Cantare amantis est. (The lover sings.)

He who sings prays twice.

When Pope Saint Pius X set out to eliminate abuses concerning the musical aspect of liturgical celebrations

In the first year of his pontificate Pope Saint Pius X issued a Motu proprio (Tra Le Sollecitudini) on the feast day of Saint Cecilia, the patroness of music and musicians. This Motu proprio deals with “the abuse affecting sacred chant and music“ and aims at correcting it once and for all by pointing out “the principles regulating sacred music in the functions of public worship“, the “principal prescriptions of the Church against the more common abuses in this subject“. Pius X imposed a “scrupulous observance“ of this Motu proprio “on all“.¹

“Nothing should have place, therefore, in the temple calculated to disturb or even merely to diminish the piety and devotion of the faithful, nothing that may give reasonable cause for disgust or scandal, nothing, above all, which directly offends the decorum and sanctity of the sacred functions and is thus unworthy of the House of Prayer and of the Majesty of God.“

Pope Saint Pius X‘ Motu proprio Tra Le Sollecitudini

He declares that he desires “to see the true Christian spirit flourish in every respect“ and that he considers it his “first duty“ to reproof and condemn “all that is seen to be out of harmony with the right rule above indicated, in the functions of public worship and in the performance of the ecclesiastical offices“.

Sacred music is “a complementary part of the solemn liturgy“, thus participating “in the general scope of the liturgy, which is the glory of God and the sanctification and edification of the faithful“ (TLS 1).

Sacred music must therefore possess “sanctity and goodness of form“ (TLS 2), neither in itself nor in the manner of its presentation ought to be any profanity. “It must be holy“ and “true art“ and “universal in the sense (…) that nobody of any nation may receive an impression other than good on hearing“ (TLS 2) these musical compositions.

These qualities of sanctity, of being true art, and of universality “are to be found, in the highest degree, in Gregorian Chant, which is, consequently the Chant proper to the Roman Church, the only chant she has inherited from the ancient fathers, which she has jealously guarded for centuries in her liturgical codices“ (TLS 3).

Pius X‘ Motu proprio thereby declares that Gregorian chant “has always been regarded as the supreme model for sacred music“. Gregorian chant is the substantial definition of sacred music, the gold standard of sacred music – so that “the more closely a composition for church approaches in its movement, inspiration and savor the Gregorian form, the more sacred and liturgical it becomes; and the more out of harmony it is with that supreme model, the less worthy it is of the temple“ (TLS 3).

“The ancient traditional Gregorian Chant must, therefore, in a large measure be restored to the functions of public worship (…).“

Pope Saint Pius X‘ Motu proprio Tra Le Sollecitudini, 3

This “traditional Gregorian Chant (ought to) be cultivated by all with diligence and love“ (TLS 25) and “special efforts are to be made to restore the use of the Gregorian Chant by the people, so that the faithful may again take a more active part in the ecclesiastical offices, as was the case in ancient times“ (TLS 3).

Saint Pius X concedes that besides Gregorian chant the Renaissance polyphony of the Roman school, and thus the compositions of Giovanna Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525-1594), exhibits the features of sanctity, good form, and universality to a certain degree. Palestrina‘s compositions of sacred music are non-instrumental choral singing for several voices. This Italian composer was careful to observe in his sacred art the norms which the Council of Trent had laid down.

The Motu proprio bans “the different kinds of modern music“ that by their nature are “diametrically opposed to Gregorian Chant (…) and therefore to the most important law of all good sacred music“ (TLS 6), notably compositions of “the theatrical style“ and prohibits “the psalms known as di concerto“ and “the form of a concert melody“ (TLS 11).

Sacred music “proper to the Church is purely vocal music“ (TLS 15) and “singing should always have the principal place“ (TLS 16), not instruments. The “proper aim“ of sacred music is “to add greater efficacy to the (liturgical) text, in order that through it the faithful may be the more easily moved to devotion and better disposed for the reception of the fruits of grace belonging to the celebration of the most holy mysteries“ (TLS 1), and “the liturgical text must be sung as it is in the books (…) without undue repetition, without breaking syllables, and always in a manner intelligible to the faithful who listen“ (TLS 9). Saint Pius X states that “it is not lawful to keep the priest at the altar waiting on account of the chant or the music for a length of time not allowed by the liturgy“ (TLS 22) and that “it must be considered a very grave abuse when the liturgy in ecclesiastical functions is made to appear secondary to and in a manner at the service of the music, for the music is merely a part of the liturgy and its humble handmaid“ (TLS 23).

The only permissible instrument for accompanying the singing is the organ but it “should merely sustain and never oppress“ (TLS 16) the singing; other instruments can only be allowed “in some special cases, within due limits and with proper safeguards“ (TLS 15). The playing of the piano and of all “noisy or frivolous instruments“ (TLS 19) – Saint Pius X names drums, cymbals, bells – is explicitly prohibited; “to have bands play in church“ is also “strictly forbidden“ (TLS 20).

No Mozart, no Haydn,² no Verdi in the holy temple of God according to Saint Pius X. For it is very clear, then, that the Mass pieces by these composers and other similar ones of “the theatrical style“, of the concert style, violate all these norms and are responsible for such abuses which disturb the public liturgical worship and prayer, the authentic, natural, and sacred form and flow of the liturgical action as holy sacrifice and divine office. Obviously, Saint Pius X wrote this Motu proprio to do away with all these “very grave“ deformations and to restore Gregorian chant to its pride of place.

“(…) We deem it necessary to provide before anything else for the sanctity and dignity of the temple, in which the faithful assemble for no other object than that of acquiring (the true Christian spirit) from its foremost and indispensable font, which is the active participation in the most holy mysteries and in the public and solemn prayer of the Church. And it is vain to hope that the blessing of heaven will descend abundantly upon us, when our homage to the Most High, instead of ascending in the odor of sweetness, puts into the hand of the Lord the scourges wherewith of old the Divine Redeemer drove the unworthy profaners from the Temple.“

Pope Saint Pius X‘ Motu proprio Tra Le Sollecitudini

Other norms mentioned in this Motu proprio include the statement it is “forbidden to sing anything whatever in the vernacular in solemn liturgical functions“ for Latin is the “language proper to the Roman Church“ (TLS 7) and the directive that only boys and men can be admitted to the choir for women are “incapable of exercising (a real liturgical) office“ (TLS 13) which is what singers have. These singers must be “men of known piety and probity of life“ with a “modest and devout bearing during the liturgical functions“ (TLS 14).

