GOSPEL MOVIES (Second series ) FAITH by Placidus Kempf, O.S.B. THE GRAIL ST. MEINRAD, INDIANA PRICE TEN CENTS Reprinted from THE GRAIL, published with episcopal approbation. Cum permissu Superioris Copyrighted 1942 All rights reserved PREVIEW In SERIES I of the GOSPEL MOVIES, which had “GRACE” for its theme , we saw in the persons that came in contact with the unborn , the newborn , and the growing Savior, that grace works quickly, but that it also de- mands certain qualities of soul of its recipients. In the second circle of men who came in contact with the “power that went forth from Christ” we have the twelve Apostles , who were sent to communicate this saving and healing power to all creatures by preaching , healing diseases, and casting out devils . By grace each Christian is made an hpostle, to spread the faith in the pagan land of his own soul. Here are idols to be overthrown and devils to be driven out in the name of Christ. This is not to be the work of a month ot* a year, but of a whole human lifetime. Christ sent His disciples “TWO BY TWO” before Him into every town and place where He Himself was about to come.” For the conversion of our own soul “Grace” must be paired with that kind of “FAITH” that we see exemplified in the lives of the twelve Apostles. Like theirs, our faith must not be commercialized, but must be solid, sin- cere, active, constructive, prompt, eager, pa- tient, zealous, proselyting, confident, persever- ing. It is such faith that will overcome the pagan world in your interior and demolish its idols. Eternal Truth assures us: “All things are possible to him who believes” (St. Mark 9 : 22 ). Placidus Kempf, O.S.B. Operator Rock tyloati. W'HENthe last of the Apostles, St. John, an exile on the Is- land of Patmos, viewed in vision the “holy city of Jerusalem com- ing down out of heaven from God,” he saw that the “wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the twelve names of twelve apostles of the Lamb.” How well he knew the bearer of each name ! “Upon this rock I will build my Church/’ St. Matth. 16 : 18 . There was, first of all, Simon, whose name the Master had changed to Peter — Rock. What a transformation three years of contact with the Master and the grace of - 4 - Pentecost had wrought in this mass of pliable clay! It had solidified to a rock that would withstand the storms and waves of all time. But much patient molding had to accompany this slow process of harden- ing. First there must be extracted the water of pride, (manifested by his self- sufficient protestation of loyalty) which was pressed out by the triple denial in the courtyard. (“I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not.”) Next, there must be forced out the air bubbles of vain presump- tion, that would not serve as a life pre- server on a stormy sea. (“0 thou of little faith!”) The coldness of self-seeking love, manifested by the shameful desertion, must be replaced by the triple protestation of self-sacrificing love and unwavering con- stancy. (“Lord, to whom shall be go?”) A weak, fearful, earth-formed Peter en- tered God's kiln in the upper room, heated by the mutual love of Father and Son, — the Holy Ghost. A strong, fearless, divin- ized Peter emerged to profess his faith by word and deed and death in “Christ, the Son of the living God.” There was to be no more going away from Him, but a con- stant walking towards Him with feet “shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.” - 5 - fytt&esi a fyitf, *Aee CCORD- . s' n. X X ING to St. Paul, “he is ap- ^k^Bk proved whom ^^^B God commend- ^^B eth”. What a ^B HH wonderful com- mP mendation the Savior has for the Apostle Bartholomew, whom St. John calls Nathaniel, “Behold an Israelite indeed in whom there is no guile !” For no other of the Apostles has He such words of praise. To be so pure, so honest, so noble and upright that even Christ Him- self is constrained to proclaim him guileless remains the Apostle's greatest badge of earthly distinction. “In whom there is no guile.” —St. John 1:47. Philip had told Bartholomew that he had found Him of Whom Moses and the proph- ets wrote, Jesus, the Son of Joseph of Nazareth. Bartholomew's reply to this startling news was : “Can anything of good - 6 - come from Nazareth ?” His faith was deep, but its outpouring needed proper direction. There are Catholics who make themselves acquainted with what they think is the reasonable side of their faith. They steep themselves in a certain kind of controver- sial lore out of an admirable spirit of loyal- ty. They are forever standing up, as they say, for the Church. That is good. But it is better first to kneel down with her and for her. This spirit of