
•
Papacy gains independence from Byzantine influences.
•
Provided set boundaries to protect against Lombards and
other belligerents.
-----
Graying of Spiritual and Political power of the
Pope/Church.
-
Temptation to abuse power can lead to the Church not
always make the best decisions.
CHARLEMAGNE –CHARLES THE GREAT
•
Son of Pepin the Short.
•
Reigned for almost half a century (769-814)
•
Extremely effective and good leader
•
Talented military strategist
•
Very intelligent, knew Latin and Greek,
memorized portions of “City of God”
•
Brought about many reforms in his Frankish
Kingdom; political, religious, cultural.
Carolingian Renaissance.
•
Devoted Catholic, adored the Church, created
dioceses, gave to the poor protected the
papacy,
CHARLEMAGNE – UNITING AND RESCUING
• July of 773 the Lombards (Barbarian tribe in Italy) threatened Rome.
Charlemagne protects the papacy by defeating the Lombards.
• Makes himself King of the Lombards thus uniting the Germanic tribes under
one ruler.
•
Pope Leo III is attacked due to charges of corruption. Charlemagne comes
to the rescue and helps the Pope regain his office.
HOLY ROMAN EMPEROR
• Christmas Day Mass in 800 Charlemagne is crowned by the Pope.
• Reaffirms Charlemagne as King of the Franks and Lombards but also
gives him the imperial title of Holy Roman Emperor.
• This effectively includes the Germanic tribes into the Roman Empire.
• Byzantine (Eastern) Empire is not pleased with the coronation but soon
accept Charlemagne as the Emperor.