Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Today in the life of the Franciscan Order we celebrate the memorial of Blessed John Duns Scotus
and truly he was a man who understood what it was to be a repentant sinner
for among one of the doctrines he was noted for defending was the doctrine of original sin
and Blessed John Duns Scotus by all accounts was naturally speaking had an average intelligence
but that intelligence will be elevated to extraordinary heights by grace
for he would constantly pray to the Mother of God and he would continue to grow both in his love of God
and in the wisdom that he would give to the world and indeed he is well known by an expression
that was meant to be derogatory but indeed it is derogatory in a worldly sense
but it points out the gift of his mind for all of us have heard of the dunce cap
and we know when we refer to someone who is a dunce literally what was meant at the time it was coined
was one who was incapable of scholarship and it was particularly directed towards Blessed John Duns Scotus
because of his ability to make all the proper distinctions
and so he was not popular with those whose movement was based on enthusiasm
that is our Protestant brethren
and so they would coin that phrase in reference to anyone
who was capable of making the distinctions of Blessed John Duns Scotus
and most particularly he would make those distinctions in some of the primary doctrines
that Holy Mother Church teaches
he was exiled from the University of Paris when he would defend the prerogative of the Vicar of Christ
and he most is particularly noted for his defense of the Immaculate Conception
and it was indeed
that formulation that Blessed Pius IX used when he defined solemnly the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception
for it was Blessed John Duns Scotus
who pointed out that a physician can heal in one of two ways
he can either heal, that is give the medicine once the disease is contracted
or he can give medicine that prevents one from contracting the disease
and indeed in the case of the Blessed Virgin Mary
we know full well that she was preserved from the stain of all originality
from the first moment of her conception
that is, never at any moment in her life did she contract the disease of original sin
and this stood contrary to those who wish to base their religious experience on enthusiasm
and so they can have none of a pure virgin who points out to them
and is held up as the model and exemplar of all true followers of Christ
for in the Blessed Virgin Mary, Blessed John Duns Scotus realized
we have the exemplar of the follower of Christ
and so we must imitate all her virtues
this is very contrary for those who wish to deny the prerogatives of the Pope
and Blessed John Duns Scotus knew full well
that if anyone were to assail any one of these primary doctrines
the Immaculate Conception, the absolute primacy of Christ
or the fact that Jesus Christ has established a man
that is, the vicar of Christ, the successor of Peter
if one was to attack anyone
any one of these three doctrines
then one necessarily attacks all of the doctrines
for he knew full well
and he taught the absolute primacy of Jesus Christ
and so an assault on Christ necessarily leads
to an assault on his mother and on the vicar of Christ
and so it is with an assault on the vicar of Christ
necessarily leading to an assault on our Lord himself
and his most holy mother
and an assault on the Virgin Mary
leads to a denial of both the prerogatives
the prerogatives of the Virgin Mary
of Peter
and also the belief in the Incarnation
and so we live in a world
that truly needs the teachings of Blessed John Duns Scotus
and again, if we hold up these teachings
then maybe we too will be blessed
to have the same epithet thrown at us
that we too are Dunces
but let us always remember
as Blessed John Duns Scotus remembered
to be a Dunce for Christ is greater
than to be recognized as the most intelligent
of men in the secular order
Blessed John Duns Scotus
knew full well
that strictly speaking
there is no such thing as a secular order
that is an order separated from Christ
that is why he defended with every fiber of his being
the absolute primacy of Jesus Christ
over all of creation
not simply the inanimate objects
and not simply the soulless objects
but all creation
and most particularly
Blessed John Duns Scotus knew
that Christ must reign over the mind and heart of man
so that that virtue
that we have in Christ
was the keynote of his theology
that is the virtue of charity
may grow in us
for he recognized full well
that insofar as we grow in charity
we grow in freedom
because the more we grow in charity
the more we are able to serve God
and to carry out his will
that's why he saw the Blessed Virgin Mary
as the most charitable of all of God's creatures