championship is too often but the poor makeshift of a radically weak will. It seeks to prove that will “good” to Our Lord by a show of for- titude and skill in argument. They are not without guile. Bartholomew, heeding the invitation of Philip, came to see for himself. Jesus had but to allude to what had happened under the certain fig tree, known to the Apostle alone, to elicit from him the remarkable profession of faith: “Rabbi, Thou art the Son of God, Thou art the King of Israel.” He will be skinned alive for his Master, because his faith is not skin deep. It bub- bles up like a deep spring of clear water from a simple, strong soul, honest to the core, without crannies or shadowy corners where guilty secrets might lurk, without deception. - 7 - PnaJtituj, tf-isujesrt. S CARCELY is a child of Adam born into this won- derful world when it curls it- self up into a question mark and cries : “Why? why?” When able to propel itself on hands and knees it begins its tour of exploration and investigation. Everything must be seen, touched, tasted, and taken apart. The Apostle, St. Thomas, was a true child of Adam. He is called “Didymus — Twin.” Thomas, in Syriac, means “twin.” We find him making good use of his twin senses. Thomas manifested his deep faith “How can we know the way?” —St. John 14:5. - 8 - in Christ by his ardent profession: “My Lord and my God!” At the last supper the Master told His sorrowing Apostles that he was going to leave them in order to prepare a place for them in His Father's house, “Whither I go, you know, and the way you know.” Thomas replied: “Lord we know not whither Thou goest, and how can we know the way?” His faith was not waver- ing. He merely asked for the grace to see the Divine Truth more clearly, that it might be “a lamp to his feet” to enable him to walk more securely on the Way— Christ. After the resurrection, when he demands to see the glorious wounds in the body of the risen Savior, was it not that his probing fingers might penetrate more deep- ly into this fathomless mystery of the Savi- or's boundless love? Faith is never satis- fied until supplanted by beatific vision. Faith is not a science, but an infused gift, a supernatural power that vitalizes the soul. But this power, like any bodily or- gan, will grow weak and become useless un- less constantly engaged in pentrating ever more deeply into the divine mysteries. Thereby the soul “shall go from virtue to virtue” until the “God of gods shall be seen in Sion,” the place prepared not for doubt- ing, but for humbly probing Thomases. - 9 - feuildinCf' felochd. “Build up yourselves upc: your most holy faith.” —St. Jude 1 :20. T HE earli-est feat that an unlet- tered child learns to accom- plish is to heap up its play blocks on the floor. Later, after it has mastered the alphabet, it will try to spell out simple words by means of the letters on the cubes, or arrange them in some geometrical form or pattern. For either it needs a solid foundation—the floor or ground. The same holds with regard to the true faith. If our faith is to be a constructive faith, it needs a solid foundation. The more solid this foundatioon, the more readi- - 10 - ly adaptable it becomes to the various de- mands made on it in our daily lives. There is a difference in “heart soil” into which faith is implanted. The Apostle Thaddeus was a “man of heart,” but suited to become a supporting pillar of Christ’s Church only after a change of heart had taken place, after becoming an apostle after the Heart of God. He shared Simon’s faith and zeal for the law, but, though impetuous of char- acter and feeling, remained in doubt long after he was called. He had looked for a sensational establishment of Christ’s earth- ly kingdom. Querulous about his own great- est honor and privilege, he asked Jesus at the Last Supper: “Lord, how is it, that thou wilt manifest thyself to us and not to the world?”—St. John 14:22. And Jesus said to him : “If any man love me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him, and will make our abode with him.”—14 :23. There is the solidifying force—LOVE. Faith gives birth to love, and love—manifested by do- ing the Will of God—intensifies faith. St. Jude was a man of quick intelligence and generous spirit when once fully convinced. There was something both of intimate fra- ternal love and of chivalrous devotion in his adherence to the Savior. - 11 - rf-fUHH Belt to otlaUen. T “What are you willing to give me? —St. Matth. 