July 2009 Archives

Visiting the wildlife....

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Saint Ignatius of Loyola

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St Ignatius Loyola.jpgWhoever does not bear his own cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple. 


O God, Who for spreading the greater glory of Thy Name did, through blessed Ignatius, strengthen Thy Church militant with a new army; grant that by his aid and example we may so fight on earth as to deserve to be crowned with him in heaven.


The Litany of Saint Ignatius of Loyola

Saint Ignatius' life in pictures

Earlier today I was speaking with my friend, Father Meinrad Miller, a Benedictine monk of Saint Benedict's Abbey (Atchison, KS) and he told me he wrote this article for the local Catholic diocesan newspaper on his experience with the movement we both closely follow, Communion and Liberation. What Father Meinrad says in his article is applicable to all of us. It's reprinted here for education of us all. Let me know what you think of it.

Seven years ago this fall an event happened here at Benedictine College that would change my life. My college roommate, B.J. Adamson, had told me over the years about a Catholic movement he had discovered back in Denver: Communion and Liberation (CL). B.J. would often tell me about the method of the movement's dynamic founder, Monsignor Luigi Giussani (October 15, 1922-February 22, 2005), and of a friend of the movement here in the United States Monsignor Lorenzo Albacete. Cardinal Stafford, then the Archbishop of Denver, had spoken highly of CL.

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In September 2002 we hosted a presentation here at Benedictine College on one of Giussani's key books, The Religious Sense. The presentation included talks by Monsignor Lorenzo Albacete, a physicist,  theologian and good personal friend of Pope John Paul II; Major David Jones, an army officer who had been attracted to the Catholic faith after watching a show on EWTN with Raymond Arroyo in which Monsignor Albacete was interviewed about Monsignor Giussani; Dr. Eduardo Echeverria, currently a philosopher at Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit; and Mike Eppler, the Youth Minister for the Evansville, Indiana Diocese.

What appealed to me about this first presentation was that everything said that evening deepened my own appreciation of being a Benedictine monk. Giussani's method affirms that the encounter with Christ is possible to all people. Over the coming years we would have further book presentations here at the college on the writings of Monsignor Giussani. Each time I would grow in my fascination for the message of Christ as relevant and part of life today. It was only later that I learned that St. Benedict was the patron saint of the movement. At one time Monsignor Giussani had written to some Benedictine monks near Milan, Italy. In part he said: Christ present! The Christian announcement is that God became one of us and is present here, and gathers us together into one body, and through this unity, His presence is made perceivable. This is the heart of the Benedictine message of the earliest times. Well, this also defines the entire message of our Movement.

Perhaps Monsignor Giussani's fascination with St. Benedict began as a young seminarian for the Archdiocese of Milan. The Archbishop during Monsignor Giussani's seminary training was Blessed Ildephonse Schuster, O.S.B., the saintly Benedictine. The same year that Blessed Ildephonse Schuster died, 1954, would mark a major change in the life of Giussani as well.

While riding on a train for vacation in 1954, Giussani noticed from the conversation of the youth on the train that there was little interest in Christianity. Much of the discussion focused on the ideologies of the day, including Marxism. Giussani asked the new Archbishop's permission to leave his work as a seminary professor and begin to teach high school students.

The conversion on the train reminded me of Blessed Mother Teresa's own conversion. This past year I gave a seminar to the Missionaries of Charity in Washington, D.C. As I was reading about Blessed Mother Teresa I could not help but notice a similarity with Monsignor Giussani. Mother Teresa was also on a train on September 10, 1946, going for her yearly retreat in the mountains of India. It was on the train that she had a mystical experience in which she would experience the great thirst God has for souls. Not just for water but for men and women to experience the real thirst of God's love for them.

Eight years after Blessed Mother Teresa's experience on the train in 1946, Monsignor Giussani would have his experience on the train in 1954. Years later he would also reveal the depth of this conviction when, in front of Pope John Paul II and hundreds of thousands of people gathered at St. Peter's square on Pentecost Sunday, 1998, he would say: Existence expresses itself, as ultimate ideal, in begging. The real protagonist of history is the beggar: Christ who begs for man's heart, and man's heart that begs for Christ.

Whether one looks at our humanity in terms of Christ thirsting for us in the words of Blessed Mother Teresa, or Christ begging for man's heart, in the words of Monsignor Giussani, the same dynamic is present. Christ desires us to encounter Him as a present reality, not just a distant myth.

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On September 10, 2004, Cardinal Ratzinger, the future Pope Benedict XVI, would describe his own meeting with Monsignor Giussani in the early 1970s, and Communion and Liberation:

It was an interesting discovery for me; I had never heard of this group (Communion and Liberation) until that moment, and I saw young people full of fervor for the faith, quite far from a sclerotic and weary Catholicism, and without the mentality of "protest"-which considers all that was there before the Council as totally superseded-but a faith that was fresh, profound, open and with the joy of being believers, of having found Jesus Christ and His Church. There, I understood that there was a new start, there was really a renewed faith that opens doors to the future.

This same experience is relived today by groups in the region in Kansas City, Benedictine College, KU, and Wichita that meet weekly to follow the method of Monsignor Luigi Giussani.




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Father Meinrad Miller, O.S.B. is the Subprior of Saint Benedict's Abbey, and Chaplain of Benedictine College in Atchison, KS


This article was recently published in The Catholic key, the Catholic newspaper of the Diocese of Kansas City-St Joseph, MO.

In some places it's now catching-on that Thursday is a fitting day for Eucharistic adoration with the intention of reparation, perhaps replacing Fridays if one had to make a choice or either-or. I tend to think that Thursday is a more apt for Eucharistic adoration on a stable basis in one's life and perhaps in parish life since as Catholics our center is Eucharistic and the identification the Church makes with events that happened on Holy Thursdays and Corpus Christi. Some theologians and spiritual writers today are advocating this move for just this reason: Do this in memory of me. Whatever the case is, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is clearly a return to "the Cenacle, there to relive in adoration and joy the gift and mystery of the Most Holy Eucharist."

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Thinking about what Pope Benedict XVI has said regarding the Lord's Supper, "the Church commemorates the institution of the Eucharist, the ministerial priesthood and the new commandment of charity, left by Jesus to his disciples." In another place he said that there is a "...renewed invitation to render thanks to God for the supreme gift of the Eucharist, to be received with devotion and to be adored with lively faith. Because of this, the Church encourages, after the celebration of Holy Mass, watching in the presence of the Most Holy Sacrament, recalling the sad hour that Jesus passed in solitude and prayer in Gethsemane, before being arrested and then being condemned to death." We therefore adore Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, either following Mass or at another time to live in the graces of what happened at Mass. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament extends the graces of the Mass even after Mass has ended.

What better day than to work on this invitation to live in a spirit of renewal with the Eucharist, the ministerial priesthood and the theology of the Mass. The gift of sanctification (holiness) promised us by the Lord is made real in the bond we have with the Eucharistic Lord. Our lives depend on it because a strong Eucharistic spirituality centers our heart in the heart of the Church.

Saint Peter Chrysologus

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St Peter Chrysologus.jpgThe Lord led the just in right paths, and showed him the kingdom of God.

O God, Who did miraculously select the illustrious Doctor, Peter Chrysologus, to govern and instruct Thy Church; grant we beseech Thee, that we may deserve to have him as an intercessor in heaven, whom we had as a teacher of life on earth.


O Mystery of God's own love,
Once hid, but now from heav'n above
Come down in Christ to save us all
Who were enslaved, in evil's thrall:

For Peter, shepherd of Your sheep,
Your Church's feast of joy we keep;
His faithful witness to Your Word
Made Gospel truth be always heard.

Dispenser of the mystery
Of God-made-man, he sought to be
A preacher fearless in the sight
Of all who searched for heaven's light.

All glory, Lord, to you we bring
As in this summertime we sing
To Father and to Spirit blest;
With Peter, give us endless rest!

LM (88 88), no suggested tune
James Michael Thompson (c) 2009 WLP
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Since last year I've been thinking of the role spiritual mothers, in the example of Our Lady, play in the lives of Catholic priests. I am thinking in particular of Our Lady of Sorrows for this type of spiritual maternity. In the past I mentioned this idea here and here at the beginning of 2009 (perhaps I should do it more). The call to be a priest's spiritual mother includes a woman's offering herself to God, praying in intercession and reparation for the priest, spending time in Eucharistic Adoration and becoming a point for God's grace to work in the life of a priest. A woman of any age can do this work of intercession; she can be single, married, or widowed. This spiritual work is hidden and contemplative, sacrificial and silent. It is in this special work that the reparation for the sins of priests might happen for as the Holy Father said, "nothing makes the Church, the Body of Christ, suffer more than the sins of her pastors."

My interest has been sparked by two people, Franciscan Cardinal Claudio Hummes and Benedictine Father Mark Kirby, the latter drawing on 

Adoration & Spiritual Maternity.pdf to ask the Divine Majesty to renew priesthood through a special devotion to the Eucharist. But there's been other work done by people such as Catherine Dougherty, Mother Marie des Douleurs and Maria Sieler as well as the countless laity and consecrated men and women of the Church.

In October 2008 Tulsa, OK, Bishop Edward Slattery started a process of formation for women to dedicate their prayer for the needs of the priesthood. I am told that there are some women in the Bridgeport Diocese that there are women who dedicate their lives as a spiritual mother for priests but they are so hidden no one knows them. Something has to be done in the manner in which Bishop Slattery is doing this holy work! 

More recently Jane, living in France, has begun some work and prayer on spiritual maternity for priests. Her blog, Spiritual Mothers of Priests, is a good personal initiative to assist priests (and I presume seminarians) with prayer and sacrifice during this Year of the Priest. Ladies, visit and follow the work of Jane and join other women to this special work for priests.

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The Meeting for Friendship Among the Peoples is about start in Rimini, Italy. Since 1980 there has been a meeting of friends and interested peoples gathered together to understand the various points of contact in knowledge, faith, culture and human experience. There's been an average of 700,000 people attending this week long event. The Rimini Meeting is influenced by the thought of the founder of Communion and Liberation, Msgr. Luigi Giussani. 


The cultural and interreligious dialogue at the 2009 Rimini Meeting will be happening 23-29 August 2009. The theme for this year's meeting is "Knowledge is Always an Event."


Watch the video clip on the diplomats' preview of the meeting.

The Crossroad Cultural Center did a Washington, DC presentation on this year's Meeting. See the transcript of the event.


Various pieces of info on the work of the meeting:

+ 30 years of the meeting

+ The Rimini Meeting: 30 years of dialogue

+ The exhibitions at the meeting

Last week you might remember a note on the secretary general of the Synod of Bishops, Archbishop Nikola Eterovic, addressing the American Bible Society and friends in NYC on Tuesday, 28 July.

Here are two news clips about yesterday's event and a forthcoming meeting at University of Notre Dame.

And...the archbishop looking at historic bibles.
Confirming prior research a team of doctors released their findings in the World Journal of Surgical Oncology that there is a 66% increase of breast cancer among women who have had an abortion.

You can read the news article here.
Martha Mary & Lazarus.jpgHeavenly Father, your son was received as an honored and welcome guest in the home of Bethany. Keep us close to the Master in our prayer and work that, blameless in his sight, he may welcome us into our eternal home, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.


(Today, the Roman Missal observes the feast of Saint Martha and the Benedictine Missal supplement observes together the memorial of all three saints, Martha, Mary & Lazarus. Since it's the preference of this blog writer to follow a diversity of Missals, I am using the collect found in the Benedictine missal supplement because the collect there gives the feast a slightly different sense in our liturgical monastic sensibility today. Of prime concern is the remembrance of monastic hospitality and these saints are known to be hosts of the Lord. Our work today, then, is look at those areas in our life where hospitality exists and where it is unfortunately restrained or non-existent.)
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Today is the anniversary of death of Johann Sebastian Bach
(31 March 1685 - 28 July 1750)

May he share the victory of Christ!

Never a day goes by that I don't ask the question about my faith and my life of faith. I doubt any serious Christian would go through life without asking the same: How does my faith impact my relationship with God and vice verse? Do I live in certain intimacy with the divine nature? Do others see God in me as I relate to them? How credible a witness am I of Jesus Christ and His Good News?