In short, according to this Motu proprio by Saint Pius X the music that participates best and in the most sacred form in the liturgical action of glorifying God while also sanctifying and edifying the faithful is Gregorian chant sung by a purely male Schola together with the laypeople who actively participate in singing their responsorial parts – conducted in a purely vocal manner, i. e. without any instrumental accompaniment which Gregorian chant truly does not need at all and which can easily endanger its purity, clarity, and simplicity of form.

Dom Jacques Hourlier‘s Reflections on the Spirituality of Gregorian Chant

“When sung in Gregorian chant, the prayer of the Church is supported by the best music there is for nourishing the soul, music which is also an artistic masterpiece.“

“The prayer of Gregorian chant is the public prayer of the Church; it leads to union with God.“

“The chant (…) is a source of unity among Catholics, since it enables them to pray together in an atmosphere of beauty.“

“Led by their priests and bishops, the faithful everywhere have always sung Gregorian chant. (…) The authority of Gregorian chant is based on tradition.“

Dom Jacques Hourlier: Reflections on the Spirituality of Gregorian Chant, Paraclete Press 2018, p. 9; 10; 14; 34

Dom Jacques Hourlier was a monk of the Abbaye Saint-Pierre de Solesmes, a Benedictine abbey near Angers, France, which is known for the efforts of Dom Prosper Guéranger, who was the first abbot of the community after its re-establishment in 1837, for the renewal of the worthy celebration of the liturgy, the restoration of liturgical tradition, and the promotion of Gregorian chant.

Five of Dom Jacques Hourlier‘s lectures on Gregorian chant were posthumously published. In these lectures Dom Hourlier reflects on the spirituality of Gregorian chant, on its special features, and explains why Gregorian chant is the masterpiece that it is and the most sacred form of music.

Gregorian chant has an “intrinsically liturgical nature“, being “an intrinsic part of the liturgy“ (p. 12) for it “was made for the temple of God“ and “always aims (…) at praising the Lord“ (p. 20-21). It “expresses the way in which Church Tradition reads the Scriptures and writings of the Fathers“ (p. 8) and “invites individuals to receive tradition and, ultimately, to receive Christ“ (p. 10). According to “a widely held theological opinion“ Gregorian chant can be seen to be a “sacramental“ (p. 13).

Some of its unique features are that it “is characterized by great simplicity“ and “never resorts to artifice“ – striving “to establish an authentic communion“, not a mood, and “ excluding (…) all that is artificial“ (p. 47) -, that it “neither wearies nor stimulates the imagination“ (p. 9-10), that it “does not permit mediocrity“ (p. 10), that it is “exceptionally conducive to silence and meditation“ (p. 11), that it is “deeply spiritual because it is profoundly human“ (p. 11), that it “helps bring unity to the soul, enabling a person to be one with himself“ (p. 12), that its “universality contrasts sharply with the particularity of other musical forms, which tend to have a temporary as well as local life“ (p. 32), and that it is “the musical form most closely related to the ancient Eastern and Jewish models“ (p. 33). There are, not too surprisingly, many hints that certain melodies of Gregorian chant come directly from the liturgical temple worship of the Jewish people. Gregorian chant is deeply rooted in ancient times and in the Hebrew way of sacred sung prayer.

“Having sung the psalms they left for the Mount of Olives.“

Mark 14: 26

Its “essential, fundamental characteristic (…) is its pure monophony“ which means that “the style always remains linear“, is “totally melodic“, and keeps the “relationship between notes (…) strictly successive“ (p. 39). Thus the chant “seems to be aiming at something, or driving towards something“ – in fact “the subject of the song“ (p. 39): God. As it “can be sung by only one person“ it places everyone individually “directly before God“ (p. 39-40).

This “unique musical language“ (p. 41) “creates an impression very different from the one produced by what we refer to as ‘modern music‘“ (p. 40) and there is “a radical difference between Gregorian chant and all other musical languages“ (p. 45). “A separation from all that is profane, secular, and worldly“ (p. 45), from what is sentimental and commercial, is created by the chant that has about it “the almost undefinable aura of purity“ – “purity of technique, expression, and intent“ (p. 46).

“Word and music are not two separate entities but one and the same reality“ (p. 27) and “modality, melodic range, rhythm, and inner drive combine to give the text its full expressive value“ (p. 42-43).

Gregorian chant exhibits a “wonderfully transparent structure“ (p. 42) and is “like the icon or the ‘image of another, supernatural world‘“ (p. 43).

Dom Hourlier ascribes to the chant “humility“ (p. 46), “reserve, (…) chastity, and (…) poverty“ (p. 42), “depth“ and “gravity“ (p. 46) and the production of “an atmosphere filled with gentleness, strength, and peace“ (p. 46). Its “beauty is readily accessible“ (p. 44).

“True art reveals something of God‘s beauty, because man is created in the image and likeness of God.“

“One of the secrets of the effectiveness of the chant is that rather than striving to please the listener it speaks to him of God.“

“The music of psalmody is spiritual in the highest sense of the word. It is inward, human, and divine all at once. It is both contemplative and mystical.“

Dom Jacques Hourlier: Reflections on the Spirituality of Gregorian Chant, Paraclete Press 2018, p. 53; 54; 75

True music “is not an end in itself“ (p. 54). It “makes a person free“ – it does not make “the listener the slave of what he or she hears“ (p. 53). It is not “carnal“ (p. 62). Rather it “puts us into communication with things divine“ (p. 61) and “opens us up to the mystical life“ (p. 54).

The monk from Solemnes cites Dom Guéranger‘s definition of the liturgy as featuring antiquity (or permanence), universality (or catholicity), authority (or authenticity), and unction (or devotion). Gregorian chant possesses all of these qualities. The Holy Spirit – “the Spirit of Divine Love“ – is the author of what is called “unction, or fervor“ evoking “holiness, order, and peace, the opposite of dryness and sterility“ (p. 35).

The canticle of the bridegroom and the bride

“The voice of my love! (…) My love lifts up his voice, he says to me: Come then, my love, my lovely one, come.“

“Your lips, my bride, distil wild honey. Honey and milk are under your tongue and the scent of your garments is like the scent of Lebanon.“

Song of Songs 2: 8-10; 4: 11

It would be wholesome and beautiful if there rose to the heavens the sung prayer, the humble and pure offering of Gregorian chant in every Catholic church and monastery on all days all around the world, and if we could speedily be delivered from the scourge of “orchestra Masses“, of compositions of the “theatrical style“, that make the active, devout, fervent, and contemplative participation of both clergy and faithful in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass unnecessarily difficult.