26:15. Apostle. A belt is a useful article when used to hold up one's garments ; but it be- comes an instrument of death when used as a halter. That is what Judas's love of gain became to his mercenary soul. It pulled its opening ever tighter until it choked in it the life of grace: Judas was a hypocrite, a liar, a thief. When he murmured against the “waste" caused by Mary Magdalen J UDAS Isca- riot! The word “Iscariot" is said to be de- prived from “Kerioth," Ju- das's native place, or from the “leather belt" worn by this perfidious - 12 - pouring the precious ointment over the Savior's feet, St. John adds this significant comment: “Now he said this, not because he cared for the poor ; but because he was a thief, and having the purse, carried the things that were put therin." He saw three hundred pence expended on ointment in- stead of being put into his purse; his miserly soul lusted for these pence, and he betrayed himself in words that reveal his inmost character in all its hideous little- ness. Judas has his followers today. To many Catholics their “deposit" of faith is some- thing to be gambled with for mercenary and selfish gain, a means of exploiting God. “What wr ill you give me?" seems to be their only motive in living according to the teachings of their faith. They attend Holy Mass for the gain that attendance brings to themselves, not for the purpose of rendering to God the worship that is His due. They give alms because of the “hun- dredfold" reward promised. They pray, be- cause it pays. Thus selfishness is drawing their soul's mouth ever tighter, making it impossible for God (Who will not use force) to get His graces and gifts into it. “Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it." —Ps. 80 : 11 . - 13 - MgJzuuj, GUgm^m A COIN iBplaced on the closed eye- lids of a de- ceased person to keep them closed until the rigor mortis has set in. Money blind- ed Judas to real values, and caused the death of his body and his hard- ened, commercial soul. At the tax collec- tor's till Levi's eyes were opened by the “He arose and followed him.” —St. Matth. 9:9. - 14 - Master's simple invitation: “Come, follow me." Immediately “he arose and followed Him." It was the Master collecting tax of him, and Matthew paid it willingly in the sterling coin of prompt faith. Faith does not ask: “Why does God make this demand of me?" or “How can I meet this demand?" It believes, hopes, and acts, no matter what objections human pru- dence might raise. Consider Christ's ac- tion and that of His Apostle in this case. Matthew's call to the apostolate repre- sents a distinct act of defiance to public opinion on the part of Christ. He, the King of the Jews, selects a member of the most hated class in Galilean society to act as one of his immediate company. A Roman of- ficial to begin with, a Jewish Roman official to make matters worse, a publican, a tax collector, who was regarded as thriving on the misery and misfortune of others. And Matthew? He prepared a banquet for tax officials and sinners as a public farewell to his former friends and compan- ions—the only friends he had. “Do I seek to please men? If I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ."—Gal. 1 : 10 . - 15 - Pnaiaic PloK&d&lA’ stroy native character; grace merely elevates and perfects it. That seems to be the truth exemplified by the life of the apostle, St. GRACE doesnot de- “Lord, show us the Father.” —St. John 14:8. Philip. Philip, a disciple of St. John the Baptist, has the Messias pointed out to him. He announces, not only the glad news, but also the carefully thought-out evidence as well : “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Jo- seph.” To the objection raised by Natha- niel, the good-natured skeptic, he counters with the one supreme argument: “Come and see.” - 16 - When five hundred hungry souls have been sated with the Bread of Truth, and Jesus wishes to refresh also their bodies before sending them away, He turns to Philip, who has established his reputation of being a practical man, of knowing the sober facts of a case, and asks : “Whence shall we buy bread that these may eat?” Philip with lightning calculation estimates the amount of bread required to give so great a crowd a fish sandwich. It is after the last supper. Jesus is tak- ing leave of His Apostles. He is consoling them in advance and strengthening them for the ordeal that is to test their souls and try their confidence and trust in Him. He points out the one and only “Way” to “Truth” and “Life.” Philip is still puzzled. To him, at least, the Master is still speak- ing in riddles. Once again he uses the old test of things, “Seeing is believing,” and asks with eager faith : “Lord, show us the Father and it is enough for us.” Even after Pentecost he remains true to his innate character, a prosaic, plodding, methodical, practical man, aflame with in- tense personal love of Christ, but still