Note: To participate in the "study" pillar of Dominican life, the St Martin de Pores chapter (Austin) of Lay Dominicans in the Southern (US) Province is currently reading Fr George Montague's Holy Spirit, Make your Home in Me one chapter at a time, with one member presenting a reflection of the chapter during the meeting. This last meeting was my turn to present, and the chapter was titled Abba. Here then is my reflection.

We are studying a book about the Holy Spirit, yet this reflection is about Abba, the Father. The two are distinct Persons of the Trinity, so the first questions which I asked myself before beginning this meditation is this: why, in a book about the Holy Spirit, are we reading a chapter by the title of Abba? Seeing that the next chapter is given the title Jesus, my curiosity was piqued further.

Note: This is the second of a set of Lenten reflections on the heresies which have fought against and been fought by the Church. The first one can be read here

“For such false apostles are deceitful workmen, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no wonder: for Satan himself transformeth himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers be transformed as the ministers of justice, whose end shall be according to their works” ( 2 Corinthians 11:13-15)

Saint Paul warned the early Christian community in Corinth to be on guard against the wiles of the devil. Though many signs and miracles would be performed in the name of Christ, so too would there be signs performed which were not in His name. Such signs could seem to be under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and to point those who saw them to God; yet the Devil himself was once an angel of light, and so he can disguise himself as such. Similarly can he work some types of miracle through those who follow him, in order to dupe the faithful and lure them away from the Faith.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him: and without him was made nothing that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it....And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we saw his glory, the glory as it were of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth" (John 1:1-5, 14).

If Pride is the first sin, then Gnosticism was the first rebellion. We have little record of that fateful spiritual battle waged in the heavens in the dawn before time; we know nothing more than what has been revealed, and that is itself scarce. We know that one of the greatest amongst the angels--Lucifer, the bearer of light--was a proud creature who rebelled against his Creator. We know that the immediate result of this rebellion is that he and the other traitorous angels were cast out of heaven, out of the presence of God. Lucifer could not rule heaven, but would be made instead to govern hell.

The article was originally delivered as a sort of sermon or reflection to the members of the St Martin de Porres Chapter of the Southern province of Lay Dominicans. In other words, it was preached to members of the Order of Preachers. In writing it out for print, there have been a few small changes made--it is always difficult to transcribe the spoken word into the written word, and so at times something is lost in transcription. I have done my best to do this, and hope this serves as good inspiration to those who need it, and especially that it is pleasing to God, to whom all preaching is properly dedicated.

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its strength, what shall it be salted with? It is no longer of any use but to be thrown out and trodden underfoot by men. You are the light of the world….let your light shine before men, in order that they may see your good works and give glory to God.” (Matthew 5:13-14;16)

In the Gospel according to St Matthew, these words immediately follow the beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount. They are, in a sense, the first time in the Bible in which Jesus tells his disciples that they, too, will be called upon to preach. But what is preaching, and what is its goal, and how do we do it?

There are quite a few sites and blogs which offer good advice concerning the sacrament of reconciliation. It seems to me that there are a number of priests (and even some lay people) who address this issue, each with his own advice to the penitent for how to best prepare for the sacrament (e.g. how to best examine one's conscience) and how to make a good confession when one has actually entered the confessional. Today, for the first time, I have finally found some bad advice concerning the sacrament, though it is of course doled out by a Protestant who would contest confession's sacramental nature.