I dare to suggest that one should actually classify these compositions which keep haunting the churches in places like Vienna and Munich who pride themselves on their bands of church musicians as an aesthetic and moral offense to everyone who has acquired some level of sensitivity through the graceful education and formation provided by true liturgy. They fail to contribute to the glorification of God and are contrary to a spirit of authentic prayer. They sort of steal the sacred liturgical texts to kind of play with them instead of being subservient to the sacred, subservient to what worship and prayer really require.

The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is not theatre or a “nice idea“ that must be adorned and presented with some pomp to supposedly have some emotional – sentimental – effect; it is the real and forever powerful, forever effective prayer and sacrifice of the incarnate Son of God, and we are called to unite ourselves with His prayer and sacrifice, to participate in Christ in a real – not artificial – way. No “orchestra Mass“ composition has ever been helpful in drawing the participants of the liturgy into truly human and devout prayer and adoration of the divine “King of the Jews“ at the foot of the cross, into the prayer of lovers and not spectators.

Real romance and “authentic communion“ (Dom Hourlier), a seeking that finds the One sought, and not false self-referential aesthetic idealism, is at the heart of the one true religion. Whatever work of art adorns the truth and goodness of this religion cannot be allowed to disturb or undermine “the true Christian spirit“ (Saint Pius X) but should – as Gregorian chant does most perfectly – offer a noble and simple beauty, a beauty that could be preserved even in a cave in the midst of a desert where only the human voice is left to us for music. Even in the midst of a barren wilderness the “wild honey“ of Gregorian chant would keep glorifying God and nourishing our souls just like Saint John the Baptist – “the voice of one crying in the desert“ – was fed by “wild honey“ (Mt 3: 3-4). For centuries the melodies of Gregorian chant were handed down orally, not in written form. They were transmitted from generation to generation, learned by heart, alongside all the many other essential and intrinsic elements of the living, practiced, embodied tradition of the one true religion.

The sung prayer of Gregorian chant, the art of that bare and ancient chant, is part of the invitation of the holy liturgy for all mankind to join the divine and human canticle of the bridegroom and the bride, of Christ and His Church.

“And he saith to them: It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but you have made it a den of thieves.“

Matthew 21: 13

Saint Pius X, pray for us!

“To hear or sing Gregorian chant is to apprehend the fullness of a language that merely spoken words can never adequately express.“

“Beauty which never wearies.“

Dom Jacques Hourlier: Reflections on the Spirituality of Gregorian Chant, Paraclete Press 2018, p. 9; 10

“What utterances sent I up unto You, my God, when I read the Psalms of David, those faithful songs and sounds of devotion which exclude all swelling of spirit, when new to Your true love, at rest in the villa with Alypius, a catechumen like myself, my mother cleaving unto us — in woman‘s garb truly, but with a man‘s faith, with the peacefulness of age, full of motherly love and Christian piety! What utterances used I to send up unto You in those Psalms, and how was I inflamed towards You by them, and burned to rehearse them, if it were possible, throughout the whole world, against the pride of the human race! And yet they are sung throughout the whole world, and none can hide himself from Your heat.“ 

“How greatly did I weep in Your hymns and canticles, deeply moved by the voices of Your sweet-speaking Church! The voices flowed into mine ears, and the truth was poured forth into my heart, whence the agitation of my piety overflowed, and my tears ran over, and blessed was I therein.“

Saint Augustine of Hippo in his Confessions

1. Full text of the Motu proprio here: https://adoremus.org/1903/11/tra-le-sollecitudini/ ︎
2. By the way, both Mozart and Haydn were members of Freemasonic lodges. ︎

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“In the nineteenth century a truly Christian president will come, a man of character to whom God Our Lord will grant the palm of martyrdom in this very square where my convent is. He will consecrate the republic to the Sacred Heart of my beloved Son, and this consecration will sustain the Catholic religion throughout the following years. During those years, which will be ominous for the Church, the accursed sect of Freemasonry will take over the civil government. A cruel persecution will rage against all religious communities and will descend upon this convent with special fury.“

The man prophesied by Our Lady of Good Success of the Purification on the 16th January 1599 during one of her approved apparitions to Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres, a nun of the Conceptionist order in Quito, Ecuador, was Gabriel Garcia Moreno (1821-1875), and all these prophecies came true.

Having just finished reading a biography about this man written by the German Jesuit priest Adolf von Berlichingen (1840-1915), first published in 1884, I’d like to walk with you through the different elements of this prophecy come true – and of history never taught in school.

“a truly Christian president“

Gabriel Garcia Moreno was born in the year 1821 in Guayaquil, a port in the western part of Ecuador, into a Catholic family of Spanish descent. He had three siblings, one of his sisters being a devout lady who remained single all her life and whom Don Gabriel loved very much, attributing to her fervent prayer life the graces and successes of his political career.

“Ecuador was marked by revolutions, anarchy, and instability from the time Garcia Moreno was very young. Heavy-handed dictators looking out for their own gain at the expense of the people, anti-Catholic radicals trying to suppress the Church, corruption and graft – stealing a portion of the revenues – created a series of storms and chaos.“

James Valois: Our Lady‘s Prophecies. God‘s Messages for Our Time, Sophia Institute Press 2024, p. 46

The sixth president of the republic of Ecuador, independent from Spain since 1821, was the Freemasonic liberal José María Urbina who ruled the country from 1852 to 1856. He immediately expelled the Jesuits.

Moreno, already a member of the Congress on behalf of the city of Quito, publicly defended the Jesuits who were defamed in all kinds of ways by the liberal factions. This made him a sharer in the destiny of the Jesuits as he, too, was banned from the country and had to live in exile – first in Lima, then in Paris – for a while.

During his exile in Paris his practice of the Catholic religion became more fervent. He began to receive the sacrament of Holy Confession frequently and to participate several times a week in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

He returned to Ecuador in the year 1856 when the new and more moderate president Francisco Robles allowed him to re-enter his native land. Some years later he ascended to the presidency himself.

All in all, Gabriel Garcia Moreno ruled Ecuador as president in the years 1859-1865 and 1869-1875 with great success. His various undertakings and reforms in all areas of public life brought prosperity, peace, and stability to Ecuador. From reforming the broken judicial system, introducing respect for law and order in a country torn apart by frequent violent upheavals and injustices, fighting corruption and waste of money among public officials all the way to fostering education imbued with the Christian spirit and of good scientific quality, opening many hospitals, especially for the poor, and modernizing the infrastructure of the entire country by building roads and bridges for connecting the towns and cities, the records of his political influence are truly impressive. Moreno‘s political motto was “Liberty for everyone and everything except for evil and evildoers“.

