In summary, an icon is a representation of more than just the appearance of a person. The word 'iconographer' means writer of icons. They are not aiming for aesthetic, artistic results, but a representation of the saint's life with God. In this way people can learn about the saints without needing to be literate.

Some groups may argue that the Bible prohibits the veneration of images. St. John Damascus (http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08459b.htm) dealt with this misunderstanding that is perpetuated even today (see his explanation at the end of this email). The veneration we pay to images is paid to the person represented in the image and to the Creator of that person, in the case of the saints. This is termed relative dulia. The technical terms are used because of the confusion over the word WORSHIP. There is worship that is paid to God alone. That worship is called LATRIA. If that worship is directed through an image of God, eg a Crucifix, it is relative latria. The veneration given to the saints is called DULIA. The veneration given to Our Lady is called HYPERDULIA. In the same way kissing a statue of Our Lady is relative hyperdulia and kissing an icon of a saint is relative dulia.

Iconoclasm means 'image smashing'. This was a heresy that has reared its ugly head at different times in the Church's history. Deacon Lawrence explained how iconoclasm finds its roots in a denial of the Incarnation. It is a stumbling block that God the Son take on human flesh.

Again time and space are limited, would anyone prefer to watch a video of the true story of the movie the exorcist rather than, the Reluctant Saint?

This Saturday is the Monthly Mass for Life (Mass in reparation for the sins of abortion and euthanasia)
WHERE: In the Garden of THE IMMACULATE
Mt St Francis Friary
69 Windsor Rd. Kellyville
WHEN: The last Saturday of each month
PROGRAM: 11am-12noon outdoor Holy Mass
12-1pm Angelus, Holy Rosary, Chaplet of the Divine Mercy, Benediction, Confession available if required
1-2pm Light refreshments provided
ENQUIRIES: Friary phone number 96291558
TRAVEL: Public Transport: bus 601 or 602 from Parramatta Station
buses leave every 30 minutes

footnote from St. John Chrysostom

CHAPTER XVI.

Concerning Images.

Moreover the divine Scripture blames those who worship graven images, but also those who sacrifice to demons. The Greeks sacrificed and the Jews also sacrificed: but the Greeks to demons and the Jews to God. And the sacrifice of the Greeks was rejected and condemned, but the sacrifice of the just was very acceptable to God. For Noah sacrificed, and God smelled a sweet savour, receiving the fragrance of the right choice and good-will towards Him. And so the graven images of the Greeks, since they were images of deities, were rejected and forbidden.

But besides this who can make an imitation of the invisible, incorporeal, uncircumscribed, formless God? Therefore to give form to the Deity is the height of folly and impiety. And hence it is that in the Old Testament the use of images was not common. But after God in His bowels of pity became in truth man for our salvation, not as He was seen by Abraham in the semblance of a man, nor as He was seen by the prophets, but in being truly man, and after He lived upon the earth and dwelt among men, worked miracles, suffered, was crucified, rose again and was taken back to Heaven, since all these things actually took place and were seen by men, they were written for the remembrance and instruction of us who were not alive at that time in order that though we saw not, we may still, hearing and believing, obtain the blessing of the Lord. But seeing that not every one has a knowledge of letters nor time for reading, the Fathers gave their sanction to depicting these events on images as being acts of great heroism, in order that they should form a concise memorial of them. Often, doubtless, when we have not the Lord's passion in mind and see the image of Christ's crucifixion, His saving passion is brought back to remembrance, and we fall down and worship not the material but that which is imaged: just as we do not worship the material of which the Gospels are made, nor the material of the Cross, but that which these typify. For wherein does the cross, that typifies the Lord, differ from a cross that does not do so? It is just the same also in the case of the Mother of the Lord. For the honour which we give to her is referred to Him Who was made of her incarnate. And similarly also the brave acts of holy men stir us up to be brave and to emulate and imitate their valour and to glorify God. For as we said, the honour that is given to the best of fellow-servants is a proof of good-will towards our common Lady, and the honour rendered to the image passes over to the prototype. But this is an unwritten tradition, just as is also the worshipping towards the East and the worship of the Cross, and very many other similar things.

A certain tale, too, is told, how that when Augarus was king over the city of the Edessenes, he sent a portrait painter to paint a likeness of the Lord, and when the painter could not paint because of the brightness that shone from His countenance, the Lord Himself put a garment over His own divine and life-giving face and impressed on it an image of Himself and sent this to Augarus, to satisfy thus his desire.

Moreover that the Apostles handed down much that was unwritten, Paul, the Apostle of the Gentiles, tells us in these words: Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which ye have been taught of us, whether by word or by epistle. And to the Corinthians he writes, Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the traditions as I have delivered them to you."

http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/33044.htm

Faith and Reason Society, UNSW http://fly.to/faithandreason

Last week's talk was about Heaven. Everyone should be concerned about heaven. Everyone of us is made to get to heaven. Mr. Nimmo elaborated on what we can know about heaven from what God has revealed and human reason. More about heaven is at the end of this email.

