Fr Sam Medley speaks to priests on the Theology of the Body

Fr Sam Medley
Fr Sam Medley SOLT spoke to the Association of Priests for the Gospel of Life today on the theology of the Body of Blessed Pope John Paul. He spoke with eloquence and erudition, making for one of those days when you go away knowing more than you did when you arrive (a useful success criterion for priests' Study Days, I think.)

The first lecture looked at the philosophical and theological influences in Blessed Pope John Paul's life, at the structure and principal topics of the Theology of the Body General Audience addresses, and the impact that this development can have in pastoral life. Fr Medley also addressed the concerns that priests have about the presentation of the theology of the body in which inappropriate images are used such as describing the Song of Songs as the "centerfold" of the bible. He made it clear that such images find absolutely no justification in the addresses of Blessed Pope John Paul.

After lunch, the lecture was more personally focussed and looked especially at the way in which the Theology of the Body can help priests to understand celibacy within the plan of God and live it joyfully. One of the priests present (several decades ordained) told me that it was the best presentation of celibacy that he had heard in his life.

Robert Colquhoun gave great assistance in the organisation of the day. Robert blogs at Discover Happiness and has enthusiastically promoted the 40 Days for Life initiative in London. The next 40 days begins on Wednesday 28 September. Priests are always most welcome at the vigils; in God's providence there are often more "turnarounds" when a priest is there quietly praying. If you can find the time and energy, you may be God's instrument to save a life.

I hope to make the text of Father Medley's first lecture available on the internet for you to download. In the meantime, here are a couple of links that he recommended:
NFP and more
Chastity.com

If you wish to study the General Audience addresses in which Pope John Paul elaborated the Theology of the Body, it is best to get Michael Waldstein's critical translation which is published by Pauline Books with the title "Man and Woman He Created Them. A Theology of the Body." The Study Day was held in the new underground hall at St Patrick's, Soho Square. the facilities there are impressive and versatile. It is a good venue for an event like ours but is also used for direct charitable work, providing food for the hungry. The Church is also beautiful after its renovation. I'll do a separate post with some photos.

Popular posts from this blog

1962 Missal pdf online

The Church Music Association of America and Jeffrey Tucker of the New Liturgical Movement have made available the 1962 Missal online in pdf format (72Mb). The file is hosted at Musica Sacra , the website of the CMAA, thanks to a generous gift from Fr Robert Skeris While you are at it, take a look at the articles clarifying the rules for music at Low Mass and music at High Mass .
Read more

Request for Novena to Blessed Pius IX

Image
A priest friend of mine is ill in hospital. He has a special devotion to Blessed Pius IX. Could I ask you, of your charity, to say a Novena for his speedy recovery. Novena In Honour of Blessed Pius IX Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, hear our prayers and glorify your servant Pius IX, who consecrated the Universal Church to you. (Our Father...) O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to you, hear our prayer and glorify your servant Pius IX who declared you Immaculate. (Hail Mary...) Saint Joseph, spouse of the most pure Virgin Mary, hear our prayer and glorify your servant Pius IX who declared you the Patron of the Universal Church. (Glory be...) Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Immaculate Mary, our Hope, and Saint Joseph hear our prayers and glorify your servant Pius IX , granting to us through his merits and intercessions the graces which we ardently desire: that the glory of God be revealed through Father's illness. (Our Father..., Hail Mary..., Glory be...
Read more

Saint Gabriel

Image
The angels call for our veneration and awe as part of God’s creation. Part of the destructive modernism of the 1970s included advice to Catholic school teachers that they should not talk to children about angels. This wrought lasting damage which continues to need rectifying. We should include in our prayers a heartfelt recourse to our own Guardian Angels. The Archangel Gabriel “God is my strength” would be terrifying were he to appear to any of us. Our Lady was “troubled” at the word of Saint Gabriel and wondered at the manner of the salutation. Immediately, according to his mission, the awesome messenger explained himself. Modern retelling of the event is often reduced to the jejune “Mary said Yes to God”. In fact, she said “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word”. This conveys more accurately the flawless faith and trust of the Immaculata. In the infinitely wise providence of the Father, we now know the structure of the event in even more detai...
Read more

Saint Ignatius on heresy, and the capsizing boat

Image
On the feast of St Ignatius, I offer my prayers and good wishes to some great Jesuits. Just off the top of my head, I think of Fr Joseph Fessio SJ the founder of Ignatius Press which has not only published the English translations of various works of Cardinal Ratzinger/Pope Benedict, but has also given a break for good Catholic authors both of theology and of Catholic fiction. Then there is Fr Bob Spitzer SJ, with whom I studied in Rome many years ago, and Fr Paul Mankowski SJ who has written some superb articles over the years. Here in England, I recall Fr Anthony Meredith SJ, the great fatherly commentator on the Fathers of Cappadocia and in Rome, there is Fr Gilles Pelland SJ, the fierce French-Canadian patristics scholar was a bit harsh when I first arrived in the Holy City, but seemed to soften a bit when after 5 years he seeme satisfied that, though English, I was not a modernist. Many of my Jesuit priest friends and mentors have now reached “that night when no man can work”...
Read more

Downloadable booklets for Vespers

Image
Gregorian Chant Hymns is a most helpful website that I mentioned in a post just over a year ago. As I said then, the site "[...] promotes the learning of Gregorian Chant by making sheet music, recordings, translations, and instructions. There is a short guide to Gregorian Notation (those square notes) and to Latin pronunciation. Everything is available free of charge, in line with other great traditional music websites." Work has continued at the site and there is now a section which makes available pdf (or .docx format) booklets for Vespers for every Sunday of the Year and a few major feasts. There is the basic booklet for ordinary Sunday Vespers which is supplemented by separate files for the Sundays after Pentecost which contain the Magnificat and Collect. Then there are booklets, for example for Advent and Lent, where the office is different from the regular Sunday Vespers with its antiphons. All of the booklets have texts and notation for Benediction and the Maria...
Read more