Don Gabriel supported the mission of the Church in every way he could. He promoted the religious orders – Jesuits, Lazarists, Redemptorists, and others – running the schools, hospitals, and opening missions, evangelizing also the native Americans of Ecuador, a very successful endeavor.

“The concordat (with the Holy See) ensured that education was based on Catholic principles, and the bishops alone would decide on all books for the human sciences, religion, and morals.“

James Valois: Our Lady‘s Prophecies. God‘s Messages for Our Time, Sophia Institute Press 2024, p. 53

When the robbery of the papal states was committed against the Church and Blessed Pius IX (1792-1878), Vicar of Christ from 1846 to 1878, this “truly Christian president“ was the only statesman in the whole wide world who protested against the injustice, supported Blessed Pius IX, and publicly defended the rights of the Church. After the proclamation of the dogma of papal infallibility in the summer of 1870 a national celebration was held in all of Ecuador.

“a man of character“

In one of the last chapters of his biography on Moreno, Adolf von Berlichingen tries to give the readers an impression concerning the president‘s personality traits and character.

Gabriel Garcia Moreno was, first of all, a devout and humble man. He prayed the Rosary daily, piously participated in the liturgical worship of the Church, and revered priests and the Holy Father. At the back of his copy of the spiritual classic The Imitation of Christ he had written down his rule of life which contained, among other notes, the following admonitions:

“Every morning, before beginning my work, I will write down what I have to do, being very careful to distribute my time well, to give myself only to useful and necessary business and to continue it with zeal and perseverance. I will scrupulously observe the laws of justice and truth, and have no intention in all my actions save the greater glory of God. I will make a particular examination twice a day on my exercise of different virtues, and a general examination every evening. I will go to confession every week.“

Gabriel Garcia Moreno‘s Rule of Life

He was happily married with two children, a son and a daughter, yet the girl died at a young age while Moreno was still alive. He practiced all kinds of acts of mercy towards the poor and sick which included a daily visit in one of the hospitals.

Adolf von Berlichingen describes him as a man of a predominantly choleric temperament, someone very serious, firm, frugal, disciplined, diligent, courageous, exuding a natural authority and being strict and severe with others whenever necessary yet mostly with himself.

His sharp intellect allowed him to quickly acquire profound knowledge and excellency in all kinds of areas including law, the military, and the natural sciences (especially chemistry). He was one of the best horse riders of all of Ecuador and when, during his presidency, upheavals by certain rebel groups had to be dealt with he ventured out into battle as the leader of the defense of Ecuador‘s inner stability.

In all aspects, he was a man who liked to take responsibility, control, and execute oversight himself. He never delegated any aspect of his tasks as president to anyone and never employed a single secretary. Everything was done by his own hand, and wherever his initiatives were to be carried out he showed up regularly to, by his direct presence, check upon the progress of the various projects of “regenerating“ Ecuador.

“the palm of martyrdom in this very square where my convent is“

Gabriel Garcia Moreno made himself many friends by his superior character – and many enemies, especially among the Freemasons. On the First Friday of August 1875, he received “the palm of martyrdom“ as he was assassinated by four conspirators “in this very square“ where the convent of the Nuns of the Immaculate Conception of Blessed Mary is located – the Santa Domingo Plaza. He was attacked by his murderers with machetes and shot at.

After adoring the Blessed Sacrament in the cathedral, Don Gabriel died as a martyr for Christ the King. Only weeks before he had written the following letter to Pope Blessed Pius IX of which an excerpt is reproduced here:

“Most Holy Father,
For some time now I have intensely wished to write to Your Holiness again; but I have been kept from doing so for fear of taking your time, which is too precious and necessary for the rule of the Catholic world. Notwithstanding this, today I must overcome this fear to implore your apostolic blessing, as I have been reelected, undeservingly, to govern this Catholic Republic for six years more. Although the new term will not begin until August 30, and I will not be able to serve Your Holiness with an official notification of my reelection until I take the constitutional oath on that day, I am conveying this to Your Holiness in advance in order to obtain from Heaven strength and lights, which I need more than anyone for being faithful to our Redeemer and loyal and obedient to His infallible Vicar. Now that the [Masonic] lodges of the neighboring countries, instigated by those of Germany, vomit against me atrocious insults and horrible calumnies of all kinds, I need Divine protection more than ever to live and die in the defense of our holy Religion and of this small republic that God has willed that I continue governing. Most Holy Father, what great fortune it is for me to be hated and persecuted for the sake of our Divine Redeemer! and what great joy it would be for me if your blessing obtained from Heaven that I shed my blood for Him who, being God, willed to shed His on the Cross for us! (…)
I prostrate myself at the feet of Your Holiness to implore again your Apostolic blessing for this Catholic Republic, for my family, and for this your very humble, obedient, and loving son, G. Garcia Moreno.“

Gabriel Garcia Moreno in his letter to Pope Blessed Pius IX on the 17th July 1875

When one of the assassins shouted “Die, destroyer of liberty!“ the heavily wounded president replied “God does not die!“ – these were his last words. Moreno was still alive for a short time after the attack. He was carried into the cathedral, to a statue of Our Lady of Sorrows, where a priest administered the last rites to him.

Thus, the promise given by Jesus through Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque to all who practice devotion to His Sacred Heart, Moreno being one of them, was fulfilled, namely that these devotees shall not die without receiving the sacraments and that His divine heart shall be their safe refuge in their last moment. Blessed Pius IX honored him as a “martyr“.

“He will consecrate the republic to the Sacred Heart of my beloved Son“

“Trumpets sounded, rifles fired, and church bells rang in unison throughout Ecuador. For the first time in history, a Republic was consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.“

James Valois: Our Lady‘s Prophecies. God‘s Messages for Our Time, Sophia Institute Press 2024, p. 54

This consecration of Ecuador to the Sacred Heart was renewed on the 25th March 2024, 150 years later, by the current Archbishop of Quito in a solemn Mass.

The first and original consecration took place on the feast day of the Annunciation in the year 1874. Unitedly the Archbishop of Quito and the President of Ecuador consecrated the nation of Ecuador – in the name of the Church and in the name of the state – to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

“the accursed sect of Freemasonry will take over the civil government“

“Thus I make it known to you that from the end of the 19th century and from shortly after the middle of the 20th century, in what is today the Colony and will then be the Republic of Ecuador, the passions will erupt and there will be a total corruption of customs, for Satan will reign almost completely by means of the Masonic sects.“

Our Lady of Good Success to Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres, Marian apparition from the early 17th century in Quito, Ecuador, approved by the Church, in: James Valois: Our Lady‘s Prophecies. God‘s Messages for Our Time, Sophia Institute Press 2024, p. 62

The era of freemasonic liberalism attacking the Church in Ecuador and undermining her mission at the end of the 19th century is linked with Eloy Alfaro who reigned as president of Ecuador in the years 1895-1901 and 1906-1911. His political program included the complete separation of state and Church, the secularization of education, the introduction of “religious liberty“, and the attack on the sacrament of Holy Matrimony through the institution of “civil marriage“.

