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| Picture source is here |
Lectio Divina:*
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Meditatio:
‘..the disciples
rejoiced when they saw the Lord’ (John 20:20)
Commentary:
The scene is set by
John. The disciples are afraid - very afraid. They might well be like a small
congregation in a tense situation today, glancing nervously at every uncertain
movement, imagining the worst. Fear grips them at a deep, almost physical
level. You can feel it in the gut.
Then, something extraordinary happens. Jesus stands among them again. As he does each time he appears after the Resurrection—and as he still does today in the life of the Church – he says: “Peace be with you.”
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| Source: Pinterest |
Jesus said to the disciples who sought places beside Him:
“You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptised with the baptism with which I am baptised?” (Mark 10:38).
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| Why Relics? | St. Innocent of Alaska Orthodox Monastery |
It may be helpful to step into a setting less familiar to many of us: the sanctuary area of an Eastern Orthodox church which uses the Byzantine rites. This sacred space is normally reserved for clergy and those with a blessing, and is only partially revealed to the congregation during the Divine Liturgy when the Royal Gates are opened.
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| The artiphorion or tabernacle on the altar at a celebration of the Eucharist in the UkrainianGreek Catholic Church. |
The first mention of
the word tabernacle is in the Hebrew Bible, in the Book of Exodus. It
refers to the mishkan – the dwelling place of God:
“And have them make me a sanctuary, so that I may dwell among them. In accordance with all that I show you concerning the pattern of the tabernacle and of all its furniture, so you shall make it.” (Exodus 25:8–9)
The mishkan, or
“Tent of Meeting”, was the place where, above all, the people approached God.
God was among His people. It was a visible sign of His enduring presence – a
local and physical sign. It housed the Ark of the Covenant, containing the Ten
Commandments given to Moses.
Jumping forward to the
first millennium following the Resurrection of Christ, Christians had reason to
reserve the consecrated bread after the Eucharist, principally in order to
bring it to the sick who were unable to participate in the celebration (Viaticum).
Over time, the
reserved consecrated bread became a focus of special veneration. It is
noteworthy that in the ancient rites and customs of both the Eastern (Orthodox)
and Western Churches, the consecrated bread was housed in a special and sacred
container on the altar where the Eucharist was celebrated. Only since the
reforms of the 1960s has the tabernacle often been placed apart from the altar
in the Roman Catholic Church. Today, it is typically located within the
sanctuary, often behind or to the side of the altar where Mass is celebrated.
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| The sanctuary area including the altar and, behind it, the Tabernacle in my home parish of Holy Trinity church, Goresbridge, County Kilkenny |
For Catholics, the
tabernacle is a sacred and special place where Jesus Christ is truly, really,
and substantially present in the Blessed Sacrament. It is a focal point for
prayer, adoration, petition, and silent contemplation. Typically, a sanctuary
lamp, often red, is placed nearby to signify that the Eucharistic presence of
Christ is reserved there.
In some parts of the
Anglican Communion, the Blessed Sacrament is reserved, usually for the purpose
of Communion for the sick between celebrations of the Eucharist. However, some
Anglo-Catholic (“High Church”) communities give a place of prominence to the
reserved sacrament, as in the example below, where a hanging pyx is
used. The image of the Bread of Heaven, or manna, suspended above the altar is
striking.
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| High Wycombe Anglican church, Buckinghamshire. Photo by Sarumsleuth |
Practice in the
Eastern Orthodox Churches is similar in some respects to that of the Roman
Catholic Church. There, the Artophorion (Greek for tabernacle) is placed
on the altar where the priest celebrates the Divine Liturgy. An important
difference, however, is that the Orthodox generally do not practice private
Eucharistic adoration outside the liturgy, as is common in the West. Rather,
the consecrated Gifts are venerated within the context of the liturgy itself.
Below is a striking
and beautiful image of the sanctuary in a Russian Orthodox church.
In the centre of the
sanctuary, beyond the Royal Doors, is the altar table, which can only be
glimpsed from a distance when the doors are opened during services. The Holy
Table, or Prestol, is where the Eucharistic sacrifice is offered; the
Book of the Gospels rests there, the Antimension is placed upon it, and
the reserved sacrament is kept in the Artophorion (tabernacle). It is
honoured as the throne of God, the tomb of Christ, and the heavenly altar.
