Posts Tagged ‘Fr Jerome Bertram’

Pope Leo the Great defending the Church against Huns and heresy

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To celebrate the feast day of Pope Leo the Great (390-461), here is an extract from Fr Jerome Bertram’s booklet, Doctors of the Church, on this vital Pope.

It fell to Pope Leo to meet Attila at the gates of Rome, and to succeed where armies had failed, in negotiating a peaceful withdrawal, and sparing the city from the attentions of a conquering army. Shortly afterwards he had to repeat these delicate negotiations with the Vandals, who did enter the city, but refrained from sacking it. It was this skilful diplomacy that earned him the affection of the Roman people, and enabled him to consolidate the role of the Papacy in guiding the world
on the ways of peace.

But at the same time the faith was under threat yet again from distorted teaching – the achievement of St Cyril of Alexandria in defining the faith at Ephesus was being over-exaggerated by those who thought the two natures of God and Man had been fused into one in the person of Christ. This may seem like too refined a point to be significant, but the effect of this error (the “Monophysite” heresy) was to undermine the reality of

Our Lord’s humanity again. If he is not truly human, we cannot truly relate to him, and he does not truly share our nature. Too busy saving Rome to attend the Council of Chalcedon (451) in person, Pope Leo dashed off a letterstating the Catholic doctrine clearly and succinctly. When it was read out at the Council the bishops sprang to their feet and shouted “this is the voice of Peter!” The resulting Definition of Chalcedon incorporated Leo’s letter (known as his “Tome”) in a beautifully poetic statement about Our Lord, true God and true Man, consubstantial with the Father according to his divinity, and consubstantial with us according to his humanity. He is thus truly the link between earth and heaven, and because we share hishuman nature, he opens for us the way to the Father.

St Leo the Great, pray for us.

Doctors of the Church is available from CTS priced £2.50

Of related interest:

B703 Augustine of Hippo - St Augustine was a bishop, is a father of the Church and a Doctor of the Church, but above all is a man with an extraordinary story to tell. This booklet uses the famous Confessions of St Augustine to recount the wonderful journey from a life of sin and error to a life lived for Christ.
DO798 Spiritual Masters: Medieval Fathers and Writers – In this richly illustrated, beautifully bound hardback volume, Pope Benedict examines the great saints of the Middle Ages from St Odo, Abbot of Cluny, to St Peter Lombard the twelfth-century theologian.
DO780 The Fathers of the Church – Following his series of Catecheses on the Apostles and major figures of the primitive Church, Benedict XVI turns all his knowledge and insight to the preachers, writers, homilists and theologians of the next five centuries.
Thursday, 10 November 2011 12:23

Is the Old Testament irrelevant to modern evangelisation?

Fr Jerome Bertram is a priest of the Oxford Oratory and CTS author. As we posted here, the Evangelium 2011 Conference for Catholic adults aged 18 to 35 is coming up in just 2 weeks, and Fr Jerome will be speaking on understanding the Old Testament.

We asked the author of Doctors of the Church, Anointing and Heresy Through the Ages, to explain why the Old Testament is so vital if we are to engage the world of today as believers. The title of the whole 2011 conference is: Explaining the Catholic Faith in the Modern World. So we asked why so many attacks on faith start from the Bible’s most ancient books.

“Many modern attacks on the Faith start from a misunderstanding of the Old Testament – beginning, of course, with Genesis and the so-called clash between ‘science’ and ‘religion’ over Creation. They pick out Old Testament texts, out of context, to stir up prejudice against believers; they point at the violent or terrifying bits, and suggest that the message of Jesus is quite opposed to the God of the Old Testament.  They find ammunition in the more irresponsible ‘fundamentalists’, who use snippets of the Old Law as ways of making life uncomfortable for modern believers, and they are helped just as much by the ‘modern critics’ who claim that the Old Testament is made up from ‘myths’ or ‘traditions’ of different cultures, and cannot be inspired.