Without faith it is impossible to please God. (Hebrews 11:6). Faith is the foundation of our relations with God. For the man without faith, God has no meaning, no value, no place in his life. On the contrary, the more lively our faith is, the more God enters into our life, until finally he becomes our all, the one great reality for; which we live, and the One for whom we courageously face sorrow and death. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord (Romans 14:8). Those who dedicate themselves to the spiritual life do not lack faith; but often our faith is not alive and concrete enough to make us always see God in everything, which would give us the sense of his fundamental, transcendent and eternal reality that infinitely surpasses all earthly realities. In practice we do not reflect sufficiently on the truth that to be a believer is a pure gift of God, not due to any personal merit. God is both the object of faith and the giver of faith; it is he who infuses into us the desire to know him and to believe in him and who makes us capable of the act of believing.

Divine Intimacy, Father Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen, OCD

Luigi Giussani 1965 circa Raggio.jpgMy first thought goes -- it's obvious -- to your founder Monsignor Luigi Giussani, to whom many memories tie me, since he had become a true friend to me. Our last meeting, as Father Carrón mentioned, took place in Milan Cathedral two years ago, when our beloved Pope John Paul II sent me to preside at his solemn funeral. 

Through him the Holy Spirit aroused in the Church a movement -- yours -- that would witness the beauty of being Christians in an epoch in which the opinion was spreading that Christianity was something tiresome and oppressive to live. Father Giussani, then, set himself to reawaken in the youth the love for Christ, the way, the truth and the life, repeating that only he is the road toward the realization of the deepest desires of man's heart; and that Christ saves us not despite our humanity, but through it

Pope Benedict XVI, address to Communion and Liberation, March 25, 2007
20090724-vlasic-letter.jpgA CNA article today announces the priest who identified the alleged apparitions of the BVM is now leaving the priesthood and his religious order. The authorized his defrocking in March. Also disturbing are the reports that some of the seers are living in wealthy conditions, presumably derived from monies given by pilgrims. See the brief Mail Online article. The Telegraph tells more...


The blog Te Deum laudamus has lots of pertinent information.
cap friar.jpgThe Capuchins in Italy are taking time to reflect on the greatest God-given gift they've received: work of 100 years among the native Brasilian peoples. What really struck me was the Provincial's comment: "And we truly lived it as a gift: participating in His mission, that is to say, the mission of Jesus Christ." 

Why is this info newsworthy? Last week the parishes of the Bridgeport Diocese had World Mission Sunday (early, I know) where all the parishes had missionary priests preach on their efforts to bring the Gospel to their respective people. Where I am we had Father Anand, a priest from India. Catholics think and act in an outward direction (or at least they're supposed to) because of their Baptism in Christ and Saint Matthew saying: "Go make disciples of all nations." All this got me thinking and remembering that Blessed Pope John XXIII asked religious orders to devote 10% of their membership to the missions. Even the US diocesan priests formed associations to work in mission countries trying to respond to the Holy Father's request. So I ask myself: In what ways will I be a missionary? Are Catholics missionary today? Do we believe that the mission of Jesus Christ is our great gift? How do we intend to collaborate with Jesus and the Church (& the Capuchins)?

Watch the news clip from H2O News here.

Also worth noting is the statement that Franciscan mysticism (a deeper form of spirituality) engages the person affectively. The spiritual life is not an intellectual exercise!!!!!   I wish we can here more about this topic.

Note, too, the Capuchin commitment to technology for the sharing of the faith!!! This is taking Saint Paul seriously. I look forward to seeing the good work in Assisi.
You won't see me giving space to the "good work" of the Nat'l Catholic Reporter on this blog very often (almost never except for John Allen's work) because of the NCRs frequent loyal opposition to the Church, but a recent article on the intersection of business and Ignatian Spirituality is worth noting. Read it here.

I highlight this article because I like the work of Jesuit Father Robert Spitzer, the president emeritus of Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA. Father Spitzer is a philosopher with significant grounding in faith and reason (science). He has hosted  a few programs on EWTN that are very worthwhile.
I don't think "grandparents day" in the Hallmark manner has hit the pope yet, but he did tell his listeners that grandparents are a central part of the family. The feast of Saints Joachim and Anne is the Church's way of honoring grandparents seeing in Saints Joachim and Anne great models of what grandparents are to be for children and family systems. Pope Benedict's remarks came within a reflection of the Sunday gospel where we heard Saint John's narrative of the Multiplication of the loaves and fish. He asks THAT rather important question which we ask ourselves in front of Christ: who am I?

The Pontiff spoke about yesterday's Gospel in which Saint John narrates the multiplication of the loaves and fishes and in doing so introduces the notion of priestly mediation and the sacrament of the Eucharist. He said "It is as if the Eucharist were anticipated in the great sign of the bread of life. In this Year for Priests, ... we members of the clergy may see ourselves reflected in this text of John's, identifying ourselves with the Apostles when they say: where are we going to find bread for these people to eat? And when we read of that anonymous boy with his five barley loaves and two fish, we too are moved to exclaim: But what are they among so many people? In other words, who am I? How can I with my limitations help Jesus in His mission? And it is the Lord Who provides the answer: By putting in his 'saintly and venerable' hands the little they are, priests become instruments of salvation for many people, for everyone!"

Considering the place of the family in our society, the Pope mentioned Saints Joachim and Anne, parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary and, hence, grandparents of Jesus, whose feast day was yesterday (see the blog entry below). Since yesterday was Sunday, the Church didn't observe the liturgical memorial of these two rather important saints because Sunday ordinarily trumps the feast of saints. Careful observers of Benedict's work will notice that he comes back to a constant theme with the vital importance his places on education in Church's pastoral care program. Benedict XVI invited us "to pray for grandparents who, in families, are the depositories and often witnesses of the fundamental values of life." The educational role of grandparents is always important, and it becomes even more important when, for various reasons, parents are unable to ensure an adequate presence alongside their children as they are growing", the Pope added, entrusting all the grandparents of the world to the protection of Saints Joachim and Anna. He also mentioned "all elderly people, especially those who are alone or experiencing moments of difficulty."
Mother Anne, be joyful;Life of Joachim & Anne Giotto.jpg
sing, O mother holy,
Since thou art the parent
O God's Mother lowly.

Praise thy wondrous daughter;
Joachim, too raises
To the Virgin Mary
His paternal praises.

For in her our planet
First hath benediction
Which hapless Eva
Suffered malediction.

Therefore take the praises
Joyous hearts are paying;
And from all defilement
Cleanse us by thy praying.

Father, Son eternal,
Holy Ghost supernal,
With one praise we bless Thee,
Three in One confess Thee. Amen.

(the Lauds hymn for the feast)

O God, Who did choose blessed Joachim and Anne to be the parents of the glorious Mother of Thine only-begotten Son, grant us through their prayers to praise Thy mercy forever in the fellowship of Thine elect.
Today the Church suspends her reading of Mark's gospel for the next four weeks in favor of reading the famed narrative of the Bread of Life discourse of Jesus from the Gospel of John. Here the Church asks us to meditate on the life-giving food, the Eucharist, which Jesus gives to us as His supreme gift of love and life. Here the abundance of the sacred banquet is beginning to be known.

The readings this 17th Sunday through the year, taken together provide a framework for how are Christian lives are lived: in recognition of the Providence of God that is lavished upon us.

In theology school a professor of mine, Jesuit Father Daniel Harrington, often encouraged us to preach on the responsorial psalm because it is the link between what is heard in the first reading and the gospel. Admittedly, the psalm response is rarely looked at by the preacher and often preaching on the psalm can be difficult if the psalmody is not part of one's daily bread at prayer. But today Psalm 145 is provides us a most excellent, fitting link between Second Kings and John 6: the Lord will feed His people. The psalm response is "The hand of the Lord feed us; he answers all our needs." Wow! The Lord indeed is good and wants our happiness. The Lord will feed us. He will answer our every need. What a tremendous consolation to know that we are not left orphan in this world and that God hears our petitions and wants to see us thrive. But our thriving is not meant only for ourselves but for Him and the community of faith. What other good news can there be than to know that God sustains our every moment.

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The verses of the psalm can't be overlooked. There we hear the experience of the Jewish people giving thanks to God by blessing His holy name. And in turn, the people have the expectation that their King will help them "in due season." Psalm 145 shows the give-and-take between God and His people. It is the same for the relationship we have with Jesus. 

Theologically we believe that these expectations are not self generated but are put into our hearts by the Lord Himself. He made us, He sustains. He calls us into greater communion with Himself. The desires of our hearts are none other the desires of the Lord: we are made for Him alone. The psalmist  recalls for us that the Lord will satisfy our hunger, He will feed our bodies and souls because He hears us. Consequently, our relationship with the Lord will not be frustrated because His promises are true.

In the inaugural homily of Pope Benedict in April, 2005, he said those who give themselves over to the Lord are never disappointed; nothing good in ourselves will be forgotten. The pope's message to the world was and continues to be one that says he or she who abandons the self into the Lord's hands will be fed. That is, our life in Christ is one of trust, one hope that doesn't disappoint.

Today, Saint John tells us that that humanity's longing is to be fed by the Lord. The desire of humanity's heart is on fire for something more than the daily fare of food and drink that doesn't satisfy. As Saint John tells us, the Lord instructed the Philip and Andrew to feed the crowd themselves. They had been following the Lord for a period of time and presumably knew the ways of the Lord by the way He fed the desires of the human heart. Philip and Andrew experienced first-hand the incredible life-giving food given by the Lord. Not relying on themselves the apostles relied on the word of Jesus and a boy's barley loaves and fish. The apostles' reliance leads to the miracle of an incredible feeding of the crowd that no human act could do. We are told that the Lord gave thanks (he prayed). He lifted his mind and heart to God by asking His Father to satisfy the hunger pains of His children. And as John narrates, God the Father supplied the need.

This gospel passage is an example of the Providence of God caring truly for His people. It wasn't as some contemporary scholars and preachers say: the human sharing is the miracle. No. The miracle is the trust, the asking, the giving thanks and the reliance on the only Person who can truly, really answer our human need. "The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs." Jesus' asking the Father to supply our need is the miracle; it is the supernatural intervention into human history. The miracle lies not in human actions but in the Divine outpouring of Life. It is in Jesus that God the Father stooped down into our history to raise up the needy, the poor, the vulnerable: all of us.

In John 6 we see Christ the priest mediating for us who beg to be fulfilled. The loaves and the fish are a prelude to Jesus instituting the Eucharist and the priesthood. By themselves bread and fish aren't the pledge of future glory. Loaves and fish will never satisfy because they will never be enough. But what God said in Kings and what John tells us of Jesus, the Father gives what we need. In fact, The Lord gives us more than we can ever imagine. Why? Because Jesus is the food that satisfies; Jesus is that pledge of glory to come; He is the one who gives food and drink that satisfies our hunger and thirst. There is the hope, there is love between the divine and the human.
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O daughters of Jerusalem come and see the Martyrs with crowns, whom the Lord has crowned on the day of solemnity and joy, alleluia, alleluia.


We beseech Thee, O Lord, keep and sanctify Thy people, that strengthened by the help of Thine Apostle James they may please Thee by their conduct and serve Thee with a quiet mind.
Yesterday morning my mother called me with the startling news that a second cousin on my father's side had died. Deborah was 42; because of a complicated family system I don't recall meeting her. Deborah's father is my father's cousin and we would see him every now-and-again. Deborah's death was kept a secret from family and friends; a proper Mass of Christian Burial with the prayerful solidarity of the family and friends is not happening. The ministrations of the Catholic Church were sidelined. The cross of addiction on which Deborah hung --which is known to many in this world-- was quite heavy, probably too heavy, for Deborah and for her family to carry. I am presuming that Deborah's death is and will continue to be for years to come an unfathomable puzzle --full of incredible pain and sorrow-- for the family and friends who survive. My also think that God mourns the loss of His daughter.