Note the “altar of
oblation” to the left. It is called the Prothesis and is the place where
the bread and wine are prepared before the Divine Liturgy.
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The Altar
at the Church of All Saints in Yekaterinburg - Sergei Pyatakov /
Sputnik
Tomorrow, I will
explore the place of the Antimension in the Eastern liturgy. It is rich
in symbolism and draws together many Eucharistic themes.
In my blog of this series (“Bread for the Journey”)
published yesterday (Just believe) I quoted from the Imitation of Christ
written in the 15th Century:
Do not argue in your own mind, or try to answer the doubts the Devil hurls against you. Trust the word of God, believe his saints and prophets, and you will put your wicked enemy to flight.
The author was interested in a relationship with the Lord and not in disputes over philosophy or theology important and useful as these may be in context.
I suspect that devout souls in England were perplexed by
some of the controversies swirling around the realm at the time of the Reformation
and subsequent political and theological battles that ensued. In a widely used poem whose
source is disputed but often attributed to John Donne (1573-1631) and which
has alsobeen attributed to Queen Elizabeth I (of mixed memories in Ireland, let it
be said) there is a flavour of this in the lovely quaint English:
He was the Word that spake it;
He took the bread and brake it;
And what that Word did make it,
I do believe and take it.
First, some individual priests have been guilty of grievous
and, at times, heinous crimes.
Second, some bishops — including those in very senior positions — knowingly covered up wrongdoing and reassigned offenders, even when the risk of re‑offending was clearly grave.
It is therefore not surprising that many people cite these failures as reasons why they “walked away from the Church” long ago.
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The Eucharist is not a private affair. It is the gathering of believers who come together to hear the Word of God, proclaim the death and resurrection of Jesus, and receive his Body and Blood. It is an act of the whole Church. On his journey to martyrdom in Rome, sometime around 110 A.D. , Saint Ignatius of Antioch wrote to the Church at Smyrna:
Sunday 17 May 2026
Lectio Divina:*
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Meditatio:
‘ I am with you always. (Matthew 28:20)
Commentary:
What was formerly celebrated as Ascension
Thursday has become—at least in Ireland—Ascension Sunday. This is something of
a loss, as it interrupts the traditional and indeed biblical pattern of a nine‑day
period of prayerful preparation for the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
The first Christian novena was this very prayer to the Holy Spirit, made in the
company of the Apostles and Mary, the Mother of Jesus (cf. Acts 1:14).
This Sunday’s Gospel is taken from the very
closing section of the relatively long Gospel according to Matthew. While
written with a Jewish audience particularly in mind, it reminds us that the
universal call to salvation now extends to all nations. There are no privileged
groups or insiders now. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to
the Lord Jesus Christ, who sends us out as his missionaries of healing and good
news.
The Ascension reminds us that while our
hearts are lifted to the heavenly places where Christ is seated at the right
hand of the Father, we are nonetheless mandated, commissioned, and sent to
continue the saving mission of Jesus in a broken and waiting world.
Matthew ends his Gospel by reporting these
words of Jesus:
“And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Jesus—who is the eternal “I AM”—is with us
always. Always. Always. Including in those moments when we might feel that God
is absent or silent.
In contemporary Western post‑modern
culture, some adopt what might be called a practical atheism, living as
though God were irrelevant to life here and now. With genuine respect for those
who hold such views for pragmatic or experiential reasons, it must still be
said that the fullness of human meaning, identity, and purpose ultimately finds
its home in a trusting faith in a loving and personal God. More than that,
Christians believe that God seeks us, finds us, and meets us in Jesus Christ.
As St Irenaeus famously taught, “the glory of God is the human person fully
alive”—and our coming fully alive takes place in the light and truth of
God.
Even if our churches seem to be weakening
in parts of Europe, it may be that we are being led back, so to speak, to
Galilee: to the places of first encounter, original faith, and missionary
impulse, rather than relying on the spiritual prestige or security of former
centres of influence.