Keep in mind that next Wednesday is the feast of Our Lady's Birthday(8th Sept). Suggestions include a walk up to Randwick(go out of the uni at Gate 9(High st. Bus Stop) walk up the hill to the shops, at the big intersection(Avoca St, Belmore Rd and High St.) look to your left and you should see a brick Church) to the Church of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. Its always open(as far as I know) so go in and say a rosary for Our Lady.

FREE MEMBERSHIP* *Payment may be made by $2 RAD copy card, free with coupon from student diary and purchase of a $5 copy card. Card and details (name, student number, address) may be placed in an envelope and left in the Faith and Reason pigeon hole in the CASOC office. All donations of time and/or money are most welcome.

VIDEOS If anyone has any Catholic movies that they could lend please contact Veronica

Thank you

A letter about heaven by Andrew Chegwidden

Heaven is often imagined simply as being a nice, sleepy, relaxing place of rest awaiting us after this life of labour has finished its course. Such an image falls so drastically short of the true sublimity and infinite blissfulness of such a wonderful place. Heaven is a place and condition of supreme supernatural happiness, which consists in the immediate vision of God and is consummated in the perfect love of Godwhich results from it. A soul in Heaven beholds the Divine Essence face to face, uncovered, clear and open, which enables it to rejoice for all eternity in the Infinite Perfections of God. The Bible teaches us that the blessed in Heaven see God as He is (1 John 3:2, I Cor 13:12, Matt. 5:5) and as a result become like unto Him. (1 Jn 3:2) Jesus vividly depicts Heaven under many images, such as the picture of a wedding feast (Matt 25:10) and calls it life everlasting and the very "joy of the Lord" (Matt. 25:21). St Paul tells us how Heaven is greater than anything we canpossibly imagine or experience here on earth, saying that it is something which "eye has not seen, nor ear heard;neither has it entered into the heart of man, what things God hath prepared for them that love Him." (1 Cor 2:9) How marvelous the thought, that we might see clearly and intuitively God Himself as He is in Himself, the three Divine Persons with their Infinite Attributes, and be perfectly satisfied for all eternity! In this Vision, which the Church calls the Beatific Vision, the blessed see how the infinite fecundity of the Divine nature blossoms into the threepersons, and they behold the eternal generation of the Word, the Splendour of the Father and the Figure of His essence.They see the ineffable spiration of the Holy Spirit who proceeds from the mutual love of the Father and the Son. This perfect state is such that it excludes all evil and sufferings and fulfills every single desire that we could possibly ever dream of and far, far more. This is because the essence of Heaven consists in the possession of God who is Good without any limit whatsoever. But you may ask: How can our small, finite intellects possibly grasp The Essence of God which is Infinite, completely without limitation? The answer is that God has so chosen to elevate the human intellect, through the Infinite merits of Jesus Christ on the Cross, to be able to do something which it is otherwise completely incapable of by itself. God has infused into the redeemed soul Sanctifying Grace, which grants us a participation, a sharing if you like, in the very Nature of God. Hence, we shall see God as He is, for God will activate in our intellects His Own Act of Understanding, whereby He knows Himself. So we will see God not through the medium of our own human concepts, but through the very Act of God, which will completely illuminate us as to the Supreme Perfection of God. Our knowledge of Him which we have by faith in this life will be transformed into the light of glory the next. Now we see God through a glass in a dark manner, but in the next life we shall see Him face to face. (1 Cor 13:12) St Augustine so beautifully expresses this ineffable destiny of man, which, thanks be to the boundless largess and mercy of God, consists in perfect union with Him, when he said in his Confessions "Thou hast made us for Thyself, O God, and our hearts are not at rest until they rest in Thee. In his City of God, he adds: "God is the goal of our desires, He is the one we shall see without end, whom we shall love without weariness, whom we shall glorify forever without fatigue." In this transforming union, we rejoice that is God, infinitely holy, wise, just and merciful. We adore all the degrees of his providence and all the manifestations of His glorious Goodness. The supreme act of praise "Not unto us, O Lord, but to Thy name give glory"(Ps 113:1) will be echoed through the eternal halls of our happy home, the home of the Most Blessed Trinity, in which Our Lady and all the angels and Saints dwell at this very instant. We should try to remember as often as we can during this life how great is the destiny which God has prepared fro those who love Him, so that we might daily thank Him for this Supreme vocation. With what diligence would we ask God to help us resist the temptations of the devil, which so relentlessly attempt to pull us away from attaining this blissful end. Our confidence should be boundless, as Our Lord has preferred the ignominious death on the Cross, so that we might arrive safely home at the eternal shores of Heaven. Let us contemplate more deeply therefore the words of StAugustine, as he proclaims the ineffable bliss of those who are totally immersed in the happiness of God: "We shall sing our Amen forever but with a satiety that is insatiable. With satiety, because we live in perfect abundance, but with an insatiable satiety, because this good, while it satisfies completely, produces also a pleasure ever new. Insatiably thou shalt be satiated in truth, we shall repeat forever: Amen. Rest and gaze: that is our eternal Sabbath."