Where is God in the circumstances of Deborah's pain and ultimately in her death at 42? Looking at the history of humanity from the Christian perspective, suffering and death is not part of the divine plan. We are not made for suffering and death but we are faced with these things. The question of evil and suffering is known by Christianity as a struggle with the rebellious powers that enslave the world, like drug addiction, and the power of God's love. What God permits because of the supreme gift of our personal freedom often runs contrary to His will. Since we live in a biological world and our biology has natural limits and can't be sustained if it's oppressed by exterior forces (disease, addiction, diabetes, cancer, etc). Our human freedom is God's supreme gift to us and it allows us to say "Yes" to God or "No" to Him; God allows for the possibility free will to run contrary to what He wants for us. Sadly, we have made our autonomy a god and we would sacrifice anything for it on the altars of selfishness; sometimes our actions say we love death more than the gift of life. Man and woman love the word "No" in the face of living life to its fullest potential in God (and the Church). When the Church says drugs are bad for you, we say "let me use them."

As a Christian I believe that Deborah's life, not her death was tragic. Today she knows the fullness of who God is, today she knows His mercy and healing and today she knows intimately the embrace of His love.

Pray for those who struggle with addiction and for those who bear this cross alone. Pray that the community of faith will assist those left behind to know that they are loved by Jesus and by others. Pray that we use our freedom wisely. Pray for Deborah's peace for her family who survive to make sense of life now.

Give eternal rest, O Lord, to Deborah and let her share your glory.

Saint Sharbel Makhlouf

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St Sharbel.jpg

Every one who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.


God our Father in Saint Sharbel Makhluf, You gave a light to Your faithful people. You made him a pastor of the Church to feed Your sheep with his word and to teach them by his example. Help us by his prayers to keep the faith he taught and follow the way of life he showed us.


Saint Sharbel Makhlouf (1828-1898) was born in a small Lebanese mountain village who became, at 23 years old, a monk of the Lebanese Maronite Order and later ordained a priest in 1859. He is known for his intense devotion to lectio divina, the Eucharist and the Blessed Virgin Mary. Sensing a deeper call in 1875, he began a solitary life (as a hermit) which he lived for twenty-three years of his life. Sharbel's witness taught us about the virtues of poverty, self-sacrifice, and prayer in world dominated by an attraction to money, power and fame. Since July 24, 2004 Saint Sharbel has been introduced the liturgical observance in the sacred Liturgy.

Archbishop Francis M. Zayek said of Saint Sharbel:

"Reading about the holy hermits of the desert, we used to consider many reported facts as mere fables. In the life of Blessed Sharbel, however, we notice that these facts are authentic and true. Blessed Sharbel is another Saint Anthony of the Desert, or Saint Pachomius, or Saint Paul the Anchorite. It is marvelous to observe how you, Maronites, have preserved the same spirituality of the fathers of the desert throughout the centuries, and at the end of the nineteenth century, 1500 years later, produced a Sharbel for the Church."

(The icon was painted by iconographer Christine Habib el Dayé. Other pieces of the artist's work can be seen here and she can also be found on Facebook.)

Cist nun.jpgRecently, the National Catholic Register published an article on the life of nuns at the Valley of Our Lady Monastery, located on 112 acres in Prairie du Sac, outside of Madison, Wisconsin. The author brings out some salient points that contribute to the "success" of this particular monastery. Let's be clear, success is not defined here in terms of secularity but ways that allow for a vocation to thrive according to the Divine Plan. Let me draw your attention to two things that struck me. Mind you, these items (see below) are not new at all but they do spell out what is needed to help contribute to the resurgence of religious life if it's God's will. Sadly groups like the Sisters of Mercy, the Sisters of St Joseph, the various Franciscan and Dominican sisters' congregations to name a few, would think these comments are inaccurate, too shrill and not relevant for the "modern world." Truthfully, I think these groups want to die because they are too "relevant" matter. BUT when you see women attracted to congregations like this monastery, the Alma Mercy Sisters and the Franciscan Sisters of the Martyr Saint George and not to the secular-looking groups, then one has to ask the hard questions. Having defend the general thesis of the article, let it be known I am not totally in agreement with Father Mullady's acceptance of BlackBerries but I can't have everything.

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1. When asked what she thought was attracting young women to this ancient contemplative order, Sister Bernarda replied, "To begin with, God." She added, "Then, perhaps, the desire for a life of prayer, solitude, simplicity, with an ancient liturgy in Latin and Gregorian chant, and a simple, traditional habit. Also, we follow the directives of our order and the Church." Sister Mary Bede boiled it down to this: "When you're looking for a traditional, habit-wearing, Divine Office-saying order, it narrows down your choices a bit." She preferred the Cistercians to some of the newer orders, explaining, "Definitely, it's a comfort knowing that the Rule of St. Benedict has sanctified hundreds of thousands of men and women throughout the ages. It helps to live a life in faith -- that God will work through our superiors and rule to bring about our sanctification." When asked what keeps her order so grounded in its ancient origins and traditions, Sister Mary Dolores responded, "There is a preservation of identity; progress comes not from something entirely new, but a returning to the charism of the founders. In tradition, the past is present but updated."

2. Dominican Father Brian Mullady has seen many traditional orders survive the decades after Vatican II. Theological consultant for the Institute on Religious Life in Libertyville, Ill. -- a collaborative effort of Catholic bishops, priests, religious and laity to foster and strengthen vocations to the consecrated life -- Father Mullady said: "Mostly they weathered the changes by adapting the things that needed to be adapted for young people -- there are sisters on the Internet and carrying BlackBerries -- but preserving the habit, the cloister, silence, reading at table, living in community."

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His Excellency, the Most Reverend Nikola Eterovic, Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City State, will deliver a talk titled "Pope Benedict XVI, the Bible and the Synod of Bishops." 

The archbishop will review the seminal work of the of the world-wide gathering of bishops and other experts on the Word of God which happened in October 2008.

The talk is sponsored by the American Bible Society and is being presented at their NY Offices.

Details:

Date: Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Time: 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Location: The American Bible Society

1865 Broadway (between 61st & 62nd Streets) New York, NY 10023


RSVP Alicia DeFrange at 212-408-1260 or by emai adefrange@americanbible.org 


Saint Bridget of Sweden

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St Bridget of Sweden.jpgLord, our God, you revealed the secrets of heaven to Saint Bridget as she meditated on your Son's Passion. Grant that we your servants may find great joy when your glory is revealed.


"In Christ's death, I have died now;
In Christ I live anew.
With faith in God's Son, Jesus,
That keeps me ever true,
I know the love he's shown me,
That washed my sin away.
His cross, which daily guides me
Informs me as I pray."

Thus Bridget, monarch, mother,
Good spouse and Christian wise,
Lived Jesus' sacred Passion
And, e'er before His eyes
She loved the poor and lowly,
Gave all her store away,
Called men and women to her
To live the Gospel way.

Give glory to the Father,
Whose loving plan ordained
That we should each be bought back
From sin and sorrow's shame!
Give glory to Christ Jesus,
Whose death has set us free!
Give glory to the Spirit;
To God, the One-in-Three.

James Michael Thompson
76.76.D; suggested tune: O Sacred Head Surrounded


The priestly figure should not be detached from the person of Paul. Saint Paul shows all of us a way of living, a way of creating a relationship with God. The priesthood is a privileged way, and as such it is not separated from all that Saint Paul himself is, what he teaches and tells us. Therefore, I believe that this association and connection between the Year for Priests and the Pauline Year is and will be very good and very important.

Cardinal Andrea Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo, emeritus archpriest of the Basilica of St Paul outside the Walls
St Mary Magdalene Caravaggio.jpgEarly in the morning of the first day of the week, when Jesus had arisen, he first appeared to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had driven seven devils.

Heavenly Father, Mary Magdalene was the first upon whom Your Son enjoined the task of announcing the joy of Easter. In union with this Apostle to the Apostles, enable us now to follow her example of heralding the living Christ so that we too may see Him enthroned at Your side.


We especially remember the Order of Friars Preachers today because of Saint Mary Magdalene's patronage.


Seeing Jesus next to you

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Nose Picking.jpgWe're in the middle of the annual Vacation Bible School. About 150 kids ranging in ages 4-11 are attending the week. Each day a member of the clergy (or the seminarian) gives an explanation of the day's Scripture passage who then ends the 5 minute lesson with a prayer. Well...

Father Ignacio (our fearless new curate) told the assembled and burgeoning bible thumpers that they had to be attentive to Jesus, and that Jesus was especially present in the person next to him or her. Kids being kids, a teacher turned to the person next to her and saw a little man picking his nose. While it's a nice idea to think Jesus is present in all people I thinking there are limits when someone, even a kid, is picking his nose. Don't you think? OK, I am not a parent but ya know....
Clement XIV stamp.jpgToday is the 236th anniversary of the promulgation of Dominus ac Redemptor, the papal bull of Pope Clement XIV (a Conventual Franciscan) suppressing the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits). In this bull the pope dissolved the Society without condemning it because it is said that he did revere many of its members. Hence, the suppression had nothing to do with enmity (Franciscans vs. Jesuits) as much as it had to do with the significant criticism the Society faced and the likely realization of the threat of Church schism if the pope didn't do something with the Jesuits. Faced with the pressure of a fragmented Church, Clement did what he had to do. By the time of this unusual papal intervention, the Jesuits were expelled from Brasil, Portugal, France, Spain and Parma.

The Jesuit order was restored in 1814.

An annual event at graduation time of the non-Jesuit students at Rome's Gregorian University is a wreathe laying ceremony at Pope Clement XIV's grave at the Basilica of the Twelve Apostles. There newly graduated students offer a prayer asking the pope to intercede before God to have the Jesuits suppressed once again. One wonders about the efficacy of Clement's ability to ask the Lord for a favor.
Fr J Fesio.jpgAs it's reported in a few places, Jesuit Father Joseph Fessio, the well-known and gifted teacher and leader was fired by Ave Maria University. The matter of his dismissal revolves around all things, financial matters of the university. Something mentioned here before. So, one must ask if the university is going to be able to make it in the long haul or is the pizza man's dream over. All are called upon to pray for the Holy Spirit's guidance for Father Fessio and, of course, for Ave Maria who once again makes an imprudent decision just because someone disagrees with their philosophy. Sounds like the roundheads are at it again. Read the news article on this event. Father Fessio's email follows:

This morning, (Monday, July 20th) Dr. Jack Sites, Academic Vice President of Ave Maria University, flew from Houston, where he was attending a meeting of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, to San Francisco, to inform me personally that I was being dismissed from Ave Maria University. Our meeting was amicable and Dr. Sites, as always, acted as a Christian gentleman.

He said that the reason for my dismissal stemmed from a conversation I had in November of 2008 with Jack Donahue, then chairman of the board of AMU. At that time I felt it an obligation to speak to the board chairman before the upcoming board meeting, to make sure he was aware of the urgency of the university's financial situation. After I had informed him, using projections based on publicly available documents and statements, he asked me what I thought was the solution. I told him that there were policies being followed that were at the root of the problem, that the present administration was irrevocably wedded to those policies, and that without a change of administration the university was at great risk.

Dr. Sites said that Jack Donahue related this conversation to Tom Monaghan, and it was decided (I don't know specifically by whom) that the university could not have a faculty member making these criticisms of the administration and thus undermining the university.

Dr. Sites told me that there were unspecified others who had similar substantive concerns that I was undermining the university.

I continue to support the university. I pray for its success. I have great admiration for the faculty, students, and many of the staff. I do disagree with some of the policies of the administration. This seems to be the reason I was fired the first time, in March 2007, since the official explanation was "irreconcilable administrative differences".

Nevertheless, I think it is an accurate summary to say that I am being dismissed as a faculty member because of a private conversation with the chairman of the board in which I made known my criticisms of the university administration; and because of allegations which have not been made known to me and to which I have not been given an opportunity to respond.

I will continue to recommend AMU to students and parents. And I will continue to think my dismissal is another mistake in a long series of unwise decisions.

How often do you hear that Catholics don't read the bible? How often do you think (or say) that you aren't a bible thumper? Do you know bible basics? Do you have a bible in your home? Do you know where to find a bible in your Catholic church? I'd be willing to bet that you can't even find a copy of the bible in the church. Just today a college student asked me if there was a bible in the church and I had to admit that I wasn't sure if we had one available. Ironically, today began the parish's Vacation Bible School with a 140 little kids so the question of how we use the bible is in the forefront of our minds. Mary Elizabeth Sperry compiled a Catholic's approach to the bible-praying-reading-study-meditation.