the average man instinct with a high purpose and alive with it. - 17 - P ATIENTtrial has taught the chemist, who separates mat- ter into its com- ponent parts by means of dis- tillation in his test tube or alembic, that the separation of the elements takes place according to fixed laws. These he has re- duced to chemical formulae. In His book of spiritual formulae, the Sacred Scriptures, God clearly shows what results to expect when the human soul is made the test tube for experiments. In his epistle St. James shows how one of these laws works out. When God applies the torch of trial to a soul full of faith , the visible residue is a greater or less amount of patience. “Knowing that the trying ofi “The trying of your faith begets patience.” —St. James 13. - 18 - your faith begets patience. And patience hath a perfect work.”—St. James 1:3-4. The various stages of this distilling process are described by St. Paul in his letter to the Romans (5:3-5) : “Knowing that tribu- lation worketh patience ; and patience, trial ; and trial, hope ; and hope confound- eth not.” St. James, the Brother (i. e. Cousin) of the Lord, surnamed “The Just,” and first bishop of Jerusalem was revered for his wisdom, austerity, and meekness. His Epistle reveals him as a man of calm mind, trust in Christ, a man of prayer, and de- voted to the poor. His patient faith made him truly wise. “The learning of a man is known in patience.”—Prov. 19:11. His calmness rested on the twofold foundation —“He that believeth, let him not hasten,” (Is. 28:16), and “Let us run by patience to the fight proposed to us,” (Heb. 12:1). His trust in Christ rested on the words of St. Paul : “If we hope for that which we see not, we wait for it with patience.” (Rom. 8:25) After 86 years of patient faith, patient prayer, patient waiting, the crown of mar- tyrdom graced the crushed skull of St. James—his eyes of faith beheld the splen- dor of the beatific vision. - 19 - £tetUoAcofUc ^bla^naiU It “Lord, behold here are two swords.’ —St. Luke 22:38. 0 MINI- MIZE our fears when some part of our bodi- ly mechanism fails to function properly the medical examin- er will magnify the echoes, re- sulting from our heart's broadcast in our constricted chest, by means of his stethoscope. “Is any man sick among you? Let him bring in the priests of the Church," coun- sels St. James (5:14). He not only coun- sels, he comes with his stethoscope to ex- amine our faith. Three times within the narrow limits of ten verses of his advice- teeming letter he gives the infallible symptoms whereby we may distinguish a - 20 - living from a dead faith. “Faith without works is dead.” (2:17,20,26) He, whom we just saw to be a type of patient faith, is the brother of Simon, a type of zealous faith. Simon, called the Zealot and Cananean, from Kanna, which means “zealous,” had transferred his fiery zeal for the preservation of the Jewish national spirit to the personality of Christ. Hence, after the last Supper, when Jesus counsels His Apostles : “He that hath no purse, let him sell his coat and buy a sword” Simon, the militant patriot, was ready with the answer: “Lord, here are two swords.” And Jesus said: “It is enough.” “In patience you shall possess your soul,” (St. Luke 21:19) and with your zeal you will win back your soul from the slavery of sin and death to the service of Christ and eternal life. Patience may be termed the glowing embers in the furnace, zeal, the heat that emanates from these embers and furnishes the motive power. Peter's impe- tuous zeal burned out before the fire of the soldiers and servants in the courtyard. It flared up and died. Simon's zealous faith could not be “sawed in half” and killed as his body was, for more closely than the ties of blood was it inseparably joined to pa- tience. - 21 - -|“ CcfyuaL i X C symbol of pure love and purify- ing suffering. Jesus eagerly endured suffer- ing on the Cross because of His HRIST’S Cross is a “Gc«d loved Andrew/’ (Divine Office of Feast.) boundless love tiently endure the suffering He sends us because of our grateful love of Him. God sends sufferings to His friends as a test of their love of Him, and as a proof of His love for them. Since “God loved Andrew” He let him die on a cross that since then is called by his name—St. Andrew’s Cross. Again, the figure of the Cross of Christ and of the Cross of St. Andrew are the signs we use for addition and multiplica- tion. Though unlike in shape, they produce the same result, for 3—)—3—|—3 and 3 )(3 will always equal nine. The first sign repre- of us. We pa- - 22 - sents a man standing erect and still, the second a man in motion. Both are symbolic of our faith. By “acts” of faith we add to our