Along the way, we may have to contend with
doubt—but doubt need not prevent worship, for as Matthew tells us:
“When they saw him, they worshipped him;
but some doubted.” (Mt 28:17)
Our call is to be open to the fullness of
life given by the Holy Spirit. From that life and light, we are invited to
become bearers of hope – candles in the darkness - for others. This is our
commission, rooted in the sacrament of Baptism, nourished by the teaching of
the Word of God, and sustained by the mutual care that must be the hallmark of
a living, and not a dying, Church.
We are sent to bless the world not in three
separate names but in one Name—the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of
the Holy Spirit. And this Name is Love (cf. 1 John 4:8).
Some extras:
Collect
of the Word for this Sunday (Church of Ireland)
Eternal and gracious God, we believe your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ to have ascended with triumph into your kingdom in heaven; may we also in heart and mind
ascend to where he is, and with him continually dwell; who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit, one God now and for ever. Amen
Post-Communion
prayer (Church of Ireland)
God our Father, you have raised our humanity in Christ and feed us with the bread of heaven. Mercifully grant that, nourished with such spiritual blessings, we may set our hearts in the heavenly places; where he now lives and reigns for ever.
Post-Communion prayer (Roman Catholic missal of
1970)
Father, in this Eucharist we tough on the divine life you give to the world. Help us to follow Christ with love to eternal life where he is Lord for ever and ever.
Private prayer after Holy Communion
(from The Family Missal and Prayer Book
of the Church of the Holy Spirit, Ballyroan, Co. Dublin, 1976)
Lord Jesus, King of glory, you ascended in victory to the Father; but you do not leave us orphans. I treasure your promise “Know that I am with you always; yes, to the end of time. Stay with us, Lord. Lord Jesus, send the one you promised, the gift of the Father, the Holy Spirit, that your Church may spread your saving gospel to the ends of the earth.
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| Adoracja z Niepokalanowa |
It is not required of Catholics to believe in apparitions of
the Blessed Virgin Mary and other saints.
However, many do and at some point most have been touched along the way
by memories, pilgrimages and readings.
The image of the ‘Lourdes Grotto’ has marked the Irish countryside from
inner city park corners to a field near where I live.
In 1917 three young children say they witnessed a series of
apparitions in which Our Lady imparted various warnings and important spiritual
messages. The context was set by the time when a vicious world war enveloped
Europe and more would be presaged.
At the centre of these apparitions and other similar ones
across the world (at least those that have been approved as worthy of belief by
the church) is the message of prayer, penance, conversion, reparation and trust
in God. Many miracles and
life-transforming experiences have been reported. I have no reason to doubt the
sincerity and validity of these witnesses. Nobody is required to believe or go
there but it can help.
Crucially, in one of the messages Our Lady told the
children:
“Pray the Rosary every day to obtain peace for the world and the end of the war.”
The next time we face a difficult or annoying chore or
unexpected email or visit we might consider this advice:
“O Jesus, it is for love of Thee, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation of the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.”
The little things matter along with the big. And even today,
as Ireland has come closer than ever to an all out assault on human life in the
womb we may join our prayers especially from before 8.30pm
when the vote will be taken on the second state of the ‘Reproductive Rights
(Amendment) Bill 2026’.
Where does the Eucharist enter in at Fatima?
Even before the 1917 apparitions, the children reported a
vision of an ‘Angel of Peace’ who visited them on three occasions the previous year.
On one occasion, the three children saw the angel prostrate
before a host and chalice that hung in the air. Worshiping
the Eucharist, the angel prayed:
“Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore You profoundly. I offer You the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges, and indifference by which He is offended. And, through the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg of You the conversion of sinners.”
While some question the theological basis of this prayer I
think that it offers a very simple and practical formula for all of us – lay
and ordained – to lift our minds and hearts to God especially but not
exclusively in the presence of the reserved Blessed Sacrament.
Just as Mary said yes to God in the incarnation she
continues to lead us to Jesus present in the sacrament of the Eucharist so that
we may become broken bread for a troubled world.
Just two additional
facts to be mindful of today:
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| Picture: Pugin's chapel, Loreto Abbey, Rathfarnham, Dublin - Patrick Comerford |
This morning, 62 years ago, there was great excitement in a house on the foothills of south Dublin. Together with my parents we were setting out on foot for Loreto Abbey in Rathfarnham for my First Holy Communion. I was dressed in pure white from head to toe. I remember particularly the sleeveless white jumper over the white shirt and tie, the white short trousers, long stockings, and the squeaky new white soft shoes.