The Bible is all around us. People hear Scripture readings in church. We have Good Samaritan (Luke 10) laws, welcome home the Prodigal Son (Luke 15), and look for the Promised Land (Exodus 3, Hebrews 11). Some biblical passages have become popular maxims, such as "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you (Matthew 7:12)," "Thou shalt not steal (Exodus 20:15), and "love thy neighbor" (Matthew 22:39). 

Today's Catholic is called to take an intelligent, spiritual approach to the bible.

Listed here are 10 points for fruitful Scripture reading.

  1. Bible reading is for Catholics. The Church encourages Catholics to make reading the Bible part of their daily prayer lives. Reading these inspired words, people grow deeper in their relationship with God and come to understand their place in the community God has called them to in himself.
  1. Prayer is the beginning and the end. Reading the Bible is not like reading a novel or a history book. It should begin with a prayer asking the Holy Spirit to open our hearts and minds to the Word of God. Scripture reading should end with a prayer that this Word will bear fruit in our lives, helping us to become holier and more faithful people.
  1. Get the whole story! When selecting a Bible, look for a Catholic edition. A Catholic edition will include the Church's complete list of sacred books along with introductions and notes for understanding the text. A Catholic edition will have an imprimatur notice on the back of the title page. An imprimatur indicates that the book is free of errors in Catholic doctrine.
  1. The Bible isn't a book. It's a library. The Bible is a collection of 73 books written over the course of many centuries. The books include royal history, prophecy, poetry, challenging letters to struggling new faith communities, and believers' accounts of the preaching and passion of Jesus. Knowing the genre of the book you are reading will help you understand the literary tools the author is using and the meaning the author is trying to convey.
  1. Know what the Bible is - and what it isn't. The Bible is the story of God's relationship with the people he has called to himself. It is not intended to be read as history text, a science book, or a political manifesto. In the Bible, God teaches us the truths that we need for the sake of our salvation.
  1. The sum is greater than the parts. Read the Bible in context. What happens before and after - even in other books - helps us to understand the true meaning of the text.
  1. The Old relates to the New. The Old Testament and the New Testament shed light on each other. While we read the Old Testament in light of the death and resurrection of Jesus, it has its own value as well. Together, these testaments help us to understand God's plan for human beings.
  1. You do not read alone. By reading and reflecting on Sacred Scripture, Catholics join those faithful men and women who have taken God's Word to heart and put it into practice in their lives. We read the Bible within the tradition of the Church to benefit from the holiness and wisdom of all the faithful.
  1. What is God saying to me? The Bible is not addressed only to long-dead people in a faraway land. It is addressed to each of us in our own unique situations. When we read, we need to understand what the text says and how the faithful have understood its meaning in the past. In light of this understanding, we then ask: What is God saying to me?
  1. Reading isn't enough. If Scripture remains just words on a page, our work is not done. We need to meditate on the message and put it into action in our lives. Only then can the word be "living and effective."(Hebrews 4:12).


Mary Elizabeth Sperry is Associate Director for Utilization of the New American Bible.
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Lord, for the glory of your name and the salvation of souls you gave Lawrence of Brindisi courage and right judgment. By prayers help us to know what we should do and give us the courage to do it.

Friar Lawrence was a brilliant man when it came to language study, knowledge of the Bible, the ability to preach in several languages, keeping balance in the Capuchin order and skillful in exercising leadership diplomacy. Spiritually he had the gift of tears, tongues and ecstacy. His work for God's Kingdom was preaching so that Jews and Protestants would be Catholic.

Saint Lawrence had a supreme belief in the Sacrifice of the Mass (taking up to 16 hours to celebrate the Mass on Christmas day in 1610), he advocated the efficacy of Mary's place in the economy of salvation as a font of mercy, and was a model of Christian virtue. One last interesting, but trivial note for those interested in the Franciscan way, Friar Lawrence was educated by the Conventuals but joined the Capuchins. There's got to be a story there. 

In 1961, Saint Lawrence joined three other Franciscans friars as a Doctor of the Church (Saints Anthony & Bonaventure and Blessed John Duns Scotus) though he is the only Capuchin to have this distinction. He is known as the Doctor Apostolicus (the Apostolic Doctor).

Saint Lawrence's brief biography is found here.

New to me is this Litany of Saint Lawrence of Brindisi.

The Catholic Forum presents
Ecology: A Doorway to the Mystery
with Pablo Martinez, Ph.D.

Dr. Martinez is a well known ecological economist working on three continents to bring harmony between nature and development. His work includes an online university for poor rural villages connecting 30 countries in Spanish and English, and fighting to solve chronic hunger in Sierra Leone.

Dr. Martinez's new book, Environmental Solidarity: Ecology as if God is Happening, describes the latest ideas in world development and the need for a relationship with a loving creator as the key to solving the world's great human and natural crises. His talk will touch on these themes and inspire all who attend with a hope for the future of mankind and the planet. 

Dr. Martinez was a visiting professor at Yale University during the 2007-8 academic year.

Please join us!

Sunday, August 2 at 7 p.m.
St Rose of Lima Church Hall (42 Church Hill Road, Newtown, CT), Monsignor Conroy Room

A pizza dinner will be served!

The Catholic Forum is a personal initiative of friends who follow the Communion & Liberation ecclesial movement, who with other members of the parish church are interested in matters pertaining to faith and reason. The Catholic Forum has sponsored other events on faith and reason including talks by Father Richard Veras and Dominican Father Peter Cameron; they've also sponsored the St Paul play directed by Father Cameron.

For more information on the Catholic Forum visit: www.catholicforum.us.

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"Are you resolved, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to discharge without fail the office of the priesthood in the presbyteral order as a conscientious fellow worker with the Bishop in caring for the Lord's flock?"

The Archbishop-Secretary of the Congregation for the Clergy, Mauro Piacenza, wrote to the world's priests on July 15th reflecting on the liturgical theology that identifies and supports the theology of priesthood. Now that we are clearly in the Year of the Priest we have to make solid effort at connecting our daily prayer for priests (and, those preparing for ordination) and education on what the Church believes and teaches about the priesthood. This year dedicated to the priesthood is not only directed to renewal and reform of the priesthood but also conversion of the entire Church. The year of priestly renewal is not merely centered on prayer for the local priest (which is most essential) but also a time for some intellectual formation for both priest and people. So, the proposal of the Pope is that we give a sufficient attention to both prayer and education, not one or the other. I'd like to note that I find myself disappointed to see the lack of a public of storming heaven for the graces of renewal but also the lack of sufficient discussion of what the Church teaches and believes. What to do? In the meantime, Archbishop Piacenza offers a number of juicy tidbits to consider. He said in part:

The Church, in her maternal wisdom, has always taught that the ministry is born of the encounter of two freedoms: divine and human. If on the one hand one must always recall that, "no one claims this office for himself; he is called to it by God" (CCC n.1578), on the other hand, clearly, it is always a "human and created I", with his own story and identity, with his own qualities and also his own limitations, who responds to the divine call.

            The liturgical-sacramental translation of this asymmetric and necessary dialogue between the divine freedom which calls and the human freedom which responds is represented by the questions which each of us has had addressed to him by the Bishop during the rite our own ordination, immediately prior to the imposition of hands. We shall revisit together in the months ahead this "dialogue of love and freedom".

            We have been asked, "Are you resolved, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to discharge without fail the office of the priesthood in the presbyteral order as a conscientious fellow worker with the Bishop in caring for the Lord's flock?" We answered, "I Am"

            The free and conscious response is based, therefore, on an explicit act of the will ("Are you resolved to discharge the office", "I am") which, as we know well, requires to be continuously enlightened by the judgement of reason and sustained by freedom, so as not to become a sterile voluntarism or, worse, to change over time, becoming unfaithful. The act of the will is enduring of its very nature, because it is a human act, in which the fundamental qualities of which the Creator has made us participants are expressed.

            The undertaking, then, that we have assumed is "for the whole of life" and thus not related to fads or indulgences much less to sentiments, which might be apparent to a greater or less degree. While feelings may be said to have a role in coming to the knowledge of the truth, it is only so as to direct out focus in such a way as not to obstruct such knowledge but to assist the discernment of it. Nevertheless, this is but one aspect of consciousness and cannot be its determining factor.

            Our will has accepted to exercise "the priestly ministry", not other "professions"! Above all else we are called to be priests always and, as the Saints remind us, in every circumstance, exercising with our very being that ministry to which we have been called. One does not merely act as a priest: one is a priest!

            Each one of us is part of a dynamic entity, called to collaborate by demonstrating, each in his own way, the Head of this Body: always as "fellow workers with the Bishop", in obedience to the good which he indicates, and "under the guidance of the Holy Spirit", that is in praying with each breath. Only he who prays can hear the voice of the Spirit. As the Holy Father recalled in the General Audience of the 1st July last, "Those who pray are not afraid; those who pray are never alone; those who pray are saved!".

An angel in the flesh, the foundation of the prophets, and the second forerunner of Christ, the glorious Elijah from on high sent grace to Elisha, to cure sicknesses & cleanse lepers. He likewise overflows with healing for those who honor him.

(Troparion of the feast, Tone 4)


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Let all Christ's Church assemble here

And, gathered in His holy Name,

Keep solemn, joyful festival

To sing of great Elijah's fame.


Of all the prophets who foretold

God's hidden plan of saving grace,

He is the chief: to him we give,

The Tishbite, now the choicest place.


He called the folk of Israel

Back to their covenant with God;

Through kingly wrath and violence

God's narrow way of truth he trod.


When earthly tasks for him were done,

You called him in a special way:

A fiery chariot came for him,

Foretelling Christ's ascension day.


For all the graces You have giv'n

Through what Elijah did for You,

Your Church on earth gives endless praise,

O Father, Son, and Spirit true.


L.M. (88.88)

James Michael Thompson (2009)

Fr Andrew O'Connor.jpgInteresting people come from the Elm City! The New Haven native who's also a Catholic priest, Father Andrew O'Connor, of the Archdiocese of New York, designs clothes, provides jobs in two countries and continues to preach the Gospel.

Mary O'Leary's New Haven Register article on Father O'Connor altar-ations can be read here.

Nice to see Mary Alice & Charles' son in the media!
Whoever does not pay to God his honor due Him dishonors Him and removes from Him what belongs to Him; and this removal, or dishonoring, constitutes a sin. However as long as he does not repay what he has stolen, he remains guilty.

Saint Anselm of Canterbury, Cur Deus Homo

Saint Camillus de Lellis

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As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.


Father, you gave Saint Camillus a special love for the sick. Through his prayers inspire us with your grace, so that by serving you in our brothers and sisters we may come safely to you at the end of our lives.


A bio on Saint Camillus

Our Lady of Mount Carmel

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OL Mt Carmel.jpgIn communion with Our Lady of Mount Carmel help us, dear Lord, to arrive at last at the mountain which is Christ who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit.


Today is a good day to read up on the devotion of wearing a scapular.

What is the brown scapular devotion?

Get a free brown scapular here.

Saint Bonaventure

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St Bonaventure enters OFM FHerrera the elder.jpgO God, Who did give Thy people blessed Bonaventure as a minister of eternal salvation, we beseech Thee; grant that we may deserve to have him as an intercessor in heaven, whom we had as a teacher of life on earth.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast day of Saint Bonaventure. Born and baptized in 1221 as John in Bagnoregio, Tuscany, he had an encounter with Saint Francis of Assisi. John was a very sick child is said to have been brought to Saint Francis who prayed over him and brought him back to health. The pious legend has it that Saint Francis exclaimed "O buona ventura."

The healing wasn't enough for John to enter the Franciscan order. A man of considerable talent and brilliance, the desire to study led him to the University of Paris where as a layman he completed his Master of Arts by the age of 22. He was regarded as an expert and a popular lecturer in logic and rhetoric. The Franciscans indicate that he enter the fraternity in either 1238 or 1243.

By 1256 Bonaventure's university life was anxiety provoking when lay professors started violently opposing their religious counterparts. In 1257 and not yet 36 years old, Bonaventure was elected minister general of the Franciscans. He was known to keep the unity and direction for the friars at a time that the order was experiencing unrest. Both Saints Bonaventure and Thomas Aquinas were given their doctoral degrees from the University of Paris on 23 October 1257.