personal store and thereby increase our spiritual stature. By “acting” or living our faith we multiply the believers in Christ, spreading the faith among them like a running flame. Andrew, quick at addition (to believe him- self), was equally quick at multiplication (to spread the faith among others). He is the Apostle who “brings others to Jesus.” Through St. John the Baptist he was led to Jesus, and spent a day with Him. He could not keep the news of his discovery to himself but quickly told Peter, his brother, the good news. When the thousands fol- lowed the Master into the waste places without food, and the other Apostles stood helplessly by wondering what could be done, Andrew quickly sized up the situation and brought the boy with five loaves and a few fishes to Jesus. Again, when a group of Gentiles asked to see Jesus, Philip, whom they met first, referred the matter to Andrew, who took them at once to Christ. If your faith does not make con- verts there is something radically wrong with the positive side of your elementary mathematics. - 23 - MvUntj. 71 “Can you drink of the cup of which I am about to drink? We can.” —St. Matth. 20 :22. ing to his own taste and capacity or need. God does the same to us. He knows our capacity, but he does not consult our taste. See the cup He offered His own beloved Son in the Garden of Olives! All the bit- terness of every sin of every child of Adam was in that chalice, yet Jesus drained it to the dregs because of His boundless love of every sinful soul. I N TIME of stress, when modern man feels the need of a stimulant to bear up un- der endured or anticipated strain, he will mix a drink for himself accord- - 24 - James, the Greater, brother of John, loved his Master ardently. As a demonstra- tion of their purest and noblest friendship for Christ, he and John asked that they might be nearest to Jesus when “His Hour” was come. It was a request dictated by tenderness and courage. As such Christ met it. “You know not what you ask, “He said, “Can you drink of the cup of which I am about to drink?” James knew the mean- ing of the question well enough. He knew it meant sacrifice and renunciation, pain and defeat, a share of the world’s hatred, for these were to form the contents of the bitter cup that Christ foresaw for His friends that would chose His fate as their own. He generously replied : “I can” This was not said in a spirit of boastful pride, but in confident humility, for in the cup mixed by God and presented to him to drink, James had mixed a goodly portion of confidence born of faith in the words of the Master: “Have confidence, I have over- come the world.”—St. Jn. 16.33. ***** Christ: “Can you drink of my chalice?” James: “I can” Herod — “Killed James, the brother of John, with a sword.”—He did. - 25 - Pea&iue PettAioste/i S T. JOHN was no ef- feminate fop as some artists would have us believe, but a thorough, com- plete, noble man. Christ had given him and James, his brother, the significant title of “Sons of Thunder/ 1 No weakling could have fulfilled the divine promise of drinking Christ's own bitter chalice as John was destined to do. Beneath the Cross John's faith and trust- ing love were tried in the furnace of ap- parent defeat. Christ had proclaimed him- self Messias, God. John saw Him die in disgrace. His love proved stronger than all possible doubts, and the agony of his soul must have shone forth through his “I wish him (John) to re- main until I come.” —St. John 21 :22. - 26 - eyes as he gazed upward into the breaking eyes of Jesus. No, John was a vigorous, outspoken, frank, honest, manly man, im- petuous and fiery to a fault, strong with a virilty that required only the touch of grace to temper it into complete charity that should remake him. One by one the names of the Apostles, engraved on the foundation stones of the heavenly city of Jerusalem, had passed in review before the pensive eyes of the aged Apostles on Patmos. He was the last of the Apostles. The rest of the original band of twelve were now reigning with His Mas- ter and His Mother in the celestial king- dom. The infirmities of old age, like so many termites, were undermining his de- crepit bodily frame. Faith now served as a prop to his body and as spectacles for his dimmed eyes. He saw and walked only by faith. In patience he awaited the Master's summons home. The glorious sunset of his dying life that was to usher in the eternal day of a bright eternity is sketched in vi- brant colors by St. Paul. “Being justified therefore by faith ... we glory also in tribulations, knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience trial; and trial hope ; and hope confoundeth not." —Rom. 5:1-5. - 27 -