“We as Catholics look at the Old Testament in the light of the Gospel – we see how it is all fulfilled in the person of Our Lord, and how the spiritual meaning helps us in our own daily path towards heaven.”

Fr Jerome Bertram’s talk, Understanding the Old Testament will take place on Friday August 6th.

For information and to book your place, visit the Evangelium website or the event on our Facebook page.

Of related interest:

DO845 YouCat – YouCat is an accessible, contemporary expression of the Catholic Faith. The appealing graphic format includes questions and answers, highly-readable commentary and summary definitions of key terms.
EV4 Credo – This new, illustrated, pocket catechism offers a succinct and reliable introduction into the fullness of the Catholic faith.
EV6 Lumen - this booklet summarises the extraordinary fruitfulness of the faith, noting that our university system, art, music, legal tradition, charity and even much of our science arises from Catholic civilisation and Catholic minds.
Friday, 22 July 2011 11:41

Evangelium Conference 2011: Who is speaking and when?

Evangelium Conference

The Evangelium Conference, sponsored by CTS, is taking place over the first weekend of August at the Oratory School in Reading.

For those aged 18 – 35, it aims to help Catholics explain their faith in the modern world. We can now publish the timetable, detailing the speakers and the subjects that will be discussed, other activities include daily Mass, prayer and recreation.

Many of the speakers are CTS authors, the likes of Fr Jerome Bertram and the founders of the Evangelium project, Fr Marcus Holden and Fr Andrew Pinsent.

Here is a rundown of the six major conferences being held across the weekend.

Friday 6th August

First Conference: The Recovery of Sacred Scripture – Fr Marcus Holden and Fr Andrew Pinsent – Founders of the Evangelium Project
Second Conference: Fr Jerome Bertram – Understanding the Old Testament

Saturday 7th August

Third Conference: Steve Ray – Why the Bible is a Catholic book
Fourth Conference : Dr Edmund Adamus – Towards a Civilisation of Love – Parents the Primary Educators and Protectors
Apologetics Panel – Steve Ray, Fr Andrew Pinsent, Fr Marcus Holden, Fr Ed Tomlinson, Joanna Bogle

Sunday 8th August

Sixth Conference: Sr Roseann Reddy – Proclaiming the Gospel of Life

Between now and the beginning of the conference, we hope to talk to some of the prospective speakers, to get a flavour of what their talks and why they became involved in the project. For information visit the Evangelium website.

Tell your friends – and bring them along with you. Full details and booking form here.

Of related interest:

DO845 YouCat – YouCat is an accessible, contemporary expression of the Catholic Faith. The appealing graphic format includes questions and answers, highly-readable commentary and summary definitions of key terms.
EV4 Credo – This new, illustrated, pocket catechism offers a succinct and reliable introduction into the fullness of the Catholic faith.
EV6 Lumen - this booklet summarises the extraordinary fruitfulness of the faith, noting that our university system, art, music, legal tradition, charity and even much of our science arises from Catholic civilisation and Catholic minds.
Monday, 18 July 2011 14:25

Catholic terms: A serious & not so serious look

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When talking about the new translation of the Mass recently, Abbot Cuthbert Johnson spoke of professions such as the medical one, having very specific language. The Catholic Church is rediscovering that specific language too.

But even very specific language can be learned and understood. Columnist for the National Catholic Register, Matthew Archbold has taken a humorous look at 12 terms which have specific uses in either the Catholic liturgy, or wider Catholic culture.

“Zucchetto – I’ll take extra parmesan on my zuccheto please with some lean mutton on the side. It’s a small skullcap worn by clerics.”

Here at CTS, our booklet, A Simple Glossary of Catholic Terms does the same job, only without the wisecracks. Written and expanded by respected academics, Fr Jerome Bertram &, Dr Raymond Edwards, it also gives you the root of the word as well as its meaning, for example:

“Acolyte (Greek AKOLUTES, “follower”) Originally, the fourth grade of Holy Orders, now suspended in the Latin Church. Now used for a lay ministry, assistant to the priest, hardly ever conferred except for those on the way to ordination as deacon or priest.

