Preview: Father Faber on the Holy Gratitude of the Saints

On Monday, November 18, we'll continue our Son Rise Morning show series on Father Frederick Faber's Little Book of Gratitude, drawn from the seventh chapter of All For Jesus, with a focus on how the canonized saints "Ever Gave Thanks to God". I'll be on the air at my usual time! about 7:50 a.m. Eastern Time/6:50 a.m. Central Time. Please listen live here or listen to the podcast later.

As Faber begins the chapter: "Thanksgiving has been in all ages the characteristic of the saints. Thanksgiving has been their favorite prayer . . . ." and then he offers several examples of saints, familiar and unfamiliar to readers in our time, at least, starting with Saint Laurence Justinian, the first Patriarch of Venice, whose feast is no longer celebrated on the universal Roman Calendar:

Bishop and first Patriarch of Venice, b. in 1381, and d. 8 January, 1456. He was a descendant of the Giustiniani, a Venetian patrician family which numbered several saints among its members. Lawrence's pious mother sowed the seeds of a devout religious life in the boy's youth. In 1400 when he was about nineteen years old, he entered the monastery of the Canons Regular of St. Augustine on the Island of Alga near Venice. In spite of his youth he excited admiration by his poverty, mortifications, and fervour in prayer. At that time the convent was changed into a congregation of secular canons living in community. After his ordination in 1406 Lawrence was chosen prior of the community, and shortly after that general of the congregation. He gave them their constitution, and was so zealous in spreading the same that he was looked upon as the founder. His reputation for saintliness as well as his zeal for souls attracted the notice of Eugene IV and on 12 May, 1433, he was raised to the Bishopric of Castello. The new prelate restored churches, established new parishes in Venice, aided the foundation of convents, and reformed the life of the canons. But above all he was noted for his Christian charity and his unbounded liberality. All the money he could raise he bestowed upon the poor, while he himself led a life of simplicity and poverty. He was greatly respected both in Italy and elsewhere by the dignitaries of both Church and State. He tried to foster the religious life by his sermons as well as by his writings. . . . Lawrence was named the first Patriarch of Venice, and exercised his office till his death somewhat more than four years later. His beatification was ratified by Clement VII in 1524, and he was canonized in 1690 by Alexander VIII. Innocent XII appointed 5 September for the celebration of his feast. The saint's ascetical writings have often been published, first in Brescia in 1506, later in Paris in 1524, and in Basle in 1560, etc. We are indebted to his nephew, Bernardo Giustiniani, for his biography.

Faber cites his Treatise on Obedience:

Whosoever should try to lay open all God's blessings to the full would be like a man trying to confine in a little vase the mighty currents of the wide ocean; for that would be an easier work than to publish with human eloquence the innumerable gifts of God. . . . They are to be confessed with the month, revered in the heart, and religiously worshipped, as far as the littleness of man can do. . . .

Only let God see you are thankful for what He has given you, and He will bestow more gifts upon you, and better gifts.

Among more familiar saints, perhaps, Faber mentions Saint Catherine of Siena, Saint Bridget of Sweden, Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, Saint Mary Magdalene of Pazzi, Saint Bonaventure, and Saint Gregory of Nyssa.

Citing a revelation to Saint Bridget, Faber again emphasizes the connection between thanksgiving and Holy Communion:

Our Lord gives the increase of thanksgiving as a reason to St. Bridget for the sacrifice of the Mass. "My body," says He, "is daily immolated on the altar, that men may love me so much the more, and more frequently call to mind my blessings."

In his own words, Faber urges his readers to "meditate for a few minutes on the Eternal Word", the "Second Person, the eternally begotten Word of the Father, the splendor of His Majesty, uncreated Wisdom, the same Person who was incarnate and crucified for us, the same who sent us the Holy Spirit, who gave us Mary, who gives us Himself in the Blessed Sacrament . . . then think what His liberalities must be--no bound or measure to them. We cannot count their number, nor exhaust their fullness, nor understand their excellence . . ."

Through this kind of meditation, Faber says, we will "increase our devotion to His most dear humanity, and to learn how to watch at His Crib, to weep over His Cross, to worship at His tabernacle, and to nestle in His Sacred Heart."

The last saint Father Faber quotes is Saint Gregory of Nyssa, who urges us to be grateful for our past, our present, and our future because the blessings we've received and will receive are all from God:

That you were born was His blessing; and after you were born, your life and your death were, as the apostle Paul says, [in Romans 14:8, "If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord."] equally His blessing. Whatever your future hopes may be, they hang also upon His blessing.

Finally, Faber promises to help his readers to understand the "principal blessings for which we are bound continually to thank God" in the next chapter, "What We Should Give Thanks For."

Image Source (Public Domain): Portrait of Saint Lawrence Justinian by Gentile Bellini.