The saint served the Church as bishop of Albano and as a cardinal.

Bonaventure died in 1274 while participating in the Council of Lyon; he was invited to the council by Pope Gregory X.

As a scholar and thinker with a sterling character, Saint Bonaventure was known to intercede for others before God and richly blessed by God leading others to say that he had escaped original sin. He left the Church a rich written legacy intellectual works and an incredible constellation of high profile students. His The Life of Saint Francis, Commentary on the Sentences of Lombard, Commentary on the Gospel of Saint Luke, and Itinerarium Mentis ad Deum, Breviloquium are his significant works.

Bonaventure was canonized by Pope Sixtus IV and named a Doctor of the Church by Pope Sixtus V.

Saint Thomas Aquinas asked Saint Bonaventure about the source of his teaching; Bonaventure responded, "I study only the crucified on, Jesus Christ." And so should we.


In your spare time why not read Joseph Ratzinger's book, Theology of History in St. Bonaventure?
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Archbishop Henry J. Mansell, Archbishop of Hartford, in a letter to the Saint Gregory Society of New Haven, Connecticut, gave his permission for the Traditional Latin Mass community to relocate from Sacred Heart Church in New Haven to Saint Stanislaus Church at 9 Eld Street in New Haven.

"He wants to be certain the church is appropriate for your needs," wrote the archbishop.

He gave permission for the first Traditional Latin Mass at Saint Stanislaus in New Haven to be on The Feast of the Holy Cross, September 13, 2009. The Mass according to the 1962 Roman Missal will be celebrated at 2 pm at Saint Stanislaus just as it had been celebrated at 2 PM at Sacred Heart.

In his cordial letter of introduction, Archbishop Mansell encouraged cordial relations with the pastor, Father Roman Kmiec, C.M., pastor of Saint Stanislaus. Father Kmiec has indeed warmly welcomed the Saint Gregory Society.

Archbishop Mansell said he was "glad to help" the Saint Gregory Society in finding a new home for the Community.

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Saint Stanislaus Church is staffed by the Congregation of the Mission (the Vincentians) of the New England Province. The Vincentians, an congregation of priests and brothers founded by Saint Vincent de Paul in the 1600s, spread the gospel message of Jesus in championing the needs of the poor.

The De Paul Provincial House is located at 234 Keeney Street in Manchester, CT.

I am happy to receive this news. I spent nine years of my formative years at Saint Stan's with the Vincentians and the Congregation of the Holy Family of Nazareth. Saint Stan's is New Haven's best looking church maintaining the original artwork and liturgical furnishings.

The Saint Gregory Society of New Haven is a non-profit lay association founded in 1985 to promote the local celebration of the Traditional Latin Liturgy according to the Tridentine Missal in response to the Papal indult of October 3, 1984, Quattuor abhinc annos, which granted the use of the liturgical books in force in 1962.

Since January 1986, the Traditional Latin Mass regularly has been celebrated at the Sacred Heart Church in downtown New Haven. The Saint Gregory Society exists primarily to advocate the preservation of the immemorial rite of the Mass, to work for its celebration on a regular and unrestricted basis, and to disseminate information about and cultivate interest in the classical Roman liturgy and its central importance for Catholic faith and culture.

The Society supports a professional Schola Cantorum that provides the proper Gregorian chant and sacred polyphony for all sung liturgical functions.

For further information: contact@saint-gregory.org.

(this article is edited & adapted)

How is Caritatis in Veritate (CV; Truth in Charity) binding on the consciences of Catholics or anyone else? CV is a teaching document that is addressed to clergy and all people of good will. If you want to talk about it binding a person's faith and reason it comes only in the willingness to accept the pope's vision of life expressed in this teaching. Its ability to influence the reader lies in how receptive the reader is to that which is presented in love.

CV is a document of the Church's ordinary magisterium and therefore not in the realm of being an infallible teaching. It is not an infallible teaching for one reason: encyclicals by nature do not define dogma, that is faith and morals, but it may explain in contemporary terms what the Church believes and teaches about a piece of dogma. Encyclicals like this one which deals with the social teaching of the Church and therefore integrates faith and morals developing new data. New information requires a contemporary application. That which is taught in CV does not bear directly on salvation. Furthermore for a teaching to be infallible a pope has to include in the teaching the threefold formula of "we pronounce, declare and define." Ultimately, we see that CV is signed by the pope himself therefore it is an official papal document and official teaching but not on the level of dogma.

Some readers will find this work a bit difficult, that is dense. There are few things to remember at CV: it's a committee document, it's lengthy (about 30K words), and it has theological depth. Further and most important, CV has what some will call a theological tour de force because it's a "classic Ratzinger theology" because you see his insistence on the integration of faith and reason.

We can never get away from truth known as a Person ( Jesus Christ). In this current work of Benedict there is an insistence on our seeking truth which is found and expressed, according to the pope, in the economy of charity.

For ages now we should know that the Church has no expertise secular mechanisms but in humanity particularly moral and doctrinal; its mission to man's dignity and vocation. In Benedict's own words we hear the echo of what has always been believed, that "The Church does not have technical solutions to present but, as an expert in humanity, she offers to everyone the teaching of the sacred Scripture on the truth about man and proclaims the Gospel of Love and justice." In another place the pope also said that "The solutions to the current problems of humanity cannot be merely technical, but must take account of all the needs of the person, who is endowed with soul and body, and must thus take the Creator, God, into consideration."

CV clearly celebrates and applies in contemporary terms Pope Paul VI's 1967 encyclical Populorum progressio and the Pope recognizes today's situation is different and therefore adapts the church's approach to social matters.  This encyclical a work of continuity in Church teaching. That is to say, Pope Benedict is taking his lead from the continuous teaching of the Church and therefore awakens our attention to a clearer sense of responsibility for shaping the 21st century according to the virtue of peace born of truth and justice. Consistently through the years the Church demands from us a heightened consciousness of our own freedom particularly a freedom wrought by Jesus Christ by indicating the scandals of injustice that exist when man and woman are blinded by sin.

The Pope Benedict links man's religious and human freedom with life issues. If you have to think about a subtext, CV is a synthesis of the whole of theology. In this encyclical we see the notion that human dignity is anchored in truth; man and woman has to be at the center of every decision. As Pope John Paul II said in Centesimus annus, man is mankind's greatest asset. Speaking of the Church's interest in humanity, John Paul said: 

Her sole purpose has been care and responsibility for man, who has been entrusted to her by Christ himself: for this man, whom, as the Second Vatican Council recalls, is the only creature on earth which God willed for its own sake, and for which God has his plan, that is, a share in eternal salvation. We are not dealing here with man in the "abstract", but with the real, "concrete", "historical" man. We are dealing with each individual, since each one is included in the mystery of Redemption, and through this mystery Christ has united himself with each one for ever. It follows that the Church cannot abandon man, and that "this man is the primary route that the Church must travel in fulfilling her mission ... the way traced out by Christ himself, the way that leads invariably through the mystery of the Incarnation and the Redemption."

Catholics, indeed all men and women of good will, have to make the connection with reality that humanity is radically connected with the divine. But also, Catholics will come to see in CV that Pope Benedict believes in a companionship that is essential if we are to really thrive as a people with a common destiny; our job is to be mindful that there is truth in genuine friendship (cf. the other encyclicals of the pope). I think as we progress in this millennium we have to regularly consider with faith and reason who man is according to method of faith and reason viz. what those who are constructing a globalized sense of society say man is or is not. In other words, whose understanding of humanity is more reasonable, more loving and more life-giving? The Church's or Citigroup's? Increasingly we hear how bad the world has been or is becoming and little on how a true Christian responds to such anxieties. Sadly, many homilies we hear the priest or deacon speak more of a reduction of man's faith and the radical nihilism man faces than salvation history wrought by Jesus Christ. CV opens the doors for us to live as God wants us to live by reminding us that the truth in freedom lies in the adherence to God's discoverable plan.
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Lord God, you called the virgin, blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, to shine among the Indian people as an example of innocence of life. Through her intercession, may all peoples of every tribe, tongue, and nation, having been gathered into your Church, proclaim your greatness in one song of praise.


The National Shrine of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha staffed by the Conventual Franciscans.

Yes, there are people living the life of a hermit according the mind of the Church. Read the story of Sister Kathyrn Ann, it's fascinating. I am happy some have found a calling to go deeper into the Paschal Mystery by a life of sacrifice. We need their witness.

I would like to invite everyone to enter into a period of intense time of prayer for the Church in the coming days. Use your discretion as to length but do some form of prayer the good of the Church. The Holy See has asked five bishops to investigate the life of the members of the Legion of Christ beginning on July 15th. May I recommend the prayers to the Holy Spirit is needed as well as the Memorare for this intention.

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The Legion of Christ is not everyone's "cup of tea" but they certainly are an influence in many sectors of ecclesial life. The Legion has challenged the "categories" of many but they have done some good for the Church under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. So, while I am not a supporter of the LC, I am not looking for anything but an honest review and coherent application of mercy. What affects them ought to affect all of us since we are bonded together in Baptism making us all brothers and sisters. Am I my brother's keeper? Yes, and we ought to show prayerful solicitude with the Holy See and the bishops doing the investigating. Many peoples' lives are in significant turmoil over the recent revelations of misconduct of Father Marcial Macial (the founder) and other distressful matters of internal governance and the misuse of spiritual authority.

Today Sandro Magister published an interview with a prominent former Legionary priest, Father Thomas Berg. Consider reading it.

Here in the greater Connecticut and New York area the Legion operates a novitiate, a juniorate, an institute of higher studies plus a variety of other initiatives, including but not limited to the National Catholic Register and recent acquisition of Southern Catholic University. In the US the press reports that there are 24 Legion of Christ houses with about 130 priests and more than 250 seminarians. It would be inappropriate to suggest what the Pope would or should do for the good of the Church and the Legionary congregation. Whatever it is that the members are asked to do by the Church, I predict it will be some tough medicine and I ask that all of us stand on the side of the angels. This is an opportunity for excessive criticism and unflattering talk. It is time for prayer and conversion of life.

 


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God of might and power, you bestowed many gifts upon Saint Henry and turned him from the cares of an earthly kingdom to a concern for heavenly things. Hear his prayer and grant that amid the changes and uncertainties of this life we may hasten to you with undivided hearts.

Today's saint, Henry II, is one of the few monarchs admitted to the canon of saints. Emperors along with civil and canon lawyers don't seem to be too plentiful among the communion of saints. Henry was in fact an emperor, a husband and a Benedictine oblate. Throughout his life Henry devoted himself to the evangelization of peoples, the support of the Church (materially and spiritually), and is known to have attended to his spiritual life by being faithful to lectio divina, praying the Divine Office and the sacred Liturgy, and doing works of mercy and charity for the poor and marginalized. He is reported to have lived very chastely with his wife. Also important for us here is the fact that as king, Henry followed the Rule of Saint Benedict with a degree of seriousness that was rather unheard of, even among the monks and nuns. As Saint Benedict lived his earthly life and enjoined on his followers a sense of attentiveness to the reality of the final judgment, Henry conformed his life to the same: as Benedict had a concern for the welfare of brothers, he also instilled in them a heightened sense of Christ's final judgment, and so did Henry. Do we?

Since you have purified yourselves by obedience to the truth for sincere mutual love, love one another intensely from a pure heart. (1 Peter 1:22)

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Today, a most beautiful DC day, with great joy and fanfare the Church ordained Father Joseph Augustine DiNoia, O.P., 66, a bishop. The setting was the beautiful Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. The drama of the Liturgy couldn't come together in your theological imagination better than when you read the words in dome over the sanctuary which reads, in part: "Jesus has pored forth His Spirit you see and hear." Right, the Lord poured forth his Spirit upon Father Augustine ordaining him a bishop.

He was appointed by the Holy Father the titular archbishop of Oregon City. Even more to the point, he's the archbishop secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments; this office is part of the Roman Curia so Archbishop DiNoia works for the Pope.

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William Cardinal Levada was the consecrating prelate with the assistance of Archbishop Thomas Cajetan Kelly, OP and Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl. Antonio Cardinal Cañizares Llovera was supposed to be here but he forgot his passport at home and didn't have time to run back to the Vatican to get it and make the flight. Easily 250 priests and a handful of bishops including three other cardinals.