The mortal remains of Gabriel Garcia Moreno

In September 1875, a few weeks after the assassination of Moreno, the Congress of Ecuador honored this “truly Christian president“ by entitling him the “regenerator of his country, and the martyr of Catholic civilization“. Today Don Gabriel‘s mortal remains are buried in a crypt in the cathedral of Quito, their resting place since the 6th August 1975, the 100th anniversary of his martyrdom.

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The fifth station of the way of the cross: Saint Simon of Cyrene

There is a Franciscan chapel of Simon of Cyrene in Jerusalem, marking the fifth station of the way of the cross. It remembers the moment when the Roman soldiers force a certain man to carry the cross laid upon Jesus for a part of the way, most likely in order to speed up the procession to the crucifixion site as Jesus is already very weakened by the severe bloody floggings and violent abuses.

“They enlisted a passer-by, Simon of Cyrene, father of Alexander and Rufus, who was coming from the country, to carry his cross. They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha, which means the place of the skull.“

Mark 15: 21-22

“On their way out, they came across a man from Cyrene, called Simon, and enlisted him to carry his cross.“

Matthew 27: 31

“As they were leading him away, they seized on a man, Simon from Cyrene, who was coming from the country, and laid on him the cross to carry behind Jesus.“

Luke 23: 26

Cyrene was an ancient city in what is today Lybia, one of five Greek cities (pentapolis) in the coastal region of that area which were part of the Roman province of Crete and Cyrenaica. In those days there was a Jewish community present in Cyrene that later, in the year 115, took part in a revolt against Rome. This part of the Jewish diaspora kept close relations to the Jews still living in Jerusalem, Judea, and the surrounding areas of the Roman province of Palestine.

The Paschal feast would always draw plenty of pilgrims from the diaspora to the temple at Jerusalem. The gospel of Saint John the Apostle records, right after narrating Jesus‘ triumphant entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, only a few days before Pesach and His Passion, that “among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks“ who approached the apostle Philip with the request to “see Jesus“ (John 12: 20-21).

Due to the context and wording it is clear that “Greeks“ here refers to Jews from the Greek-speaking places (like Cyrene) – and not to pagan Greeks. The men talking to Saint Philip the Apostle are Jewish people who made their way to Jerusalem for worshipping at the temple during the great feast days of Pesach and who are now desiring to meet the one about whom they have heard that he might be the long awaited Messiah, the redeemer of Israel who will gather all the dispersed tribes.

The evangelist Saint John Mark¹, a companion of Saint Paul and Saint Barnabas according to the Acts of the Apostles, assumes that his audience actually knows this man Simon from Cyrene, introducing him as the “father of Alexander and Rufus“, which suggests that alongside their father these two brothers were counted as well to be familiar fellow believers in the orally transmitted body of knowledge of the first Christian communities – or were even brothers in the faith that were personally known to them face to face, being still alive and active right among them.

Simon was a popular name among the Jews of antiquity, and Rufus has sometimes been explained as a version of the Hebrew name Reuben, while Alexander, on the other hand, is as Greek a name as it gets. Thus Simon, Alexander, and Rufus were most likely members of a Jewish family influenced to some degree by the surrounding Greek culture of their diaspora hometown.

Could the Rufus mentioned by Saint John Mark be the very same Rufus as the one Saint Paul the Apostle greets in his letter to the Church at Rome – mentioning also his mother?

Did Rufus, the son of a Jewish man from Cyrene who was enlisted by the Roman soldiers to carry Christ‘s cross, at some point in his life migrate to Rome (together with his mother?) to live with the first Jewish Christians there? In any case, the different waves of persecution during the first few decades of the Church (culminating in the martyrdom of the first bishop of Jerusalem, Saint James the Just, just a few years before the Jewish-Roman wars) scattered the believers of the Holy Land in all directions.

It is often said that Saint John Mark‘s gospel was written specifically for the Christian community sojourning in Rome – which would fit the puzzle pieces together.

“Greetings to Rufus, chosen servant of the Lord, and to his mother – a mother also to me.“

Romans 16: 13

If this is the same Rufus, then the whole family of Simon of Cyrene – or at least not only him, but also his wife and two of his however many children – became followers of Christ. Different legends of Eastern and Western origin connect Saint Rufus with eventually presiding as a bishop either in Theben, Greece, receiving the crown of martyrdom there, or in Avignon, France.

It was part of the destiny of Simon of Cyrene to share Jesus‘ burden of carrying the cross through the narrow streets of Jerusalem up to Mount Calvary. The gospel accounts do not tell us why the Roman soldiers chose him among all the by-standers and passers-by present to become an active partaker of Christ‘s holy Passion, laboring and suffering together with Him. He “came from the country“, the evangelists say, which might make us imagine that he had just entered Jerusalem very recently, maybe just the day before, for the celebration of Pesach – maybe after a stay with some relatives or friends in one of the villages of the surrounding Judean hills. Who knows if he was not actually on the way to the temple for praying and worshipping there when he came across Jesus‘ way.

In any case, according to tradition, this was the moment that changed the life of this man forever, his moment of a personal and intimate encounter with the suffering Son of God, the true Paschal Lamb, as he took the load of His cross upon his body for some minutes, walking with Jesus, submitting himself under His yoke.

Should we really believe that Simon of Cyrene did what he did involuntarily? This in the end freely willed act of mercy and devotion towards the Son of God shedding His precious blood for Simon‘s salvation was the beginning of his journey to sainthood. Through this encounter he must have begun to understand who Jesus actually is.

There are certain accounts according to which Simon later accompanied Saint Paul and others on their evangelical missions. His feast day is the 1st December.

Saint Simon of Cyrene, pray for us! Saint Rufus, pray for us!

“Anyone who wants to be a follower of mine must renounce self and take up the cross and follow me.“

Mark 8: 34

The sixth station of the way of the cross: The veil of Saint Veronica

A woman, with boldness and determination, makes her way through the watching crowd to hand Jesus her veil so He may wipe with it His holy face that is dripping with sweat and blood.