Martyrdom of St Polycarp
Tomorrow, the church celebrates the memory of Saints Nereus
and Achilleus, early Christian Martyrs of Rome along with Saint Pancras. We do not know a lot about each of them
except that they were honoured and remembered in the liturgy of the early Roman
church.
By tradition, Nereus and Achilleus were soldiers who converted to Christ and were martyred around 100 A.D.. Pancras was a 14 year old boy who was beheaded during the Great Persecution associated with Diocletian in 303 on the Via Aurelia on the way out of Rome for having refused to offer sacrifice to the Roman gods.
Once again, I had occasion to visit my local cathedral for
Sunday Mass. One thing in particular struck me as I was leaving afterwards.
The celebrant—who would usually greet people at the door—was
sitting, still vested for Mass, in a pew, listening intently to a young woman.
I thought that she might be distressed. In any case, I had a strong sense that
this moment captured something essential:
…this is what it is all about – serving and loving each
person one by one as we are sent out into the world from the celebration.
For me it tied together three things from this morning’s
mass:
1 The ‘post-communion’
prayer for this Sunday which reads as follows:
Almighty, ever-living God, who restore us to eternal life in the Resurrection of Christ, increase in us, we pray, the fruits of this paschal Sacrament and pour into our hearts the strength of this saving food, through Christ our Lord. Amen
2 Today’s
daily reflection from the Focolare movement:
‘Isn’t it true that the world today wants to see people who truly give witness to the love of Jesus? Therefore, let us love with deeds, rather than with words, starting with the humble service asked of us every day by those right net to us’ (Chiara Lubich, May 1988).
3 Communion
reflections for the Sixth Sunday of Easter from an old missal I have kept:
Lord Jesus I reverence you in my heart. You sent the Holy Spirit to me at confirmation. May the Spirit of Truth help me to understand your words and strengthen me in my daily life to follow your example. Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle in us the fire of your love.
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By Velopilger -
Own work, Public Domain
In yesterday’s blog I wrote about areas of agreement between Roman Catholics and Anglicans regarding the Eucharist, and in particular the mystery of Christ’s real presence in the consecrated bread and wine. It should be noted, of course, that Anglicans represent only one strand of Christianity that emerged from the Reformation of the sixteenth century. Moreover, there are arguably as many theologies of the Eucharist among Anglicans as there are among Christians across all denominations.
Sunday 10 May 2026
Lectio Divina:*
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‘ You know him,
because he abides with you, and he will be in you’. (John 14:17)
We are drawing ever closer to that most wonderful of celebrations: Pentecost Sunday—the feast on which, once again and anew, the Holy Spirit comes among us in a special way, even as the Spirit is at work in our broken and wounded world day by day. As we remember the first great outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples and apostles shortly after the death and resurrection of Jesus—events that are inextricably bound together—we open ourselves to a fresh gift of the Spirit’s peace, joy, and freedom.
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The Disputation of the Holy Sacrament (Raphael 1509-1510)
depicts theologians debating, with Pope Gregory I and Jerome on the left, and
Augustine and Ambrose on the right, Pope Julius II, Pope Sixtus IV, Savonarola
and Dante Alighieri. Source: here
It is in this last sense that Catholics speak of the “Real
Presence” – a very special presence that is regarded as unique, substantial,
and enduring.
Some other Christians, including Anglicans, also speak of
the Real Presence in the specific sacramental context of the Eucharist.
Rather than descend into acrimonious historical controversies or disputes over
terminology, it is more fruitful to note what Roman Catholics and Anglicans
actually say—and, indeed, what they agree upon—concerning the Real Presence.
To that end, here is an extended extract from the 1971 Agreed
Statement on eucharistic doctrine (paragraphs 6-11):
Communion with Christ in the eucharist presupposes his true presence, effectually signified by the bread and wine which, in this mystery, become his body and blood. The real presence of his body and blood can, however, only be understood within the context of the redemptive activity whereby he gives himself, and in himself reconciliation, peace and life, to his own. On the one hand, the eucharistic gift springs out of the paschal mystery of Christ's death and resurrection, in which God's saving purpose has already been definitively realized. On the other hand, its purpose is to transmit the life of the crucified and risen Christ to his body, the Church, so that its members may be more fully united with Christ and with one another. Christ is present and active, in various ways, in the entire eucharistic celebration. It is the same Lord who through the proclaimed word invites his people to his table, who through his minister presides at that table, and who gives himself sacramentally in the body and blood of his paschal sacrifice. It is the Lord present at the right hand of the Father, and therefore transcending the sacramental order, who thus offers to his Church, in the eucharistic signs, the special gift of himself.