Preview: Father Faber on the Neglect of Gratitude

On Monday, November 11, Veterans Day here in the USA, Armistice or Remembrance Day (the end of World War I in the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month) in Europe and the Commonwealth, and the feast of Saint Martin of Tours, we'll continue our series on Father Frederick Faber's Little Book of Gratitude with chapter 3, "We Neglect Gratitude More Than Prayer". In All for Jesus (the 2000 Sophia Institute Press edition), much of this material is found on pages 164-174.

I'll be on the air at my usual time! about 7:50 a.m. Eastern Time/6:50 a.m. Central Time. Please listen live here or listen to the podcast later.

We pray, Faber concedes, because "our own interests drive us obviously to prayer; but it is love alone that leads us to thanksgiving."

Faber is concerned that when we pray for some need or blessing, we may not offer thanks and praise when our prayer has been granted--he cites the case of the ten lepers in Gospel of St. Luke (17:12-19)--because all ten were cleansed, but only one (the Samaritan, an outcast among the outcasts) returns to thank Jesus. And this stuns the "Sacred Heart of Jesus" Faber notes.

Citing St. Paul's letters to the Ephesians, Corinthians, etc., he emphasizes that our thanksgiving should be constant. He advises this pattern of praise and thanksgiving is a "preparation for our real life in heaven" and that "the Church on earth reflects the Church in heaven" as "the worship of the one is the echo of the worship of the other." 

That, of course, brings us to the Eucharist, "a sacrifice of thanksgiving" and Faber emphasizes that "The Spirit of the Eucharist must be found everywhere." As we practice gratitude during the Mass it will increase our love of God and the "neglect of it betokens how little love we have."

Faber even cautions us not to think so badly of fallen-away Catholics who don't receive the Sacraments, but examine our own lack of fervor in thanksgiving. He warns against lukewarmness in view of all the blessings we've received and encourages meditation, pondering "things as Mary did", to "treasure up God's mercies, and make much of them."

As Faber had been a Calvinist before his days as a Tractarian and a Catholic Oratorian priest, the last section in this chapter is important. He contrasts the dark side of God's severity and majesty and how we know little of it because "He has told us so little about it" with how much He has told us about His love:

When love is in question, He has been copious, explicit, minute. He explains, He repeats, He gives reasons, He argues, He persuades, He complains, He invites, He allures, He magnifies.

Of His rigor He drops but a word now and then . . . He startles only out of love . . . 

There is no end to the variety of the disclosures of His goodness, the inventions of His compassion, and the strangeness of His yearning over His creatures. . . .

Faber urges his readers not to dwell on "predestination and eternal punishment" but instead "ponder all those numberless signs of our heavenly Father's love" and be truly thankful.

Image Source (Public Domain): James Tissot's "The Healing of the Ten Lepers"

For November: Father Frederick Faber on "Holy Gratitude"

Anna Mitchell asked me to discuss and bring out highlights from a book published by Sophia Institute Press by Father Frederick Faber, The Little Book of Holy Gratitude, on the Son Rise Morning Show throughout November. We'll start our discussion with some biographical information about Father Faber on Monday, November 4. I'll be on the air at my usual time! about 7:50 a.m. Eastern Time/6:50 a.m. Central Time. 

Don't forget to "Fall Back" on Sunday as it applies in the USA and Canada!

Please listen live here or listen to the podcast later.

Father Frederick Faber was born and raised according to the religion of the Church of England; he was a convert and an Oratorian like Saint John Henry Newman. He and Newman, indeed, have much in common, although they did not always see eye-to-eye on certain matters, even as Catholics and Oratorians. Faber was born on June 28, 1814 and died on September 26, 1863 after suffering from Bright's disease. Like Newman, Faber had Huguenot ancestors and for a time he held Calvinist views of salvation; like Newman, Faber endured some setbacks in his academic career at Oxford, not quite achieving his goals. Like Newman, he was ordained a deacon and then a minister in the Church of England; like Newman, when he travelled on the Continent, he was at first disturbed by Catholic piety and worship.

Then he began to follow Newman, inspired by the Parochial and Plain Sermons, and became a follower of the Tractarian Movement. He vacationed in the Lake District, wrote poetry, and was befriended by William Wordsworth!

This 2013 tribute Faber posted on the New Liturgical Movement website describes what happened next:

In 1843 Faber was inducted into the University College living of Elton in Huntingdonshire. During the years 1839-43 he made two continental tours, and his letters give striking poetic descriptions of the scenes he visited; they glow with enthusiasm for Catholic rites and devotion. [Notice the change in attitude!] In Rome he was received in audience by Pope Gregory XVI and acquired a devotion to St Philip Neri [!], whose life he translated at Elton, where he turned his household servants into a brotherhood. He established the practice of confessions, preached Catholic doctrine, and wrote the life of St Wilfrid, controversially openly advocating the claims and supremacy of Rome. He was greatly loved by his people. It was only Newman’s influence that prevented him from entering the Church.