There is nothing else she can give to Jesus in this moment, as the procession passes by, but she finds her own special way to disclose that she is attentive to His sufferings, willing to accompany Him in them. This woman thus comforting Him is known as Saint Veronica.

Traditional legends often claim that she is the very same woman as the one who was healed from a chronic health issue by touching the hem of Jesus‘ garment next to the Sea of Galilee, a story narrated in the gospels.

Back then she, ceremonially unclean, touched Jesus only from behind before He called her out of her state of both daring and timid seclusion to know her face to face, calling her His “daughter“, and to be known by her, challenging her to give a public testimony of what has just happened to her; now during His way of the cross she is meeting Him eye to eye right away. She already believes that this Jesus who healed her with the power of His holy flesh the way no physician ever could truly is the Messiah of Israel.

“When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered round him and he stayed by the lake. Then one of the leaders of the synagogue named Jairus came up (…). Jesus went with him and a large crowd followed him; they were jostling him. Now there was a woman who had suffered from a haemorrhage for twelve years; having endured much under many physicians, she had spent all she had without getting any benefit from it; in fact, she was getting worse. She had heard about Jesus, and she came up through the crowd and touched his tunic from behind, thinking, ‘If I can just touch his clothes, I shall be saved.‘ And at once the source of bleeding dried up, and she felt in her body that she was cured of her sickness. And at once aware of the power that had gone out from him, Jesus turned around in the crowd and said, ‘Who touched my clothes?‘ His disciples said to him, ‘You see how the crowd is jostling you: how can you say, ‘Who touched me?‘‘ But he began looking round to see who had done it. Then the woman came forward, in fear and trembling because she knew what had happened to her, and she fell before him and told him the whole truth. And he said to her, ‘My daughter, your faith has saved you; go in peace and be free of your sickness.‘“

Mark 5: 21-34

“Seeing that she could not remain hidden, the woman came forward trembling, and falling before him explained in front of all the people why she had touched him and how she had been cured immediately.“

Luke 8: 47

The gospel of Matthew adds the line “And from that hour the woman was saved“ (Mt 9: 22).

In which place alongside the Jewish – Western – shores of the Sea of Galilee exactly did this miraculous healing, this act of salvation happen? It was in or close to Capernaum, on the way to the house of one of the synagogue leaders of this town, identified as Jairus.

The newly founded city of Tiberias, established by Herod Antipater, son of Herod the Great and tetrarch of Galilee, and named this way in honor of the Roman emperor Tiberius, is only about 16 kilometres away from Capernaum, as are the Tiberias Hot Springs (Hammat Tiberias). Why am I including this piece of information?

According to ancient Jewish sources like the Talmud the Jewish sages ascribed special healing powers to the mineral water of these seventeen hot steam springs which were also favored by the Romans for taking a salutary bath. The rabbinical tradition has it that even Jacob the patriarch visited those springs. This gift of nature, with so much allure of bringing health to people, was a good argument for Herod Antipater to build a new Hellenistic city there.

Along the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem there is a small chapel of the Holy Face, regarded to have been built where Saint Veronica once lived, indicating that Saint Veronica was an inhabitant of Jerusalem. What if this woman with her chronic issue of blood flow, what if Saint Veronica had travelled all the way from Jerusalem to visit the shorelines of the Sea of Galilee for taking a bath in those springs in the hope for healing and health, led by the recommendation of some Jewish physician or rabbi? Surely this is merely speculative – but it might help with picturing, with the aid of one’s imagination, the full force of the scene.

What if during her days of visit there, of yet another attempt at spending “all she had“ for the sake of attaining the desired cure of her sickness, she “heard about Jesus“ as talk was going around everywhere between Capernaum and Tiberias referring to all the many people who had already been cured by Jesus? What if, once again, yet another potential remedy had just failed to deliver on its promises, had just during the days before meeting Jesus disappointed her one more time? “In fact, she was getting worse.“ (Mk 5: 26)

The supposedly salutary hot springs of Tiberias are no joke, as the water steams out of the ground with a very high temperature that can even easily burn, wound one’s skin. This woman had already “endured much under many physicians“ (ibid.), the evangelist Saint John Mark tells us.

A physician’s advice according to which a treatment with very hot mineral water might be able to cure a haemorrhage, an issue of blood, sounds like a piece of medicinal theory and practice flowing right out of the traditional Greek doctrine of the four humors which determine bodily health and sickness, a doctrine that was the foundational approach to healing in antiquity. Yet all medical (and rabbinical) advice did in fact not heal, save her, make her whole again. But the Messiah did when she came in touch with Him. The fountain of life is found in Him, not in the hot springs of Tiberias.

And then, some time later, as Saint Veronica‘s veil was receiving His sweat and His blood, He left an imprint of His Holy Face on it, in the streets of Jerusalem, when she had once again fought her way through the crowd to meet her Savior.

This miraculous icon on her veil is preserved among the treasury of holy relics at Saint Peter‘s Basilica in Rome, venerated on Passion Sunday each year. The name by which this saintly woman who pressed forward to comfort Jesus in His sufferings is known to the Church is probably not her original Jewish name, for Veronica means “true image“ (vera = true, icon = image).

How did this sacred relic come into the possession of the Church of Rome? It is said that Saint Veronica was part of the Christian community in Rome, in close contact with Saint Peter and Saint Paul, handing the veil to Saint Clement of Rome, the third Holy Father, when she died, her feast day being the 12th July.

There is even a legend according to which emperor Tiberius was healed by the image of the Holy Face of Jesus brought to him by Saint Veronica.

“(…) it was announced to Tiberius, who was seriously ill, that in Jerusalem there was a physician who cured all diseases by his word alone. Therefore the emperor, not knowing that Pilate and the Jews had put this physician to death, said to one of his intimates, whose name was Volusian: ‘Cross the sea as fast as you can, and tell Pilate to send this healer to me so that he may restore me to health.‘ Volusion came to Pilate and delivered the emperor‘s command, but Pilate, terror-stricken, asked for a fortnight‘s grace. During this time Volusian made the acquaintance of a woman named Veronica, who had been in Jesus‘ company, and asked her where he might find Jesus Christ. (…) So Volusian came to Rome with Veronica and told Tiberius: ‘The Jesus you have long desired to see was unjustly given over to death by Pilate and the Jews, and, by reason of their envy, nailed to the gibbet of the cross. However, a lady came to me with a picture of Jesus, and if you look at it devoutly, you will obtain the benefit of your health.‘ Caesar therefore had the road carpeted with silk cloth and ordered the image brought to him, and the moment he looked at it, he won back his pristine health.“

Jacobus de Voragine: The Golden Legend. Readings on the Saints, Princeton University Press 1993, p. 212

Saint Veronica, pray for us!