The sacramental body and blood of the Saviour are present as an offering to the believer awaiting his welcome. When this offering is met by faith, a lifegiving encounter results. Through faith Christ's presence - which does not depend on the individual's faith in order to be the Lord's real gift of himself to his Church - becomes no longer just a presence for the believer, but also a presence with him. Thus, in considering the mystery of the eucharistic presence, we must recognize both the sacramental sign of Christ's presence and the personal relationship between Christ and the faithful which arises from that presence.
The Lord's words at the last supper, ‘Take and eat; this is my body’, do not allow us to dissociate the gift of the presence and the act of sacramental eating. The elements are not mere signs; Christ's body and blood become really present and are really given. But they are really present and given in order that, receiving them, believers may be united in communion with Christ the Lord.
According to the traditional order of the liturgy the consecratory prayer (anaphora) leads to the communion of the faithful. Through this prayer of thanksgiving, a word of faith addressed to the Father, the bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ by the action of the Holy Spirit, so that in communion we eat the flesh of Christ and drink his blood. The Lord who thus comes to his people in the power of the Holy Spirit is the Lord of glory. In the eucharistic celebration we anticipate the joys of the age to come. By the transforming action of the Spirit of God, earthly bread and wine become the heavenly manna and the new wine, the eschatological banquet for the new man: elements of the first creation become pledges and first fruits of the new heaven and the new earth.
End of extract, above
The Agreed Statement does not resolve all doctrinal
differences regarding the Eucharist. Nevertheless, it establishes a significant
measure of agreement on key essentials concerning both the nature of the
eucharistic sacrifice and the real sacramental presence of the Lord in the
consecrated bread and wine. It is important to note that the Statement is
concerned primarily with what is affirmed about Christ’s presence and the
transformation of the elements, rather than how that transformation is to be
explained.
A fully systematic philosophical explanation of the how does
not emerge until the second millennium, and then in response to particular
heretical or overly literal and superstitious interpretations of eucharistic
change. In this context, St Thomas Aquinas developed the doctrine of transubstantiation,
drawing on concepts informed by classical Greek philosophy in order to counter
mechanistic or crudely physical accounts of what occurs in the Eucharist. These
latter approaches claimed that Jesus’s body replaced the bread in a measurable
and biological way or that Christ was ‘cut up’ or multiplied like ordinary
matter. In other words, we are dealing,
here, with mystery and not magic; with faith and not physics.
The term transubstantiation itself was already in
theological use by the early eleventh century and was employed dogmatically by
the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215; Aquinas did not invent the term but gave it
its most influential philosophical exposition.
In this way, Catholic teaching developed as a faithful
articulation of firmly held apostolic and patristic beliefs regarding the
presence of Christ, using the language of transubstantiation from the Middle
Ages onwards and drawing especially on the systematic theology of St Thomas
Aquinas. For Catholics, this sacramental presence is uniquely substantial and
enduring beyond the moment of reception, a reality the Church has solemnly
defined using that terminology.
All this said, what Catholics—both East and West—believe
about the Real Presence and about the change in the “eucharistised” bread and
wine is consistent with what has been believed since the earliest apostolic
times, as explored in other reflections in this Bread for the Journey series.
The Church is bound to the reality of transubstantiation, not to Aquinas’s
particular philosophical system.
The rupture in doctrine, ministry, and authority that
occurred at the time of the Reformation - including its English
expression - remains a real difficulty for Roman Catholics. Much work remains to
be done. More love is required, that we may learn again to see and to walk
together in the Eucharist. Greater conformity to the values of the Gospel is
needed if full communion is to be attained.
In the meantime, it is worth asking whether a greater
generosity in eucharistic hospitality, attentive to local and personal
circumstances and without breaking universal communion, might not be considered as we strive for ever deeper mutual
understanding and agreement.