The image to the right is of Fra Angelico's Coronation of the Virgin (at the Convent of San Marco) was used for the invitation, worship aid and remembrance card. Talk about theology and Liturgy!

When the Papal Bull was read by the Dominican Provincial Father Dominic Izzo you heard the Pope say of DiNoia: you are a beloved son, suitable for the office of bishop because you manifest gifts of mind and heart, piety, diligence, experience and prudence; you are now asked by the Church to use these gifts for the up-building of the Church through the work of Liturgy and the sacraments.

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In the context of the Eucharist, family, friends, colleagues (past and present) and others who thought it best to attend, gathered to pray for the Spirit to come down upon Father Augustine so that he receive the gift of the fullness of Order, i.e., a bishop. We were reminded by Cardinal Levada that following ancient belief and practice the mission given to the apostles through Holy Spirit and imposition of hands the Tradition is preserved until today. The action of the Holy Spirit and the Church Father Augustine was conformed to the three-fold work of Christ as teacher, shepherd and priest not for himself but to join with Saint Peter and the apostles, Pope Benedict and the entire college of bishops in communion with the pope. Therefore, the doctrine is that a real "communio" exists with Augustine and the Pope and with every bishop in the world. So our Catholic belief here is that Father Augustine lives as Christ's vicar because of his episcopal character having particular care and solicitude for all the Church.

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The notion of episcopal solicitude means that a bishop builds up the body of Christ not only at the local level but worldwide. How is this done? Going back to the point of calling on the Spirit to come down upon the person to be ordained and the anointing with oil. Delving deeper into this dramatic Liturgy we notice that the Church invokes the Trinity, the saints and angles to come upon Father Augustine who abandons himself to Christ in humility in an act of humility seen in his prostration before the altar. Moments later the cardinal imposed hands (with the other bishops) and poured oil on the head and gave the visible ornaments of the bishop's office (ring, mitre and crosier). Capping the ritual off was the seating of the bishop and the sign of peace. BUT, I think we need to reflect on the cardinal's words when said we are all to look to the "destiny of divine embrace" as all of heaven gazes down upon Augustine. Here we realize the promises of Christ. And to that, the saints and angels lift Augustine's gaze heavenward while the Trinity gives the grace to preach the gospel with constancy and faithfully.

Cardinal Levada reminded us of the tall order DiNoia was called to: to live and teach Gospel in truth. As a point in history he renews his commitment to the truth of Gospel. Remember: truth is not a thing but a Person. Truth, you will recall, makes us free for the service of Christ oriented toward the liberation of the world.

A nice point of continuity with Dominican history is that Archbishop DiNoia used the crosier of Father Benedict Edward Fenwick, OP, founder of the Dominican Province of Saint Joseph and bishop of Cincinnati. Other points of continuity were the presence of the archbishop's chaplains Dominican Fathers Gabriel B. O'Donnell (JAD's ordination classmate & my spiritual father) and Romanus Cessario. One can't overlook all of the Dominican family and friends who travelled long distances to support him.

Archbishop DiNoia's episcopal motto is In Oboedientia Veritatis. The explanation given comes from a papal homily:

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"A beautiful phrase from the First Letter of St. Peter springs to my mind. It is from verse 22 of the first chapter. The Latin goes like this: 'Castificantes animas nostras in oboedentia veritatis.' Obedience to truth must 'purify' our souls and thus guide us to upright speech and upright action. In other words, speaking in hope of being applauded, governed by what people want to hear out of obedience to the dictatorship of current opinion, is considered to be a sort of prostitution: of words and of the soul. The 'purity' to which the Apostle Peter is referring means not submitting to these standards, not seeking applause, but, rather, seeking obedience to the truth...This is the fundamental virtue for the theologian, this discipline of obedience to the truth; it makes us, although it may be hard, collaborators of the truth, mouthpieces of the truth. For it is not we who speak in today's river of words, but it is the truth which speaks in us, who are really purified and made chaste by obedience to the truth. So it is that we can truly be harbingers of the truth." (Pope Benedict XVI, Redemptoris Mater Chapel, Apostolic Palace)

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Finally, the whole ecclesial event was a wonderful grace for Archbishop DiNoia and in that my own friendships were renewed by seeing so many very friends, plus making new ones.

God our Father, You made Saint Benedict an outstanding guide to teach men how to live in your service. Grant that be preferring your love to everything else we may walk in the way of your commandments.

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Famous for his work on the 12 degrees of humility, Saint Benedict proposes the following for those who want to advance in the spiritual life. The degrees of humility are given below.

The first degree of humility, then, is that a man always have the fear of God before his eyes (cf Ps 35[36]:2), shunning all forgetfulness and that he be ever mindful of all that God hath commanded, that he always consider in his mind how those who despise God will burn in hell for their sins, and that life everlasting is prepared for those who fear God. And whilst he guard himself evermore against sin and vices of thought, word, deed, and self-will, let him also hasten to cut off the desires of the flesh.

The second degree of humility is, when a man love not his own will, nor is pleased to fulfill his own desires but by his deeds carried out that word of the Lord which said: "I came not to do My own will but the will of Him that sent Me" (Jn 6:38). It is likewise said: "Self-will hath its punishment, but necessity win the crown."

The third degree of humility is, that for the love of God a man subject himself to a Superior in all obedience, imitating the Lord, of whom the Apostle said: "He became obedient unto death" (Phil 2:8).

The fourth degree of humility is, that, if hard and distasteful things are commanded, nay, even though injuries are inflicted, he accept them with patience and even temper, and not grow weary or give up, but hold out, as the Scripture said: "He that shall persevere unto the end shall be saved" (Mt 10:22). And again: "Let thy heart take courage, and wait thou for the Lord" (Ps 26[27]:14).

The fifth degree of humility is, when one hides from his Abbot none of the evil thoughts which rise in his heart or the evils committed by him in secret, but humbly confesses them. Concerning this the Scripture exhorts us, saying: "Reveal thy way to the Lord and trust in Him" (Ps 36[37]:5). And it said further: "Confess to the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endures forever" (Ps 105[106]:1; Ps 117[118]:1). And the Prophet likewise said: "I have acknowledged my sin to Thee and my injustice I have not concealed. I said I will confess against myself my injustice to the Lord; and Thou hast forgiven the wickedness of my sins" (Ps 31[32]:5).

The sixth degree of humility is, when a monk is content with the meanest and worst of everything, and in all that is enjoined him holds himself as a bad and worthless workman, saying with the Prophet: "I am brought to nothing and I knew it not; I am become as a beast before Thee, and I am always with Thee" (Ps 72[73]:22-23).

The seventh degree of humility is, when, not only with his tongue he declares, but also in his inmost soul believeth, that he is the lowest and vilest of men, humbling himself and saying with the Prophet: "But I am a worm and no man, the reproach of men and the outcast of the people" (Ps 21[22]:7).

The eighth degree of humility is, when a monk doeth nothing but what is sanctioned by the common rule of the monastery and the example of his elders.

The ninth degree of humility is, when a monk withholds his tongue from speaking, and keeping silence doth not speak until he is asked; for the Scripture shows that "in a multitude of words there shall not want sin" (Prov 10:19); and that "a man full of tongue is not established in the earth" (Ps 139[140]:12).

The tenth degree of humility is, when a monk is not easily moved and quick for laughter, for it is written: "The fool exalts his voice in laughter" (Sir 21:23).

The eleventh degree of humility is, that, when a monk speaks, he speak gently and without laughter, humbly and with gravity, with few and sensible words, and that he be not loud of voice, as it is written: "The wise man is known by the fewness of his words."

The twelfth degree of humility is, when a monk is not only humble of heart, but always lets it appear also in his whole exterior to all that see him; namely, at the Work of God, in the garden, on a journey, in the field, or wherever he may be, sitting, walking, or standing, let him always have his head bowed down, his eyes fixed on the ground, ever holding himself guilty of his sins, thinking that he is already standing before the dread judgment seat of God, and always saying to himself in his heart what the publican in the Gospel said, with his eyes fixed on the ground: "Lord, I am a sinner and not worthy to lift up mine eyes to heaven" (Lk 18:13); and again with the Prophet: "I am bowed down and humbled exceedingly" (Ps 37[38]:7-9; Ps 118[119]:107)

Do you ever think of the (dis)unity of Christians? Are you concerned enough to pray for the unity of the Churches? Today after Mass I prayed a prayer that asked God the Father to give us the grace of unity among Christians while He also fixes the errors that exist among the same. A tall order I know but I am known for bold requests! For some time I've been praying that one day--in my lifetime-- that among some Christian churches we can observe a common date of Easter if not also a common altar. Needless to say, I am saddened by the fact that most Christians don't have an issue with the various Christian churches and ecclesial communities celebrating Easter on different days. I lament this apathetic approach to our observing THE most solemn day of our Lord and Savior's triumph over sin and death.

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Admittedly, the problem of a common date for Easter is nearly as old as Christianity itself. History shows us that when the Apostles formed the various Christian communities under the power of the Spirit and by their work of evangelization differing opinions surfaced on how and when to commemorate Jesus Christ's death and resurrection. Most often differing opinions were based on how the four gospels recorded the events of our salvation. We know the first attempt at deciding a common date for Easter began with the Council of Nicaea (325). The Council taught that the date of Easter would be the first Sunday after the full moon following the vernal equinox. However, there was no method for calculating the full moon or the vernal equinox.

Today, we have the practice of the Orthodox churches who use the March 21st of the Julian calendar as the date of the equinox, while the churches of the Western tradition  base their calculations on the Gregorian calendar.  Hence, a window of difference is five weeks exists. Hmmm!!!???

According to a report on a recent seminar in the Ukraine attended by Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Protestant theologians of Europe, all participants endorsed a compromise proposed at a 1997 World Council of Churches (WCC) consultation in Aleppo, Syria. Notice that no North American theologians' opinions were considered. The proposal made was to keep the Nicaea rule but calculate the equinox and full moon using the accurate astronomical data available today, rather than those used many years ago. Brilliant, if you ask me!  Now I wonder of the  churchmen who head these churches also agree.

Recently, the French Orthodox theologian Professor Antoine Arjakovsky, director of the Institute of Ecumenical Studies, pointed out: "Whilst the astronomic reckoning of the Nicean rule comes closer to the Gregorian calendar than to the ancient Julian one, the Roman Catholic and Protestant churches did take a step towards the Orthodox churches in Aleppo, accepting that the date of Easter should be established on the base of a cosmic calendar rather than by a fixed date as had been proposed prior to the inter-Orthodox meeting in Chambésy in 1977."

In 2010 and 2011 there is a convergence of calendars which will produce a common Easter date that may, one hopes, serve as an opportunity for all Christians to join together for a celebration that is not based on mere coincidence. By Easter 2012 (April 8), can we hope that a date based on exact astronomical reckoning and celebrated by all Christians?

It seems that it's not only theology or the calendar's calculations that's the problem but the ecclesial relations among the communities of faith. Sad if you ask me.

Father Paul Wattson, the founder with Mother Lurana White, of the Franciscan Friars and Sisters of the Atonement, gave hundreds of sermons, conducted numerous retreats, delivered many radio addresses and wrote extensively in four magazines: The Pulpit of the Cross, The Lamp, The Candle and The Antidote.

The following piece is Father Wattson's commentary on the feast of Our Lady of the Atonement. This Marian feast was approved by the Holy See in 1946 but it was first observed in July 1901.

The theological datum on atonement and therefore mercy, is near-and-dear to the heart of the Church and indeed to all Christians, so today's feast is apt. Let us pray for each other!


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I am writing this letter on the day which we are accustomed to observe at Graymoor in special honor of Our Lady of the Atonement. This particular name of Our Blessed Mother is very dear to us and we believe it is dear to Our Lady herself. We hold it as among the most treasured and sacred traditions of our Institute that it was the Blessed Virgin who first taught us to call her by that name and there are cogent reasons why she should give this title a favorite place among the many by which she is invoked.

First among these reasons must be her own devotion to the mystery of the Atonement, for it was by the death of her son on the Cross, which cost him the last drop of his blood and made her preeminently the mother of sorrows, that the wall of division between God and man was broken down and both were made one (Ephesians 2:14), through Christ's atoning sacrifice.