Last week's talk was about St Joseph, the Silent Saint. A tape of the talk is available, just reply to this email and a copy can be delivered to you on campus!

Devotion to the saints is a most natural part of being Catholic. Some would claim that this practice of asking the saints to intercede for us is condemned in the Bible. They would take the quote from 1 Timothy 2 where St. Paul says there is but one mediator between God and mankind. The whole passage read together gives the Catholic message: "This, first of all, I ask; that petition, prayer, entreaty and thanksgiving should be offered for all mankind, especially for kings and others in high station, so that we can live a calm and tranquil life, as dutifully and decently as we may. Such prayer is our duty, it is what God, our Saviour expects of us, since it is his will that all men should be saved, and led to recognise the truth; there is only one God, and only one mediator between God and men, Jesus Christ . . ." The message is that we should pray for each other.

St. Joseph was chosen to be the foster father of Jesus. He is called the silent saint because none of his words are recorded. He is the patron saint of workers, protector of virgins, patron saint of contemplatives and a powerful intercessor recommended highly by such saints as St. Teresa of Avila.

Keep a saturday night free on 9 October for a evening of fun and food. More details later.

Faith and Reason Society, UNSW http://fly.to/faithandreason

Last week's talk was given by Dr. Birrell from the School of Psychology at UNSW. Here's a taste of what it was all about.

Prayer is the lifeblood of the Church. Through prayer we praise God, we beg favours, we beg forgiveness, express our gratitude . . . prayer is our conversation with God. It makes sense that praying well is a must for anyone who loves God. How can we call ourselves followers of Christ when we ignore Him. Ultimately in heaven we will see God face to face. There we'll be able to pray without all the impediments that we find here on earth.

Sometimes God calls a soul to leave the world behind to live a life of intense prayer. These are the contemplative religious. All of us need a prayer life, so for us who live in the world we need training to take the place of the structure that helps in a contemplative community. These techniques can be called methods of mental prayer.

In the 16th century St. Ignatius of Loyola started the Society of Jesus. This was a society of priests highly trained for the demands of missionary work. St. Ignatius is renowned for his Spiritual Exercises.

All great spiritual masters since the 16th century have taught, implicitly or explicitly, methods of meditation. All have emphasised flexibility. St. Alphonsus Liguori urged that mental prayer be taught to everyone, even the illiterate peasants of his time. He warned against vocal prayer without the spirit of mental prayer.

So, what is mental prayer? Mental prayer is praying to God with more than just words. Its a conversation. Because we can't see God here on earth we need to train our memory and imagination to serve the intellect and will more closely. This skill is not an end in itself but a way to simpler and profounder prayer. It also prepares us for the gift of infused contemplation. This is where God takes over and infuses the life of prayer.

Ordinary mental prayer can be modelled as three stages:
i) Meditation, where we need to use the mind to picture and consider.
ii) Affective prayer, where there is less reasoning and there may be more feelings of affection.
iii) Prayer of simplicity, the closest we can get to infused contemplation.

You need a good spiritual director and good spiritual reading to guide you through these stages. Different people have different temperaments and different reactions. God treats each person differently. Some people have great emotional rewards, while some are refined by God in the dark night of the soul.

Some good books are:
Methods of Mental Prayer by Cardinal Lecaro,
The Ways of Mental Prayer by Abbot Dom Vital Le Hoday
Conversation with Christ by Fr. Peter Thomas Roeback (Tan Books)
There are also the books of the saints themselves.

Dr. Birrell gave out photocopies from Cardinal Lecaro's book. These are available for anyone, we'll get them to you somehow, just reply to [email protected] and we'll be more than happy to hear from you.
Call for videos

Can anyone help us get a copy of the following:
The Mission
The Black Robe
A Time for Miracles
The Scarlet and the Black
The Assisi Underground
And any other Catholic videos that may be suitable for screening at uni.

Remember to keep Saturday 9 October free for a night out in Ashfield. More details soon.

The Orthodox society is holding a talk on the 23rd, Thursday at CLB5 entitled Tradition, Get Real! It should be worth a look.

Faith and Reason Society, UNSW http://fly.to/faithandreason