and the woman whose charity
none of us can exceed
and indeed
all of the charity that we would exercise combined
until the end of time
would not exceed the charity of the Mother of God
and so
let us strive to attain that charity
so that we too may become known
as dunces by the world
so that we may become
so that we may become known
as children of God
by the Most Holy Mother of God
so that she will preserve us
and give us the grace to defend her prerogatives
and all the prerogatives of the Church
as she did to Blessed John Duns Scotus
so that the world may truly come again
to know, love and serve
Jesus Christ
and so
he is a forgotten theologian in most parts
even in the Catholic world
but he is a theologian whose theology
is most needed in this secular age
for in making all those subtle distinctions
he was noted for
he points out
those three primary doctrines
without which no man can truly work out
his salvation in fear and trembling
that is
the absolute primacy of Christ
and most especially
that the Incarnation is not conditioned
on the fall of mankind
but that Jesus Christ is first and foremost
in the mind of God
when he decides to create
and in order to do so
he includes the Blessed Virgin Mary
in that same decree
and so
she is of the decree of the hypostatic union
and thus separated from us
from original sin
and perhaps more especially for us
because it is through the Vicar of Christ
that we come to know
about the teachings of our Lord
and about the doctrines
of the Blessed Virgin Mary
and it is perhaps in this
that we must most marvel
because Jesus Christ has established a man
who is a victim of original sin
as was the first Pope
and every Pope that will succeed him
who is a victim of original sin
and so
subject to all the trials and tribulations
subject to all the temptations of doubt
that all of us are
and yet
we are called to make an act of faith
and to believe with every fiber of our being
that there is a God
and that there is a God
and that there is a God
and that there is a God
and that there is a God
and that there is a God
and that there is a God
and that this man by grace
is preserved
on making any errors
regarding faith and morals
and indeed
it is because of this
that we know of the Immaculate Conception
it is because of this
that we know of the Primacy of Christ
and it is because of this
that we will know until the end of time
all the doctrines of the Church
and so
let us especially pray this day
for the Holy Father
that he may continue
to have the courage
to hold out the true faith
to the world
until the end of time
so that we may be able to believe
so that all may truly come
to know, love, and serve Jesus Christ
and let us especially pray
this day to Blessed John Duns Scotus
that the world will abandon
its maddening pursuit
for secularization
that is, its right to declare
that what Jesus Christ says to be sinful
the world says is the path of happiness
and what Jesus Christ says
is the path to happiness
the world declares to be sinful
it is literally
we are living literally
in the throne of God
in the throne of God
in the throes of a society
that is seeking to turn upside down
everything that Christ said
and right side up
everything that Christ said
will not serve
in order for us to gain our happiness
and so
Blessed John Duns Scotus
is most needed
in this day and age
but more particularly
she is needed
who he held out
as the model and exemplar
of all Christian life
and so let us especially
turn to her
whose great defender he was
so that we too
may be her great defender
knowing full well
that we defend the prerogatives
of the Mother of God
insofar as charity
grows in our life
insofar as we exercise
the purity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
and that purity
is simply not regulated
to observance of the 6th and 9th commandments
according to our vocation
but that purity
is purity that is freedom
from all mortal sin
and that is what we must
truly strive for
and indeed
is a purity that is free
from all stain of any sin
and that is what we must
and even from the effects
of original sin
we know full well
we cannot attain that
but the effects of original sin
can be the very means
by which we constantly
grow in faith
because they recognize
they help us recognize
the need of the intercession
of the Mother of God
and the dispensing
of the graces
that she holds
in the bosom of her heart
to all mankind
and so
let us strive
always and everywhere
to seek our grace
from the Mother of God
because in doing so
we seek our happiness
from her
and she and she alone
possesses the only thing
that can make us happy
Jesus Christ
King of all creation
and Lord over all things
and most especially
the one who has come to rule
over our minds and our hearts
so that we may attain union with him
for all eternity