“His head is golden, purest gold, his locks are palm fronds and black as the raven. His eyes are like doves beside the watercourses, bathed in milk, perched on a fountain rim.“

Song of Songs 5: 11-12

The fourteenth station of the way of the cross: Saint Joseph of Arimathaea (together with Saint Nicodemus) anoints and buries the body of Christ

Arimathaea is a city of Judea, according to the church historian Eusebius the very hometown of the prophet Samuel (Ramathaim-Zophim), near what is today the city of Lod. The prophet Samuel once anointed king David; Saint Joseph of Arimathaea anointed the deceased body of the Son of David.

“Now as soon as evening came, since it was Preparation Day – that is, the day before the Sabbatih – Joseph of Arimathaea, a respected member of the council, who was himself awaiting the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. (…) he granted the corpse to Joseph. Joseph bought a linen cloth, and taking him down from the cross, wrapped him in the shroud, laid him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock and rolled a stone against the doorway of the tomb.“

Mark 15: 42-46

“When it was evening, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, called Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be handed over. So Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and put it in his own new tomb which he had hewn in the rock. Then he rolled a large stone to the doorway of the tomb and went away.“

Matthew 27: 57-60

“Now a man named Joseph, a member of the council, a good and righteous man, had not agreed with their plan and their action. He came from Arimathaea, a Jewish town, and was awaiting the kingdom of God. This man approached Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then he took it down, wrapped it in a linen cloth and laid it in a rock-hewn tomb in which no one had ever yet been laid.“

Luke 23: 50-53

“After his, Joseph of Arimathaea, who was a disciple of Jesus – though a secret one through fear of the Jews – asked Pilate to let him remove the body of Jesus. Pilate gave permission, so he came and took it away. Nicodemus came as well – the same one who had come to Jesus at nighttime – and he brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about fifty kilograms. They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it in linen cloths with the spices, according to the Jewish burial custom. In the place where he had been crucified there was a garden, and in this garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. Since it was the day of preparation for the Jews and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.“

John 19: 38-42

If we take all four gospel narratives together, then we come to know several things about the man who, in a bold act of mercy, made sure that Jesus receives a proper burial in accordance with the Jewish tradition.

Joseph was a well-off and respected member of the Sanhedrin, of the council of 71 elders who were meeting daily in the temple of Jerusalem to govern the Jewish community as the highest court of religious authority. At the same time this “good and righteous man“ was, secretly, “a disciple of Jesus“ and “awaiting the kingdom of God“, and being a friend of Jesus he had not agreed with the decisions and actions of the Sanhedrin. As a council member he had access to Pontius Pilate from whom he then gained permission to take Jesus‘ deceased body from the cross.

The fourteenth station of the “way of the cross“ devotional always remembers how Saint Joseph of Arimathaea, having taken the lifeless body of Jesus down, places Him in the arms of His mother.

Jesus died at three in the afternoon (the “ninth hour“) – thus only very few hours remained for the burial before the onset of the Sabbath by sundown when all work ought to cease. Besides that, it is anyways part of the Jewish custom to bury the dead as early as possible for this is viewed as a good deed done unto them which according to Jewish tradition “refreshes“ the deceased and grants them rest.

Saint Joseph of Arimathaea is the right man in the right place at the right time for he owns a fresh tomb built into a rock in a garden very close to the crucifixion site on Mount Calvary that he can now donate to his Master. Stone tombs, caves in a rock were the customary style of an ancient Jewish burial place. As everything needed to be done in haste and as it was best not to carry Jesus’ body a great distance, this tomb is truly the very best place for burying Jesus.

Whoever has ever visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem knows that the two spots of Jesus‘ death and of Jesus‘ burial and resurrection as marked within the compound of this magnificent church are indeed very close to one another.

Though time is so short, Saint Joseph of Arimathaea and Saint Nicodemus make sure that Jesus‘ body is properly prepared for burial (and for the resurrection of the dead in which many ancient Jews believed). That means that according to the Jewish custom the body is ritually washed (an act that is called tahara and which has to be done by men in the case of a man, by women in the case of a woman, preserving modesty) and afterwards anointed with oils and fragrant herbs before being wrapped into fresh linen cloths. The gospel accounts describe that the oil they used, spreading it over Jesus’ broken and wounded body, was a mixture of myrrh and aloe with spices.

According to tradition these linen cloths (a face cloth and a body cloth) were preserved by the faithful in Jerusalem and venerated by them. The face cloth is known as the Sudarium, a relic that eventually, centuries later, ended up in the city of Oviedo in northern Spain, where it can be visited en route to Santiago di Compostela. The body cloth saw many stations on its pilgrimage through history and has been in Turin since the end of the 17th century: the Shroud of Turin.²

Saint Joseph of Arimathaea attended to the maltreated, wounded and deceased body of the Messiah whose follower he was. He poured balm into the salvific wounds of the Savior which he touched with his own hands. Thus, being the patron saint of funeral directors, he could as well serve as a patron for the devotion to the five Holy Wounds of Christ.

“yet he was wounded for our rebellions, crushed on account of our evil deeds. The punishment that made us whole was on him: his wounds brought healing to us.“

Isaiah 53: 5

Many legends about the life story and whereabouts of Saint Joseph of Arimathaea after this act of mercy rank themselves around him which we will leave aside, except for briefly mentioning that the apocryphal gospel of Nicodemus reports that he was imprisoned for burying Christ but that the risen Christ broke him out and that he and Saint Nicodemus then built the Christian community in Lydda (Lod), a community referred to also in the Acts of the Apostles (“the saints living in Lydda“ (Acts 9:32)). The Roman Martyrology records for his traditional feast day, the 17th March, that he died at Jerusalem.

Saint Joseph of Arimathaea, pray for us! Saint Nicodemus, pray for us!