Communion of Saints The unity and mutual solidarity of all Christians living and dead, forming the Church.

Embolism (Greek EMBOLISMOS, ‘something stuck in or intercalated’ from EMBALLEIN, “to throw in”) Generally, any prayer inserted into another, or amplifying it; usually refers to the prayer at Mass after the Our Father, which develops the last petition of that prayer.

Indult (Latin INDULTUM ‘something allowed for’) A letter from the Pope giving permission for a particular Canon Law to be suspended in particular circumstances.”

Others are Catholic expressions which have entered into common usage.

“Promoter of the Faith An official of the Curia charged with presenting objections to a cause for canonization or beatification, or resolving controversies connected with it; sometimes known informally as the Devil’s Advocate.”

A Simple Glossary of Catholic Terms is available from CTS priced £1.95

Of related interest:

LF34 Signs and Symbols Inside a Catholic Church - What you will see inside a Catholic church and what it all means.
History of Mass The History of the Mass Explained – This booklet looks at how the Mass has changed and developed over the centuries, and how changes have occurred at different times in the Church’s history.
DV34 The Catholic Mass Revealed, revised edition – The Catholic Mass is the most sacred act of worship a person can participate in upon earth. This DVD from the USA, with accompanying audio CDs and book, takes you through each part of the Mass, explaining its significance and drawing out deeper spiritual lessons.
Friday, 08 July 2011 14:22

An English doctor historian and more – St Bede

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This week, we have been looking at the Doctors of the Church. We wanted to end the week by looking at the only Englishman in this illustrious list of 33, so far!

The venerable Bede, or St Bede of Jarrow, to give just two of his titles, is known primarily as an historian; if Herodotus is the ‘Father of history’, Bede is the ‘Father of English history’. He was proficient in other academic disciplines too, however, and corresponded with scholars across the world, as Fr Jerome Bertram explains in Doctors of the Church:

“Bede is remembered above all as an historian. In fact he wrote a great deal more than his famous Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation, producing deeply spiritual commentaries on some of the more unpromising parts of the Old Testament, such as the instructions to Moses on building the Tabernacle. He also produced an amazingly complicated work of mathematics and astronomy, intended practically to enable anyone to calculate the date of Easter.”

He was also one of the first to use a system of counting years beginning with the Birth of Jesus, and it is for these and other achievements in the field of history that he is known as ‘Venerable’, a title that was used for him even during his own lifetime. He saw that clear research can help dispel the lies and misunderstandings that time almost necessarily breeds. His monastery was said to contain a staggering 200 books, and Bede himself was familiar with Solinus, Eusebius and other ancients; his History set out the growth of the Church in his lands, taking the Acts of the Apostles as his model.

“Bede showed how an accurate and well-researched account of the past can help us to brush away the cobwebs of false history, and serve the Church for the future.”

He was made a Doctor of the Church in 1899 and his feast day is on May 25th. Next week, we will see what gives saints the right to this special title, and whether any other modern saints might make the cut.

St Bede, pray for us.

Doctors of the Church is available from CTS priced £2.50

Of related interest:

B703 Augustine of Hippo - St Augustine was a bishop, is a father of the Church and a Doctor of the Church, but above all is a man with an extraordinary story to tell. This booklet uses the famous Confessions of St Augustine to recount the wonderful journey from a life of sin and error to a life lived for Christ.
DO798 Spiritual Masters: Medieval Fathers and Writers – In this richly illustrated, beautifully bound hardback volume, Pope Benedict examines the great saints of the Middle Ages from St Odo, Abbot of Cluny, to St Peter Lombard the twelfth-century theologian.
DO780 The Fathers of the Church – Following his series of Catecheses on the Apostles and major figures of the primitive Church, Benedict XVI turns all his knowledge and insight to the preachers, writers, homilists and theologians of the next five centuries.
Friday, 10 June 2011 09:15
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