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| Picture: The Grotto Portland |
On Good Friday I wrote about how, only on that day, the Mass is not celebrated. Then, I wrote:
The Church contemplates the historical, once‑for‑all sacrifice, rather than its sacramental re‑presentation in the Mass. Because we are in mourning, the altars are stripped, statues veiled, and the sanctuary lamp – signifying the Real Presence – has already been extinguished since the Blessed Sacrament is typically removed to another place on Holy Thursday evening following the Mass of the Last Supper. It is a day for silence, stillness, and reverence before the mystery of death. The joy of the Resurrection is near, but not yet.
This naturally raises an important question: what, then, is the point of the Mass on the other 364 (or 365) days of the year, and especially on each Sunday? The answer is that the Mass exists to sacramentally make present the one, all‑sufficient sacrifice of Calvary (Hebrews 10:10-14), and to proclaim anew Christ’s death, resurrection, and final coming. It is not a repetition of the sacrifice, but a real participation in it. Through what is technically called the anamnesis, the power and grace of that unique historical event are made present to us here and now. The sacrifice itself is finished—“It is accomplished” (John 19:30)—and yet it is perpetuated in the Eucharist because, as Saint Paul teaches, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26).
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| offertory-procession - Catechist's Journey |
It is a good and longstanding custom to offer our thoughts, actions, and prayers to God each day, for ourselves and for the whole world. This offering may be made at any moment, but it is especially fitting at the very beginning of the day. In that sense, it becomes the key that opens the day, just as our final offering and prayers before turning out the light in the evening are the lock that closes it.
The
image to the left is that of an Icon of Edmund Rice created by the Irish
artist Desmond Kyne, which was unveiled in Liverpool, England, in 1986. Edmund
is depicted 'in prayer before the living God. The Star of David and the descending
triangle of the Deity direct the viewer towards him, showing Edmund in
adoration before the Eucharist, represented in imagery that is both muted and
powerful'.
Blessed Edmund Rice (1762–1844), who is remembered today, was a Kilkenny man from the Callan
district. Over the course of his life he was a businessman, husband, widower,
father of a child with disabilities, advocate for the poor, and the founder of
two religious congregations devoted to education: the Christian Brothers and
the Presentation Brothers.
I had the good fortune to be educated at a Christian Brothers' school in Rathfarnham, County Dublin, from 1968 to 1974. Although vocations to the Brothers had begun to decline from the mid‑1960s and, as with other religious orders, there was a significant departure of members from religious life, I was taught by four different Brothers during my schooling.
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| Credit here |
Support for life at every stage - from conception to natural death - is a key and fundamental part of Catholic Social Teaching as solidarity with the poorest, weakest and most marginalised members of society. I also believe it sits within a wider consistent life ethic that can, and does, find support across a diversity of political and religious viewpoints, including among those who do not profess religious faith.
Picture: Bloomberg
In yesterday’s blog, I wrote about the transformation that
takes place in the Mass. Scripture and the early Patristic writings – the testimony of the great teachers of the
Church in the centuries following the Resurrection of our Lord – clearly affirm this reality. In harmony with
the Bible and with Catholic tradition, we give our intellectual assent to this
essential teaching of the faith.
Saint Athanasius, whose feast is commemorated today, was one
of the most significant Christian figures of the fourth century. An Egyptian
bishop and theologian, he died in A.D. 373 and is best remembered as the
principal defender of Nicene orthodoxy against the Arian heresy, which sought
to deny the full divinity of Jesus Christ. He is often described by the phrase Athanasius
contra mundum – ‘Athanasius against
the world’ – reflecting his steadfast resistance to both ecclesiastical and
imperial pressures in defence of the Catholic faith at a time when Arianism had
gained influence throughout the Roman Empire, including among senior clergy.
* Source is shown below
The choice of date was no accident. Originating in 1886, May Day has had significance in trade union and political calendars ever since. Over time, it became firmly associated with left‑wing, socialist and Marxist movements. In the febrile atmosphere of the 1950s, Christians and Catholics were under pressure to defend social and moral ground that was increasingly being contested by hostile ideologies—particularly, though not exclusively, in Italy, where communist and socialist movements were in the ascendant.
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