1. In the following I will refer to the evangelist Saint Mark as Saint John Mark to highlight the identity of these two men. Saint John Mark is mentioned repeatedly in the Acts of the Apostles.
   For example it says in Acts 12:12: “As soon as (Peter) realised this he went to the house of Mary the mother of John (also called Mark), where a number of people had assembled and were praying.“; and in Acts 12:25: “Barnabas and Saul returned to Jerusalem, bringing with them John, who was also called Mark.“ ︎
2. For more detailed information read e.g. A Catholic Quest for the Holy Grail by Charles Coulombe, TAN Books 2017. ︎

“Precious deposits, your children, you received from God; take good care that the enemy may not steal them from you.“

The bad example of Eli: a lack of correction

Ever thought about the Hebrew priest Eli and his two sons Hophni and Phinehas? Saint John Chrysostom did. In one of his discourses he recounts the story and explains why Eli made a mistake in how he handled the waywardness of his sons. The mistake was that he did not really earnestly do something about it. The only thing he did was speaking to them “amicably“:

“The two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests of the LORD there (i.e. at Shiloh).“¹

“Now the sons of Eli were scoundrels; they cared nothing for the LORD, nor for the way priests should behave towards the people.“

“The young men‘s sin was very great in the LORD‘s eyes, because they treated with contempt the offering made to the LORD.“

“Eli was very old, but he heard about everything that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they were sleeping with the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. He said, ‘Why are you behaving like this, the evil deeds that I hear from all the people? (…)‘ But they did not listen to their father‘s words (…).“

“Eli was very old, and his sons continued to live a life that was evil in the eyes of the LORD.“

1 Samuel 1: 3; 2: 12; 17; 22-25; 3: 21

Eventually the two wayward sons die on the battlefield and are thus punished by God because Eli “has not corrected them“ (1 Sam 3: 13). And Eli‘s whole family is rejected as a priestly family for all future generations.

But why does Sacred Scripture say that Eli did not “correct“ his sons though he did in fact talk to them about their bad conduct and tell them that their actions are clearly wrong?

“Admonishing does not just mean encouraging amicably, but to arise with gravity and force and to apply an effective medicine that is demanded by the sepsis of the abscess. Talking alone is not enough; one has to unsettle the child with salutary dread to cast out the youthful recklessness. Because Eli admonished his sons, yet not with the required sternness, he handed them over to the enemies in battle (…).“

“You, o father, are the leader of the whole household (…).“

Saint John Chrysostom, my own free English translation from the German version: Johannes Chrysostomus und Dr. Sebastian Haidacher: Des Hl. Johannes Chrysostomus Büchlein über Hoffart und Kindererziehung, Leopold Classic Library, p. 100; 101

Methods of correction in education then, according to Sacred Scripture and the holy bishop, cannot only consist in words but must include deeds. This could mean to make the consequences of following a bad path experienceable for the child (to some degree) before the “wages of sin“ which is “death“ (Rom 6: 23) fully crystallize, which is the meaning and purpose of all punishment, or to demand certain actions from the child to correct its ways – not just by “asking“ but rather by “commanding“ and “pursuing“ the desired re-formation with authority.

“And parents, do not provoke children to anger but nourish them with discipline and the instruction of the Lord.“

Ephesians 6: 4

The example of a good mother: Hannah, the mother of the prophet Samuel

Hannah is a troubled woman for her husband Elkanah has two wives. Though Elkanah seems to love her more than the other woman, Hannah is barren – “the LORD had closed her womb“ (1 Sam 1: 5).

One more time they altogether go up to Shiloh where the Ark of the Covenant resides for worshipping God. Yet Hannah is full of sorrow and bitterness because of her fate. And the rival wife Peninnah keeps despising her.

But Saint John Chrysostom takes Hannah as an example of a good and devout mother. First of all, he praises the petition she makes in the holy place, remarking how “effective“ a prayer “from a sorrowful soul“ is, as well as her confidence in God. There, in the presence of God, Hannah is “pouring out (her) soul before the LORD“ (1 Sam 1: 15), “speaking from the depth of (her) grief and (her) resentment“ (1 Sam 1: 16).

“When they had finished eating and drinking, Hannah got up and stood before the LORD. (…) In the bitterness of her soul she prayed to the LORD with many tears, and she made this vow, ‘O LORD Sabaoth! If you will truly take notice of the misery of your servant, and remember her instead of disregarding your servant, and if you give her a male child, I will give him to the LORD for the whole of his life and no razor shall ever touch his head.‘“

1 Samuel 1: 9-11

If her womb is opened to give birth, she will give the given child completely back to God, she will consecrate it to the Lord. That is her vow.

Saint Chrysostom’s second praise for her is that, having given birth, she names the boy Samuel (“God has heard“). His name is a testimony: She was heard by God, and now the boy‘s calling will be to grow up to become a priestly prophet continually listening to God.

Thirdly, Hannah loves her son not only from the source of nature (with a mother‘s natural affection) but also from the source of grace and love of God. Her love is doubly strong. She knows that Samuel is a gift from God that she wants and needs to give back to God.

And so she goes up to Shiloh with her son – he is still “very young“ (1 Sam 2: 24) – and hands him over to Eli, the priest, so that Samuel may learn to minister in the holy place.

“This is the child for which I was praying, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him. Now I make him over to the LORD. For the whole of his life he is made over to the LORD.“

“(…) the barren woman bears sevenfold but the mother of many is left desolate. The LORD gives death and gives life, brings down to Sheol and raises up (…).“

1 Samuel 1: 27-28; 2: 5-6

Saint John Chrysostom praises her sacrifice and elevates her even above the patriarch Abraham offering Isaac:

“For Abraham placed his son Isaac on the altar and brought him back home alive; but this mother left her son behind in the temple forever.“

Saint John Chrysostom, my own free English translation from the German version: Johannes Chrysostomus und Dr. Sebastian Haidacher: Des Hl. Johannes Chrysostomus Büchlein über Hoffart und Kindererziehung, Leopold Classic Library, p. 108

He charges all mothers to act like Hannah, to follow her example. To consider their children as precious “temple offerings“, to treat them with “pious awe“.

“When you will be a mother, then dedicate your child to the Lord. Hannah brought her son to the temple, but may you build up yourself to a temple of the heavenly King. Because Scripture says: Your bodies are members of Christ and a temple of the Holy Spirit that is in you; and also: I will dwell and be in you. (…) The soul of the child is a temple. So do not let the house of God become a robber‘s den (…). Take Hannah as your example, you women, imitate her, you men! Take good care of your children, educate them toward all that is good, especially purity of heart.“

Saint John Chrysostom, my own free English translation from the German version: Johannes Chrysostomus und Dr. Sebastian Haidacher: Des Hl. Johannes Chrysostomus Büchlein über Hoffart und Kindererziehung, Leopold Classic Library, p. 109

Saint John Chrysostom, pray for us!

1. Shiloh in Samaria, 31 kilometers north of Jerusalem and 16 kilometers north of Bethel, was chosen for the Tent of Meeting after the Israelites had conquered the land under Joshua, before the days of the temple in Jerusalem. ︎