But on 9 October 1845, Newman was received into the Church at Littlemore. In November, with Francis Knox and ten other friends and servants, Faber was received into the Church at Northampton by Bishop William Wareing, vicar apostolic of the eastern district. They settled in Birmingham, where they informally organized themselves as a religious community, calling themselves the Brothers of the Will of God, or ‘Wilfridians’ (as they were mischievously called by St [Blessed] Dominic Barberi) from St Wilfrid, their patron, at Cotton Hall, near Cheadle, Staffordshire, the gift of the Earl of Shrewsbury.

Given that devotion to Saint Philip Neri, it makes sense that once Newman brought the Oratory to England, Faber and his followers were interested. Newman established the London (Brompton) Oratory (the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary) in 1849, and Faber was named its Provost. The Brompton Oratory posts these comments about Father Faber:

Faber the preacher, Faber the hymn-writer, Faber the spiritual author, must all give way to Faber the founder and first Provost of the London Oratory. Father Faber became an influential figure in the London of his day. His enthusiastic and, some might say, faintly flamboyant personality might lend itself to unsympathetic treatment by those who do not understand him, and by those who do not read his books. In the words of his early biographer, Fr. John Bowden [Father Henry Sebastian Bowden's brother], Faber's life was "from first to last religious". His character was not something fixed or static. His letters display a growing maturity of outlook. In this he may be fairly said to exemplify the wise insight of Newman himself who said that to be human is to change, and to be perfect is to have changed often. Faber described Newman as "the greatest scholar since St. Augustine" and referred to Newman as the one "who taught me all the good I know". 

Father Faber never enjoyed very good health and sometimes travelled to warmer climates (Malta or Italy) at his doctor's advice; he died at the rather young age of 49. He wrote many books of devotion and like Newman and other Oratorians (for example Edward Caswall), wrote and translated hymns for congregational singing at Mass and Vespers, so commonly celebrated on Sundays with Benediction at the Oratory. Among his famous hymns are "Faith of Our Fathers" (with its tribute to the Catholic martyrs of the English Reformation), "There's a Wideness in God's Mercy", "Jesus, My Lord, My God, My All"--

Jesus, my Lord, my God, my All,

How can I love thee as I ought?

And how revere this wondrous gift,

So far surpassing hope or thought?

Sweet Sacrament, we thee adore;

Oh, make us love thee more and more.

Oh, make us love thee more and more.

Had I but Mary's sinless heart

To love thee with, my dearest King,

Oh, with what bursts of fervent praise

Thy goodness, Jesus, would I sing.

Sweet Sacrament, we thee adore;

Oh, make us love thee more and more.

Oh, make us love thee more and more.

Thy Body, Soul, and Godhead, all,

O mystery of love divine.

I cannot compass all I have,

For all thou hast and art are mine.

Sweet Sacrament, we thee adore;

Oh, make us love thee more and more.

Oh, make us love thee more and more.

--and several hymns praising the Mother of God and St. Joseph.

The chapters in The Little Book of Holy Gratitude are drawn from chapter seven "Offer Thanks to God", of one of Father Faber's most popular books, All for Jesus: The Easy Way of Divine Love. He also translated St. Louis de Montfort's famous True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and wrote several other devotional works.

In just the two pages of one chapter, "Thankful Souls Are Happy" from the Sophia edition, Father Faber weaves a tapestry of virtue for us to examine. 

He begins with the models of the virtue of gratitude: the Blessed Virgin Mary, the patriarch Jacob, and King David. They remembered the blessings they'd received, meditated upon them, and, in the case of David, sang "of old mercies and [made] much of them" in the Psalms.

He also highlights the connection between our awareness of God's mercy in forgiving our sins and our thanksgiving: "a very grateful man is also a deeply penitent man".

Faber outlines the many virtues of gratitude to God and how they make us happy, because as we practice gratitude we begin to look for reasons to be grateful, even when they're not immediately apparent!, like seeing some slight delay as providential because we therefore weren't on the site of an accident when it happened, or we were blessed to see a friend we wouldn't have if we'd arrived earlier at our destination! 

The virtues expressed in holy gratitude: "promptitude of obedience, heroic effort, joyful perseverance". Holy Gratitude is "loyalty to God".

"Happy the man whose life is one long Te Deum"! he writes--constantly praising and thanking God with the Angels, the Cherubim, the Seraphim, the Apostles, the Prophets, and the Martyrs.

Faber says when we show this gratitude and rejoice in God's blessings, it's apostolic (evangelistic) because "it wins souls", and it "preaches God unconsciously".

"Joy is not a solitary thing!". he proclaims, as we share it.

There's much in these pages to meditation upon and discuss.