As the Blessed Virgin is inseparably associated with our divine redeemer in the mystery of his incarnation, so is she closely associated with him in the great act of the atonement. Thus, is she always represented in the Gospel and in the liturgy and thought of the Catholic Church as standing by the cross, when Christ was crucified there.

There is a second reason, hardly less weighty than the first, why the title, Our Lady of the Atonement, should powerfully appeal to the mother of God. It was through the Incarnation she become the mother of Christ, but through the atonement she became the new Eve and the mother of all the regenerate, who being redeemed by the precious blood are predestined to eternal life as the adopted sons of God and heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven. The third time Our Lord spoke upon the cross it was to emphasize this phase of the Atonement, when he said to his mother: "Woman, behold your son," and to St. John, "Son, behold your mother." [John 19:26-27] Thus by virtue of the atonement Mary is the mother of all who live through Christ. Can anyone therefore possibly conceive the depth of significance this title "Our Lady of the Atonement" must possess for Our Blessed Mother herself?

But someone will ask, if so highly esteemed, why should it be kept hidden for nineteen hundred years, to be made known to the faithful in the twentieth century? Is it not the custom even of earthly mothers to preserve the choicest fruits in the summer time and hide them away under lock and key, to bring them forth to their children's delight in the depth of winter and did not the master of the wedding feast say to the bridegroom at Cana,

Every man at first brings forth good wine and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse. But you have kept the good wine until now. [John 2:10]

"My ways are not your ways," [Isaiah 55:8] says the Lord of Hosts.

(The Lamp, August 1919, pp.503-4)


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Father, we celebrate the memory of Saint Augustine Zhao Rong and his companions who died for their faithful witnessing to Christ. Give us the strength to follow their example, loyal and faithful to the end.

 

Saint Augustine Zhao Rong, a Chinese diocesan priest who was martyred with 119 companions in 1815. Among their number was an eighteen-year-old boy, Chi Zhuzi, who cried out to those who had just cut off his right arm and were preparing to flay him alive: "Every piece of my flesh, every drop of my blood will tell you that I am Christian."

CV in the Pope's words

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"Caritas in veritate", said Benedict XVI, "does not seek to offer technical solutions to the enormous social problems of the modern world. ...What it does do is recall the fundamental principles that are indispensable for building human development over coming years". Among these principles it highlights "concern for the life of man, seen as the centre of all true progress; respect for the right to religious freedom; ... and the rejection of a Promethean vision of human beings which sees them as the sole architects of their own destiny". (VNS)

Over at First Things Rusty Reno reviews the idea of defending truth by looking at the work of Dominican Father Reginald-Marie Garrigou-Lagrange. What a novel notion! Reno gives us another look in this seminal thinker and priest.
Kyrill & Bartholomew.jpgWonderful news: Moscow's Patriarch Kyril visited Patriarch Bartholomew, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople. This is Kyril's first foreign trip since being elected Patriarch of Moscow in January 2009.

Why is this event important? Past tensions and subsequent lack of cooperation between the two Sees have stunted the fruitful proclamation of the Gospel. Unity suffered. Also, as the Asia News headline indicates, the gesture of the two patriarchs' meeting opens the possibility significant dialogue with the See of Rome.

The homilies of each patriarch was a stunning example of grace at work. Content could not be out done but the promise of the Halki's school of theology on the part of the Turkish government is impressive. I pray that it comes about.

The story of the historic visit is reported by Asia News.

Caritas in Veritate

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Pope Benedict's 3rd encyclical, Caritas in Veritate, was published today. You may read it here. See the video clip about the pope's new work.

"In Christ, charity in truth becomes the Face of his Person, a vocation for us to love our brothers and sisters in the truth of his plan. Indeed, he himself is the Truth."

Today is also the 2nd anniversary of the publication of the Pope's Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum.

For many reasons I have had a devotion to Saint Thomas Becket whose liturgical memorial is observed on December 29. Becket was killed in 1170. His conversion and subsequent witness to the work of the Trinity in the world is one which inspires and challenges me to follow Christ more closely.

Today is the day that the Church in Canterbury observes a liturgical remembrance of the transfer of relics of Saint Thomas Becket. I should point out, however, there is a problem for some people in verifying Becket's relics being as true and therefore the subject of debate among some scholars. You can read any number of works on the subject if you'd like to enter the debate. I happen to come down on the side that the relics of Saint Thomas Becket are real. 

A transfer of relics from one shrine to another is similar to a reburying a body. As we know of tradition, it is in the second half of the 4th century that some local churches (dioceses) placed the relics beneath the altar and this placement of matryrs' relics became part of the dedication rites of a church.

The veneration of martyrs is a very ancient part of Christian faith. All sorts of practices surfaced with regard to the honor paid to a martyr-saint (and later to non-martyr saints) such as adorning the tombs, lighting lamps, paintings, inscriptions, offering the Eucharist on the martyr's anniversary of death, writing of the martyr's history, making a pilgrimage and the like. All these things first acknowledge the power of God over sin and death (the Resurrection) and then the confidence that we have in the martyr would intercede on our behalf before God. All this contributes to the belief that the martyrs were (and continue to be) true disciples of Jesus Christ. The martyr witnesses to us the reality and truth of the Paschal Mystery and our being able to be saved if we surrender to that Mystery. Why are we concerned with the transfer of relics? Why is this important? Existentially it is rather unimportant; as a matter of faith and Christian living the transfer of a saint's relics is important because of the honor due to God through the life of a blessed man or woman as interpreted for us by Christ crucified and risen; the martyr is only important insofar as he or she points to Jesus; the martyrs' relics and there occasional transfer illustrates an eschatology present in the baptism we daily live.

We venerate (we don't adore) the remains of a person we are morally convinced, that is, we have certainty that this person is among the saints in heaven and that the saint shows how to excel in the knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Today we remember the moving of Becket and we ask him to ask God for the grace of courage and greatness of heart.

from a letter by Saint Thomas Becket

For our sake Christ offered himself to the Father upon the altar for the cross. He now looks down from heaven on our actions and secret thoughts, and one day he will give each of us the reward his deeds deserve. It must therefore be our endeavor to destroy the right of sin and death, and by nurturing faith and uprightness of life, to build up the Church of Christ into a holy temple of the Lord.

The harvest is good and one reaper or even several would not suffice to gather all of it into the granary of the Lord. Yet the Roman Church remains the head of all the churches and the source of Catholic teaching. Of this there can be no doubt. 
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Everyone know that the keys of the kingdom of heaven were given to Peter. Upon his faith and teaching the whole fabric of the Church will continue to be built until we all reach full maturity in Christ and attain to unity in faith and knowledge of the Son of God. Of course many are needed to plant and many to water now that the faith has spread so far and the population become so great.

Nevertheless, no matter who plants or waters, God gives no harvest unless what he plants is the faith of Peter, and unless he himself assents to Peter's teaching. All important questions that arise among God's people are referred to the judgment of Peter in the person for the Roman Pontiff. Under him the ministers of Mother Church exercise the powers committed to them, each in his own sphere of responsibility.

Remember then how our fathers worked out their salvation; remember the sufferings through which the Church has grown, and the storms the ship of Peter has weathered because it has Christ on board. Remember how the crown was attained by those whose sufferings gave new radiance to their faith. The whole company of saints bears witness to the unfailing truth that without real effort no one wins the crown.

The Daily Examen

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The Daily Examen is a spiritual exercise on the events of the day looking to be aware of God's presence and discern His will for us. Various recommendations exist on utilizing this gift of prayer but I think it's necessary to do the Examen twice a day: at midday and then at the end of the day. The whole point of the Examen is to ask the three questions Saint Ignatius Loyola asked: What have I done, what am I doing and what will I do for Christ. This venerable spiritual practice of the Church helps us to see God's hand at work in our whole experience.

Saint Ignatius of Loyola gave us a five-step Daily Examen:

1. Be aware of God's presence;

2. Spend a moment looking over your day with gratitude for this day's gifts;

3. Ask God to send you His Holy Spirit to help you look at your actions, attitudes, motives with honesty and patience;

4. Review your day in a particular way;

5. Have heart-to-heart talk with Jesus.

Looking at these prayer points:

More than 400 years ago Saint Ignatius Loyola encouraged his disciples to cultivate a conscious awareness of the Divine Majesty's work in our lives. He wanted us to live vigorously in the power of the Blessed Trinity. Loyola called this awareness is what the Daily Examen.

1. Become aware of God's presence. So often we forget that God is really present in the daily work we engage in. Here you are asked to look back on the events of the day in the company of the Holy Spirit. The day may seem confusing to you --a blur, a muddle. Ask God to for the grace of clarity and understanding. Wherever you are, you are a creature in the midst of the beauty of creation. As you quiet yourself, become aware that God is present within you, in the creation that surrounds you, in your body, in those around you. Ask the Holy Spirit to let you look on all you see with love.

2. Be concrete and let the important moments of the day come to mind! In a general way give a moment of reflection on what happened to you. Some people will recall the smell of morning coffee, the laugh of a friend, the fragrance of a flower, or the feelings brought forth by a kind word, or what you've learned. Consider what you received and what you gave.

3. Give thanks to God for favors received. This is an opportunity to appreciate the permanent gifts you have that allow your participation in this day; conversely recall your particular strengths in times of difficulty. God the Father gives you these to draw you into the fullness of His life. As you move through the details of your day, give thanks to God for His presence in matters large and small. "When the Spirit of truth comes he will guide you into all truth." (John 16:13) The Holy Spirit inspires you with the gift of growing freedom in your life. Here the freedom the Holy Spirit offers to us allows us to look upon yourself without condemnation and without complacency and thus offering us the opportunity to change, to grow. Ask that you will learn and grow as you reflect, thus deepening your knowledge of self and your relationship with God.

4. Recall the events of your day; explore the specific context of your actions. Search for the internal movements of your heart and your interaction with what was before you. Ask the Lord to show you the moments of grace and sin based on what you experienced since the last time you did the Examen. In what ways did you accept the Spirit's gifts and in what ways did you resist the Holy Spirit? As the Psalmist says, we have a divided heart. The Examen shows us the areas of this division --the wavering of the heart between helping and disregarding, scoffing and encouraging, listening and ignoring, rebuking and forgiving, speaking and silence, neglecting and thanking. Remember, the Examen is not a time to dwell on your sin and other shortcomings; rather, it is a loving look with the Lord at how you have responded to God's gifts. The idea is to notice where you acted freely, that is, cooperated with grace--the picking a particular course of action from the possibilities you saw. See where you were swept along without freedom. What reactions helped or hindered you? See where Christ entered your decisions and where you might have paused to receive His influence. "Test yourselves," Sain Paul urges, "to see whether you are living in faith; examine yourselves. Perhaps you yourselves do not realize that Christ Jesus is in you." (2 Cor.) Thus, you will come to know that Jesus Christ is with you. Christ continually invites you to love Him and your neighbor as yourself; He will strengthen you to do this.

5. Seek God's guidance. Ask Him for help and understanding. Pray for hope. Speak with Jesus about your day, about your concerns. Share your thoughts on your actions, attitudes, feelings and interactions. You may feel the need to seek forgiveness, to ask for direction, to share a concern, to express gratitude, etc. Express sorrow for sin; give thanks for grace, the enlightening presence of God, and especially praise God for the times you responded in ways that allowed you to better see God's life. Resolve with Jesus to move forward in grace-filled action.

You might like to finish your time with the Lord's Prayer and the Glory be.

Saint Maria Goretti

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St. Maria Goretti.jpgFather, source of innocence and lover of chastity, you gave Saint Maria Goretti the privilege of offering her life in witness to Christ. As you gave her the crown of martyrdom, let her prayers keep us faithful to your teaching.


Saint Maria Goretti is an example for the new generations who are threatened by a non-commital attitude that finds it difficult to understand the importance of the values which admit of no compromise. [But] do not let the consumer culture and pleasure numb your conscience! Be an alert and vigilant "watchmen", be the real champions of a new humanity. (Pope John Paul II, 7 July 2002)

Happy 4th of July

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God of love, Father of us all, in wisdom and goodness you guide creation to fulfillment in Christ your Son. Open our hearts to the truth of his gospel, that your peace may rule in our hearts and your justice guide our lives.

LAlbacete.jpgWhen I first met Msgr. Giussani 16 years ago, I had no idea what we would talk about. I flew up from Rome to Milan to have lunch with "Don Gius" and a mutual friend who had arranged the meeting. I thought our friend would guide the conversation, but the day before the meeting I learned that he would not be there. It would just be a lunch meeting between Giussani and myself. On the flight to Milan, I browsed through a book by Giussani that I had picked up in order to have it autographed (L'Avvenimento Cristiano, The Christian Event), and because our friend had told me it would help me understand what Giussani was all about.

Paging through the book, trying to find common interests that we could discuss, I found the following remarks by Fr. Giussani: "'The Redeemer of Man, Jesus Christ, is the center of the universe and of history.' When I heard John Paul II repeating these words during his first speech (and the same sentence was literally, my friends can witness to it, the usual text of our meditation),  the emotion I felt reminded me of the dialectics developed between me and my students at school, and the deep tension with which we gathered in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit."  I was amazed because he seemed to be describing the same reaction I had when, for the first time, I read Pope John Paul II's first encyclical, Redemptor Hominis, thirty years ago (March 4, 1979). RH begins with this affirmation: "The Redeemer of Man, Jesus Christ, is the center of the universe and of history. To Him go my thoughts and my heart in this solemn moment of the world that the Church and the whole family in present-day humanity are now living."

Monsignor Lorenzo Albacete, Traces, April 2009
The former Swiss theologian of the papal household under Pope John Paul II, Cardinal Georges Cottier, OP, thinks it's possible to accept some of Obama's approach to matters like abortion, etc. as a temporary measure because he perceives Obama as realistic. John Allen writes about the cardinal's remarks. I think the cardinal's approach is too optimistic and weak in some areas. What do you think of Cottier's and Allen's analysis? Is Cottier realistic or naive?

Read Sandro Magister's insightful analysis of the Cardinal's comments.

OK, I laughed (to myself so as not to disturb the priests with whom I live) that Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia said in May to a youth conference that he thinks women are the stronger sex and psychologically more sturdy than men. My mother and sister would agree; and if my grandmothers and Aunt Jeanne were alive, they'd agree with His All Holiness. I am happy that he said this because he confirmed something I always knew or was drilled into my noggin --and heard proclaimed by women's organizations since I've been in seminary formation. While this is neither new news nor as the critical as the oxygen being sucked out of the news industry in the past 8 days (with Michael Jackson's death) but now it's "infallible" and we all know the truth. Really, I am not poking fun at the Russian Patriarch...I think it's humorous that such a point was newsworthy of Interfax, a news agency. In part, Patriarch Kirill said:

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"Men happen to be frailer. The upheavals of 1990s caused many of them to break down, but women had more vigor to endure the stress."

Answering questions, it was said that sport achievements required courage: "women win our country most of Russia's gold medals in sport."

The Patriarch's words received a riveting ovation. "An individual comprises both spirit and body, and human strength depends not only on its physical component. In this regard, women are the stronger sex," Patriarch Kirill said.

That he travels around Russia Patriarch Kirill noticed that "Almost every village has some kind of an amateur talent group. Who sings in a choir? Women do, and sometimes they are accompanied by a drunken accordionist." The same is true for many village schools, libraries, post offices, local administration where women have to play the lead, concluded Kirill.

JH Newman2.jpgThe Holy Father recognized the 2001 healing of Deacon Jack Sullivan as a miracle by way of the Venerable Servant of God Cardinal John Henry Newman's intercession. This was the final step in the beatification process of the English cardinal; of course, the canonization process will continue to its natural end. Now the details of the beatification ceremony are pending which is likely to be England.

We rejoice with the Congregation of the Oratory and the 82 Oratorian Houses --indeed with the entire Church in the Pope's decision to beatify Newman because it gives us another authentic guide to Christ.

At the Birmingham Oratory you can read

Some of his works can be found here.

Saint Thomas

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Because thou has seen Me, Thomas, thou has believed. Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed, alleluia.

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Grant us, we beseech Thee, O Lord, to glory in the solemn festival of Thy blessed Apostle Thomas; may his patronage ever help us, and may we at all times imitate his faith with suitable devotion.

Pope Benedict's 2006 catechesis on Saint Thomas is quite illustrative of true faith through the example of the Apostle.

Are we free enough to follow Christ in the same manner as the Apostle Thomas? Do we adhere closely to Christ in all ways --holding nothing back--so has to truly say that Christ is the way, the truth and the life? What makes us insecure in our following Christ? Does uncertainty paralyze us in being a true Christian? Why?

Blessed are those who do not see and yet believe.
Have you ever thought what a contemporary Martin Luther would criticize?
Well, after a great of thought ... consider this...

How would Tetzel (writing for Leo X) respond?

How to do lectio divina

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My friends at St Louis Abbey posted this cheat-cheat on doing lectio divina encouraging us to dig deeply into this very necessary form of prayer. All good things are derived from the daily practice of lectio divina. As the monks will tell you, lectio is not only for monks but for the entire Church.

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Lectio divina is a way of getting in touch daily in a personal way with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit; it is a way of getting in touch with Jesus Christ our Lord and our brother. It is away of reading centered on God and, if you do it with faith you will be able to hear what he has to say to you here at this moment.  It is a way of reading which is slow so that the words are savored in meditation. It moves from the literal meaning to what only the Spirit can make clear to you. It calls for action by your involvement and for passive surrender as it draws you into the heart of God. It is disinterested; the text must be read for its own sake and not for the achievement of having read it.

Lectio is a way of experiencing Jesus Christ. You will encounter him personally in the sacred scriptures because he is there hidden in the pages of your Bible and you ought to believe in his presence with greater assurance than if you could see him with your eyes.  He has the same power there as he revealed in the gospels and he cures you of your physical and moral ailments, brings his light to your everyday life and leads you to eternal life.

Your encounter is with the Word who loves you unconditionally and is ever present and real in your life. From all eternity God has had a plan for the whole course of your life, your personal fulfillment, your vocation, your happiness. You will surely stray from the right path and become alienated from your true self through serving other gods, if you do not allow him to reveal himself to you daily through his word. It is in your Bible that the true story of your life is written. If you don't at once understand what you read, then have confidence that the Lord will reveal it to you in his own time, because no word comes form the mouth of the Lord without achieving in you the work he intended. If your thoughts and imagination get in the way of your prayer, then fling them immediately before Christ.  Make no attempt to master them by your own strength, but try to turn back to your prayer.

You ought to do lectio every day, even if it is only one single verse of the Bible, because, "It is not on bread alone that man lives but on every word that comes from the mouth of God." (Matthew 4:4)  Your reading of the word of God should be deliberate, moving slowly from verse to verse, from word to word, watching for the context, paying close attention to each passage, looking out for the answers that are there in sacred scripture itself and the echoes they evoke, watching the notes and marginal references and always treasuring silence so as to make space to listen. You should know that the word you hear is directed to you personally and individually. When you read the word of God, it speaks to you; when you pray, you speak to the word and so turn your prayer into conversation.

Your prayer may be simply staying with the word in silence, or it may be a thanksgiving, or a petition, or praise, or blessing, or contrition, or intercession, or one single word on which you pause and then repeat at will, or it may be a prayer of inspiration. If you are taking part in shared lectio, the way to share what the scripture has said to you is by means of a personal comment spoken in the first person singular and applied to your own life, or else it may be a prayer out loud offered directly to God.

By José Manuel Eguiguren Guzman of the Manquehue Movement, Chile; translated by Abbot Patrick Barry, O.S.B.

For these three persons do not have will or power according to their relationships but rather according to the fact that each single person is God.

Saint Anselm of Canterbury, Letter 129
JPII in prayer.jpgYesterday morning [June 30] there was help at the Congregation for Causes of Saints the second meeting of the theological consultors tasked to examine the "Positio," that is the documents and testimonies of the cause for beatification of John Paul II. In the first meeting, about which Il Giornale has spoken, was held on 13 May. But it had an intermediate (or interlocutory... "interlocutorio") outcome, because of critical point raised not about the personal sanctity of Pope Wojtyla but about the manner in which the work was advanced and the lack of documentation.  The postulator of the cause, Msgr. Slawomir Oder, responded in writing to the objections and yesterday there was held the second and final meeting of the theologians, which had given a favorable majority opinion. Two of them maintained the initial "suspended judgment" ("sospensivo") because they though that the proofs and documents ought to have been integrated ("il quadro probatorio e documentale debba essere integrato"). This is the article that was published in today's Il Giornale. Now the "Positio" goes to the cardinal and bishop members of the Congregation, who before the end of the year will make a decision about the heroic virtue of Pope Wojtyla. Then it will fall to Pope Benedict to promulgate the decree which will bring his predecessor to beatification.

(thanks to Fr John Zuhlsdorf for the translation of Andrea Tornielli's article
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On 31 March 197 Pope John Paul II said of Communion and Liberation: "I like this name very much." Here's his explanation:

So you too, young people, beloved young people, have shown, in the very name chosen to describe your movement "Communion and Liberation" (I must say that I like this name very much, I like it for many reasons: for a theological reason and for, I would say, an ecclesiological reason. This name is so closely linked with the ecclesiology of Vatican II. Then I like it because of the perspective it opens to us: the personal, interior perspective and the social perspective: Communion and Liberation. For its topicality, this is the task of the Church today: a task which is expressed precisely in the name "Communion and Liberation." With this name, therefore, you have shown that you are well aware of the deepest expectations of modern man. 

The liberation to which the world aspires--you have reasoned--is Christ; Christ lives in the Church; man's true liberation takes place, therefore, in experience of ecclesial communion; to build up this communion is, therefore, the essential contribution that Christians can make to the liberation of all.

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The Jesuit report that after residing more than seventy years within the papal summer Palace itself, the headquarters of the Vatican Observatory recently moved to a new location in the Papal Gardens at Castelgandolfo. The move was occasioned by increased demands for space within the Palace, and the growing needs of the Observatory. Until few weeks ago, the observatory offices were located on the top floor of Papal Palace, the Pope's summer home located in the Alban Hills, 25 kilometers southeast of Rome. Its extensive astronomical library is scattered over four rooms on the top two floors of the Palace, while the valuable meteorite collection and laboratory, the historic vault of photographic observations made at the Observatory from 1895 to 1979, and the classroom where the biennial Vatican Observatory Summer Schools are conducted, are located on the ground floor of the Palace. Meanwhile, the living quarters of the Jesuits is divided between rooms on the second and top floors. With the prospect of half a dozen younger Jesuits joining the staff over the next five years, the issue of both residence and office space was becoming acute.

"Moving the Observatory collections and libraries has been a logistical challenge," noted Father José Funes, the Argentinean Jesuit and director of the observatory. "But the new site will allow us to address a growing need for space and order." The new quarters, located in the remodelled monastery built by the Basilian monks within one of the most beautiful gardens in the Italian peninsula, should provide a far more peaceful and comfortable setting. The Vatican Observatory traces its history to the reform of the calendar by Pope Gregory XIII in 1583. It was re-organized by Pope Leo XIII in 1891, "so that everyone might see clearly that the Church and her Pastors are not opposed to true and solid science, whether human or divine, but that they embrace it, encourage it, and promote it with the fullest possible devotion."

Blessed Junipero Serra

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Bl Junipero Serra.jpgMy words that I have put in your mouth, says the Lord, will never be absent from your lips, and your gifts will be accepted on my altar.


God most high, Your servant Junipero Serra brought the gospel of Christ to the peoples of Mexico and California and firmly established the Church among them. By his intercession, and through the example of his apostolic zeal, inspire us to be faithful witnesses of Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.


An interesting itinerary of Blessed Junipero
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The general intention

That Christians in the Middle East may live their faith in complete freedom and become instruments of reconciliation and peace.


The missionary intention

Through the witness of the faithful, may the Church be the seed and soil of a humanity reconciled to be God's one true family on earth.

About the author

Paul A. Zalonski is from New Haven, CT. He is a member of the Fraternity of Communion and Liberation, a Catholic ecclesial movement and an Oblate of Saint Benedict. Contact Paul at paulzalonski[at]yahoo.com.

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